The Commons

[issie]

Liv Aldis

Liv entered into what everyone had called the 'commons,' whatever that meant. To her, it was just a places in the middle of the school that had plants and flowers. Slowly, she walked around, looking for a good place to sit and rest for a little while. Brushing her arm against a plant, she cringed for a split second, then continued to walk until she found a bench in the shade of the tree. A bright blue plaid bandanna was worn around her neck, her shirt was long sleeved, with artfully placed rips that showed the purple fabric under it. Her skinny jeans had a similar design, but the rips were showing blue, like the color of her bandanna.

Silently, she sat down on the bench and gazed around, a peaceful smile on her face. Her ears were still ringing from the two noisemakers in the house she lived in. It was almost ironic, really. She was always warned to turn her music down or she'd lose her hearing before she was twenty, but her parents were always louder than her music would probably ever be. 'If I am deaf I'll have an excuse to ignore my parents.' This made her laugh, loving the idea of what would happen if she could ignore them all she wanted to.

Her laughter died off and she laid her head back, studying the leaves of the tree above her. Almost like a scientist would study a valued specimen, and when that got old, she took out her sketchbook and started to sketch what she thought the tree would look like in an imaginary world. Somewhere far off where nobody had heard of. The smile was still on her face as she started adding color to her surrealist creation.

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

The day was a little cool, so Chance took advantage of that fact to put on multiple layers. Green, plaid, black, and bright red. The midnight-colored jeans had little worn spots that showed how often he bolted off or tugged on them, a large patch above his right knee that still had strings limply hanging from the edges. He usually ended up tugging on those strings when he wasn't thinking about it. Or anything much, really.

"Hey, Chance!" someone yelled, making him turn around in surprise. Wordlessly, the boy held up his hand, pointing one finger toward Chance's shocked face, his fingers held like a gun pointing the trigger. Fighting a smile, the boy called out, "Bang!" and Chance slammed his hand to his left shoulder, stumbling to the ground with dramatic flair. Just before he - very carefully - fell onto his face upon the grass, he managed to growl, "Aaaargh...you suuuck..." A planned face plummet, and laughter erupted.

After a moment of enjoying the laugh, he stood up, waving them all off as he headed over to the small, curled-up figure he could see underneath a tree. "Hey, hey, you, you!" he sang out as he approached, doing a little dance to the words, then pointing at Liv, "I don't like yer girlfriend! No way, no way.. I think you need a new ooooone!" Flopping down on the grass beside her, Chance beamed up at her, "So-oo... what's up, girlie? You don't eat lunch anymore? Is that in the emo artist code, that you can't eat, huh?"

[issie]

Liv Aldis

Suddenly, her silence was disturbed. A crowd of people rushed in, and she ignored them as best she could. Truthfully, Liv had cut class a bit early, saying she needed to use the restroom and then coming here instead. She did this every now and again, it was her own little way of keeping the teachers at this school on their toes. And so far, they weren't doing a very good job because she had gotten away with it every day so far. Liv was almost amazed at how easy it was to do the first time. dragging her purse closer, she shoved the sketchbook and pencils back.

"Hey, hey, you, you!" Chance sang aloud, immediately catching her attention. She looked to see him dancing, coming closer all the while. When he pointed at her, Liv arched one eyebrow at him, "I don't like yer girlfriend! No way, no way.. I think you need a new ooooone!" she couldn't help but to laugh as he flopped himself down beside her to sit next to her on the grass. His smile was as extremely wide as it normally was when he greeted her in his own special way. "So-oo... what's up, girlie? You don't eat lunch anymore? Is that in the emo artist code, that you can't eat, huh?"

"No," she replied, "It's in the broke artist code."

Smirking, she added, "That girlfriend thing... I only have eyes for you, meg elske." Liv grinned at her added Norwegian at the end, knowing that he probably had no idea what it meant. She had said it before, but something told her that he had forgotten a couple minutes later. Patting his head a couple of times, she laughed, clearly amused by his expression. Sometimes, she just loved being sarcastic. It's like sarcasm was programed into her brain when she was born and she held onto it even now, many years later and she planned on keeping it until she was planted in the ground, and probably a little after that.

"So, how's life?" she asked, fiddling with the edge of her left sleeve with her right hand. Not that she was nervous or anything, she just found that it had become a bad habit for her, something she did without even noticing it.

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

"Hey, hey, you, you!" Chance sang aloud, immediately catching her attention as he danced over. When he pointed at her, Liv arched one eyebrow at him, "I don't like yer girlfriend! No way, no way.. I think you need a new ooooone!" He was glad to achieve her laughter as he flopped dramatically down next to her. "So-oo... what's up, girlie? You don't eat lunch anymore? Is that in the emo artist code, that you can't eat, huh?"

"No," she replied, "It's in the broke artist code."

His eyes widening, his mouth opened a little. "Daaaw! What a downer! Well, you have to make a living somehow." He reached into the dark, lint-filled pockets of his jeans to pull out a twenty dollar bill, "How about I buy one of your fabulous pieces of art, and you get some lunch in the process? I want first-pick, because I'm your biggest and most devoted fan."

Smirking, she added, "That girlfriend thing... I only have eyes for you, meg elske." Liv grinned at her. He smiled, tried to pretend he knew what she meant, then laughed.

"Okay, what does that mean again? I'm totally lost, since meg-elk or whatever has slipped my mind of common Liv-comments. But I'm glad I have first dibs on you."

She patted his head a couple of times, laughing again at his dorky, clueless face. "So, how's life?"[/b[ she asked, fiddling with the edge of her left sleeve with her right hand.

Chance thought about that for a minute. He wasn't able to come up with a witty comeback for that, so he just shrugged. "Uuuuh... Dad's gone for the weekend, so I felt like I could breathe for awhile, until I came home yesterday to find mom in a total mood. Most of the people I know are getting paired off or going emo, so I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I think I should run away from home and join the circus." It was his recurring escapade response. He'd been talking of joining the circus since he'd started high school and saw all the kids there. 'There's less makeup on a clown', he would say with a laugh, 'And clowns don't scare me!'

He cupped his chin in his hands, his elbows pressing down into the grass. "Wanna go to the movies with me tonight or something? We can try sneaking in our own snacks and see if that fat guy with the ugly shoes catches us!"

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"So-oo... what's up, girlie? You don't eat lunch anymore? Is that in the emo artist code, that you can't eat, huh?" It took a second for her to put together all the English in her head, but when she answered she knew she would be right.

"No, it's in the broke artist code." she could have laughed, it was so tragically true. All of her money went to buying more supplies, which reminded her of some of the broke artists in the past. Starving artists, the teachers called them.

Chance's eyes widening, his mouth opened a little in what appeared to be surprise. "Daaaw! What a downer! Well, you have to make a living somehow." She watched him with a question in her eyes as he reached into the pocket of his jeans. It suddenly became clear to her about a moment later when a twenty dollar bill came into view. "How about I buy one of your fabulous pieces of art, and you get some lunch in the process? I want first-pick, because I'm your biggest and most devoted fan."

"No," she began, "Reason number one, friends don't pay for my art. Reason number 2, friends don't pay for my lunch." She was smiling as she said this, but she was being completely serious. The last thing she needed was people saying she begged her friends for money because her parents didn't feed her or whatever.

Wanting to change the subject, Liv said, "That girlfriend thing... I only have eyes for you, meg elske." Chance smiled in reply, then laughed, but by the expression on his face she knew that he didn't remember what that bit of Norwegian at the end meant.

"Okay, what does that mean again? I'm totally lost, since meg-elk or whatever has slipped my mind of common Liv-comments. But I'm glad I have first dibs on you." She smiled broadly for a moment, then put on a mock-serious face. "Meg elske means I know about your stuffed cat called Fido, world is coming to an end today. Fido's of the earth will come together and take over." She knew she tripped over her English a little, but she also knew that he would understand her. "Or, it could mean 'my love.'" she added with a laugh.

She patted his head a couple of times, laughing again at his dorky, clueless face. "So, how's life?" she asked, fiddling with the edge of her left sleeve with her right hand, not even realizing that she was doing it. He was silent for a minute and Liv tilted her head to the side curiously. "Uuuuh... Dad's gone for the weekend, so I felt like I could breathe for awhile, until I came home yesterday to find mom in a total mood. Most of the people I know are getting paired off or going emo, so I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I think I should run away from home and join the circus." Liv had heard this 'plan' of his more than once, but it was still really funny to imagine him in a clown outfit. She shook her head playfully, then yelled, "No, you can't leave me here! The crazies are everywhere!!!!" Flinging her arms around him in a dramatic gesture, she didn't care about who was watching or about the pain through her arms. She fell back laughing after a moment, her face a light shade of pink. He had told her about the 'crazies' of the school on her first day here, and she hadn't forgotten. Once, she even made the mistake of asking a girl if she was one of the crazies. Needless to say, they only talked that one time.

Chance cupped his chin in his hands, his elbows pressing down into the grass. "Wanna go to the movies with me tonight or something? We can try sneaking in our own snacks and see if that fat guy with the ugly shoes catches us!"

"Ja!" she said, not bothering to translate, because it was really close to the English form of 'yea.' "But... what movies are out?" She asked, speaking slowly so she could think about the English. "I... why is the fat one always there?" She asked, trying her best not to butcher the language. Sometimes, she found herself wondering why everyone couldn't just speak the same language. It would make everything so much easier, especially for her.

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

"No," His face fell at her response to offering to buy her artwork so she could buy herself a meal, "Reason number one, friends don't pay for my art. Reason number 2, friends don't pay for my lunch." She offered him a smile, but his own was only half-felt.

"Well, then...how about it we make it a date? Since I'm technically a guy I should have to pay, right?"

"That girlfriend thing... I only have eyes for you, meg elske." Chance smiled in reply, then laughed. But he didn't get it.

"Okay, what does that mean again? I'm totally lost, since meg-elk or whatever has slipped my mind of common Liv-comments. But I'm glad I have first dibs on you."

She smiled broadly for a moment, then put on a mock-serious face. "Meg elske means I know about your stuffed cat called Fido, world is coming to an end today. Fido's of the earth will come together and take over." He let out a gasp, then rolled over as he chuckled, giggled, and guffawed merrily, managing an, "Oh noes!"

"Or, it could mean 'my love.'" she added with a laugh.

He jerked upright at the real translation, his face semi-serious. "Aww...that's so cute! But it sounds nothing like how it means..."

She patted his head a couple of times, laughing as she made him feel like a puppy. "So, how's life?" she asked, fiddling with the edge of her left sleeve with her right hand.

He was silent for a minute and Liv tilted her head to the side curiously. "Uuuuh... Dad's gone for the weekend, so I felt like I could breathe for awhile, until I came home yesterday to find mom in a total mood. Most of the people I know are getting paired off or going emo, so I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I think I should run away from home and join the circus."

She shook her head playfully, then yelled, playing into it, "No, you can't leave me here! The crazies are everywhere!" Flinging her arms around him in a dramatic gesture, he laughed openly, rolling over in time to 'catch' her, wrapping his arms around her as she continued to laugh with him.

"Daw, fine! I'll stay and fight them off with my candycane shotgun." The joke had been a popular one of Chance's since a very rowdy game of Candyland. He'd kept it ever since. Chance rolled onto his belly and cupped his chin in his hands, his elbows pressing down into the grass. "Wanna go to the movies with me tonight or something? We can try sneaking in our own snacks and see if that fat guy with the ugly shoes catches us!"

"Ja!" she said, "But... what movies are out?"

Chance shrugged, "Does it matter? We'll figure out something when we get there."

"I... why is the fat one always there?" Chance beamed at that.

"A couple of kids are betting on that he's actually a woman, and one gal says that she knows first-hand that he sleeps under the counter and eats the candy all night long. I think he might be Superman in the retirement years, myself..."

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"That girlfriend thing... I only have eyes for you, meg elske." Chance smiled in reply, then laughed, but it was obvious to her that she didn't get it. She didn't blame him though, she heard her language was one of the hardest ones to learn.

"Okay, what does that mean again? I'm totally lost, since meg-elk or whatever has slipped my mind of common Liv-comments. But I'm glad I have first dibs on you."

Liv beamed down at him for a moment, then put on a mock-serious face. "Meg elske means I know about your stuffed cat called Fido, world is coming to an end today. Fido's of the earth will come together and take over." Chance let out a gasp in reply, rolling over and laughing loudly at her made-up definition of the words. "Oh noes!" he managed to say between fits of laughter.

"Or, it could mean 'my love.'" she finally added with a laugh.

Bolting upright suddenly, he looked at Liv with a semi-serious expression on his face. "Aww...that's so cute! But it sounds nothing like how it means..." She nodded in agreement, but couldn't help but to think that it was 'my love' that didn't sound like 'meg elske,' not the other way around. But she inwardly shrugged the thought off, knowing that it wasn't anything to really worry about.

She patted his head a couple of times, the expression on his features causing her to laugh. "So, how's life?" she asked, liking the fact that she kept changing the subject randomly.

"Uuuuh... Dad's gone for the weekend, so I felt like I could breathe for awhile, until I came home yesterday to find mom in a total mood. Most of the people I know are getting paired off or going emo, so I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I think I should run away from home and join the circus."

Shaking her head playfully, Liv yelled, "No, you can't leave me here! The crazies are everywhere!" She flung her arms around him dramatically, as he rolled over just in time to 'catch' her. Wrapping his arms around her, they laughed together for a moment. Silently, Liv considered herself lucky to have at least one friend in America.

"Daw, fine! I'll stay and fight them off with my candycane shotgun." Liv laughed even more at this, her sides beginning to hurt as she sat up. She found that she always laughed harder when Chance was around. He was just one of those people that you couldn't be sad around, no matter how bad your day was. Chance rolled onto his belly, cupping his chin in the palms of his hands, his elbows pressing down into the ground. "Wanna go to the movies with me tonight or something? We can try sneaking in our own snacks and see if that fat guy with the ugly shoes catches us!"

"Ja!" she replied automatically, "But... what movies are out?"

"Does it matter? We'll figure out something when we get there." Chance stated with a shrug and she nodded thoughtfully. Her parents would be home after school, waiting for her, she knew. Silently, she prayed that they'd be sleeping when she got there. She could probably sneak some money from them and leave without them waking up, she had done it before. True, there were certain punishments she had to go through to pay for what she did, but she didn't care at the time.

"I... why is the fat one always there?" she asked, earning a giant smile from Chance.

"A couple of kids are betting on that he's actually a woman, and one gal says that she knows first-hand that he sleeps under the counter and eats the candy all night long. I think he might be Superman in the retirement years, myself..."

Liv thought this over for a moment, then wrinkled her nose like she had smelled something bad. "He wouldn't look good in tights." Truthfully, she was extremely grossed out by the idea that HE might be superman, the kids people looked up to. "The girl idea... it's good." she added with a laugh.

Stretching carefully, Liv yawned, using one hand to cover up her mouth as she did so. It had been really late when she got to bed the night before, around three am, if truth be told. She found that she was feeling more exhausted every day, but she didn't mind. Sometimes she would even stay up later then her parents told her to, just to make them angry. A smile lit up her face as she imagined what life would be like without them there to constantly harass her and order her around. That day would come, she knew, just not soon enough for her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed for a minute, thinking about what he had said earlier, "If you get candycane guns, I get gumdrop grenades!"

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

"Wanna go to the movies with me tonight or something? We can try sneaking in our own snacks and see if that fat guy with the ugly shoes catches us!"

"Ja!" Liv replied cheerfully, "But... what movies are out?"

"Does it matter? We'll figure out something when we get there." Chance stated with a shrug and she nodded thoughtfully.

"I... why is the fat one always there?" she asked, earning a giant smile from Chance.

"A couple of kids are betting on that he's actually a woman, and one gal says that she knows first-hand that he sleeps under the counter and eats the candy all night long. I think he might be Superman in the retirement years, myself..."

Liv thought this over for a moment, then made a face as if she had smelled something bad. It was a really cute gesture, actually, with her nose wrinkling up. "He wouldn't look good in tights." Chance guffawed loudly, unrestrained, at the comment. His throat was starting to ache from it, but he couldn't stop. The mental image was hilarious.

"Kinda like that Three Doors Down video, right? For Kryptonite? Woaaah that was weird!"

"The girl idea... it's good." she added with a laugh.

"Definitely a more plausible idea," he nodded as though the matter was settled.

Liv let out a yawn and stretched like a cat. He watched her, an amused look still on his face. Then Liv smiled as though from an inner thought she couldn't keep from showing through, and he was about to ask her what was so amusing when she started on a different tangent, completely distracting him.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "If you get candycane guns, I get gumdrop grenades!"

"Oh, definitely," Chance said with all due seriousness, "But Shelly already claimed King Licorice and his legion of Jelly Bellies, so you are gonna have some airborne competition there." He sat up a little, scratching his elbow and fixing his hair from their recent entanglement. "So, do you have any new drawings today?"

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"I... why is the fat one always there?" Liv had asked, immediately causing Chance to smile broadly up at her.

"A couple of kids are betting on that he's actually a woman, and one gal says that she knows first-hand that he sleeps under the counter and eats the candy all night long. I think he might be Superman in the retirement years, myself..."

She thought this over for a moment, then mentally cursed the mental image that came with the thought. Wrinkling her nose, she said, "He wouldn't look good in tights." That earned another fit of laughter from Chance. And though she was being partly serious, she found herself laughing as well.

"Kinda like that Three Doors Down video, right? For Kryptonite? Woaaah that was weird!" Liv nodded in reply, a broad smile on her face. She had only seen the video once, but once was definitely enough for her.

"The girl idea... it's good." she added with another laugh. It seemed like she could picture that more than she could the 'superman' thing.

"Definitely a more plausible idea," he nodded as though the matter was settled. And though she had no idea what the word 'plausible' meant, she knew that he had just agreed with her.

Letting out a yawn, she stretched almost like a cat. Liv noticed him watching, but she couldn't have cared less. They were friends. Then she silently imagined what it would be like if her parents weren't living with her anymore. The thought seemed almost too good to be true. A smile spread across her face as she imagined it all. The peace, no yelling, no awful smells... it would be heaven.

"Hey!" she exclaimed suddenly, liking the feeling of being completely random. "If you get candycane guns, I get gumdrop grenades!"

"Oh, definitely," Chance said with a serious look on his face, "But Shelly already claimed King Licorice and his legion of Jelly Bellies, so you are gonna have some airborne competition there." Rolling her eyes playfully, she crossed her arms and made a pouty face. In the meantime, he sat up a little and scratched his elbow, then fixed his hair.

"So, do you have any new drawings today?"

"Hmmm..." The question caught her off guard for a moment, but after that she started filing through papers in her bag, looking for one piece in particular. Pushing her multi-colored hair out of her eyes, Liv managed to find it in her third sketchbook in there. Pulling it out, she checked it over first before handing it to him. It was a picture of him in charcoal. True, there were others that she had drawn, but she figured he'd like this one the most. It showed him hugging an over-sized stuffed bear, a big smile on his face. The drawing itself looked undeniably realistic... but the only problem Liv had with it was the lack of background there. Surrounding him and the bear was nothing... yet. She intended to change that when she got the chance.

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

"Hey!" she exclaimed suddenly, "If you get candycane guns, I get gumdrop grenades!"

"Oh, definitely," Chance said with a serious look on his face, "But Shelly already claimed King Licorice and his legion of Jelly Bellies, so you are gonna have some airborne competition there." Rolling her eyes playfully, she crossed her arms and made a pouty face.

Chance chuckled as he scratched the itchiness of the grass off his elbow, and asked her while he tried to fix his hair, "So, do you have any new drawings today?"

"Hmmm..." She thought about that for a moment, then brushed her hair out of her face and started digging. Chance's smile grew as she pulled more and more sketchbooks out of her bag. She has enough for a starving artist army of ninjas...

Wordlessly, she held out a sketchbook to him that was turned to a page already. Chance took it eagerly, his eyes widening as he recognized the person there. He looked a lot older, and the charcoal gave him a strange sort of shadow, but it was definitely him. His mouth opened in a wide grin that almost seemed too big for his face. "Aww... I'm so cute! And so is mah teddy bear!" He giggled, folding his legs Indian-style beneath him as he kept a hold on the sketchbook. "You did really good job on this," he added, a little more seriously this time. "I can't believe you're able to do this..." A little longer of a moment spent staring at the drawing. "Boy, if only I had a talent like this.. I bet even my dad would be alright with it." His smile remained, though it held a bit of a sad tone to it as he handed the drawing back to her. "Can I see my favorite ones again? The one of yourself and the one tattoo guy?" He was practically bouncing where he sat, eager to see the familiar favored ones again.

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"Hey!" Liv exclaimed suddenly, "If you get candycane guns, I get gumdrop grenades!"

"Oh, definitely," he replied with a serious expression but an almost playful tone in his voice somewhere, "But Shelly already claimed King Licorice and his legion of Jelly Bellies, so you are gonna have some airborne competition there." Rolling her eyes as if the thought actually annoyed her, she crossed her arms and made a pouty face. Much like what a child would do if they got their favorite toy taken away. Of course, she was only joking around.

Chance chuckled as he scratched at his elbow that had been in the grass and asked her while he tried to fix his hair, "So, do you have any new drawings today?"

"Hmmm..." She replied, momentarily being caught off guard. Brushing her hair out of her face, she started digging through the bag that she took with her everywhere. Mainly because she wanted to keep a close eye on them at all times. She learned to be more protective of her pieces over the years... because if she didn't, they would be taken and thrown away, or just simply disappear and she would wonder day and night what had happened to them. She kept a list of the number of sketchbooks and works she had in her pocket at all times. And she would check it when she got up every morning and before she went to bed.

When she found what she was looking for, she held out one of her new-ish sketchbooks to him, already opened to the right page. Chance took it eagerly and she smiled at his expressions. First, his eyes widened in surprise, then his mouth expanded into a gigantic grin that spread across his face. "Aww... I'm so cute! And so is mah teddy bear!" He stated, giggling as he folded his legs Indian-style beneath him, still holding the sketchbook. "You did really good job on this," he added, a little more seriously this time. "I can't believe you're able to do this..." Then he fell silent, just staring at her charcoal drawing.

"Boy, if only I had a talent like this.. I bet even my dad would be alright with it." He sounded sad, almost...but he was still smiling. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she was about to ask why, but he spoke up before she had the chance. "Can I see my favorite ones again? The one of yourself and the one tattoo guy?" He was practically bouncing where he sat as she bit her lower lip, thinking. It'd be in the older ones, she knew. Pulling one really old one out, she began flipping through it. Then she found it, third from the last page was a picture of her old friend, the tattoo artist.

He was hard at work, decorating a man's back with a detailed picture of a dragon. She remembered how he always complained that that was what almost everyone asked for when they came in, but she'd only laugh at his frustration. In the picture, his shirt was off, revealing his arm and torso almost completely covered in tattoos. Not wasting any more time to think about it, she set that one to the side and looked for her self portrait.

Finally finding it, she flipped through the sketchbook briefly, already knowing where it was because she was making improvements on it just the day before. The sketch was different than all the others, the lines sketchy and bold, almost seeming like she had drawn it when she was angry. Which she had, but that was beside the point. The colors there were all on the warm side of the color scale, almost like the page was about to burst into flames at any moment. She had drawn herself laying down in the center on the page, bright flowers and vines of all sorts growing all around her, some even creeping over her, like they were about to pull her farther back into the deeper foliage. Her expression in the picture was confused and almost furious, her hand reaching out as if she could escape and crawl out of she sketchbook if she tried hard enough. And in the flowers, very small and practically unnoticeable if you weren't looking for it was the image of her sister's face. Looking at the picture Liv with a sad expression. But no one had ever really noticed it, she even had to look for it sometimes and she had drawn the thing!

Handing it to him, she offered him a smile. "So why do you like these best?"

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

He bounced in place as she went to search through her works for the ones he kept coming back to again and again. The first she found was of the tattoo man, a guy Liv used to know.. If Chance had seen him anywhere else but on the pages of Liv's sketchbook, he would have found the guy rather scary, with his enormous arms and the tons and tons of tattoos. But somehow, Liv had captured him at work on someone's back, in the middle of creating a dragon there, and it looked more like a gentle, beautiful moment than anything. It was an artist capturing another artist in what he loved the most.

By the time he was done studying closely all the fine details in the drawing, Liv had the next one ready for him. This one was a self-portrait, a mingling of soft and harsh tones in coloring, but all the lines indicating a rough reality that was displayed so touching that Chance almost expected it to fall off the page onto the grass.

"So why do you like these best?" She asked as she smiled at him. Chance looked up at her, then gave a shy little shrug.

"I dunno.." he looked between the two drawings in front of him. "It's like..they're so detailed. And emotional..." He looked up to grin at her. "I can't decide which one I like best, though! But I think it's the one of you...there's so much going on in it, though nothing is too obvious.. it's really pretty..."

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"So why do you like these best?" Liv had asked as he looked at the pictures, realizing that she had never really asked him before. Chance looked up at her, then gave a shy little shrug. She tilted her head to the side at this, wondering what his infamous shrug meant this time. She waited for a moment for the answer, smiling at him the whole time.

"I dunno.." his gaze dropped to land in between the two drawings in front of him. "It's like..they're so detailed. And emotional..." Looking up to grin at her for a moment, he continued. "Ican't decide which one I like best, though! But I think it's the one of you...there's so much going on in it, though nothing is too obvious.. it's really pretty..."

A wide smile came to her face at this. "Thanks," she said happily, then put on a mock frowny face, "It's people like you who are going to go and give me a big head. Then all those hats I bought will be worthless!" Throwing her hands up in mock exasperation, she shook her head.

A few moments later, and Liv was actually acting somewhat normal again. "If you want anything I draw, just ask and you can have it."

She honestly didn't mind if he did, because she would only give them to friends and she didn't have too many of those. Other people had asked her before, but she refused them, especially the ones that didn't even know her. In her mind, she didn't want people to like her for her art so they had to become friends first before she'd even give them that option. But people like Chance had every right to ask for them, and nine times out of ten, they would get it. The only time she wouldn't give it to them was the times where she had to make improvements to the piece. And when she was finished, then she'd give it to them anyway.

[Elda Forever]

Chance Savege

A wide smile came to her face at his words. "Thanks," she said happily, her accent still so heavy it made him grin, then she put on a mock expression of disappointment. "It's people like you who are going to go and give me a big head. Then all those hats I bought will be worthless!" Throwing her hands up in mock exasperation, she shook her head.

"Well, I know your hats won't fit me!" He pouted dramatically, tracing his pointer finger down his cheek in a mock-tear. "Sad-sad-sadness!"

"If you want anything I draw, just ask and you can have it." Liv told him, making him arch an eyebrow.

"Gee, Liv. That's really cool of you." He said, grinning from ear to ear. Then he leapt forward to toss his arms around you. "Can I have all of the ones you did so far? Huuuuh?" He giggled, teasing her. "I want you to draw yourself again sometime. I think those ones are really awesome and stuff. Oh, hey! Do you have more music for me?!" He sent her a puppy dog look, his words drawn out, trying to be as cute as possible. "Doooo you?"

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"Thanks," Liv had said to her earlier compliments. Suddenly though, she put on a mock expression of disappointment. "It's people like you who are going to go and give me a big head. Then all those hats I bought will be worthless!" Throwing her hands up in mock exasperation, she shook her head.

"Well, I know your hats won't fit me!" He pouted dramatically, tracing his pointer finger down his cheek in a mock-tear and earning a fit of laughter from Liv. "Sad-sad-sadness!"

"If you want anything I draw, just ask and you can have it." Liv told him seriously, making him arch an eyebrow.

"Gee, Liv. That's really cool of you." He said, grinning so wide she was afraid that the action might cause him to hurt himself. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Chance leapt forward, tossing his arms around her thin frame. Shots of pain went through her but she ignored them and laughed. "Can I have all of the ones you did so far? Huuuuh?" He giggled and she already knew that he was teasing her. "Hmm... maybe if I'm feeling generous." she replied sarcastically.

"I want you to draw yourself again sometime. I think those ones are really awesome and stuff. Oh, hey! Do you have more music for me?!" He sent her a puppy dog look, his words drawn out, as he tried to be as cute as possible. "Doooo you?"

"Nope, I might... tomorrow though." She said with another laugh. "Will you survive until then?" Her smile broadened as she thought about a mental image that had just went through her head. "You're a music junkei." she said, slightly mispronouncing the word 'junky.' It was probably hard for him to tell if she ever said a word incorrectly because of her heavy accent though, so she didn't worry herself about it too much. Some words she just had problems with.