A legendary painting (6)

asktheinfernoassassin:

wrapped-in-shadows:

asktheinfernoassassin:

“I’m coming.” a deep voice answered from the other side. Ezayne opened the door, wearing a simple shirt and some baggy pants. Still, the shirt didn’t hide the burn marks and the scars from his arms.

“You must be Jack Maple. I’m Ezayne.” the man offered him hand to shake. “Come in. Wanna eat something before we could begin to talk about my commission?”

The sight of the tall, powerfully-built man, with his bright blue hair and scarred arms, made the short alien almost take a step back. It took Jack a moment to register that a handshake was being offered, but when he did, he returned it.

“Nice to m-meet you in person, Ezayne.” He tried to keep himself from stammering, but it wasn’t easy. “No, thanks, I’m actually excited to g-get started. So where will we be working?”

Ezayne shook his hand politely, and intited him to walk in. “Nice to meet you, too. Come on, I don’t bite. If you want to get stated… just follow me.”

He guided him through his apartment, crossing the living room until they arrived to Ezayne’s bedroom. Before the bed was the huge white wall Ezayne wanted to turn into a piece of art. “Meet you canvas. Here’s when you will work.” he turned toward, giving him a serious glance.

“Jack, this might sound random, but… have you ever heard about the legend of the origins of a party called Tanabata?”

Jack followed his host into the room, and was impressed. The wall was indeed huge – it would be the biggest ‘canvas’ he’d ever worked on, but rather than being nervous, he was even more excited. More room to work, more space to create …

Ezayne’s words brought him out of it. “I’m afraid I haven’t. I’ve st-studied a few myths and legends in the past, but I don’t recognize that one.”

Back on Familiar Soil

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

will-never-be-a-swan:

Her eyes widened at his question as she sat back in her seat a moment, heart leaping up into her throat. It was such a simple question yet it was enough to cause her face to pale a moment. I..I wasn’t going to tell yet..b-but I can’t lie..and say everything is fine when it wasn’t..

She felt the blood in her veins turn cold as her hand snaked back and into her lap, nibbling on her bottom lip. Tucking her head against her chest she took a shuddering breath to gain some form of nerves.

“I-I was going to wait to tell you until you had gotten some rest..b-but…Psycho Delic..you know..the one w-who you ran into back in December..cause of me..when I finally decided to go out and get some fresh air he..he found me and used some of his drugs on me..m-made me hallucinate..”

One hand tugged at the hem of her shirt and she tried to keep talking, willed herself to and knowing he wasn’t going to be very happy with the news. She hadn’t handled it well after all.

“I-I ended up seeing things..a nightmare of e-everyone dying in front of me because of the second Psycho..I-I was so angry and scared and I took my de-gun out and I tried to fight the spell when I realized what was going on..I did…and I tried shooting where I thought Psycho Delic was..I…I ended up being arrested b-but I was able to convince them it wasn’t my fault..I-I’m sorry Jack..I-I really tried…to stay safe while you were gone..I did..”

She shook in her seat slightly as she waited for his response, licking her lips in her nerves. She thought she was past attracting villains but she had delusioned herself into thinking such a thing.

Jack had sensed something was wrong, but even with the trouble Katelynn had attracted in the past, he hadn’t imagined it would be this bad. He listened with his eyes wide, horrified – not because Katelynn had fired her gun and been arrested, but because she’d been attacked, and been hurt, when he wasn’t there …

He didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he got up from his chair, came over, and gently hugged his trembling fiancee.

“K-Katelynn, it’s okay.” His voice was a choked whisper. It wasn’t okay, but that was the best thing he could think of to say. “It w-wasn’t your fault. You w-were halluc-c-cinating. Crazy. You d-didn’t know what you were doing.” He swallowed. “It’s n-not like you went out looking for Psycho D-Delic, right?”

She shook her head in vehement denial against his shoulder, her hair most likely tickling him as she let out another soft breath against his shoulder, trying to soak up his warmth and understanding and glad for it. Still she couldn’t get rid of the stone of guilt that had settled in her stomach. “No..I didn’t..b-but I should have been careful..worn the holo-watch..I should have..”

And she realized then why she felt guilty, her old thoughts of being nothing but a problem for Jack springing forth in her mind. How much she hated being a burden. She had tried to be stronger in the past but the past month had made her take steps back. But she was still determined to try harder again. She didn’t want to be a quitter.

Returning the hug, she tried settling down and letting go of the plaguing feelings. It almost had her letting out a nervous giggle. “S-Sorry I tried..making this a nice dinner..relaxing and..I just couldn’t lie to you again..” As she had done it before when Psycho had attacked her. She had done it to protect him but it had ended up backfiring. “T-Thank you for understanding though..”

He hugged her tighter, for his own comfort just as much as hers. In the back of his mind, he agreed that she should have been more careful and worn the watch, but he wasn’t going to say so. She clearly felt terrible enough as it was.

“N-no, it’s all right. I’m glad you told me.” He tilted her head up so he could look her in the eyes. “W-when you used to hide things, and go out to dangerous places without telling me … Katelynn, I hated that. But this I can h-handle. I’d r-rather have the truth, always, even if it’s n-not nice.” Unable to stand it any longer, he kissed her forehead. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault, and it’s over n-now.”

A legendary painting (5)

asktheinfernoassassin:

wrapped-in-shadows:

asktheinfernoassassin:

[Text] Alright! Here’s where I live…

He wrote his address and hit the Send button. Now he only would have to wait. He wasn’t feeling like training today… and given how entertained was D reading his old comic books, he doubted he could help them. EZayne really didn’t want to put him any restrictions, D had proved him he was a good child. He deserved to rest and do all kind of things normal for a kid, and as long he was enjoying his time, Ezayne was OK with it.

Better it would be to save all his weapons into his closet. Maple would freak out if he found out he was going to work for a little assassin family… And that wouldn’t be good. Thank God, he still knew how to be the perfect gentleman. 

As he’d promised, Jack soon arrived at the building. The doorman had been told to expect him, and once inside, he made his way toward the elevator, heading up to the penthouse.

It wasn’t hard to find which apartment was Ezayne’s. Outside the door, the blue man hesitated for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He’s just another client. Even if it’s a new setting, he’s just a client, and you’re just looking around. It’ll be fine.

With that, he knocked on the door.

“I’m coming.” a deep voice answered from the other side. Ezayne opened the door, wearing a simple shirt and some baggy pants. Still, the shirt didn’t hide the burn marks and the scars from his arms.

“You must be Jack Maple. I’m Ezayne.” the man offered him hand to shake. “Come in. Wanna eat something before we could begin to talk about my commission?”

The sight of the tall, powerfully-built man, with his bright blue hair and scarred arms, made the short alien almost take a step back. It took Jack a moment to register that a handshake was being offered, but when he did, he returned it.

“Nice to m-meet you in person, Ezayne.” He tried to keep himself from stammering, but it wasn’t easy. “No, thanks, I’m actually excited to g-get started. So where will we be working?”

tabbydragon:

wrapped-in-shadows:

tabbydragon:

wrapped-in-shadows:

Y-you’re welcome, ma’am. [He gives her a shy but curious look] My name’s Jack Maple. I understand you’re s-something of an artist?

An amateur at best. I just like to keep my hands busy. I like your name, by the way. Maples are one of my favorite types of tree.

Th-thank you, Ms. Tabby. [He blushes, cheeks tinting lavender] I asked because I’m an artist too. P-painting, mostly, and some sculpting. What about you?

I can’t paint terribly well at all, unfortunately. But I do like to draw, especially simple sketches, and I’ve been recently dabbling in sculpting, as you saw. Maybe I could modify a doll into a Jack once he’s finished. 😉

[His eyes widen at that] Really? I … I’m very flattered, Ms. Tabby. [Since he’s flustered, his stammer gets worse] I d-did see your p-progress photos on that doll. You’re v-very talented, but I don’t know w-why you’d want to make a doll of me. [Though now that he thinks about it, Katelynn might like one.]

A legendary painting (4)

asktheinfernoassassin:

wrapped-in-shadows:

asktheinfernoassassin:

Ezayne glanced at the text for a moment. what was D for him? It was too soon to think about him like a son. Maybe a little brother? That would be a good term.

[Text] Anytime, really. You could come now if you want. I live alone with my little brother, he came from a long journey and he’s going to spend some leisure time here. So you’ll have four extra hands to help you if you want, but I’d prefer to be the one helping you with this. It’s something very personal for me.

Now?! … Actually, that was probably a good idea. Set to it quickly, before he lost his nerve. And, really, he was curious.

[Text] Now would be just fine. If you give me the address, I’ll be there as soon as possible. As for help, let me get a better idea of what I’ll be working with, and we’ll figure out what works best. [Send]

[Text] Alright! Here’s where I live…

He wrote his address and hit the Send button. Now he only would have to wait. He wasn’t feeling like training today… and given how entertained was D reading his old comic books, he doubted he could help them. EZayne really didn’t want to put him any restrictions, D had proved him he was a good child. He deserved to rest and do all kind of things normal for a kid, and as long he was enjoying his time, Ezayne was OK with it.

Better it would be to save all his weapons into his closet. Maple would freak out if he found out he was going to work for a little assassin family… And that wouldn’t be good. Thank God, he still knew how to be the perfect gentleman. 

As he’d promised, Jack soon arrived at the building. The doorman had been told to expect him, and once inside, he made his way toward the elevator, heading up to the penthouse.

It wasn’t hard to find which apartment was Ezayne’s. Outside the door, the blue man hesitated for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He’s just another client. Even if it’s a new setting, he’s just a client, and you’re just looking around. It’ll be fine.

With that, he knocked on the door.

Back on Familiar Soil

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

will-never-be-a-swan:

The tour, of course. Squeezing his hand gently at the thought of having Jack moving around and being apart from her would have been hard but she would have been able to deal with it as long as they could talk on the phone. What killed her were the moments when she couldn’t reach him, spending her free time worrying if something had happened to him as it had gone on for days where she would try to call or text him and get nothing in return. No new messages and the immediate message of his answering machine.

Shaking dark thoughts out of her mind she tried smiling for him. No point in stressing him out. “Y-Yeah..too much too soon can be bad for you..your friends have also asked for you..” Though truthfully only Bernard had but she was sure Mets was wondering where the two of them were.

She definitely needed to contact her friend and let him know they were okay. She hadn’t talked to him in weeks.

Jack felt a nasty pang of guilt. It wasn’t completely his fault – he’d been kept very busy, shunted to and from meetings – but still, he wished he’d made more effort to keep in touch with the few friends he had back here. He swallowed his bite. “Well, I’m back now. And I don’t plan on leaving Metro City again any time soon.” For all its dangers, the city was his home.

“I’m s-sorry we didn’t have more time to talk, Katelynn,” he went on as they kept eating. He couldn’t quite get out what he was most sorry for – that he hadn’t been there for her when her mother died, when she’d truly needed him. “… H-has anything happened I should know about?”

Her eyes widened at his question as she sat back in her seat a moment, heart leaping up into her throat. It was such a simple question yet it was enough to cause her face to pale a moment. I..I wasn’t going to tell yet..b-but I can’t lie..and say everything is fine when it wasn’t..

She felt the blood in her veins turn cold as her hand snaked back and into her lap, nibbling on her bottom lip. Tucking her head against her chest she took a shuddering breath to gain some form of nerves.

“I-I was going to wait to tell you until you had gotten some rest..b-but…Psycho Delic..you know..the one w-who you ran into back in December..cause of me..when I finally decided to go out and get some fresh air he..he found me and used some of his drugs on me..m-made me hallucinate..”

One hand tugged at the hem of her shirt and she tried to keep talking, willed herself to and knowing he wasn’t going to be very happy with the news. She hadn’t handled it well after all.

“I-I ended up seeing things..a nightmare of e-everyone dying in front of me because of the second Psycho..I-I was so angry and scared and I took my de-gun out and I tried to fight the spell when I realized what was going on..I did…and I tried shooting where I thought Psycho Delic was..I…I ended up being arrested b-but I was able to convince them it wasn’t my fault..I-I’m sorry Jack..I-I really tried…to stay safe while you were gone..I did..”

She shook in her seat slightly as she waited for his response, licking her lips in her nerves. She thought she was past attracting villains but she had delusioned herself into thinking such a thing.

Jack had sensed something was wrong, but even with the trouble Katelynn had attracted in the past, he hadn’t imagined it would be this bad. He listened with his eyes wide, horrified – not because Katelynn had fired her gun and been arrested, but because she’d been attacked, and been hurt, when he wasn’t there …

He didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he got up from his chair, came over, and gently hugged his trembling fiancee.

“K-Katelynn, it’s okay.” His voice was a choked whisper. It wasn’t okay, but that was the best thing he could think of to say. “It w-wasn’t your fault. You w-were halluc-c-cinating. Crazy. You d-didn’t know what you were doing.” He swallowed. “It’s n-not like you went out looking for Psycho D-Delic, right?”

Back on Familiar Soil

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

will-never-be-a-swan:

Taking her own seat at the table and poking her food, she giggled at the antics of the two. “Just not the lasagna since it has cheese…don’t want Roxy causing the apartment to be s-smelly after all,” she reminded him, thinking back to the day Jack had confessed his feelings for her when he had first warned her. She tried to fight back the blush that rose at the thought of the past. How long ago it seemed now – as if living with Jack and being his fiancee was the most natural thing in the world.

Looking at him from over the table as she took a bite of her food, Katelynn decided she’d wait to tell him about the past events until he was well rested and could handle it better. Though he had told her to tell him when things happened she just couldn’t at the moment. She just prayed he would understand why she had waited.

“You always dreamed of going to New York…it was your dream vacation spot and the fact that you went because of your art becoming so big..I’m really proud of you, love,” she whispered, free hand sliding across the table to take his gently. “You’re getting the recognition you deserve.”

As he tucked into his own meal, Jack watched Katelynn eat hers. In the weeks before he’d left Metro City, she’d gotten better about not missing meals, and he’d hoped that she would continue to be okay while he was gone. She looked healthy, at least – tired, and stressed by something, but not painfully thin anymore. It was a great relief. 

“Thank you,” he said softly, clasping her hand in return. “New York was … it was nice. B-but I didn’t really get a lot of time to myself,” he admitted. “They wanted me to go to meetings, and galas, and I kn-know some p-people enjoy that, but I’m n-not one of them.” His stammer came back as he remembered how nervous he had been during so many of those functions. It was nice to get so much recognition, but when he was there in person, being shown off by his manager, there had been a lingering unease in the back of his mind – did people want his art because they thought it was good, or because they wanted the novelty of having art done by a blue-skinned alien?

“They don’t n-need me there in person for the tour,” he went on. “I’d much rather be home, where I can w-work on my own time.”

The tour, of course. Squeezing his hand gently at the thought of having Jack moving around and being apart from her would have been hard but she would have been able to deal with it as long as they could talk on the phone. What killed her were the moments when she couldn’t reach him, spending her free time worrying if something had happened to him as it had gone on for days where she would try to call or text him and get nothing in return. No new messages and the immediate message of his answering machine.

Shaking dark thoughts out of her mind she tried smiling for him. No point in stressing him out. “Y-Yeah..too much too soon can be bad for you..your friends have also asked for you..” Though truthfully only Bernard had but she was sure Mets was wondering where the two of them were.

She definitely needed to contact her friend and let him know they were okay. She hadn’t talked to him in weeks.

Jack felt a nasty pang of guilt. It wasn’t completely his fault – he’d been kept very busy, shunted to and from meetings – but still, he wished he’d made more effort to keep in touch with the few friends he had back here. He swallowed his bite. “Well, I’m back now. And I don’t plan on leaving Metro City again any time soon.” For all its dangers, the city was his home.

“I’m s-sorry we didn’t have more time to talk, Katelynn,” he went on as they kept eating. He couldn’t quite get out what he was most sorry for – that he hadn’t been there for her when her mother died, when she’d truly needed him. “… H-has anything happened I should know about?”

tabbydragon:

wrapped-in-shadows:

tabbydragon:

wrapped-in-shadows started following you

Another blue boy! Thanks for the follow. 🙂

Y-you’re welcome, ma’am. [He gives her a shy but curious look] My name’s Jack Maple. I understand you’re s-something of an artist?

An amateur at best. I just like to keep my hands busy. I like your name, by the way. Maples are one of my favorite types of tree.

Th-thank you, Ms. Tabby. [He blushes, cheeks tinting lavender] I asked because I’m an artist too. P-painting, mostly, and some sculpting. What about you?

Back on Familiar Soil

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

will-never-be-a-swan:

His simple praised was enough to have her huddling close as her cheeks blossomed with red, a happy smile on her face. When he wasn’t being upset with her over villain shenanigans he was really very sweet and it made her stomach do flips. If she were a cat she would have probably purred.

Yet with her ear so close to his stomach she could hear the gurgling noises it was making and her shoulders shook as more giggles escaped her lips. She wanted to enjoy and soak up the calm before the storm as much as possible. “Well..I suppose I should f-feed you then as soon as possible so you can forget all about that horrible food.”

Hearing the timer go off in the kitchen as she perked up, she carefully got off him and jogged into the kitchen to set everything up so they could eat, the small table they could fit in the kitchen set with dishware and even a flower and scented candle she had managed to scrounge. She hummed as she worked, filling the plate with lasagna and some vegetables and putting drinks in their cups to go along with it.

“O-Okay all set!” she called softly, hoping the food really tasted as delicious as he hoped.

Jack would have been happy to help her set up, but he saw quickly that Katelynn had things under control. And more than that, she’d arranged this especially for him; she wanted him to enjoy it properly.

He took his seat at the table, and had to nudge Roxy and Stella (mostly Stella) aside when the dogs promptly came begging. “That’s enough, okay? If you’re good, we’ll save you something.”

Taking her own seat at the table and poking her food, she giggled at the antics of the two. “Just not the lasagna since it has cheese…don’t want Roxy causing the apartment to be s-smelly after all,” she reminded him, thinking back to the day Jack had confessed his feelings for her when he had first warned her. She tried to fight back the blush that rose at the thought of the past. How long ago it seemed now – as if living with Jack and being his fiancee was the most natural thing in the world.

Looking at him from over the table as she took a bite of her food, Katelynn decided she’d wait to tell him about the past events until he was well rested and could handle it better. Though he had told her to tell him when things happened she just couldn’t at the moment. She just prayed he would understand why she had waited.

“You always dreamed of going to New York…it was your dream vacation spot and the fact that you went because of your art becoming so big..I’m really proud of you, love,” she whispered, free hand sliding across the table to take his gently. “You’re getting the resignation you deserve.”

As he tucked into his own meal, Jack watched Katelynn eat hers. In the weeks before he’d left Metro City, she’d gotten better about not missing meals, and he’d hoped that she would continue to be okay while he was gone. She looked healthy, at least – tired, and stressed by something, but not painfully thin anymore. It was a great relief. 

“Thank you,” he said softly, clasping her hand in return. “New York was … it was nice. B-but I didn’t really get a lot of time to myself,” he admitted. “They wanted me to go to meetings, and galas, and I kn-know some p-people enjoy that, but I’m n-not one of them.” His stammer came back as he remembered how nervous he had been during so many of those functions. It was nice to get so much recognition, but when he was there in person, being shown off by his manager, there had been a lingering unease in the back of his mind – did people want his art because they thought it was good, or because they wanted the novelty of having art done by a blue-skinned alien?

“They don’t n-need me there in person for the tour,” he went on. “I’d much rather be home, where I can w-work on my own time.”

Back on Familiar Soil

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

will-never-be-a-swan:

Glad she had called in sick for work after his text and just wishing to spend some well deserved time with him, Katelynn rested her palms upon his chest and adjusted herself when he moved to continue cuddling into him. How her heart was leaping for joy at this simple contact and how content she was to just lay with him though she knew there was much to talk about. She just didn’t want to hit him with everything at once – not all of it was pleasant after all.

“Poor thing…I’m not sure..you can trust my c-cooking either,” she joked, turning her head to rest her chin upon his form to try to stare into his eyes. “It might be just as bad as plane food.”

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Jack tilted his head forward and nudged his brow gently against Katelynn’s, nuzzling her softly. “Y-you made it, Katelynn,” he said. “That’s enough to m-make it good. And I really, really doubt it c-could be as bad as the st-stuff on the plane,” he added, remembering the tin of mysterious, vaguely plastic-like substance smeared in green and orange slime. The other passengers seemed to have thought it tasted okay, but Jack had decided not to risk it.

With the meal still cooking, there wasn’t any real need for them to move yet. So they stayed snuggled on the couch for a while longer, until the oven dinged.

His simple praised was enough to have her huddling close as her cheeks blossomed with red, a happy smile on her face. When he wasn’t being upset with her over villain shenanigans he was really very sweet and it made her stomach do flips. If she were a cat she would have probably purred.

Yet with her ear so close to his stomach she could hear the gurgling noises it was making and her shoulders shook as more giggles escaped her lips. She wanted to enjoy and soak up the calm before the storm as much as possible. “Well..I suppose I should f-feed you then as soon as possible so you can forget all about that horrible food.”

Hearing the timer go off in the kitchen as she perked up, she carefully got off him and jogged into the kitchen to set everything up so they could eat, the small table they could fit in the kitchen set with dishware and even a flower and scented candle she had managed to scrounge. She hummed as she worked, filling the plate with lasagna and some vegetables and putting drinks in their cups to go along with it.

“O-Okay all set!” she called softly, hoping the food really tasted as delicious as he hoped.

Jack would have been happy to help her set up, but he saw quickly that Katelynn had things under control. And more than that, she’d arranged this especially for him; she wanted him to enjoy it properly.

He took his seat at the table, and had to nudge Roxy and Stella (mostly Stella) aside when the dogs promptly came begging. “That’s enough, okay? If you’re good, we’ll save you something.”