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'You used to like drawing... why don't you ever draw anymore?'

If Gwendolyn Caspian wasn't surrounded by people, she would have grumbled aloud, picturing her voice higher to mimic how her naggy sister sounded in her head. Of course, Maddy had a deeper voice, and she wasn't really nagging so much as she was just offering her sister a suggestion on how to relax on her day off. But Gwen was stressed, and it wasn't simply her nightly patrols and the duties that came with it.

For Anandi's sake, she was trying to do better in classes, and she was trying to keep up with work. Valentine's day was on its way and therefor Krishna was needing all the help he could get in preparing for the big sale. She was lucky to get a day off today!

So here she was, sitting in the local gallery, sketching people that were unfortunate enough to sit or stand still long enough to get in Gwen's line of sight and then placed on paper. It wasn't going as good as she was hoping, as she was horribly out of practice, but Gwen was trying not to get too frustrated, even as she grunted and erased the figure for a fifth time. Why the hell wouldn't they sit still?!

So occupied in her task that she barely noticed anything different about the girl that just walked in, and her frustration was clear to see to those around her, just not so much to Gwen herself. Who knew that drawing could be so stressful?

Gwen was never good at hiding her emotions, and when she did, it just felt too awkward. She could have tried to cover up her frustration with a bit of friendly banter or even flat out denied it, but if the other girl had not only felt the need to comment on it but also pinpoint the exact problem, then there was no need to hide.

So, Gwen did what Gwen did best, and that was to be completely open and truthful. "Yeah, well, you know, it's human nature to move and I'm sure if there was someone sketching a picture of me, I'd be a little apprehensive too."

She wasn't speaking loudly, or so she thought, and she wasn't necessarily trying to throw the blame on her impromptu model, who had turned their way. The older woman was a little surprised, looking around to see if she was, in fact, talking about her, before mumbling something beneath her breath and scuffling away. Gwen wanted to apologize, but it was too late, and all the girl could do was sigh, before turning her attention to Kallista. "I'm really out of practice, and I'm downright ashamed of that! I used to really like drawing, too... what about you?"

"Well, I usually have a lot of inspiration, but little time to put my ideas down on paper," Gwen explained, scooting over a little and giving the other girl more room, as well as permission to sit. She moved her booksack down to her feet, placing her art pad on her lap and closing it from Kallista's prying eyes. Normally Gwen wouldn't have been self conscious about showing off her stuff, but given how out of practice she was, as well as some of the 'source material', she wasn't eager to let anyone see it just yet. "Now that I have some time worked in, I was hoping inspiration would have been enough for me to pick up where I left off. I guessed wrong."

Now she was just rusty, and her mind kept lingering onto other matters, like work, her relationship, her mother's pregnancy and the newest member of the family. Not to mention her senshi duties, but for today, she was Gwendolyn Caspian, and Gwen wasn't going to let any of that get in the way of getting at least ONE good sketch done.

"What usually inspires you to draw? Like, what do you usually do to get you in the mood? Or does it just come in on a whim?" Gwen asked Kallista. "Artist blocks are the worst... I have yet to find a cure for that besides either being really stubborn or just letting it pass."

And Gwen knew a thing or two about being stubborn... maybe she needed to bring a bit of that pig-headedness into her civilian life more often.

Gwen mulled over what Kallista had to say, having a feeling that this girl might have been a lot more serious about her art than she herself was, and that kind of stirred a bit of bitterness within Gwen. Not fueled by jealousy, per say, because she seemed to have a better grip on her future than Gwen did, but Gwen wished that she could have had the same passion that she had (and it not being a Senshi).

She had always treated art as a hobby but never something she'd feed herself off of or live off of, and with that kind of attitude, perhaps she now knew why she couldn't. Kallista wanted to draw something that meant something deep and would last... Gwen drew because she liked pretty people and animals.

Not wanting to let her growing envy ruin the experience, Gwen gave a shrug and tried to force back those ill feelings back, instead focusing on something that Kallista had mentioned and pondering it aloud. "Would an art gallery be the best place for a romance-inspired picture, though? Maybe a landscape of Venice or someplace in Paris, or are those too obvious?"

Gwen's idea of a romantic night vastly differed from a lot of other's... after all, she confessed her love after a big, giant youma attack that could have left both of them dead. Others, more sane people, preferred nice strolls in the park or ice skating together. That gave her an idea. "Or ice skating?"

Gwen wasn't a big fan of ice skating, but only because she failed miserably at it and couldn't understand why. She was in gymnastics so she knew she had a good sense of balance, and really there were a lot of flips and spins in both sports, but the combination of ice and skates equaled falling flat on her face or chest. It was likely why she had no breasts now- early in her preteen years she had slammed down on ice that it likely stunted their growth for years to come.

Still, it was nothing she was willing to openly share with Kallista, but she did contribute to the subject at hand. It would have been rude not to, considering she was the one that brought it up in the first place. "Well, I'm no good at it, but I guess that's because I didn't practice or get a lot of chances in my hometown. It was much warmer there and the lakes never really iced over, and the skating rink was too expensive."

It sounded like excuses, and really it was, but it was the truth. It had been awhile since she went ice skating and now that she's had time to practice inline skating, perhaps she'd do better. It gave her an idea, and she looked to Kallista, "Say, what about designing outfits for professional ice skaters? A lot of them wear these really artsy looking dresses... maybe we can get inspiration from that?"

"I'm no good with ice skating, but I'm pretty good at gymnastics. Or was... haven't done a lot of that recently, but I have been pretty physically active," Gwen said, picking her feet up and playfully rocking back and forth in her seat, more to pass the time than anything else right now. In truth, she felt kind of bad for neglecting that sport, but when did she have time for it? Like hell she was going to give up her role as a Senshi for trivial things like hobbies! She looked to Kallista. "Never played tennis before, just badminton, and I got in trouble for spiking the birdie and hitting another girl in the eye with it. Funny story... well, after she stopped crying and eventually got over it."

Despite how cruel it was, she couldn't help but chuckle, and her attention was now completely set on tennis and Kallista's involvement in it. Drawing and inspiration now long gone from her mind, Gwen asked, "Are you good at it? Also, how hard is it? The people on television make it look like you're really hustling and I bet it requires a lot of hand-eye coordination..."

"Nope, makes total sense..." Gwen said with a smile, remembering the times she was playing badminton for PE and the trouble she got into for playing too rough with the other girls. When it came to sports, or anything, Gwen simply didn't know how to hold back, and while it was great to have so much energy, it also drove her insane when she knew she wasn't giving it her all.

So, she could definitely sympathize with Kallista on the perfectionist mind set, except Gwen had already given up on gymnastics, in lieu of her other 'job'. So, in a sense, she envied Kallista, but she tried not to let it show. She barely knew the girl, so there was no reason to be that envious, right? Lost in her thoughts for the moment, she almost dropped her sketchbook, and looking down at the half finished book reminded her as to why she was here in the first place.

Except the mood to draw was long since shot. Especially now that there was someone to talk to, someone with similar interest. "Hey, did you bring your sketchbook? If so, you want to switch and look at each other's art? Maybe give out helpful tips?"