We’re here to elevate

[mal_contented]

[Feed on Mal, between missions and freshly washed, hair still damp, clothes clean and in place. The bruise over one eye is about the only evidence that she'd been out in the muck until a few hours ago.]

"Alright kids, time to see how many we can kill with one stone. You need your rooms painted, I need money and to blow off some stress. So. First come first serve so long as the pay is worth my time. You provide materials, money, and the wall, I provide the art. I figure I can do one or two when I get back from each mission. So, you got my contact info here. Zap me up."

[She was also considering painting on canvases for sale, but she needed to earn more than she was making doing hair first.... And you know, have more than one client at the salon... but that was a whole other issue....]

Comments

[mal_contented]

She nodded, put on whatever CD was in the player and got to work while she waited. She really didn't have much time, for the scale of the project. But she needed the release of art. And knowing caffeine was coming helped.

[takeitsleazy]

Not much later, he returned with her coffee and the CDs from her room, slipping in quietly so as not to disturb her and setting the coffee down near the spray paint cans. With a cup of his own in hand, he settled down to watch her work, absolutely enthralled - even more so than he had been as she worked in her tent. He'd known she was good, but seeing what she could do with more than just a few colors was jaw-dropping.

[mal_contented]

She grabbed the coffee between colors and drained half of it in a sip before swapping CDs. she flipped on the random and gott back to work as asong played. She started moving to the music, singing along as she worked. As the caffeine worked through her. Paint, good music, and black coffee. If not for the danger all around them this could almost be happiness.

[takeitsleazy]

He left her to her work after a while, puttering around in his corner of the apartment and tending to his own things. Once it got close to the time when the Doctor and Rose were due to come home, he popped back into the living room to check her progress.

"Okay, I'm going to take them out to the Red Wagon for a nice long, fancy dinner," he grinned. "You want me to bring you back anything? There are sandwiches and something called a Shepherd's Pie in the fridge in case you get hungry for something more than candy. Help yourself to anything."

[mal_contented]

"I'm a VK, pretty much never going to turn down an offer of food that isn't poisoned or moldy," she pointed out, nearly as covered in paint as the wall was.

Which was both a yes to bringing her back something and a no, you won't have any food left in the fridge when she leaves.

But the painting was going well, she was making good progress. Though there were some songs she kept darting to the player to skip, keeping to the higher energy ones and skipping the slow ones, especially the jazzy ones. Freddie's vibe did not play well with her art. At least, it wasn't playing well today.

[takeitsleazy]

"Right, right. So, chicken, beef, or fish, I guess is the better question. I'll surprise you with something of whichever you want." He ducked into the fridge and came up with a small pitcher of black iced coffee, setting it on the counter for her, since he was sure the one he'd brought was long gone. "And dessert. They have really good cake."

[mal_contented]

Oh well past long gone. She poured herself a glass as she considered his question. She resisted the urge to answer "yes" though it was tempted. "Let's go beef." Not a big sea food fan, all things considered. Though she'd eat it if given it. She was a VK, she might have preferences but she was never so picky as to turn her nose up at food.

She was guarded enough not to ask if they had anything strawberry for dessert, though.

She took a long drink of coffee then got back to painting. "Cake sounds good, always liked cake once I figured out which bits were mold and which bits were actually supposed to be that color. Still not sure I see the point in blue cake." Auradonians.

[takeitsleazy]

"Beef, got it. Annnnd not-blue cake." He smiled, snapping his fingers and pointing at her. "I think humans like to see how many colors they can make a thing, but anything blue just always tastes like ... blue." He wrinkled his nose. "Or like that modeling clay that comes in the yellow plastic jars. I like when they make things red or yellow a lot better. I'll bring you a red thing."

Prepare to eventually be introduced to red velvet cake, Mal. And please don't ask how he knows what Play-Doh tastes like.

[mal_contented]

She was a starving kid on the Isle. She knows what a stomach ache from too much play-dough feels like.

She shrugged. "Not everything. Blueberry tarts aren't that bad." People might keep bringing them to Evie.

[takeitsleazy]

"That's different, though, that's a real blue thing. I'm talking about the taste of fake blue things." He chuckled. "Anyway, I've gotta jet -" the briefest flash of glee in his eyes at crossing another expression off his bucket list - "before they start thinking something's up. Have fun! I'll see you later!"

[mal_contented]

She absently waved her free hand at him. "Enjoy dinner. Want me gone before you get back, or waiting for the grand reveal?"

[takeitsleazy]

"Entirely up to you." He smiled at her over his shoulder. He knew Mal wasn't exactly Rose's biggest fan, but... "But I do know from experience that people's opinions tend to change a little when they find out someone's done something nice for them. Wink."

Yes. Yes, he actually winked and said 'wink'.

[mal_contented]

She shrugged. "Not many people here who have an opinion I care about," she pointed out as she started to get back to work. "Also winking is supposed to be subtle, saying wink when you do it ruins the effect if you weren't going for humour." That was said as advice from a friend tring to help, but wasn't dripping sappines. It just wasn't snarked or snapped like it might have been.

[takeitsleazy]

"Oh, is that why? All I ever heard was that you weren't supposed to wink about bad things, which, uh, no, totally didn't listen, because that's the best kind of wink. Thanks!"

An equally genuine friendly smile, and he was off, leaving her to the last leg of her work.

We going to thread the return or have her just head home?

[mal_contented]

She nodded as he left and turned up the music as she worked on the mural.

With the plot going on rn let's just leave it there...

[takeitsleazy]

[....and he can drop off her steak, loaded baked potato, pickled beets, and red velvet cake when he comes back, job well done, Mal!]

Fair enough. TY for the thread.

[mal_contented]

The mural was done before they returned. Once she finished she grabbed her CD, the leftover paint, the candy, the rest of the coffee, and she left. He could clean up the mess. She made the wall pretty. The rest was his problem. When the food was dropped off though she accepted it, and probably split it with Lydia.