Moving Pictures, part 1
April 5, 2015
It was early evening by the time Shae finally found the shop. Just a name and a district. She'd had to ask several people for directions before she was pointed in the right direction. Now she stood outside, drinking in details. Travelling with her was Fox, her fuzzy companion, and the canid often veered off course to investigate new smells. Heeled boots that laced up the front over dark jeans. A t-shirt in black with a white print: the artistic image of a corset over a skeletal torso. A faded thrift store leather jacket, and her hair in a loose braid. The new piercings in her ears were still healing, but she wore a colorful bracelet and a silver drop necklace to compensate for their plainness. Gifts from a friend.
In the far-flung corners of West End, Script and Sundries was as well-known as it was indifferently passed by all but the curious or the very well-informed. Set back within a wide-laned but sparsely traveled alley, a single wide door was nestled into the weathered brown brick between a set of dusty bay windows. It was stout oak that has seen a great many seasons pass and would yet see many more, it's once green paint faded and chipped with the ravages of the weather and a single wooden sign nailed to it to let searching eyes know what they had found.
Within, a wizard storage cellar and a busy strip mall bookstore had thrown up all over a sleep rural town library, or so one better traveled customer had remarked to Eli once upon a time. The shop's interior was much longer than it was wide and the shelves lining every wall stretched straight to a high, squared off ceiling. Books of every and unknown origin lines them, from dusty tomes to studious textbooks and every unimaginable/unmentionable in-between. Sporadically, some shelves were missing, replaced by the occasional frame sketch or portrait, curious things that remained still until lost interest in and then, when at the corner of the eyes, they moved!
Heavier shelves dotted the checker tiled floor between the walls, placed randomly and boasting more books and even more of the mentioned sundries. Dried herbs, tiny bones, and mystical (and religious) components of every sort were found in ceramic bowls and clear plastic tupperware bins. Art, magic, and more were found and made here, nothings priced and left to force the curious to ask questions.
The proprietor himself was in attendance, swiveling casually in a ratty leather office chair behind a heavy counter made from a bowed wood of undetermined origin, the currently messy nest of his hair spotted over an ancient cash register. Eli had his sketchpad in hand, a charcoal pencil scratching furiously over the rough surface of a page.
The bay windows earned Shae's early attention, and any displays within. The sturdy door with it's simple sign curved her lips in a smile. "Going for out of the way charm." She mused to no one in particular as she lifted a hand to latch and let herself inside. For a moment she just stood in the doorway. That's all she could do. Fox moved in while she stared at the little heaven in front of her eyes. It was like...she breathed a sigh that might have been a single word, lowered her gaze and shut the door quietly behind her. If there was a shop bell it would give her away.
Rather than announce herself, magpie she, her focus was on those shelves, those articles and books. Her fingers itched to touch things, but the lack of prices made her cautious. As if the touching of them would sound some alarm or dissipate some illusion. Fox, however was no manner of subtle and every manner of stealth. The next time that chair rotated around, Eli would find himself face to face with the fox sitting beside his cash register on the counter.
Even at his most surly, he was loathe to chase away any prospective customers, so it was only the softest of music that came filtering out from the corner behind his chair. A stereo pushed some very old jazz from it's scratchy speakers, barely registering beyond the check-out counter space so that it wouldn't annoy the patronage. But it soothed him and, sometimes, inspired. Even then, customer service wasn't his strong suit and when Shae and her little companion came in, Eli didn't even look up. Whatever he was compelled to work on, it was more important at the moment than money. Maybe.
But he was still the intuitive, perceptive sort. When you were as perceptively weak on the proverbial Rhy'din food chain as he was, you had to be, and feeling the weight of another's attention on him had all but become second nature. But if Fox expected surprise, he was going to be disappointed, because when he finally lifted his blue eyes to stare at Shae's companion, it elicited little more than a wry smile.
That was, until he was reaching beneath the counter for the remainder of his supper. A small plastic plate bearing the remnants of a small rotisserie chicken were offered up silently in tithe. For now, he'd let the master wander.
Unconsciously, she began to hum along to that music, picking it up in the air as she continued her visual browsing. The books called to her, but the components were the deeper draw. Her own supplies ran low. Were his labelled? Questions in her mind about the age and potency. The more questions that formed, the more complex her humming, until she offered harmony rather than melody. Still, Shae did not touch. Scents stirred in the air and chased her across the shop.
Fox grinned a vulpine flash of teeth that widened as the chicken came into view. Nostrils flare over the offering, capable of taking in more than just the smell of rotisserie herbs. Satisfied that there was nothing more, the fox began to eat.
The humming cut off and Shae's voice drifted over the stacks. "Is this a store or your personal collection?"
Script and Sundries
Re: Script and Sundries
Moving Pictures, part 2
Eli was meticulous to label nearly everything, though explanations were sorely lacking. He would have just as soon have preferred his clientele know what they were about when making a purchase and the ones who didn't would always spark enough conversation to let him learn a thing or two about local goings-on. Another wry look was given to Fox before the shift of his attention was drinking Shae up in profile, prompting another series of quick pencil flashes across the page.
When he answered, it was as casual and easy as ever. "A bit of both, really, though I don't keep anything particularly rare or dangerous within anyone's reach but mine."
"Both, hmm? So does this mean that if I ask you how much something is I will find a price that is just within the range of acceptable while still being just outside the range of what most people will pay?" Her questions came relaxed, punctuated by shifts in tone as Shae leaned or bent or stood up on tip toe to examine this or that. "Because I'm interested in some of your components and I'd really rather shop in one place than have to go roaming about the city."
Fox's ears swiveled towards the source of that scratching sound of pencil on paper. His gold eyes peer towards the sketchpad in an attempt to see what was being drawn.
"Does this slip back into some vague conversation I recall last night involving my personage, your dark-skinned friend, and a discount?" The were words he wasn't meant to hear and only half paid attention to anyway, but Eli couldn't resist bringing it up as a smile tugged crookedly at one corner of his mouth. He shifted in his seat and unexpectedly sated Fox's curiosity when he set the pad on the counter to shift the bulk of his attention to the sylph.
It was a reproduction of the previous night's celebration; more specifically, it was Shae and her friend, the former overlapping the latter due to their positioning and a rather flattering homage to their physiques at that. The details was frighteningly good.
"No, but it seems that was already on your mind. Val might have different methods of doing business, but mine serve me just as well." Her voice from a nearby bookshelf, Fox's eyes on the sketchpad. You do the math.
Fox went back to eating from the remains of chicken. When Shae did appear at the counter, it was with her notebook in one hand and a quill in the other. No ink in sight but she scratched another addition to the list she had formed. "I have a contract for a large scale series of enchantments in the works and I would be willing to sign you on as a principle supplier for some of the materials I will need, provided your prices are fair." That last came with a hint of teasing.
"I am a very visual person, Shae," he confessed shamelessly with a shrug of his shoulders, as if the sketchpad and his penchant for taking pictures and parlour illusions hadn't given him away. "And just because I like looking at you, doesn't necessarily mean I aim to transition into a more...tactile approach. You are very attractive and different and I like the way it translates in my mind."
He was unabashed in the delivery and his stare, leaning back in the chair and folding his arms casually across his chest. His gaze flickered momentarily to her notebook but he wasn't prone to prying. At least, not overly much. "This isn't how I make the bulk of my income, so you'll find that even without a special reduction, my prices are more than reasonable. But I may still consider taking a little more off of the top..."
For her part, she was no shrinking violet. Her gold eyes met the blue of his with no lack of confidence. It wasn't vanity, for she didn't simper at his confession, but a surety in her skin that cared little for whether or not others found favor or lack thereof with what she presented. "I had noticed your penchant for the visual." She gestures over her shoulder towards his shop where his images were on display. "The only approach that concerns me is an arcane one."
Caution now, as she looked at him. There were things one could do will a well rendered image of a person. It was not a school of magic she was well versed in, but she knew enough to be wary. "I hope your...translations remain in a more private collection." Her notebook wasn't hidden. The object in question was bound in lovingly worn soft leather, the pages preserved and deceptively thin. She'd had it for years and years, yet it only ever appeared to be halfway full. If she ever skimmed back in the book...such might tell a different story. For now it was a list, in a neat, runic script.
"We're discussing business, not entertainment." He pointedly avoided using the word pleasure. Professional still came off as casual with Eli. His gaze followed the gesture and then returned, producing another amused smile. "Most often, I draw or take photos for me. When it's for business, it's most often of the clients themselves or something similar, as it seems my art encompasses something rare around this place. So, needless to say, I won't be selling your likeness to anyone else anytime soon, for the mystically amusement of others." It seemed Eli too was well versed in such implications.
'Entertainment' still caused her brow to quirk, but she let it be. Returning with ease to a business like air. While not as casual as Eli, that sensation of confidence remained. Something to inspire ease in the mind of clients. Her eyes glance down at her list. "I'll need herbs to preserve wood. Components to treat fabric and hemp. Concentrated and consecrated oils that are weather resistant. And I'm looking for enough for spells for a small fleet. This isn't a warehouse, but if you are capable of supplying them regularly over a schedule of weeks I think that will suffice."
"What I can't get in the quantities I want, I can subsidize cheaper than you'd likely find in most places anyway. A considerable amount of my component stock comes from other suppliers that would rather make good that way than pay in coin or other currency for services often rendered. With reasonable advanced warning, supplying you should come as a problem." Eli took a slow, fond look around. "No, this isn't a warehouse, Shae. But it is a repository for much more. We can do business."
Eli was meticulous to label nearly everything, though explanations were sorely lacking. He would have just as soon have preferred his clientele know what they were about when making a purchase and the ones who didn't would always spark enough conversation to let him learn a thing or two about local goings-on. Another wry look was given to Fox before the shift of his attention was drinking Shae up in profile, prompting another series of quick pencil flashes across the page.
When he answered, it was as casual and easy as ever. "A bit of both, really, though I don't keep anything particularly rare or dangerous within anyone's reach but mine."
"Both, hmm? So does this mean that if I ask you how much something is I will find a price that is just within the range of acceptable while still being just outside the range of what most people will pay?" Her questions came relaxed, punctuated by shifts in tone as Shae leaned or bent or stood up on tip toe to examine this or that. "Because I'm interested in some of your components and I'd really rather shop in one place than have to go roaming about the city."
Fox's ears swiveled towards the source of that scratching sound of pencil on paper. His gold eyes peer towards the sketchpad in an attempt to see what was being drawn.
"Does this slip back into some vague conversation I recall last night involving my personage, your dark-skinned friend, and a discount?" The were words he wasn't meant to hear and only half paid attention to anyway, but Eli couldn't resist bringing it up as a smile tugged crookedly at one corner of his mouth. He shifted in his seat and unexpectedly sated Fox's curiosity when he set the pad on the counter to shift the bulk of his attention to the sylph.
It was a reproduction of the previous night's celebration; more specifically, it was Shae and her friend, the former overlapping the latter due to their positioning and a rather flattering homage to their physiques at that. The details was frighteningly good.
"No, but it seems that was already on your mind. Val might have different methods of doing business, but mine serve me just as well." Her voice from a nearby bookshelf, Fox's eyes on the sketchpad. You do the math.
Fox went back to eating from the remains of chicken. When Shae did appear at the counter, it was with her notebook in one hand and a quill in the other. No ink in sight but she scratched another addition to the list she had formed. "I have a contract for a large scale series of enchantments in the works and I would be willing to sign you on as a principle supplier for some of the materials I will need, provided your prices are fair." That last came with a hint of teasing.
"I am a very visual person, Shae," he confessed shamelessly with a shrug of his shoulders, as if the sketchpad and his penchant for taking pictures and parlour illusions hadn't given him away. "And just because I like looking at you, doesn't necessarily mean I aim to transition into a more...tactile approach. You are very attractive and different and I like the way it translates in my mind."
He was unabashed in the delivery and his stare, leaning back in the chair and folding his arms casually across his chest. His gaze flickered momentarily to her notebook but he wasn't prone to prying. At least, not overly much. "This isn't how I make the bulk of my income, so you'll find that even without a special reduction, my prices are more than reasonable. But I may still consider taking a little more off of the top..."
For her part, she was no shrinking violet. Her gold eyes met the blue of his with no lack of confidence. It wasn't vanity, for she didn't simper at his confession, but a surety in her skin that cared little for whether or not others found favor or lack thereof with what she presented. "I had noticed your penchant for the visual." She gestures over her shoulder towards his shop where his images were on display. "The only approach that concerns me is an arcane one."
Caution now, as she looked at him. There were things one could do will a well rendered image of a person. It was not a school of magic she was well versed in, but she knew enough to be wary. "I hope your...translations remain in a more private collection." Her notebook wasn't hidden. The object in question was bound in lovingly worn soft leather, the pages preserved and deceptively thin. She'd had it for years and years, yet it only ever appeared to be halfway full. If she ever skimmed back in the book...such might tell a different story. For now it was a list, in a neat, runic script.
"We're discussing business, not entertainment." He pointedly avoided using the word pleasure. Professional still came off as casual with Eli. His gaze followed the gesture and then returned, producing another amused smile. "Most often, I draw or take photos for me. When it's for business, it's most often of the clients themselves or something similar, as it seems my art encompasses something rare around this place. So, needless to say, I won't be selling your likeness to anyone else anytime soon, for the mystically amusement of others." It seemed Eli too was well versed in such implications.
'Entertainment' still caused her brow to quirk, but she let it be. Returning with ease to a business like air. While not as casual as Eli, that sensation of confidence remained. Something to inspire ease in the mind of clients. Her eyes glance down at her list. "I'll need herbs to preserve wood. Components to treat fabric and hemp. Concentrated and consecrated oils that are weather resistant. And I'm looking for enough for spells for a small fleet. This isn't a warehouse, but if you are capable of supplying them regularly over a schedule of weeks I think that will suffice."
"What I can't get in the quantities I want, I can subsidize cheaper than you'd likely find in most places anyway. A considerable amount of my component stock comes from other suppliers that would rather make good that way than pay in coin or other currency for services often rendered. With reasonable advanced warning, supplying you should come as a problem." Eli took a slow, fond look around. "No, this isn't a warehouse, Shae. But it is a repository for much more. We can do business."
Re: Script and Sundries
Moving Pictures, part 3
The scratch of her quill at his answer, a simple mark like a check beside one item on that list. "Good." She said simply. Quill laid along the crease of pages and notebook shut. Fox had finished that tithe of poultry, and now simply lingers on the counter, licking his chops. "I'll mention your name to my contractor." Tone turning back to warmth and curiosity as the notebook finds a new home in an interior pocket of that jacket. If she's overly cautious about brushing against her chest, well, she had an excuse. "How long have you been here? How long did it take you to establish your kingdom?"
For Eli, there was no visible change. Unwilling to leave the creature comfort of his chair, he leaned back in it and brought both hands up behind the relaxed loll of his head, lacing his fingers together as he made an unabashed study of her face. "Three years, give or take a few months. And it is much less a kingdom and more of the fruit born of a number of incredibly bad decisions mixed with surprising occurrences that eventually transitioned into a few lucky breaks. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't make something good from something bad. Or, at the very least, something livable."
The curve of her lips at his answer and the slight hooding of her eyes was provided for his study. An expression that suggested he was preaching to the choir, or at the very least that this one was no stranger to bad decisions and luck. "Kingdoms can be much more compact than most people realize. You can value a thing more than a massive expanse of land." A hand absently reaches out to scritch nails through the ruff of the nearby reynard. "You've done well for three years of questionable choices and surprising turns. Survival is not always easy, thriving less so. I can respect that."
"Thriving is a matter of opinion and perspective, Shae." One shoulder rolled briefly and his smile skewed for the span of a few uneven heartbeats. "I think in the end, I'm more prone to breaking even than truly profiting in most ventures, but with the habit of hedging most of those bets, I have a penchant for accruing useful favors that help."
It was her turn to study, and she did so with a tilt of her head. Words and facial expressions absorbed as she looked at him. It was not so much a look down, really, as she was no giant, but there was a slope to her neck that shifted her hair over one shoulder. "And since I come bearing a business opportunity, does this mean that I have accrued favor from you?" She mused innocently.
Eli snorted.
"I like you, Shae." It was a confession of the obvious, from their harmless dalliances in the booth to last night's game at the luau, unembellished and undefined. "But even if you hadn't walked through the door tonight and solicited me for what I can do for you, at a discounted price, I might add, my life would go on and I would still be no worse for the wear. So... no... As much as I am stimulated by your charming company and invite the opportunity to work with you, I don't owe you anything." Even as the last words were delivered with a playful tongue, he was reaching beneath the counter. There a soft hollow plastic click and the sound of something sliding before he produced two bottles of cold beer from the little Igloo cooler he kept hidden from sight. One was offered out to her.
Mock scoff at his response, but she accepted the bottle when offered. Her thumb brushed back and forth across the glass as she formed her own reply. "We need to work on your business manners, sir." Eyes drop to the bottle to check to see if the lid was a twist or a pop or removed already. "For the record, I never said a word about expecting a discount, just fair prices. You are the one who has spoken of lowered rates. I'll accept them, thought, as the favor you owe me for new business." Her tone teased in an echo of his.
"We do?" The grin that stretched his mouth was a lazy one, a lingering balm to soothe her potential disappointment in him. "I seem to do just fine most days, Shae, and like I said before, this place doesn't make up the significant bulk of my income. I'm afraid I have to be far more shrewd and uncompromising in other ventures." He listened to the rest of her response and chuckled into his bottle after he had popped the cap and tilted it up to his lips for a long pull. It was farmhouse ale, just like the drinks they had shared previously in the Inn. "Fine, fine. You're getting both. And quality, to boot. I don't sell half-assed components. That's how you get weekend dabblers killed and masters of their crafty pissed at you."
"Is that so? What other ventures are you dabbling in, hmm?" The fabric of her shirt and the leverage of the edge of his counter let her remove her own cap without doing damage to his store. One hand supports her weight on that counter, hips shifting her weight more to that side. "Shrewd, yes I can picture that. Uncompromising. Hmm. Careful, yes." The pattern swiped by her thumb into the condensation disappeared as she brought the beer to her lips to wet them. Fox, seeing that this might be a longer conversation than he bargained for, settles down on the counter. Eli's latter comments regarding dead amateurs and livid experts earns a smile. "Common sense is important."
"Ones you'd either be passingly disinterested in or those you've yet earned the confidence to have explained." Shae obviously wasn't an idiot and, despite his previous parlor tricks to entertain her, she had earned enough grudging respect that he wasn't going to treat her like one. But that didn't mean he trusted her.
"I do some portrait and photography work for some," he shrugged, giving her something. "Very specialized and not something I heavily advertise despite it's innocuous nature."
"Should have known a card player would know how to keep things close to the vest." No disappointment from her. Faint, persisting interest. "But then, you can't blame me for wanting to know more about who I'm getting into business with." Her tones neutral, friendly and practical between sips of the offered booze.
"You seem to have a skill for capturing the detail in a moment, I can understand why that might lead to a private contract or two."
"Artists are a copper penny for a dozen around here," Eli shrugged. "Just like warriors, healers, and half-demon-angel-vampire-sorority girls." Another grinned tugged at one corner of his mouth. If only he was serious.
"What I do is less common, as tasteful as it is risque, and I can charge at a premium because it isn't so prolific in these parts that there is an open bidding war amongst more than one purveyor. But if it's something of high quality, it takes more than a little time and effort."
"The extraordinary becomes mundane. The mundane extraordinary. It's surreal." She mused in response to that pulling grin. "I am not unhappy to become unremarkable in a crowd with less effort on my part." Oh this conversation was familiar. Antonia had taught her about this recently. "You refer to your video cards? Do you film lewd acts with them?" The arch of her brow betrayed her curiosity. Her terms were confused, certainly, but she could think of few things 'risque' enough to qualify.
"That is the crux of it," he tapped his nose and pointed at her with a smile. "People take Power and Ability for granted and treat it like something simple and insignificant. Not everyone can do the extraordinary." The questions, however, were worth the low peal of laughter.
"Now as you're thinking of it, Shae, no. Immortalizing someone in the nude is different, in my mind, than trying to capture a moment in time while one or more people are going at it. Not that I find the notion offensive, but... those sorts of things breed their own energy and are better left for loftier endeavors." That was Eli, ever spouting another enigma. "But I can and do draw and photo some in various states of undress, most often at their request and not mine."
The scratch of her quill at his answer, a simple mark like a check beside one item on that list. "Good." She said simply. Quill laid along the crease of pages and notebook shut. Fox had finished that tithe of poultry, and now simply lingers on the counter, licking his chops. "I'll mention your name to my contractor." Tone turning back to warmth and curiosity as the notebook finds a new home in an interior pocket of that jacket. If she's overly cautious about brushing against her chest, well, she had an excuse. "How long have you been here? How long did it take you to establish your kingdom?"
For Eli, there was no visible change. Unwilling to leave the creature comfort of his chair, he leaned back in it and brought both hands up behind the relaxed loll of his head, lacing his fingers together as he made an unabashed study of her face. "Three years, give or take a few months. And it is much less a kingdom and more of the fruit born of a number of incredibly bad decisions mixed with surprising occurrences that eventually transitioned into a few lucky breaks. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't make something good from something bad. Or, at the very least, something livable."
The curve of her lips at his answer and the slight hooding of her eyes was provided for his study. An expression that suggested he was preaching to the choir, or at the very least that this one was no stranger to bad decisions and luck. "Kingdoms can be much more compact than most people realize. You can value a thing more than a massive expanse of land." A hand absently reaches out to scritch nails through the ruff of the nearby reynard. "You've done well for three years of questionable choices and surprising turns. Survival is not always easy, thriving less so. I can respect that."
"Thriving is a matter of opinion and perspective, Shae." One shoulder rolled briefly and his smile skewed for the span of a few uneven heartbeats. "I think in the end, I'm more prone to breaking even than truly profiting in most ventures, but with the habit of hedging most of those bets, I have a penchant for accruing useful favors that help."
It was her turn to study, and she did so with a tilt of her head. Words and facial expressions absorbed as she looked at him. It was not so much a look down, really, as she was no giant, but there was a slope to her neck that shifted her hair over one shoulder. "And since I come bearing a business opportunity, does this mean that I have accrued favor from you?" She mused innocently.
Eli snorted.
"I like you, Shae." It was a confession of the obvious, from their harmless dalliances in the booth to last night's game at the luau, unembellished and undefined. "But even if you hadn't walked through the door tonight and solicited me for what I can do for you, at a discounted price, I might add, my life would go on and I would still be no worse for the wear. So... no... As much as I am stimulated by your charming company and invite the opportunity to work with you, I don't owe you anything." Even as the last words were delivered with a playful tongue, he was reaching beneath the counter. There a soft hollow plastic click and the sound of something sliding before he produced two bottles of cold beer from the little Igloo cooler he kept hidden from sight. One was offered out to her.
Mock scoff at his response, but she accepted the bottle when offered. Her thumb brushed back and forth across the glass as she formed her own reply. "We need to work on your business manners, sir." Eyes drop to the bottle to check to see if the lid was a twist or a pop or removed already. "For the record, I never said a word about expecting a discount, just fair prices. You are the one who has spoken of lowered rates. I'll accept them, thought, as the favor you owe me for new business." Her tone teased in an echo of his.
"We do?" The grin that stretched his mouth was a lazy one, a lingering balm to soothe her potential disappointment in him. "I seem to do just fine most days, Shae, and like I said before, this place doesn't make up the significant bulk of my income. I'm afraid I have to be far more shrewd and uncompromising in other ventures." He listened to the rest of her response and chuckled into his bottle after he had popped the cap and tilted it up to his lips for a long pull. It was farmhouse ale, just like the drinks they had shared previously in the Inn. "Fine, fine. You're getting both. And quality, to boot. I don't sell half-assed components. That's how you get weekend dabblers killed and masters of their crafty pissed at you."
"Is that so? What other ventures are you dabbling in, hmm?" The fabric of her shirt and the leverage of the edge of his counter let her remove her own cap without doing damage to his store. One hand supports her weight on that counter, hips shifting her weight more to that side. "Shrewd, yes I can picture that. Uncompromising. Hmm. Careful, yes." The pattern swiped by her thumb into the condensation disappeared as she brought the beer to her lips to wet them. Fox, seeing that this might be a longer conversation than he bargained for, settles down on the counter. Eli's latter comments regarding dead amateurs and livid experts earns a smile. "Common sense is important."
"Ones you'd either be passingly disinterested in or those you've yet earned the confidence to have explained." Shae obviously wasn't an idiot and, despite his previous parlor tricks to entertain her, she had earned enough grudging respect that he wasn't going to treat her like one. But that didn't mean he trusted her.
"I do some portrait and photography work for some," he shrugged, giving her something. "Very specialized and not something I heavily advertise despite it's innocuous nature."
"Should have known a card player would know how to keep things close to the vest." No disappointment from her. Faint, persisting interest. "But then, you can't blame me for wanting to know more about who I'm getting into business with." Her tones neutral, friendly and practical between sips of the offered booze.
"You seem to have a skill for capturing the detail in a moment, I can understand why that might lead to a private contract or two."
"Artists are a copper penny for a dozen around here," Eli shrugged. "Just like warriors, healers, and half-demon-angel-vampire-sorority girls." Another grinned tugged at one corner of his mouth. If only he was serious.
"What I do is less common, as tasteful as it is risque, and I can charge at a premium because it isn't so prolific in these parts that there is an open bidding war amongst more than one purveyor. But if it's something of high quality, it takes more than a little time and effort."
"The extraordinary becomes mundane. The mundane extraordinary. It's surreal." She mused in response to that pulling grin. "I am not unhappy to become unremarkable in a crowd with less effort on my part." Oh this conversation was familiar. Antonia had taught her about this recently. "You refer to your video cards? Do you film lewd acts with them?" The arch of her brow betrayed her curiosity. Her terms were confused, certainly, but she could think of few things 'risque' enough to qualify.
"That is the crux of it," he tapped his nose and pointed at her with a smile. "People take Power and Ability for granted and treat it like something simple and insignificant. Not everyone can do the extraordinary." The questions, however, were worth the low peal of laughter.
"Now as you're thinking of it, Shae, no. Immortalizing someone in the nude is different, in my mind, than trying to capture a moment in time while one or more people are going at it. Not that I find the notion offensive, but... those sorts of things breed their own energy and are better left for loftier endeavors." That was Eli, ever spouting another enigma. "But I can and do draw and photo some in various states of undress, most often at their request and not mine."
Re: Script and Sundries
Moving Pictures, part 4
"Not everything that can be done is extraordinary. Nor should it necessarily exist. So many possibilities and manifestations here. I find myself learning, with little matter whether the source is mundane or not." Her shrug is careful, deliberate as if the motion needed care. His laughter sparked something in her eyes. Her smile said amusement, but her eyes said she was ordering thoughts into new categories. "You'd classify nude portraits as a rarity here? I think I'd find that comforting. It strikes me as an expression of ego that is already intolerable where these...selfie things are concerned."
"We're in a land with shortage of promiscuous individuals, whores, and people with incredibly low inhibitions, Shae. The nudes are the rarity. What I do with the art is." His smile became wry. "But it isn't all just nudes and the suggestive."
"A shortage." She echoed with flat disbelief. "Have you been watching the same people that I have?" A hand waves to dismiss the matter, eager to refocus on the central discussion. "What else is it?"
"No shortage," he amended. "Apologies. I was distracted by your pretty eyes." Not smooth, our Eli. "Landscapes. Actions. Family portraits. I'm not terribly picky unless I am making art for myself." He shrugged.
There might have been an implied facepalm at that attempt at a recovery, but she let it be. "Have I earned the right to ask what art you make for yourself?"
"Things that strike a chord in my mind; things that tug at my soul. Sometimes. I'm a fallible creature, so sometimes a little hedonistic vice is just as appealing as something mentally or spiritually aesthetic. It's not so much about the specifics as what moves me in the moment." Another sip was taken from his beer. "A place, a gull drift on an air current, a woman. Any of these things."
"Do you not normally haunt the Inn in the search for your muse of the moment? I think the day we met was the first time I saw you there. And I'm rather observant, if you'll pardon the high opinion of myself." Another dash of beer for her throat. Another scratch of fingers for Fox. He had no other customers at the moment, she didn't feel guilt. The hour grew later as they spoke. Evening was in full where it had previously only been descending.
"I used to," he confessed. "Sometimes I still do, though my desire to be so easily accessed when watching tends to vary. I'm not always interested in engaging so much as I am watching, as distasteful as that might sound."
"Believe it or not, I'm quite familiar with that feeling. I have my days where my observances are limited to just that." No judgment from Shae. "And I don't suppose creating art is a process that welcomes constant distraction." Here her eyes at last dropped to his sketchpad. "I make no claims to art, myself."
"You are walking art, Shae." It sounded like flattery and, to some small extent, it was. But it was no less true on a tongue that was rarely as silver as its owner would have liked it to be. Eli was the plain speech sort, if not sometimes a little cryptic, but the compliment/observation was delivered with a smile. "No be the muse to one or many, if even only for a short while, makes you just as much an artist as the one doing the rendering."
"I was referring to my poor skill at botanical sketches." Here she tapped the pocket of her jacket where that notebook rested. "But I appreciate the compliment and only take it as such because you seem to see something worth capturing." Nodding for his sketchbook and then, if Shae sees it, his camera. "You've given me your word that you'll be discreet with them, so very well."
"I don't intend to use them against you, if that's what you are wondering," Eli teased. "I'm full well aware of the uses for these, though it would seem that a great many in Rhy'din wouldn't. It's not a frequently used component in most arts passing through here." Tipping the bottle back, he finished the last of his beer. "And by doing this, I potentially ensure I get to capture you again in other mediums."
Her lips quirked, eyes studying the sketch in progress. The half hidden, smug lines smudged on Val's face. "What other mediums do you work in, aside from photos and hand drawings?" Her eyes lift then, as does the bottle for the last sip.
"Whatever catches my fancy." Eli used the edge of a bottle cap to knick his finger. Reaching out with the crimson that formed there, he touched the blood to the corner of his sketch. Val and Shae came alive on the page, the latter turning towards the perspective of the viewer to offer a wink. He smiled, watching for the reaction of the living version.
The bleeding caused Fox's nostrils to flare, as did the display that followed. Shae watched with sharp eyed interest, laughing softly as she observed herself winking from Eli's perspective. "Blood magic." False life from life. She might have guessed. She was rueful that she hadn't. Perhaps he put it in the inks.
"It's not so complicated or nefarious as that, Shae." The smile faded and Eli's nose wrinkled as though a distasteful accusation has been made. The sketch-Shae wrinkled her nose too and then shimmied her hips at the gawkers before the artist himself closed the sketchpad. "It's something like thaumaturgy, which is less blood magic and more about the use of sympathetic bonds to create and effect."
"Magic is only nefarious if the purposes are." A hint of steel sneaking into her spine, suppressed quickly. Humor returning. "Something like working miracles? Yes I suppose it is." The empty bottle is set down on the counter. She trades the container for her familiar, helping Fox settle himself up on her shoulders with faint wincing. "I'll be back, I think, to better explore your shop. But for the moment an obligation calls. It was good to see you, Eli."
"I enjoyed your company." The talk of the magic, or what passed for it, was allowed to drop only immediately and instead Eli was rising to his feet with the beginning of a farewell and in preparation for her departure. "We'll have to do it again, sometime."
"The city is smaller than it appears." Already she was turning, hands sliding into the pockets of that secondhand jacket. "I'm sure it won't be long. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next time." Smile sly. "I'll be in touch about the contract." Now her steps towards the door.
"You'll sit and let me draw you sometime." It was half a request and half a demand as the door opened and she stepped out.
"Maybe I'll be still long enough." Her voice filtered back through the closing door. Half promise, half apology.
"Not everything that can be done is extraordinary. Nor should it necessarily exist. So many possibilities and manifestations here. I find myself learning, with little matter whether the source is mundane or not." Her shrug is careful, deliberate as if the motion needed care. His laughter sparked something in her eyes. Her smile said amusement, but her eyes said she was ordering thoughts into new categories. "You'd classify nude portraits as a rarity here? I think I'd find that comforting. It strikes me as an expression of ego that is already intolerable where these...selfie things are concerned."
"We're in a land with shortage of promiscuous individuals, whores, and people with incredibly low inhibitions, Shae. The nudes are the rarity. What I do with the art is." His smile became wry. "But it isn't all just nudes and the suggestive."
"A shortage." She echoed with flat disbelief. "Have you been watching the same people that I have?" A hand waves to dismiss the matter, eager to refocus on the central discussion. "What else is it?"
"No shortage," he amended. "Apologies. I was distracted by your pretty eyes." Not smooth, our Eli. "Landscapes. Actions. Family portraits. I'm not terribly picky unless I am making art for myself." He shrugged.
There might have been an implied facepalm at that attempt at a recovery, but she let it be. "Have I earned the right to ask what art you make for yourself?"
"Things that strike a chord in my mind; things that tug at my soul. Sometimes. I'm a fallible creature, so sometimes a little hedonistic vice is just as appealing as something mentally or spiritually aesthetic. It's not so much about the specifics as what moves me in the moment." Another sip was taken from his beer. "A place, a gull drift on an air current, a woman. Any of these things."
"Do you not normally haunt the Inn in the search for your muse of the moment? I think the day we met was the first time I saw you there. And I'm rather observant, if you'll pardon the high opinion of myself." Another dash of beer for her throat. Another scratch of fingers for Fox. He had no other customers at the moment, she didn't feel guilt. The hour grew later as they spoke. Evening was in full where it had previously only been descending.
"I used to," he confessed. "Sometimes I still do, though my desire to be so easily accessed when watching tends to vary. I'm not always interested in engaging so much as I am watching, as distasteful as that might sound."
"Believe it or not, I'm quite familiar with that feeling. I have my days where my observances are limited to just that." No judgment from Shae. "And I don't suppose creating art is a process that welcomes constant distraction." Here her eyes at last dropped to his sketchpad. "I make no claims to art, myself."
"You are walking art, Shae." It sounded like flattery and, to some small extent, it was. But it was no less true on a tongue that was rarely as silver as its owner would have liked it to be. Eli was the plain speech sort, if not sometimes a little cryptic, but the compliment/observation was delivered with a smile. "No be the muse to one or many, if even only for a short while, makes you just as much an artist as the one doing the rendering."
"I was referring to my poor skill at botanical sketches." Here she tapped the pocket of her jacket where that notebook rested. "But I appreciate the compliment and only take it as such because you seem to see something worth capturing." Nodding for his sketchbook and then, if Shae sees it, his camera. "You've given me your word that you'll be discreet with them, so very well."
"I don't intend to use them against you, if that's what you are wondering," Eli teased. "I'm full well aware of the uses for these, though it would seem that a great many in Rhy'din wouldn't. It's not a frequently used component in most arts passing through here." Tipping the bottle back, he finished the last of his beer. "And by doing this, I potentially ensure I get to capture you again in other mediums."
Her lips quirked, eyes studying the sketch in progress. The half hidden, smug lines smudged on Val's face. "What other mediums do you work in, aside from photos and hand drawings?" Her eyes lift then, as does the bottle for the last sip.
"Whatever catches my fancy." Eli used the edge of a bottle cap to knick his finger. Reaching out with the crimson that formed there, he touched the blood to the corner of his sketch. Val and Shae came alive on the page, the latter turning towards the perspective of the viewer to offer a wink. He smiled, watching for the reaction of the living version.
The bleeding caused Fox's nostrils to flare, as did the display that followed. Shae watched with sharp eyed interest, laughing softly as she observed herself winking from Eli's perspective. "Blood magic." False life from life. She might have guessed. She was rueful that she hadn't. Perhaps he put it in the inks.
"It's not so complicated or nefarious as that, Shae." The smile faded and Eli's nose wrinkled as though a distasteful accusation has been made. The sketch-Shae wrinkled her nose too and then shimmied her hips at the gawkers before the artist himself closed the sketchpad. "It's something like thaumaturgy, which is less blood magic and more about the use of sympathetic bonds to create and effect."
"Magic is only nefarious if the purposes are." A hint of steel sneaking into her spine, suppressed quickly. Humor returning. "Something like working miracles? Yes I suppose it is." The empty bottle is set down on the counter. She trades the container for her familiar, helping Fox settle himself up on her shoulders with faint wincing. "I'll be back, I think, to better explore your shop. But for the moment an obligation calls. It was good to see you, Eli."
"I enjoyed your company." The talk of the magic, or what passed for it, was allowed to drop only immediately and instead Eli was rising to his feet with the beginning of a farewell and in preparation for her departure. "We'll have to do it again, sometime."
"The city is smaller than it appears." Already she was turning, hands sliding into the pockets of that secondhand jacket. "I'm sure it won't be long. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next time." Smile sly. "I'll be in touch about the contract." Now her steps towards the door.
"You'll sit and let me draw you sometime." It was half a request and half a demand as the door opened and she stepped out.
"Maybe I'll be still long enough." Her voice filtered back through the closing door. Half promise, half apology.
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