061 red letters

[eat_me_beat_me]

[Anyone in the lobby today might be surprised to see that the stairs have gotten a bit of a makeover. They've been painted to look like piano keys when looked at from either above or below.]




[The artist is currently laying upside down on one of the couches, her legs stretched up the wall with her ankles crossed. Her head hangs over the edge of the couch and she's idly sketching on a sketchpad mounted on an easel set low to the ground. What? She's bored and it seemed like a fun thing to do.

Her journal hangs off the side of her easel, propped open to catch her dictation]

A couple years ago Jilly was working on a mural in town. I think it got trashed by the earthquake but I want to try to do another one somewhere. Anyone out there in castle-land want in?

Comments

[is_mafia]

[Nora can probably hear footsteps coming towards her, and then Giotto is peering down at her, an amused smile on his lips.]

What are you doing, Nora?

[eat_me_beat_me]

[Nora grins and waggles her fingers at Giotto, not moving from her position]

Art. Sup, Giotto?

[is_mafia]

[Good thing he isn't daunted by modern slang.]

Nothing much. I see you've been busy. [He gestures at the stairs behind him.]

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She finally sits up, turning so she's lounging on the couch]

Hey a girl's gotta have a hobby, right? What d'you think?

[is_mafia]

Of course. [He turns and gives it another look.] I quite like it. I'm sure it will be gone by tomorrow, but it's still nice.

[pastina]

[A tiny voice pipes up from the journal.]

What is a mural?

[eat_me_beat_me]

It's a painting that's done on a wall or on the side of a building or something.

[pastina]

A painting? [There's the cutest little gasp!] If it's on a building, does that make it a very big painting? I want to help!

[eat_me_beat_me]

[oh man that's adorable. She laughs] It can be, yeah! I've seen some really cool huge ones before. If I can find a building big enough I'd totally try to do a crazy one.

And you can totally help if you want. I'd never turn an artist down.

[pastina]

Yay! Thank you so much! Will you let me know when you want to start and where it will be? I'll bring as many of my paints as I can carry!

[Aka he'll put them all in a bag and slowly drag them around town as he gets lost.]

[delincuente]

Dude, I'm so totally in.

[eat_me_beat_me]

[she laughs]

Somehow I knew you would be.

[delincuente]

I've pretty much covered every inch of my bedroom with mine, by now. Guess moving on to the city's a pretty good next step.

[eat_me_beat_me]

You took that orange fur down? [she laughs]

extremely late bc of hiatus, sry ;^;

[delincuente]

Yeah, it was getting a little bit tenth grade.

[silentrunning]

[Chell didn't want to walk on such awesomely painted stairs, so screw that. She just slid down the bannister, hitting the lobby floor with a kind of unceremonious thump. But she's giggling about it. And then she spots the artist. Cue a few seconds gawking, and then a fit of chuckling.]

Are you... sketching up-side-down? Ok. You found a way to do what I couldn't, you lucky woman! But how are you keeping the blood from going to your head?

[And then the words of Nora's dictation catch her attention.]

I'd totally be in.

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She giggles, face already a little red.]

Oh it still all rushes to my head. I have to take breaks every once in a while.

[A grin]

I totally called that.

[silentrunning]

[A laugh.]

Are you coming up with ideas by dangling up-side-down? Also, since you called it, does this mean I have to get you a Pepsi and a chocolate bar?

[eat_me_beat_me]

It's giving me a funky perspective of the lobby so I'm just working with that for now [she laughs]

And no you don't have to, though if you wanted to I definitely wouldn't argue.

[silentrunning]

[Chell snorts and peers down to see this masterpiece, and then wishes up a candy bar and a Pepsi. The Pepsi she sits on the floor next to Nora's easel. But the wrapped chocolate bar she plops on the artist's head.]

Better than one of those funky hats you see on artists in paintings, right?

[She means berets, of course, but doesn't know the word.]

[hard_talker]

... [Mark comes down in the elevator, just in case the stairs aren't dry yet, and raises an eyebrow at her]

Looks good. ... What'cha workin' on now? [he moves over to the easel and leans down to see ... and give her a smooch. what.]

[eat_me_beat_me]

[Oooh smooches. Smooches are good. She's grinning even before he pulls away.]

Vandalism. How 'bout you?

[hard_talker]

Me? I'm wishin' those keys actually worked so I could pull a Tom Hanks. [he grins] The stairs look awesome.

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She snickers]

Oh man I wish they did, too. I thought about trying to rig something up but electronics are your department.

[hard_talker]

I could totally make that happen, but we'd have to do it next time, since you'd have to paint over the sensor thingies...

At least I think that's how I'd do it. ... This is gonna require some thought.

[and with that, he flops down on the couch next to her and starts to brainstorm]

I still can't believe I'm helping build a room for virtual reality. It's like something out of the movies.