Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Thanks.” Answering as he let them by while he was shaving. Even though almost everything was healed, his face was still a bit tender as he went through the motions and adjusted accordingly. Once he was done, he washed his face off and dried it before examining himself in the mirror again. Aside from the small little nick from a few days ago, he looked mostly back to normal as he dried off his hair a bit more as well. It would be completely dry before the store opened, he figured as he walked back out to the counter to see Alexandre looking at the small paintings.

“I can do that, it’s a lot of sitting around and helping answer questions for people. I do a lot of the business stuff at the beginning and end of the day usually or answer the phone if people call.” It was a pretty simple thing for now since his shop was still getting by on word of mouth only. It worked out since there were a lot fewer window shoppers as most of them had heard about what he had to offer from friends or family.

Taking a seat he looked down at the paintings and back up at them. “I… didn’t want to forget if I could. I wasn’t sure if it had been something I’d said or done.” Speaking softly he pulled the small paintings up one by one and placed them under the counter where he had all the other ones that he hadn’t hung up yet. They weren’t his best work, with how much duller the palettes had been and how hurt he’d been when he’d painted them. But it looked like the other had cleaned up the mess he’d left that had been building up over the past week. It hadn’t been a bother to customers, other than it showed how he’d been falling apart.

Pulling the other stool out from under the counter, he moved it beside the one he was sitting on and motioned for Alexandre to sit next to him. “It’ll be alright though, I think.” He could work with this and try getting close again, he just had to be careful not to make them run again.

“I can give you a bit of backstory on things then as we go, everything here is from back home so I can explain a bit here and there about where it came from and the ages of things.” Leaning his head to the side, he pulled out the rather thick binder from one of the shelves built into the counter. Flipping through the pages, he was careful not to make any of the manifests or customs sheets fall out.

Pausing as they spoke, he wanted to believe what they were saying, he really did. Everything was still too fresh though and it still hurt, even if it was what he wanted, because he couldn’t be sure of it still. It crept over his face before he shook it off and nodded. “I can try, I haven’t really painted anything large in a long time. Probably back when I was at university.”

The closeness was nice though, even as he went about flipping through things to make sure everything was in order for the start of the day. The mention of the new color made him smile, he’d heard about that a few months back but hadn’t looked into it much. It was mostly because he hadn’t found a good art store in the city yet, there was bound to be one but he had to widen his travelling range. “Blue would be nice for some scenes and things, maybe florals sometimes too like I saw at your home.”

Raising an eyebrow at the comment on the Titanic, he laughed a bit. “Paint you like one of my French girls? Would be fun.” The little bit of laughing burst out into a full cackle as he couldn’t keep a straight face after that bit of teasing.

“Everything is from a large estate, I figured that clearing it out would make for a good business model to start with here in the States while I figured out connections and things.” He wouldn’t mention it was actually his own belongings he was selling, mostly because he really had no attachment to the things.

“It’s easier to work on smaller canvases and they’re all sized for my kit. I’m always on the go so I never really settled for a larger work space after university. Moving here didn’t really change much, I still don’t have the space for more until I get some more things handled. I don’t mind it though, working with such a large space would eat up so much time and I can’t really afford that right now since it’s just me running the shop.” It was just a matter of fact and he was alright with it, he had the weekends to explore and paint or bits of time between customers when he could work on things.

“I guess I just prefer in-person for art supplies but I might take a look at the site you ordered from. I could think of a couple of things I could use a color like that on and if they have it in different mediums that would be nice too.”

Tapping his finger on the counter, it made a dull sound as he thought about the painting idea. It sounded fun but he knew he really got into the zone when working so it might not be as fun for the other. All the models during his courses had complained about it, especially when it got colder or they were in certain poses. There was also that level of frustration when a certain shape or line wouldn’t come out right and the model wasn’t so much a person as a challenge and puzzle to solve. It felt fitting though because Alexandre certainly was a puzzle.

“Maybe I will then, it could be fun. But maybe after a bit more time and once things settle back down a bit more. It’s cute though, sounds like you’d enjoy the attention and I don’t mind giving it to you.” Teasing softly as he offered them a kiss before getting up to flip the sign from closed to open. That done, he took his seat back and leaned into them. “Ready for a boring day?”

“I think the only models I had an issue with were the ones that smoked in the studio, but I paint people more often than you do. I think you’d be a good model, though I wonder if I would have to tie you up to keep you still.” Another tease as he looked over the store and all the things he had out for sale.

“Oh, you ordered lunch? I should probably order breakfast then, or at least some espresso. Maybe from that bakery… I could get some crepes or maybe an omelet or something.” Muttering a bit to himself as he pulled his phone out, a few new messages had come in from customers but he swiped past them to the delivery app and pulled up the menu so the other could look. “I usually have breakfast and read or paint while waiting, I have a few books scattered back here and more in the drawer of the nightstand in the backroom. I need to get some newer ones or at least a bit more variety, I couldn’t really bring my whole library with me on the plane. You know those bastards have a weight limit? Even if you pay extra they still won’t let you go over 50lbs? It’s terrible.” Huffing as he tapped the bit of his order in before sliding the phone over to them.

“Order what you’d like, everything is freshly baked so it’s pretty good and the espresso usually arrives hot.” That done, René settled and really thought about what they’d offered. Going over to their house meant spending more time with them but it felt a bit like whiplash still, he wanted to maybe dive into things but it was still too soon so he would settle for a compromise to keep just a bit of distance as he waded through everything. “Maybe during the weekends or if I decide to close for whatever holidays the people here celebrate or expect stores to be closed during.”

“You’re not wrong, it could be fun and I know quite a bit about the topic.” Ideas started floating around in René’s head as he spoke, it could be fun to do something akin to ivy on them but the amount of time it would take would push the whole thing to a long weekend.

“That’s a bit sad, not getting to travel in so long. Does that mean I can’t go anywhere anymore either?” That wasn’t something he liked the sound of, being trapped somewhere without much of a say in things. The fact that this city was full of all sorts of things, mundane or magical, didn’t help enough to offset the idea of not being able to leave.

The offer Alexandre had made got him back on track though, making him think things over as he took the phone back and paid for the order. “Maybe, I’ll see about getting some of them sent over when I call for another shipment through customs. I wouldn’t want to clutter up your home though, you do have a roommate even if they’re your family.” The idea of leaving things over at the other’s place slowly felt a bit more comfortable to him anyway, things that were less noticeable like clothing or maybe a few bathroom items each time he went over. Little crumbs here and there sounded safer and less likely to maybe startle them.

“I mean aside from keeping a brat still… it can be done with a certain art to it as well. I’ve seen some gorgeous work with people being suspended by ropework.” It was something that always looked fun but he hadn’t really had a model or anyone that would be up for that. “Maybe I can sketch a few ideas at some point.”

“Alright then, I think I can manage that if it’s more choice than a chain because at some point I will have to go back home to get some things that can’t be handled by paid help. Maybe I can drag you along, Americans can just go wherever they want with that passport of theirs. It would be fun to see you confused by the roads there just as much as I am here.” It would be something nice, and maybe a way to get them to know a bit more about things outside the city. If they’ve really just stayed in one place for so long there was a lot they hadn’t seen or done and he was always up for exploring.

“Maybe just a few… here and there. There isn’t enough room in your entire house for my collection though and it’s always growing. Speaking of that, I’m nearly finished with the one in my bag so I should see about swapping it out.” Pulling his bag up, he freed the book and paint kit from it before tossing it back under the counter. The book was pretty banged up and he slid it closer to the register with his kit.

“We could also talk about things to pass the time if there’s anything you want to know. Normal things, just in case someone shows up of course.” Leaning in close, he rested his head against theirs as he spoke. It was a bit easier to think about things when he was in his own shop.

“I mean you’re the one who thinks it’s specific?” Shrugging as he smiled. “I can show you some photoshoots I’ve seen of it if you want, not here though and we can get some ideas for things for down the line if you still like the idea for later.” He really liked the ones with flowers tied into the theme, it was nice to look at.

“Oh, could I?” Pulling away to look at them carefully. “I think I’d like that, bringing you along and maybe showing you some sights.” Carefully avoiding mentioning that it was partially because he was worried they’d be gone again when he came back.

“I have… a lot of books because I had a lot of space to keep them. I lost track after a while and always came home with at least one book a day if not more. Most of them old but sometimes whatever new story came out that I was interested in, all the bookstores knew me back home.” A whole room of books that he spent time in alone, reading and enjoying worlds that were very far away and much more interesting than his own.

Sighing a bit, he rolled his shoulder and thought about how to proceed with answering that. There were a lot of reasons but they had changed over time. “My shoulder isn’t from that but they did make it a bit worse. It was a bit of getting into trouble but more I agree with the people who were rioting and joined in. A lot of things were going on, unfairness or changes that would be more of an issue for the regular people of the country. It may not have affected me personally but it bothered me and I couldn’t stand by and let things just happen. I learned quite a bit about things though, flammable things, and maybe got a bit banged up here and there when things got broken up.” It was why some of them were fuzzy when he tried to think about it.

“I would like to know… well a lot of things, so many things it's a bit hard to figure out where to begin, even with the mundane things. But… I guess the thing that has been bothering me most was New Year’s Eve…” Now he sat apart from them, leaning on the counter as he watched and waited to see what they would say. All the pretty words and promises they would pour out onto him again. He liked to hear them but they still felt like they were hollow after what had happened.