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 Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 12:37 am
Jett Draven was a man of many tastes, though his artistic range was somewhat lacking. He enjoyed a different array of 'the finer things' in life. He liked good food, good women, good cars.
Good art was an iffy subject for him, as his taste in art was a bit different. Art, for him, was found in the form of the antiques he worked with. The craftsmanship of an age long past. The years, the history that came along with the piece added to its beauty.
But when it came to paints and sketches?
Eh. It wasn't really his cup of tea. And yet, for some reason, any time there was an art museum in town, he found himself there.
While there were many activities he enjoyed participating in with Raven, when it came to museums, those were for him. He admired the collections, let his mind wander. Let himself become engrossed in the history.
Art museums were not at all the same as his favorite museums, but with no new collections in town, he often made exceptions to his tastes in order to peruse their displays.
He was casually examining and enjoying the art as best he could, casually wandering around. There weren't too many people around, so he wasn't worried about keeping up appearances or having to move around them.
Today was a lazy day. And Jett figured he, more than anyone, had earned it.
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:45 pm
Alexandre was one who appreciated, and loved, art. He was particular in his taste though and sought out older styles. Not a fan of surrealism, cubism, abstract, and other new styles Alexandre had decided that with no work today he deserved a day to himself. Lily liked art but not like he did and Johnathan wasn't the sort to stay still in a museum, and he didn't want to handle all of that, Michael he didn't think was the sort to spend hours wandering a museum looking at painted canvases either. So he'd come alone, bundled up with a scarf done in a gray and black check pattern and long pea coat, with his hands in his pockets as he wandered his way past the cashier after paying to get in.
Unbuttoning his coat and loosening his scarf he wandered. Letting his feet guide him through the museum as he stopped to look at painting after painting. The time periods, the scenes, and the rich colors drew him in every time. He could see a painting several times and still find it amazing and awe inspiring every time, and this time was no different. He'd never thought of antiques, items from these times or from newer time periods, but it likely could be something he'd find an interest in - collecting that is.
Peeking around a corner he spied several adults and a few teenagers. He was always surprised when he saw people his own age wandering the corridors of a museum looking at art, really looking at it. It just struck him as something that most his age wouldn't do, after listening to his classmates enough he couldn't see it from them or many his age. And yet there were a few and then he spotted blond hair and a familiar figure. "Jett..."
Smiling he stepped down the hallway and ignoring the hung up art, for the moment anyway, he approached the blond slowly. "Jett?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:37 pm
Initially Jett was so caught up in examining the piece in front of him—a strange myriad of color that looked like someone had tried to flush a toilet bowl full of paint down the toilet and thought it might make a good photograph—that he initially imagined he'd heard his voice. When he heard it again, he quickly drew himself from his thoughts, leaned back causally, and blinked when he saw Alexandre approaching him. "Yeah," he said simply, as if to confirm that—yes, Jett was his name. He offered a brief, charming smile in greeting, as was simply his nature. "Good to see you, Alex. You're looking well."
He glanced back to the art in front of him before back to the male. "'You chasing ladies or here for the art?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:43 pm
Stopping as he reached the others side he took a moment to look over the piece of...art, was it really art? They were in an art museum but not for the first time he was doubting he was looking at art, in fact he was sure it wasn't. "Atrocious, simply tortured." Shaking his head he turned his gaze back to the other.
"The art." He answered before he continued, addressing the other part, in a rather calm and unbothered manner. "I'm not a fancier of the fairer gender." And back to the photograph hanging up on the wall. Who would even take such a picture and refer to it as art, or show it to other people? What little it took to get things, like this, hung up in a museum and called art. How simple it must really be. It was...saddening seeing how art had fallen to such poor quality in this day and age. And peoples taste as well.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:30 am
Not a fancier of the fairer gender…?
What the hell was that supposed to—
Oh. Oh, no. Not Alex, not Benitoite.
Jett gave him a rather scrutinous look for a second, suddenly more interested in the question of Alexandre's sexuality than he was of the painting in front of him. The look was relatively discrete, and he shook his head as he tried to clear it. "Funny," he noted only, "I wouldn't have taken you for it."
Except for the hair—maybe for the hair. Which suddenly, very strongly, reminded Jett that he needed to schedule a slot in with his barber.
After giving Alex one last, lingering look, he returned his gaze to the painting. "…I'm not much of a fan of art, not when it all starts to look the same," he said after a bit. "So either I don't get it, or I just have very selective tastes. Or they've redefined 'art' while I was wasn't paying attention. You're here for this?" he asked, nodding towards the whole display of oddly angled colored swirls and splashes.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:03 pm
Laughing he smiled at the other. "No? Sorry to disappoint." Nope, he didn't seem or sound sorry in the least. But rather he was smiling even more at the other. "I do hope there isn't some look, or air, I'm supposed to posses and don't." Again, he really didn't sound upset. But he was trying to put a little humor in this. "
After a moment, during which time he tapped his foot gently on the floor as he pondered if he should say more, he finally said something else. "I do hope such a personal thing doesn't bother you, nor our alliance." Which he thought went beyond the DMC and the Negaverse's alliance. They worked together with team training, and at the ambush the two had worked together.
Laughing, and ever so polite covered it up with a hand, as he looked at the art Jett had nodded to. When he spoke next it was with humor and laughter in his voice. "Hardly, I wouldn't call this tribe art. I'm not sure what I'd call it. I'm also not sure a human hand even created such nonsense, perhaps a trained cat." It wouldn't take much to train a cat to do this...art. "No, I'm here for what requires talent and taste. I rather like the older stuff, Renaissance and the like. It would seem, judging by your comments, that your in the wrong area of the museum if your looking for art which suits your taste. Around the corner is some better art - impressionism." Which he also didn't mind, almost anything but modern styles really.
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 12:25 am
Jett did not particularly like being laughed at, but a person's sexuality didn't particularly concerned him. When he considered a person's value to him, there were far more important features. Such as usefulness. Alex was fantastically useful, and he had come to trust the male. He had proved that he had Jett's back in battle, and if that didn't prove loyalty, Jett wasn't sure what else would.
"It doesn't bather me," he felt important to insist. "Just took me by surprise." Which was relatively hard to do, if he said so himself (and he did say so himself). "I'll keep that in mind though. On the bright side, I suppose that means you don't have to deal with the mood swings of said 'fairer gender'. And their womanly ways."
He loved Raven (really) but she was still a woman, and all women—even his mother—could be tedious at times. Men were easier to deal with, more straightforward and to the point. There was no side stepping, no obvious jealousy masked behind sweet smiles. Hell, if Jett wasn't so attracted to women, maybe he could handle dating a guy. As long as he looked like a woman.
…Yeah, or not.
Besides, he was far too happy with Raven to consider leaving her to test out that theory.
He shook his head, wondering where the hell his mind had been of late. "Anyway, you want to head over there? I haven't got anything planned for today, so I figured I'd take my time and browse through all the art. Even…the shitty stuff."
He could have said it more eloquently, of course, but why waste his breath? He'd much rather b***h about something worthwhile.
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:16 am
"I'm glad, it would be terribly unfortunate if it dd bother you." It could ruin the alliance, and maybe friendship, which they had. He didn't like the idea of ruining such a necessary thing, this was war and alliances could keep a person alive or end a persons life. Alexandre might accept he could die any night but he didn't seek death out, not actively at any rate, and rather liked the idea of remaining alive for a while longer.
"I apologize for that, though I should be glad it did. It means I don't flounce about like some do." Such an annoying thing some did. "I'd like to keep it where people never know unless they are told." Like he'd just told Jett. Alexandre would never deny it, or not tell someone if it came up, but he didn't announce it in any way if he could help it. Maybe it made him seem cold, or off putting to anyone who might be interested in him, it might even have people unsure and so they didn't seek him out but he didn't much care. If someone was interested enough, apparently like Michael, they wouldn't care about anything else. Right?
"Yes, that is one thing I'm very glad for. I don't think I'd be able to tolerate females and their womanly ways." He had little tolerance for certain things and he wasn't the sort to hold back verbally, he wouldn't hit a female, and his mouth would get him in trouble. So yes, it was a good thing he wasn't interested in females and subjected to their ways. He'd be involved in fights, and many break ups if he were. As it were he had issues with his mouth and his mother at times, more so when he'd still lived at home. He really hadn't learned that when she asked how she looked she wanted him to lie...and that he should do so, he always told her the honest truth.
"That sounds like an idea. I thought I'd take some time for myself, I've been busy with work, school, and duties I've had little time for myself or anything else. It's rather annoying but those things all come first, for various reasons. I'm looking forward to the holiday vacations, it'll lessen the burden for a short while." Let him recharge and relax before getting right back into the thick of things.
"I don't mind browsing through the art at a leisurely pace, but this stuff I don't consider art. We should move on." And find some art to appreciate. "I didn't think you the sort to like art, at all."
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:45 am
Jett, while he didn't like not knowing things about people he held close, figured that Alexandre's sex life was not something he needed to be know, nor something particularly cared about. He was not a fan of more flamboyant individuals, if only because they could attract far too much attention, however if they were useful enough, he could even overlook that about them.
As long as they weren't bothering him, what the hell did he care? As Benitoite, Alexandre was a skilled fighter and loaded with valuable information. Besides—Alex was one of the few males he knew powered up and not. He wasn't going to abandon whatever relationship they'd form because Alex wanted to cozy up to a guy.
"I dabble," he said in response to the latter statement. "I work at an antique store, J.W. Antiques, so I see a lot of art come in and out of the place. I guess somewhere along the way, a piece or two caught my eye, and I figured it couldn't hurt. Admittedly, I'm not as well versed here as I am in the shop, but," he shrugged. He knew styles and techniques, could identify canvas and paints, but that was about it. When it came to content, he was at a loss for appreciation. "It made for a relaxing afternoon. I figured it might be refreshing to get away from it all."
Not that he didn't like the other aspects of his life. Home life was good—his mother and Ophelia were pleasant company. Raven kept him happy. He had school, but he'd made sure to use his spare time to catch up and get ahead, and when it came to the workplace, he'd been told to take some time off. Then there was the whole Dark Mirror Court thing, but that was mostly a night time activity. He could have used the off time to go box at the gym—or even catch up on some sleep—but for as much of a stickler as Jett was to keeping on schedule, sometimes he just needed to liven things up. Museums being a weakness of his, he couldn't resist—even if it was an art museum.
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:14 pm
Flamboyant gays just..bothered him. They were too loud, too feminine, and just embarrassing in his opinion. They weren't the sort he cared to be around, and thankfully didn't have to worry about being in the company of. Alexandre while gay and might want certain rights, just to be fair to everyone, wasn't the sort to even go out and protest or go to some gay pride thing. Really he didn't act gay in any way, wasn't his sort of thing.
"I paint myself. But you work with antiques, not something you'd expect from someone in our generation, something to be admired." Not really something he could see from people his age, a want to deal with old items. He at least didn't think so, though he would be the first to say he did find furniture from those older days to be quite nice, and rather sturdy and solid. "I don't know anything about antiques, aside from what I like. Paintings I know though, at least as much as I can." Maybe when he went to college he would take a few art history classes, just to learn more about the history behind styles and artists. It actually was a good idea, something he'd enjoy as well. "I think with paintings that the important thing is that anyone, everyone, can see and feel something from it. With this modern stuff it does nothing for too many people...the soul of it lacks. But looking at the older works is relaxing, and perhaps a bit of a trip back in time." Little glimpses given to them of the lives of other people, of other times.
"I think the same can be said about antiques, though I could be wrong. I've never really dealt with them in any manner." He'd never stepped foot into an antique store. The most he knew, which was little, was from seeing the furniture and such in movies and on tv shows.
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:13 pm
"You'd be right," Jett replied simply. "Everything today is produced in factories. There's no personalization, no personal little quirks. Machines don't mess up, so there's no 'special little touch'. When it comes to older items, you can see the craftsmanship—the care and concern put into each and every piece. You can hold an item produced a week ago in one hand and an item produced a century ago in the other and you can feel the difference."
It was clear with how he spoke that it was something he was passionate about. "It's not the weight, the texture. I mean, those things would be dead giveaways, but it's—the spirit of the item. A certain type of charm. So I guess the antiques have that in common with old art. We get a lot of pieces—antique paintings, sketchbooks, portraits. They're pretty quick to sell." He shrugged as he walked casually from the atrocious display and onto something better. Hopefully.
"But people always like to have the special 'one of a kind' pieces. They want an original painting hanging above the mantle, not some store-bought print. So I suppose it's a mix of selfishness and soul that makes the antique paintings fairly popular. The customers want to own something no one else owns—but then again, maybe some of them are just attracted to that 'soul'. You paint?" he asked, though it sounded a bit rhetorical. He glanced at Alex and added—this time a real question, "What do you do?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:33 pm
"The art now is so...clean. And even is it looks like splashes of color it's still very clean - very white and impersonal. Despite what some people may say about it, how deep they may find it. There is a lack of everything. It sounds like art and antiques are the same in this way."
"It's not hard to see why older items are easier to sell, the charm and the fact not every piece looks exactly the same - they can't. They were made by hand, with care and skill. Paintings were all made by hand, where as now I hear they can program a computer to paint - horrendous if you ask me. I know they have an elephant even trained to paint like the modern stuff they do now. The old art though was...special." Where Jett clearly had a love, and passion, for his antiques Alexandre had those same feelings for art. He was passionate about it, and had quite the opinion.
"Perhaps...I should drop in where you work, see some of the paintings and sketchbooks." Not much for portraits, it felt wrong hanging someone else up on his wall, someone he didn't know. But normal paintings or sketch books sounded nice, especially the paintings.
"I would like to say people are interested in the soul, but I figure it's more in the uniqueness than the soul. As for myself I find the soul of a piece, what it brings forth in yourself, more attractive." And a reason he should one day find something to ask his parents for, he had no art (even his own) hanging on his walls.
"I do, water colors. Mostly nature scenes. I don't like painting people, the feeling that you have to be too perfect and accurate. I'm working on learning to use oils though, high school art teacher is seeing to it that we learn to work in different mediums." Shrugging as he turned a corner and was confronted with the art he'd been looking at before coming down the hall Jett had been down, which also meant he was confronted with good art.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:20 am
Jett nodded thoughtfully; he was always one to listen to people's words—unless they directly opposed his beliefs, in which case he tended to shut them out. Thankfully, however, he and Alex were on the same page, just from a different book. He could find enough parallels in his interests to say that he had something in common with Alex, even though the topic of art and antiques were fairly different. Sure, most of the art that Jett dealt with counted as antiques—but such was a trivial little fact "You could drop by," he said simply. "We've got a lot of neat things lying around. Even if you're not looking to purchase, it's a good way to pass the day. We're not a library, though, so don't invite all your friends. You, I trust. I doubt you'd come in just to ******** things up. I've had to chase more than a few morons out before though, so," he shrugged.
Jett took his antiques very seriously and did all that he could to preserve them and make sure they were in a safe environment—which had grown a tad bit harder now that there was a cat involved. "Nature scenes are pretty good sellers," he noted offhandedly as he observed the new wall of art.
"What do you do with your paintings when you're done? Keep them in storage, hang them up somewhere, sell them?" Sliding his hands into his pockets, he looked to the wall in front of him, eyes glancing over these pieces with a bit more understanding than the 'modern' art he'd been eyeing before.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:46 pm
Rolling his eyes he smiled. "I should hope you'd trust me, considering what we're both involved in. But you are correct, I won't mess things up, I won't bring people with me." Which meant Johnathan. He'd be leaving his friend, and roommate, at home. He could imagine teenagers just treating things casually and not giving things the proper, gentle, care they deserved. Worse yet would be parents bringing little children and not minding them properly. Oh the trouble he could see happening in such a place.
"Storage in the room I paint them in. I've given a piece or two away and I believe my mother has one hanging in her home office. I've never thought to sell them in some proper fashion. Though I suppose I could do that if I wanted. Nature scenes are calming, and anyone I think can enjoy them." And that was key to him. He felt everyone, from the youngest to the oldest should enjoy and feel something from a painting. It should be universally enjoyed and felt, it didn't need to be the same feelings but everyone needed to feel from it.
"Mmmm, any silver candle holders in your store? I could always use more candle holders." Since he had quite the candle collection.
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:09 am
"Silver candle holders? Always. Silverware and dishware is common in the store, and silver's got to be the most popular thing that comes and goes. Most of it goes with a decent price tag. Right now we have a few sample from all ranges of the spectrum. I think the oldest one is late nineteenth century. Now that's a work of art," he praised, recalling the finely carved details, and the extensive care that had been given in the tempering of the piece.
"It's in pretty good condition, too. Though, then again, most of our wares are. There are a few collectors that like their stuff to look as old as they are, so if that’s your cup of tea, we've got a box or two in the back I might be able to pull something out of. We have a pretty steady flow of merchandise. Feel free to drop by some time. I'm always looking to get things off the shelves and into good homes. I'll give you a discount, even, if you promise to show me some of those paintings sometime."
He couldn't help but be interested; he had known Benitoite for a long time, and he was one of the few Negaversers he really trusted. If it hadn't been for Benitoite, Jett might never have warmed up to the Negaverse in the way that he had. Naturally he'd been curious to know what sort of person Alex was. Besides, Jett (of no artistic talent, nearly) couldn't help but wonder the extent of Alex's skills.
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