High on Art (@desertpowered and skeksisheretic)

[shieldborne]

Steve is in and out of the Nexus these days, often attending classes or working in his own world, but when he does come here, it's usually to take time for himself. Which means he spends most of his time wiling away the hours working on art projects. He's got quite a collection of supplies at his property now; the Clubhouse is almost more of a chaotic studio at this point.

It's through purchasing sculpting materials for experimentation that he ran into skekGra, and while he found him a little...intense...the conversation with respect to sculpture and puppetry was rewarding. As a consequence, he invited both the skeksis and his other half to visit for snacks and casual crafting.

He has no idea what to feed them, but there's always a good stock of junk food around, and when they arrive there are drinks on the bar, and Steve is tapping and bending armature wire into place to make what looks like a mermaid's tail.

Comments

[skeksisheretic]

skekGra didn't know Steve very well, and he hasn't quite connected this Steve with the one he saw when he and urGoh first came in...and the Nexus is strange about that kind of thing anyway, so he introduced himself anyway. For all he knows they're different people. Then the conversation inevitably turned to puppets. Especially when he noticed the clubhouse.

He has a good idea for improvements. So he showed up with urGoh beside him, carrying a small bowl of berries. Urdrupes, naturally - everyone around is an adult, so he decided that it wouldn't do any harm to offer a friend some to try.

And then he decided to invite one of his new neighbors. He took a little convincing, but skekGra was very good at annoying people into things. At least he hope his new neighbor could make it. "Hello Steve! We have a friend coming in a few minutes, but it's wonderful to see you!"

[shieldborne]

"Hey," Steve calls out a casual greeting, glancing up from his work. "C'mon in and make yourself at home. There's soda pop and juice in the cooler on the counter."

He didn't bother with anything alcoholic. It doesn't agree with him these days anyway, and he wasn't sure how beer would affect these alien beings. "Are you allergic to anything? I have brownies and some cheese and crackers."

He dusts his hands off on a small towel and comes over to greet them, eyeing the berries curiously.

[desertpowered]

As the two aliens come in, Paul cautiously looks in on the clubhouse. He's considerably older, so teve may not recognize him at first, but he heard the part about the brownies and cheese. His interest overcomes his caution, so he steps inside and makes a line for the brownies as he reintroduces himself to Steve.

"It's Paul." His voice is a little muffled by the brownie in his mouth. "Those two are very persuasive. What exactly is going on?" He finishes the brownie, licking his lips. "Thank you. These are good."

He's noticed the berries, too - though he's not the kind to try food carelessly and he's wary of poison by habit, skekGra doesn't seem to be the poisoning kind, at least not on purpose. Trying one might not hurt.

[shieldborne]

The sight of someone he doesn't recognize coming in and going right for the food has Steve raising an eyebrow, skeptical and amused. He's guessing this is skekGra's friend, from context, but even if he were a random person off the street, Steve wouldn't refuse to feed him. So it works, either way.

When Paul speaks, though, he recognizes the voice, and he can't help but laugh. "I should have known from the way you sniffed out the chocolate. Geezus, kid, what happened? You grew up fast."

He takes a berry delicately, looking it over. "Are these for eating, skekGra? They look a little like cranberries."

[desertpowered]

Paul gives a nod as he tosses another brownie into his mouth and gulps it down. He's changed a great deal, in ways that are both good and bad, but he still has an appetite for Steve's snack foods. "Nexus time works in strange ways. What happened...well. It's a long story and I wouldn't want to sour the mood. I can explain later."

Is he avoiding the question for now? Yes, but Paul figures an upbeat party isn't the time to discuss the sort of thing a full answer would cover and he intends to keep his word and explain.

skekGra grins, showing sharp teeth. "Yes...though we should tell you, these berries are special. We use them to help us see visions."

[shieldborne]

"Oof." Steve gets what kind of answer that is, and it makes him a little sad to hear it and what it implies. He knows when not to press, though. He doesn't want to talk about his own traumas, either. "Understood. If we run out of brownies I'll break out the oreo cookies."

He gives him a thump on the back and fishes a cherry coke out of the cooler for him, then looks over at skekGra, berry still in hand. "Visions? So they're...intoxicating? How strong?"

[skeksisheretic]

"Thank you. I'll try and make sure not all the brownies end up in my stomach." Paul manages a small smile, but he's already grabbed a third brownie as he accepts the cherry coke. "Ah, thank you. After you've lived in the desert for so long you learn to value certain things."

skekGra gives a jerky nod of the head, urGoh joining him. "That's right. Not dangerous, though we don't know their effects on humans, but they make you relaxed. Try one!"

[shieldborne]

Steve nods at Paul and heads back to the table where he was working. "Any time, pal. You can sit, make yourself comfortable. Uh...hmm, you know, I didn't really think about special seating for you two."

He eyes skekGra and urGoh thoughtfully. Gra, he thinks, can probably sit in one of the old restaurant booths, but urGoh might need more accommodation. "Let me grab one of the fold-up cots from upstairs. It'll probably work better for you. And then..."

He rolls the berry between his fingers delicately, then sets it on the table in the place where he was sitting. "It's not like I'm driving anywhere. I'll give 'em a shot."

[desertpowered]

Paul listens, leaving the brownies aside for the time being, though he's already looking at the berries with a familiar look in his eye. "How about we put some of those berries in the brownies, just to see what happens?"

He observes the two aliens curiously - he's no expert on skeksis and mystics, and he has very little knowledge about them or the world they come from. Framkly, he wound skekGra more than a little annoying. But he's curious about their berries, and would like to give them a try.

Besides, Paul considers Steve a friend still, and though he's a hermit in his older age he honors old friendships. "Tell me what they do. I'm thinking of trying some - I was only partly joking."