Home » The Archives » Chapter 12 » Playing with Fire
| Re: Playing with Fire [message #452 is a reply to message #451] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 20:59   |
artisticrainey
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Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
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Field Commander
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Saturday, October 13, 2068, 11:10 a.m., Tracy Island
Virgil was busy packing his clothes, trying to figure out what he wanted to take to Paris. The weather will be cool. I should probably bring some sweaters. And an empty suitcase as I'm sure to be shopping while I'm there.
Suddenly, the buzzer on his suite sounded. Who could that be? he thought, somewhat irritably as he went out to the sitting room and called, "Come in!" Once that was done, he retreated to the bedroom, calling, "I'm in here!" to whoever had entered his rooms.
"Virgil?" Cherie sounded tentative as she stood in the doorway, looking at the clutter of clothing spread out on the wide bed.
"Hi, Cherie," Virgil replied, his tone showing his preoccupation. "What do you need?"
Watching her brother busily folding and packing, the teen bit her lower lip and sighed. "I see you're busy. I'll come back later; it's not that important."
She turned to go, and Virgil straightened, then looked toward his sister, blowing out a frustrated breath. "Cherie, you might as well talk to me about it now. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, then you'd have to wait a week." He patted a clear corner of the bed, and bent over to fold some more clothes. "You talk while I pack."
"Okay." Cherie settled herself on the indicated spot. "I was over at Cassie's apartment yesterday, tagging along with Gordon. She asked me if I could do something for her, artwork-wise." She locked her fingers together. "I'm not sure if I can do it, but I'd like to try. I wanted to ask you for advice on the project."
"What's the job?" Virgil took the leather bomber jacket, and hung it in a garment bag, then thought better of it. I'll take this with me in the jet, and use it when Kyrano and I arrive -- if the weather's cool.
"Well, she's got one big wall that's empty, and she asked if I could paint a mural on it. I thought maybe some scenes from New York..."
Virgil stopped what he was doing. "A mural? That's some ambitious project, Cherie, especially with buildings." He moved some clothes to sit beside her. "How do you plan on pursuing this? It's not going to be your usual manga characters."
Cherie nodded. "I know. I've never done anything this big before. But I think I could do it."
"Where will you get the supplies? And what do you think Dad would say about a mural on the wall?"
The teen shrugged. "I dunno. She said she'd buy the supplies, maybe get me something I like when I was done."
Virgil shook his head. "Uh-uh. This is a big project, and you're going to handle it like a professional if I have anything to say about it. And be paid for it, too." He rubbed his chin. "Okay. I won't have time to help you much right now, but... here, let me give you an assignment."
"An assignment?" Cherie made a sour face. "Why does this have to be homework?"
"Don't look at it like that, Cherry," Virgil said, smiling. "Look at it as a lesson in how the art world works. Cassie has commissioned this piece from you, so you need to treat her like a client. That means negotiating a price, setting up a schedule, showing her proposals... this could be a good experience for you."
"Sounds like a lot of work," Cherie said, looking doubtful.
"Selling your art is a lot of work, beyond the actual painting." Virgil jumped up and fetched a data pad. "Okay, let me give you the first things you need to do."
"All right." Cherie said with a sigh.
"First, you check with Dad on the feasibility of painting a mural in the apartment. I'm not sure what agreements he has with our recruits on their living quarters, but I don't know that painting a mural on the wall, one that would have to be painted over if the occupant left, is part of that. So you check with him first, and make sure you can do it. Even if you can't, there's a way. It'll mean doing some measuring of the wall in question, so that's your next assignment. Depending on what Dad says, you might have to order a custom canvas, and we'll have to set aside some room for you to paint in, and come up with an easel..." He shook his head. "Okay. Talk to Dad, measure the wall, and start researching buildings that might look good. Whatever you do, don't lose the measurements, and keep track of how much time you're spending -- a start time and an end time for whatever you do." He saved the assignment on the data pad. "We'll talk more about this when I get back."
Cherie took the data pad from him and glanced at it. "Why does this feel like it's going to be a huge project?"
"Because it is one," Virgil warned her. "A mural is a huge project that can take months to complete, Sis. If you still want to pursue it, then I'll help you as much as I can. But it'll still be your baby and be between you and Cassie. And it won't be something you can quit midway, either." He smiled. "When it's done, you'll know for sure if this kind of art - painting to commission - is what you really want to do. And you'll know a little bit about how to handle yourself in business, which is always good. Call it your official art class for the year."
"I'll have to fit this all around my schoolwork and everything." Cherie kept her eyes on the data pad.
"That's right; you will."
"Maybe... maybe I shouldn't do it," she said softly.
"That's up to you," Virgil told her. "But if you decide against it, do it now and tell Cassie right away."
They were quiet for a moment while Cherie thought it over. Finally she straightened. "I'm going to give it a try."
"Okay." Virgil rose to his feet. "You do those few things during the week, keeping track of how long it takes, and we'll discuss it more when I get back."
The girl nodded, and stood. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around her brother. "Thanks, Virgil."
He returned the hug, and kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, what are big brothers for?"
They parted, and Cherie headed out of the bedroom. "Hey!" she said as she stopped briefly in the door. "I saw that fan site yesterday. It looks pretty awesome. I think I'll join the club and be your spy in the meetings." She grinned slyly. "I can report on all the things they call you, like 'minty'."
Virgil rolled his eyes, and threw a rolled up pair of clean socks at her. "You can be my spy, but I don't want to know what they call me! Minty! Do I look minty to you?" He paused for a minute and said quickly, "Don't answer that!"
She laughed and lobbed the socks back at him, then hurried from the suite before things escalated. He shook his head and laughed. "Minty... what a thing to call one!"
Posted by Tikatu on March 2, 2008
  
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