Of Students and Teachers (Venamisa X Karnen)

[Karnen]

She smirked lightly, “Well I was considering a few things, something tribal perhaps, or a wolf, bamboo tree. Maybe if you give me a few options to look at I can finally make my decision. I’ll even pay you for your time.” Dani had always secretly wanted a tattoo when she was younger, maybe now she’d finally get that fantasy of hers fulfilled. She sipped her coffee slowly enjoying the taste. She saw nothing wrong with wanting Alice to come up with a design. From what she could tell so far the girl had talent and she would be proud to place that design right on her back. The school didn’t want teachers showing tattoos so she’d have to cover it up for class. At least it would be something she could show after school was done.  

[Lady Venamisa]

"Hm... how about I bring my portfolio tomorrow, and give it to you after class? I've got a lot of things to chose from in there." Alice said, positively beaming. She perked up at the mention of getting paid - money wasn't exactly something she had a lot of, since she refused to use her brother's blood money unless it was necessary. It also sparked a new idea. What if she could sell her designs? If that worked out, she'd save up enough money for her apprenticeship in no time at all! The former gangster took another sip of her coffee, though she no longer needed the caffeine; her own excitement would leave her up all night. "I've got a tattoo on my shoulder. Wanna see it?"  

[Karnen]

“Sure, that sounds good. You just let me how much I owe you for the design.” She continued to eat the croissant then and after she was done she sucked the tips of each of her fingers. Cleaning off the last bits of the croissant from her fingers.

"I've got a tattoo on my shoulder. Wanna see it?"

Dani raised her eyebrows slightly and then leaned forward slightly in her chair. “Sure, you’ve peaked my interest.” It was nice to see the young girl looking so pleased. Maybe she had given her a boost just by her wanting a tattoo design. Whatever the case, Dani was glad Alice had a different side than all the other teachers saw.  

[Lady Venamisa]

Alice beamed, and stood up. She then moved her shirt so that it could be easily seen.. "Made the design myself; a friend did it for free." It was a surprise that teacher could be so interested in this sort of thing - genuinely interested, mind. Mrs. Hall had asked about it once, but seemed awkward and forced. Ms. Farris, though... not so much. Pleased with herself, Alice fixed her shirt and sat back down. She took another sip of her coffee before asking, "So, whatcha' think?"  

[Karnen]

Dani examined the tattoo as Alice showed it and she smiled. “I like it. I can’t wait to see your portfolio tomorrow.” She was about to continued but her cell buzzed. She pulled it out and looked at it and upon seeing that her cousin was calling she looked a little puzzled. She hardly ever called her cousin, she lived out by the beach. They rarely talked and receiving a call, nowhere near any special family functions was strange. Dani silenced the called sending her cousin to voicemail. “Anyways… you know at lunch the other teachers told me you were trouble I was considering looking at your school record but I decided against it. It’s none of my business whatever happened. I don’t want to be like all the rest of those teachers, I’ve had a few like them in high school and I hated them. They didn’t seem to care and they weren’t honest either.” She took a few more sips of her coffee before it was finally finished.  

[Lady Venamisa]

"I like it. I can't wait to see your portfolio tomorrow." Ms. Farris said, smiling back at her. She looked as if she were about to continue, but was interrupted by her cellphone. She stared at it for a moment, silenced it, and put it back. Alice shrugged it off; wasn't any of her business, after all.

"Same here." She replied, sincerely.

"Anyways... you know at lunch, the other teachers told me you were trouble. I was considering looking at your school record, but decided against it. It's none of my business, whatever happened. I don't want to be like all those other teachers, I had a few like them in high school, and I hated them. They didn't seem to care, and they weren't honest, either." The teacher took a few sips of her coffee, and sat her cup down. Alice polished off her cup as well, feeling rather satisfied.

"Yeah, I gotcha. Same thing here, really." The former gangster said, unsurprised by that bit of information. She already knew what they thought of her; no good at all. So rather than allow herself to be affected by that, she stared into her now empty coffee cup, her tone cool. "I am trouble, teach. Did plenty of s**t to earn that rep, too. But thanks, for respectin' my space." "For respectin' me. She almost added, but didn't. Damningly, a little emotion escaped her voice at that. Rather than deal with it, she quashed it down, and forced a smirk. "Thanks for not rattin' me out. And the coffee, too. It was... nice." Alice then got up, and put her last two bucks on the table. "Here's my tip."  

[Karnen]

"I am trouble, teach. Did plenty of s**t to earn that rep, too. But thanks, for respectin' my space." Dani nodded as she watched Alice, she found it hard to believe but that she could be trouble but everyone had a past. Maybe Dani just saw the decent part of Alice the changed part. Whatever the case she was glad she at least made friends with the girl. "Thanks for not rattin' me out. And the coffee, too. It was... nice."

“No, problem. It was nice maybe we should do it again sometime…” As Alice placed the two bucks on the table she considered saying no and that she’d take care of it but instead she said nothing. Dani had paid for their coffee and she figured Alice probably wouldn’t have offered the money if she didn’t want to. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow Alice.”

Dani stood up and after getting her messenger bag she walked out of the coffee shop. She trekked back over toward the school parking lot and got in her red dodge charger. She lived in a small apartment up on tenth floor. Even though the place was small it was just enough room for her. As she stepped in she was greeted by no one, it was silent and peaceful exactly what she needed. Her apartment entered right up into the main family room and the kitchen was off to the side. Then there was a small hallway that lead to the her bedroom and then the other was her art room. The place wasn’t cluttered it was very organized but there were a lot of painting hanging up on the walls of the entire apartment. Some were of landscapes others were sunsets and a few abstract with different shapes that seemed to form almost nothing when you first glanced at it. She placed her stuff on the couch and then listened to the voicemail for the message she was sure her cousin would leave. “Hey… how’s it going. It’s your cousin Kris, just wanted to let you know I will be there at your place next week. Thanks again for letting me crash at your place for a bit. Later Dani!” Dani’s eyes widened, did she hear that right. Kris said she was going to be staying at her place, well I didn’t offer… oh no it must have been mom. She quicly punched in her mom’s number and her mom answered, “Oh hello I didn’t think you’d call…”

Dani cut her mom off. “What’s all this about Kris staying with me?”

“Well I offered. You see your cousin has been having a rough time since she graduated high school and I was hoping that staying with you might help her get her back on her feet.” Her mom replied.

Dani groaned, “No, no I can’t have Kris staying with me. She’s a slob! She’s crazy, we don’t get along and we have nothing in common! I just want to be alone!”

“Dani Farris! Mind your tone! Even though you are still an adult you are still my child!”

Dani bit her lower lip and let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry… I just…”

“I know… Lily is...”

“She’s dead mom, and I know it’s been a year since it’s happened but it’s still hard and I’m getting though it slowly I just don’t want Kris around.” Even though she was trying her best to avoid this she knew that it was going to happen.

“Look your cousin is having some issues just… you can handle it for a few months and then she’ll be gone.”


“Fine.” She hated caving in but maybe things would go by quickly. “Alright well I’ll see you guys Friday night for dinner. Love you both.”

“I love you too honey.” After Dani hung up she headed into her art room. Painting always cheered her up, she began to pull out her paint brushes and paints and then began to work on her next project.  

[Lady Venamisa]

Alice watched as the teacher drove past, and continued heading down to the seedier side of the city. It was a picture perfect sunny afternoon. Thin little wisps of clouds floated up in the air, and a soft breeze gently blew her hair back. Oh yeah, it was one of those days. The former gangster smiled the whole way there, quite used to walking clear across the city. It was silly, but she was rather excited about tomorrow. She hadn't really bothered to show off her work before, and hoped that Ms. Farris would be happy with her work. And if that was the case. then maybe she could go around selling her designs, and save up for that apprenticeship. According to Gary, the guy in charge of the Snake Eyes tattoo parlor in town, it would cost her six thousand dollars. In cash. Out of that, she had earned a little more than two thousand of it. Not bad for a period of six months, she had to admit.

Her excitement slowly faded away, upon finally arriving at her destination. The place in question was a small, seedy little building - the kind that would've been condemned, if anyone gave a damn about it. There was no sign, no indication of what business it was for, but that didn't matter. Everyone in the know came, and that was all they needed. Fueled by today's meager lunch and the caffeine from her coffee, Alice walked in the door. It was just as ugly on the outside as it was the inside; small, old, dimly lit and about ready to fall apart. Inside of it was none other than her "boss" and three of his friends.They sat at a table, playing what appeared to be a game of poker. She waited patiently, since interrupting them wasn't a good idea. After about five rounds, they stopped playing, and one of them acknowledged her.

"Oh, hey, beautiful." The scrawniest of the group, Henry, greeted, his smile warm. He was a thin, short man - with some kind of Asian in him or something. Alice forced herself to smile back, even as he began undressing her with his eyes. The creep was at least twice as old as her, but that didn't stop him from looking. Since it only stayed at that, however, she mostly ignored him.

"Hey there, Skinny." She replied, using his street name. She then nodded toward the other two. "Bronx," - said to the big, caramel-skinned thug. He grunted at her without paying attention. "Mad Dog." Mad Dog, the biggest, meanest one of them, grinned at her. Tall, dark, and intimidating, he was definitely not one to be trifled with.

"Well, if it isn't Alice. You're a little early, aren't you?" His tone was slick like oil, and brimming with an intelligence no one expected to be there. His eyes twinkled in amusement, and Alice felt her stomach lurch. Never a good sign.

"Just wanted to see you, that's all." She said, using the sweetest voice she could muster. Apparently, this was the right thing to say - he didn't get angry, at least.

"How sweet. Come, sit here. Keep us company for a while." He motioned toward a spot right beside him. Alice merely smiled, and dutifully did as she was told. If he wanted her to speak to him, he'd ask her a question. Sitting beside him, she could clearly smell the booze on his breath. Perhaps he'd be too drunk to try anything. Perhaps not. Either way, tonight was going to be a long one...

~()~

And of course, it was. By the time she'd gotten home, it was damn near midnight. She entered the small, shabby apartment shared with her brother, and flipped on the lights. The kitchen was, of course, a total pigsty. "Figures..." she muttered, clearing a space off the table so she could do her homework. She finished most of it within a few hours and dragged herself to her room. She pulled out a small wad of cash from her back pocket, and placed it in a shoebox underneath a loose floorboard. Once it was well hidden once more, Alice plopped down on her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.  

[Karnen]

The next morning Dani had to force herself up and out of bed, it was going to be a long day. She stumbled out of bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she headed to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. As she took her first sip she let out a slow content sigh, coffee was amazing. Without it she’d probably never get going. When she headed in for work she was already there in the classroom waiting as everyone started filing in. “Morning everyone!” She greeted the class as the bell rang. She began to take the attendance and once that was out of the way she began to explain the a little about some of the older artwork. Some dating around the Renaissance period and others before that, she had an entire slide show presentation.

It was during the middle of the presentation when Jeff, the football player, asked a question. “So why did they have a whole bunch of nude chicks in these old paintings?”

Well at least he didn’t mind asking, the kid seemed comfortable. “Many artists sought to capture the beauty of a woman and they would often capture a nude woman. If any of you ever continue artistry in college you are given a nude model to drawn as part of an assignment.”

That statement seemed to get the class’ attention. “Really! Awesome! So hey are we gonna draw each other naked? So were you given a model to draw teach?” Jeff asked his eyebrows wiggling.

Dani laughed, “Ahh heck no. The school would hang me if that happened.” She paused a moment nodded at his second question. “Yes… yes I was…” She said softly, her eyes seemed to be lost in thought for a second before she shook it off. “Anyway let’s continue with the slideshow.” By the time the bell rang they had finished the presentation and Dani finished class, “I’ll see you all tomorrow, and we will be drawing all class period tomorrow.”  

[Lady Venamisa]

Alice awoke the next morning and wished she hadn't. Her body was stiff and sore, her head ached, and damn she was thirsty. Getting out of bed was the most difficult thing she'd ever done, but she managed. Alice groaned as she forced herself out of the relative warmth of her bed. Even if the mattress had a spring popping out toward the left side, being allowed to sleep in it would've been heaven.

Goddamn. Mad Dog ******** wrecked me last night... A sourness settled in her stomach at the thought of that man.

As always, she worked through it and went about her daily routine. Sans the shower, cause she wasn't moving fast enough. Alice put on the clothes she'd worn the other day; they didn't smell bad, so it was fine. With a spritz or two of cheap body spray, a generous amount of cover up on the new bruises around her neck, and several minutes spent getting the damn tangles out of her long, red hair, she was ready to go.

"I'm leaving!" She shouted, not sure if Zack would hear her. He'd been out partying again all night. Probably scored more coke from Chimney or some s**t.

...

Nada. What a surprise.

Alice grabbed her backpack, making sure she remembered her homework - and her portfolio. Today, she'd show teach - Ms. Farris - the tats and make bank. She'd be that much closer to getting the hell away from it all - her brother, Mad Dog and his cronies, and the shithole she lived in.

Steeled by that thought, she began her daily walk to school.

~()~


By some miracle, she'd managed to hall herself to class just in time. Along the way, Alice heard whispers and murmurs about the fight - though nobody dared to say anything outright. A few of the braver, non-a*****e students did acknoledge her, though. A nod, a wave, or a smile. Some small sign of respect. It probably wouldn't last, but whatever. She'd take what she could get.

She entered the classroom feeling... alright. Excited for the chance to speak with Ms. Farris again, and really just ready to keep on moving. Anything to put last night out of her mind...

"Morning, everyone!"

"Morning, Ms. Farris." She greeted, lazily, trying to stifle a yawn. After attendence, they were treated to a slideshow presentation. Alice sighed inwardly. Though it was easier to just sit and listen, she'd have liked drawing something a lot better. Oh well...

The lesson went on sluggishly, only made slower when Jeff went full retard. ******** dipshit...

To her surprise, Ms. Farris merely laughed. "Ah, heck no. The school would hang me alive if that happened." She nodded at his second question, though. "Yes... yes I was..." Something about her answer didn't feel right. Her voice went all soft, and there was this far away look in her eyes. It was weird, but Alice shrugged it off.

IEh, I'm probably looking too deep. 'Sides, it's none of my business. Wouldn't want someone poking around my s**t.

Sighing, Alice got up and left her portfolio on Ms. Farris' desk. Hopefully some good came out of it.

At least they were drawing tomorrow. She'd look forward to that.