Inspiration

[Demeter]

Absolutly Freakin Perfect

That was Gregory's first thought when he saw the guy walking down the street. He whipped around, pulling his much used camera from his ever present backpack while turning, and headed back in the direction he came. He didn't pay attention to where he put his feet. Gregory had the camera raised to his eye and a finger steady on the shutter button. He kept the camera with him for moments like this. When beautiful things showed up to smack him in the face.

He zoomed in on the man-child walking down the oposite side of the road, since that is what he looked liked. The body looked like that of a young man, all slim and small but the eyes. The eyes spoke of age and wisdom. He wanted to capture those eyes.

Gregory zoomed in on the guy's eyes, thanking whatever deity was listening that he'd gone for the max of zooming abilities as he was across the street from this guy. He also was glad that this was his favored digital model. He wanted a thousand pictures of this guy.

Gregory lowered the camera and skipped across the road in order to get some better pictures. Since he knew that he lacked any sort of subtley, he was willing to take whatever sort of punishment this form of inspiration was willing to dish out. He followed behind the guy, taking random photos at all times.

The movement of hair, the sway of hips, the line of the neck. He wanted to know more about this man. He idly wondered what colors would look best against his skin and how he'd react to being asked if he'd pose nude.

Gregory blinked at his thoughts. He didn't normally think things like that on the first glance. Shrugging his thoughts off, he raised the camera again, adjusted the focus and started to snap photos of the way the man moved.

He wanted to see him against a background of rich gold and bright red. To see the way the light played against his flesh. He wanted to paint him. He wanted to keep him until the inpiration was burned out of his skull and onto the canvas's stacked in his bedroom.

Gregory blinked when he object of his inpromtu photo session suddenly disappeared from the frame. He lowered the camera and glanced around him. Well, didn't that just figure, he'd found the perfect being and he went and vanished.

"Absolutly freakin' perfect," he muttered as he flicked through the pictures he'd recorded onto the memory card. He no longer cared that he wasn't going towards work. He'd found the perfect subject. He walked down the street, just flicking through the pictures.

[Shinigami]

Emil shifted the strap to his leather messenger bag, almost bouncing down the street as he made his was back to the flat he was calling home for time being. It was cooler than the desert land he was used to, but over time he had learned to deal with the shifting temperatures of the places he traveled. Em compensated for the chill with a pair of well worn, medium wash jeans, his well traveled tan sneakers, and a dark gray, fitted long sleeve shirt. The hem of the shirt came down almost to mid-thigh on his shorter frame, but he had altered it a bit and cut it up the seams to his hips. Warmth and range of movement made this one of his favorite shirts.

A gust of wind ruffled his hair and Em sighed. His hair was almost impossible to tame, but he still attempted to smooth it by running his hands through it. Right then, a young man caught his attention. He had seen the taller man with his camera a block back, but Emil had assumed he was talking pictures of the city in general. Em subtly monitored the man for a few blocks and noted that he was most definitely being followed.

Em added a little extra bounce to his step, unconsciously, as his mind raced with reasons why the man was following him. He was obviously taking pictures, but why of him? And were the pictures any good? Suddenly, he was struck with the intense urge to see the pictures that were being taken of him. Em, being Em, didn't think about simply turning around and asking. No, that wouldn't be much fun, even his unconscious knew that.

The man following him didn't seem to be giving anything outside of the viewfinder of his camera much attention. Easy. He'd just slip quickly out of the lens' view and use the chaos of the surrounding street as cover while the man tried to orient himself. Emil waiting until the man seemed particularly distracted, which didn't seem to take long (and that only made him more curious, wondering what he was thinking about), and he ducked out of the camera's view.

Em used the nearby side street as a cover until he saw the man pass by, then he slipped out and back onto the main street behind him. The second he realized just how much taller the man was than him, he became quite frustrated. He was only 5' 6", which wasn't really short... except everyone else seemed to be taller than him. It was clear that Emil wasn't going to get a clear glimpse of the camera screen the man was now looking at while trailing behind, so he just gave up.

Bouncing forward, he ducked down and looked around the man on his left catching a brief look at a picture of himself. His smiled widened - it was quite a good shot. The man was talented. Emil bounced along beside the man, turning to face him (and subsequently being forced to walk sideways) before he spoke. "Are you looking at anything interesting?"

[Demeter]

Gregory nearly screeched when the man child bobbed up beside him. He'd been so involved in the pictures that he hadn't noticed he had company. Greg fumbled his camera, grateful that he always wore the neck strap, as he skittered to the right. Normally, his senses were sharper but, as wrapped up in the photos as he could get, things like noting his surroundings tended to fall to the side.

Barely keeping hold of the camera, Greg stared at the subject of his photos. He eased out of his shocked posture. He wiggled a finger around in aimless circles. "How did you...do that?" he asked. Of course, Greg then noticed that he had a perfect view of that face. He gripped the camera and raised it, snatching photos of that face. "Sorry. I like your face. It is an extremely interesting face. The rest of you isn't bad either."

Gregory turned the camera so that he could see the screen. "Tell me, have you ever posed for anyway? Been painted? Been called someone's muse?" Nothing like jumping with both foot, Greg thought. "Would mind posing? Being painted? Or being called a muse? You've got this face, this wonderfully interesting face, that makes we want to drag the oils out. Not to mention your eyes. Don't take this the wrong way but I love your eyes."

[Shinigami]

Emil just couldn't hold in the soft chuckle at the man's startled reaction. Being so close to the man, he was able to sense a difference about the man he had felt in others before. This taller man he had startled so easily (and thoroughly) was a Dark One. He just wasn't sure of the kind, yet.

The smile on his face took on an edge of pride as his eyes sparkled with mischief. Though, it was only a moment later that his lips twitched again at the unexpected sound of the shutter of the camera clicking. Em had been a bit taken off guard at how quickly this stranger had gone from being shocked to falling back into his interest of taking pictures of him. The mischief was back in an instant as he explained himself.

He was back to practically bouncing on his feet, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he balanced himself mostly on the balls of his feet. Emil was still chock full of energy and the man's rapid fire questions were amusing him. "Me? No, no I've never done anything like that. Though, I was called a muse once, but that wasn't pertaining to arts." Emil had once been told by one of the families that he had provided protection for that he was inspiring when it came to strategy.

Emil cocked his head to the side. This man had seemed to take a such a liking to him, and he was always willing to try new things. Why not? "Sure, I'd pose for you. Sounds interesting." He extended his hand. "I'm Emil."

[Demeter]

Gregory shook the hand offered to him. "Gregory. Just let me call my boss then we can get to know each other better." As if he asked complete strangers to pose for him everyday. Greg pulled out his cell phone and walked a few feet away from Emil. He quickly relayed that he had to deal with a family emergency, something about his brother and a knife at school, to his shift supervisor, proclaimed at how sorry he was that he couldn't make it in that night, and flipped the phone shut. He turned back to Emil. "Well, that's taken care of. Should I buy you dinner or coffee before I, more or less, have my way with you?"

He paused, casting a sidelong glance at Emil. "You are over eightteen, right?" Greg stored his camera in his pack. "Also, how do you fell about posing nude?" He never approached things with any sort of delicate judgement. He'd gotten over be subtle in search of the perfect bit of artwork during his wanderings. He'd posed nude, and had people pose for him, during the six month stint in Italy. He'd learned that nudity, in the world of art, was only subject matter unless there was something between model and artist. He was more interested in the lines and forms of Emil's body. He wanted to know how the morning light would differ from the afternoon light on the shadowed planes of his body."

He grinned at Emil. He wouldn't mind if something happened between him and this new model. He liked that face, loved this eyes and he wanted to know more about this Emil.

[Shinigami]

Emil bobbed his head in a nod, weaving from side to side fluidly as he waited for this Gregory to finish his phone call. He wasn't one for eavesdropping so he tried to find something else on the street to occupy his time. It hadn't been that hard, as he suddenly realized he has wandered off of his usual path home in his attempt to decipher the man that had been following him. Em eyed the street signs and recalculated where he was in the city in relation to the places he was more familiar with. He had seen Gregory approaching from the corner of his eye, so he wasn't startled by his question. "Dinner isn't really necessary. Coffee would be fine."

He had never been one to take items or services from others without feeling as though he had earned them. It was the way he had been raised, and even after 200 years, he hadn't shaken it. Nor did he feel the need to. Gregory's next question actually pulled a light-hearted laugh from him. The man had taken for granted that he was of consenting age with his earlier request (which didn't bother Emil in the least), but it was somewhat sweet that he was making sure. Especially since he apparently wanted Em to pose nude. "Yes, yes, I'm over eighteen. In fact, I'm much older than you could guess. And I don't mind posing nude."

The only issue Emil had with posing nude was that he didn't know how he would react in such a state of undress around this man. He had been nude around other men before, but then again, none of those men had wanted to paint or draw him. A picture or two may have been taken of him, but the nature of those pictures hardly constituted them being called art. This was going to be fun.

[Demeter]

Gregory grinned as he escorted Emil down to a little cafe he knew of. He ordered for himself, grinning when the girl behind the counter finished reciting the order for him. He backed away to let Emil order and then payed. They sat at a secluded spot near the back on the cafe. What did one talk about with someone you just asked to pose nude? "Soo, how much older are you? I'm 23."

When Emil recited his age, Greg whistled and fiddled with the lid to his coffee. "Yep, defiantly over consenting age." He grinned at the man. "I could have so much fun with you. I don't know what it is that has drawn me to you. It has got to be that face and those eyes." He grinned again, wide enough to flash his fangs at the man. "I'm a sucker for eyes."

Once they'd finished off the coffee, Greg led Emil to the flat he shared with three friends. Pretty sure that they'd be out for the night, he gave Emil the five cent tour before leading him into the bedroom-cum-studio. "You don't have to strip tonight. I just need your face for tonight." He waved a hand around the room that was complete with bed, couch, milk crates, wooden crates. "Pick anywhere to sit. I'll be right back," he said as he rifled through a large set of custom built shelves until he found the drawing pencils and a mostly empty sketchbook.

[Shinigami]

Emil smiled at the woman behind the counter and ordered a cup of the strongest blend of coffee they had. He had a thing for "Turkish Coffee," which most others he had known liked to call it "sludge." When they settled at a table, Em was glad to note it was fairly secluded and private. So, when Gregory asked just how much older he was, and stated his own age, he figured he would tell the truth. The man was a Dark One, after all, even if he was a rather young one. "I'm actually... 207." It had taken him a moment to remember what year it was.

His lips quirked into a smirk at Gregory's whistle. Emil was quite glad his age didn't deter the man at all, and he was starting to become quite pleased with his apparent ability to draw this man in without him having to try. He knew his eyes were a strange blend of colors, he had been told so before, but Gregory seemed to adore them so much. When he caught sight of those fangs his own grin broadened, wide enough to show off a sliver of his own teeth. So, this man was a vampire then? That made his comment about being a "sucker" for his eyes so much more ironic.

Em was quick to finish off his coffee, enjoying the taste of the caffeinated beverage, despite not needing one ounce of the extra energy it was going to give him. As he followed Gregory to his flat, he was suddenly wondering if he's be able to sit still long enough for the man to get anything done. The flat wasn't much different from his own in layout, just with a few more bedrooms and bathrooms. Emil settled himself on a wooden crate, listening to it creak under his weight as he shifted to pull his bag off over his head and drop it next to his feet.

He wasn't sure how long this sort of thing normally took, so he was glad he had a habit of carrying a few changes of clothing. Em was a little glad he didn't have to strip quite yet. He had all of his small weaponry on his person, and he never did fancy the idea of someone else knowing where he hid all of his tools of the trade.

[Demeter]

Greg settled, slipping his legs into a weak imitation of a lotus pose, on the bed. With one elbow and a corner of the sketchpad balanced over his lap, Greg slashed a freshly sharpened pencil across the paper. After getting the basic shape of Emil's face down, Greg zeroed and began to draw the eyes in detail. He knew that he would lose track of time so Greg sincerly hoped that Emil was the type to let him know when he needed something.

He eventually flipped the page and started over, going for a full body shot this time. He kept quiet, the only sound in the room was his pencil dashing over the paper. He shifted occasionly, whenever one foot fell asleep. When the sound of a door slamming somewhere in the apartment caused Greg to jump, he broke the tip of his pencil, therefore jolting him out of his state. "Damn," he muttered. He glanced up and grinning sheepishly at Emil.

"Sorry. I get sucked into my work Wanna see?" Greg unfolded himself from the bed and crossed to the small refridgerator he kept in the room. "Want anything? I've got water, soda or juice." He pulled a water out for himself, twisted the cap off, and slammed the water down. "So, I'm not done with you yet but if you promise to come back over the weekend, I'd be willing to let you leave."

[Shinigami]

Emil got worried after only a few moments sitting on the crate. He just couldn't keep still, and he wasn't sure if that was making it more difficult for Greg to do his drawings. He managed to stay in relatively the same position, but he fidgeted quite a lot; playing with the hem of his shirt, tapping his fingers, shifting his feet. Despite all his unnecessary movement, Em was quite comfortable, so he didn't mind the quiet of the room. He shifted positions slightly when Greg started on a new page, allowing him to fidget without moving too much.

When a door slammed Emil flicked his gaze to the bedroom door before glancing over at Greg. He smiled at the man when he saw he had been suddenly snapped out of his drawing daze. His look of concentration had been rather amusing to watch as he furiously worked away at the sketch pad in his lap. Emil shifted to that the was sitting fully upright again and stretched, but the second Greg offered to let him see the drawings he was up on his feet.

Em bounced over to look at the drawings, noticing that the second one had been a full body drawing, but both were well done. "Wow, you're good at this. I don't have any talent in drawing, nor the patience to learn." He declined the drink, not needing much to keep him hydrated for the day. He laughed, however, when Greg made him promise to come back. "Oh? And if I don't promise? What will you do with me? Keep me locked in here?"

[Demeter]

Greg grinned at Emil. "Thank you, I do try to be good at what I do. And anyone can learn to draw. It's a matter of movements and measures but not everyone has the talent to be good at it." He finished off his water and tossed the bottle into the trashcan he kept. "And I might just try to keep you locked in here. I'm sure I could think of several ways to keep you entertained. Which, in turn, would probably cause me to draw like mad."

Greg crossed over to Emil and peered down at him. "I've wondered what you'd look like nude in a completely artistic sense. Now I wonder what you'd look like when your flushed, panting and completely at my mercy." He grinned, completely at ease with what he was seeing and not even thinking that Emil might take offense at the comment. He'd been around Christian for so long that those sorts of things just slipped out his mouth.

Greg wiggled his fingers at Emil. "I'm going to go forage around the fridge in the kitchen while I try to think of a convincing story to tell my coworkers. They will want to know about what happened. I suppose I should tell Jonathan what's going on." He spoke as he walked out of the room.

[Shinigami]

Emil was giving Greg his best look of innocent amusement as he was being told he would be locked in the room, but his eyes were sparkling with mischief. He couldn't bare to sit still at any given moment, so he was sure to start wreaking havoc when he was locked into a room. Maybe he could take the opportunity to convince the vampire that he should do more than just draw him while he posed nude...

That thought seemed to be shared by his friend as he peered up at Greg through his shaggy hair. The mention of being at anyone's mercy replaced his innocent expression with one of pure mischief - with a little splash of lust. A naughty smirk slid across his face as he shifted up onto the balls of his feet, bringing himself a little closer to Greg in height. "Flushed and panting should be easy, but good luck getting me to be at your complete mercy. I like to play rather dirty."

Em watched Greg walk out of the room. This was going to be much more fun than he had originally thought. It had been quite a while since he had taken a lover just for the fun of it, and he would be in the country for a while longer, at least. He took the liberty of settling himself on the edge of the bed and leaned back to prop himself up on his hands.

[Demeter]

Greg grinned to himself as he rooted through the pantry in the kitchen. Food would be needed. He reached into the open fridge, popped the top off of a bottle of blood and slammed it back. Christian, due to the various connections the man had, was in the habit of having weekly deliveries of bottled blood. Greg made use of this fact. Emil would probably keep him busy and it would be better to take care of that now, before anything besides drawing happened in that bedroom.

Greg was a biter of his lovers. Normally, he only took vampires as lovers but Emil was...something else entirely. After finding nothing interesting to eat, Greg sauntered back into the bedroom. He leaned against the door frame and tilted his head, staring at the picture that Emil made. He grinned, widely flashing his fangs.

"So...about your habit of playing dirty. How dirty is dirty? And, do you have to be anywhere anytime soon?"