Henry Townshend is a ghost magnet (room_302) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-09-07 20:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, cindy cendrillon (cinderella), henry townshend |
Who: Henry Townshend and Cindy Cendrillon
What: Talk of Cindy’s upcoming nuptials
Where: Mall food court
When:Mid-last week
Warnings/Ratings: None
Status:Complete
Things were looking up for Henry. Joining a social media network and actually participating in said social media network had gotten him two jobs. It was more freelance work in a week than he’d had in the last three months. If this kept up, he could quit his day job at the Picture Palace and do freelance full time. Hell, if this kept up he might just be able to open his studio sooner than he thought. He should have done this ages ago.
So needless to say Henry was feeling very good with himself that afternoon. All he had to do was clinch this meeting with Cindy and get her to hire him for her wedding. It would be one of the biggest jobs he’d gotten in months! Weddings were a big freaking deal, after all. Pictures out the wazoo to commemorate the special day.
So this meeting had to go well. Henry managed to trade lunches with one of the other photographers and get said photographer to cover for him should his meeting run long. He’d spent the previous evening putting together a portfolio to show Cindy. He hadn’t done a wedding in about a year, but he’d found a few past bride pictures and other portraits to stick in there to offset the scenery shots he’d been doing lately.
The minute the clock indicated his lunch had started, Henry wasted no time in leaving the studio and heading straight for the food court. He had to be on time. First impressions were incredibly important when meeting potential clients.
Damn, how long had it been since Cindy stepped foot into a mall food court? Probably years - she fondly remembered the days of her southern belle youth, flashes of things like neon pink signs that said Claire’s and pizza that was like cardboard, maybe even spending hours browsing CDs before there were things like iPods and phone apps to get the latest music. Ah, nostalgia.
Before meeting her potential wedding photographer, she stopped and ordered a strawberry smoothie to be her liquid lunch and, wearing jeans and black boots that climbed high with a cozy belted-at-the-waist sweater thrown over that, she headed for the correct table where she assumed Henry was waiting. At least, she was pretty sure it was him. Might be embarrassing if it wasn’t, but oh well.
“Hey,” she greeted brightly. “I’m Cindy, you’re Henry, I’m hoping?”
The food court was abuzz with activity. Mall patrons and mall employees alike had gathered to pause, refuel and prepare for the rest of their day. There was a soft droning buzz that wafted up towards the ceiling. Henry had never noticed that before, but while he waited for Cindy and watched the long lines of people waiting to get their food, he couldn’t not notice it. Maybe he should have taken the morning off, met Cindy somewhere a little more quiet, a little more professional. Man, it’d be nice to not have to worry about such things eventually.
He looked up when he heard his name, peering up through shaggy light brown hair at the blonde woman standing by the table he’d staked out for his meeting with Cindy. He blinked at her once before getting up and reaching across the table to shake her hand. “Its nice to meet you Cindy,” he gestured to the chair on the other side of the table, “please take a seat. Thanks for agreeing to meet me here. I’m sorry its...kind of loud.”
He studied Cindy as she sat down. She was a snappy dresser and would likely make a beautiful bride. Henry felt a little foolish sitting there in his Picture Palace polo and khakis, but at least Cindy knew for certain now that he was a photographer.
“You’re getting married in October, correct?” Henry started, “that’s a beautiful time of year. Is it an outdoor wedding or indoor?”
“Great to meet you too,” Cindy returned the smile, shook the guy’s hand, and then set her smoothie down so she could settle at the table across from him. She crossed her legs, one knee over the other, and mentally went through the questions she had for him - of course, she assumed that he had some for her as well. Him in his adorable Picture Palace polo, seriously, how cute was that.
But right, the venue. May as well go over this first and foremost - in case Henry decided to decline the job based on location; it was highly possible. “October 18th,” she confirmed. “Our rehearsal dinner the day before is at Oktoberfest. It’s where me and Garrus had our first date a year ago,.” The memory made her grin happily too, as she twisted the diamond engagement ring around on her finger. “Anyway, it’s...indoor. And, listen, I’m just gonna lay it out for you right now.”
She paused. “The wedding and reception?” A sip of her smoothie. “It’s in space.”
Henry was pleased Cindy was willing to get right down to business. Henry hated small talk. It could be awkward and uncomfortable and a bit of a waste of time when there were other important things to get to. His lunch was only an hour the quicker he could get the details and the job, the better.
He took a legal pad out of his portfolio and started taking notes. He jotted down the date of the wedding itself and the date of the rehearsal dinner. “Oktoberfest,” he smiled up at her. “That should be really fun. Were you planning on having pictures done during the rehearsal as well?” Many couples didn’t necessarily include their rehearsal as part of their big day and neglected to have their photographer present for it. Rehearsals could be long, drawn out, full of nerves and boring. But Oktoberfest was perfect. A party to kick off a party. Surely Cindy would want a photographer present for it to commit these important memories to eternity.
He looked up from his legal pad when Cindy started talking about the venue. Ah, the meat and potatoes. Perfect. When she mentioned that the wedding itself was in space, however, the words hit Henry in the forehead like a lead ball. His pen fell from between his thumb and forefingers.
Henry tried to recover himself quickly, picking up his pen and shaking his head. “I’m sorry,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Space? Like a planetarium?” Yes, that had to have been it. An odd venue for a wedding, maybe, but it could be romantic with the stars and the planets surrounding the wedding party. And unconventional weddings were becoming more and more popular. He’d heard of a couple going bungie jumping immediately after taking their vows on a bridge complete in their tux and wedding dress and all.
Usually Cindy would have turned down rehearsal dinner pictures because, what the fuck, nothing important happened - it would have normally just been the wedding party and her family and Garrus’s struggling to make nice for a few hours, but when beer was involved? Hopefully it would mellow people a little (like her stepmother and Garrus’s father, specifically); that was the plan all along for choosing such a location.
“Yeah, we did want some Oktoberfest pictures,” she nodded. “Something fun, you know? But, uh - “ Explaining the Normandy was a little difficult, especially considering she wasn’t sure if the young photographer here bought into all the ‘dream crap.’ She could go with the explanation that her and Garrus were giving their families which was prime NASA connections and strings pulled, but... “No, I mean actual space.”
Ripping the bandaid off - sorry, Henry. “Orange County is not normal. People do talk about their dreams a lot, and they also talk about things that randomly appear because of those dreams. My fiance and his friend happen to dream about an intergalactic space war. Their ship is...here. In person. The cargo bay is where we’ll be having the wedding.” And it was pretty badass, if she said so herself.
Henry was staring at Cindy now, no attempt at trying to hide it. This woman was crazy. That was all there was to it. What she was saying was impossible. Dream talk was one thing. Dreams were just dreams. Everyone had them. Even Henry had his fair share of weird dreams. Dreams that only made sense in the realm of dream logic. Arriving to school or work without clothing. Being chased by some kind of boogey monster. Teeth falling out. Living in places that were your home, but weren’t your home. Trying to scream but being unable to. Disturbing and fantastical they were, but they weren’t anything special. They were just dreams. Right? Right?!
Either Cindy’s fiance was just as crazy as she was, or he was bending over backwards to make his bride-to-be’s fantasies a reality. Ok, fine, whatever. Even crazies deserved a day of happiness. And Henry really needed this job. He decided to go along with what Cindy was saying less he scare off what could be the most important payday of the year. If Garrus was willing to shell out the fortune it would take for a wedding in fucking space, then he’d be willing to meet Henry’s payment demands.
Henry took a slow breath through his nose and gave Cindy a smile. “Well, alright then,” he said. “Space it is. Sounds exciting. Sounds fun. I’ve never taken pictures inside a spaceship before. It’ll be quite the experience.” Okay, time to get back to business. “How many people are in your wedding party? How many guests? Would you like a full package including preparation pictures as well as procession and reception? Or did you have something else in mind?”
Oh, just wait - he’d be right there with the crazy people soon enough, talking about his own dreams. They always ended up in the same spot - and Cindy had been here long enough to see it all happen. She smiled back, a coy tilt of her mouth upward - and for now, she wouldn’t go into more detail about the weird metaphysics of this place. If he was still willing to be the wedding photographer, he’d see soon enough and come to her with ‘um gee, you were right’ declarations.
“Wedding party’s got about twelve in total - thirteen, if you count the flower girl who is only a couple months old, but her mother’s one of my bridesmaids,” Cindy responded, picking up her cup to slosh the pink smoothie inside a little before taking another sip. “As for guests, we’re expecting about 80-90. Not too huge - “ Since the average number of wedding guests leveled around 138, “...but I have a somewhat large family coming in from Georgia. Full package too,” she indicated, with a wave of her hand - cost wasn’t really an issue. “I take it you brought samples of your work today?” He seemed like a nice guy and all, but she wanted to make sure she wasn’t hiring an amateur.
It was kind of strange. Once they had started talking about the wedding party and guests, Cindy was perfectly pleasant. Practical. Down to Earth even. (Heh.) It was hard to imagine she was talking about intergalactic space war and having her wedding aboard a spaceship just a minute before. Maybe it had been a test? If it had been, hopefully Henry had passed.
He jotted down notes concerning the number in the bridal party and the number of expected guests. It was a nice medium number and gave Henry plenty of opportunity to make his rounds through the reception and capture candid moments of the celebration (something he thought was just as important as the staged pictures themselves), while paying the necessary amount of attention to the bride and groom, the true stars of the day.
“Full package,” Henry jotted down. No bride ever turned down the full package. Now it was Henry’s turn to answer questions. He opened his portfolio and handed it to Cindy. Henry knew he was a talented photographer. It was his passion, the reason he woke up in the morning and it showed in his work. He hadn’t done very many weddings, but he’d done a few and he’d chosen the best shots of brides getting ready for their big day, staged shots of them standing before a mirror, or more candid shots of them with their bridesmaids, laughing through tears. It was one of Henry’s favorite emotions to capture. Shots of wedding parties standing on lush green lawns with beautiful sunsets in the backgrounds or with an idyllic beach as a backdrop. The other photos that made up the portfolio Henry had chosen to take that day were other portraits (some of which he’d taken at the Picture Palace, but Cindy didn’t necessarily need to know that. And pictures he’d taken with his high definition camera around the county.
As Cindy flipped through the binder, Henry folded his hands on the table. “Do you have any questions for me?”
She didn’t spend forever gawking at the photos, but she wanted to take her time and get a feel for the nuances of Henry’s work. He did seem really talented - her eyebrows lifted as she perused the binder, a low whistle coming from her. “These are great,” she complimented. So, he knew his stuff and he was obviously using a high-quality camera and other equipment to capture these shots, otherwise they wouldn’t have turned out so well.
“I do have a couple questions, actually.” Her expression was warm and friendly, as she closed the binder. “I guess...how do you view the whole process? Your photography process? It’s something you love?” Because loving what you did, having that passion for your chosen career, wasn’t something everyone could say they had - but it definitely made life a hell of a lot easier, and also in her opinion produced a better quality product if it was your heart and soul poured into it.
That was a typical interview question and one Henry never found he had to bullshit his way through. “I love photography,” he said. “My grandfather gave me my first camera when I was in high school. I took pictures of everything for two weeks. I must have gone through a dozen rolls of film. I kept seeing moments in time that were begging to be immortalized. Some of them were good and some of them were...well, to be honest they were kind of crap, but they taught me how to be better and I wanted to be better.” He shrugged, “and it’s been like that ever since. Even when I’m out running errands or just walking around sometimes the sun is just right, or a tree is framing a scene of a park in just the right way that if I don’t capture it, it’s just gone forever. People are kind of like that too. They can convey entire speeches with one look and it’s important to me to be able to capture that for them to look back on and remember.” Henry had never considered himself a sentimental man given to fancies of nostalgia, but the enjoyment people could get out of pictures made him happy. That was what he thought of whenever he was working.
“I’m lucky to be able to do this for a living,” he said. “Because it’s with me every day and I don’t have to choose between this and something else. Its my life and its great.”
Cindy was a good bullshit detector (it was part of the job description of FBI agent), and she found that she actually liked Henry’s answer - it was from the heart, and all that crap. “I feel that way about shoes,” she winked, and...it was mostly true. More like she felt that way about her career as a spy, but fine footwear and the understanding of it was an art too. Kind of came with the whole ‘Cinderella’ package.
“I like you, Henry, I think this’ll be good for us,” she chuckled, sipping her smoothie. “What do you need from me before the wedding? Info, samples, whatever else? Obviously we’ll be in touch.”
Henry perked up. Something about the way she had said that made him...he wasn’t sure...feel good? It was kind of strange, really. Just moments ago he had pegged her for a crazy lady with delusions of a space opera and now her approval of him had somehow given him an esteem boost? Huh. Funny.
But he had the job! That was good!
“Thank you, Cindy,” he said with relief and a bright smile. “Uh, I don’t need any samples. But, info would be good. Like if you have anything unique planned for the ceremony.” As if having the wedding in “space” wasn’t unique enough. “Like how you’re planning on coming down the aisle. I’ll need to know where I’ll need to be in order to get good shots of you. And I’ll need to know if there are any other specific things you want pictures taken of. You don’t have to tell me now, but let me know as you think of them.” He reached across the table for his portfolio and took a card out of the inside flap. He didn’t technically have his own studio yet, but he had business cards. He handed one to Cindy. “My email is on there and so is my phone number. Feel free to contact me any time.”
One of her next questions was whether or not he could do specific shots, things she and Garrus wanted, so it was good of him to go over that. Cindy took the business card with a thanks, tucking it away into her wallet. “I’ll gather all that info for you and probably email it or something, so you have it all in writing,” she said, since if she just told him, then it was a lot of word of mouth and things could get lost in the translation. Best to have direct, concise, hard copy instructions.
“Thanks again for meeting with me.” Quickly, she checked the time on her phone and decided she probably should be heading back to Shoegasm. There were things to do and Prada heels to sort. “If there’s nothing else for now, I’ll let you get back to work? Oh, and here - “ A business card of her own (with just her shoe store address and contact info, none of the other secretive digits) was slid his way too. “For you.”
Henry nodded. Having what Cindy wanted in writing was the best way to go. “It might be a good idea for me to meet with you and your fiance at least once more between now and the wedding,” he said. “After you’ve emailed me your specifics. That way I can go over it with you and make sure I understand what it is you want.”
He took the offered card and looked at it, seeing the address and phone number for Shoegasm on it. Huh. Looks like he might just have to check out the store. He needed a new pair of sneakers anyway. He placed the card into the front flap of the portfolio. Then he checked his watch. He had just enough time to grab a pretzel and head back to the Picture Palace.
“You’re welcome, Cindy,” Henry gave her a smile as he got to his feet. “It was good to meet you. Congratulations on your wedding.”