video; un: kishibe

[penpoint]

[ The video flickers on and Rohan's at his desk. He sets down the pen he has in his hand on the desk in front of him. He looks fairly serious, though his tone has a certain ease to it when he speaks. A cat is perched on his left shoulder, white and a little fluffy and leaning into his space at every opportunity. Rohan makes no attempt to get the cat out of his bubble. ]

Good evening, everyone. Just a couple of quick things.

I finally found a reliable publisher. [ He leans forward, placing his chin in his palm. ] Which means that some of the recent manga I'm working on can finally be more easily accessed by the public as soon as it's ready. I'm considering making it easily accessible in a digital format, too.

That having been said, I am in need of a few models. This is a paid job, and I found studio space that I can use when I need to meet someone. This is a little different from if I weren't drawing you. I like to keep in practice, and I like to use a variety of different people. It keeps my skills sharp.

[ The cat, poised on his shoulder, starts to nudge his head against Rohan's face, wanting attention. He brings his hand up, moving his fingers over the fur. This seems to satisfy whatever attention it was wanting and returns to just settling himself in. ]

And the last is I am also taking commissions. I work very quickly, so if you need it fairly soon, let me know. I'll need to know what you're looking for and how big of a project it is. We can meet either in the studio space I'm using, at a park, or cafe if preferred to just discussing here.

Just drop me a line here, privately, or whatever works for you for any of the above.

Comments

[industryplant]

[His indifference didn't bother her in the least - he seemed at least somewhat similar in personality to the person she looked up to the most, after all. She smiles politely anyway, glancing around a little as she steps inside.]

Sure.

[She watches him step away a couple of steps before she turns around to shut the door, soon turning back to continue conversing with him.]

It's Angela Carpenter. [She went by just Angela, for her singing career, but figured it'd be better to attach her last name at least until she could get more famous around here. Besides, with her mother's passing not that long ago, maybe it was better to keep that around when there wasn't anything else left of her to hold onto.] I don't think I've gotten yours either.

[penpoint]

Rohan Kishibe.

[ The answer comes simply, easily. No fluff, no fanfare. He doesn't know her so there's no reason to go further than that, after all. He shifts, walking towards a small, raised stage in the room. He points: ]

You can stand up here. You said you modeled, correct?

[ He shifts towards one of the desks and picks up his sketchbook and some charcoal pencils. ]

Are you American?

[ Her name sounded like it. ]

[industryplant]

It's nice to meet you formally then, Rohan.

[She gives a brief smile, before walking over to where he indicated. She glances around, her modeling instincts looking for something to interact with, but doesn't quite go for any certain pose just yet.]

I've acted and recently went into singing, but most of my experience is in modeling, yes. Usually I'd be expected to cycle through motions quickly, but that might interfere with your drawing, right? So tell me if you want a pose in particular.

[She looks a little amused by the assumption of her nationality when even she didn't know where her genetics came from, when she just found out about being a designer baby within a couple of weeks of being brought to this world.]

Hmm? That's a Earth thing, isn't it? I'm actually from Alba City. [A moment passes when she remembers having conversations with people that weren't even aware that life on another planet wasn't possible. So, she adds to it:] That's the biggest city on Mars. Though we're all descended from Earth refugees.

[penpoint]

It's an Earth place, yes.

[ His eyes drift. This isn't the first person he's met who isn't from Earth, and he's certain she won't be the last. He's fine with that, really. He's fine with the idea that he's meeting strangers from other worlds. And you can bet he's going to use the opportunity to get what he wants out of this interaction, too. ]

Mars, eh.

What year for you, then?

[ Because the possibility is only fiction right now. And, as she poses - just a bit, he notes: ]

Hold it.

[ He finds a seat, and immediately gets started. His hands move quickly over his paper, quite fast. ]

[industryplant]

[Once he gives the instruction to freeze, Angela does so immediately. She had been a model even at a really young age, so countless angry artistic directors and scoldings from her mom afterward shaped to be exceptionally good at following direction on the fly. For better or worse.

Even when she has to really think about what year it would have been for Earth, as far as years went, she manages to keep the same expression.]

It's the 50th year of colonization on Mars. But for Earth, I think it would have been 2072? [Though she didn't mind answering questions about herself - she was used to it from interviews - she figured it'd be more boring for him if she just talked about herself the entire time.] I take it that you're from Earth? What year is it, where you're from?

[penpoint]

1999. Yes, Earth. Japan.

[ His answer comes fast, simple. His hand moves over the paper. He gets quiet while he has his main focus be the art that he's working on. He only glances up if somehow he forgets or loses his place when drawing. He doesn't speak much about himself. That's not the type of dynamic that this is. So, he'll ask: ]

So probably not my Earth's timeline, then. I can't imagine we'd be colonizing Mars in less than 30 years. I imagine the technology here is more similar to yours than to mine.