<@Grysar> [Early November, 2003. Katie stands by a piece of her art at a mid-term exhibition in her school's student union. Fellow student Arai Naoki stands next to her. There was a bit of a crowd at the start, but its starting to thin and some of the artists are talking amongst themselves. Arai shares a class with Katie but they haven't really spoken much before.] <@Grysar> [So, what's Katie's piece. We can say, autumnal theme was encouraged.] <@Grysar> (Well assigned really, its class. That said if you have something else in mind we'll change the theme) <@Grysar> (it's a class rather) 01 (Autumn makes sense! I'm trying to think. ^^ While posting my resume.) <@Grysar> * Naoki has a piece of a tree on a city street with various pieces of packaging and wrappers painted as leaves, colorful and vibrant on the tree and as wrinkled litter on the ground below. There's blurred images of passerby, taking little note of the tree. She's got great brushwork. <@Grysar> [Specifically this is November 3rd, Culture day!] 06* Katie 's piece depicts the park near Sakuragaoka school grounds, from a bird's eye view in one of the trees. The leaves are varied: some vibrant reds, golds and oranges; others a dried-brown and falling. There are people below - teenagers and adults - depicted sharply despite displayed as smaller than they should be if the painting were reality. Other than that, proportions and blending are all well done. She used soft pastels. 06* Katie has, as is standard for her in art class, been fairly quiet over the course of the showing. She's smiled when complimented and responded when she had to, but she hasn't engaged in any heavy conversation the entire time. <@Grysar> * Naoki has been a bit more brusque, acknowledging compliments and less laudatory observations with an equal tone. She only really got engaged when hearing non-boiler plates comments. She gives Katie a curt nod and looks over her work, now that there's a moment. <@Grysar> * Naoki seems to have an initial thought but closes her mouth before saying anything. After appraising a bit longer she comments, "They seem so small, neat trick." 06* Katie looks at Naoki, and she seems to actually be doing so for the first time. "Thanks," she says, after a pause. "I like yours. Did you use paints a lot before our class?" <@Grysar> * Naoki nods. "They love taking us into the mountains back home to work on traditional brushwork. The subject matter represents a bit of a stretch though. It's technically proficient at least I suppose." 01 It really is. I'm not half that good. We'll see if it keeps me ahead of the wacom tablet. But the key thing for you is that you nailed the perspective. That's vital to the emotion of your piece, if I don't miss my guess. 06* Katie blinks, then looks back at her piece. Her eyes soften a little. "Yeah..." She pauses, then says, "I was worried that some people would think it's a mistake, instead of deliberate. I had to work extra hard on keeping the rest of it even." 06* Naoki reaches a hand out not coming close to touching the piece, but judging a few lines. "No, no risk of that. Well, among an audience worth reaching." She shakes her head. "What did they do to you? To make this worth the effort." (And similiar, its not a zone of truth and can have a few exchanges there, so if you do want to preface anything * Katie lies "Blah blah blah" that works too) 01 (Right. :)) 01 'They'? 06* Naoki sweeps her hand over the crowd below. "The ones you observe from an intentional distance. A bit late for coyness now don't you think? The poseurs and tourists have left." This isn't actually entirely true, there's someone looking at Naoki's picture, quietly commenting to himself as he identifies each brand depicted, trying to work it out as if it were a puzzle. She'd spoken to him 06* Naoki when he stopped by earlier, but had quickly blown him off. 06* Katie frowns slightly. She says, clipped: "I climbed a lot of trees after I moved to Tokyo." 01 Teenagers can be assholes. It was easier than dealing with them. I've worked my way through the viewing deck. It's not the same as the mountains, but the distance is nice. ::she looks back to her own piece:: But my alienation feels comparatively pedestrian. ::She glares over at the guy:: I dumped a trash bin and then arranged it aesthetically on my dorm floor, its not a damn rebus, buzz off. ::She looks back to Katie, sizing her up:: Which is lucky for me, but that's not going to get me in the galleries. 06* Katie watches Naoki snap at viewer, and she lightly says once the man leaves, "You're not going to get in a gallery *that* way." 06* Naoki giggles slightly before putting a hand to her mouth. "Depends on the gallery. And I don't think mister trawls the freshmen art students for those susceptible for flattering sophmoric analysis is going to get me anywhere I want to go. The scouts have already left. You got the close look from the wrong one, sorry to say." She points to one corner with a fantastical landscape, "Counterfeits Ghibli cells in his spare time" and she points in a different direction, "Somehow manages to put actual positive feeling about humanity while avoiding kitsch have won the most attention this round. But well fought, nonetheless." (put->portray) 06* Katie shrugs with a grin, more genuine than her smiles before. "That's fine," she says, and she really doesn't sound broken up about it. "I'm not even sure this is what I want to do, professionally. It's just what I do." 06* Naoki lets out a breath and continues in a disgruntled tone. "Really? Please tell me you aren't doing the free commissions. Some of us are hoping looking to make a living here and you're too good to just give it away." 06* Katie laughs. "Not unless they're my friends, and I keep the count pretty small. I think you're safe." 06* Naoki relaxes at the first clause and grins. "Yeah, I bet you do keep that count low. Well, pleasure to make your acquiescence. Although given that the adults in that picture are scaled down just like the asshole teenagers, I'll understand if the feeling isn't mutual." She looks ready to bow and then reconsiders, offering a hand to shake. "Arai Naoki. I'm sure I've heard your name in class, but I'm afraid I've forgotten." 06* Katie smiles back at Naoki, and she shakes her hand and bows over it. Guess she's learned *something*. "Andrews, Katie. And it's fine. I like not being memorable, usually." 06* Naoki returns the bow and keeps her grin. "Good, because I do intend to be the one that makes my name here. But then, I came to Tokyo hoping to find worthy competition to force me to up my game. You're a good start." 06* Katie raises an eyebrow. "Friendly rivals?" 01 Are we in an anime now? Unless you want to work in studio sweatshops like him ::she thumbs back to the fantastical guy in the corner:: the classical art scene is brutal. But if you're in the talented amateur-space, I can keep my palette knives sheaved. 06* Katie 's smile becomes a tad sharper at the mention of knives. "Woods *are* my favorite medium. Pencils a close second." 01 I'm happy to be a stepping stone on your way to greatness, as long as you don't try to knock me down in the process. 06* Naoki nods. "Interesting... If you ever wish to work on your brushwork, I could use some help with my woodblock work." She then looks back at the original piece. "A range of quality art does bring a big audience, no need to knock you down." She then stares quietly at the piece for just a moment too long. "I rather doubt you're the one that has anything to fear." 06* Katie looks at her piece, too, when Naoki won't turn her attention from it. "Hm?" [Let's retroactively call that a manipulate NPC, getting Naoki in the friendly rival space. So roll with Hot.] 01 (Seems fair!) 01 2d6+2 06* Dicesuke rolls 2d6+2 for Katie and gets a natural 12 for a result of 14. 01 (I DID IT) 01 (Also Dicesuke missed Katie.) (Okay... well, by the rules, she's not a threat. What is she instead?) 01 (Oh wait. I have an advanced move for that, don't I.) (Yup.) 01 (Hmm.) (Although amusingly you've also concreted her as a rival in addition to whatever you pick.) 01 (I did! But that's fine. Naoki *wants* to be a rival.) 01 (Plus narratively it's more fun.) 01 (Friend makes the most sense, to go with Katie's comment about 'friendly rivals'.) (That works, unless Katie is also tempted by a more manipulative action, in which case a hold steady might be appropriate.) 01 (Aaaah. Wait, yes. Okay.) 01 (Keep that. The hold steady will be for something else, depending on how Naoki reacts to Katie's question.) 01 (btw she was eavesdropping on conversations all night, hence her distance, but that's so obvious I shouldn't even have to write it down.) (Naoki's takes were mostly right, a bit wrong in a few details that you can make up. She's obviously done her homework) (Right proceeding...) 01 (Right. Katie's pretty impressed by how perceptive Naoki is.) 01 (OH OKAY ACTUALLY) 01 (Okay, 1. Not picking friend doesn't mean they can't become friends.) 01 (Because anything else would be stupid.) 01 (2. Change 'friend' to 'guardian', as in a social guardian. Naoki's got a good sense for that kind of thing, though she's kind of harsh. Like you said, she does her homework. Katie would like that on her side, even if Naoki has no idea she's helping her with her comments.) (Right) 06* Naoki hushes her tone. "If you'll forgive the cliche, it's probably time I stop thinking of you as the Quiet American. Though I think the implied danger is about right. I prefered that to the 'that girl from Sakuragaoka' anyways. It disgusts me when people from Tokyo gossip like this were a small village." 06* Katie looks at Naoki sharply, then shuts her eyes tightly. "I... yeah." She sounds pained. "I didn't know people were still talking about that. What were they saying?" 01 (150% lie; of course she knows they were talking about it, and of course she knows what they were saying. It's a roll to get Naoki to talk and judge her honesty/trustworthiness.) 01 (There's no roll that really covers this, but it'd be Hot, for sure. XP Maybe Katie could go for a string?) 01 (+1 for Hunger bonus.) 01 2d6+3 06* Dicesuke rolls 2d6+3 for Katie and gets a natural 7 for a result of 10. (Sure... If she wants her to talk, that's maybe entice, if that makes sense to you.) 01 (Makes sense to me! Enticement through vulnerability!) 06* Naoki 's expression softens and she tentatively puts a hand on Katie's. "Mix of rumors, arm chair psychology about why your work is so dark. Most people don't know jack and the one guy who actually knew details suddenly was like an amnesia case one day. Nothing you couldn't take control of and wield as part of your mystique." I mostly dismissed them, but I could start paying attention if you want. (Katie was aware of one guy that stopped talking about her, but didn't hear anything that would explain it. He was most leery of her of all the students so he was harder to get a bead on.) 06* Katie blinks, and she looks at Naoki. "Who was the guy?" 06* Naoki gives a name, one Katie recognizes as a fellow art student from high school but not one that has been in any of her classes past the intro period. "But one day he just shut up. Not like he was scared or like he had stopped using what he knew as his way to claw to the top of the social circle in our incestuous little department. He just had nothing more to say about you and switched to talking about other people. Including me, hence my noticing." 01 Really? Huh. Maybe talking about me wasn't getting him anywhere? 06* Naoki sounds uncertain. "Maybe? I haven't paid that close attention to him. I was planning to destroy him once he started cashing in his social clout for reviews in the school newspaper. His technique is sloppy, he's not a real threat." 06* Katie nods, the previous vulnerability gone. She looks fine; thoughtful even. "He was one of my classmates in high school. I was hoping most of them wouldn't have the decency to bring it up anymore." (And probably closing comments, as sleepy greg) 01 (Gotcha. ^^ Sorry this kept you up past midnight. Not the intention!) 06* Naoki notices the shift and lets go of Katie's hand. She looks at the painting again, "I see you use hope in a precise meaning of the term, and not as synonym for expect." She glances around the now largely cleared room and gathers up her painting. "So, I should be off, but I'll see you in class. Perhaps then you'll let me know what you think of my piece, rather than just my technique." (And Katie gets the last word!) (And no worries about the hour, t'was fun.) 01 [End!]