Setting Up Shop | Mac

[Austin Jennings]

Austin didn't make it into the forum often. He was a guy with pretty simplistic tastes and he didn't get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life in New Rome that often. In fact most days he would have rather been anywhere than the huge open air marketplace. Crowds typically made him totally anxious but today was going to be a little different. Well, not really different per se, looking around he still felt pretty out of place but he was going to try something new today and that was something.

He wasn't sure how this would go and this certainly wasn't New York but he had decided to come out and try to make a few extra coins as a street artist. This was not an easy choice by any stretch of the imagination and even now as he was looking around at the crowded market place busy with people of all ages buying and selling and making deals he was beginning to have second thoughts but after a lot of psyching himself up he had come to the conclusion that he wanted to do this. Now he was here, his at supplies were tucked under his arms and he had just bought a latte to enjoy if things got slow. Now he just needed to see if he really could do this.

So Austin picked out a spot on the street, it wasn't anywhere that was so in the way as to impeded the flow of foot traffic but it was visible enough for people to see him if they wanted. Here he popped out the little stool that he had brought with him for the occasion and set down with his drink and his sketch book in hand. He didn't really know how to advertise himself as a street artist but figured he wouldn't worry about it. Instead he just set his latte to the side for a moment, took out a charcoal pencil and began to draw. That had always been what he'd done best anyways.

McKenzie Carter

[McKenzie Carter]

Mac loved being out in the open air with the crowds and the sounds and scents that filled the air. She often found herself in New Rome, wondering through the forum, looking for something new to do and someone new to meet. She had only been back from her mission for about a month and she really needed to get involved with everything going on again. It hadn't taken long for her to become known again as the reckless party animal she was, but she needed more than that. She needed someone different, something that reminded her of how she used to be.

Something colorful.

She was doing such wandering when she caught sight of the boy with the stool and sketch pad. She tilted her head to the side. She had never seen him before, and she had been here a lot. She slowly crossed over to him, smiling as she stopped in front of him. "What are you drawing?" she asked.

Austin Jennings

[Austin Jennings]

You might think that a simple act such as sketching wouldn't provide a very good escape for a guy who was normally as anxious in large crowds as Austin was but you would be wrong. Any act of creation, however simple, was a pretty big distraction for the artist. He dove into his work and began sketching out a picture of the Roman Forum with all its vendors and people and as he did so the crowd seemed to melt away until it was just him and his work. It was a pretty life like picture too. He hadn't added any color to it yet but leave it to a son of Arcus to go all out even on a simple charcoal sketch.

He was just finishing up his sketch when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a girl's voice. A moment or two earlier and he might have ignored it to continue on with his work but he was at a good stopping point now and he was supposed to be selling stuff so he decided to look up and greet his first customer. Putting on his best "How can I help you smile" he glanced up into the eyes of a pretty blonde girl. "Oh hey. Sorry I uh get a little distracted by work sometimes."

Austin gave her a curious look before realizing that he had been ignoring her question all together. He flushed red slightly and knew that he probably looked like a total doofus so he quickly spun the sketchbook around so the girl could take a look if she wanted and hopefully not see how awkward he was. "It's nothing special. Just a picture of the forum. Something to pass the time you know? I thought I would try to sell some of my artwork since you know that's what people do in the forum. Selling stuff I mean. I can make a lot better if you’re interested.” He was rambling now and when this thought occurred to him he decided to reach for his latte and take a sip. Much better to burn his tongue on hot coffee than use it to embarrass himself further.

[McKenzie Carter]

He looked up and she kept her dazzling smile on her face, pleased that he was willing to talk with her. His smile was professional but inviting, something that was a relief to see right now. She shrugged as he said that he got a little distracted, but didn't respond right away. Soon enough his face flushed and he turned the sketchbook around to reveal the picture. She leaned forward, tucking a locke of hair behind her ear as she did so. "I think it's pretty nice," she said, shifting her gaze from the page up to his eyes and then back to the page again. Then she stood up straight, nodding. "Selling stuff? Well, that's a noble endeavor," she cocked her head tot he side in thought for a moment as he took a sip of his drink.

"Maybe I'll think of something specific. Could you do that? Special requests?" she asked, her head cocking to one side yet again, her blue eyes wide with the question. She liked art, really, but she didn't have much of it in her barracks with her roommates and all that. Might be nice to have something to brighten the place up.

[Austin Jennings]

Petty nice? Yeah he thought he could live with that compliment especially since it was coming from a cute girl. "I don't know about how noble it is but most people seem to like my art, especially my paintings." He said after he took a sip and set the latte to the side again. He gave her a bit of a nervous smile before continuing. "At least that's what they tell me. Most of the time I'm just happy when people take a look like you just did. It's kind of hard to judge how good it is myself you know?"

When she asked if he could do a special request he caught her big blue eyes and got stuck there for a minute. Those eyes were dangerous he thought but it was already too late. "Y...yeah a special request. Commission uh yeah I could do that. No problem." He stammered as he took the sketchbook back and turned his attention to it instead of the girl. "W...what did you have in mind? I can do pretty much anything even if it's more complicated than a simple sketch." He looked up at her with a goofy grin wondering what she might have planned for him. "You look like someone who likes a little more color. Uh if I can say so that is."

[McKenzie Carter]

Mac raised an eyebrow. "Anything to do with art is noble, in my opinion," she said with a shrug. She really believed that, too. She had seen too much darkness in the world to not appreciate the small beauties in it. He smiled nervously then, going on about how people have told him they liked his art and that he was just happy when they took a look. As she did. She smiled brightly at that, then nodded, "people are always harsher on themselves. Always good to get another opinion," she said.

She felt a little bad that he started to stutter as he caught her eyes. But, she didn't feel that bad, because she was used to people stuttering after she got that close to them. She couldn't help but smile at it as he went on stammering. Her smile fell just slightly as he turned the sketchbook around and shifted his gaze to it. "Hmmm," she said as he asked what she had in mind, shrugging her shoulders, but not standing up straight just yet. He looked back up at her with a grin and she returned it with her own toothy smile. "You guessed right," she mused, "I do like color. Maybe... the beach?" she suggested, though her heart was really set on something else...

Austin Jennings

[Austin Jennings]

“Really? That's a really cool way to put it." Austin said liking her idea that art was noble. He had never used that word but art was something that was vitally important to him. While others laughed or didn’t understand Austin thought that art was the only concrete thing he could depend on sometimes. This girl probably still didn’t think about art like he did but noble was a good way to describe and it was nice that she seemed to notice that. “Yeah I guess you’re right. It’s just good to meet someone who can appreciate it like I can sometimes you know?”

He smiled a little easier now. Once she had given him something work related to think about it helped him to stop thinking about how much of a dork he was being and more about her request. "Beach, alright, got it." He said as he reached down to search through his at supplies. "Anything else you want? I mean beaches are really nice but..." He looked up at her again obviously still not out of the awkward stage yet. "...uh I can do a little more than that for you." He thought about it for a moment trying to decide what might fit her but then a tiny bit of inspiration hit. "You said you wanted something colorful right? There's not many things I know that are as colorful as a sunset on the beach."

[McKenzie Carter]

She gave a modest shrug as he said that her thoughts on art being noble was a cool way to put it. She nodded as he said it was always good to meet someone who can appreciate it like he could. "Oh, I know. It's a shame more people don't," she started, "art is something that saves us from the darkness..." she shook her head, as if to wipe away what she had said. She replaced her soft smile, the one she always went back to.

He took in the beach idea, at first, and she watched as he reached through his supplies. Then he went on to ask if there was anything else she wanted and her smile dropped, her eyes slightly widened. Then he went on to say that there were not many things as colorful as a sunset on the beach.

She had to make a decision then. Tell this boy something that she didn't usually share with anyone or let him continue with the beach idea, furthering her rep as a bleach blonde party girl and nothing more. That's what she had created for herself, and she liked it. However, there was more than that.

She made the choice. "Trees," she said quickly. "You ever been to Washington state?"

[Austin Jennings]

Once the idea had occurred to him it seemed like a good one. The girl seemed to have a warm, friendly personality and what was more perfect for that than a sunset on the beach? His mind was just beginning to open up to the possibilities but then, before he could really run with the idea, the girl shot it down before it could get anywhere. Austin stopped. He had been reaching for a colored pencil, burnt sienna, one of his favorite colors and the perfect base for a sunset, but her words came suddenly enough that they made him hesitate. This girl had something on her mind and it wasn't the beach.

"No..." he said hesitantly wondering where the girl was going with this. "I've never been to Washington even since I made my way here. I’m from out east." He watched the girl curiously for a moment. Her requests weren't really matching up but there had to be a reason she suddenly changed her mind. "A forest scene in Washington State. That's what you want me to draw?" He didn't have any personal experience to speak of but that didn't necessarily mean anything he was more concerned with why the girl had changed her mind. "I can still do that if you want. You uh…you wouldn’t have to pay me if I screwed it up or anything. It sounds like you’re thinking of something pretty specific though. Do you have some pictures or maybe you can just describe what you want for me?”

[McKenzie Carter]

Macs eyes caught sight of the movement of his hand but she didn't turn toward it. He hesitated in answered her, saying he'd never been to Washington and her eyes fell, but her lips stayed smiling. Then he asked if that's what she wanted him to draw, a forest seen from Washington State, and she chewed her lip for a moment, not answering yet. He went on saying he could do that and how she wouldn't have to pay him if he screwed it up, asking for a picture or description. "I could... describe it," she said, her voice quiet for a moment before she cleared her throat and straightened up. "What's a girl got to do to get a seat around here?" she said with a grin, crossing behind him to borrow a chair nearby. She brought it beside him and sat down. "And don't worry, I'll love it no matter what it looks like," she encouraged, leaning toward him again, eyes glancing at his colored pencils for a moment before shifting her gaze back to him. "Well, see it's more than one shade of green. It's all of them. The trees are tall, taller than some of the buildings here even," she started, eyes shifting to the blank page in front of him...

[Austin Jennings]

The request wasn't in itself that odd but the way in which the girl switched scenes on him was a little strange. Maybe there was something specific on her mind but Austin resolved himself not to think about it for the moment as the girl seemed to be willing to describe what she wanted to him. It would take a little imagination but what kind of artist was he supposed to be if he didn't have a little vision. That said he still wasn't completely sure about the girl's assessment that she would like it no matter what. To that he added. "I'll let you wait till the end to see what you think."

He would have been gentlemanly and offered her his spot but as it turned out he didn't have to. Instead she was soon leaning in closer to him with those dazzling eyes making him a little nervous again. Fortunately for both of them it didn't take her long to start describing the scene she was thinking of. That was good because it gave Austin something he was much more familiar with to focus on. "Green! Right, now let's see..." He muttered to himself and began digging around in his supplies for the colors that would produce the desired effect. He thought he understood what the girl wanted. The shades of green would be easy enough and he could almost see the tall trees she was describing. Still, he wouldn't know until he got started so once he had a nice selection of colors to choose from that's exactly what he did. He stopped worrying about whether she was going to like it or not and just let his talented hands take over. "Give me more details as I go. I'll be listening."

[McKenzie Carter]

She watched him as he started looking through his supplies for the right colors. For never having been there, she agreed with most of the choices that he grabbed. She leaned back with a nod as he said to give him more details as he went, taking her eyes off the canvas. She didn't want him to feel like she was creeping over his shoulder. "The trunks are barely visible due to all the smaller trees gathered around them. Mostly it just looks like dark brown shadows seeping out between the greens... the larger trees are more like pine trees, dark green on the bottom and growing lighter the closer they get to the sun. The smaller trees can vary, so really anything works. Even bushes gathered around the bottom works... I don't know how you are with lighting but," she smiled, deciding to close her eyes to better describe the picture, "that's where the different colors come in. The light shines right through the trees from the sun, anywhere you want, and it changes things. Makes them lighter, more yellow, sometimes pink depending on the time of day... early morning it is almost a lavender haze," she chuckled, opening her eyes again. "Early morning are the best time, I think. That's when the world is the most beautiful."

Austin Jennings

[Austin Jennings]

Austin began work by sketching out the forest scene as the girl described it. Trees of all sizes began to take shape on his page from the tall ones that stretched high above into the forest canopy to the smaller ones and bushes that seemed to surround and form a shield around those that were likely centuries old or perhaps even older forgotten by time as they grew strong and imposing without the presence of mortals to interfere in their growth. Perhaps some of those trees had been growing since the time of the ancient Romans because surely their size and strength would have made the old emperors proud. A world of trees that had only been seen or touched by the precious few who had sought it out and it was this world that Austin began to develop on the page of his sketchbook.

As he worked Austin lost track of much of the world around him. The girl was there of course, she was his lifeline to this particular source of artistic vision that he had tapped into but much of the rest of his surroundings faded away as he concentrated on the Washington forest scene. As was the case with many of his best works the young artist lost himself in his work to where he was moving more by instinct than by conscious thought. He had learned long ago that to reach that sweet spot, that artistic connection, you had to let go and let your hands take you where they wanted and that’s precisely what he did now.

As the world began to take shape Austin turned his attention to the colors and that was where the magic truly began to happen. As a child of Arcus Austin had always had a good sense for colors but at times like this when his artistic cylinders were going full blast he could really do something special. Starting with his greens he developed a background for shades ranging from the deepest juniper and pine to more of a chartreuse where the sunlight was shining through. Dimly he was aware of the girl telling him that the best times were in the morning and yeah he could see that, an early morning in Washington with the fog rolling in through the trees which were not merely green from their foliage but were more covered in green from the moss that covered their surface to the underbrush that sprouted up from the ground. A living, breathing green world and this is what sprang from Austin’s pencils as he worked.

Eventually he did begin to come back to himself as the act of creation became more of an act of completion. There were more colors to bring out of course from browns to grays but as he worked on the finer details he could at least tell that he had certainly come a long way from the blank sheet of paper he had begun with. Glancing over at the girl he noticed that she was kind of in a world of her own as well. That was good but Austin decided he might try and bring her out of it just to get her opinion. “W…what do think?” He stammered still a little unsure of what the girl’s opinion would be. “I umm…I think I’ve got the gist of it. I hope so at least.”

[McKenzie Carter]

Mac stayed silent and watched as he started to created the picture, her eyes wide on the canvas she felt bad that she was watching over his shoulder and eventually tore her eyes away, looking out at the people on the street instead. She pictured the trees, though, the light coming through them, the way they smelled... she felt her eyes start to slightly mist over and then, almost as a piercing sound into her thoughts, he spoke.

She turned toward him, making eye contact with him before looking down at the canvas. Her breath caught and she lightly bit her lip. "That... looks really good," she nodded, smiled, and looked back over at him. "You're quite talented. What's your name?"

[Austin Jennings]

He glanced up at her and locked eyes with her again and he almost forgot what he was doing. ’I’ve got to stop doing that.’ He thought and he quickly glanced back at his work as she spoke. He grabbed a few more colors from his supplies and resumed adding in some texture to the trees to finish them up but he did give an embarrassed smile at her praise. He was glad she liked it and even more glad that he had succeeded in capturing what she was looking for even though he hadn’t ever seen the place she was describing. Mostly though it was just nice to do what he loved and be recognized for it.

“I’m uh…I'm glad you like it.” He said still smiling a little as he worked. He was really only putting the finishing touches on the drawing now but it served as a good distraction for the moment and he was content to finish things up while they talked. “I’m Austin. I guess we could have traded names already but…well I kind of got distracted.” Truth be told if she hadn’t come up to him he probably never would have talked to this one. Austin wasn’t so good at the conversation thing especially when the person he was conversing with could look at him like that. Still, there were some perks to being an artist. “What’s yours? I mean you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but I do kind of need it to put it on the back of the picture.”