RP:Meri's New Student

Part of the The Day I Tried To Live Arc

Summary: Meri's introduced to 'Red' and takes her on as a new art student.

The Rebel Room, Larket

It was another day within The Rebel Room. Weekends meant that people wanted to go out and have brunch with their friends, and what was a good activity to do after brunch? How about painting with some wine. Needless to say it was a decently busy morning, there was a gaggle of gossiping women toward the back of the shop painting away to their hearts content. Last weekend they were given the luxury of doing some free style painting. This weekend there is a vase of flowers sitting before all of the painters, serving as their model for todays session. Some people present had more skill than others, there was at least one individual present that has painted a creation that causes most people to pause and go 'what the heck is that even'...Anyway. Meri is in the shop, but Estelle is dealing with this morning's painting session for the most part. It's fairly easy to manage. Do you need more wine? What color paint would you like? Etc,etc. Meri? She pouring over numbers in a book right now.

Brand almost turned right around when he peered through the window and saw that crowd in the Rebel Room. No, it wasn’t that crowds were a particular deterrent -- though that could sometimes be true -- but more the fact that he’d brought Khitti along, a rather distinctive redheaded woman he was presently orchestrating an elaborate series of lies around. For all he knew, any one of these biddies might be the one to unravel this tangled ball of outlandish yarns meant to keep his woman from knowing what, exactly, she had done in pursuit of that cure for her vampirism. Well. Okay. Deep breaths. Execute Plan B.

Brand whirled around and spoke to the woman still saddled up on his great feline mount. “Red, fetch that violin from the saddlebag and bring it in with us, eh? I’ve got an idea for a piece it’d be a good reference for.” That was a really half-assed lie to toss up onto the pile with all the other lies, but it’d have to do for now. She needed the enchanted violin with her to disguise her features from curious eyes, curious eyes above curious mouths that might spread word of Khitti von Schreier’s mysterious rebirth to the wrong person, who might then tell her the truth of it all. And it could be anyone. As the lies mounted, Brand saw threats everywhere -- except in his crew, and in Lionel, and in Meri, who had in fact received advance word of their arrival, Khitti’s condition, the aforementioned convoluted series of lies, and the disguise Khitti may or may not enter the Rebel Room wearing. Which she would have to, now. Goodness knew Brand didn’t trust a room full of lady day-drinkers.

Khitti was none the wiser about things as usual when it came to all these lies that orbited around her as if she were the sun itself. She cast a glance at the crowd in the shop with a wary eye, but, really, it was because she’d not been to these parts--as far as she’s known anyway. There was no memory of that battle on the bridge against Macon and his army, nor did she recall when she visited Meri here for the grand opening of her shop. No, now she had a slight fear of middle-aged to little old ladies as it turned out that Mrs. Mallard was not so much of a kind soul as she appeared to be. Secretly, she hoped she didn’t turn out like that after several more birthdays. Wait… when was her birthday…? This was probably not the time to ask Brand, and little did she know that he really didn’t know either. All the while this thought process was going on, she’d grabbed that violin as instructed and lugged it along, handing over her few, recently purchased art supplies to Brand to carry. He’d lead her in, of course, and she’d more or less just resign herself to looking around, choosing to stick close to him instead of wandering off (she’d probably get lectured about it anyway if she did).

Meri in the back of her mind probably had the intention of making sure that the shop was cleared out by the time that Brand and Khitti had arrived. It's so easy to lose track of time though when one gets carried away with work...and before she knows, they are supposed to be here. "Crap," Meri declares out loud. "Ladies! I forgot to make mention of the fact that I had a client coming in today for a private tutoring session." She could lie too. "We are going to have to wrap things up like...now. Don't worry about the clean up, Estelle and I will take care of it all. And we can resume this painting next Saturday." Most of the women did not mind, they paid a flat fee and basically got to sit around for an undefined period of time to chat with their friends. Sometimes they only saw fit to stay for an hour or two, sometimes they would be here well into the early afternoon. It just depends on their schedules. It is because of this that most women are okay with being given the boot, but there are a few mutters and grumbles of protests. Estelle is left to deal with them so that Meri could try and remove a certain picture that Khitti had drawn for her 'grand opening' from her walls. If they were weaving a web of lies for Khitti (which Meri had mixed feelings from having suffered from amnesia herself years ago), it probably would not serve to have a picture on her walls that matched the ink on Khitti's arm. By the time Brand and Khitti make their way inside of the shop, the women are starting to file out and Meri is hiding that picture within the pages of accounting book that she was just pouring over. Khitti won't want to flip through that book. It's boring. (And kind of rude to just start looking at a shop's income and inventory levels if you are not meant to.)

Thank the gods for Meri. Wait, no, don’t do that; gods have nothing to do with it. Ahem. Anyway. Brand would first cant his head to the head artist as all the other amateurs began to file out. This scenario just got significantly less complicated, much to his relief. “Hey. Meri, you may remember somethin’ of Red here?” He motioned to the redhead, who would now have puzzlingly acquired locks of curly black to the eyes of all but Khitti herself. “Red, meet Meri. Well, meet again. Eh. You know what I mean, dammit.” Brand’s gaze lingered; Khitti’s irises had taken on a tone almost as dark as her pupils. Onyx’s distaste for color came through in the illusion as clearly as it did through their own choice of garb. Maybe he should have a word with them to make her look a little less… dreary?

Khitti was in total goth attire thanks to Onyx and those enchantments on her violin. Pre-amnesia Khitti would be all over it, to be honest. This one, while she didn’t hate wearing that sort of thing, she just really seemed to favor her peach-colored lace dress that she bought with the money Mrs. Mallard had loaned her; she really didn’t know why, but peach just felt right. Who knows, amirite? ‘Red’ had all but lost herself in the shop, even just from where she stood, the various bits of art here and there, whether it was Meri’s or some of the things left by the women that had just been here, all caught her eye and was regarded quietly before Brand pulled her attention towards the other blonde. “Hello” was given to the artist and an awkward, but warm smile. “Brand, uh… said that you sell art supplies here too? The one in Cenril is ridiculously expensive.” Unfortunately, she didn’t know what else to say. It was much the same as it had been with Brand and Lionel--just what do you say to someone who knows the real you when you are no longer you? What sort of conversations did they have? How much did Meri know about her? How much did she know about Meri? It was all a little disheartening, as it had been before with the Catalians, but she made the best of things as Brand had instructed.

Meri 's blue eyes swivel back and forth between Brand and Khitti, mildly confused for a moment. They have met. Meet again. Those were the words Brand said. It left Meri sort of wondering how much she was able to tell Khitti versus how much she should keep to herself. They have met though, Meri would have to play this one fast and loose. While Meri could not read Khitti's mind, she had a fairly good idea the questions that were running through Khitti's head right about now -- Meri had many of the same questions a couple of years ago. The worst of it for Meri were the sad looks that her friends would give her when they came to the realization that they had been forgotten. At least Khitti has a better support system in place than Meri did years ago, but that may not make dealing with her situation any easier. "Hi there," a tattooed hand is extended to 'Red' upon those introductions of Brand's. Secretly Meri wanted to give Khitti a big ol' hug but....she keeps those emotions in check. A handshake to start. "Yeah, I sell supplies out here too. All artsy stuff can be fairly expensive, but I am usually able to keep things at a fairly good price." It helps that Cal helped with providing the plants to her paints, and at a reasonable price. Some of those merchants could easily take her for a ride on those prices. "Was there anything in particular you guys came out here to shop for...? Or....? Just sort of browsing around? Ooor....?"

“She’s taken up all the arts in earnest now, it seems,” began Brand, and there would be a melancholic smile fleetingly visible as one woman merely shook hands with the other. Not everything had come up roses in the aftermath of Operation DeciptiKhat. “She’s been paintin’, drawin’, even had quite a show or two at the Cenril theater. Her and her violin and a band to back her.” He nods to the violin in its case. “Can’t rightly wrap my head around the arts myself, but I imagine she could use some help pickin’ out the right supplies for the pieces she’s got planned. As for me, well… was thinkin’ that violin would go great as the subject of a tattoo. But I’ve not really got any ideas beyond that.” That might be because he hadn’t had it in mind prior to about five minutes ago, but shh.

Khitti follows through with the handshake and sets her violin case on the floor, taking her watercolor sketchbook and the few pencils and watercolor palette from Brand. “I don’t even know if these are good quality or not.” They weren’t, and was likely the reason why the prices were hiked up so much. Didn’t help that she bought them on an off day for the marketplace. “So, I figured I’d ask. It was at least enough of something to start with.” Inside the book were two identical drawings of Cenril, looking in on the city from the shorefront. There was even a very rough sketch of what seemed like the Tranquility. It was very much the same style that she had before, albeit perhaps not quite as good because she was getting used to it again. “I, uh… was wondering if you could help me with other things too, maybe? Watercolors and drawing seemed easy enough to practice on my own, but there’s other mediums that I don’t know much about.” Oil pastels were a pain, man. “Brand said you offer lessons, so…” Which, that was made obvious with the gaggle of females that just left here. “I think Brand would be okay with me coming here for the lessons…? Or maybe you could come to the ship when we’re docked?” She side-eyed Brand briefly, before shifting her attention back to Meri.

"How is the last tattoo that I gave you healing up?" Meri first asks of Brand when he brings up his want for a violin-related tattoo. "I am sure we can get a concept going for a violin, no problem. The whole process will work basically the same that it did the last time." A lot of conversation is being thrown her way, not that Meri sees that as a bad thing all things considered, but her mind was certainly struggling to process everything being said to her. She was still mildly shocked, even if she was putting on a good show, that this was happening. "Well, I am happy to have you out here. And I am equally happy to head out to the Tranquility." Was Red already back to living on the ship? Good for Brand if she was. No comment is made to the quality of the utensils that Khitti does produce, this was not meant to be some shameless sales plug for the artist, Khitti's money is not what Meri was after. "You pick. And while you are debating that? Why don't you browse around see if if you don't find anything here that catches your fancy. I will say though, that while I am happy to go out to the Tranquility, lessons here would mean that we have a wide assortment of...everything...available for your arts content."

“Right, that. Yeah, it’s healin’ fine.” Brand angled away from Khitti and scratched at his face. He’d not told her about the tattoo, of course. It wasn’t that he regretted it since she’d returned -- no, not at all -- but through some cruel irony or a shard of retained memory the woman seemed to have acquired a love of all things peach. If she saw the tattoo, he worried it might somehow shake even more memories loose. “Yeah, if you wanna come out to the ship I could always have the library reserved for your use in that time. Plenty of light and, well, I’m no expert but I imagine the view makes for good inspiration.” It was the only spot on the ship with such a large window, much less one that showed the view both above and below the surface of the sea.

It’s not -her- fault she has ‘a love of all things peach’, Brand. This is all on you. Okay, some of that reason is just because her brain’s been scrambled like an egg. But, definitely not her fault at all. Brand’s given an inquisitive look at the mention of his recently required tattoo, but she just shrugged it off. It’s not any of her business. Things have not reached the point of where they’ve seen each other naked again, Meri. You understand. “The library would certainly be good. And, we could take one thing at a time, Meri. I suppose it might just be on the ship for awhile then.” She was a little disappointed because the art studio was -amazing-, but just the fact that she was going to get a teacher was well enough for her. “I’ll trust your judgement on whatever you think is right for lessons. We could just focus on one medium at a time so you’re not having to pack up your entire shop for each trip.” A beat, “And I could make lunch too for us when you show up!” There was that ever familiar excitement that came with Khitti and cooking/baking--if Meri was not entirely convinced this was Khitti, this may very well help her see that it is.

Meri does not understand, for she does not typically spend much time speculating if her friends are boning or not? Their sex life, or current lack of one, is their business. Not her business. What she does speculate is that Brand seems slightly cagey about his tattoo, which makes Meri come to the realization that is was perhaps not a good idea to bring it up. This subject becomes easier to avoid with Khitti's willingness to let it go. Meri's own bias honestly leans toward trying to lure Khitti back out to Larket for these lessons. To her it does not really matter the size of the painting, there was a certain convenience behind not having to pack up her gear and load up her horse. However, this is not about her. She'll put her bias aside and do Brand a solid, in her perception and understanding of things. We'll keep the Khat on the ship, so that it would allow more opportunity for re-bonding and re-getting-to-know-one-another. "Yeah, sure. All of that sounds like a plan. I can head out to the ship sometime, you will just have to let me know when is good for the two of you so that I can plan accordingly."

Brand would’ve made the situation work, no matter where or when the lessons took place. But Meri’s flexibility was appreciated, and Brand made this known with a grateful squeeze of the artist’s shoulder. And from there, he pulled her into a hug. Quite uncharacteristic for Brand, not that Khitti would know that now. “Sorry for not tellin’ you sooner,” he murmured into Meri’s ear before parting again. It wasn’t for a lack of trust -- in fact, Meri was on par with Lionel and with those closest to him on his crew. Still, the web of lies needed to be carefully wrought, and bringing Khitti up all this way had some complicating factors that had needed to be worked out first. “Only the best for Red here. I’ll make sure we’re in touch sooner rather than later.” The distance grew. Brand would occupy himself with inspecting the art on the wall if Khitti had more to discuss. The idea was that he was looking for inspiration for things to add to this violin tattoo that may or may not actually come to fruition.

Brand said he was sorry. It’s the end times! Repent! Or something. Khitti, of course, didn’t hear the apology, and even if she had, the significance of Brand saying that word would not occur to her at all. She does eye the hug somewhat curiously--maybe Meri had been closer to the two of them than she initially suspected?--but that too is shrugged off mentally. The fact that she had an artist friend all the way out here had been a bit to take in, if only because she was trying to come up with things to keep the conversation, but… of course, she knew nothing about Meri besides the obvious. Or herself. Or their friendship. Or how close they’d actually gotten. Someone she’d declare to all to be a sister to her stood right in front of her and she didn’t even know it. This lack of information didn’t deter her from making friends with the woman again, as Brand wandered away, “Is there anything specific you’d like to eat on the first day? Brand made me the Tranquility’s chef so I’ve got full access to the kitchen and supplies and whatnot.” Red beamed brightly; her new job was definitely a nice one. “Doesn’t matter what it is. I’ll make it work. Even if Brand’s got to eat bread and butter for a week.” A mischievous grin made itself known as she side-eyed the elder of the two blondes.

Meri harbors no resentment for Brand, of course she could not outright say that in present company. That might make the conversation awkward. There is a little resentment for the hug, very very minor resentment...okay not really resentment, we are being dramatic. It is more like awkwardness, and only because there are a few select people that Meri is okay with these displays of affection. Khitti was one of them. Alvina another. Cal without a doubt. Brand? Never in her wildest imagination did she ever speculate that she and Brand would do the hugging thing. To say that she looks like a cat being dangled above water is extreme but there is this awkward pat-pat moment and Meri clearly is struggling to figure out what to do with her arms in this hug. It is slightly awkward due to the unexpectedness of it all. "Uhhh. Well is this a private lesson? Or will Brand be there? Because if he is going to be there, you should make us strawberry cheesecake for dessert. I think that is a favorite of his." There is a bit of deviousness to that smirk of hers, nothing malicious, just impish. "And uh, yeah. Outside of desert? I am not really sure. I am also not picky. If you cook it then I will probably eat it. So long as you have not gone and picked something wild like fried tarantulas or chocolate-covered bugs."

“Please no bugs,” piped up Brand from his art-covered corner. He’d had enough bugs for one lifetime, edible or otherwise. “Meri has the right of it, though. I don’t think the ingredients to make strawberry cheesecake will put us out so much we’ll have to resort to eatin’ bread and frakkin’ butter.” This was said with a stern eye toward Khitti. There were worse things a sailor could suffer than scurvy, and Brand counted a series of monotonous meals among them.

Khitti stuck her tongue out in Brand’s general direction, “You’ll get bread and butter anyway if you don’t quit giving me that look! Besides, not all bugs are bad. Bees, and ladybugs, and moths are great. Oh! And butterflies too! Monarchs are especially pretty.” Yes, Khitti. Monarch butterflies are -wonderful-. “But, no. No bugs. Not to eat, anyway. That’s entirely disgusting. A strawberry cheesecake the size of Brand’s head, and something else, for lunch. Got it.” She grinned again, then gathered up her things, “I suppose we should leave you.” That mess the wine-drinkers had made wasn’t going away unless Meri and Estelle dealt with it, “When we figure out a date and time, I’ll send along money too for the art supplies. I’d like to have my own there for when you’re not on the ship.” Meri gets a warm smile now, “It was nice to meet you, Meri. Er, re-meet you, I guess.”

Meri felt a small pang in her heart at the 'nice to meet you' sentiments. It was a difficult emotion to mask, the sadness she was feeling (but also happy at the same time -- this was complicated okay?), but Meri would do her best to hide that sadness behind that practiced curve of her red lips. Few were probably able to discern when Meri was faking it, that list might even be smaller than the list of people she would up and hug. Still, that was the most horrible part about not remembering in Meri's opinion -- the sad expressions from friends when they realized all of their moments had been forgotten. "Send along a list." Meri bring supplies behind what Khitti has ordered. "Also, I think you may want to make two cheesecakes. I think Brand should be your model for our lesson...So you should really bribe him good for that..." And there Meri goes looking like the she-devil that she is again. "It is also good to have a cooperative subject. Anyway, it sounds like you two are ready to head on your way. I will see the both of you soon."

Brand pivoted abruptly from the wall as the conversation seemed to be wrapping up. “I’m gonna sleep on that violin idea for now. Maybe when you come by we’ll talk more about it then.” That is, if they’d let an art model talk. How did these things work? Well, it wasn’t something Brand would waste too much concern on if he was getting bribed to cooperate. “Thanks for your time, Meri.” No hug this time as he made his departure, only a nod and a lazy sort of salute. All this trouble he’d gone through, and all this distance they’d traveled -- it was worth it, if it would help keep Khitti happy. “You ready, Red?”

Khitti squinted those dark grey eyes of hers at Meri. Something felt off about that smile. This Khitti was just as perceptive as the last, but alas, she wasn’t quite as good at discerning just what the problem was. That’s probably a good and bad thing depending on the situation. That whole line of thought was quickly washed away by Meri suggesting that Brand be her model. “B-Brand… m-model?” Her entire face went red almost immediately as another train of thought rolled into the brain station: naked Brand modeling. There was a certain widening of eyes at this specific thought and her mouth even gaped open a little. Be careful, Khitti, or you might start drooling all over Meri’s floor. Of course, this would only be a super private session between him and Khitti if he ever allowed it. (He probably wouldn’t.) Brand himself was the very thing that stirred Khitti from these #JustNakedBrandThings she was pondering over. “R-right! Yes. Cheesecake. Brand. Drawing. Leaving.” She’s not distracted. Not at all. In an effort to hurry things along -and- hide all the blushing her face was doing, she gave Meri a wave and headed out the door with all of her items in tow, “Bye! See you soon!”