inspiration Who: Gin and Cody Where: orchard When: morning
Gin was sitting under a mango tree. Her thoughts were wandering a wide range of ideas but right then, with her pencil raised, eraser on her lower lip, she was stumped. She'd been sort of feeling less than creative lately and the trip to the fruit farm had been meant to stir up something, anything. On the pages before the one sitting blankly on her lap there were prosaic line drawings of birds, a mango that had fallen into a pile of mulch, the trees themselves. There was even a detailed and shaded monarch butterfly that had alighted on her coffee thermos. But nothing was inspiring her.
What she needed was some spark of life. Some pizazz in the middle of all this sameness. Hell, she'd even settle for getting herself into hot water with a black eye at the end of it if it meant she could pull out something new and fresh from her noggin. She leaned back against the trunk of the tree and gazed up into the leaves above her, wondering why the big, vast world that she'd wanted to see had to become so small so quickly. She sighed and stood to leave.
Cody was wandering around, as per usual. Lately he was feeling weird. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but everything seemed to be bugging him. He felt like he'd been used to things the way they were, and then all of a sudden everything was different...but not really. He was still dead. He looked dead. He scared people, and not always when he wanted to. He was antisocial in the first place, really, but now he actually had options for being social, so it was different. Now it was a choice, not a forced state of being. And he did actually like talking to people sometimes, it was just...made of awkward.
He saw a woman he could only describe as 'bright' sitting alone by herself. Or, she was sitting, and then she was standing up, and he wasn't sure whether he was visible or not. Which was weird, considering. So he sort of stood there, hands shoved into his pockets as he eyed her. Gin bent to put her drawing pad into the canvas tote she'd brought with her and when she straightened up she caught sight of a man standing a little ways away. She jumped and put a hand to her heart, dissolving into laughter at her own reaction. "Oh wow, you startled me. I must have been in my own little world and didn't hear you." She took a step toward him and canted her head. There was something different about him. But maybe it was just that he seemed to have appeared out of thin air while she'd been lost in thought.
"Is this," she asked, throwing a thumb back toward the trees in the orchard. "Is this your farm? I didn't pick anything. I just sat here to draw."
So he was visible, then. He reached up to yank his hood up, to help hide a little of his unnatural pallor, the blood on his lips he couldn't quite get rid of all of the time. If it was there. It might not be at the moment. But it would be there soon enough. He was far enough back not to have triggered that unease he created around him. "Huh? Oh. No. It's not mine. Feel free to sit and draw all you want." he told her. "What were you drawing?"
"Oh," she said with a relieved smile. "Good, so you're not going to shoot me for trespassing." She took another step toward him and saw more clearly that what was odd about him was that he was very pale. His lips were bright like maybe he was wearing lipstick but it was cast more into shadow when he put the hood up. She shrugged, not one to judge what other people chose to look like. Especially not after everything they'd all seen and been through before this place. "I was drawing… well… everything really. Trying to get some kind of inspiration. I've been kind of low on creativity lately. Sorry, were you just trying to have a nice, quiet walk and now I'm chattering at you?"
Cody was hoping she didn't get too close. Then maybe she wouldn't notice that he looked kinda dead, and they wouldn't have to have the 'so you're a ghost' conversation. He was getting tired of that one. "No, it's fine." he told her, not feeling like stopping to talk was bad. She seemed nice enough. "What's included in 'everything'?" he asked. "What do you usually draw?”
She brightened some to be asked about her drawing and absolved of having disrupted him too. "Oh uh I was drawing birds, trees, the mangoes, etc. I'll draw anything but mostly I like drawing people when they don't know I'm doing it," she said with a secretive grin. "Do you like art or are you just polite?"
Shrugging one shoulder, he wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm interested in what you might draw." he said, which wasn't either anwer presented. "Why do you want to draw people when they don't know?" he asked, that idea sparking his attention more. He watched people when they didn't know he was there. And sure, he'd been forced to do that for a long time, but that was just semantics.
"Oh," she said and nodded slightly. "Okay. She shoved her pencil behind her ear and made a thoughtful face. "I think it's because people are natural when they don't know you're watching. You can see who they really are and what they think about themselves when they aren't aware of being seen. Do you ever people watch? It can be really revealing."
"I've been known to." Cody said with the hint of a smile on his lips. "Do you figure they aren't who they really are when they're talking to someone else?" he had to ask. He'd definitely seen people out there who seemed to be night and day depending on how they were at home, and how they were out in town. But he'd also seen people who seemed to be pretty much the same, regardless.
"I think people, here especially, tend to be pretty guarded around others. When their guard is down you get to see a much more different side of them that I call 'soul truth.' It's when you know whether or not the guy who barks orders really is a hard-ass or he's insecure in his place in business. Or the girl who is meek in public really goes home and lets her hair down to dance or read Proust." Half of what she observed in people was imaginings but she liked them. They sparked creativity.
Cody arched a brow at her. "I think people everywhere these days are guarded." he said. "Soul truth, huh? Interesting. What would you say about me?" he asked, curious. "What kind of person am I? Or do you have to watch me without my knowing?"
Gin giggled at his question. "No, I could make a few assumptions but they wouldn't be based on facts. Other than you seem inquisitive, open, and rather non-asshole-ish. So far. And I think maybe you enjoy bright colors." Even if he hid in his hood and his skin was pale, perhaps that pallor was makeup. Who knew? He was interesting, that was for sure. But as he hadn't stepped closer to her, she stayed where she was too, not ready to give up the conversation just yet in case she invaded personal space or something. "I suspect you think I'm weird. And I am, you know."
"...well, you're wrong about the asshole part. I'm not a very nice person most of the time." he admitted. He knew it. He was angry. He was a goddamn poltergeist. He wasn't a fluffy dude. He was grateful she didn't walk up, liking the distance. "I don't think you're weird. I think you're someone who doesn't seem stuck in depression mode."
"Oh… is that where you are? I mean, don't answer that. That's not my business." She shook her head. "No, I'm really not depressed. I probably should be, but I can't see the point I guess." She knew though too that being upbeat wasn't everyone's thing and she didn't expect it of them. Her heart went out to people who were depressed. "Really though… for an asshole, you're kind of good at not coming across as one." She grinned, sort of teasing.
He'd been pretty much eaten by depression. It sucked his soul down and fed on it til he was dead. Til he'd deliberately put himself in harm's way. He glanced away, looking like he was just taking in the horizon. "Maybe you caught me on a good day." he said. "Good you aren't depressed, though. So did you get inspired, then? By everything here?"
Gin shook her head. "No, not at all. I was just giving up when you happened by." She felt disappointed by that but felt like the cosmos had aligned to give her an interesting interaction as compensation instead. Who knew what sort of things would occur in her mind once she got home and thought about it all. The odd way he looked, the odd way he spoke about himself. Which, she supposed, wasn't odd for him. It was all good. Really good. "But you're a bright spot! And I'm happy to have caught you on a good day too. Good day you is kinda nice … uh…" And she realized she didn't know his name yet. "I'm Gin, by the way."
"Cody." he introduced himself. "Sucks you didn't get inspired. And I guess...yay?" he suggested at being called a bright spot. Then he paused. "Want some inspiration?" he asked.
"Ah, nice to meet you, Cody." She giggled at his uncertainty at her comment. She found him amusing though not condescendingly, she hoped he didn't think she was condescending. When he asked if she wanted inspiration she put her hand to her chest again. This time to provide sincerity even though her tone did that well too. "Good lord, yes. I could use it bad."
Cody flashed a smirk, and then disappeared. He just exerted that will he now had, to drop out of visibility and he quickly walked up behind her, knowing that his strong presence would be felt. He said nothing right away, just watching her.
Gin's eyes went wide, her jaw dropped open and she made a small sound of confusion. It took her only a moment for the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. It was as though something large had suddenly come up behind her. She turned so slowly, first her eyes then her face, and something like icy terror washed through her stomach. There was nothing there. She looked around then for Cody, rubbing her eyes. "Holy shit. What just happened? Cody?"
He watched her, scared, and held out for a few long, moments. Letting her feel it. Then he leaned in closer, and murmured in her ear. "Boo." he said, keeping stepped up very close, waiting for her to look around, before he let himself drop back into the visible spectrum, bending slightly to get a good look at her eyes, and at this distance, she'd be able to really see what he looked like.
She was so tensed, eyes swinging back and forth, that when she heard that soft voice, right near her ear, her first instinct was to scream. And she did. She whipped around, seeing nothing, no one. And then suddenly, there he was again. Right there, practically in her face and she could see now the translucent nature of his skin with dark veins running beneath and the fact that if he was wearing lipstick, he'd smeared it like gore across his chin. "You are an asshole," she whispered. "You nearly scared the pee out of me. H-how'd you do that?"
He smiled at her. "You were warned," he said, stepping back. "But there's nothing quite so inspiring as true fear," he added. "That knock anything loose in your imagination?" he asked, ignoring the part about how he did that.
She frowned, though not angrily even though two seconds ago she was on her way to furious and about to kick him in the balls. "Yeah, probably some really dark shit. Now I think I need a quart of vodka or a joint to calm my nerves. What the hell?" Her eyes were dark but held some fascination too, even as her heart continued to race in her throat. She recognized potential danger when she saw it.
"You didn't say what kind of inspiration, just that you wanted some. So, there you go. Now you can have some. I can't really do anything but 'dark'." he said with a shrug. He started to stroll farther away from her, hands back in his hoodie pockets.
That was true, she had agreed. "Yeah, I might not have said yes if I'd known you could do that. How did you do that? And how long were you watching me before I saw you the first time?" she called after him as he began to walk away.
"I just did." Cody said, over his shoulder. "Does it matter?" he posed. He turned around to keep walking, but he did so backwards, to keep her in view. "And not long. I'd just been going for a walk, I saw you when you got up."
"No, I guess it doesn't. Leaves more to the imagination that way…" she said and continued to frown at him, her breathing calming slowly. She wasn't sure she believed he hadn't been there longer. She wasn't sure what to think about him and that was a little thrilling. Did she have a stalker now? That was exciting too. Still, that was something she should discourage. Wasn't it? "Promise not to do that again unless I agree to it?" Yes, subconsciously she was hoping to run into him again.
"What's the fun in that?" Cody asked, flashing her a grin. He was actually amused, here. He caught the implication that she'd talk to him again, even after this. So, if he saw her? Yeah, he would say hi to her again. It gave him something to smile about for the moment, anyhow.
Gin looked at him, rather annoyed that he wouldn't give her the benefit of agreeing not to scare the living daylights out of her again. Though she supposed that if it meant she created art again… Maybe paranoia had its perks. She'd have to see. "Asshole," she repeated though there was a note of appreciation there.
Cody actually waved at her before he drifted off into the background, sliding back to invisibility as he got far enough away that it would probably look mysterious. He had to smile to himself, actually kind of pleased with that encounter.
She couldn't help but smile without meaning to and her hand raised to wave back before she realized what she was doing. She watched him go and when he was out of sight she actually burst out laughing, spilling out the nervous energy that had built. "Holy, fucking, shit…." She grabbed her drawing pad from her bag and sat down immediately to sketch.