fandomtownies | Fourth Dimension Fine Arts & Antiques, Sunday

Entry tags:

Fourth Dimension Fine Arts & Antiques, Sunday

An excellent week. Excellent performances at the play, despite incipient nervous breakdowns, and a very, very profitable and satisfying theft brought off in New York. Hopefully the next play and next caper would go as well.

Last day for her exhibit of Susan Seddon Boulet: Goddesses and Shamans.

The gallery door is open, there is lemonade and iced tea on the sideboard, and sugar cookies on a plate.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Walking to the store, Aphrodite noticed the sign for the Gallery. The word "Goddesses" stuck in her mind, and she stopped for a moment.

After considering, she entered, hoping the owner didn't mind that she was still carrying Hercules. He was being surprisingly calm so far, but she didn't expect it to last.

Sophie looked up from balancing the books, and gave the newcomer an automatic smile that turned into a blink at the cat.

"Hello?" She stood up from the desk, and smiled at the woman. "Can I help you find anything? I'm the gallery owner, Sophie Devereaux." Please let that cat be house-broken.

Hercules? She must be joking! But seeing as how he wasn't leaving 'Dite's arms, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Hi! My name is Aphrodite. I saw the sign about the show you're having. Goddesses, is it?" The goddess of love smiled and shrugged. "I got curious."

"Of course, welcome. And who's this little fellow? Or lady?" Sophie asked, smiling as the kitten stayed firmly in its owner's arms. "Please, feel free to look around. This is the last day for this exhibit, I'm changing it this coming week." She gestured to some of the paintings of Athena and Psyche. "They're all for sale, as well."

"Oh, really? I'll keep that in mind." She looked down at the kitten. "This is Hercules. He's my new friend, but a good kitty."

Stepping closer to the indicated paintings, her eyes went wide. "Who -- who is this supposed to be?"

Sophie looked at the one with Athena, wreathed by a snake. "Athena. With a name like Aphrodite, I don't have to explain the myths to you, I suppose." She smiled at tiny Hercules too. "Re-interpreted, of course. The painter was Brazilian, of English heritage. She took some from the old, and some from the new world, and put them together in her paintings." She nodded over to one of her favorites. "Astarte, over there, is Phoenician. Associated with Venus and Aphrodite. But Seddon Boulet chose to show her with South American symbols." She tilted her head. "Aside from the beauty, I like the mix of ancestry in the faces. The ideals are universal, even if they originated elsewhere."

For several moments, Aphrodite merely stared. When she finally spoke, her voice was low.

"I have to keep reminding myself that it's all symbolism. Interpretation. It's something I have to do a lot when humans try to depict the gods." Her smile was small, but sincere. "A little harder to do when you knew the subject." One hand motioned to the portrait of Athena. "This was my sister. Three thousand years, and I still miss her."

"Your..." Sophie gave her a look askance, one too well-bred to be a stare of are you crazy? Then paused. She'd already run into one person on this island who was by no means human, or mortal. "You're the Aphrodite," she said slowly, instead, questioning, instead of disbelieving. "Really." She glanced at the painting. "No resemblance to the original, I'm assuming."

Aphrodite chuckled. "Very little. Yet," She tilted her head. "The artist did manage to capture her poise, her . . . stoic nature. Right till the end, Athena had this uncanny calm."

She moved on to another portrait, her smile a little stronger. "I always thought it interesting that Astarte was both a goddess of love and a goddess of war. When I was younger I tried to understand how she could be both." She shrugged. "I know I couldn't."

"Fighting for what one loves, perhaps?" Sophie was studying Aphrodite closely, thinking, considering. She didn't look Greek per se; then again, she was as classically beautiful as a goddess of love might be. She'd never imagined Aphrodite with a kitten, dressed in pink, though that might just be the limits of her imagination. "But then, I'm not entirely certain how the whole... goddess... thing, works."

Lord, this place made her head hurt.

"Forgive me if I don't try to explain it." She glanced at Sophie. "Unless you'd like to explain mortals to me?"

"What part don't you understand?" Sophie asked in bemusement, approaching the picture of Artemis to straighten it, giving her a moment to think. "We live. We die. And in between we try to forget that second part. I should think we would be quite obvious to someone immortal."

"Ah, but that's just it." She turned to Sophie. "Two or three thousand years ago I might have agreed with that. Mortals are simple, they live, they die, and in between they struggle through, trying to find love, trying to find a way to pass their memory to the next generation."

Aphrodite shook her head. "But I don't think it's true. I think mortals are fascinating. They're capable of compassion, which I'm not sure the gods ever had. And even though they're capable of great cruelty, they're capable of creating great beauty." She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if they even need us anymore, my brother and I. Without us -- without war and love -- would society lose what holds it together? Or would mortals continue; striving, battling, creating -- loving."

She shook herself. "Listen to me, going on like some philosopher. I'm sorry. What's this next portrait?"

"Artemis. And Artemis Calliste, next to her. I admit I like that one for its fierceness. Bear-mother-protector, not just a young woman with a bow." Sophie was pondering Aphrodite's words, and then slowly said, "I never thought of gods needing humans, more than humans might need gods." She shook her head, looking at the picture of Artemis. "Before I came to this Island, I admit that it was all academic, really."

She snorted softly, then looked over at Aphrodite. "Before a year ago or so, the concept of an afterlife or magic was happily unlikely. Now..." She made a small gesture of uncertainty, and shook her head.

"So Fandom surprised you as well?" Aphrodite smiled. "She surprised me. Even though I was told, nexus of time and space, I expected just a normal island. And now I have friends from different planets, different worlds." She shook her head. "I think you have an interesting idea about gods needing humans. It was always true, three thousand years ago, but I think today it's just as true, but in a different way."

"How so?" Sophie looked intrigued, and reached out to scratch behind Hercules' ears. "And have you met Castiel, by the way?"

If she hadn't, Sophie wanted to be there when that meeting occurred.

"I think, instead of worship, we just need human contact." She smiled as Hercules purred when scratched. "Of all the remaining gods and goddesses, I can't think of any that don't live among mortals in some way. A few of us still try to answer calls, or prayers from mortals, but even if we don't, we're living along side them, helping anyway we can." She shrugged. "Someone told me that the gods were born of human need for answers. If that's true, it would make sense that we need mortals as much as they needed us at one time."

She glanced at Sophie. "Who's Castiel?"

"He lives in the church. Gives sermons on Thursdays, I think. And as far as I can tell, he's an angel. Of the Christian God." Sophie shook her head, still remembering their discussion of humanity and creation. "He's-- well. I shouldn't want to prejudice you. But I tend to believe him about it." She met Aphrodite's eyes, and gave Hercules' chin one last tickle. "Which makes believing you a little easier, I suppose."

"An angel? Really?" Aphrodite blinked. "Christian god. Well." She wasn't sure what she'd do if she met him. "I'll keep that in mind."

'Dite smiled at the painting of Bastet, impressed with the detail. "This is beautiful." Glancing at Sophie, she asked, "Did the artist do her impression of the goddess of love?"

Sophie crooked her finger, and walked around the main paneling area to the other side. Three images of Aphrodite hung next to each other, with all her symbols of doves and dolphins and ocean.

"The face in the sea is my favorite." Sophie looked at Aphrodite, feeling just a little more awe again at the reminder. Goddess of Love and Beauty. And while her experiences with love were often problematic, beauty, well... one of the cornerstones of all her careers.

For several moments, Aphrodite stood still, her gaze going from portrait to portrait to portrait, and back. She even forgot to scratch Hercules for several seconds, who quickly meowed to correct the problem.

The goddess smiled at him and scratched his ears, then turned her gaze to Sophie. "I'll take them."

Sophie blinked, and then she recovered. "All of them? You're quite sure?"

"These three." 'Dite smiled and nodded. "And the Bast. That one will go in my suite. The other three . . ." Another nod. "To the store." She turned to Sophie. "Have you been to my store? Dite's Decadent Delights?"

Sophie was reaching for her receipt book, and she found herself smiling wickedly. "Why no. I don't believe I have. What street is it on?"

"Mallard Way? Right across from Covent Garden Flowers. You should drop by sometime." Her head tilted. "But not Wednesday. Wednesday -- I have plans."

After all, she had to arrange wall space for her new paintings.

"Tuesday I have someone else take over the store. Could I come in then and pick them up?"

"Certainly. The gallery isn't usually open on Tuesdays, but I live above the shop. Just ring the bell, and I'll come down." Sophie smiled, and ripped off the receipt, handing it over. "I'm assuming that this amount won't be a difficulty for you, after all this time."

"No problem at all. Are you sure Tuesday is all right? I won't be disturbing you?" She took the receipt, keeping it well away from an inquisitive Hercules.

"Not at all. I'll just be studying a script for an audition at the play, later in the day. Feel free to come by any time." Sophie smiled, and reached out to wave her fingers at Hercules again. "And Hercules is welcome as well."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fourth Dimension Fine Arts & Antiques, Sunday

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject