Who: Jacob, Balthier, Arno When: Current Where: The bigger theater in town What: Balthier's in the ballet studio, painting some panels, and Jacob shows up with lunch. Arno's along as well, and they discuss seeing each other again. Balthier's slowly realizing that Jacob's a lot more comfortable with invitations versus Balthier's more familiar open doors and waiting. They discuss things going on lately. Rating/Warnings: Jacob makes some mention of an unpleasant kiss, and a theater that he wasn't happy to be in. Status: Complete
Balthier's working on the big set pieces for the play. The director wanted a test piece for the doors, since there was some worry about them not working smoothly, so they wanted test panels to see if the lighting / hinges / costumes all looked good, particularly since this'd be high up in the back of the set.
Either way, he's back in the supposedly haunted dance studio, since it's the only one with high enough doors to get the panels in, with the windows open and a fan running for some ventilation, and he's got an open invitation out that folks can stop by. There's a comfy nest of blankets and his coat back in the corner, if Courfeyrac wants to flop and do homework, or Noah might be by if Sebastian's still in a meeting, since he tends to like to sleepily chat a bit before he actually takes a nap.
Noah said he'd let Arno and Calum know, which means that - well - Balthier's not sure how he feels on this getting too crowded, but he can always take the excuse of it being lunchtime if he has to.
Arno’s glad to have something creative to do. He’s not really DONE this kind of thing, but the cafe theatre often had backdrops being painted for the various weird performances he hosted there, and, well, he’d kind of missed being around that. Shay’s got a thing with the wolves while the kids are playing catch up with the local district so he’s got a while, and that’s kind of a relief too. He GETS this time of year is hard but it IS annoying.
Jacob’s headed over too, and he’s got the containers of food Noah sent over filled with some pasties that he talked Arno into making while he stood around and tried to help. Jacob DID chop some of the parsnips for them and the onion, anyway. So, it’s SOME effort on his part. He’s smiling as he appears.
“Balthier, hello.” he gives him a little wave.
Balthier looks up from where he's sketching out some columns on the panel that's dried from when he gessoed it. "Hello there. I should warn you that there may be glitter around later. Everything all right?" He's wearing his apron over his usual work clothes, which is right now a black vest over an oxford shirt, and some jeans with some paint streaks on them. Since he's going to be crawling around on dropcloths and in the glitter, it's simpler to accept he'll get paint on things.
“Glitter I never minded.” Jacob glances around and, huh. It’s a far cry from the Alhambra, in the best ways. It’s good he came, he decides, nodding.
“Things are good. How are YOU? Also thank you for the other day, with Em. He seems to be feeling more...settled. Apparently taking his anger out on something helped. Is Courfeyrac all right?”
"He is. I'm proud they at least admitted it went a bit wild. I think they all wanted to let out some steam." Balthier shrugs. "Courfeyrac iced everything. How was Emmett? That cut looked like it stung."
“It probably did.” Jacob shakes his head. “He didn’t say anything about that part though. Just sort of plopped some antiseptic on before anyone could ask if he really wanted help. Damien COULD have healed it but he wants to keep it.” He laughs a little. “I”m glad that wasn’t worse, on both their ends. It helped, talking to Sebastian too and...I helped Arno make pasties.” he offers.
“They’re from...my nain used to make them, when Evie and I were still with her, when we were small. Along the coast but they’re more from Cornwall. Miners could take them down and heat them on shovels so they were ready when it was time for lunch, but these you could heat for a few minutes. I wrote out what the recipe we found that looked the closest said to do for these. I owe you lot. How are things with...Courfeyrac’s got a little girlfriend now?”
"Someone from their world. Combeferre apparently knows her family, and she came by to visit." Balthier shakes his head. "I didn't meet her. It sounds like she's sort of figuring out what she feels comfortable with, and Courfeyrac's happy, but - we are going to go down and have a session with the therapist. Discuss some language for handling things if it gets tense. It just seems safer to go that way."
He's moving over. "They smell amazing. We'd have something like this called hand pies at home. Often it'd be chopped meat, sometimes nuts and raisins and spices."
“Sounds pleasant.” Jacob smiles. “And that’s good with the therapist. I’ve been trying to convince Em to head back. There are things we probably need to cover together. As much as I try saying it’s all right to be angry...He doesn’t quite want to be.” He shakes his head. “That said, he actually talked to me the other day, so we’ve got a start.” And he snorts. “He’s so much like Evie for letting things stack up. But all that aside, what’ve we got for us to start today? I’m here for a bit until his last class period. There’s an assembly and they’re a little much, so better than him running off by himself to avoid it.”
"I should probably stop and eat lunch if you're up for that." Balthier's heading to clean his hands off. "Some of the panels are drying and then I can finish the sketching and start painting. And the anger thing - sometimes people don't feel safe enough to be angry. Or they associate it with negative things. Sort of - you know - someone wants to get you screaming, so you refuse."
It'll be a bit weird, with stools and a blanket tablecloth, but it's workable as lunch places go.
“That would be a good thing.” Jacob nods and studies the panels. “Looks like you’ve gotten a lot done, and well, that’s true. He HAS seen the extreme end of anger, more than once. I think *I* cooled off before he was born, but I used to be a lot...well, you remember.” he shakes his head briefly. “I was like that here. Glad it’s over.” he adds.
“There’s a lot of things that people get angry about.” Arno nods. “I think it’s what you DO that matters. I tried to save France.” Until he realized that, honestly, his France is sort of messed up no matter what he does. It’s not comfortable, but he’s used to that now. “But so, how has it been going, the design? Is this all of your work?” He smiles.
"They're doing a version of the play they did at the college here, and they wanted a bigger version of the set." Balthier's leaning to open up the sketches and the photos of the other one. "Sort of Egyptian revival Art Deco. Or well, Archadian architecture, but thankfully it translates to something here."
The sets are mostly monochrome lotus columns with black and white. The glitter on the columns and changing the light over covered for night scenes or the scenes in a museum.
“Nice.” Arno grins. “It’s nice when things carry over. “I don’t suppose you have that happen a lot here. I’ve been luckier. Things are still ODD; Paris is WEIRD here with these bizarrely wide streets that are apparently the fault of the Victorians, but there’s still enough that makes it...what it was. I don’t suppose a lot of people know YOUR Archades, do they?”
"Not really, no. I suppose I'm lucky that way." Balther slides the photos over. "That's from the performance at the college. I'm doing these doors, but bigger, so they can test lighting and how they're going to manage the hinges on the back end." He snags a stool and nudges one toward them. "I've got a thermos of tea, if you don't mind it being spiced."
“That must be hard, is what I’m driving at.” Arno says, nodding, and then he glances at the doors, whistling a little. “impressionnant. I like that. Very...dramatic if they’re going to swing that way.” He smiles as he accepts the stool. “Spiced sounds just fine. And I have cookies I didn’t tell anyone at home OR headquarters about.” he adds, snorting when Jacob sniffs a little indignantly.
“I have no idea how they ARE. It’s sort of a shortbread thing with almonds in them.”
Balthier grins. "I'm a lucky guy. Are you interested in a weird cooking show at some point, Arno? Jacob was there for one of them. He can at least testify we got a result." He's passing around pasties, and setting up some little glasses for the tea. It's mint and ginger, because it's not cool enough here to start with the richer spices. "Basically the play's a mystery. Strange events at the museum, and the other set is for the house. They've got a multi-level stage here, so I need to redo the set taller, and make sure they can handle it on the back end."
“It was even edible.” Jacob grins broadly. “You weren’t around that night but we saved Shaun a piece just to prove Emmett and I aren’t totally dangerous in a kitchen.”
“You WERE supervised though, weren’t you?” Arno points out, the notes in his voice definitely too light to be taken seriously. “People say it is what you do with no one watching that matters the most in life, do they not?” He pushes a bit of hair that’s fallen from his ponytail back behind an ear.
“I’d like that, sure, the cooking. I mostly just have...things I remember, so trying new things is good.”
"We were doing stuff that's - simple, I guess? Minimal steps and paying attention to where things could get out of line. We did a pie. Purchased topping." Balthier tries the handpie and okay, this is nice. "I like the - parsnips? Is that what I'm tasting? I was thinking of sending some recipes around and see what people want to try next. Might be meatballs on flatbread."
Should he . . . talk about things? "I think Noah wanted to see if Shay'd feel better . . . visiting, I mean. Since both of you are here, maybe . . . Jacob could come by the cabin, and Shay could stop by the gatehouse?"
“You mean I don’t get to antagonize my favorite traitor?” Jacob quips, then he pauses. “Actually, right now, it MIGHT be taken seriously. We have an...odd relationship. I think it’s an Irish-British thing. But I’d like that. It’s been a while. I’m never sure...if there’s not a PURPOSE for something if I’m intruding or making it weird.” He makes a lot of things weird.
“That could help.” Arno nods. “It’s...I think last year he hadn’t gone back home yet, lived through everything he had yet to do. So it kind of...ties together.” he makes a face. “Perspective may help. Granted, I have to laugh that he told Haytham of all people exactly what he thought. THAT takes a certain degree of...bravado.”
"So I can extend an invitation? For - some point in the future." Balthier shrugs slightly. "In Archades, you'd usually offer plausible deniability. Or forget your coat. It depends on the kind of friends you were. It's . . . nice having you all around. I don't want to make things worse, when it's stressful, but it's still nice to have you all around."
“You can.” Jacob says, smiling a little. “I’d offer the same but well, we’re overwhelming. It might be better for me to meet you out somewhere and buy dinner or something like that in our case.”
“We could have you over too.” Arno notes, nodding. “If we know what times work for all of us it could be planned. I know I’m DEFINITELY avoiding Fryeday Fight Night next weekend at the pub if that helps with schedules.” He shakes his head a little. “I feel like I sort of live there during most of the time as it is. I need to stop micromanaging, see if Desmond wants a second job, maybe. Someone else snagged him first and I won’t be that cutthroat but it’d be nice to be able to make more time.”
"Maybe it's time to - change what you do?" Balthier looks thoughtful. "Some sort of thing where you could bake, perhaps? Could still have it go to the bar, but maybe providing desserts for another place?"
“I do like running things.” Arno says. “So it’s a matter of finding someone else, I think, to handle it sometimes. Most places have more than one manager. I’m fairly sure Sherr would go for it easily enough. He’s not protested any management decisions yet. And the right person for it would be out there. It’s sort of funny, how long I’ve been managing things. First there was MY cafe and now the pub. But that’s an idea too, branching out a little. I’m not as skilled as Noah’s become. I more...know the older things I like and try out some that people might be interested in. But it WOULD give me more hours to do things with people.”
“I should look into something. Not that.” Jacob says. “But hanging around being traumatized is getting to a point I think it’s making me buy into it too much. You seem a lot more well adjusted to this world by doing things like this, Balthier. I don’t know if it’s entirely true , and it’s not my place to badger you for answers but goals and all. I do miss the Rooks, running the gang.”
"This . . . isn't that different from home. I was an engineer, and I was active in the theater at times, and it's - stuff I can do within limitations." Balthier frowns. "My first impulse would be to suggest you talk to Steve Rogers. He's mentioned he's interested in donating time with kids. Doing art projects, things like that. It's not the gang, or the Rooks, but it would be people on the edges of things, getting a safe place?"
Balthier's trying to think. "My other suggestion would be to talk to Shaun. Maybe some kind of accounting or business degree, in a college. I'm not saying you'll love it, or find an organization that's not skeevy, but it'd be useful for the group?"
“I could do older.” Jacob nods. “Probably not younger ones, I just don’t have that patience but it’d be something. And that’s true. Seems more Evie’s thing but then a lot of things that used to seem like hers had to become mine when she skipped off to India so I’ve got some of the skills. AND it’d get me out of Em’s hair a little.” He’s fairly sure part of the problem is he’s focusing on the sorts of minor details instead of what matters. “It’s worth a thought. And it’s funny, theatre things. My first kiss from a man was in a theatre. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, more really weird and confusing and made me question a lot of stuff, but it’s probably fitting that I’m thinking about questions like that in one again.”
"We're technically in the ballet practice hall." Balthier smiles. "Only place with some ventilation and high enough doors in here. Main stage is down the stairs." He's dusting off his hands as he moves to get back to work. "But if you're feeling weird, I don't mind if you want to clear out and check on Emmett?"
“Not too weird and he’s got a while yet.” Jacob says. “I did come to help, after all.” And to sort of reconnect, which seems to be happening here and now. “It’s just the last class period for today. The whole school gathering’s a little overstimulating right now. But that’s not for a few hours, so youv’e got me if you’ll have me.”
"Aye, I do. Would you like to talk? Or paint? I could get you an apron." Balthier's moving to shake up a can of paint and set up brushes.
“Painting would be good.” Jacob says, giving him a nod. “Just let me know what to put where?”
"Let's get you an apron first." Balthier's leaning to drain his tea and then moves to get Jacob an apron. "I need to fill in these with black, just solidly. Does that sound appealing? I'll be going back in and doing the column decoration afterwards, and then the glitter last, since you want it to catch the light."
He steps back a little, and then moves back in to check the other panel. "And good, this one's dry. Anyone want to vote on color? I was going to tape on the color contrast just so they can test the costumes against it, since the director thinks the warmer lights here will wash everything out."
“Hmm…” Arno squints at it a little. “What are our options for that, then?”
"Traditionally, blue and yellow, or red and yellow, unless if you wanted to add political iconography. Usually at the top of the flowers on the columns, or in the dentil molding." Balthier's leaning to get a brush. "There should be a sketch with color in that book."
“Nice,” Jacob peers over at it to take a look. “I’d vote the red, myself.”
“It’d work well.” Arno agrees, taking his own look. Or he sort of has a bias for it. Whichever.
"We can try it. Could always change out the colors as well for different parts of the set. Don't want it to be too obvious that bits are reused." Balthier's laying out the dark tones for the main columns quickly.
“Ah good point. Contrast, right?” Arno asks, leaning forward to study them. “Worth trying, I’d say.” He smiles. “I must admit I AM intrigued by this now.”
Balthier moves over to the dry panel and starts sketching in the shapes on it. "I do like this. Not just for the fact that it's home, but it does look good lit up. We might get it to the point where I can demonstrate. Though the glitter helps."
“Glitter IS helpful sometimes.” Jacob nods. “I don’t think I’ve used it like this before, but I know that it covers up a multitude of things and gets attention doesn’t it? The lights on that ought to be interesting.”
"The college theater is pretty small as well, so anything you can do to make things seem more complex helps. It'll be interesting to see the same play in a bigger theater. I should see if Calum recorded any of the performance so you can see it in action. Or maybe you could come by this one." Balthier's got some texture lines going in on the column, and it's - starting to actually look good. "Okay, when this one's not tacky, we could try the red on it. This is a wall panel for the dining room or the museum, depending on the scene."
“I’d enjoy that.” Jacob nods. “It might be nice to look at the differences too. Not that I know very much about the genre but…” But it does sound enjoyable, really. “I could see if Evie would like to come by too. She always liked the theatre.”
"It was - fancier, right? In your day, in the better theaters?" Balther's setting up the red pieces of plastic and stepping back a bit to look at them. "What do you think?"
“Not in the sections we could afford.” Jacob waves a hand. “There WERE some like that, but ours were the sort anyone could slip into and watch, well, a show and the people who DID go in for spending more. We went on our birthday some years, but the fancy way was...well, as much as we made friends and got the titles, there’s a difference between really fitting into something and being the anomaly some rich toff wants to parade around a bit.”
And he’s eyeing the red, then stepping back a few paces. “I think I like that.”
"I can make sure you're here as friends of the cast, if that might help. I'd count as dressed up for this kind of thing, so you wouldn't have to worry, and there'd be options to get out of the limelight so to speak, if you need a breather." Balthier's pretty sure that people think he's some artist with PTSD and probably a London based history in Shakespeare, but he's not going to argue with it if it'll help other people.
“Sounds impressive.” Jacob grins. “I won’t say no to THAT, though I doubt it’ll be all that intense or odd for me otherwise. But how can I pass that up, hmm?”
Balthier laughs. "You might end up in the back with an uncomfortable chair for an all hands helping out with getting people laced up. I had that and ended up helping braid hair for a bit."
“I don’t mind braiding hair.” Jacob looks thoughtful. “I used to do Evie’s all the time. Still do sometimes, but she DID get used to it in India, I guess.”
"Well then, I may never lose you. What of you, Arno, if things are better?" Balthier tilts his head. "I suspect it might be dull for the kids, but there may be options for them to run around, since I sometimes stay here and watch the actors' kids and tell stories."
“That could be fun, actually.” Arno smiles. “They only SORT of speak English, through whatever the translators do. It might be interesting for them to get more of the full effect of it. I mean, they deal with that sort of thing on enough of a daily basis now.”
"I've got no clue what I sound like." Balthier grins. "Not that I believe I am speaking English myself. I keep wanting to apologize to the translator."
“I think it comes out more in writing than in anything.” Jacob says. “I mean you’ve got an accent, both of you, you sound particularly upper class, Balthier, but I wouldn’t think you weren’t speaking English. When I practice Welsh though, it comes out as Welsh.”
"And to Noah, I sound Archadian, and I can hear the Landisser in his accent. It's - odd, I suppose." To Balthier's ears, Basch sounds like he's got the cant of the royal family and the court, but there's bits of the Dalmascan accent bleeding in. He can't really pick out the Landisser though.
“Huh,” Arno blinks a bit. “It IS particularly bizarre that way, isnt’ it? I suppose it makes sense with us, that we can understand Bayek. I mean, he speaks a little Greek and I had years of being dragged through it, but…”
“I’m pretty sure most of his Greek’s dirty.” Jacob points out, smirking. “His ex wife’s...one of her parents spoke it. I don’t remember which. He never talks about Aya, but…” He winks a little. “I’d learn the endearments and the more entertaining phrases to use for someone, honestly.”
"That sounds charming. I haven't talked to Bayek past that one time I was by the hotel." Balthier's digging out the glitter to do some streaks of the paint on the column. "Might want to move over. This is pretty prone to getting on people."
“You know,” Jacob grins. “I don’t mind helping with that. Glitter’s not so bad, is it? At least in theory.”
"Your poor kid is going to be stuck in an assembly and you're going to be sparkling." Balthier's smiling at him. "Are you willing to wash brushes? I need to use fresh ones so I don't spread the black paint around."
“They know that he’s victorian.” Jacob grins. “And there’s that book series about sparkling vampires that all the kids were reading not that long ago. I expect his classmates to draw the logical conclusions.” He grins. “I think he and the rugby lads at that school would back it up. Plus, he’ll probably wait at the school clinic if he needs to, and the nurse is cute. I think glitter might help my case there.”
That said, he’s smirking and heading over to pick up some of the used brushes to properly gather them. “I can do that.”
“I’ll get water.,” Arno heads over as well. “Any special instructions?”
"Not really? Let me do one of these, and you can see if you want to try to join in, Jacob. And are you seriously thinking of - what is that book? The vampire one where they're in an area because it rains a lot?"
“The one with the wierd werewolves, too, yeah.” Jacob laughs. “I may or may not have read the copies that were floating around the headquarters. They just sort of...appeared one day.” If they appeared because Jacob hid them, to ‘discover’ a few days after buying them, mysteriously leaving them out in weird places, and it’s sort of obvious, no one’s called him out yet.
"How were they? I was told I wouldn't like the vampire guy because he was kind of possessive." Balthier's streaking some glitter in the shadows, and adding a bit to make the bottom of the column catch the light when they turn on the lighting for the night scenes.
“He bites the human girl’s pillow because he can’t control himself around her.” Arno supplies, rolling his eyes a little. “AND the werewolf, the main werewolf, apparently imprints on their child because that’s not a weird and creepy basis for a relationship at ALL. ...What?” He asks, when Jacob shoots him a weird look. “Aedan had a cold and Shay had a templar meeting and I was bored.”
Arno does a lot of things he later regrets when he’s bored, it seems. Right now, he’s setting down the water and grabbing some of the other cleaning supplies. “Are these rags okay for clean up?” He throws one at Jacob’s head.
"They - hey," Balthier mostly ducks out of the way. "Let me grab the flashlight and we can see how this looks. The idea is you light the set from below and - huh. I need to add more glitter on the shadows, it looks like."
Jacob snorts, catching it easily enough, “If you weren’t here, Arno would be wearing paint” he informs Balthier, quite seriously. “Let’s see what that does then.”
The flashlight's lighting up the bottom of the column and casting a shimmering light around the darkness of the main body of it. It's also reflecting a lot off the temporary red patches, but it looks - pretty good to Balthier. He can see things to fix.
“Dramatic. Showy.” Jacob nods his approval. “I can see where it’s going and I LIKE it.”
Balthier grins. "I've got some luster powder I can add too, but that's - the general idea. Want to help me set up some basic glitter lines on the other panels and we can stop here?"
“Sounds amazing.” Jacob grins and heads over. “I’m eager to give that a shot.”
Balthier's totally going to try to de-glitter Jacob a bit when they're done. Still, he suspects Emmett will get a sparkling father showing up.