Pose for me, would you? [Closed]

[Ishidou Aguri]

“Ahhh, I’m booored!”

A whining voice could be heard in the training grounds, much to the chagrin of everyone there. It was the one and only Ishidou Aguri being Ishidou Aguri, being loud and bohemian. This time, she was training, but she was now tired… but she still wanted to train more despite her body telling her no. Though she wasn’t annoying on purpose, it didn’t stop people from having that sentiment, “Go do something else, then! Just don’t bother us!” Someone said, finally tired of her antics.

The girl puffed her cheeks, “What, do you get off on being an arsehole, or something!?” She exclaimed in a heated manner… but she wasn’t immune to negativity, and after a few moments, she threw up her arms and turned around, “Whatever! See if I care!” And ran off.

“What a bunch of twats…” She thought. She kind of really wanted a friend. Most of the people she met were big arseholes, and that’s excluding people outside the academy… but whatever. She was still in the academy, and she’d made a friend!... One single friend.

“Ah, whatevs. Kei’s cool, anyway.” That was at least one silver lining, even if she hadn’t managed to make a friend beyond her upperclassman. But still, she could always talk with Kei if she was lonely!... Unless she was busy. Ugh.

Lost in thought all alone as she was, she couldn’t see that she’d gone to a less trodden path of the academy, and nearly stepped on some… stuff. Nearly. “Oh, shi-!” She jumped over it and barely managed to avoid them.

“Mmmrgh!” However, in the process, she fell face first into the ground rather unceremoniously, skidding to a halt only a few seconds later. After getting fed a generous helping of grass, she stood up, holding her nose in pain and turning in anger at the things that got in her way. She didn’t expect what she saw, however. They were paintings.

“Huh…” She thought, seeing them. Some looked like sketches, but others were complete, and she had to admit they looked rather nice. She never really got art or any of the other things cultured folk appreciated, but now was as good a time as ever to try and understand… by staring at them and thinking hard. What did it take? What determined how good you were? What’s with all the different styles of painting?

In the end, she only gave herself a headache.
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[Uchiha Masami]

If one were to direct their attention towards the nearest tree within the small, isolated body of greenery they would notice a feminine figure. Slumbering within the canopy was Uchiha Masami, who failed to notice in her unconscious state the slow rate she slipped out of the branch’s grasp. A creaking heralded loud rustling, and by the time her eyes snapped open she already was plummeting towards the ground. ”Wh—Wha!” No higher powers heard her incoherent pleas as she dropped an unlucky ten feet, pain ringing through her back in the aftermath of the thunderous collision.

”…Meh.”

There she lay, sprawled out on the ground with a deadpan look on her face. Weariness filled her eyes, the young artist too done with the world and its antics to even lift a finger in protest of what just transpired. She pushed herself up from the ground, dusted off a few residual blades of grass and leaves from her person, and then turned her attention towards the stout path that lead anyone to her little artistic detour. Her eyes widened when she realized she wasn’t alone, her heart nearly ramming through her sternum. ”Oh, hey—wow, sorry, were you gonna use this place? I could just move my paintings if they’re trouble…”

As anyone could see, there were an abundance of different paintings around, perched up on various stands. Varying from sketches to completed works, the motifs were expansive. Some reflected the scene around them, her own personal abstract twists on nature. Others were more macabre, and others seemed mundane, but nobody would be able to shake the fact that there was a distinct aspect about them. They were detailed; it was obvious she had put many hours towards honing her craft.

Her eyes befell the blonde student before her, and despite dwelling in the same academy, she knew she hadn’t seen her before. Obviously, that was because if she had laid her eyes on someone as pretty as this, an artist like her would have easily remembered her face! Amethyst pools widening upon heeding this detail, she started talking before she even knew she started.

”I’m Uchiha Masami, I don’t think we’ve met?” For some reason, her eyes were practically sparkling. ”I know it’s a weird proposition but, would you mind if I painted you? You’re really beautiful, it’d be a huuuuge favour but no pressure or anything!”

 

[Ishidou Aguri]

She took no notice of anyone on the tree, focused entirely on the art before her. For the life of her, she couldn’t quite get it, “I mean, it’s really pretty, but there’s some that are painted in a weird way. What would an artsy dude say if he looked at this?” Unbidden, images of a pretentious Uchiha praising the art and saying completely pompous and asinine shit came to her mind, complete with a comically posh accent. She snorted and had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing then and there.

A creak and the rustle of leaves caught her attention, and she looked up to see… nothing. And then a violent thud on the ground, “Huh?” Directing her gaze downwards, she saw the remarkably apathetic body of a black-haired girl just… lying there. Had she just fallen off that tree? That must’ve hurt like a bitch!

“That looked pretty bad! You all right?” She asked as she made her way towards her, but paused as the girl started getting up, looking no worse for the wear. That was a relief. She’d have no idea what to do if she… died, or something. Not that a ten-foot fall would normally kill, but there were guys who tripped and broke their necks when they were drunk off their minds!

Then the girl noticed Aguri and she put on a smile, a confident smirk, though tamer than usual. “Ah, don’t worry about it! Was just, erm… taking a stroll!” She answered, quickly making up a story to justify her running into this place and having grass forced into her mouth. She heard animals ate grass to vomit out bad stuff. She hoped she didn’t vomit.

Next, her fellow student introduced herself as Uchiha Masami. “Lots of Uchihas here, eh?” She mentally noted, not quite sure how to feel about that. It was a highly prestigious ninja clan, so she supposed a lot of them would become ninja, but still, it kinda rubbed her the wrong way. Oh, well! Might as well see what this Uchiha was like!

She did a small, relaxed salute as she introduced herself, “The name’s Ishidou Aguri! And yeah, we haven’t. Nice to meetcha!” No reason to be a bitch to Masami just yet. Right after that, Masami asked to… paint her? She blinked, a bit thrown off by the request, but… “Oh, sure! But I’d like to ask a favour from ya after you're, if you don’t mind!” She said, “See, I don’t really understand art like you more cultured folk, and I wanted someone to sort of explain what it is to me. What makes people tick, the weird paintings, and sh- stuff. Wouldja mind that?”
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[Uchiha Masami]

”Yeah! Nothing new for me,” she said with a small laugh, nursing her back with her hand. ”Thanks though.” Beaming a wincing smile and arching her back, she continued to get her bearings from her unceremonious descent to the ground. Thankfully, the young Uchiha seemed to recover quicker than others. Since she could be entranced by beauty, and tended to fall asleep at inopportune times due to her habitual laziness, clumsiness was a given. She counted her blessings every day for her ability to recuperate from damage. Perhaps she boasted a freakish metabolism.

The girl introduced herself as Ishidou Aguri, and judging from her greeting, she would rank highly amongst the people she considered affable within the academy. Unexpectedly, Masami received a positive answer to her request; from experience, that was uncommon. If people weren’t confused about her pitching the idea, then they seldom had the time to oblige her. Opportunities arose at times from circumstance; for example, it could be a couple who would adore the idea of having portrait of them painted. However, they were still rare. Masami’s grin broadened when she caught wind of the good news.

The only thing she asked for in exchange was an explanation about art. For Masami, that was a thing that she enjoyed doing, teaching people more about art and appreciating it. Therefore, it sounded like a good deal to her. Not only would she be able to paint a picture of her beautiful classmate, but she would be able to talk more about art and its finer points. The darker haired girl seemed hyped up, pumping her fist in triumph.

”Sounds like a good deal to me! I wouldn’t say cultured though, I’m more of a country bumpkin who likes to doodle,” she said, bumping her fist gently against her own head and sticking her tongue out. ”Okay, uhm, let’s see here. There should be a tree stump right over there, could you grab a seat there for me? There’s another tree in the background, bit of sunlight coming through the leaves, I think that’d be an amazing scene of you to paint.”

The artist gestured towards the stump in question, boasting a large tree in the background as mentioned. After that, she hurriedly gathered her supplies, and set up another stand around fifteen feet away from the appointed location. She’d better get set up before she asked for any specific posing.

”So, I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m not as philosophical and shit about the nuances of art like a lot of the head honchos of the craft are, but, I can explain to the best of my ability with my own little perspectives thrown in and stuff. Can definitely do my best answering any questions, too. Is there any topic you want me to start off with?”

 

[Ishidou Aguri]

“If ya say so.” She replied with a shrug, waiting for the girl to recompose herself after the unpleasant impact with the floor. She didn’t seem to have suffered much damage, so that was a good thing.

Typical cheerful Aguri, making herself known everywhere. Whether nuisance or a welcome distraction from heavy emotions, she was the type to screw around and often make a fool of herself. Not that she cared, for she had far too much fun, and could laugh at herself unlike those uptight Uchiha. In this case, she had grass covering her lips and jaw… which she promptly wiped off as soon as she realised they were there. She hated feeling dirty and unkempt.

Masami agreed to her request, and even seemed excited for it, pumping her fist at it. “Thanks, Masami-san! And hell, I’m sure anyone’s more cultured than an orphan street urchin, so you’re still cultured in my eyes. Prolly better at painting than some pompous fuck.” She commented with a smirk. She wasn’t the type to let other people discredit themselves, especially if she saw otherwise.

“Sure thing. Erm… gimme a moment.” She said, materialising a mirror and hairbrush from… somewhere and using them. She aggressively brushed her rebellious hair, muttering a slew of profanities. Evidently, she was incredibly done with her hair’s bullshit. Still, she managed to get it more organised before skipping towards the indicated tree stump with merriment pulled from goodness knows where. She sat there with a relaxed pose and a her trademark confident smirk/grin.

“Ah, that’s fine. I’d rather learn from you than some douche that’d scoff at me for my peasant ways, or something. Anyway, I was interested in… well, how you paint stuff differently. One was pretty abstract and fancy, while others were normal. What makes a gal paint different stuff like that? Is it a form of expression, or something?”

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[Uchiha Masami]

”Hey, thanks,” Masami replied, lips curled into a small smile. ”There’s a lot of pompous fucks in this business, I’ll tell you that much. God knows why; maybe they just made a ton of cash with it and that fed their egos.”

As she set up her station, she watched the blonde contend with her own hair, selecting mirror and brush as her weapons of choice. The moment helped cultivate a wry grin while she observed. Simultaneously, she found several things she needed for her artistic detour. The pigments she required, the palette, a brush, and the parchment she hoisted up on the proper pedestal.

Taking note of the pose Aguri assumed, she made a motion with her hands as though framing a picture. Whistling sharply in approval, she nodded in affirmation.

”You know, Aguri-san, you really are a beautiful one,” she said, attempting to hide her expression behind her slab of paper to conceal the slight shade of pink glazing her otherwise pale cheeks. If one listened to her enough, they would be able to tell that her manner of speech seemed to be somewhere right in the middle of crude and eloquent. Informal may be the best way to describe it. ”And yeah, that’s perfect.”

After priming her brush accordingly, she started with a general sketch that would serve as the framework for the final product. Despite the grand scale of the task before her, she worked quickly and meticulously, as though she had done it thousands of time before. Her motions were proper, but swift, as though someone had hit a fast-forward button specifically for her hands.

”You really did hit the nail on the head with it. Well, at least that’s how I paint my works,” she started, continuing to look back and forth between canvas and material.

”I think that if someone tries to paint just to impress, or make something that’s ‘good’, they won’t succeed in painting something they like. It won’t come from their heart, after all, making it hollow. The reason I paint is a form of expressionism, like you said, I paint whatever I feel. Me, my parents, all of my family have always been real emotional and passionate types, so I was always interested in slapping down whatever feelings I have at the time onto a medium. If I’m happy, maybe I’ll paint something inspired by the source of it, if I’m pissed, maybe I’ll paint what embodies my anger, or something to do with it. If I see something nice, then I won’t be able to resist wanting to paint’em.” Pausing for a moment, she renewed her smile. The last part was a not-so-subtle compliment.

”If it’s your cup of tea, you can get as abstract or odd as you want with it. Maybe someone’s feeling lonely, so they paint a picture of a sad man sitting on top of the ocean at night. But the coolest part is, not everyone has to view it that way – everyone has their own unique perspectives, yeah? Maybe that’s how the artist feels about it, but another person relates it to their fear of water. or another feels like it shows how small we are in the grand scope of things. And to me, that’s the most beautiful thing about art. There is no wrong answer.”

 

[Ishidou Aguri]

“Aye, I don’t doubt it. Used to think people who said that money’s the root of all evil were just a bunch of hipsters, but talking to some people changed my mind a bit…” She said with a bit of a face at ‘some people’. Suddenly, she stopped as a bulb seemingly went off in her head, though, “But like, money can also get you beauty products, and shit. Maybe it isn’t that bad…” She trailed off absent-mindedly.

Confident as Aguri was, she was comfortable with just assuming any pose she wanted even despite her body being somewhat removed from the ideal of femininity. Even despite her vanity and confidence, hearing a compliment on her looks still left that fuzzy feeling in her stomach, “Awww, thanks, Masami-san. I put a lotta effort into looking good. I really don’t like looking dirty or any of that, makes me feel like I’m back on the streets again. I’ve had my fill of that, so I’m pretty fussy over my looks.” She said, a bit more serious than usual. However, she quickly bounced back with a grin that was perhaps forced, “But well, I’m a pretty lady being painted by another pretty lady. Climbed real far from what I used to be, eh? Maybe I should paint you when I get the chance. Certainly easy on the eyes.”

Though Aguri was a hyper and enthusiastic girl, she remained remarkably still throughout, with only her mouth moving when she talked. However, that didn’t stop the giddy energy from encompassing the area. In fact, her sitting still only seemed to make her look more hyper, like she was going to jump off the walls and trees at any second and she needed to be stopped before she burned the village to the ground, or something. A beast that needed to be tamed.

She listened along with the explanation with attention that one wouldn’t expect from a girl her type, latching on to every word said to her. By the end of it, she gave out an impressed whistle.

“That does sound pretty deep. ‘Specially for someone who said they weren’t all philosophical. But yeah, painting does look like the kind of thing that can really put your emotions out there in a good way. Maybe I should just paint my desire to get the best clothes on the market, eh?” She said that last sentence with a shit-eating grin, “The way you say it, art looks like a beautiful thing… man, now I’m interested in picking it up! Though I suppose it’d be good to know something other than punching people and petty thievery.”

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