it's art time byotches

[delincuente]

Who: Alex Russo and YOU
Broadcast: Nope
Action: The art studio on the Iskaulit
When: Pre-moon

[After several weeks of getting her big project together, it's finally the day Alex has been working towards - her art therapy studio is finished! It's a long room with white walls and a high, industrial ceiling. Along one wall are open shelves of supplies and wide basin sinks, while the other features large windows looking out on space. Several large easels are set up, as well as some tables and stools. Whatever kind of art it is you want to do, the room seems to be stocked for it - whatever you're looking for just seems to show up somewhere among the items, and paint and cleaning supplies never seem to run out. Of course, no charm is perfect. Depending on what's on your mind, you may find a cheeseburger or a roll of fake cash instead. The room has a few other quirks as well, like a self-cleaning floor and lighting that adjusts to your preference as soon as you feel you need it to. Half the work was in getting actual supplies together, but Alex spent a fair amount of time charming the hell out of it as well.

The wizard herself can be found around the studio throughout the day, working on a small painting in one corner. Part of it seems to consist of skyscrapers, in all sorts of rainbow colors, while other parts look like a bright nebula, reaching down in between the buildings. She'll be waving to people that come in, trying to be outgoing and pleasant for once, but for the most part she'll be absorbed in her own work.

Come on in and throw some paint around! Everyone is welcome.] 

Comments

[save_the_souls]

[Allen wasn't an artist, but he was friends with Alex so of course he'd come visit her after she opened up the art studio. It was good to support friends after all!]

[So he'll be stepping in, carrying a package wrapped in fairly plain paper. Looking around...wow. He wasn't adept at sensing magic, but between the Order and Paradisa he had lived among magic to long enough to know its handiwork. That old tug in one's mind of knowing something isn't quite logical or even possible in its existence. This place definitely gave off that feeling as he took it in, and it made him smile some. Maybe he has missed the constant presence of magic more than he realized]

[But he came here for Alex, so once he's done looking around, he'll focus on that. He'll approach her, smiling]

This looks wonderful, Alex.

[delincuente]

[She looks over her shoulder, returning the smile with a heavy dose of nervous awkwardness. Her artwork is still on the rebound from a year and a half's hiatus, but the colors are brighter and more confident than they were at the start. She's got a small dab of pink on the side of one cheek, and something seems far more natural about her in this environment.]

Hey. Thanks. [She looks back down at the picture, gesturing vaguely.] It's going to be New York. My home.

[save_the_souls]

[He smiles. She does seem well suited for a place like this. Even if she seemed nervous]

New York? That's a good idea. [That place was always a cool looking city. He'll hold out the package in his hand] Here, I got you something...um, a studio-warming present?

[delincuente]

Dude, you didn't have to do that. [But her cheeks flush just a little as she takes the package from him and starts to open it.]

[save_the_souls]

I know! But after Christmas, it just felt right.

[And when she opens it? It looks like it's a novelty mug]

[delincuente]

[As soon as she sees the mug, she breaks out laughing.]

I love it! And I never even told you Dali's my fave.

[save_the_souls]

Is he?

Well that's a lucky guess on my part. I picked it because of the mustache.

[delincuente]

Yeah, he was this crazy awesome surrealist. And his mustache is killer.

[save_the_souls]

A surrealist, huh....

Yeah. I could see why he'd be your favourite.

[dontthinkaboutelephants]

[A new face! Arthur walks into the studio, looking around curiously. He waves back to the girl painting in the corner, then walks over to her, glancing at her painting.] You're very good. It looks like something from a dream. And this place is amazing. I hope you don't mind me peeking in. I heard about it and was curious.

[delincuente]

[Oh, hello. Alex was definitely not expecting any new faces - she tends to stick to a specific circle, and wasn't sure others would be interested. It's actually a huge relief to see Arthur walk in.]

Thanks. It's, uh. It's where I used to live. Mixed with this place.

[The painting, that is. She puts down the brush to gesture to the rest of the room.]

And yeah, go right ahead.

yikes sorry about the delay

[dontthinkaboutelephants]

It'll be nice to have somewhere to work on things.

[He smiles.] How did you manage all this?

it's fine!

[delincuente]

[She gives her paintbrush a little twirl.]

Cast a few magic spells.

[geonomy]

[Well, Clay wouldn't call himself an artist, but he still likes to do art, so hearing about this, especially knowing that Alex made it happen, makes him come right over. And... wow, this place looks amazing. It's sort of in an unnatural way, a way that his logical mind says shouldn't be possible. But he's adapted enough to this kind of thing to roll with it, and he's more interested in Alex painting over there.]

Dude, this looks stellar! How'd you get all this stuff?

[delincuente]

[She turns around to smile at him, a bit sheepishly.]

Just a few little magic tricks.

[astrobleme]

[Shinji has been in a very weird, very crabby mood for the past few days. The usual teenage angst over teenage things, compounded with his more serious issues, has made for a difficult time for him. He stops wandering in pointless circles around the Iskaulit when he finally notices the art studio that's open to the public. This must be... from the network, that thing and that wizard...

Entering the studio, he doesn't want to stray too far from the door. He's young and uncertain and doesn't have much of a presence on his own. His eyes are drawn to paint that's waiting to be used, though. There's one shade of purple in particular that really snags his attention.]

Hi?

[His voice is a tiny squeak. He tries again, still nervous:]

Uhm, hello? Is this the... art... the art therapy... place? Studio? Studio place?

[delincuente]

[Ah, another guest Alex doesn't immediately recognize. She's still a bit stunned that people other than her close friends want to come here - maybe that means it really was a good idea.]

Yeah, you found it. Come on in.

[astrobleme]

["Come on in"? That's it? It's as simple as that? Shinji is almost suspicious that anything could be so simple, but he's edging his way into the studio, one step at a time. It smells like paint. Then: Of course it smells like paint, you idiot.

He has to take a deep breath to steady himself.]

There's a lot more stuff here than I thought there would be... It's really neat.

[delincuente]

[She notices his hesitance, and watches a little more closely, trying to figure out what's up. It's just art, Shinji.]

Well, not everyone needs the same supplies. Lucky for me, I've got a spell for that.

[astrobleme]

[To Shinji, it's a lot more than just art. The whole "therapy" thing is what's throwing him for a loop. He's almost expecting one of NERV's shitty crisis counselors to pop out from behind an easel.]

Oh, right, you talked about being a wizard.

[He strays closer to the collection of paints, too shy for a direct approach.]

I'm Shinji. The, uh... enchilada-deprived one. [He smiles vaguely.] It's good to meet you.

[delincuente]

Guilty as charged.

[She gives him a smile, though, spinning around in her wooden stool.]

I'm Alex. Captain of the SS Paisley, and resident Earth culture expert.

[astrobleme]

[Another captain, huh... Shinji's paramilitary training is so deeply engrained that he responds automatically. His posture straightens out, he doesn't fiddle with his fingers, and he tries to make some amount of eye contact.]

I'm a pilot for the Heron, [he says, a little steadier,] and I don't know too much about culture. Is that a painting you're working on?

[grandstanding]

[The Iskaulit is a ship he still hasn't done much to explore. One or two rooms, yes. This is the first time he's ventured beyond the garden and the gym areas, getting a feel for the place. When he comes across the open door and stops to look inside, it jolts him slightly. He had seen Alex's network message about the art studio, while he was still on the Marsiva. Still adjusting to the situation, he hadn't had the heart to contact Alex yet, knowing from Nightingale that she wasn't going to remember him.

But now, there she is. And really, there's no time like the present. The concept of the studio is of interest to him as well. So after a moment of inertia, he steps inside.]

This is quite the space.

[delincuente]

[Alex takes a moment to break her focus and turn around, but when she does it's with a half-smile. She's still getting used to the positive attention this place has gotten her, and every compliment is a bit of a surprise.]

Thanks. I'm trying to make it a little bit of home.

[grandstanding]

Did you have a studio there as well?

[He comes further inside to peruse the art supplies.]

[delincuente]

[A little bit of a laugh.]

Nah. I'm from New York, we barely had room to sneeze.

[grandstanding]

[That draws a smile out of him.]

I've been to New York - you're not wrong.

[delincuente]

I lived there my whole life, up until I was sixteen. [She drops her paintbrush in a cup of water, and spins her stool around a little.] Born in the backseat of a yellow taxi.

[grandstanding]

An exciting start to life. [Picking up a paintbrush, he examines it idly.] I haven't been to New York in some time, but it was always very fast paced.

[delincuente]

Well, neither have I.

[She gives a little humorless laugh.]

Four years, I think?

[grandstanding]

That's quite a while. [Longer, certainly, than he'd known Willow.] But absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[delincuente]

[She shrugs.] I don't know. I always kind of thought the opposite.

[grandstanding]

It is a very generalised saying. Some things can stay absent forever, as far as I'm concerned. [Others, well... he has to remind himself not to get too familiar, here. He turns back to face Alex again.]

I'm Blade.

[delincuente]

Alex. Alex Russo.

[She gives him a lazy salute.]

What got you a name like that?

[grandstanding]

[That gets a smile out of him, and the follow up question too. He shifts on his feet, crossing his arms and sighing.]

In a word? Amnesia. [Not something he bothers to be coy about anymore. It happened to most people he knew. Different versions of present company included.]

[delincuente]

What, like you forgot your name, and the first thing you saw was a steak knife?

[grandstanding]

Very close. I forgot my name and everything else... I had a sword with me when I first woke up from it. That's where the name came from.

[delincuente]

Oh man, good thing it was a sword and not, like, a box of crackers. Or something. [She makes a face.] Or a wand. I would've had to call myself Stick.

[grandstanding]

Not everyone decided to be as literal as I did. And... [Here, he hesitates for a moment.] Well, in the place that happened, I knew you.

[delincuente]

[A year ago, she would have laughed and shook her head, but this isn't the first time she's heard this now. Nightingale knew her from the get-go, but by a different name.

Then, it hits her.]

Let me guess - this other me had amnesia, and named herself after a tree.

[grandstanding]

Not quite. I named her after a tree. [One of the very few teammates he had named, in fact. He's a bit quieter when he continues.] But yes. That's the one.

[delincuente]

[She gives a little half-smile at that, hiding the discomfort she feels at this whole line of conversation.]

Well, sorry to disappoint, but you probably won't like me as much.

[grandstanding]

I'm not so sure, but it's not really about that. [He has his own issues to deal with, ones he doesn't want to put at her doorstep. Even though he's doing it right now, to some extent.] It felt dishonest not to say something.

[Knowing what he does about Alex, from seeing memories of her life... she has zero reason to like him either. He was never entirely sure why Willow liked him to begin with. Eventually, he shrugs.] If it works, it works. And if you'd rather not speak to me again, that's fine as well. I've been on the other side of this before.

[delincuente]

Hey, no, it's fine. [She gives an awkward shrug, then turns back to look at her painting.] We can all use friends here, or whatever. I'm open.

[grandstanding]

I imagine it makes things easier. [He has a couple of people here that he knows, and only one who was a friend from before. It takes the edge off, slightly. After a pause, he speaks up again.]

I've never painted, but I used to do engravings. On metal.

[delincuente]

[One eyebrow goes up a bit.]

That sounds pretty badass.

[grandstanding]

Does it? [That's a new one on him.] I work better with metal, so it's the only vaguely... artistic thing I've ever done.

[delincuente]

[She shrugs.]

I never had the space or the money for anything but paint. Even took to city property, when I didn't have canvases.

[grandstanding]

I didn't exactly pay for what I was using. [Technically he performed a quest for it. Other times, he simply took it from areas around him.]