The Art of Self-Expression (Susan & Gabriel)

"I like dogs, they aren't as intelligent as cats could be, but the unparalleled loyalty and attitude towards their life partner of sorts is the kind of companionship that maybe I desired deep down; having someone who would love you unconditionally and that you could count on, dogs are amazing pets. But have I owned one? No, I never had a pet. The closest thing I had to bond with an animal was a bird that a former associate of mine had, it was a free little ting, traversed through the city and found it's way home at the end of the day. The sort of trust that you can place in another creature, it's a telling story of how strong a bond could be. You love something enough to let it come and go as it pleases, and it finds its way back to you. "

Placing the paintbrush down and standing up to admire his work, Gabe would pick up his glass as he called Susan.

"I didn't do much of a backdrop, but I got the majority of your face and clothes. I tried to keep some distinctions, like the beauty mark, but I feel like it turned out well. "

Gabe's Painting

Spoiler:

The short woman would become flustered again, emotionally confused as she read between the lines. She'd been half-tempted to correct him in that dogs were actually more intelligent that cats for the capacity to learn and their unique social dynamics however that was fairly moot now.
"Y-yes, I can see how that can be appealing," she gasped as Susan reeled a little, "I-It would be... nice... to have someo-... something like that to c-come home to at the end of the day. S... something that you love a-and could spend time with... I-I suppose that is why I'm a... a cat person, they're fairly low-maintenance and allow you to focus on yourself and attend to them when you're ready. I-I've heard I have a bad habit when it comes to that...! Heh heh heh..." She laughed nervously before clearing her throat quietly, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart to quiet it. Her brush still had not touched the canvas since she made her mistake, but this was something it was difficult to multitask with. Some people would admit that they may have been imagining things or had been too hasty in their judgments but not Susan. He had been perfectly clear to her in that he was speaking on his ideal form of companionship in a sense. Long-term companionship, she interpreted, whatever that meant. This was something she was also seeking however she could not tell how she felt about it.

Was she excited... or anxious? Was this something she wished to speak of so early in this relationship? Did it intimidate her or was this something she wanted? Susan did not know the answer and it was frustrating not to know. She was left adrift to be tossed by the rocking seas, controlled by emotions she could not interpret but would affect her regardless. It vexed her that she could not understand them like she could so many other concepts, and it was a very intuitively simple concept, but perhaps it was that lack of control which caused her discomfort. And of course there was his own ideal treatment in such a relationship, which she was unsure how she felt about as well and if such an approach could be an ultimate declaration of trust or a blanket excuse to see other people.

At no point did Susan ever stop to include her own leanings in this chain of thoughts and that she might, in fact, but reading much too far into the situation.

The timid woman continued to quiver and second-guess herself, dissecting and redissecting her own thoughts and unknown emotions until she had cut them to ribbons and it was all a garbled mess of feelings until he had motioned to her to see his own painting. It took her a moment to realize that he was speaking to her.
"...hm? O-oh, yes." She took her glass of wine and drying paintbrush with her, sipping more generously to drown her own anxieties as she went to see his work.

......it was a skilled work, for certain. From his interpretation she could agree with his original statement. It was a beautiful painting, and had he seen her this way and painted her as such then perhaps she had underestimated her self-interpretation of beauty. It did look like her, though there was the expression.
"Is this how I...." she trailed off, leaning in to observe his technique. There was a sense of beauty in it she'd admit, however she appeared... guarded. Hesitant, perhaps shy or maybe aloof, it was difficult to tell. Though... it was not an inaccurate portrayal and she could not blame him for depicting her as he saw her. Perhaps she should... smile more...?
"Y-your background as an artist clearly shows in the c... care taken with the shading and in anatomy, specifically my hands. I-it is an impressive painting...!" she complimented him, attempting to sound a little more upbeat than her normal dry, muted tones. Though this gave her ideas. Susan quickly shuffled back to her own painting after being inspired, energetically taking to the brush as she worked her plan into motion.
"M-Mine is not nearly as far along as yours, I-I guess my inexperience shows somewhat..." she explained on reflex, devoting all of her attention to the canvas in order to carryout her idea.

"When it comes to expressions, I only captured the last moment from when I looked at you. Besides the mentions of what I said before, I knew that there is no real such thing as a perfect and unmoving sculpture of others. With that being said, I compromised by working on your lips last, this was the fact that you made.  I don't really...."

He decided to look a little deeper into it.

"Know what that expression means? Was it because of what I said? I don't necessarily think of people in the same way that I think of an animal. My concepts of courtship and bonding with another person may come with playful analogies, but don't mistake them for irresponsible interpretations of I expect from with the bare minimum to give in return. "

He made sure that he made his intentions clear in order to avoid confusion, but he didn't know if his explanation was good enough.

Susan continued to diligently paint with this newfound idea in her head. Her hands worked quickly and she found the perfect way with which to incorporate the ugly stain from her wine into the painting rather than discarding her entire work or attempting to cover it. She would incorporate it instead, using the red hues on Gabriel's skin as a sort of... light reflection from the sunset. Yes, it would be thematically fitting and impressive if she could manage to give it the proper care. She would listen albeit loosely as she hurried to complete her own painting so that she would not keep him waiting for it.
"Oh. ...no, that is just my face," she explained. Susan took no offence in Gabriel's rendition of her, it wasn't her fault she looked the way she did or lacked expression for the most part. Most of the time she was focused on something internally and it could make it appear as if she had a scowl or judging stare, she really wasn't in control of it.
"It is just... unusual to see how I am interpreted by others. I... it does not come up often and I do not often think about it. Honestly it is a beautiful painting, I am not dissatisfied by it at all."

The short woman's tone and look remained neutral as she explained herself, more concerned with how good a job she herself was doing than how Gabriel had done. Though her brush would leave the canvas for a moment as she thought.
"N... no, that is not correct. I, um... I-I accidentally dipped my brush in my drink earlier. That must be the case." It was embarrassing to admit and if she could she would take the mistake on her painting to her grave should the opportunity arise, but her likely apt recollection of events would likely ease his concerns. Susan did not want him to worry over nothing, nothing was wrong.

And he expounded on his own definition of what he had meant, perhaps he had felt insecure or looked into how she was reading it. Of course she was reading very deeply as she did with all things, not just this. Someone more in-tune with how to respond to people would have let things lie and yet Susan would not. She was not one to shy away from discussion and approached things more as a puzzle than a conversation.
"I see..." The businesswoman trailed off and turned to painting again as she thought. With her frantic inspiration she had made quite a bit of progress although there were still more finishing touches to be applied.
"You mean to say... you value personal freedom and trust in a relationship? ...is that correct?"

After hearing that she liked the painting and not sensing any sort of uncertainty in her face, Gabe decided to drop the topic.  It was true that he didn't see Susan smile too often, but he always wondered if the case was ever linked to the current situation at hand. However, speculations started to take it's toll on Gabe, this was supposed to be a fun date, a happy occasion of where he can show off his skill and loosen Susan up a little at the same time.

"At this stage, and it's also the sign of the times. Everyone in droves talks about how their own personal agenda and the self-respect that they have for themselves get in the way of being able to formulate a bond with others. I look at it objectively, the wants and needs of a relationship should never make a partner of my choosing feel as if she is limited or won't be able to do the things that she loves anymore. As a busy person myself,  being able to compromise to do things like...paint each other.....we find ways to make things happen if that's what we really want, and when we don't, there is no shortage of any excuse we can muster."

Looking over again, Gabe offered a small smile.

"I know that your introvert qualities are something I need to get used to, maybe I won't hear from you for a while after this or you need some alone time to recharge. After being made aware, I'll compromise and continue to be patient. Maybe I sounded like I instilled an unnecessary requirement upon you when I expressed my confusion in regards to the amount of the small communication. I won't make that mistake again."

"Yes, agreed," Susan spoke as she continued to touch up the weaknesses of her painting. Her expression remained neutral yet her tone was animated. Quite frankly she enjoyed the back and forth even if it wasn't externally obvious.
"We dedicate our time to what we value which becomes self-evident as we do so, as we are choosing to spend our most valuable resource toward something or someone we cherish and enjoy. Though... I also agree with the word compromise. Even with our own personal lives to tend to we must decide for ourselves what is most important in that life, and if someone is worth dedicating that time to." The shorter woman began to finish up her own painting, humming to herself as she focused, not even aware that Gabriel had been looking toward her until she could feel his eyes on her. Susan reflexively turned her painting slightly away as she wasn't finished yet and gave him her focus, though as he smiled pleasantly her own expression shifted from neutral to one of concern. She had missed a very relevant detail in the conversation and this relationship thus far and it only now dawned on her what she had forgotten as he agreed to compromise himself.

"No nonono...!" she gasped, placing a hand over her chest and reaching out to lightly touch Gabriel, "Gabriel, you have made no mistakes at all...! You should not appologize for wanting to speak to someone or hear from them, and believing something may be wrong when you do not. I can understand now that... I may have been neglectful of how you felt because I was self-absorbed in my own agenda and wrapped up in work that I did not dedicate any time to you and that is my own fault, it was rude of me." She would pull her hand back to clasp both of them over her chest, failing to notice at this moment she had still been holding her brush and happened to be painting her shirt and neck.
"I informed you of such because... I do not want you to feel neglected or... spited that I did not speak to you for some time, nor do I ever want you to feel that way because it is simply not true. It is not unreasonable or bothersome to ask to speak more frequently and I should make an effort if it is truly important. W-which it is, i-it is just that... *haaaa...* ...s-sometimes I become overwhelmed and... anxious a-at times and it gets the better of me."

Susan squeezed her hands together on her chest as she felt the awkwardness sink in. It seemed she could not avoid turning the subject serious and depressing, she doubted she was making herself out to be someone worthy of his time investment. Knowing this Susan would force a smile with her eyes closed, remembering that she had promised herself earlier that she would make an attempt.
"Heh heh heh... I-it appears that I've turned this into a negotation again," she laughed uneasily, trying to remain positive and turn this into what it should be. Though, as she gained more control of herself the cogs in her head would spin and she would decide to meet his concerns in her most natural method.
"Yes," Susan affirmed with a deep breath, feeling and sounding more confident with a plan in mind, "Compromise." The businesswoman took a straighter posture and took another quick breath to compose herself and choose her words.
"Gabriel, you deserve more of my time and I will make it a priority to ensure that is no longer neglected. I... greatly respect your patience with me and I will venture outside of my comfort zone so that you do not need to worry or be uncertain. In return please continue to be patient with me and if you feel like I am ignoring you or being distant please let me know. It, u-umm, i-it makes it easier for me if... i-if you... initiate these things..." As she met his understanding and caring affirmation with a professional one of her own she would fall apart toward the end when she dropped her business-like façade.

Susan would wring her hands and bite her lip for a moment before shifting gears once more.
"O-oh. It is nearly finished if you would like to see, Gabriel." The timid woman would not call him over but would stand to the side to allow him space to see her work.

The Painting:

Surprisingly she had been quite satisfied with it. After her small hiccup she believed she had managed to salvage her painting by adding more warm colors to mask the wine stain. Although she could clearly pick out mistakes she had wished she could go back and fix and in her eyes, the stain was quite clearly there. She could clearly memorize the brush strokes taken to hide it.

"It's no more than an explanation in terms of a negotiation. I'd like to believe that the reason for making these decisions is for the end result of us being around each other more often."

Gabe said this with a smile, rather satisfied at the fact that they managed to get through the small mishap. However, his smile would turn into a face of shock when he noticed the painting that was created for him that Susan put work into.

"Susan...this...is me?"

Gabe had to put his glass down for a moment in order to give 100% of his focus towards the painting that was drawn of him. It was a genuine feeling of Gabe being impressed with her talent.

"It's amazing, I didn't know you were hiding such a talent from me. Kind of makes me want find out what else about you that turns out to be a surprise. Who knows, maybe you were an A class surfer back in the day."

With a small laugh, Gabe gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"And as for that agreement we had, i'll be sure to take the lead then. "

The timid woman could find herself growing ever more nervous, doubting her abilities in all areas. She was engaging in nit-picky debate on her date and held little confidence in her own painting, at a glance she could notice everything wrong with it. The proportions were off-kilter, his hair was not detailed enough, there was the splotch under his neck that she could not flesh out in color and attempted to fix and failed spectacularly. More-so was she worried about driving him away. Their first date had been magical and yet this one was filled with much more back-and-forth and disagreement. She did not mind it at all, not personally, and it was healthy to keep up a strong line of communication however she did not want Gabriel to feel she was argumentative o-or difficult or even needy and picky. But her eyes lit aflame when he spoke his own eloquent reasoning behind his concern.
"Y-yes, agreed!" she echoed happily with her own satisfied smirk on her lips. Susan was more than pleased to be able to come to an understanding, more so that he had been a willing participant instead of finding her communication style odd as most did.

Though her face would drop as his did, becoming unsure of herself again.
"Oh, um... i-it is what you look like..." she affirmed with confident words yet a timid voice. As Gabriel inspected her painting Susan deflected her gaze skyward and took her glass to her mouth, drinking the rest of her entire glass as she anxiously awaited his verdict. She expected a compliment but not so strong of one and it caught her off guard. The short woman coughed lightly into her fist and cleared her throat in order to answer quickly.
"*HmmRMM* ...y-yes well... I had taken a few semesters of painting in college, b-but I have been out of practice, I-I am just as surprised as you are I have managed to retain so much." As she protested and attempted to be modest Susan couldn't help but allow the ghost of a smirk to escape. She was very proud to have impressed him this much, though it would likely happen much less often in ways Gabriel could be surprised at. She was a bit of a homebody and none too exciting, but if he believed otherwise she would allow him to in order to stroke her own ego. But as per the usual her courage would drop before rising again in its fierce inner struggle between her own natural skittishness and two and a half glasses of wine.

"O-oh, u-umm, that would be lovely...!" Susan gasped as she gazed back into his eyes. She wore a fearful smile that would slowly turn confident as she took a quick breath and gave things a thought. It would be more comfortable if he took the lead and initiated for the most part, however this was her own date idea and she had made an unspoken promise to accept sole responsibility for the enjoyment of this evening. It would only be fair that she could show him she could lead as well when the inclination struck. And she had an amazing idea to boot.

"In all honesty, the furthest that I managed to make it into a formal bit of education all seems like the past to me. College wise, it all may stem from the seven stars academy. Whenever art came about, it was never practical. It was always art history, I seemed to be dragged down quite a bit with those classes. But when it came to actually perform the act, I had no problems. Funny how that works..."

In response to the proposal, Gabe looked a little surprised that she offered such a thing. And here he thought he had to be the one to take the lead, it seemed as if she had a few ideas of her own as soon as they made the arrangement for him to do so.

"Sounds nice, a nice walk, maybe a visit to the fountain to toss a coin in and make a wish. After that, watch as the lights go brighter as the sky begins to dim. Hm....... and you know what? I think there is an Italian restaurant called Trattoria that's in the area as well. Do you like Italian food? "

"Theory and practice are not always correlated, or even often for that matter," she discussed with her still cool and collected smile, "To be frank art history and actually painting have little to do with each other, I do not blame you for not taking joy in lectures that do not interest you. You do not seem like the type of individual who would be satisfied with not engaging himself." That would be the largest difference between them, though not a difference to disparage. She believed Gabriel to be the sort who would be unhappy to not involve himself in things as active as he was however she would much prefer to sit still and observe. It was excursions such as these where the could reach a happy balance between action and rest.

His ideas of what they should do, while different, sounded very appealing and quite romantic, and she had indeed asked him to take charge so she would remain in agreement.
"I love Italian. That sounds like a magical evening, Gabriel, I would love to accompany you." With their plan outlined Susan would stand and prepare to pack up her art supplies and painting, finally noticing herself. And how messy she was. Her confidence dropped through the floor immediately.
"O-oh um... i-it seems I have covered myself in... in paint. M-may we go shopping first...? I-I would not want to go to dinner looking like a wreck." At best she would also be able to find herself a collared shirt if they were to have a proper dinner at a restaurant. Her capris and shoes were acceptable, borderline... but acceptable. Her shirt was a different story, completely ruined as she had planned for it to be. But this was a non-issue, she would merely purchase one at an outlet. It was honestly embarrassing she had not thought ahead to bringing one of her finer shirts and stowing it in her car. Taking great care she would grasp Gabriel's painting and allow him to take hers, thankful that his lack of background meant she could put her small hands in more places without ruining it.
"Sh-shall we be going?"

"Well, it depends on the type of engagement. Things are usually proposed to you as a series of choices, doesn't necessarily mean what you have available to you is particularly more pleasant than the latter. But on the bright side, what I like to practice is what I can take away from things. "

Taking her hand, Gabe would smile earnestly.

"And what I can take away from this experience is how beautiful your heart is to me, Susan. "

end

+4 Stats to Gabe for...

1. HP
2. SP
3. Ppstr
4. Pmstr
5. Dex
6. Luck

Random number (1,6) :

5

+4 Stats to Susan for...

1. HP
2. SP
3. Ppstr
4. Pmstr
5. Dex
6. Luck

Random number (1,6) :

6