Who: Rose and Neal When: Recently, of course. Where: The Beach What: Rose takes advantage of the California weather to paint on the beach, Neal happens upon her. Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Rose could absolutely not get enough of the beautiful California weather. She could have ended up anywhere when she had left Philadelphia, but she was glad she had come here. She had the day off from Baxter’s, and had decided that she should spend the day at the beach with some of her paints.
She had found a spot on the beach, not secluded, but far enough from the families that she could have some peace. She set up her easel, mixed her watercolours, and, enjoying the salty air, the sun on her face, and the wind in her hair, began to paint the ocean.
You’d think since he lived so close to the beach, practically right on it, that Neal would be out there more. But he wasn’t, at least not often. He worked long days, beginning when the sun spoke its ‘good morning’s’ to the world at what could be considered an ungodly hour, and ending close to twilight. Some days he was at the ranch for longer stretches than others, and then sometimes he’d finish up earlier and go to Regina’s for whatever she needed him to do - chock full of stuff, and all the recent revelations had left him extra tired too.
In a rare show of fuckery, he had a free afternoon. Once he got back from the ranch, showered, changed, and decided that he was just going to go for a damn walk, knots of tension began to unravel. Maybe the Captain Hook in his dreams had been right - he had the sea in his blood, and he felt comforted being around its power and its tranquility.
Along the way, he spotted a redhead. A redhead painting. Painting something. He craned his neck to see, because he was nosy, and nearly snapped his bones trying to get a glimpse - and caught himself, chuckling sheepishly. “Guess I should take a picture, it’ll last longer, huh? I was just curious about your...art doo-dad’s.”
Well! Watching people paint was kind of soothing. In a weird way.
Rose had been so engrossed in her painting that she hadn’t noticed the man approach her, and when he spoke she gave a start. “Oh!” she gasped, and then turned to him. “My apologies, I didn’t notice you there.” She turned her body aside a little bit so that he could get another view. It was fairly simplistic,but Rose was clearly skilled. She might not have the raw talent to become an artist, as in someone who made money solely off their art, but she loved it and worked hard to make it something worth looking at. She was particularly pleased at how well this particular watercolour was coming along. “What were you curious about? I would be happy to answer any questions, if you had any.”
Well, she was friendly, and didn’t tell him to fuck off for disturbing her. That was a bonus. Neal tossed her a crooked smile, the genuine eye-crinkling kind that tended to be infectious. So many questions, but he’d settle for the simpler ones. “Hm, well...”
His hand went to his chin, as if stroking contemplatively. The way famous people on the BBC network sat around discussing art and literature or something. “I guess my first question is, how do you make it not look crappy? Because I really have no skill with that.” No lie. He sketched, that was all. He drew things. It was a habit that carried over from his dream life, since young Baelfire loved to sketch too, when he got a moment and some charcoal. A hobby picked up from his mother. Neal wasn’t too bad at it now, even, but painting? A whole other story.
Rose couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the question. It was a pretty good question. “A lot of practice. And I had quite a few art lessons growing up.” She had been insistent on it, and he father had caved pretty easily. Once he had passed away, her mother had been less willing to spend money on expensive art lessons, but by then Rose had a pretty good foundation to work off of. “I really wasn’t very good when I first started, but it was something that I had always wanted to do.”
“That’s admirable. And, you know, I say if it’s not hurting anyone, you go on and do what you want to do, right? That already looks good,” he nodded toward the canvas that Rose was splashing color on. Actually being there, seeing the ocean in all its splendor, it was better than calling upon memory to get the job done. In the dreams, Baelfire hadn’t had much to work with - especially while stuck on Neverland for hundreds of years. The cave markings, the etchings, they kept him from going too mad. A small hobby but it had meant a lot to him at the time.
He extended his hand then, the one without the mark of the key to the Dark One’s vault burned in the palm, a scar that would forever be a reminder of when his insane father shared a mind and body with him - the darkest time in his life, coincidentally. “I’m Neal, by the way. So do you paint mostly for business or pleasure?”
“Thank you,” Rose said. “I do think it’s important for people to follow their own hearts, instead of letting other people dictate their choices for them. Pursuing your passions is very important.”
“I’m Rose,” she said, shaking his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I only paint for pleasure. Someday, I hope that I’ll be able to work around art, though. I’ve recently enrolled in the University to study art.”
Oh, an art student? That said she was serious - or at least said that painting was more than just a hobby. “So did you just move to town?” Neal asked curiously, hands moving to his hoodie pockets; the salty breeze wasn’t very intimidating though, it actually felt pleasant. “To study art, I mean. Because if you like the beach scene, I know of some hidden gems.”
The kind you could only get to by winding paths and were smaller, more secluded. They lacked the typical amenities like volleyball nets and public bathrooms. Probably better that way.
“There’s one called Victoria Beach. White sand, and the water’s this great green shade. Then there’s another called Treasure Island Beach, it’s part of Laguna Beach. Nice tide pools there.”
“I did,” Rose said, smiling. “Good guess. I just moved here from Pennsylvania.” She listened to his description of the beaches. “Victoria beach sounds absolutely beautiful. How lovely.” She would definitely need to go and see it for herself. “Have you lived here for very long, then?”
Yeah, Rose had that ivory, ‘it snows a shit ton, no sun here’ northerner complexion to her - Neal recognized that, had a sharp eye for those from the New York/Pennsylvania/New Jersey area. Maybe because of all the connections he had to NYC, ones that he couldn’t seem to sever no matter what he did or how hard he tried. There was Ruby, whom he had a past, a present, and a future with, and also Emma, and the mafia ties thanks to his stepfather - a black stain on everything, but he lived with it.
“Damn, that’s a long way,” he whistled, impressed. “I hope you like it here though. I’m technically from Detroit, but I lived all over the place. Been in Orange County for almost a year.” And he probably wouldn’t be leaving either. Not anytime soon.
Inspiration struck him then, and since she indicated she wanted to work around all things art, why not give her a chance? He was a good judge of character. Rose only gave off warm vibes. “Related to art, I promise, but do you like working with kids too?” he asked.
“Oh, the Orange County has been nothing but good to me,” Rose said. She had trouble believing that anywhere could have people as friendly as the Orange County had been, and she had even met that charming man, Jack. She had found that he was on her mind quite often since he had taken her to the beach.
“With children? I can’t say that I have ever worked with children before,” in fact, her job at Baxter’s Bakery was the first job that she had ever had, “but I do enjoy spending time with them. Why do you ask?”
Orange County did have a special type of friendliness to it, probably due to the Valar network and the ‘everyone’s in this wacky dream shit together’ boat. He didn’t want to bring those up now, so Neal would stick to more neutral topics. Already he’d seen a bit of Rose’s talent, her ocean portfolio right here, and she just seemed really sweet.
He’d do a background check, of course, but he doubted she was collecting ears of her victims to string onto necklaces or anything.
“Well, I run a ranch for at-risk youth. Kids who have been in juvie already, or just have discipline problems, things like that,” he explained. “Most of the problem is that the adults in their life let them down, so it’s all about building up trust and getting them to kind of turn their life around for the better.” Neal had been in that situation before, so he knew how difficult it was - and he really, at that age, had no one to help him in that regard either. Considering what happened to him in his dreamworld it was a wonder he wasn’t collecting ears himself. But anyway. “We have a couple people who teach art, and other subjects, but art’s definitely kind of a therapy thing for them. They love the animals too. Anyway, I started as a ranch hand and then took over more of the admin things when the owner left, so...”
He shrugged, grinning. “I’m always on the lookout for people who would maybe be a good fit.”
“That is really quite admirable, Neal,” Rose said, very impressed. It took a very caring individual to run a place for troubled kids, and Rose felt herself warming to the man. There weren’t a lot of people back home who would even consider such a thing. They thought themselves better than anyone who didn’t have money, though Rose had never subscribed to that point of view. “I’m honoured that you would ask me. Of course, I would love to come see the ranch, and I’ll certainly consider it.” Just sitting and painting, Rose knew, could be very healing, and she would love to be able to help spread that to people who needed it. But she was more pragmatic than to jump in without first seeing the place for herself.
He loved his job, and it showed. Just in the way Neal talked about the place - it was personal for him, because he’d been those kids before. Kindred spirit. “It’s a lot of work but I don’t mind though, it’s good work,” he said, and patted his pockets - probably had a business card in there somewhere. Not that he was the most organized person when it came to things like that, but...
Aha! One card was procured from his wallet, which he handed over. “That’s all my contact info, so whenever you want to come get a tour or whatever, give me a shout. Mostly any day is good, no rush.” After all, he was there pretty much every day as it was. “I’m also on Valarnet too, if you’re there.”
“Thank you,” Rose said, taking the card and looking it over before placing it in the purse that was lying at her feet. “I am on Valarnet! I was told it’s the best way to get to know the people around here. I will be sure to give you a call very soon.”
Well, yeah, Valarnet was good for that. And for life-ruining but he wouldn't burst Rose's bubble. She seemed vibrant and happy. Bonus for still being mostly sane - after Neal's mind had been shattered when forced to share with another presence, he knew he probably wouldn't ever be the same. Shit like that changed you.
But whatever. Some people understood that, and then some...didn't.
"Sounds good." He tugged the hood up over his head, prepared to fight off the beach breeze and make the trek back toward where he'd come from. "Nice meeting you, Rose. I'm sure we'll be in touch."