Pleased to Meet You PV Cathy Finished

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Gavin felt a distinct sense of pride at the way that Cathy's eyes widened upon seeing his art. He had been doing art in general for years, ever since he was a little kid doing colouring sheets at the kitchen counter. He'd definitely put in the practice. Still, he felt a little shy under the admiring gaze she was sending him. He was proud of his work, but he didn't usually have people to show it to.

"This...this is..." The brunette seemed to be at a loss for words. "This is absolutely incredible...I don't even... oh my, these look so lovely," she praised, voice thick with admiration. Sky-blue eyes fell back to the pages, which were currently open to the spread with the cardinal. A finger was outstretched towards it. "This- This bird's colour is so vibrant...how did you do this?"

Really good coloured pencils, he thought dryly. He didn't say that, though. There was definitely a lot more to it. "The time I drew this was one of the few times my da could actually come camping with us, so he brought his fancy Prismacolours with him. They're really good and vibrant. Shading with coloured pencils is hard at first, but once you pick up the tricks it gets a lot easier. Anyway, what I did was I sketched everything out lightly in pencil first before colour picking. In the very back of the book is a torn up paper, I take scraps from there when I need to get specific colours," he told her. "Once I finished that, the bird was still there, so I started with a thin layer of the bases, doing the same with the shaded areas. Those were just to get the colour regions right so if the bird flew off I would still have a reference. It was actually a terrific model, standing there while I did it like it knew it was being watched..."

Hm. He had just said a lot. Most people weren't big fans of a huge block of text, were they? He didn't think they were. "Sorry, I got a little long-winded there. Once I start talking, I just can't stop sometimes."

Reducio

It's cool! I get it. By the way, I won't be posting much tomorrow either because I'm busy for literally 7 hours. Selling origami at a school event and manning my own table. Also, really sorry for the long-winded explanation.I myself am not the best at shading with coloured pencils, but I just got going and couldn't stop-

@Catherine Drea

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Cathy blinked twice as Gavin began to ramble. Honestly, she didn't mind it. She had grown up with a talkative brother who have loved to go on and on about trivial things so she could do her fair share of listening. However, Gavin was explaining the process in such a non-boring intricate way that it had her perfectly understanding.

She nodded along, soaking up the words like a sponge. So he had to sketch the bird, then colour it, then add bases, and shading? My, sounded like quite a lot of work for one picture. Yet, The look of pure determination in Gavin's eyes was something that made her understand. That undying passion, it was worth all of the work to get such a beautiful picture. She saw the way he looked with pride, the way he was so eager to inform, the way he highlighted each individual step, it was obvious. He truly did love his hobby, and that was something that made her smile.

Watching the boy get so excited was something that brought a tender feeling in her heart. She always felt better watching someone get joyful over something. As much as interaction frightened, there would still always be a part that yearned to spread that gleeful feeling, and she would try her best, even if she was an awkward mess at times.

"You're a very good analyst, you make it seem so easy the way you describe it...hm...you make-"-she stopped herself before she said the words 'it look like magic'-"You make it seem so natural," She concluded when the boy had grown quiet for a moment. She gave him an approving smile, he certainly was a good teacher. Then, Gavin had a reflective look on his face, before he made eye contact with her, a tad bit embarrassed in demeanour.

"Sorry, I got a little long-winded there. Once I start talking, I just can't stop sometimes", He apologized. Cathy's face fell for a moment. She rushed to reassure him.

"Oh no, no, no. It's perfectly fine! T-there's no need to apologize, I ramble about s-stuff all the time, plus...I like when you do it, you get very passionate...it's charming...i-it's really not an inconvenience," She tried to comfort him, voice growing more drawn out and soft, a way to make her sound a bit more supportive.

"But, um, y-yeah, it's very good at you are able to have such a magnificent hobby, you could really be an artist if you wanted to when you grow up," She added, trying to change the subject, but she found herself wrapped around a question that had popped into her brain during her statement.

"Er- what do you want to be when you g-grow up? N-not to say that you HAVE to know! But, have you got any plans r-regarding that? Um, you know...a f-future dr-dream job and all?" She sputtered out nervously, trying not to offend her friend, but she was mainly nervous due to the future being frightening for her. Future was a sensitive topic for some after all, she personally didn't want to think about it too much. She was trying to enjoy the time she has while being young. The future was a scary thing for her.

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Gavin internally heaved a sigh of relief that she didn't mind the rambling. "I probably needed to hear that, so thank you," he commented in the face of her soft words. Really, he didn't know that one person could be so nice.

At her comment, Gavin couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. He did in fact intend to become a professional artist when he was older.

"Er- what do you want to be when you g-grow up? N-not to say that you HAVE to know! But, have you got any plans r-regarding that? Um, you know...a f-future dr-dream job and all?" She stammered through the questions, but Gavin understood. Her nervousness was back again though, and when she had finally seemed relaxed.

Gavin nodded. "I've always been an artist. I want to become a recognised one too when I grow up." Art was what drove him. If he was making art, he was happy. "What about you, though? Do you have any plans for your future jobs? Most people don't have anything set in stone at this point in life, but some do," was his response. "Frankly, being an artist is the only thing I'm sure about in my future," he added with a wry smile.

Then, his thoughts drifted back to the object that had started this whole stream of conversation. "Oh, right! Did you want to take the drawing of the cardinal?"

@Catherine Drea

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Cathy felt herself smile back once Gavin had thanked her. He really shouldn't have to worry about the rambling.

She noticed a smirk on his face after the artist comment and when she questioned him on his future plans, the boy simply nodded before going into more detail.

"I've always been an artist. I want to become a recognised one too when I grow up," He replied in a driven tone, he was clearly serious with this commitment. Cathy found herself giving a nod.

"It's nice that you know what you want to do already..." Cathy stated, still soft-spoken as ever. Then Gavin asked her what her thoughts on her future was and Cathy did a mental panic. In reality, she'd given the question from thought but nothing really came to her, no job really spoke to her. The future was an ocean of possibility and right now, she wasn't exactly a good swimmer. So she'd prefer to get some more knowledge but she's thrown into the water and drowns.

"Um, I er- I d-don't really know? It's just- nothing is particularly screaming out at me, I don't know. I mean, there's hobbies I like to do, and things I wouldn't mind doing, but I don't know ex-exactly what I want to spend my life on, you know? Um-there's stuff that I wouldn't mind...I like helping people, it makes me feel good whenever I manage to lift spirits....My mam says I'd be good in the service industry, I wouldn't mind that...but um, I don't really have a set..g-goal..for now? I'm just sort of, narrowing down a list?..O-oh, I used to write a lot, I wouldn't mind doing that as a c-career, I had a journal that I used to write diary e-entries or...l-little uh- stories...just some fun little characters...um....yeah, something, s-something happened to the journal and uh...I haven't really done too much writing since then...." She rambled, trailing off at the end with the mention of...that incident. Her tone grew saddened at the end there, as if it ripped open a painful wound. For Cathy, the fate of her journal was a tear to her heart, and something that continued to plague her....She tried not to think about it. Tears almost formed in her eyes, but she fought them. She would not burden her friend like that, no, and so Cathy composed herself before anything progressed beyond that point. Yet, she found herself exposing her fears. Cathy was really not set in stone for anything, it frightened part of her. The thought of being stuck in horrid job, the thought of not being able to provide for her family, the thought of being fired from everything...these thoughts all haunted her. A question broke her from her sorrows.

"Oh, right! Did you want to take the drawing of the cardinal?" Gavin's voice ranged out and Cathy momentairly had to remind herself of her surroundings, she really could get lost in her head sometimes. The words repeated themselves in her head. Cathy looked surprised for a moment, before she asked with some degree of tentativeness.

"Really? I can have it?" She consulted, tone stunned. Happiness was slowly started to return to the girl at the prospect of being able to have such a pretty picture within her possessions. Her eyes lit up, and that same excitement from before was returning.

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Gavin saw her mental struggle, eliciting a frown. He hadn't meant to make her react that way. As she spoke, he listened quietly. When she was done, if she had her hands on the table, he would place one of his over it - physical contact was supposed to be grounding, right? Well, he didn't know whether she was comfortable with physical contact...

"There's nothing wrong with not knowing. It takes time. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have put that kind of pressure on you." Her eyes still looked watery, but she was clearly trying not to cry. "The future is definitely daunting. If I ever think about it for too long, it becomes too much."

He was happy that the offer for the bird seemed to cheer her up. He smiled. "Well, I did say that you could have a drawing if you wanted." The cardinal drawing was one that took up the whole page, which made the process of removal that much easier. Folding at the line near the spine to make the tear easier, Gavin carefully teased the sheet out of the book. When it was finally out, he slid it over to Cathy. "If it were a brand new drawing, I would say to be careful of the pencil, but you don't have to worry about that." Ugh, the smudging created by newly pencilled-in shading was a nightmare.

@Catherine Drea

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"There's nothing wrong with not knowing. It takes time. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have put that kind of pressure on you."

Gavin's words were a comfort to the girl, who had previously been in her own little mind. These words were like a blanket, making her feel warmer inside. She thought about them for a moment, blank look on her face as she dissected their meeting. She continued to remain style, taking in the meaning as he began to talk more, saying how the future is hard to think about. She gave a hum of agreement at that. She took a deep breath in, the logic was sound. She was getting worked up over nothing, again. She gave a sigh, it wouldn't be the first time recently. She locked eyes with Gavin, giving him a small smile, a sincere one, it was nice after-all to have her fears be reasoned away.

"Um-..y-you're right...and don't apologize! I was the one who brought it up, sorry for bringing down the mood..." She trailed off, tone more cheerful, but holding a little guilt at the end. She didn't want to make poor Gavin fuss over her, he was being nice enough.

Then, he mentioned the birds and at her hesistance, he simply responded, "Well, I did say that you could have a drawing if you wanted". Cathy felt herself beam at that, her grin widened, previous anxieties forgotten for a moment. "Thank you, that's very sweet," She asserted, growing more comfortable.

She watched him carefully tease the page out of the book, inch by inch. Heh, she remembered always having trouble getting pages to neatly be ripped from her journal, though the memory of seeing her precious journal wrecked by glittery slime will forever cause a sour taste in her mouth at the mention of the that lovely book. Once he was finished with the removal, he slid it over to Cathy.

"If it were a brand new drawing, I would say to be careful of the pencil, but you don't have to worry about that," He observed but Cathy found herself staring at the drawing, eyes in a trance. She didn't even bother to respond back, eyes simply scan the beautiful drawing. Her smile grew wider and she let a cheerful look be placed on her face. Her excited eyes met Gavin's and she made a promise.

"T-thank you, I-....I'll cherish this.." She announced in a serious and soft tone, as if she had just sworn an oath. She gave him a smile that was just oozing appreciation and a grateful look to match.

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Gavin matched her smile. He was glad she had cheered up a bit. With the paper now out of the book, though, the part connected to the spine was still there. The process of tearing that out was significantly messier, coming off in varying sizes. Once it was all out, he closed the sketchbook and packed it into a tight ball to tuck into his pocket. He would dispose of the scraps back at his dorm. The scarf was placed on top of it for the sake of convenience as well. With that done, he directed his attention to Cathy once more.

"I remember you mentioned in one of your letters some recipe books," he commented. "They were here in the library, I believe?" He was struggling to remember the specifics, to his dismay. But he was pretty sure that was what she'd said.

He would admit, cooking was not his strong suit. He could follow simple recipes easily enough, but the more complicated directions were lost on him. The only thing he could do without a recipe was cook an egg, which wasn't all that impressive. From the sound of it though, Cathy was pretty good at making things.

@Catherine Drea

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Cathy watched the boy tear out the part of her paper connected to the spine and ball it up. He then shoved it into his pocket. Hm, if only girl's clothing had more pockets. Some of the clothes she wore had those fake pockets- which were a big annoyance if she was trying to hold multiple things.

Gavin then address her directly with the words, "I remember you mentioned in one of your letters some recipe books,". Cathy found herself nodding at that, she remembered that beloved recipe book. It truly was an amazing find, it had so many good treat recipes in there. He then asked if the recipe book she'd been using were in the library, to which she nodded.

"Yeah, they all are here somewhere...I've been sending some recipes to my mother and we are going to try them out over the break....they don't allow students in the kitchens here...heh...so I've just been looking for some recipes to try out with her. She's a wonderful baker, my mother, she helps me out a lot. I used to bring in some lovely treats for my classmates sometimes if the teacher allowed it,"She explained, tone much more merry as she began to describe her passion. She thought back to the fun baking sessions she'd have with her mother, and it was the one time where she saw her mother not be strict with instructions. According to her, baking is a fort of experimentation, a way for you to figure out what, when mixed together, will taste well. Recipes are guidelines really, and you can play with them as you like. Heh, she still remembers the time the entire kitchen was a mess of flour after she, being her clumsy self, had slipped. Much to her surprise, her mother had mere laughed. The woman who was constantly trying to keep their house clean had laughed. Her mother went on to comment, "Baking is supposed to be messy after-all, we'll clean it up later, don't fret on it for now, love". The thought of the memory brought a smile to Cathy's face, she missed those bonding moments with her mother.

"I was reading a book called 'Chocolate Confection Baking Techniques'. One tip was that you put mayonnaise in a cake to make it more moist. A dry cake is no good, after-all," She advised, tone turning to something more informative. She gave him a grin, she loved teaching people about her passions.

"I can find that recipe book, if you'd like, I can show you some of my favorites! There was one for chocolate fudge bricks, they looked delicious!" She exclaimed, soft-spoken voice now growing in volume, not to the level of yelling but she certainly was louder than normal. She gave him a eager look, grin widening as she waited for his response.

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Gavin watched fondly as Cathy spoke. When she was finished with her explanation, a warm expression taking over. She seemed to be remembering something particularly sweet. All for the better, reallyHobbies with good memories attached were the best and this definitely seemed to be one of them. "That sounds like a lot of fun," he commented. His family's brand of bonding was entirely different, but he could still appreciate that.

When Cathy mentioned the mayonnaise tip, Gavin had to resist the urge to scrunch up his face in disgust. Mayo was... well, it was far from his favourite food in the world. He didn't want his companion to think the disgust was directed at her, though. Out of sheer force of will, he kept a kind smile on his face. He could be rude to some people, but he was genuinely enjoying hearing her talk. Instead, he hummed. "That's fascinating. I can see why. Dry foods are only good when they're meant to by dry."

At her offer to find the book, Gavin smiled. "I'd like that," he said. "Do you need any help scouring the section or no?" If she knew where it was, then that was all good. But if she didn't, he wanted to help instead of sitting at the table awkwardly.

Reducio

Ahhhh, I'm sorry this is so late. I was completely unavailable from 9-4 and then when I was trying to write this earlier, my parents called me down to go to dinner. And now here I am, 5 1/2 hours later. Anyway, I'll probably have time for a few posts tonight, but not that many.

@Catherine Drea

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Cathy was happy to see he was interested at her explaination of baking in her family. It felt good to have someone who supported her passions. Baking was really a lot of fun for the young girl. She supposed it was like her version of Gavin's painting. She was glad that he had his own hobbies to enjoy as well.

At the mention of her mayo tip, the boy simply continued to give a kind smile. Hm, most people did not react well to the mention of mayonnaise being in their delicious treats. Cathy simply guessed that the boy liked mayo, her father enjoyed the condiment a lot too. The man put it on lot of his food, something that her mother found disgusting and would often her father for. She still can remember her mother calling her father putting mayonnaise on a toastie a 'crime of nature'.

Either way, when Cathy found herself at the end of rambling about the little book and offering to show him it, she was pleasantly surprised to hear her friend interested in book.

"I'd like that,"he said. "Do you need any help scouring the section or no?"

The question made Cathy stop for a moment. Oh yeah, where..where was that book? As she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't know the answer. She gave a sheepish grin to the boy, fingers balled up back into a fist, and one hand was drumming her fingers ontop of the other.

"Yeah, I think I forgot where I placed it....Um just sort of set it down somewhere along these shelves and um...I don't remember where THAT is...er-...my bad, sorry....." The girl spoke up, as if she were a little child admitting they had taken a candy bar from a store shelf.