an artist and angel

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo had actually come to New York City after all by way of the plane between the institute and the castle and then from there by bus. He was excited, and glad he had a passport and knew how to speak english so well. He was going to go watch as many plays on Broadway as he could afford to watch without getting stuck in the states. He was going to enjoy this day to it's fullest and then go back to France and tell his friends about it, which pretty much just meant he was going to tell Astra about it and maybe see if she wanted to come as well.

That all was Theo's plan, but fate had not been so kind to him and had left him lost in a part of New York City that he didn't know, seeing how he had been lucky enough to go to a Broadway performance once before with his father. He looked around at all the buildings and wondered where in the city he had somehow gotten himself to. He had tried to talk to a few of the people, but they all ignored him or didn't help him when he asked. He was only sure of one thing right now, he was in an upper part of the city since everything had that expensive look to it.

Theo had given up trying to find help from strangers and instead stopped in front of some bakery, he guessed at least from the smell since he didn't pay attention to the store name. He truly had gotten lost and he didn't have a map of the city so his fate was up to Lady Luck to decide for him.

[flightlessangel]

Nadia was sitting outside one of her favorite bakeries looking through her notes. Sure it wasn't the most well know in the city, but they did make fantastic croissants, and they were always willing to teach her a few new things when she came. Today the bakers had taken some time to show her the proper way to kneed dough for pastries.

She looked up from her notes and looked around, just to be sure that no one was giving her weird looks again. That tended to happen if she forgot to wear her jacket that covered where her wings met skin. Nadia didn't care much about that today though. She was more concerned about the boy who was standing a few feet away from her looking completely lost.

Nadia stared at him for a few minutes. She assumed he was a tourist, just because she knew most of the people who came in and out of this shop, and she didn't recognize him at all. She studied him carefully, wondering what he was doing so far from the busier streets of New York. She stared blankly at him for a moment longer then spoke suddenly.

"Are you lost?"

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo began to look around again to see what all was around him since he wasn't going to figure out where he was at exactly any time soon and figured he might as well enjoy the sights around him. He hadn't been looking around long when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see who it was and was a bit taken back by who he saw. It was a cute girl who looked to be younger then him and she had some tiny wings on her back. He looked at them for a moment and knew that they were real. He had seen enough wings on birds out in the woods and then a few winged mutants briefly before to know that they were without any doubt. He knew she was a mutant, but he couldn't help thinking something else.

" Has my guardian angel found me this day? Has my muse come to guide me out of this mess? Has Lady Luck shined upon me in this bleak moment?" Theo asked in a poetic way more to himself then speaking to her. " Sorry, I must seem weird right now. Yes I'm lost, but I'm glad I am since I'm getting to meet you miss. I just love your wings and how they look on you. I kind of want to paint you because your so cute, but I don't know if you would agree to it and I don't have any supplies."

Theo had spoken in a mix of a German and Icelandic accent that switched between the two randomly. He did want to paint this girl, she just looked like a little angel and he just loved how cute it made her look. He just had a smile on his face as he waited for her to reply.

[flightlessangel]

Nadia shifted uncomfortably as the boy stared at her wings. she didn't like hiding them, but she didn't like the stares that they got either. She scowled at the sidewalk when he started speaking. Was this boy some kind of poet or an actor? Who went around speaking like that... And the accent, or rather, accents. She was slightly confused at the fact he was switching between two different accents. Nadia had been out of the country,and dealt with enough foreign languages to recognize that they were two completely different sets of accents.

"Wait... Paint? You mean like with oils and acrylics?" Nadia had been studying with her tutor about different art styles the past few weeks. Her mother thought that it would keep her out of the kitchen and in her room more. So far, it wasn't working.

Nadia sat and though about his wanting to paint her, when she realized that he'd mentioned her wings. "They're not real." She said, the lie coming just as quickly as ever. "They're just costume wings." Nadia shifted so that her wings were a bit more out of sight than before. She made sure to keep them still, as if they really were just a piece of costume. It was habit she developed when her parents had tried to hide her wings when she was younger.

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo just smiled at her as she asked her questions. He was kind of amused when she mentioned her wings were part of a costume and not real. He knew they were real even if she didn't realize he did. He wasn't sure why she started to try and hide her wings, but he figured it might have something to do with the fact that mutants weren't well received in most places. This neighborhood looked like the kind of place that had a high emphasis on reputation and how people saw you, which he thought was sad. The girl was so cute with how she looked with her wings that it was a shame she had to hide them. He just smiled at her.

" We can just say they are, but we both know that they are real." Theo said to her with a smile. " Since I got to see your wings, I think I should show you what I can do. Would you please hold your arm out for me? I promise that it will be pleasant and not something bad."

Theo waited for her to hold out her arm, however long that would take for her to actually do it. When she had done as he asked, he got both of his hands around her arm and began to rub some warm wax that he produced from his skin into the skin of her arm. The wax would cause her arm to feel very relaxed and very pleasant where he had rubbed the wax in. He kept it up until he decided he had gotten enough wax on her arm for it to last a time and then pulled his hands away and turned his right palm up so she could see it. A small circle on his palm formed that looked like it might be a shadow or like someone had lightly rubbed something black on his palm. Three bees crawled out of the circle and walked around on his hand for a few moments before crawling back into the circle. The circle vanished as he moved his hand to a more normal position. He just smiled at her.

" What do you think? After seeing my little girls, I'm sure your wings don't seem like they need to be hidden right? At least I don't think you should hide your wings, they make you look even cuter then you do naturally." Theo said to her. " Oh I almost forgot, but yes when I said paint I meant with oil or acrylic."

[flightlessangel]

Nadia flinched when he mentioned that he knew her wings were real. She suddenly regretted not having her jacket with her. "No, they're fake." She insisted stubbornly. She really didn't want her parents finding out that someone found out about her wings. Being able to come to the bakery meant she had to keep her wings hidden, or convince people that they were just a costume piece. She stared at the ground and mumbled quietly. "Don't tell anyone.... I don't want to get into trouble."

When he asked her to hold out her arm, she did so slightly unwilling. Nadia figured that she might as well she whatever trick he had up his sleeve. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea, but she was far too curious for her own good at times. She sat still as he sat and rubbed something on her arm. What that his trick? He spread lotion on arms? She watched his hands for a moment, before realizing that her arm was now relaxed of the stress learning to kneed dough had put on it. Nadia watched in awe as the boy made three bees appear from the middle of his hand. Normally she wasn't a fan of bees, but for some reason, these ones didn't bother her. Nadia stared at his hand for a moment longer after he had put away his bees.

"Nadia Serefene," She said suddenly, as she held out her hand. "and yes, my wings do need to be hidden." She turned slightly red and muttered. "And they're not cute, they're useless."

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo was glad to see that she actually liked his powers. He had hardly shown anyone outside of his family and the people at school, and he rarely had someone who seemed to like his powers. She had held out her hand and told him her name and mentioned how her wings weren't cute and were useless. He just kept smiling as he and took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips and softly kissed it.

" My name is Theo Eishaus, and your wings are very cute, as are you yourself." Theo said to her. " Your wings aren't useless I'm sure, just that you haven't figured out what they can do yet or they aren't developed enough yet."

Theo had been told by his mother that he should always kiss a girls hand if she offered it to him and introduce himself properly. He had listened to her and oddly enough hadn't ever had to kiss a girl's hand many times before, although he didn't mind doing it by any means. He waited to see her reply and just smiled at her till she had.

" So Nadia, tell me about yourself. I would just love to listen." Theo said to her cheerfully.

Theo had managed to calm down from his artistic hysteria earlier somehow, but he still wanted to paint her. He just hoped he would get the chance to.

[flightlessangel]

Nadia had been expecting the boy to shake her hand, so when he instead kissed it, she turned a deep shade of red. 'This guy is just plain weird.... and maybe a bit creepy' She thought to herself as she took her hand back and rubbed it on her shorts absentmindedly, feeling more than a bit uncomfortable with the flattery she was receiving.

"Nice to meet you Theo... and they are too useless. What good are wings if you can't use them to fly?" Nadia glanced up at the sky for a moment. She was always trying to fly. She'd jumped off her bedroom balcony earlier that year. Thankfully her arm had healed fairly quickly that time. Unfortunately, her parents had made her move her room to the ground floor so that she wouldn't try jumping again.

Nadia shrugged, not sure how to answer when Theo asked her to tell him about herself. Having not dealt with many people close to her age, she was slightly uncomfortable talking about herself. She glanced at her notes and then shrugged again and glanced at Theo. "I enjoy baking... That's why I was here." Nadia gestured at the bakery behind them. "The bakers don't mind teaching me things, as long as I don't get in the way when they get busy...... What about you?"

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo watched how embarrassed she got and heard what all she had to say to him. He still didn't think her wings were useless even though she said that they were. He also had a funny thought after she had mentioned she liked to bake. He immediately thought of how she looked like an angel and her making angel food cakes. He smiled at her and figured there was no harm in telling her a little about himself, even though he wanted to hear more about her.

" I would love to try something you bake some time. I still don't think your wings are useless, even if you can't fly. There is a purpose to everything and a beauty in us all. Your beauty is very much on the surface though from what I can see and I just love that." Theo said to her in a friendly way. " Now then about me? I love to paint, draw, sketch, mold, sculpt, play music, and even act from time to time. I just love and can do most arts in general really. My father is a sculptor and I picked up some things from him, but I also picked up how to do what my mother does. She is a message therapist and she has shown me how to do that some and I seem to give very good messages. I can actually combine the wax I can make with messaging and do all kinds of things. Like, relieving pain, really relaxing your muscles from all kind of tension, boosting your natural healing, slow down and some times reverse aging slightly for a short time. It is not that interesting really, so why don't you tell me more about yourself? What kind of hobbies do you have? What do you enjoy doing?"

Theo really didn't think what all he could do was that interesting, but he also was around it all the time so it wouldn't seem all that great to him. He really did want to know more about her though.

[flightlessangel]

Nadia rolled her eyes slightly when Theo once again told her that he didn't think her wings were useless. She finally decided that it was pointless to try and get him to understand that even if they were real, they didn't do anything. Sure they reacted to her emotions, just like eyebrows would, but just like eyebrows, they didn't do anything but sit there.


"You act?" She scowled slightly and muttered under her breath. "I knew it." She shook her head slightly, as if clearing the thought from her head. "I'm only good at cooking, even if Mother doesn't like me in the kitchen. She says I spend too much time there, which I don't understand. I'm only in there for a few hours a day." Nadia shrugged and continued. "i'm not really good at anything, everything I've tried ends up going really badly." Nadia shuddered inwardly as she thought of her last attempts at singing, drawing, and public speaking.

Nadia sat and thought a moment before asking her next question. "Where are you from? I mean, where do you live? I don't think you live here in New York. You look too out of place, out of place and lost." She said bluntly.

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo listened to what she had to say and was confused as to why him acting was so important. He heard everything else she had to say about her not being good at anything. He didn't think it mattered if she was good at a lot of things so long as she enjoyed what she was good at. She asked him where he came from and mentioned how he looked lost. He was lost and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

" I'm from Germany, although I'm living at a new school for people like us in France right now. I came to go see some plays on Broadway, but I'm not sure how I ended up here though." Theo said to her in a friendly way. " So your not good at many things? Well that isn't a bad thing at all. So long as you enjoy what your good at then there is no reason to think about what you can't do. How about this, you bake something for me and I'll make something for you in exchange. Does that sound good to you? I know I would love to try something you have made."

Theo was actually hoping she would agree. He was starting to feel hungry, but he still had no plans on wasting his money on something as trivial as eating when he could still go and watch some plays on Broadway. He had an idea as he thought about that. He smiled at her.

" Say, why don't you come with me to go watch a Broadway play and I'll pay for you? It is much more enjoyable to go with others then by yourself you know." Theo said to her. " I'm sorry if it seems odd for me to ask you even though we just meet, but I like you despite that."

[flightlessangel]

Nadia stared at Theo for a bit then started asking a flood of questions. "There's more than one school for people like us? I thought there was only Xaviars...." Nadia thought for a second or two. Her brain trying to process what he had said. "A school in France? Is it nice there? If it's in France why are you in New York? I thought school started already." Nadia had only been over the Europe once, and that was to visit her mothers family in Italy. It hadn't been a pleasant trip, but Nadia had thought that it was pretty.

Nadia continued her nonstop slow of questions. "You'll make something for me if I bake something for you? Ok, but I would have to go home and make it. The bakers won't let me use their ovens. What would you be making for me? Could i watch?"

Nadia paused for a moment and thought about Theos offer to take her to a play. "I've never been to a play before. I would have to ask my Father if it was ok for me to go. My parents don't like me going too far from our house, and Broadway is a bit farther than normal." Nadia pulled a small cell phone from her pocket. "Give me a moment and I'll ask." With that Nadia walked a few feet away to make a quick phone call.

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo listened to all of Nadia's questions. She was very interested in what the fact that there was now a mutant school in France as well now. She also was willing to bake him something in exchange for him making her something and she wanted to watch, which he was more then happy to let her do.

" Yes there is one in France now as well as the one here in the states. There is a flight between the two of them that you can take, and that is how I am here. The school at France is at this very beautiful castle and if you ask me, it is much more beautiful at the school in France." Theo said to her. " I would be more then happy to let you watch if you wanted to. Just let me know what you wish for me to paint you and I will."

Theo heard what she had to say about his offer of going to the Broadway play and watched her pull out a phone and walk a short distance away to go call her parents. He hoped she would be able to go since it was an experience that one should always have once when they visit New York. He had seen one once before with his family when they were in the city some time ago visiting some of his fathers friends, and it truly was the thing that made him interested in acting and theatre as an art.

[flightlessangel]

Nadia came back just as she was slipping her phone back into her pocket. Her parents said she could go, but only because they were finishing some "arrangements" for her schooling. Nadia knew what they meant, it meant they were going to find a different tutor for her. Not that it mattered much, it just meant her parents were wasting more money and time before coming to a final decision about her schooling.

Nadia stopped in front of Theo and grinned. "So, What are we off to see?" She was fairly excited to go see a play, she'd only seen plays from the local collages on tv, and that didn't really count. She looked at Theo expetantly. "Oh, Broadway is a bit far to walk, so I asked my parents to send a car..." Nadia stopped and scowled. She realized that she was sounding like one of her spoiled rich ex-friends. She couldn't help that her parents had money, or that she was an only child and got spoiled, but it didn't mean she wanted to sound like a snob. "Is that ok with you?" She looked at Theo slightly worried. She didn't want him to think she was a snob. He was most likely going to be the only friend she would have who wouldn't make fun of her wings, or be afraid and call her a freak.

[Theo Eishaus]

Theo just waited for her to come back after she had finished talking with her parents. She came after a moment and asked him what they were going to see. He didn't know which all plays were on Broadway right now, so he couldn't really tell her. She mentioned her parents sending them a car and he was glad for that. He would have been fine with the walk or getting on the bus if it was just him, but he didn't want to make her do either of those. He just smiled at her after she had finished talking.

" That was a good idea to have a car sent. I don't really want to make you walk or take the bus, the streets in some parts of the city are very dangerous." Theo said to her. " I'm not sure what all plays are on Broadway right now, but that's the fun of it if you ask me. This way we don't know what we are going to see or get into until we are there. Also, this way we can decide what to watch together. So, was there anything else you wanted to do besides watch the play? We might as well make this an official and full date since we are heading out don't you think?"

Theo wasn't sure how she would respond to him saying they were going on a date, but that was pretty much what they were doing. He just smiled at her as he waited for her to reply.