( prp ) where art thou (America & Jeremiah)

[lizbot]

They hadn't had too leave too early of course. More of a mid morning in time for fast food breakfast early, really. Jer's car was a novelty to say the least, almost like the world's least thrilling amusement park ride. Sipping the last of her orange juice, America tells him about calling her mom.

"First time I like, tried to my best to pretend everything was okay and I'd just gotten caught up with school and a boy and all that," she explained. "I called a second time 'cause I panicked like, it felt like I'd forgotten something, like some everybody with a mom knows to do this thing sorta deal, like I've probably seen it on TV or something, right? Anyway I was still panicking when she'd picked up and I was like, Wrong number! And hung up."

She turned a disbelieving look toward the driver, as if incredulous at her past self being such an idiot.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Sometimes fast food was necessary- especially when they had to make a drive for this kind of subject matter.

Jeremiah let out a breath, a huff of laughter. "If it makes you feel any better, I essentially did something similar with my own mother. Not to mention that I still am a little ... unsure of myself when texting your mother back." Just because clearly there was a friendship there, of some kind, he had no recollection of.

It was obviously far, far more trying for America. "I'm glad you got a hold of her finally, though." His eyes cut to her briefly, a smile given. Jeremiah reached over with a hand, the other staying on the steering wheel, and squeezed her forearm reassuringly.(His hand was just the faintest bit cold - not uncomfortable just cool - and his affection and caring flickering briefly as it was felt.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Anyway, I need to go visit and drag Taym along with me," America sighed. and here she looked a bit uncertain. "Do you think being away for more than a day or so will...affect things?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I don't think so," Jeremiah replied, thinking of their magical abilities. "As magic is more prevalent in this reality, I think we'd be able to go anywhere without it fading away. I had this magic when I was in England as a teenager."

His lips pressed together briefly before he voiced his next thought. "What I am not certain of is what it might do because of your being a Principal. Heliodora was not able to move freely but the other two could ..." Yet they also stayed mostly in other ashdown.

1izbot

word count to here: 236

 

[lizbot]

With a little huff of unhappy laughter, America agreed. "That's the tangle of it. I don't wanna mess up the balance any more than it already is. Maybe Professor Noor can tell me if it's safe once we find him." It was a nice thought at least.

They'd managed to hit that sweet spot in the morning, right when most people are busy having gotten to work and lunch was just a glimmer on the horizon. "I've never been to an art museum outside of school trips and once this emo princess of a boyfriend I had back in sophmore year." It was said with a fond sort of nostalgia.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"... well, considering that the third one being-" Jeremiah stopped himself almost immediately. No, this was not a good topic while driving. "I'm sure we'll find Liam soon enough. There's likely reason for it as there's often reason for everything."

He was looking for a place to park, one that would be out of the way and not get him stared at too much because while he was Chief of Police in Ashdown that did not always mean much in the metropolitan area (though they did not give him too much hassle about his vehicle anymore).

"I came to this one years ago, just to look around. Maybe get an art piece to hang up at the house. Never did see anything I really liked then ..." Jeremiah chuckled. "Bit guilty of finding fashion shows more interesting unless the artist involved at show is someone I am a friend with or appreciate their style. Since this one is an indie gallery, I suspect we'll get to see a lot of unique pieces. It was rather eclectic the last time I came, though that was over ten years and another reality back."

A parking spot was found, Jeremiah claiming it before anyone else got ideas.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Oh man, like the stuff that's all splashes and boxes of color and chicken wire?" America mused as they made their way to the entrance. "Oh! You think there'll be performance stuff, like naked people covered in clothespins, I saw that on Instagram the other day!"

Before they entered, the girl leaned in close to Jeremiah and said in a low voice, "I don't need fashion shows when I got a mirror." And with a wink, her sun dress turned a color Taym'd wryly mentioned once, Lusty-gallant. Is was a pretty coral pinkish color that gave the dress a slightly classier air than a moment before.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"There may just be. I certainly remember a couple creative pieces when I came years ago. A pretty wild sculpture actually ..." Jeremiah was laughing a moment later, mostly because of America mentioning performance stuff. "If we're lucky," he replied, "if we're lucky."

Lips twitching upwards in amusement, he could only let out a laugh as her dress changed color.

"My dear America," he said, linking her arm with his as he pulled the door open for them both, "you are quite possibly the most lovely walking fashion show there is."

shibrogane

dear shepbrofrand, team meriah wishes to visit the previously mention indie art gallery <3 <3

lizbot

 

[shibrogane]

In the center of the gallery there was a massive, terrifying sculpture of a bone-colored deer leaning on a block. Shiny red translucent acrylic spilled from its breast and down onto the floor, and covered basically everything about the stripped-down buffed concrete. A note on a shoulder-level stand by the beginning of the red pool said Please Step On The Art. So, that happened. The deer's antlers were hung with live peonies. A viewer could tell they were live because they'd begun to dry, shriveling and losing their bright colors, but were in that stage of drying where they were actually horrendously unattractive.

Art.

The walls, sheet white and starkly lit, were hung with a hodgepodge of paintings and relief sculptures. A person all in black was sitting at a desk stuck into a corner. This person had tucked up their hair into their hat, and was bowed over a rose gold Macbook. The only sound in the gallery was their fingers clattering against the keyboard, and occasionally their noisy sips of a Starbucks drink in the blue springtime cup.

Hanging from the ceiling were thousands of strips of torn black fabric. They glimmered with gold writing and shredded pieces of paper were sewn among the forest of God only knew what.

"Hey," said the person, pausing their typing. Their voice was mid-range for a girl. "Let me know if you have questions."

azuredreams

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Oh boy, do I..." America's gazes fixed on the central piece. Letting go Jer's arm, she moved to circle it, taking in the sight of the whole, then the pieces that made it up. It was, to say the least, impactful. The sort of thing she'd see behind her eyes at night.

Reading the note, she experimentally pressed the toe of her shoe onto the acrylic, calling out, "Miss? How long has this piece been up?"

azuredreams

shibrogane

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah was equally quiet, his gaze locked onto the piece of art that was displayed. It was unsettling in more than one way, both because of what was going on with Pax/Ming as well as the memory of the deer skull that had been a representation of Zac (and had killed Algie and him both).

An impact was made, the older man a few steps behind America (also putting a foot through the acrylic as requested) to hear about this pieces as well. Though he was also looking at the person at the desk in the corner.

lizbot

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Uh, a couple weeks," said the student, looking up from her computer. "Since the 12, I think." The pool of acrylic had been sculpted into ripples, the diffuse white lights from between the fabric overhead shining bright against the reflective surface. It looked like a strange nightmare.

She shrugged. "You two gonna just stand over there? It isn't gonna break. It was poured right onto the concrete and sculpted there."

lizbot

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

Stepping up at their urging, America took a step forward, then another, until she was close enough to touch the wound. Gingerly, she reached out to do just that, another question on her lips, "Who's the artist?"

azuredreams

shibrogane

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah got a bit of a wry smile at the comment made, though he was studying the student a moment longer before he stepped towards the waking nightmare. His own fingers reached for the peonies, hand gently brushing against them as it was clear they were at the end of their life.

The parallels were disturbing.

"... and what was their inspiration for it? Is it meant to be a permanent installment here?" Since it was poured into the concrete and sculpted here."

lizbot

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Uh, it was me," said the student. There was something about her that was familiar to America, something otherworldly. For Jeremiah, the nearness to the student brought a feeling of impending danger. "There's a tag off on the side."

The tag was a paper-white mailing label stuck onto the pillar beneath the lovingly sculpted deer. It listed the name of the work, of the artist, and the date of installation in a hand that, to America, would be familiar. Bold, yet feminine at the same time, the handwriting declared:
In All My Dreams
V. Hawken
12 March 1980

"I think you know what my inspiration was, Mr. Mercer," said the student.

lizbot

azuredreams