nishka//loki (nishka) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2017-04-14 11:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | loki, xochipilli |
hello? hello? hello?
Who: Nish & Gabe.
What: Neighbors meet.
Where: Pax elevator, then walking outside Pax
When: April 13, 2017
"That'a boy. I know you wanna sit around all day and get fat; believe me, I want to, too, but doctor's orders. Yours, anyway," Gabe voiced in a low tone to his Australian Shepard as the dog unhappily made his way out of the front door of 805 and into the hall. Once he was sure the door was locked, Gabe and Spot made the short journey to the elevator; Gabe was left standing, the dog allowed himself the perk of sitting on the floor. Sometimes, Gabe wished he was a dog, but he contented himself with rubbing Spot's head until the doors dinged open.
They moved inside the small box, Gabe leaning against the far wall as they descended; it was a smooth, faultless ride until the fifth floor, when the doors dinged open again. Gabe nodded at his presumably fellow tenant, smiling politely.
"Afternoon. Headed out?"
Nish had been scrolling through an email on her phone when the doors opened, revealing an unfamiliar tenant and his dog. She smiled and got in, reaching for the button for the ground floor but noting it was already pushed. He drew her attention with his question and she nodded.
“Yeah, out for lunch, actually,” she said politely. After a moment she added. “I haven't seen you before...you're new here?” she asked, glancing down at the adorable dog at their feet with a smile.
He nodded, extending a hand along with a pleasant smile.
"Gabe, 801. I keep being told there's not too many people here, but I also keep running into new faces, so it's hard to tell how much truth the other statement holds. It's a nice enough place all the same. Are you breaking from working at home, or...?"
She smiled, “something like that,” she said cautiously. She had actually taken the day off, spending the morning on her new hobby and planning to go out for lunch before her afternoon therapy session at the hospital. But he didn’t need to know any of that. Instead, she extended a hand to shake the one offered. “Nishka, 502,” she added, letting go of his hand. “So...when did you move in?”
"Beginning of the month," he replied, winding his hand in Spot's lead when it was freed. Nishka could easily be shortened to Nish; was this Rafe's girlfriend? He hadn't known what to expect just by the name, though he'd made baseless assumptions he knew he shouldn't have. Regardless, he did his best to tamp down surprise, focusing instead on getting to know his new neighbor.
"I guess things were a little weird then, huh? I'm told it's not a regular thing." The elevator doors closed, and the car slid quietly down toward its final destination. Nish nodded and chuckled softly.
“You could say that,” she said with a little grin. Things were weird in the building for sure, and that’s what she’d assumed he meant, but things were even...weirder for her lately. Vivid dreams almost every night, late night visits to bars and cheap motel rooms only slightly less frequently. Weirdness between her and Rafe. Life was weird these days. “Were you here in time for that? The strange...gifts...everyone seemed to get?” Hers had initially freaked her out, but the stupid cookie jar was starting to grow on her. Enough that when she saw a matching ‘Mr. Tea’ teapot, she’d bought the damn thing on impulse. Now the two were sitting next to each other on her kitchen counter, and they made her laugh every time she saw them.
He nodded, shifting against the wall. Spot panted, happy simply to be sitting.
"Yeah, I got a mounted butterfly. Was...strangely accurate to my person, and I've gotten stuff from fans before, but I didn't realize people would get my new address so quickly," he laughed. "You mind if I ask what you got? I understand if it's personal," he added, shrugging a touch as he offered her a way out of the conversation.
She waved off his concern with a hand and a barely suppressed grin. “No, it’s alright, it’s...I don’t even get what it’s supposed to mean, if it’s supposed to mean anything. It was April Fool’s Day, after all,” she said with a smirk. “I got a...cookie jar. In the shape of Mr. T’s head.” At first she’d thought it was some sort of stupid joke from Abel, but once she realized that pretty much everyone else in the building had received an equally strange and mysterious gift, she’d allowed herself to laugh about it. “It’s kind of an eyesore in my kitchen now, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of it.” She paused then, remembering what he’d said about his gift.
“Fans? Are you an actor?” she asked, immediately jumping to that conclusion living so close to Hollywood.
"Only if you count cameos, and even then, it was just the one time," he offered, grinning while shaking his head. "No, I'm a screenwriter. Well, I guess writer would be a better description, period. Screenplays, short stories, have two books under my belt." They passed by the second floor, the lobby's arrival impending. Nish’s eyebrows rose slightly at his description, impressed.
"People who like my work send me stuff, sometimes. Their own screenplays, which," here he shook his head again, one hand rising to cup his nape in a display of discomfort, "that's never a good idea, you know? Copyright issues and whatnot. And then there's the inspirational stuff, so I thought maybe the butterfly was that. But that movie's from almost over a decade ago, so someone was really digging in the bargain bin at FYE."
Both hands came back down as the elevator landed, the doors opening wide to a sun-drenched lobby. Gabe gave a gentle tug to Spot's lead, and the old dog unhappily rose to his paws.
"C'mon, old man, it's not that bad," he said quietly, heading for the doors. He waved at Stephan, then held the Pax Entrance open for Nish to exit first. Nish briefly caught Stephan’s eyes, puzzled by the somewhat odd expression he gave her.
"So where's lunch? I hope it's something better than fast food," he continued, leading his dog out into the warm day. She smiled, passing through the open front door with a grateful nod.
“Ohh, wherever I feel like stopping on the way to the...to my appointment,” she said, catching herself just in time. She wasn’t about to explain to a stranger why she was headed to the hospital on a sunny afternoon instead of to work or wherever other people went on those days. “Maybe I’ll stop for sushi,” she said with a shrug. She checked her watch, noting she still had plenty of time. “Where are you walking the mutt?” she asked, grinning down at the little guy. She was very much a cat person, but she could appreciate dogs for the adorable fluffy friends they were.
"Just around the block," he replied as he directed the Australian Shepherd along the sidewalk. "He can't go too far, but I try to get him -- and myself -- outside as much as we can. It's good for his digestion and good for my creative streak. Sitting at a desk all day isn't good for anyone, not even dogs," he said, keeping to Spot's slow pace.
"Sushi's good though. Do you know this area well? Sad to say, I was raised in Los Angeles, but I don't know Newport as well as I feel like I should," he offered with a slight laugh, pausing in the middle of the walkway to see if Nish was going to depart to head in her own direction.
She walked with him, adjusting to his slow, easy pace. “Not at all,” she said with a shrug. “I’m actually from up north. I kind of...moved across the country and found myself here. Something I thought was pretty unusual, but I’m hearing more and more from other neighbours. So everything I know about LA I’ve learned since I got here, but I’m adapting. Can’t really adapt to the heat though,” she added with an uncomfortable glance at the sun. “I’m from up north,” she added as explanation. It was only April and she was already finding uncomfortably warm. She wasn’t sure how she’d survive the summer.
"How far up north?" He pointed up, smiling a bit mischievously, as though she were talking about the sky rather than the direction. "Northern Cal? Oregon? Canada?”
“Chicago,” she answered, “I originally wanted to move further north, but somehow ended up here instead,” she added with a little helpless shrug.
"I don't think it's something you'll ever get used to, from what I hear," he added, nodding at her answer. "Everyone's got their own inner settings. I love the heat, but I know other people who can't stand it. Some are just built more for the cold, and I'm definitely not one of them." He let Spot pick the direction, and soon they were headed out across the grass toward on of the small, freshly planted trees in the vicinity; it looked, much like many other plants on the property, like it was a little worse for the wear.
“I’m definitely built for the cold,” she said, not even noticing that she was walking with him on the grass instead of to her car. Or that he seemed easy to talk to, despite his current status as ‘stranger I shouldn’t be telling private details to’. “My mother used to joke that our family was cold-blooded. She and her side of the family came from Norway back in the day.” Again, another shrug, again, sharing more than she normally would. She remembered telling that same bit of information to Rafe on their first date, and a slight smile tugged at her lips. She’d had sushi that night too.
Gabe nodded. "Makes sense. And then there's just what you're used to. I was in Chicago for a brief stint on my book tour, and yeah, it's much chillier there than it is here, though this time of year, it should be heating up a bit, right?" He held Spot's lead with his left, tucked his right into a pants pocket. They meandered, Spot sniffing along the grassline.
Nish grinned and chuckled softly, watching Spot search for a spot to do his dog business. “I thought it was too warm there too, in the summer at least. I really wanted to move to Canada, or even Alaska. That’s where my dad’s…was...from.” She chewed on her lip, thinking that might have been too much information, even by not saying it. Instead she deflected, motioning to his dog with her head. “What’s his name? He’s quite unique, is he a border collie?” she knew so little about dogs, she always got the breed wrong unless it was an obvious one like Pugs.
Gabe noted the abrupt change in topic, but the fact that she changed it was enough of a red flag to not dig deeper. Instead, he shook his head at her question.
"Australian Shepherd. He's Spot -- unique, I know, but I've heard enough of it already from other parties," he offered, amusement threading through his voice. "He's on the older side, so that's why he moves pretty slowly, but he's still a good boy. Innit that right, Spot?" The dog paused and turned its head, ears perking slightly at his name. His tongue lolled out of his smiling mouth. Gabe moved over to him, bending down to rub his sides, making the dog tilt his head up and backward in joy. Nish smiled widely and laughed softly at the dog’s obvious happiness, but avoided touching him, more out of respect for personal space than aversion to canines. Still crouched over him, Gabe looked back to Nish. "You got any pets? There's one woman here who said she'd be up for dog walking together. Would be nice to start a club!" He grinned again, only slightly sarcastic.
Nish laughed with him. “Ohh, I have a cat, Bear,” she said with a fond smile. “He’s kind of a taskmaster, but he’s a good boy. Actually, I think he’s become somewhat of an art critic,” she added with a little wry grin.
"Isn't that always the case with cats?" Gabe returned, standing up straight and urging Spot to continue puttering on. Then his gaze returned to Nish, one brow gently raised, as they resumed their slow wandering. "Art critic how? Are you venturing into the world of acrylics and canvas? You know what they say about that; never put your coffee cup next to the one you clean your brushes in."
To her embarrassment, Nish blushed just a little, smiling and glancing away. “Yeah, well...it’s recently come to my attention that I need a hobby,” she said, shrugging as if she didn’t quite hold to that opinion herself. “I’ve been trying a few things out, and I got myself some paints last week. A...group...I go to suggested that I try out a few different things to see which I liked. Paints are kind of fun, though I’m still very much a novice, as Bear takes every opportunity to remind me.” It had been...interesting. It was supposed to be therapeutic, painting images from her dreams, but all it did was raise far more questions than it answered. And a lot more emotions than she cared to deal with.
Gabe nodded, brows rising in interest. "All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl; it's good to get out, have varied interests. Makes you more popular at parties," he offered, one hand slipping into a pocket. "I wouldn't take Bear too seriously; I mean, he's probably never been out of your apartment, so what kind of an opinion could he really have?" Nish smirked and nodded at his assessment.
The last was said with a partial laugh. "My mom's an art dealer; if you need inspiration, I'm sure she's got a laundry list of galleries that need to be checked out before you might be allowed to graduate off the list of 'novice' into 'journeyman.'" He shook his head, mentally rolling his eyes at himself for having brought up his mother but chalking it up to alignment with her own mentioning of her father. "But, you know, art is subjective. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' way to do it."
She nodded again, “ohh, I know, but...it’s frustrating when you can’t get...the images in your head to look the same on the canvas.” Her first few attempts had been spectacular fails of dark on dark and more dark. She’d found out through surfing youtube that she was just using the wrong medium. “I think I prefer oils to acrylic,” she said without really meaning to share so much. “More texture, and you can build colours on top of colours easier.” A slightly guilty grin showed itself for a second. “I may be taking pointers from Bob Ross,” she added with a chuckle. She couldn’t watch a single minute of his videos with a straight face, but the man sure knew how to paint.
"Hey, the guy was popular for a reason. All those happy trees," Gabe returned. Nish couldn’t help but laugh at that. "Oils are great. You could always try to Van Gogh method, exclude brushes entirely. Art is frustrating; you just have to keep at it. It's... It's not necessarily one of those things where practice makes perfect, and I can't say if it'll ever quote unquote work for you, but if you're at least feeling better after using the outlet, no one can knock that." It was the closest he'd brushed to whatever he knew Nish was skirting around. He wasn't going to pry, not knowing the woman that well, but it felt good to add another name to the growing list of people he was now familiar with at Pax.
His last comment got her attention and she looked up at him, as if trying to decide how much she’d let on with her words, how much he’d inferred. Painting her nightmares was supposed to be therapy, but instead it was opening up a whole new world of questions she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answers to. The things she painted, or tried to paint...they had names that she’d never heard before, but they came to mind as if she’d already known them. It was frightening at times, but also cathartic to finally get it out of herself and onto the canvas.
After a moment of indecision, she finally decided that he was just being friendly and took it as that, smiling softly and nodding as they walked.
Spot was starting to slow, and Gabe turned him back toward the building. "I think we're gonna start making our way inside; I wouldn't want to keep you from your appointment...?" He left off, not necessarily trying to get rid of her as offer a gentle reminder of the plans she'd voiced earlier.
Her brows rose and the sense of forgetting something important suddenly settled on her. She checked her watch, but sighed when she saw she still had an hour before group started. At least she could get some sushi to go and eat it at the hospital. “Yeah, right,” she said as if just coming out of a reverie and realising she had lost track of time. “You’re right, I should go, but it was nice meeting you. Both of you,” she added, glancing down at Spot with a smile. She turned her smile towards Gabe and offered him her hand, “I guess I’ll see you around.” It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to come over some time to look at her work, but she caught herself just in time, suddenly horrified that she’d even considered offering something so private to a virtual stranger. What was it about this guy that had her instantly dropping her guard around him?
Gabe inclined his head toward her, his smile small but true. "It was great to meet you too, Nish. I'm serious about that gallery stuff; if you wanna take me up on it, I'm sure we could figure out a time." He took her hand again, shaking it with a firm grip, before letting go. "Maybe we could do lunch around it, make a day of it. I'm sure there's some other people in the building who might want to go, too. Maybe a class fieldtrip?" He laughed a touch, Spot still sitting on the ground, making it clear that he was done with both the conversation and the outdoors."
Nish flashed him another smile, thoughtful. “That sounds good,” she admitted, “though I don't know if I'd want to invite the whole building too,” she said. She'd never really been shy, but her new explorations with art were...personal. She didn't exactly want everyone to know about her new hobby. The idea that she was willing to share it with Gabe was somewhat alarming, but she just...had a feeling that it would be safe to do so.
She stepped away slightly, towards the parking lot. “I should…” she tipped her head away, towards her car. “But I'll see you,” she said, smiling down at Spot and then back up at him. “Thanks for the walk.” She turned towards her car and headed away, smiling despite herself.