[IC] Disconnected; The Perks of Being Insane

[MiddleEarthRoze]

Swiftly scurrying after Ethan, Steph placed her things beside Ethan and sat down. Unlike the other classrooms, that had individual desks, the art classroom had tables set out so four to six people could sit on them. She herself sat on a table with two other people, both of which sat a bit away from her and were completely immersed in their work; which worked out very well for Steph, as she preferred to not have to converse when working. However, she had noticed that Ethan had picked the most solitary table; either that, or people had avoided that one on purpose, which Steph couldn’t understand, as Ethan was fairly calm in this lesson, as opposed to the others. It was probably because of the teacher. Ah, the teacher; Mr. Hansen. It was no secret that most of the girls – and probably some boys - in the school had a crush on him. Even Steph had to admit – the guy was attractive. Tall, smouldering looks, stylish stubble and a ‘devil-may-care’ attitude, he was one the most favoured teachers in the school. However, he taught a subject most of the popular kids disliked, as it actually required some talent to do, so his classes were seldom peppered by loud-mouthedness or boisterous behaviour. Despite his easy-going nature, he was quite strict about homework, but that was about it. In terms of seating, people could do whatever they wanted, as long as they got the work done. So, Steph took a seat with Ethan, doubting that anyone would particularly notice it. “Y’know, we don’t have to bunk off if you don’t want to.” Steph leaned towards Ethan as she said this in a low voice, as if anyone would wander in and bust them before they even managed to leave. “But, if you really do want to, I have an excuse we can use.” She added as an afterthought, smiling just ever so slightly, her black curls brushing Ethan’s shoulder as she was that close. Steph was finding it astounding how comfortable she could feel being this close to someone, someone she only just really met about an hour before; and yet, she felt as though she had known him all of her life. And yet, she was still unsure about revealing her ability to Disconnect to him. Perhaps later, when they could be alone in her hiding place. Yeah... she’d tell him then.

[Teal]

After making a comment about the harsh weather and sparking a couple of mini conversations with some of the students, Mr. Hansen, the Art teacher, finally started checking to see who'd done the assignment. Usually, Ethan would have an inner freak out, but thanks to Steph, he had his homework, which provided him with a rare sense of relief. In spite of getting mediocre grades, Ethan and Mr. Hansen shared a good student-teacher relationship, probably due to the latter being pretty young - 28 years old - and, to say the least, extremely compassionate. He even told the boy once that he is perfectly aware that his struggle with juggling ridiculous amounts of social tension is what's holding him back from bringing homework in time, but advised him that he should try and deliver before the deadline regardless. There was a lot of wisdom that matched the man's rugged good looks. Steph's remark about how she had a good excuse to skip classes didn't go unheard, but Ethan didn't respond immediately, as Mr. Hansen was just nearing their desk. If he was to hear they're planning to skip classes, bad things would happen. "So, Ethan - did you do your homework today?", the Art teacher questioned. Ethan, without so much as looking up at him, simply handed him his Stephanie's drawing, desperately hoping he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Mr. Hansen threw a quick glance, let out a titter, then dropped the sheet down on the desk. "That's obviously not yours, but I'll give you a C for actually bringing something this time. If you have any objections, let me know, so I can drop it down to a D.", the man said, brutally and efficiently ruining every possibility for Ethan to make a comeback. The boy miserably nodded his head, let with no choice but to agree. After all, he did it to himself. In the other hand, Stephanie got off pretty quickly. He simply looked at her drawing before shifting his sight at his register, motioning what seemed to be like an A. He also made a comment about the two moons on her drawing, but nothing to hint that he actually was versed on the Elder Scrolls lore. Right after he waltzed past the duo, Ethan decided to respond. "Let's assume I want to skip classes. What kind of excuse do you have for me?". It was at this point that he realized he could almost feel Stephanie's warm breath, but chose not to face her in fear of creating an awkward moment. The fact that she was invading Ethan's personal space meant that she was gradually getting used to him, implying the time to tell her about his gift/curse was nearing. However, he couldn't risk to confess in a public area - he needed to find a secluded place, hence why he accepted her suggestion to move to a quiet area. "So, I have a little announcement to make", Mr. Hansen, now standing before the black board, uttered, provoking everyone in the class to shift their attention at him. "Unfortunately, I have an urgent problem to deal with so I have to go. And, it was a last minute decision, so we couldn't get anyone to replace me. That said, I'm sure you guys are mature enough to get through this by yourselves. ", the man almost finished, packing his stuff as he made one more addition to his announcement. "Oh, and to keep you busy, I have decided to assign you something. It's simple; make a portrait of the person next to you, or simply choose a friend, or whatever. Just keep quiet.", the man said, heading for the door as he did.

[MiddleEarthRoze]

Eyes following Mr. Hansen as he left the room, Steph was both surprised and relieved that a party didn't spontaneously break out in the class. However, the art lot weren't that rowdy, although she knew it would be more talking than working in this double lesson. "Well... I have some fake blood." She said quietly, sitting back properly on her chair and beginning to sharpen her pencil, then couldn't help but smile. "Only now do I realize how strange that sounds out loud. I actually made some of this stuff." She explained to Ethan, placing her pencil back down and digging through her bag, pawing through about 3 dog-eared paperback novels, a tangle of wires from her headphones, and various art things and receipts and whatnot, she finally pulled out a tube of red liquid. It looked remarkably like blood, although the consistency was a bit off when it was cool - however, heat it up for a bit, and you've got yourself some pretty damn good blood. "I made it one day when I was out of red paint. I can't remember exactly what I put in it... I'm sure golden syrup was one of the ingredients. Anyways, it sucks as paint, but it's pretty awesome for blood." She said, giving the tube to Ethan with an almost mischievous grin. She'd used it more than once when the crowds got a bit too rowdy for her liking - or if one of the boys got a bit too close in PE. "We'll just give you a ''nosebleed'' once the lesson is over. That'll give you a decent excuse to leave - the nurse won't let you stay long if it's really flowing." The school nurse was notorious for just being terrible. She was squeamish at the sight of blood or broken bones, she didn't know how to deal with various maladies, and wasn't qualified - or just mentally unable - to give injections or even eye drops. The silly bint even put a bandage on a kid when he burnt his arm in tech class. Fair to say, his parents weren't happy when they took it off when he got home - it seems medical personnel need to know that bandages on burns will just take any new skin off with it. Ouch. "I don't have many problems with attendance - and my Dad's not around that much to find out I bunked off, so I'll just skip without an excuse." She added, then paused, thinking on her words. She liked to avoid bringing up her parents as much as possible. Shifting around uncomfortably in her chair, she began her sketch of Ethan, hoping he wouldn't read into her comment about her Dad too much.