Art studio ((Marshall))

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

Roseline opened the door carefully and called her roommate’s name, “ Lyra, are you there?”

She waited for a couple of seconds before realizing there wasn’t going to be an answer. “Coast clear!” she added and smiled. The dorm room was pretty decorated. When she first arrived here, she took the liberty of painting the ceiling a bit, and she and Lyra painted the walls a deeper shade of blue. Her bed was covered in silk sheets from India; mother’s present on her 13th birthday and an old poncho.

She sighed as the familiar fragrance filled her in. It was a bit spicy, yet moderately sweet. She smiled and led Marshall in. She sat on her bed and leaned back looking at the ceiling. She sighed and got up.

“Okay, tell me what you think of the room and then I’ll show you my infamous studio!” Rosely stated and waited for his response.

[Marshall Suijen]

Marshall was only a few feet behind Roseline, and waited until he was sure the coast was clear before entering the dorm room after her. He looked around. It was a nice looking room, though it was unmistakable that it belonged to a female. Marshall stayed on his feet, feeling that it would be rude to sit down anywhere without being invited to do so. He folded his arms across his chest. One could tell that he was a bit nervous.

Then Roseline asked him what he thought of this room. And what's more, it was a prerequisite to seeing the studio he'd come here to see in the first place. Fortunately, Marshall could tell the truth without causing any problems. "I like it. It's unique, and you can tell you and your roommate each put your own touches into it." He grinned, hoping that would suffice.

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

“Well, thanks!” Roseline said and gave another small smile. She opened the doors to her closet and turned on the lights. It wasn’t very big, yet still big enough for a person to work in.

She added a few more lamps and lights all around to give a better look to the room. The walls were painted a dark beige and a few curls and waving lines rested upon it; she just wanted the so called studio to have a better, and nicer look to it, so she painted it herself.

A couple of small paintings and black and white pictures were hung upon the wall…Manhattan at night, a small bird looking for some kind of food in the snow and the ancient maple tree from her French home back in Paris.

Charcoals and different kind of paints were placed on a petite desk, and near them an old camera was situated. Different other objects were spread across the room, including different items to transform and complete the photos. A few pieces of film were scattered in an opened drawer. A printer was set in the corner next to the computer.

Rosely smiled a bit as she entered the room, a blush reaching her cheeks. She was very proud of her small studio, but most people didn’t see it for what it really was; a place where she could think and show her art. She grabbed the camera carefully and showed it to Marshall.

“It’s a Kodak, pretty old though, my father gave it to me on my 13th birthday. I started liking photography since then. It was made in ‘ 65. It’s fragile, but it sure helps me! I have another digital one, but I don’t use it as frequently as I use this one!” she added and smiled, looking at his facial expression.

[Marshall Suijen]

Marshall glanced around. No, it didn't look like a professional studio, but that made it all the better. It had a nice comfortable feel to it. It was nice to find out all this information about someone he would never have thought to talk to before today. First and foremost because he didn't often go up to people and start conversations anymore, but also because these two were from different cliques. If Roseline hadn't stumbled on him drawing after school, they still wouldn't have known they had so much in common.

"Sounds nice." He surveyed the camera. While he didn't know much about cameras, it sure sounded impressive. And it came from her father, which meant that it was special to her. Marshall couldn't say that he had familial connections with the supplies he used for his art. However, sometimes his family made cameos in his drawings, so one could count that, maybe. "It's a fantastic studio. I like it better than any old professional studio." Which was the truth.

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

Roseline gave him a sincere, yet small smile and leaned on the wall, still playing abit with the old camera. She liked her studio and she was more than glad that Marshall appreciated it as much as she did.

“That’s great that you like it! You can come in here any time you want, but give me a call or something before you do. I don’t think my roommate will let any guy come into our room, except for Robert of course,” she said as she stifled a bit of laughter.

Robert was wanted by most girls in the school including her roommate and sometimes her; she had to admit he was pretty cute. She blushed a bit at her thoughts and then returned her attention to Marshall, who wasn’t that bad either.

“You want me to leave you here so you can look at things on your own. I sure don’t like it when the ‘owner’ is around, so if you want me to go, I will so you can see the things for yourself! “ she added and smiled again.

[Marshall Suijen]

"Don't worry, I won't drop in unannounced. That's just rude."

It would be different if he and Roseline were old friends or something, but they'd just met each other. Sure, they were hitting it off really well, but still, Marshall could understand where Roseline was coming from. Though the fact that she was telling him to call in advance because of her roommate rather than herself was a bit interesting. He raised an eyebrow when he heard a mention of Robert.

"Robert...you mean that one musician guy? Yeah, my cousin Melanie talks about him a lot too." And, of course, Melanie tried to show no sign that she liked him...but by doing so, she made it painfully obvious that she was into him. She could be honest when it came to other people, but when it came to her own heart, she sure liked to keep secrets.

When Roseline made a mention of leaving, he shrugged. "You don't have to leave. Though if you want to that's fine, I can just browse around."

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

She chuckled and nodded, “ Yes, Robert, many girls are after him; it would be very hard to be him and not break anyone’s heart. He’s a great guy!”

Roseline smiled and looked at her nails once again, while leaning on the wall. The studio was still everywhere she looked, except for the small movement Marshall made.

She trailed her elegant fingers across the edge of the desk and looked at one of the photos she took more closely. The black and white shades made it look even more imperfect and she liked it. She liked imperfection.

She shook her head and blinked, as though waking up from a trance.

“Yeah, if you don’t want me to leave, I won’t, but I just thought you’d like to look at stuff more closely!” she added and shrugged as well.

[Marshall Suijen]

Marshall nodded to what Roseline was saying about Robert - He'd learned from his cousin, but mainly from his younger sister, that it was better to just let girls ramble about other guys. Though for some reason, hearing Roseline say that about Robert irked Marshall more than he thought it would.

"Nah, that's fine, I'd appreciate a look around."

He grinned. If Roseline was offering it up, he might as well take it. This was giving him ideas to turn his own closet into a studio if his roommate would let him. Ha, like that would happen. Oh well, Marshall only had one more year at Adelaide. Well, actually, less than a year. He'd hopefully have his own place soon enough. Wait, no, he'd probably be stuck living in a dorm during his first year of college. Unless he opted for community college...he shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. He could figure out his future plans later, he should concentrate on the now.

Marshall picked up one of the pictures and examined it. Anyone who said this wasn't art was nuts. Same with comic books. As long as it was a personal expression of the artist, it counted.

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

Roseline put her hands in her jean’s pocket and gave a small, sincere smile once again.

“I’m truly glad you liked it, I really needed an expert’s opinion on this,” she added with a slight blush, “I like to retread here when I get mad or when I’m extremely happy and I paint or draw or just take my camera and make my ideas run wild while I’m taking pictures of everything around me. It’s a great place to relax no mater how tense you are,” she replied with a confident tone, before picking up an oil crayon.

She traced its small outline as a petite smirk appeared upon her perfect lips.

“So…did you hear about the ball?” she asked, holding back a bit, yet the confidence she had earlier was fading out of her clear voice.

[Marshall Suijen]

Marshall could relate to everything that Roseline was saying. "I know, that's how I feel when I'm drawing." He still had his sketchbook with him. He suddenly realized something. "You know, you could take a look through this if you want." He felt a bit nervous as he was asking this. After all, there were some strange pictures in there. Chelsea, the girl who portrayed Alice in his drawing in the classroom, was a common occurence in many of the 'strips'. She was in a romance with a zombie named Roger, the zombie who portrayed the March Hare in Marshall's picture. There wasn't much of Marshall in there, but when Marshall did draw himself, there was always a reference to him being crazy. Yes, Marshall loved to make fun of himself...

But would Roseline freak out when she saw this? Would she have questions? Of course she'd have questions, especially if she looked at the darker art in the back of the book, from Marshall's earlier years in high school.

Then she went and asked about the ball. Marshall froze. A girl like her, asking a guy like him about the ball? It was odd, but then again, the two had discovered they had far more in common than they would have ever assumed.

"Yeah, I heard about it. Not sure if I'm going to go or not, or any of the details."

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

Roseline smiled, as a curious and excited look suddenly became extremely visible on her small, pale face.

“I could really look through it? It would most certainly be an honor. I love appreciating any kind of art, especially yours!” she added with another small blush,” Although I haven’t seen much of your work, I can tell that you have a lot of potential,” she admitted, with a positive air and gave a small laugh, before looking at Marshall once again.

“The ball is going to be fun or at least I think it will,” Rosely said thinking about the future night a bit, there would most certainly be dancing and then all the things she had yet to decide to wear. It would be a fashion and art disaster if she didn’t look good. Maybe a simple dress would work, but with a chic hairdo it would make it look elegant, yet a bit plain. She crinkled her nose as she thought of different ideas, then shook herself from her thoughts and returned her attention back to him once more.

“But yeah, I was thinking…um…well I don’t really have anyone to go with, and if you don’t to, maybe…” she said, struggling a bit with her words, “ um…go together? It’s your choice entirely though! Only if you want to. I reckon it will be fun!”

[Marshall Suijen]

Marshall grinned at the compliments, then handed his notebook over to Roseline after giving it a bit more thought. If Chelsea were here, she'd be having a complete and utter conniption, which was why it was good that she wasn't. Marshall could actually think clearly. And this could be the start of a great and NORMAL friendship.

That was, until Roseline popped her question about the ball. Marshall's eyes widened in shock that he failed to hide very well. "You want to go to the ball with me?" He spluttered. He struggled with his words just as much as Roseline had when first asking the question.

"Sure, I'll go! I agree, it will be fun." He concluded with a smile on his face. He'd love to go to the ball with Roseline, even if it was only as friends. Or did she have something else in mind? Marshall didn't know, and at this moment, didn't care that much. The idea of going to the ball in general, no less with someone, just made him feel more normal than he'd felt in years. And it was a fantastic feeling.

"So, what do you think?" He cleared his throat, indicating his sketchbook. He could feel his hands actually shaking slightly in nervousness. This was actually something really personal he was showing to someone he'd only met a few hours before. He just hoped he wasn't making a terrible mistake.

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

Roseline smiled as she heard his answer and sighed in relief. Her light blush disappeared soon enough as she regained her posture and her pale color reappeared. She ran a hand through her silky soft, dark red hair and leaned on the wall once again, fingering the hem of her shirt.

The beige color and the fine lace would always stay the same, but today she found it quite fascinating to avoid Marshall’s gaze. She sighed and shook her head. She was acting completely immature. What was wrong with her? She loved flirting and being around guys, but around him it was different.

She did want to be his friend and maybe as time progressed something more. She slapped herself mentally and straightened brushing some invisible dirt off her clothes.

As he handed her the small sketch book she smiled lightly and nodded, with a rather excited look upon her face. She truly wanted to see Marshall’s art, yet felt honored at the same time. No one gave her such an opportunity before, not even her mother. Her hands quivered with a bit of excitement and delight, but she kept her poise and elegance and opened the slim notebook carefully, looking at it with caution, trying not to miss a thing.

And then…and then it emerged. She let out a small gasp, as her dark eyes scanned over the paper. It was beautiful, a little peculiar, yet beautiful. She loved something that was different and this was definitely different. He almost completed the term of perfection from her point of view, but not yet.

Rosely looked up with an impressive smile as joy was completely visible in her eyes.

“This is…this is amazing,” she stumbled to say with her rich accent, ”I do not have any words for it!” she added and kept turning page after page, studying the definite colors and how much work was actually put in here.

“I love it that is all I can say to summarize all that I am feeling at the moment!” She nodded and then laughed a bit, pretty confident in what she had said.

[Marshall Suijen]

Marshall could feel heat rising into his cheeks. He hadn't done something like this in ages. He was actually ringing his hands together now as he waited to hear Roseline's response. He hadn't shared his artwork with anyone since middle school, and back then his drawings weren't as...well, skillful. His gaze shot directly at Roseline for the first time...well, ever, when she complimented his artwork.

"You really think that?"

Then he did it. He made eye contact. Something that normally took ages for him to do, yet Roseline found the way to make him do it a lot sooner. If it had been anyone other than her, he probably wouldn't have done it. He had to admit, he still felt nervous, and silly thoughts began to fill his head. What if she'd read his mind, what if she worked with the Organization, blah blah blah. He was able to push all that to the side with more ease than he would have ever guessed.

"Yeah, I know there's a couple of different styles in there...based on my moods at the time, as you might have been able to guess." Marshall grinned, suddenly finding it much easier to talk.

[Roseline Marie Cecil]

Roseline smiled and nodded once again, a light pink blush invading her cheeks.

“It’s great, really and I love the variety it gives it a more professional look. A real artist should be able to draw anything he feels, a different mixture of talent and fine art!” she added, with a lot of assurance, he went back into her dorm room, still flipping through the light sketch pad.

“Ever thought of showing it to a real critic, of course most um…’new born’ artists, like my mother says aren’t really ready to show their work as soon as most would think.”

She picked up a hair pin and put it up, a few of her overgrown bangs still getting in her face. She sat on the bed and motioned for Marshall to sit, while her fingers traced the smooth line on the fragile paper. The color seemed to make her feel welcome and even the darker side of his work fascinated her. It was unique in its own way and she liked it. She actually realized she liked art more than she thought she previously did.

Before this moment she understood she just played with colors and took random pictures that pleased her thoughts and brought her inspiration, a feeling she loved. But at this very instant, she realized art was more than that! It was something that made the author of it and even the criticizer gasp and feel a sentiment she had never felt before. It was a hunger and thirst for more.

Rosely suddenly became appalled at her thoughts. She never thought an art maniac was actually a real word, not an actual person. She never thought of herself that way, and never thought she would, but right now it scared her to think and put so much of her attention to wards art. She usually loved to joke around, be with friends, think about boys and fashion like any normal teenage girl would do, but there was more than this to life, there was more than enjoyment to life, there was also a feeling called passion.

She sighed and blinked rapidly, as though suddenly awakening from a trance. She gave Marshall a small smile and leaned back on the bed, then handed him the sketch book, both of their fingers touching. She pulled back slightly and chuckled slightly, the petite blush returning to her cheeks.

“If you ever work on something and wish to share it with someone, I’d be honored to see your art. You really have a gift and I like it. I haven’t met anyone who was this talented, except maybe for my mother. It fascinates her really, that so many artists living the glamour of their lives can have no talent and just add a few blotches of paint and that is considered a true masterpiece. I got to agree with her, but yet at times I don’t!”

“Anyways, enough about art, or if you still want to talk about it, be my guest, but I am cold and hungry so let me bring in some coffee and cookies, sound good?” she asked, as her stomach gave a low growl and she laughed whole heartedly, her face reddening from the former unlady-like act.

OCC: Sry I wrote so long, I guess I was in the mood of writing.