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you don't have time to be timid,
you must be bold and daring

──● lumiere
BEAUTY & THE BEAST

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Kasumi was understandably nervous, pacing in front of her professor's office. She couldn't believe this was happening. She- where had she gone wrong? The painting had been perfect, her project had been perfect. She'd made sure of it. Even her siblings had said so. So why was it being questioned at all?

Not more than a moment later, the door opened, and out stepped her professor. She'd never met her in person, because most of the grades came from submissions - mailed or otherwise. It was more of an anonymously graded class, but this required some intervention. Kasumi's first block project, one of the two due this semester, she'd failed it.

Failed it.

A big, ugly, giant F.

It was horrible. Almost as horrible as the sickening anxiety that rose in her stomach as her teacher approached her. She was a nice enough looking women, older to be sure, with ginger hair, and soft features. Talia Clemens.

Miss Clemens pulled to a stop in front of her, smiling warmly. "Kasumi. It's lovely to see you in person. I always enjoy seeing your art come into my office. I do believe I have one of them in there, hanging up beside my desk. It's from last semester, when you were in Italy. You painted me an inverted sunset, and I do quite enjoy looking at it." She motioned for Kasumi to follow her, which she immediately did, treading lightly down the hall. The echo of her footfalls vibrating against the ground. "Now, I got your email about your grade, and I'm glad that you came in to talk to me about it." Miss Clemens pushed open the door to one of the galleys for holding art, delicately stepping through the threshold, and approaching one of the covered canvases against the wall.

It didn't take another moment for her to unveil the canvas she'd stopped in front of. It was smaller than some of Kasumi's other works, but beautiful nothenless. It depicted a shadow of a creature, hanging above heavy rain-clouds, peering in between a hole towards the gaping jungles of the amazon. She'd taken inspiration from the stories of cryptids, and dark creatures in South America. It had a haunting kind of beauty. Looming and gothic. Kasumi stared at it for a moment, noting the imperfections of shading, the slight discoloration that shouldn't have been there, and turned to face her professor.

Miss Clemens didn't waste time, staring at the painting herself before turning to her. "It's beautifully done, Kasumi, but that's not the issue. The point of this project was to convene with others. To collaborate with someone over the topic of the painting, not something. It's a lovely painting, and you're very talented, but I can't accept this as a submission for this project".

Kasumi felt her heart sink, and the burning sensation of tears branded into her chest. Her throat felt tight, and she was grateful for the fact that she had such heavy practice in staying silent, because if she had spoken, she doubted much of anything would come out at all. Her painting had been a disappointment. 

She was a disappointment.

Her professor, without missing a beat, turned back to the painting. "Truthfully, I gave you a failing grade in hopes you would email me about it so we could have this conversation. I think it'd be unfair of me, especially when you've gotten every single submission in this class on time, with a perfect response to the prompt, until now, to give you such a damaging grade. I've decided, that I'll give you another chance to respond to the prompt, given that you follow it this time." She hesitated. "I'll accept this as a submission for your second large project of the semester, it fits it rather well. And i'll give you until the end of this semester to get me something else for the original project." She looked to Kasumi, opening her mouth, but was inturupted by a bright, overtly jolly voice.

"Miss Clemens? I picked up the coffee you wanted!" A broad figure passed the open doorway of the galley, before vanishing again, and then it backtracked, and came to a stop at the door. "Oh, you're in here." He had longish hair, a little darker than her own, and a bright smile on his face. Although briefly, his eyes flicked to Kasumi, and he raised his eyebrow, "Oh..Hey Kasumi, I didn't know you were back in town."

Kasumi almost frowned, searching through her thoughts for any recollection of who in the hell this was, but came up with practically nothing. It was probably her fault, she could be exceptionally forgetful when it came to people outside of her family. Especially now because she traveled so often, and had met so many other people. So she did frown a little, tilting her head.

The boy blinked, and then sheepishly smiled, "Oh, you probably don't remember me, I'm-"

"Rhys." Miss Clemens looked between them before her eyes settled on him. "If you don't mind, i'd like to finish my conversation first, then I'll come speak to you in just a moment."

Rhys nodded that time, mock saluting her, something Miss Clemens shook her head at slightly, and he vanished once more from the doorway, footsteps trailing off into the darkness of the hallways beyond. Kasumi let her ears follow the echo of his footfalls for a moment, before looking back to the women before her, who sighed, shaking her head again.

"As I was saying, you'll have until the end of the semester, just before finals week, to turn something into me. Does that sound fair?"

Returning to her current problem, Kasumi nodded, fearful of accidentaley jepordizing the opportunity that had been presented to her. Miss Clemens returned her nod, looking at the painting for another moment. Then she frowned, eyebrows furrowing, and turned in the room, to the opposite side, marching towards another stack of covered and protected paintings. Wordlessly, Kas glided after her like a ghost. 

She threw off another cover, revealing a different painting. A heavy canopy of stars hung in it, like looking up at the sky. Cascading trees were in motion, just on the cusp of tumbling into the curling edges of darkness that seemed to crack at the ends of the painting, a void, sucking it's creations into abyssal night. 

It was beautiful.

She looked at the name, eyes wandering to the bottom, but found nothing. Kasumi suspected it was on the back, and her fingers itched to touch it, to see it, to ask the artist how it felt when they painted it. Miss Clemens admired it for another moment, tilting her head. "This, is another piece by one of my star students. He's a little too bold, occassionally, but this piece was excellent." She looked up at her. "He has a similair style to you, so, perhaps it'd be good for you to meet."

Kasumi was tempted to strain to be able to see the name, but she stayed still, nodding slowly, albeit hesitant at the idea of meeting another artist. One who could potentially critisize her beloved creations.

Miss Clemens nodded once more, sharply, before she set the painting down, recovering it and striding for the open door out of the gallery. Kasumi followed suit, skittering after her like a scared puppy. After the both of them had stepped out, she turned and closed the door, locking it behind her, and motioned for her pupil to continue to follow her into the hallway, back towards her office.

Her office door was open, left that way, and inside was that boy again. Rhys. He had a drink carrier set beside him on the table,  with three drinks in it. The fourth was on Miss Clemens' desk, waiting for it's final destination. Rhys was scrolling through his phone, but he looked up at both of them in the doorway, and offered another bright smile. "Oh, Hey Miss Clemens, I put your coffee on your desk there."

"Thank you Rhys." She turned to Kasumi. "This is him, the artist."

Kasumi let her eyes wander once again back to him, and in the brighter lighting, she could see that he did look a little familiar. She'd seen him maybe once or twice in on-campus classes when she took them, but anything before that was blurry at best. So he was the painter of such a breath-taking creation.

"I think you'd work well together, although Kasumi, if you don't mind. I'd like to speak to Rhys in private before you catch up." She smiled, and Kasumi nodded respectfully, taking a step back as the door shut in front of her.

Muffled speaking began coming through the door, and while Kas knew she could listen if she really wanted to, her thoughts betrayed any of that line of reasoning, wandering back to the painting that Rhys had painted. Rhys. Even the name felt familiar, and she narrowed her eyes at nothing, desperate for some fraction of memory that shared the name.

Nothing came.

It was only a few minutes before the door swung open again, and instead Rhys stepped out. He was taller, and bigger than he had looked from farther away, and Kasumi ungracefully stepped back, clear out of his way. Rhys looked to her, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets. "So, it's not unreasonable of me to say you don't remember me then?"

Kas could only shake her head, staring at him. He clearly liked more vintage clothing. It was in good condition still, obviously clean, with a distinct fade over the shirt. His jeans looked worn, as did his shoes, and the sports jacket was old, but still nice, hanging over the red tank of a shirt - with the emblem of some obscure band that she'd never heard of. 

He just shrugged, "That's okay. I think you only tutored me for about a week in high-school, in senior year."

Oh. Rhys. Only, the Rhys she'd tutored had been a scrawny kid, with misplaced freckles and a lanky bone structure, not the well - to put it lightly - man he was now. Kasumi slowly nodded, watching as he took a step out of the hallway, and realized that he was waiting for her. As not to keep him in suspense, she quickly followed him, falling into step beside her. Her hands itched for her whiteboard, wanting to communicate to him that she might recongnize him from highschool - but she had other questions for him too. How had he known her before that - as far as she remembered, he'd been one of the nerdy kids, a chess player - someone who loved things like DnD and Star Wars. Maybe he still loved those things, she didn't know, but they weren't in the same groups at all in highschool - she barely had even known who he was when he'd asked for her help before the rapidly approaching finals week.

She still doesn't know why he asked for her help. Rhys was smarter than she was. He'd had better grades, better social ability, better lots of things. She wouldn't lie and say she hadn't noticed him at all, but it was more than a suprise for her that he'd noticed her.

Rhys walked beside her quietly, stepping out of the building, Kasumi quickly behind. The day had warmed up somewhat, and cold sunshine settled into her bones quickly. The quick change of temperature sending chills up her spine and over her arms. Rhys watched her twitch, but thankfully said nothing, instead continuing down the walkway of campus beside her. "So, did you want to work together, for the project then?"

To be honest, Kasumi didn't know, but she had to work with someone - and Rhys was a beautiful artist. Maybe it would be nice, easier to work with someone who felt when they were painting, who bled onto a canvas like she did - opening her ribcage, and cracking her heart agape with everything she'd ever felt in her entire life. Maybe it would be easier than trying to collaberate with someone who didn't know her at all.

Rhys doesn't know me.

Not really. Not in a way that mattered, but still, there was that sickening feeling of anxiety - the feeling of thick, heavy pressure to get this right. She couldn't fail. She wouldn't fail. Kasumi had to show her father, show her family, that she'd been worth saving in the first place.

"Kas?"

Rhys spoke again, softer this time, as he stopped walking, tilting his head slightly to meet her downward gaze. She raised her eyes to him, then shortly nodded. Kasumi almost took another step, then paused, setting down her bag and pulling out a notepad, quickly scribbling on it before turning it towards Rhys to read.

'You can come over tonight, and we can talk about it.'

Rhys read through it quickly, then looked up, and nodded right back. "That's cool. Sounds good then." He smiled again, and Kasumi realized that, at least, was the same. Sweethearted on the inside, but a borderline smirk in all reality. "So, what time should I show up?" Kasumi blinked at that, thinking for a moment, then simply wrote the number, seven, before looking back up at him. He towered above her in all honestly, and after a moment, he met her gaze once again. Honey eyes looked over hers for a moment before he stood back up, straighter this time. "I'll be there at seven then, Kas." He paused. "Can I call you that? I guess I should have asked."

Kasumi didn't mind. Most people honestly called her that, but a warm little feeling began snaking it's way through her ribs, and she couldn't help the small, shy smile that pulled up her mouth, her nose scrunching with the motion, as she nodded. Rhys beamed at her in return, bright enough to light up the city of New York.

"Awesome." He stuck his hands in his pockets once again, and she resisted the urge to shiver, instead clasping her hands behind her back, staring up at him. He tilted his own head, looking her up and down for a second, and then grinned. "I like your outfit - or, it'd be called an outfit right?" Kas' smile grew, if only a little, underneath the fabric of her matching face mask - tightly fitted against her jaw, and nodded again. It was with the help of Delaney, of course, as most of the family's fashion advice oriented either from her or Akiho. Today, she was wearing a lavender turtleneck, with white and purple pleated pants that flared out at her feet, accented by  the purple flats she was wearing as well. Her and Delaney both had a love of purple, and that meant a lot of the clothing that was shared between the sisters often were that color. 

Kasumi flipped open her notepad again, smiling as she wrote. 'my sister designed the pants, they were a birthday present.' She'd gotten quite a few presents from her siblings this year.

Rhys' eyes lit up. "Oh! When's your birthday?"

'yesterday'

His face fell, just slightly. "Oh, damn, I missed it?" he looked a little frustrated then, but not at her, at himself. It was a feeling Kasumi recongnized well. "I'll get you a present anyway. I'll bring it tonight or something." Kasumi started to shake her head, slowly, but he shook his head right back. "Please? I promise it won't be weird or anything, it'll be cool." Kasumi hesitated once more, then nodded slightly, and Rhys brightened immediately. "Alright, could, or would it be alright if I got your number? So we can talk and stuff?" 

It took only another moment for them to exchange numbers, and to switch phones once again to their respective owners. Rhys nodded once again to her, pocketing his phone, "Alright Kassy, don't forget to text me your address, I'll see you at seven, yeah?"

Kasumi nodded, glad the smile - one that hadn't left her face since it showed up at the beginning of this conversation - was hidden by her lavender face mask. With a short wave, Rhys jogged off, and Kasumi watched him for a moment, before heading to where Dexter was waiting with the car for her.

And maybe, just maybe, Kas felt a little bit better about the idea of originally failing in the first place for the rest of the day.

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✦ OPHELIA ✦

- part three; chapter one !

- i'm so sorry to keep updating
i just legitimately have nothing
better to do than write rn

What phone case would
your character have ? what 
would be their contact name ?

──● answers