fandomhigh | Art 101 - Wednesday, Period Four

Today, class was meeting in a small cave. At the back, there seemed to be a running stream and near the 'door', sunlight streamed in. That would be a constant in Professor Chevalier's class: sunlight, always, when it came to the Danger Shop.

Also assembled were various, somewhat rustic-looking paintbrushes and pots of paint.

"Today," he announced as they walked in, "we'll be covering prehistoric art."

The 'prehistoric' cave also, apparently, came with a slide projector.

"Items such as the Venus of Willendorf, the Lascaux cave paintings and this pot, found in Korea, were produced in the Neolithic age. There are examples of a aesthetic from earlier times, even before there were homo sapiens, but the first true 'art' is considered to be" he flicked back to the statue "her. The Venus of Willendorf, over 40,000 years old."

He let that sink in a little before continuing.

"Pictographs and petroglyphs are some of the best known, but as you can see from the Venus and the pot, art served many purposes even then. From bowing to the aesthetic to historical record to possible mystical or religious significance, art from it's very beginnings was a complex and multi-faceted subject."

He spread his hands to the supplies and gestured behind him to where the water flowed behind him.

"Today, I'd ask you to give these modes of expression a try, get your hands dirty. Paint on the wall and form pictographs, or use the picks to make petroglyphs. Behind me, there's some soft clay for molding as well as a few limestone rocks if anyone would like to try their hand at sculpture in that fashion. Tell your story, make something meaningful to you... or perhaps just make something pretty to put in your room and use to hold your keys. Work together or alone as you like. It's up to you.

"And, as always, feel free to ask me or our new teaching assistant, Shilo, for assistance."

[ocd up!]

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Nick had some mud on him, and some paint, and his hands were absolutely brown with whatever he'd been working on during the class. There were little smudges of the stuff on his face and he looked more like an overgrown eight year old than an ax murderer.

"Tyler, hello," he said cheerfully, "I think it's going well. And yourself? How are you?"

"Good," Tyler answered, grinning a tiny bit at the mess. "Not as, uh, active as your class sees to be -- we did movie week this week -- but good."

"Film is always a viable alternative," he admitted as he tried to wash off some of the mud on his hands, "though... not one I'm really used to using in class. Probably just a sign of the times."

He glanced around the 'cave'.

"Anything I can help you with or just checking up on me?"

"Mostly checking up," Tyler said, and rubbed the bridge of his nose before lowering his voice and going on reluctantly. "I was telling my friend I had a new teaching buddy and mentioned what you said about psychics. He ... I think he wants me to check with you and make sure whatever that's about, it's in the past and staying there."

Nick's expression lost it's joy and the eyes went a little hard.

"I was... unaware that that was anyone's business but my own," he said, just a touch frosty as his eyes wandered the room. They found the light at the end of the very literal tunnel and that seemed to warm him just a little, "but I assure you that such things are very firmly in the past."

He cocked his head to one side and peered sideways at Tyler.

"Is your 'friend' a part of the school administration?"

Tyler shook his head, unsurprised by the reaction. He would have been angrier, were the situation reversed.

"No, and I wouldn't go to them unless" -- unless I saw you with bloody ax in hand, but that was neither totally true nor a good way to end the sentence, so he let it trail off. "And it's totally your business, Nick. You're the one who told me about it first time I met you. You can't blame people for getting a little nervous about it."

... a bit passive-aggressive, there.

That got a raised eyebrow.

"You mean to say that in a place that accepts werewolves, psychics... vampires" and yes, he couldn't help the touch of emphasis there, "and all other manner of oddities... a man who only warns that he could be a danger to those who are sensitive to other's pain, who could read... torture or battle or any number of things from him, is truly cause for alarm?"

He folded his arms, uncaring that he would probably get mud on his suit jacket for it, and waited for an answer.

And yes, he had just intimated that perhaps the 'horror's had been done to him. It wasn't actually a lie. They had, many times over his very long life. It just wasn't the whole truth.

The whole truth was dangerous. The whole truth would get the Enforcers here within a week, hunting through this small town to find those who knew his secret and eradicating them. Which was why he didn't lie, but he did stretch the most convenient truth over the rest.

"Nick, if you were a soldier, you were a soldier," Tyler said, half-irritated as he went with the least upsetting possible interpretation. "You don't need to go all I Have a Tragic Past about that; my co-teacher last spring was one. Never bothered psychics. And no, I'm not alarmed."

If he was alarmed he ... might have actually thought about bringing Steve along.

Maybe.

"Just -- seemed worth asking about."

Edited 2009-09-09 16:17 (UTC)

He turned to start cleaning up.

"I don't bring up my past."

At least not with others. He brought it up to himself all the time, frequently in the middle of traffic.

"And I only spoke to try and protect any students I might have with such... gifts."

He breathed in and out, attempted calm, but that kind of thing doesn't work as well when you don't actually have to breathe much.

"The empath in my class hasn't had any such problems. But... thank you for asking."

"Before I got the torches and pitchforks?" Tyler checked, with a slight grim smile. He couldn't imagine Nick actually was grateful he'd showed up after class to start an awkward conversation. "No problem. And, uh, I'm glad things are working for you in class."

...having actually been chased with those things before, and having slaughtered the farmers personally, the joke went a little flat on him but you couldn't tell from the smile.

"I can't complain at anything a teacher does in an effort to keep his students safe. I wouldn't."

His own smile was wry.

"Even if it did get my hackles up a little. Forgive an old war horse his saddle sores?"

Nick barely looked as old as Tyler, but he'd accept the metaphor without comment. Some days Tyler felt about 150, for that matter.

"Nothing to forgive," he said. "Thanks for putting up with my questions."

I wish I could give you honest answers.

"Not a problem. Feel free to come by whenever you like."

The boyish smile had returned.

"I'll promise not to throw paint on you, even during the modern art class."

Tyler laughed, though mutedly. Something about the conversation was going to keep niggling at him. "Now I have to hold you to that promise. I'll see you."

Nick gave a laugh and nodded.

"Certainly. Take care."

Art 101 - Wednesday, Period Four - 9/09

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