It had been about a week since Celeste had been back in action. She missed a pretty big junk of time due to her knife wound and the whole coma thing due to the crazy holiday action. However, her stitches were removed. It looked kind of gross still. The bruises no longer hurt but the discoloration hadn’t entirely vanished. And according to Doc Prof, she was back to her normal dosage of radiation internally. All was well. The temperature seemed to be fluctuating between fairly warm to freezing, so she had decided to wear a teal colored dress with a white, long sweater.

She had already finished her classes for the day, but had stayed behind to work on some of the schoolwork she had missed. She had to get caught up, after all. The faculty were willing to work with her to get caught up though – after all, it wasn’t just her that was hurt but Mirror and others that were affiliated with the mansion. Ultimately, it just wasn’t her that was hurt so that probably helped. Or maybe that was just her pessimism.

In either case, she had entered into the art room so she could use an easel so she could do some of her portraits – one of an orange in a basket, the other a replica of the Mona Lisa, and some other project she’d have to re-read after the first couple. She flipped the light switch on, and thankfully, no one was in there. That meant she could do her work in a judgement free zone. 

With that in mind, she walked over and set one of the easels up and got a few canvasses out of a drawer. She got the paintbrushes, some paint, and some colored pencils. It was time to get to work. 

OOC: Stephanie Graves  

Nate tried not to pick favorite students when he started out as a teacher. That did not go well; it became quickly apparent that it was nearly impossible to remain completely objective and impartial when dealing with people, whether they were students or not. Some people were always going to connect more, and some personalities would mesh better than other. The best Nate decided he could do was keep his biases from affecting his treatment of students. He could have favorites, but he could not give them a free pass to do whatever they wished.

Celestina De Ward was definitely one of Nate’s favorites. She was a smart girl who struggled to fit in and gave the class her all, even if she was not naturally artistically inclined. She suffered a Halloween-related injury that left her comatose, missing an extended period of school. Nate had to ask for the assignments she missed to be fair, but he did give her assistance where he could. She had until the end of the semester to submit her work and he granted her access to the art room when classes were not in session.

Beyond being a good student, Nate had also been keeping an eye on Celestina’s development as an activist. In their first conversation, Celestina was struggling to decide what she wanted to do with her life. It was a normal concern for a teenager, but Celestina found her way to a new path in a way Nate found impressive and intriguing. Despite her young age, Celestina played a major role in organizing a pro-mutant rally and even spoke at the event. Since that success, people were keeping their eyes on her as someone who could have a real future in politics if she played her cards right.

Haven had an interest in guiding potential politicians who understood their message, so Devon and Nate both agreed that it would be wise to nurture growth in the political mutant youth. Celestina could be a good start.

Walking down the hall from the main office, Nate noticed the light in his classroom was on. He could guess who it was, so he entered the room with a knock on the doorframe. ”Look at you, hard at work. Your teacher must be so heartless.”

Celestina was about to start her work – but decided to stop as she took her phone out and looked through some music options. She sighed, wanting to listen to music but deciding that she didn’t know what to listen too. She put the phone down to the side and picked up a grey colored pencil and began to do some outlines of her late assignments. 

Mr. Holloway had solidified his position as her favorite teacher in the Mansion ever since she began school there. He helped her through a tough time when she was lost – she didn’t know which direction, how to use her powers for good, but he had guided her when she needed help the most. He pushed her to do her best in art, even though she was definitely not the best in art. He was encouraging and didn’t make her feel bad about her crappy paintings. He was a great teacher, but also a great person. 

But still, f*ck Mariah. 

Celeste didn’t even hear him walking towards the classroom. She did hear the knock on the door frame and with a slight jump, Celeste took a deep breath. It was just Mr. Holloway.  She laughed, slightly nervously mainly due to the sudden fright. She gave him a playful grin, “I know, sooo heartless. Couldn’t cut me even the slightest slack.” She was clearly joking – and not like she would be one to even slack off to begin with. Even if he told her she didn’t have to do the assignments, she still probably would have.

Celeste was surprisingly mature for her age. In Nate’s completely uneducated opinion, he thought that played a role in her struggle to connect with the bulk of her peers. High schoolers were not typically mature enough to view the grander world outside of their microcosm, instead choosing to focus on the gossip and the rebellion and the petty teenage angst bullsh*t. That was not the stuff Celeste was thinking about. She saw the big picture; she saw her future and all the paths she could take and she saw the future of the world around her. Other kids were concerned with their standing in social circles and Celeste was concerned with her role in the future of the world.

Even her sense of humor was enjoyable, as she drew a chuckle out of her teacher. ”Yeah, I’ve heard he’s a hardass. I guess you’re S.O.L.” Some students would have taken the joke as an insult, but Celeste would know better.

”You know, supposedly, your last high school semester is supposed to be the easy one. You coast your way to college.” Nate never got to that point of the education system, but he was seeing the pattern enough as a teacher. ”Most students aren’t quite as busy as you’ve been. Busting your butt in class, organizing a very impressive rally, getting caught in a mutant event and ending up in a coma. It’s all really impressive,” he said lightly, hoping she was not feeling too sensitive about her recent injury. She was healing it off well, at least.

He would not focus on the injury anyway; he had a greater purpose dropping in to talk with his student. ”Really though, the march and the speeches were very well done. And the way you stepped in to calm the potentially violent outbreak? Celeste; I hope you don’t need me to tell you that was brave and remarkable. Maybe reckless and stupid, but mostly the first two.”

Celeste put down her pencils and walked over to where Nate was standing. They tended to have pretty great conversations, so she wasn't one to pass one up with him. In all honesty, he would probably be the closest person she had to an actual friend at the mansion. Sure, she had 'friends' in the sense that they were acquaintances, but mostly she was just friendly. It was in her personality. A true friend was found in people like Marisol, Jude, Nate, Booker, Vanessa. 

She nodded a confirmation, "It's okay, though, my terrible drawing skills will surely be torture enough." She chuckled, joking of course. She wasn't the best artist, but she followed his instructions to a T. Some people just weren't born with that type of talent. In either case, she actually enjoyed drawing (despite always hating how it always turned out,) mainly because it was just relaxing. Not that she'd ever admit that, though. 

She leaned against one of the desks as she listened to him talk. She could relate to the easy, coasting into college. Many of her classmates already had that senior year high. It was something Celeste wished she could get, but she was too busy doing things. She had responsibilities, things to do, places to go, things to learn. Why would she get complacent now? It looks like Nate had heard about her march. She blushed at the compliment. She grinned a little, "Well... The whole mutant, coma thing was completely unplanned, unlike the other two." 

She smiled and blushed again at the comment, "Probably reckless and stupid. But hey, my bet paid off. They calmed down. Power of tongues and crap." She shrugged a little, trying to downplay her accomplishments. She wasn't one to brag but... "It was a really great march. It turned out nearly perfect, despite that little hiccup. But, I couldn't have done it without you know, the other organizers, the people who showed up." 

Celeste was by no means a born artist, but she put in plenty of effort. She was aware of her own limitations, but that did not stop her from putting in the time. It spoke a lot to who she was as a person and what made her appealing as a potential recruit. The mutant cause was not an easy one to champion and true success required ambition, passion, and the ability to commit.

Nate got to know his favorite student pretty well over the year, so he was confident she would handle talking about her coma with some humor. It was another good sign; the world could be terrible, and a sense of humor was essential to surviving it. This was doubly true of the path he wanted to put her on.

Finally, as expected, Celeste was humble. It was a rare trait in the current day and age and it was admirable, even if she would have to learn to embrace confidence and even a little bit of pride. ”Of course, those events cannot be a one-woman endeavor. I’m sure your team pulled together to do amazing work, but your passion and will to act really stole the show, in my humble opinion.”

Nate took a seat next to Celeste and smiled politely. ”You really seemed to speak well and speak strongly about your cause. Equality. Bridging the divide while literally doing so. People take notice of those things.”

Very evenly and very calmly, Nate asked, ”We spoke a while ago about what path you might want to take in life; have you ever given consideration to the world of politics?”

Celeste leaned against one of the tables as she prepared to listen to her favorite teacher. It was exciting, being able to confide and joke to a teacher like this. It definitely wasn't something she was expecting in her life. Instead of leaning on one of the tables, she decided to sit on top of it, looking towards Mr. Holloway. 

She nearly blushed at his compliment, "Well... Thank you, Mr. Holloway. I didn't really think I'd ever end up in a position to do something incredible like that... But it happened. Kinda funny how everything falls together." She gave a playful grin, "Unlike my art work, eh." She chuckled quietly at her self-deprecating joke. 

She nodded with a smile, "That's what I hope the world is like in the future. We need to get over this division and really... Well, like you said, bridge the divide." She perked a brow, "Really? Like who?" She wasn't sure what he meant by that. She figured he was just complimenting her but she couldn't quite understand why people would really take notice of that? Maybe her college? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing, actually? 

Her face became pretty serious as she contemplated his question, "I... I actually have, yes. I haven't officially confirmed it but I was thinking of doing maybe a double major in political science and public administration." She shrugged a little, "Maybe that's crazy, though?"  

When Nate initially met Celeste, he might not have expected to see her in a role of power and leadership. She was commonly timid, stayed out of her classmates’ ways, and acted like she did not belong. Most politicians were, at their core, the popular kids of the class who were used to being in charge, for better or worse.

Nate watched Celeste carefully as she perched on her desk, downplaying her successes. She still needed to work on her self-worth, but she was young; there was time for that. What mattered was the raw materials, and they were all there. She had passion, she could articulate, she had a vision for the future, and she could command a crowd under pressure. With so much potential, there was plenty to guide, and Nate knew a group who could put the girl on the right track.

Despite the success she had as the organizer of a major event, Celeste still seemed surprised by the attention she might or might not have been receiving. ”Celeste, it’s the internet age. People are always watching these days. Especially political groups, organizations, and parties. Politics never ends, so everyone is always keeping an eye on up-and-comers.” And no one was doing so as aggressively as Haven.

As expected, and much to Nate’s delight, Celeste was already considering a possible future in the world of politics. She still had her doubts, likely due to her more passive nature, but the seeds were already planted. ”It’s not crazy at all. Honestly, I’m glad to hear it. I think you have real potential, Celeste. Not just that; I think you have the kind of perspective and goals the world needs. And I’m not alone.”

Nate got to his feet, sticking his hands in his pockets. ”Beyond my work here, I also work on the board of a sort of humanitarian group in the city. It’s a huge organization with many facets, but politics ranks highly among our interests. We know how important influence in the political sphere is to achieve our goals. We want to make New York and the world a better place for both mutants and humans.”

Returning his gaze to the young woman, Nate continued, ”We have several connections already, and we are interested in helping the next generation of world-changers grow into their roles. I think you, Celeste, fall into that category,” he said sincerely. ”We think there is a spot for you in our organization. As a member of Haven, we would help provide you with opportunities and resources. With the right calls in place, and with the good name you’re already building for yourself, we could get you a great internship to develop your experience and your connections. Maybe a politicians office or a lobbyist or advocate group. Something to get your feet in the door.”

It was a lot to drop on a girl Celeste’s age, but that was the goal really: getting young new talent and bringing them into the Haven mindset early. ”This is, of course, if you’re interested.”

Celeste let her legs dangle a bit, letting them move back and forth. She wasn't sure what Nate really wanted to talk to her about, but it seemed like he was complimenting her. He wanted to know if she was interested in politics, in helping people, and... She did. She was interested in all of those things. She nearly nibbled on a nail as he she nodded in agreement, "Well, touche for the internet thing... But the other ones?" An... eye on-and-comers..?

She nodded and became much more serious as she listened to Nate speak. He thought she had potential. Other groups had noticed her. Those things surprised Celeste, but Celeste was clearly interested. Her legs stopped moving and she moved forward a little as she listened.

She nodded, occasionally saying yeah, as she listened to him speak. An internship? A humanitarian organization? Her interest clearly piqued, although, it was a lot to take in. She wasn't entirely sure where to start or even what to say, "O-oh. Mr. Holloway, are you sure? This is... An amazing opportunity, of course I'm interested! You know, I want to do anything that can help people. Can you tell me more about Haven?"

Nate was glad to see Celeste understood the magnitude of the opportunity he was offering. He could tell as her face became more serious and she realized her teacher was not just idly praising her. It was a new prospect for Haven to recruit someone as young as Celeste with such a specific purpose. Most of their recruits were intelligence gatherers, discrete enforcers, or mission personnel. None of that was the goal with Celeste, though time would tell if she fit those roles as well. Nate was less interested in having a mini-nuke at his disposal as he was with fostering a bright young mind to become one of the leaders of the future.

Celeste still had some doubts in herself, but she was still ready to jump at the opportunity to be part of something and help people. That, in particular, made Nate smile. "Your desire to help people is a big part of why we were drawn to recruiting you, Haven. We're an organization that wants to shape the future into a more inclusive place for everyone. We have wide, grand goals, but we're already making great initial strides as a force for those who start from a greater point of struggle. We work hard for oppressed or marginalized groups: people of color, members of the LGBTQ plus community, and of course, mutants." Haven did not necessarily advertise their mutant goals publicly since they needed to garner public support without the veil of suspicion from the mutation-wary folks on any side of the aisle.

"Devon and I have more we will need to talk to you about, but if you're really interested..." Nate extended a hand out to the young woman, "You can consider this your welcome to Haven."