Night 2: Painting a Brighter Future [Open]

[Indigo]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

With her feet off the ground and dangling she was left with a few options and only one would be typical Indigo. Her arms wrapped around Azraeth and gave him one of those hugs that left a cloud of honey curls in his face while she did. A subtle sound of air escaping her hissed through her lips as the much larger body inspired its fast release. She felt like her world was opening wider by the seconds that the contact lasted. This. This was what the whole night was about, the proof and the message.

Once she was on her feet she discovered that Az’s partner was joining in. A glowing grin thanks to the lighting revealed her approval. The energy couldn’t be contained. With the mention of the differences between the two pointed out by Flynn she couldn’t help but go with what felt right. Az was getting a minor challenge for closeness to the man as she made her move.What is the worst thing that could happen? A step forward and a stretch of her open arms found a placement around Flynn’s The colorful and marked warm body , prepared or not was gently drawn in with the squeeze she was known to give. She released him and hoped that it would not send the man running.

“I am so glad you two made it.” Her vibrant exotic blues danced slowly between both men and fed her continued smile. “I need to introduce you to Vita.”She glanced around for the woman who was going with the less the better option of attire. “Wilson too.” She mentioned Superman’s legal surname then looked for him only to find he vanished. Her smile faded some. He was not getting away that easy. A quick visual check on Adley found him tending to his recent discoveries and a fast shot of eyes landing on Enver confirmed he was getting into the flow that was progressively moving through the room with clothing being piled here and there. As for her having some pipes. She started off with her best on the spot sample of Bishop Bullwiinkle's ‘Hell Naw to the naw, naw, naw” with all the growl and soul licking power that would not be expected to come out of her just by simply asking. “I can give anything a try though. Karaoke? You guys got a contender!” She would own the moment in one way or another...or get Mr. Microphone taken from her hand like her drinks the night before. She gave a knowing look to Mr. Marshall himself.

[Jericho]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Feeling the tug at his belt, he kept close, as he was bidden. All around them, people were active, the little bits of conversations scattered about the room for the ear to hear, mingled together in one muddied grumble of sound, like the muttering of some great beast in its fitful sleep. He envied Lakenna her deafness in that moment, though the end result wasn’t so horrible as he would have made it sound. He just strongly preferred a smaller crowd, a much quieter sort of gathering than this. He was here with the people that had only a very short time ago become very important to him. They were swiftly becoming a large part of what he held dear, and were beginning to have an influence on him.

Before, he would have likely never shown his own face in any kind of art gallery or display of any sort. He did his best to disassociate himself with art in the public. He didn’t paint for fame or for glory, for money or for pride. He painted because he enjoyed it. He enjoyed what he did, and he was too painfully aware that that was something worth envying. His anonymity made him feel safe, behind the mask of a name that wasn’t real.

He let his eyes move from face to face as the attention of the room was drawn toward Indigo, and then again to Adley as they made their respective bits of speech for the gathering. Jericho intended to be a witness tonight, however. He was entirely too aware of the implications of placing himself as a model for artistry, should his charade someday fail, as they all did eventually, and he never wished to have his face associated with the stroke of a brush, if he could help it. Instead, he simply stepped closer to Lakenna, one arm going around either her and her sister as he kept his silent watch over the little group.

At another tug of his belt, he offered the deaf girl a squeeze of her shoulders, to let her know that he intended to stay right where he was at, even as their sire moved away and began to relieve himself of his clothing, among a few others.

[Lydia]

[for_peace][/for_peace]


A smile brightened up the woman’s features as Enver approached. A familiar face was helpful in uncertain situations, but then there was the inexplicable sense of well-being she always felt in his presence – at least, in the last couple months since he’d turned her. It was weird… she’d been an independent creature all her life – a definite result of being one of seven kids - but though she was unwilling to call it a need, exactly, she couldn’t deny that even a quick stop in to say hello restored a great deal of confidence and lessened her newfound social anxiety. Perhaps it was simply a side effect of having her life saved, but she was almost compelled to be in the man’s presence. It was puzzling, but then, she supposed, lots of things changed when one faced certain death.

“Hey,” she replied before her smile faltered just a bit. Excitement? What could be all that exciting, especially in the way the word sounded when he said it, about a painting night? She swallowed slightly as he continued to point out people she didn’t know, people who were rapidly shedding clothing. She had just wrapped her head around the ‘lose the sweater’ bit, glancing down to take a look at what she was wearing. The cardigan covered a thin sleeveless shirt that she definitely didn’t want to get dirty, but before she could so much as offer a reply, Enver was dropping clothing left and right. “Wh… um. Aren’t there aprons? Um. Oh…okay,” she stammered out as she slid out of the army green jacket she’d tossed over the outfit and laid it over a bare arm, doing her best not to stare too long at his skin just inches from her own. Well ****.

[Lakenna (DELETED 9850)]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

When his arm went around her, she allowed herself to melt into his chest, her head finding the crook of his shoulder. All around her, people were moving, their fingers peeling off layer after layer of clothing. She could see lips moving, heads tossed back in laughter, but she heard nothing. There was no alarm in her mind, no whispered warning before the crowd started to strip, and she was utterly lost. Running her tongue along a plump lower lip, she slid a hand across Jericho’s chest to reach for her sister, fingers tugging at her shirt as she motioned a hand towards the crowd – and then to herself.

‘Well, this is an interesting party. Should I strip?’ Her tone was light as she laughed, the sound a whisper of a breath before she started to teasingly tug at the hem of her shirt. It didn’t make it far before her hand dropped; thumb hooking into the loop of her shorts. There were too many uncertainties in a deaf woman stripping her clothing. The fabric – though there was little of it – gave her a sense of comfort as it wrapped around her skin, shielding her from prying eyes. She thought to envy her sire – who now held her attention – for his free spirit, but she couldn’t. He was who he was – and she was still learning, still adjusting. It would take time, wouldn’t it?

Turning her head, she pressed her lips to Jericho’s jaw, the close proximity helping her to relax. He wasn’t anything to her. She hadn’t known him long – hell, she barely knew him at all. He was reserved, quiet, secretive, and she wanted to pry apart those secrets. Craven stopped her. Let him be, she’d huff, and even know, she could practically feel her sister’s amused glare. ‘Who are you going to paint, Crave? Sugar Daddy is looking hellafine..’ Inching her hand up Jericho’s shirt, she gave the fabric a tug, eyes alight with daring amusement as she spoke to him, next. ‘It should be illegal for you to keep those muscles hidden.’

[Flynn]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

With Az pressed against one side, and providing more than enough distraction as he pulled his t-shirt off, Flynn missed Indigo moving in before it was too late. Her arms looped around him, tugging him in close and his eyes widened in surprise. A certain level of rigidity took over his entire body, that familiar sensation of being too close becoming paramount over everything else. A series of alarm bells sounded in his head, as if there was some imminent threat that he needed to be prepared and ready for, even when he knew full well that there wasn't one. His eyes fell closed for an instant as he took in a deep breath, rolling his head from side to side in an attempt to ease away the initial reaction. While it was relatively forced, and far too controlled to be taken as entirely genuine (though it was), he did return the gesture for just a moment before she was stepping back.

And then she was naming a duo that Flynn had obviously never heard of, but meant meeting more people...likely vampires, from the ratio he had determined. He hadn't missed the way her smile seemed to fall as she scanned the room, but she bounced back so quickly that the human chose to keep his thoughts to himself, rather than inquiry. "I'm sure we'd be...happy to meet them." Smooth as ever. Like butter. And it wasn't even a lie, because he had a promise playing out in his head, so long as he was social. So, social he would be.

Plus, she was then talking about karaoke, which was entirely Az's doing, and that was just another thing about tonight that he would want no part in. "While I can see you being able to pull it off, Miss Knight...I'm not sure you should entrust a microphone to Az. You may not get it back. I swear he enjoys the attention..." Not that he thought the man had an ego or anything...

Blinking as a thought struck him, he looked to the vampire pressed to his side with a questioning look. "Can you even sing, Mr. Let's-Do-Karaoke?" There was a question that had never come up before. While Flynn liked the sound of his partner's voice more than enough, that didn't necessarily mean the guy could keep a tune.

[Azraeth]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Tagged: Flynn + Indigo. (Also going to meet Vita and Wilson soon!) Sorry for the length. This is what happens when you invite Az to a love fest.

Okay so Indigo was basically exactly Azraeth’s type of person. She was warm, and inviting. He got the vibe off of her that she was kind, and the way she moved in for a hug for Flynn told the vampire that she was also giving and physically comfortable with herself. Of course, the Paladin had a little bit of a momentary difficulty. Most people wouldn’t have been able to pick up on it, because Flynn was, in most instances, the type of person who kept his reactions under lock and key. He could be difficult to read. Especially when he returned the hug the way he did, but Az knew, and he secretly added that to the ‘be sociable’ tally on the score sheet he had suddenly invented. In his head. Of course, that meant he was going to have to make good on his promise, didn’t it? Not that he was going to have any trouble with that. It just meant he was going to have to be creative in his he rewarded his human companion. And so he watched as Indigo pulled back, and began to mention names he’d never heard before. “What he said.” He decided.

And then he got a sampling of Indigo’s vocals, in the best way possible. His lips popped open and his eyes widened just a little. And then the sound of his laughter bubbled out like the fresh blossoms of spring, full of color and life. “Oh my gosh, you are amazing!” He said. That was exactly the correct response, soulful and not at all serious at the same time. “But we can do Karaoke later…” He eyed Flynn, who was calling into question his singing ability. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no. He grinned as he flung his arms around his boyfriend’s neck so he could get close enough to enunciate a few lines of Mi’ma’amakim, the Hebrew sliding off of his tongue weightlessly, and yet warm. Really little more than a whisper that could be heard by Flynn and perhaps Indigo. It was barely more spoken than sung, which did very little to indicate his skill level. Even if he had broken into a proper song, chances were he wasn’t going to win any awards. But it wasn’t about that. Music was a form of art, and art was all about expressing the things a person felt and sharing them like a gift. That was why art itself had so much power to unite people. Maybe there were two people from totally different walks of life, from different parts of the world, but if each of them felt love and knew what it was, then each of them could feel and experience the power of a love song. The deep and emotional weight of it.

Art was the great unifier. That thing which transcended time and space, and which let inherently ephemeral things last for centuries. One could look at a painting and learn about another person’s perspective or their history, learn about the thoughts racing through their mind and the feelings pouring out of them. A man could, looking at a sculpture, relive an experience shared a million times over by men and women who stood exactly where he had, seeing the same things he saw.

Art was a reminder that essentially everyone was connected by the invisible threads of soulful exploration.

He brought the fragment of a song to a close by kissing over his boyfriend’s jaw and then pulling away. “Right. So we should totally meet your friends, Miss Knight. Then I have a date with this wonderful canvas here...we can save that karaoke for a little later...once I’ve fixed Flynn’s elbow.” He held up a hand against the side of his mouth so that Flynn couldn’t read his lips, and then gave an exaggerated stage aside to Indigo. “I’m going to sharpie a dick there.” It was a bit loud to be a whisper. “But enough with my plans, show me to this Vita and this Wilson. If they’re friends of yours, they must be wonderful.”

[Indigo]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Indigo still wore her grin. A few minor walls were coming down and that was proof that this whole chew each other apart based on some silly notion that the living and the not quite dead could not get along was finally being put to rest. If one were to ask her it was long overdue and the proof was in the towering duo she had the honor of holding present company with.

The connection between the two in front of her contradicted any claims the two sides could not trust the other or get along. There was love in the air and Indigo was the sort to be a full, loyal supporter of the sources. Nothing should ever stand in the way of what made the world go around...and it did. Love. It was a curious, precious find and it was to be celebrated, shared and cherished all at the same time. Not isolated, closed off or suffocated. But that was Indigo. It wasn’t something until you gave it away. She believed it was only then that you ended up having more. Her eyes drifted to Adley, Vita and Craven and his growing line. She felt that wonderful warm sensation that filled her head to toe. It continued to grow, evolve and broaden. It inspired the widening smile to her lips and and added extra sparkle in her eyes.

“Allow me to lead the way, gentlemen.”

Wilson appeared to be M.I.A for the moment so that left seeking out the large but familiar group in the distance. Vita was where her attention was focused since the introduction was offered. So that was a perfect place to start. Adley had some people to meet as well as the rest of the family. Azraeth and Flynn were in for a treat.The distance was covered in a casual stroll that allowed Indigo to nod and pass out a few random hugs where they were needed in brief greetings to new arrivals.

"I am about to introduce you to some of the fresh talent rising in our art community." Her eyes glanced back to both men and added to her expression. 'First thing I like to ask is, 'Are you trying to say something?' Then it is art. We have everything from painters, musicians, writers, actors, even community volunteers, like me, who cannot color in the lines or carry a tune who help out and rejuvenate inner city landscapes. If your heart and hands are in it we want to be a part of it and help provide the resources so you can do it on a larger scale. Growth is always a goal and awareness. When that happens we all benefit and the world in general becomes a far more cohesive place to be. It is the legacy of my uncle that inspired and established the Apiary."

[Meara]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

WEARING

Meara was running late.

She had set several alarms, only to have her phone not go off. Her Corgi, Willow, had run around the apartment chasing her shadows and unplugged the power strip next to her nightstand. Therefore her phone died during the day, and thus she was now left scrambling to get ready as she flew around the apartment throwing an outfit together and finding her wallet and keys. It was an art night, so Meara had grabbed her violin case, just in case, as she ran out the apartment door. As she hurried over to take the train out to Chalktown, she pulled the black bag up onto her shoulders a strap at a time.

Fifteen minutes later she rolled into the casino and walked up towards where the sip and paint seemed to be set up. She glanced around at the people seeming to disrobe to avoid paint, unsure why they wore such nice attire to such an event. "Evening....what are we painting tonight?" Green eyes looked over all the tools out on display, and decided she was gonna try to paint a field or something.. She gave Azareth a deliberate elbow as she sort of maneuvered her way into the small gaggle of unfamiliar faces.

[Enver Marshall II]

Tag: Lydia and Wilson

[for_peace][/for_peace]
Enver didn't notice Lydia looking at him, his eyes trying to remain between her, Wilson and Indigo as he was trying to sort out if he was going to be painting, or would need to find someone to paint on him. Either was fine with him, but Enver just needed a sense of direction. When he looked back towards Wilson's direction, all Enver saw was the man's back disappearing.

Enver's lips parted as he ran a quick hand through his hair. Where the hell was he going?! Enver had just set him up for the home run of all home runs and he was copping out? Enver just groaned and shut his mouth and shook his head. "Sorry." He turned his attention back to Lydia, and that was when he noticed that she was looking at him. Or looking at his skin. "Oh. Right." Enver said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was a different man a few years ago. Needless to say, those choices left me with a few reminders." Enver chuckled, his eyes glancing down at the scars of bullets or sword injuries from run in with Tytonidae one too many times for his liking. "Anyways. Want to find someone to paint together, or?" He left the suggestion there for Lydia. She might not want to paint on a stranger, so he was fine with her drawing, or painting, whatever she wanted on him, wherever.

[Flynn]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Firstly, Flynn had absolutely no idea what anything that came out of Azraeth's mouth meant. Like, not even the slightest idea as to what those words translated to. There was the general impression of a song from the flow of them, just toeing of the line of singing and speaking. Granted, the literal meaning didn't so much matter, because he the shift in the vampire's attention and tone, like sharing a secret that only he was meant to know, really told him enough to make an educated guess. And Az wasn't exactly one for subtly. With a mental note to ask what he had actually said once they got into the actual painting, he only offered a grin and a simple shrug of his shoulder. "That didn't answer my question, not really." His eyebrows went up at that, since he intended to actually get an answer sooner rather than later. Maybe in exchange for a preview of his partner's musical talent (or lack thereof, should that be the case), he might even showcase a little bit of his. Assuming he found the necessary means of doing so.

With Indigo leading them off toward her intended introductions, the paladin tugged at the vampire, forcing him closer for the briefest moment. Voice dropping low, and lips pressed against the other man's ear so that only he would hear it, he practically sighed, "I find a dick on my elbow, and you better enjoy it. Because, you may not see another one for a week." Maybe it was an empty threat, or maybe it wasn't. If Az wanted to test that theory and find out, that was totally on him. Flynn took a few steps back from his partner and shot him a wink, his voice rising to its normal volume once more. "Coming?" Without waiting for a reply, he took the man's hand and pulled him along after Indigo, who was demonstrating just how passionate she was for the arts and building a better, stronger community in the process. It was so idealistic, and optimistic. "That is a refreshing shift in thinking. And I find it hard to believe that you are merely a community volunteer to such a cause. You seem the type to take the lead on such a task..." he commented of the woman, the conclusion coming in part due to way she carried herself the last two nights. She didn't seem the 'follower' type.

Before they came upon the group, the human moved as if to lean against Az, only to catch sight of the slight woman coming up to his side with an elbow, clearly intending to get his attention. His head tipped, looking passed his partner at the newest arrival. She looked familiar, and he was fairly certain she was a Dragon. In fact, hadn't she just been one of those at the last territory battle? Mia? No... Meara? Was it Meara? Flynn's nose wrinkled, because he honestly wasn't about to greet her when he wasn't even sure he knew her name, correctly. How awkward would that be?