lempereur | IC CONTACT;

Same to you, Yusuke.

[ and there she is, admiring his outfit; she's been exposed to all types of people but it is refreshing to meet a teenage boy who cares about his style and is far more creative than she is. her smile is big as always, though this time it isn't for show because she has been looking forward to this outing. ]

I received an invitation to show here, but I – chickened out. I mean, I'm not ready yet. [ she pushes the door open first. ]

You have? [ Yusuke's eyes get wide for a moment, and then soften. He's only just got here, he hasn't had the time to build a body of work worth showing off, but to know that it's possible for them, people foreign to this world, is encouraging. Maybe it won't be all bad. ]

Why didn't you take it?

I'm –

[ ivy looks up at the ceiling, avoiding looking back at her new friend for a moment. she crosses her arms over her chest and laughs humorlessly. ] I'm not very good. Not talented enough to be on display or – yeah. I'm not there yet. I just got this offer when I was asking people to sit for me so I could practice portraits.

[ she's embarrassed, feeling stupid at her confession, that she turned down diana's offer, that she even dropped her portrait requests after a while. ]

If they asked you to show here, they must think you are good.

[ It's an opportunity Yusuke wouldn't pass up. Maybe here, he could even make a name for himself on his own terms, without the memory of Madarame lingering over him. He could be Yusuke Kitagawa, not Madarame's Tragic Student. ]

Do you do a lot of portraits?

Diana was just – being kind. I think.

[ for all that she postures herself as confident and carefree, ivy is suddenly uncomfortable at someone insisting that she's a creator, that she's good enough to display her work. her cheeks are suddenly flushed beneath the light dusting of blush and she turns away slightly to approach a large, pollock-esque painting on the wall. ]

I like faces and figures. I'm kinda traditional in that sense.

[ If this Diana was very good at her job, she wouldn't make the offer just to be kind, he thinks. However, Yusuke doesn't know her, and hasn't seen Ivy's work, so he makes no further comment. ]

It may be traditional, but for good reason. There is nothing more compelling than the human body. So many different kinds of beauty, that no one can ever see it all.

She hadn't seen my stuff then, [ ivy feels the need to say anyway. ] I–I told her I'd contact her once I'm ready.

[ but she leaves that at that, finding the discussion of the actual creation more comfortable than her previous circumstances along with the admission that she had fretted even a little over the offer. ] There are many beautiful faces here, too. I've drawn lots of people so far, from strangers who offered to sit for me to people I've been with. [ she smiles fondly, tucking some hair behind her ear. ] I like capturing those people when they're most comfortable and, like, really happy – sleeping or just laying around.

[ Yusuke stops, only half-listening now that he's found a painting that interests him. It's a messy kitchen, with piled up dishes and ingredients left all over the counter, but the couple on the canvas look happy together, despite it. Or because of it. It makes him smile. ]

In their natural state, you mean?

[ she follows him, standing a few steps behind his shoulder to look at the painting that has caught his attention, folding her hands behind her back. ]

Yes, their natural state. It's really nice. I sometimes think they're the prettiest or handsomest like that.

I used to prefer particular poses. An idealized form, if you will. But now...

[ He's found ways of being intimate with people that he'd never experienced before, seen parts of them they've never shown anyone else. He feels like his understanding may be changing. ]

I think I would be interested in exploring a more naturalistic approach.

Oh, I see. [ given what she does know about him, from their few exchanges, that makes a bit of sense. she can't imagine herself asking anyone to hold a pose, though; her own methods are fast and loose for the most part.

playfully she nudges his arm with her elbow before moving onto the next painting, offering over her shoulder, ] I'm happy to pose.

I will take you up on that. I think I will turn the spare bedroom into a studio, at least until I have a contract.

[ she spins around to eye him carefully. ] Can I sketch you too?

[ Yusuke nods, his smile comfortable and agreeable. ]

If you would like. It should be interesting for me to be on the other end of things.

Fantastic.

[ she is, admittedly, nervous to practice in front of another artist, especially after all that with the offered gallery placement and her own uncertainty over her own work. but! this is as good a place to start as any. and she can't say she minds him company at all.

without thinking, she steps in to loop her arm through his for closer camaraderie and steps in front of another piece – a sculpture with moving parts and flashing lights, meant to simulate veins in a body. ] What do you think?

[ The light physical affection seems to take him by surprise. Yusuke lets out a soft gasp when she starts leading him along, but his face softens into a smile at once. Only to harden again, as he considers the sculpture with a hand on his chin. ]

I find it...garish.

[ ivy chuckles lightly because, well. ]

I think it's fun! I mean, nothing I'd have on display in my house but installations can be cool. It's kind of busy here with the other paintings around though. Maybe if it was in a room by itself...

[ she tilts her haad to one side, watching as the light pulses sthrough the 'veins' of the body. ] Ah, the heartbeat, [ she murmurs, pointing to the stoplight in the 'chest' cavity of the box. ]

[ Yusuke is more of a traditionalist. He's still young and learning and branching out, finding new inspiration from this world and the people inside it...but it just looks like flashing lights. ]

What does it mean?

Maybe it doesn't mean anything deeper than this being how the artist visualizes our hearts and our veins. Like, being electric, powering the rest of the body.

[ ivy shrugs, never thinking too deeply about these things. ] Maybe it's okay to make art that looks beautiful.

[ yusuke, on the other hand, is always thinking too deeply about these things. ]

I remain unmoved.

You might be overthinking it.

[ she nudges him again. ] Maybe go back to that one later.

IC CONTACT;

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