Picturesque [Kailin]

[Ray Miller]

Photography class for Ray was a breath of fresh air. As much as he enjoyed his sciences photography granted him a creative outlet that worked well for his keen eye. He wasn't as classically gifted as many of the other photographers in the class but he felt that he made up for it with his attention to detail and his ability to spot the little things others just glance over. It was nice autumn day perfect for outdoor pictures.

As the students all gathered around the teacher in the classroom their assignment was explained to them. In pairs they were supposed to go on a photographic scavenger hunt in the courtyard to create a photo mosaic. Two by the two the partners were assigned until finally Ray was partnered with Kailin Bishop. The reserved teenager had never held a conversation with Kailin before but from what he could tell she seemed to be a nice happy girl, and would make an amicable partner. As the students headed out into the courtyard Ray approached Kailin and offered his shy, crooked half smile.

"Hey, I'm Ray," the teenager introduced himself. "So did you have any ideas for what our mosaic should be?"

[Kailin Bishop]

Kailin, finding herself under the roof of her Photography class, was itching to be outside in the fresh air. November was here, and the cool, crisp air was welcoming to the young blonde. Her eyes found themselves glancing outside the window more often than she liked to admit, so when she was assigned a small scavenger hunt project, Kailin was overjoyed.

They were to create this mosaic using different objects within the courtyard. It could form any picture, but the end result had to be clear cut. Locating and fitting things into something coherent was a specialty of Kailin's. The only problem she had with this assignment was coming up with a clear cut idea of what she wanted to create. She didn't have to think of it alone though, since she was assigned a partner to complete this assignment. Ray Miller, a boy she had known was in the class but never really had spoken to, was her partner for the assignment. Maybe he would be a good asset to the project, or maybe he wouldn't. Only time would tell.

"Hey! I'm Kailin," She said, her smile a bit less reserved than Ray's. Even still, his smile was nice and clearly genuine. "Not really sure. I don't want to go overly complicated, but maybe since most of what we have out here is plant life, we can maybe create a branch in the wind?" Kailin could begin to picture the mosaic in her mind; the neutral colors and the green would be the branch, while the concrete buildings or the lighter colors could be mixed in together to form a bit of a 'swirl' of wind. "How about you? Did you have anything in mind?"

[Ray Miller]

Ray nodded as Kailin introduced herself, the girl seemed to be a bit more open and sociable than himself but perhaps that was a good thing. He had asked her what her thoughts were on what their photo mosaic should be, Ray himself was pondering the idea. She explained that she didn't want to go overly complicated, after all most of what they would find in the courtyard would be simple plant life. She suggested that they try to do a branch in the wind. Ray thought about the idea for a little, it did seem interesting and the palette seemed to be something they could accomplish.

"I like it," Ray grinned, "but perhaps we can do a little forced perspective with it." As a size shifter Ray was used to seeing things in ways people didn't normally, sometimes you could get something whole new by looking at something from a different angle. "A branch in the wind from a bird- or ant's eye view." Ray placed his camera strap around his neck, a Canon Rebel that he received after painstakingly raising the money by doing photo work wear he could snag it.

"Why don't we head outside and see if we can't get a little more inspiration," Ray suggested as he headed towards the door. "So- er are you a big photographer," he asked trying to make a little small talk. The teenager wasn't the best when it came to conversation, while not cripplingly shy he felt he had a hard time connecting with people in terms of sheer emotion or simple conversation. Kailin seemed nice though, certainly this project could turn out to be a little fun.

[Kailin Bishop]

Kailin enjoyed his insight to her idea, and found herself quite intrigued by it. What /would/ a branch look like from an ant's eye view? Most trees seemed massive in comparison to her, and an ant, which is barely bigger than her fingernail even at their most massive, probably saw it as Mt.Everest. It was an interesting concept, toying with perspective would definitely grant them an A if they did it correctly. Kailin, being the perfectionist that she was, had no doubt in her mind, though, that it would come out correctly. It was just how she was.

"We could maybe do it from an Ant's perspective, and even include some of the insect within the picture, like maybe the antennae? and then you can sort of make the tree loom over it, with the sky in the background for some contrast? But that would mean we'd have to take quite a few neutral colored photos to form the bark of the tree..." Kailin trailed off, already picturing the image within her mind. If Ray was still confused, she could always show him using her power, but she didn't want to risk a headache just yet.

When he mentioned heading out and exploring a bit, Kailin nodded. "That would probably be best," She laughed lightly. She fell into step beside him, careful to keep a decent distance. No need to accidentally make him uncomfortable, since he did seem to be a bit reserved, from what she noticed. Even his attempt at small talk was awkward sounding, which made Kailin's smile only widen further. "I really took this class for the credit, and the fact that I enjoyed picture taking much more than I enjoy drawing so I figured I might as well take this. I more prefer math and science-- biology, specifically. Chemistry is also nice. I'm taking it this year."

[Ray Miller]

Ray shared his thoughts on an interesting concept for their photostatic project, he was a fan of forced perspective considering his abilities and was certain it could go over well. Kailin seemed pleased with the idea, continuing on with it agreeing that an ant's eye view could look interesting and even suggested the inclusion of some of the insects parts. She began to trail off, almost to herself as she went over the different images they would have to gather to complete the image. Ray nodded enthusiastically, it seemed that this would be a fun and interesting project.

Ray mentioned that they should head out and get started, Kailin agreed it would be best. She walked behind him as they headed out, though more focusing on where they would get their first pictures Ray had the slightest feeling Kailin seemed to be acting... mindful of him. She was enthusiastic, particularly when it came to their concept but she seemed to be responding to Ray's introversion. Ray tried for a little small talk, asking her about photography.

Ray nodded as Kailin admitted taking the class for the credit, she just happened to be drawn more towards photography than to drawing. "I understand, I'm actually a photographer for the Bugle our school paper, and for yearbook so I figured it could be a good way to brush up on my skills..." Ray began. "...but I suppose photography is more just a hobby for myself, and a good way to make a few extra dollars on the side." Kailin explained to him the classes she was actually interested in and Ray grinned. "Excellent, I'm a science man myself, my subjects are physics and chemistry," he was beginning to like her, she seemed rather bright. "What do you want to do after you graduate?" Ray asked as he snapped a few test pictures idly.

[Kailin Bishop]

"I don't really know, honestly. I suppose it never came to mind. I do know it will probably be in the biological fields of study, since I find myself so fascinated with the study of life; possibly even virology, as terrifying as that sounds. I'd love to be able to discover a cure to something that is considered uncurable. I suppose you could say I want to make a difference." Kailin snapped a few of her own photos as she spoke, hoping to get some decent additions instead of avoiding the task at hand. She was quite pleased with the conversation that was starting. Kailin loved learning, so anyone who felt the same way about her more passionate subjects automatically fell to her good side.

"You know, it really is difficult to find people who enjoy math as much as I do. I've been whined at constantly at how 'letters should never be mixed with numbers', but I find it to be fun. They are puzzles to me, trying to determine the hidden values and even coming up with formulas to make life simpler is just...enjoyable." That fact might also be the reason she enjoyed Chemistry as much as she did. It brought the best of both worlds into a single class, and even though she had it first thing in the morning, she always found herself so intent on taking in as much information as she could. Plus the labs were pretty cool, too.

"So you sell your photos? At how much do you average in price, out of curiosity?"

[Ray Miller]

Ray nodded and smiled as Kailin explained her interest in biology, he could certainly relate with her feelings on want to make a difference. She seemed to be a passionate person and Ray could definitely appreciate someone who didn't just brush aside education or learning of any kind. "I really love quantum physics, I suppose with all the craziness of superpowers- particularly my own- I just want to try and figure it all out. There are so many theories right now but nothing seems to be able to hold up right now so you know, like you said, I'd like to make a difference."

Ray grinned and raised an eyebrow as Kailin expressed an enjoyment in math, now that was a truly unique thing to find, particularly in students as young as they were. The way she described math, it was definitely akin to how Ray viewed it as well. "I know exactly what you mean!" he exclaimed, starting to become more open and affable. "I am sucker for mysteries, math is just another application of observation and critical thinking, it's like you said they're puzzles and they seem to have the best secrets at the end."

Kailin began to ask him about his photo sales and how much he actually made. Ray laughed and explained, "It's really not all that much, if I sell to any of the news places in Pilot Ridge I'm lucky if I get $50 for a set of 10 photos. I'm sure they mostly just pay me off so their competition doesn't get them if they look remotely passable." Ray snapped a few pictures of the sky, knowing they'd need a lot for the ant's eye view. "It's a few extra dollars in my pocket though." He turned and smiled at Kailin, "So I suppose we should draw or try and figure out exactly what our final image should look like so we're on the same page."

[Kailin Bishop]

"I haven't even gotten into physics yet, so I suppose we can start talking about it either next year or maybe you can teach me a bit about it one on one?" The thought amused her greatly, considering she was usually the one who tutored students, rather than the other way around. But Kailin did not have a prideful nature, so she did not have any issue with asking for help. Ray seemed to be opening up, which she was actually kind of shocked about. It was appreciated, though, since it would make the project much more interesting and she might have a new friend by the end of this.

She grinned at his words. Puzzles, ever since Kailin was younger, had to be her favorite past time. For her birthday she would get numerous, and usually by the end of the month, all of them would be completed. That sort of started to stop once she came to Hammel since the workload increased, but from time to time, she still found herself playing around with some unfinished ones. "I love figuring things out and working on puzzles, maybe that's why I love mysteries and shows like CSI and Law and order so much. I could also go into the forensic field, now that I think about it. Sheesh, I'm going to suck at figuring out my major."

"That's pretty nice. I don't typically need too much spending money because my parents have plenty up their sleeve. I only ask when it is absolutely necessary since they have 9 other kids asking them on a daily basis." Most people knew the Bishops since they had child after child until they stopped at 11. But what made them even more interesting was the fact that they all were Meta's, just like their parents. But they each had such different powers, it made for such a mystery. "As long as you draw, I think we'll be fine. I really really don't do well with it. I could show you, visually, what I was thinking of if that would help out?"

Yes, using your powers on another student was pretty much forbidden, but when it came to just showing him a picture of the end product of a project, Kales really felt it wasn't punishment worthy. He wouldn't tell anyway, she was sure.

[Ray Miller]

"Yah, I got advanced into a physics, a personal interest helped I suppose," Ray explained. Kailin suggested that perhaps Ray could help her a little, the teenager nodded and smiled. "We could study together for chemistry as well if you'd like, and perhaps you could help me a little with biology." Ray was enjoying talking to Kailin, something about her was just causing him to open up.

They got onto the subject of math, Ray agreed with her on the idea that math was interesting insofar that it was similar to solving a puzzle. Ray was a fan of puzzles, strategy, and general critical thinking games in general. Kailin expressed an interest in puzzles herself and for mysteries and shows like CSI and Law and Order. In addition to that, she seemed to be interested in forensics in general. Ray grinned, "Mysteries happen to be a passion of mine, I love watching Cold Case Files, and other old crime shows. I love trying to put together the clues on my own, who knows maybe someday I could solve an unsolved case."

"Wow you have nine siblings?" Ray asked. "I only have my little sister and Mom." Ray suggested they do a concept drawing for their photo mosaic. Kailin suggested it would be alright if he did the drawing, she did however suggest that she could show him what she was thinking. Ray raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean show me?" Ray himself began thinking about the concept himself. "Here, you show me what you think, then I'm change perspective and get an idea for myself."

[Kailin Bishop]

"That sounds great as long as you don't mind me talking your ear off in excitement and then trailing off once I realize what I'm saying," Kailin laughed lightly. She really was passionate about ever aspect of biology, which was why she managed a perfect score on her final exam last year. Never occurred in the history of his class, her teacher had told her. The entire week after, she was beaming. Even her father took a day off work to take her to dinner and a movie since he was in the medical career and realized the importance of biology. "But I think that's a deal."

A visible shiver ran through her as a gust of wind sailed through the air. She was going to have to move a bit more to keep herself warmer. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the weather, but she hadn't dressed accordingly. She usually was more proactive with things such as weather, always checking the forecast every Sunday night. But last Sunday, Kailin was buried up to her neck with frustration and homework. At his mentioning of older crime shows, she abandoned the photo she was taking for a topic she had more of an interest in. "I've only seen a few episodes of Moonlighting, which is my extent of old crime shows. I share a room with my sister, Lany, and she isn't very interested in those types of things. But I've really been meaning to have a marathon of sorts sometime soon."

Apparently Ray had yet to hear of the infamous Bishop Bunch, which had been the talk of Hammel for several years. It was rare to have a family with so many children, and even more rare to have every child in that family manifest as a meta. Well, Kailin was one for surprises, but she knew when to make them. This was not something to hide. "Actually, I have 11 brothers and sisters. I have Savvy," Her voice dropped ever so slightly, "My youngest sister, and then the twins, John and Jacob who are a gestalt pair so they act more like a single being in a single body, are younger than me. And then I have Lany, Katy, Gaige, Claudia, Aura, Gordon, Zach, and Devlin as my eldest siblings. A huge family, I know. It definitely makes for an interesting life, for sure." Kailin mused, the slight bitterness in her tone completely gone.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Don't freak out when this happens, okay? I'm warning you now that everything will sort of... fade away." Kailin closed her eyes and focused on an image in her head. A looming mass of brownish-red tree bark that looked to be the size of a skyscraper with the blue of the sky peeking out behind it. There were tree roots that extended out of the ground, looking like troll bridges. Staring up at the massive structure was an ant, it's head tilted upward slightly as if to attempt to see all of what was presented before it. Kailin pushed the image into Ray's mind and waited for a minute or two so it could all soak in. The dull throb in the back of her mind told her it was enough time for the day, and so she pulled the image from Ray's mind and quickly regained herself.

"So, yeah. My power is Illusion Manipulation... Tadaa!" Kailin said sheepishly.

[Ray Miller]

Ray and Kailin were enjoying a conversation about different subjects they were interested in. While Kailin was passionate about biology, Ray was more into physics. Despite their different subjects they both seemed to have an aptitude for learning and a passion to continue doing so. They agreed to give each other a little tutoring in the subjects they were strong in.

As the cooler months came as did the weather, a chill breeze swept over the area causing Ray to shiver slightly. They began to talk about old crime shows, mysteries and by extension criminal investigations being one of Ray's passions. "W-well if you're interested maybe we c-could watch some together," Ray stuttered slightly, coughing in to his arm to cover up his embarrassment.

Ray was astounded to hear how many siblings Kailin had, when he asked she rattled off their names and exclaimed that it made for an interesting life. "Are all of them powered?" he asked with curiosity, at the mention of a gestalt pair. "I just have my little sister Sarah, though I do have an older half brother..." Ray had always wodnered what it'd be like to be in a big family, his own family had always felt small, shattered and painfully pieced together but hey, it was still a family.

Ray asked Kailin what she had meant by show him her concept. All of a sudden she told him not to freak out and an astounding scene unfolded before him. Ray began to laugh excitedly, it was almost like the real thing. Kailin sheepishly introduced her power as illusion manipulation. "That's brilliant!" Ray exclaimed. "The illusion itself was very good, but perhaps I could give a few pointers with my powers... Ray placed his camera on the ground and stripped off his jacket leaving behind only a thin t-shirt, he emptied his pockets and kicked off his converse.. Ray concentrated and closed his eyes, he began to imagine himself very small doing his best to keep his concentration on not just himself but his clothing as well.

Soon enough there came the feeling of falling quickly as the light smell of ozone and a few bright sparks of corona discharge surrounded the teenager. When he opened his eyes he was 1 inch tall and looking up at the now towering Kailin. "And here's my thing," Ray explained with a awkward shrug, uncertain if she could even make out the gesture. "If you could adjust your illusions on the fly we could it work it out perfectly!"

[Kailin Bishop]

"That sounds like fun," A bemused smile appeared at his chattering teeth. She was cold, yes, but not enough to actually cause her to visibly and audibly start shivering. If she didn't start moving, it wouldn't be long until she would. "As long as you don't mind potentially being interrogated by some of my siblings. They get really protective, especially since I am one of the youngest girls, aside from Savvy."

His power? What exactly could it be? She tried not to watch as he started removing clothing, though it was nothing too severe, like stripping into nothing but his underwear, but for some reason it made her blush. Her hormones, she figured, were kicking in. Who couldn't appreciate a cute guy, though? Kailin definitely could. If he asked about her reddened cheeks, she would blame it on the weather. Ray had been shivering not too long ago, so the excuse was definitely plausible. "Be careful, you don't want to catch anything." At the mentioning of sickness, she sneezed. Kales pulled the light sweater she wore closer around herself.

Then, as if were the most natural thing in the world, he shrunk down to the point where he was barely visible. She could only imagine, like she had with her own image of the ant point of view, what it would be like to be that small. Kailin stopped shifting from foot to foot, suddenly fearful of somehow stepping on him. She laughed nervously. "You really took the movie, 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' movie literally, didn't you?"

She could still hear his voice, and she stared down with a raised brow. "I can shape my illusions to anything I want, really. It's just, you can see what it looks like, but I can't see through your eyes. You would have to give me a rough visual, or explain it to me as I form the illusion."

"And uh, Ray, can you actually grow back to your normal size because I really don't want to step on you and go to jail for involuntary manslaughter. I may like to watch those crime shows, but I don't want to be on one." She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.