Valdis just gave the girl a condescending smile, one that said ‘of course I’m better then you’ Then turned to little mouse when she started talking and looked at her with a frown…she still didn’t get it…she was starting to grasp it but still fell short. Then Ama chan chimed in….she was surrounded by half assed ninnies… This caused Valdis to sigh deeply, rubbing her temples. Apparently you had to be blunt with these people cause they were to blind to see their folly. AH! A ray of hope arises, pushy cat…she knew there was a reason she liked her.

”Once again little mouse you should be taking advice from pushy cat…Now lets see if I can spell it out for the rest of you.”

She glanced at each one of them in turn, with a bit of disappointment directed to Ama…She hadn’t lumped her in with the other two until that last comment of hers.

”The majority of the students in the specialty programs go into it because they have such a strong passion for what they do its all they can think about. They have a goal to reach, and that goal is etched into their very souls. To be without it would be taking their very reality from them. Can you imagine having a passion so strong no words can describe it. Yes you can be good at other things and enjoy doing them as well, I myself happened to be talented at making dolls in the scary likeness of people, while I’m amazing at it and could quite possible make a career out of it, it does not compare to what I feel when I’m able to sing.”

The depth of emotion in Valdis eyes as she explained was over whelming, it amazed her that these girls did not grasp the concept she was conveying.

”Just so you know, for every person who gets into the specialty program another person does not. There is not an unlimited space; you may get in with your talents but you may be crushing another person’s hopes one who has staked their entire entity on. To go for ones dreams is to crush another’s, it is the way of life…What annoys me is when these spots are handed out to those who don’t poor there very souls into it. Yes you may have the talent but it does not sound like you have the drive. Can you say that you love singing, art, fencing or what have you enough to crush those who stand in your way?”

She looked at them all seriously; well mostly Ama chan and Little Mouse, considering they already wore the arm bands.

”Show more passion and drive, if I were passed by and then saw you talking so casually I would not hesitate to hate you so.”
The rest of the class had fallen silent, it was a rare look into the inner workings of Valdis head. It showed Valdis actually did care for the feelings of others, in a very roundabout way. Her feelings stemmed from the pride of her work, and the understanding of the cost it took to get to where she was. To her to be shown the crush or die attitude was a form of respect. The specialty programs were the reason she came to this school, for they offered classes to expand her musical horizons. If she was weak in an area, the tailored program would mold to her to fix it…it was why the specialty program was so small. Each program was tailored to the individual. For someone to get the spot who wasn’t sure if they really were going to go the distance no matter what the cost was insulting.

”I guess it’s as you say little mouse, I am serious about my work, and I’m serious about the pride I take in this program. It is something no other school offers.”

She looked over at Yuki and Kosuke; the two whom she felt a level of respect for their own serious attitudes towards their goals.

”You understand what I’m trying to get across yes? A dream and a passion that you’ll do nothing else but accomplish…to leave your mark on this world”

After what she thought was a much to long winded speech she waved it off, showing she was done with the subject. If they didn’t understand after that, there was no point in teaching them. She then moved on to a subject which at the moment concerned her much more. After getting the feed back she couldn’t help but rub the back of her neck…especially in response to Yukis comment.

”Yaaa…You see…I don’t like cell phones and….apparently Daddy Dearest likes to keep creepily close tabs on me…Short story short I’m going to need a metal detector…and a knife…”

Amarissa finally finished her drawing and shook her head a bit. Others that saw it might think it was quite good. The attention to detail was amazing, it was an almost exact replicate of the group of the people talking, to include the cat which she had finally noticed at the last minute. To Amarissa though, it seemed to be missing something. The human figures not quite real enough, the proportions perhaps a bit off. She sighed and a look of frustration mixed with sadness settled on her face.

Still, she was paying attention to the conversation and decided to chime in again. "You could probably buy a decent metal detector, of the small hand held variety, in the electronics district. By the way, Sophia, that's a cute cat in your bag. He or she looks oddly familiar, actually." All of this said with a slightly disinterested, flat tone. Odd for Amarissa.

She turns her picture around and shows everyone, which is also uncharacteristic, but she decided she wanted some feedback for once. "What do you think?" she asks, looking at each of them in turn as they were all drawn there.

Keitha smiled at Sophia again, it was refreshing to meet someone so sweet and happy, she hadn’t met a lot of people like that in her life. He ears perked though when Sophia asked about inviting her to a sleepover, “Whoa there missy, I don think Purple would like to ave me over at her house, an nobody knows me all that well you know?” She laughed nervously. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, it was mostly the fact that she had actually never been to a sleep over. Had she spent the night at a friend’s house? Sure. But she had never been in a large group of friends to where they were able to have a sleepover. Plus she didn’t know these people and they didn’t know her, how would they react if they saw how she really was?

After that Keitha kind of went in her own little world as the subject gradually changed to tracking devices and completely ignored anymore comments directed at the specialty program she didn’t feel like butting heads anymore, even though she secretly thanked Amarissa for having the same views as she did. She sighed though and piped up again about the tracking devices, “You never know lass I’ve heard of em putting them in people’s teeth and sometimes even their eyes, places especially ard for the person to find and get out.” Keitha then glanced over at Amarissa who was holding up her drawing and her eyes widened as she saw herself in it, “Ey I don always ave a grumpy expression like that…” She trailed off as she saw the expression on her drawn face, how it was perfectly depicting the expression she wore every time someone had managed to push her buttons. “Well lass you sure do ave a talent there with that there pencil, maybe you should make it yer future career.”

Sophia looks a bit angry at Valdis’ lecture. And while she looks composed, there isn’t a shred of the usual exuberance. She doesn’t really like initiative insulted. She was damn good at the whole singing, acting, dancing thing because she spent hours on it all. Class after class teaching her to keep pitch, rhythm, and breath all in line, practicing a choreographed set of motions until her arms fell off, and repeating the same scene over and over again until it conveyed what it needed to. In the end, she loved the stage. She loved entertaining people, and she loved the applause. However, she could live with Valdis’ insults. Keitha didn’t really deserve this on her first day of class. The whole new class thing was nerve-wracking for most, and she didn’t deserve so much anger.

“Just because we don’t show it, doesn’t mean we don’t have the same drive. I have spent way too many hours of my life devoted to the stage to be told that I didn’t want it. Even with the drive, most of us won’t make it into the industry. That is fact. Some of us will end up living for our hobbies. We don’t all get to live the dream. In truth, it as much about luck as it is about skill and drive…”

“Who is to say Keitha doesn’t have the passion for both? And who are you to insult someone that you just met seconds ago? You hardly have any right to look down her. Don’t act like such a stuck-up idol, forcing your cynical view of the world and better-than-thou attitude on everyone. No one wants it.”

She takes a deep breath, and some of the anger pours off. She is suddenly becoming aware that a large portion of the class is watching her. And while she likes attention, she doesn’t really like this kind of gawking. “What I mean to say is moving to a new school is difficult, so cut the girl some slack. No need to berate someone so early in the morning.” Her usual expression begins to resume.

She addresses Keitha's apprehension with a warm smile. "What better way for us all to get to know each other than everyone to spend time together? Besides, it's a sleepover, which tends to be more fun the more people there is."

She then starts to look freaked out by the comment about a metal detector and knife. “That is terrible that your father would track you like that. And you would remove it by yourself? Why don’t you go to a doctor or something. Someone who could remove something like that easily. Or at least ask for help since I don’t think it is good to remove something yourself on the back of your head.”

As Amarissa mentions the cat, Sophia feels some dread that Artemis followed her to school. She enjoyed the talking cat’s company, but the cat was mostly going to cause her trouble at school. For the moment, she plays dumb. Most people thought she was a ditz anyways, so she normally got a pass for it. “Cat? The only one I can noticed was Yuki. I don’t own a cat…” she says, a little confused. “That picture is amazing though!”