Strokes of Genius, Saturday (7/31)

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

The master class in drawing characters she'd taken in San Diego last week had turned out to be more useful than Katchoo had anticipated; she'd been thinking it would turn out to be something pretentious and annoying where she'd end up doing her own thing and ignoring the teacher.

She liked being wrong, and she had a new sketchbook open on the counter in front of her today, a pensive look on her face.

Maybe she ought to consider revisiting those Winter Chronicles comics she'd messed around with when she was seventeen; it had just been a way to keep herself distracted while living on the streets, but there could be something there. Huh.

[OOC: The OCD is too distracted by the Middleman marathon in which I am currently indulging.]

Comments

[bitchprince]

Arthur's appearances might not have been as predictable as they had been before for several reasons, but still: there the phone was, ringing.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Which was, on Katchoo's end, predictable in that she hid a grin when she saw the caller ID, but nevertheless, when she picked up the phone:

"I did not stab anybody in the eye, no matter what Francine says!"

[bitchprince]

There was a short pause.

"...Were you attacked, then," Arthur said, sounding perhaps more serious than he really should.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Nah," Katchoo said -- after a sinus-wrenching snort of laughter. "Trampled a few times, but no attack. Well."

She had to consider this one for a second.

"Okay, nah."

[bitchprince]

"I can tell this is very funny to you." Arthur didn't sound as uptight, though, and accepted the whole thing with a hint of humor in his voice. "How have you been, maimings aside?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Eh, y'know. Fine, relaxed after a week in San Diego, a couple of paychecks lighter, back in Fandom." Katchoo twirled her pencil. "How's tricks in Camelot?"

[bitchprince]

"Father held several days' worth of feasting and meetings in order to tighten diplomatic relations with the nearby nobility," Arthur said, and if he sounded a little annoyed, well... "They finally buggered off two days ago; I've finally been able to resume hunting. Properly."

And hadn't Merlin been thrilled.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Well geez, don't sound so excited about it." Yes, Katchoo noticed the annoyance. She also pretty much understood it. "Did you slaughter a few dozen extra woodland creatures to make up for the missed time?"

Not that she'd contemplated doing something like it to a few dozen of the more annoying teenage anime fanboys herself. Why would you ever think that?

[bitchprince]

"I would have, if Merlin didn't keep spooking half of it."

Merlin always spooked the wildlife. Possibly on purpose. Arthur took him along every time anyway.

"Still, it's not a bad catch," he finished, upbeat. "A few deer, a lot of rabbits... it'll make for a decent stew at the very least."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo's pencil scratched quick lines in the margin of her sketchbook, creating a stick-figure Arthur and Merlin with stick-figure animals fleeing in every direction. Stick-figure Arthur was glaring at an innocent-looking stick-figure Merlin as a bunny flew by overhead.

"Mmm. Any chance you can pop some of that in the freezer until we get a chance to drop in?"

[bitchprince]

Sadly enough, that was a pretty accurate depiction of what happened whenever they went out hunting.

"When it's safe," Arthur started, sounding a little cautious, "I'll make sure to shoot you a deer myself. There are no freezers. As you know."

[byneptunesbeard.livejournal.com]

Aquaman walked into an art store.

This should be interesting.

"Excuse me, young miss!" he greeted the shopgirl brightly. "Do you happen to carry bags of those cute, colorful little puffballs? Preferably orange and green ones, or the ones with the little sparkly bits in them?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

This should be --

". . . puffballs?" Katchoo echoed blankly. "Aw, geez, tell me you're not gonna glue googly eyes and goofy cardboard feet to 'em."

[byneptunesbeard.livejournal.com]

...

Aquaman had not even thought of that, but it was very clear, with the brightening of his expression like a child on a snowy Christmas morn, that he thought it was wonderful!

"Outrageous!" he said. "I'll need twice as many puffballs now, to be sure! And do you have the googly eyes, as well?"

He chuckled, amusing himself greatly with the thoughts of how much Sarah and Guy will love it to open the cupboards for their morning coffee, to find a little puffball Aquaman to greet them. Or perhaps reaching for a spoon, or the television remote! He should send some to Mera, as well; surely, she would appreciate them, too!

"What a great suggestion!"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Oh . . . crap. Maybe that sound wasn't her shoe knocking against the underside of the counter; maybe it was the crack of doom instead.

"Yeah, and the pipe cleaners --" oh, Chewie, don't -- "and glue an' all that crap. Down that aisle over there," she said, pointing in what was actually the right direction. "I think we might have some the size of your head, even."

[intraspective]

"You know," she said, entering and wandering over to hop up on the counter without so much as a by-your-leave. "I'd almost say you're thinkin' today. 'Bout what?"

Saying hi was for other people, apparently.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"About how it's been a long frikkin' time no see," Katchoo drawled, almost cracking a grin. "I was just thinkin' about dusting off an old project of mine from a few years ago again. Ino. How are things?"

[intraspective]

"You don't write, you don't call," she lamented, eyes sparkling with amusement. "How is a girl supposed to know you're even back? Things are eminently thing-like, Katina. It's desperately exciting."

Or not. It hadn't been the best while, really, but Ino was nothing if not avoidant.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Oooh, avoidant. Katchoo was an aficionado of that pastime too. "Oooh, yeah. Sounds like a real roller-coaster ride," she drawled. "Blockbuster movie of the summer, must-see, yadda yadda. Good thing I'm not much of a movie-goer." Which was to say that no, she wasn't about to dive in asking.

"We were on vacation last week," Katchoo added by way of explanation. "Got you something, too."

She reached under the counter and pulled out a small bag containing a couple of volumes of some manga about ninjas, tossing it toward Ino. "Figured the fun of you telling me how they got everything wrong is the gift that keeps giving."

She did it, albeit mostly to herself, every time she watched some mob crime show, after all.

[intraspective]

Ino's grin went a bit rueful. She appreciated that discretion, she did.

And then her eyebrows were shooting up as she snagged the bag Katina tossed at her. "For me?" she said, eyes wide. "Thank you! But don't tell me you're getting tired of me sayin' what's wrong, that'd make me sad!"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Okay, then I won't tell you," Katchoo answered, deadpan. ". . . eh, it'd be a lie anyway."

Not, for the record, that she had a problem with lying when she had to.

[intraspective]

"Like you'd have a problem with lying," Ino scoffed, grinning as she studied the covers of her loot. "Though if you were to lie to me, I'd hope it'd be a good one."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"What kind of lie are we talkin' about?" Katchoo leaned back on the rear legs of her chair. "The 'I once blew down an entire forest of trees in one breath' sorta thing that involves me owning a giant blue ox, or some elaborate story about my life as a tragic diamond heiress?"

. . . the second would be much easier for her to come up with.

[intraspective]

"Tragic diamond heiresses are more plausible," she noted. "Even on Fandom."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Aw, geez, I dunno," Katchoo argued. "A giant blue ox ain't exactly impossible on this frikkin' island either. 'sides, the tragic heiress story's the one where you have to be careful to get all the details right."