Love and Peace!

The sun was out, the breeze blew gently the world was at peace. Except for the pigeon cooing on the fence of the school yard, everything was perfect, well almost perfect. In the distance the football team practiced their usual drills and distant traffic contributed to a constant white noise. Still it was neatly perfect right? Gavriil stood and looked out at his class, if he'd had one. This was an after school program and he was a volunteer for those who'd enrolled in the SAFE program who didn't quite feel comfortable with their powers to come and exercise them while getting some sage advice from a well traveled man whose powers were well under his control. Yet nobody had the gumption to show up. Nobody wanted a free pass to exercise and experiment with their abilities without getting in trouble. Gabe didn't have a very offensive power, but just the freedom to stretch his proverbial legs in the open air was worth is.

"This is all your fault you know." He scoffed playfully looking at the pigeon on the fence that cocked his head and cooed directly at him. "I see you there planning your diabolical schemes. You wont get away with whatever you're planning." Of course this was all in good taste as Gabe was doing nothing less than treating the foul fowl with the contempt it rightly deserved. The little vandal was nothing more than playing innocent as it looked up and away. "I've got my eye on you." Checking his watch first, Gabe looked around to see if anymore students would be arriving. If no eager young superheroes came in a few minutes he'd catch a bus to down town and start his nightly patrol there.

Ray wasn't exactly the best when he was alone. His boredom often lead him to draw on things he shouldn't. Apparently the "man" didn't like Roy being "artistic" in the name of "creative expression". The teachers and leaders of Ruby City were such squares sometimes. Ah well, at least they didn't take his supplies away.

Ray was told by his parents that he was to attend some sort of class that was supposed to help with his powers. Using his power meant that Ray would be able to draw and create something in front of others, and ever since the twins had complimented him on his creations he couldn't help but have a desire to show off more. So he decided to go rather than skipping today. He approached the field only to see one other person there.

"Is there a class here today? I might have gotten the wrong address"

That would be the time Ray showed up in all his gory! A student! Gabe couldn't believe it! He jumped a little when he was addressed, surprised at the boy's directness. Not that this was his first student in any way or form, he'd already taught a few.

"Ah yes! I'm S.A.F.E. Instructor Gavriil Mikhailov, but please call me Gabe." The Angelic man's accent really shown through when he spoke his name, but was otherwise he spoke clearly, he took a good look at the young man who seemed pretty normal at first in contrast to his new mentor.

"This is essentially a free studies class with a supervisor, If you have any questions or concerns, you can bring them to me in confidence." Gabe continued, "So maybe you would like to tell me about your power or demonstrate it for me?"

"Oh, nice to meet you I guess. Call me Sketch" Ray said. He had always preferred his personal alias to his real name anyway. It was just too good not to use anyway right? Still, this guy wanted to see a power it was only best if he showed it.

"Alright, I just need a minute though" Sketch said before pulling out a piece of cardboard. He unfolded the square before taking his spray paint and using a green paint so that the grass didn't look too damaged or changed from his actions. After completing the circle he pulled the cardboard away before looking over at Gabe. "Oh right, I need you to run at it and through it for it to be shown. I promise you won't get hurt or anything, but it's the only way you'll understand what it does"

"Alright Sketch." The instructor responded, watching the boy work diligently on... spray painting a symbol on cardboard. Then asking him to walk across it. Well, being a target for powers wasn't part of the job description especially from young people often lacking control, for all Gabe knew there was a landmine under that cardboard now. However the young man assured him he wasn't going to be hurt. "I'm game."

The angel would stroll over, making sure to keep his wings restrained so he wouldn't bowl the young man over as he marched across the young man's painted symbol, and nearly tripping over himself as his body felt restrained, like it was taking twice the effort to move half the speed.

"What the?" Gabe asked looking down at the boy. "Well," He motioned with his hand to see how bad the effects were on his body, hopping to the side for a moment, "Well isn't that something." He was genuinely impressed. This power had such potential, if Sketch could expand its abilities, but right now in a real setting was nearly useless.

Since the student wasn't very forthcoming, Gabe needed to see exactly how much he was effected, striking up a whirlwind that seemed to move at top speed, blowing the cardboard up into the air in the process, letting it float back down to the duo.

"I see." Gabe was impressed pulling his arms up and rubbing his chin with his supported arm. "And you can do that to any surface? Does it absolutely require your stencil or can you free hand it?"

Sketch lifted up his hand and shook it slightly to show that it was iffy. "I can free hand it but it takes longer to set up because it has to be exactly right or my power doesn't work" he explained as he picked up the cardboard and folded it once again before setting it back in his backpack.

"It's not the coolest power in terms of being flashy or anything, but it's been useful before" Sketch added as he watched Gabe still dealing with the effects of it. Unfortunately Sketch couldn't turn that off either, Gabe would be stuck with that for a little while. "It's good for creating traps or choke points if you know you're being chased and they can only follow you one way"

"Yeah that's good. But it can always be better that's what this class is for. How do you see your power evolving and changing?" Gabe preached still seeing now much long this was going to last, waving his arms and trying to walk around quite a bit, he was still curious as to how much it really cut his mobility, and it seemed like it was a real hindrance.

"This isn't permanent is it?" Gabe would look at the young man with questioning eyes. Though he could start to feel the effects wear away.

"No not permanent, should wear off within the next minute or something. It lasts a while...sorry about that" Sketch said with a simple shrug. Not like there was much he could do to fix the situation or anything.

"In terms of seeing it evolve, I just see myself being more of a support for other heroes in the field. I don't think my marks are ever going to be amazingly powerful, but they do make it easier for better fighters to have an edge over their opponents" Sketch offered with a small shrug. "Like a true artist, I don't think people would appreciate me till I wasn't around"

"That's a very noble Goal, so many Heroes want to be the prime peacekeeper of their time, its easy for those people to trip over their own feet without someone else watching out for them. You wish to serve those that serve the common good." Gabe responded to to Ray's talk about his goals. He would stop trying to wiggle his arms and simply cross them. "Your art could be very useful, however you shouldn't let yourself take a backseat." He looked away at something.

The angel was checking on the pigeon again, he warned the little fucker that he was watching him earlier and wanted to make good on his word. "Don't relegate yourself to simply cleaning up after others without thinking about your own wasted potential in doing so. Every artist has pushed the limits of the emotions their drawings evoke. You should do the same, I think."

"I too am someone who wishes to help those who help others, hence I teach." Gabe was giving an anecdote about himself more or less being in Ray's same place. He was a purveyor of love, and the best place to show love was to help those who devoted themselves to helping others. "The best way to help others is to be strong yourself. I see great potential in your powers. I don't see it in your power's raw strength, but in its possibilities."

"Have you thought about using your marks to speed your allies up?" Gabe suggested, "Or dissipate all of a targets momentum when they cross the threshold of your symbol?"

Sketch just shrugged as Gabe spoke about the potential that Sketch had and what it could mean if he truly sought to evolve his powers. "Not gonna lie to you, I just don't know if this kind of life is for me. I'd rather just be a famous artist and make something beautiful...my parents would rather I be here and progress my power...for the better pay" he added, making it clear his parents weren't that passionate about the work he was doing.

"I've tried adapting the power in various ways, but all I can ever do is slow people down. I haven't been able to do much more than that...anything else really"

Gabe was puzzled as the boy said he tried to augment his powers in various ways, meaning he'd tried several effects. "I'm not here to tell you how to expand you're powers that I'm here to help you create a power you can rely on." He patted his shoulders, his wings twitched "Having a power can help pay the bills when your muse abandons you and you're stuck on a downturn which happens to everyone. Just like having a degree."

"Maybe you can try different symbols for different effects." Gabe suggested, "Or maybe expand the range of your existing symbol."

"All possible, just can't seem to quite get it down yet" Sketch admitted as he absently flipped his two sprays in the air and started catching them without looking. It was a bad habit of his whenever he was starting to get bored with a conversation.

"At any rate, you had something planned here for today right? It wasn't just going to be talking to anyone that showed up was it?"

Gabe nodded, he wasn't here to converse he was here to oversee students in a studyhall like manner. "I see." He responded as the boy mentioned that he'd tried to modify the power, but hadn't got it to work or gotten the hang of it. "Well the only way to improve is to experement and practice. That's really what I'm here for, is to help those that want a safe place to experement with their powers to guide them down the proper usage of their powers.

Gabe would do a little flourish for Ray, spreading his wings and creating a whirlwind around them lifting little grass clippings into the air, and blowing the grass down in the circle around them. However the duo would only feel a slight downdraft, a byproduct of the whirlwind. "You're a creative sort, so maybe apply a little bit of that creativity to your power." With that he waved his hand dismissing the whirlwind and letting the little grass clippings rain down from above like little green snowflakes. "Because the only thing holding back your power is you."