thenormalsquint | find a way to get to you;

[Angela doesn't mind if she has to start completely from scratch with him. She didn't burst out knowing everything herself. All she needs is him to be willing to learn the basics before anything else.

At his uncertainty, Angela purses her lips. Definitely from scratch here. He might not like her next question, but if he's going to hire her as a teacher, she has to figure out what she's jumping into.]

Do you have any experience in art? From a practical standpoint, not appreciative.

None whatsoever. My education was limited to what could be useful, in my youth. In adulthood there were other concerns which took greater precedence than any pastime.

[The wine tasted sharp and full of flavours that were not part of his usual diet. Someone's expertise had gone into making it. Even if he were never able to produce something like it, equally capable of delighting the senses, he wanted to try. The passion he saw in others was absent but he would nonetheless be devoted to whatever method was asked of him.]

[One of her eye narrows as he explains something of a reserved background. What could be useful? Sounds like none of the arts and only the hard sciences and math. Things that are useful yes, but not entirely soul satisfying in her view. She gets off on getting messy, flinging paint every which way instead of punching in numbers day in and day out.

But this is about him and not her, so Angela untweaks her eye and nods slightly.]

It really sounds like we should start with normal pencil and paper. Give you a basis in lines and shapes before we move onto different mediums and styles. Maybe a little bit of reading of art history. That's probably not what you want to hear, but I feel it's really the best way to get you from point A to point B.

[One of these days Angela ought to drag him out to fling some of that paint around. Jihae wasn't adventurous without someone else giving him a nudge. Or a kick. But he tended to like it once led outside of his routine.]

History? Ah, yes, of course. I recall the heaviest textbooks on my Lady's desk were on that subject. Is there an artist you admire in particular? Our worlds do not share a common history, but perhaps their name will be one I have seen in passing.

[Does he know that's her side gig? Grabbing people by the arm and dragging into her shenanigans to have fun and realize that life is for living? She has so much practice in that with her best friend. Jihae would be breeze.]

François-Raoul Larche. He was a sculptor rather than a painter, but he's done some pieces that were memorable enough to make an impression on me.

[One breeze, coming up. Also, a waitress.]

Hm, that name is not familiar...but I will add it to my studies. Unless you would prefer to speak more upon their work once we have ordered.

[The staff member waits until he finishes speaking and glances towards her, and a polite exchange takes place in which he orders a vegan extravaganza that spares nothing in conveying that he's hungry.

[She sips at her wine as he orders, his choices not missed by her. The ears kind of gave away his dietary choices, and it's not that surprises her. Angela's best friend is vegan and while she herself isn't, she respects that.

Angela still orders nothing. Well, nothing but another glass of wine. Little does she know this avoids a potentially nasty discussion about food choices.]

He did a piece called Les Violettes that was sculpted to make the children featured in it look like the personifications of flowers. Stems, leaves, vines wrapped around them. Different than anything I had seen before. He had a tendency to work on female figures, a fair few of them nude, and a couple of religious works as well.

[Speculation regarding the reason behind her order was a trap, which he didn't fall into. She offered no explanation therefore it was none of his business. They might appear strange to other patrons as a result but Jihae couldn't care less.

The waitress bobbed to take the menus and left, leaving Jihae looking forward to an abundance of crunchy veggies. She must have enjoyed the wine, at least. He would hate for any aspect of their meeting to be unpleasant.]

Nature can be very inspiring. I may start there... Would you consider his work diverse, or is it common for an artist to explore unrelated subjects such as nude women and religion?

[It's not a purposeful trap. After all, Angela isn't the type that particularly enjoys defending her personal choices, in public or in private. And if she ever gave two shits about what complete strangers at other tables thought of her, she wouldn't start now.]

Well, it depends on what the era and trends were at a particular moment in time. The farther back you go, the more religious iconery you'll find. He, on the other hand, was known better for his nude figures than for Christ. It just worked out that way for him.

Our legacy is so often out of our hands.

[There was a slightly wistful tone in that statement but it was not a line of thought he continued.]

The religions of various worlds are of less interest to me than what was born of one's own inspiration, without the pressure of outside authorities. Although they may be beautiful I cannot help but wonder what state of mind the artist found themselves in when conscripted to speak on behalf of the divine. The message is not easily translated.

Not mine. Not if I have any say in it.

[She's going to leave a mark on the world--not Ariel in specific because she doesn't care enough about this place to want to stay here and back it up--but her home world. Come hell or high water, she's going to leave something other than death and sadness for people to look at.

She sips at her wine again, smirking because what she says next will say a lot about the life Angela's lived.]

As for their state of mind, I can't say anything about them for sure, but my personal experience meant there were some illicit substances involved.

Illicit substances.

[Huh. She sounded intelligent so he hadn't pegged her as that type of unfortunate person. His gaze dropped to the wine glass. Hopefully she wasn't also the type who indulged too much or too often.]

Do you find inspiration so infrequent that you must resort to such tactics? Or is there another reason?

[His repeating of her words pulls her up short and the smirk fades, replaced with a more neutral look. Depending on who defines the term, it could be too much or too often, but in either Angela has final say on how she defines it.]

I don't do it for inspiration. It happens that I get inspired while resorting to such tactics for unrelated reasons. [She's not a fan of his words, having experienced people judging her living methods before.] Is that going to be a problem?

[Leaving it at 'unrelated reasons' was fine. Thus far she had shown no indications of poor judgment and her choice in recreation was irrelevant as long as she wasn't foolish enough to let it affect a lesson.]

No, likely not. That is, if you have decided to accept my proposal. Should we discuss compensation?

find a way to get to you;

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