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

[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."