Skates and Sketches

This semester in school had been much more focused on drawing inspiration from the world. There had been a lot more sketching assignments, and many fewer assignments that actually revolved around garment construction. In a way it was relieving, but in a way it was terrifying.

For Kealey, sketching had come as a result of her love of fashion. She wasn’t an artist, she didn’t draw still-lifes, or fantasy pictures ,or even fanart for the animes that she watched with Shin. Capturing people going about their daily lives had been a sticking point for the blond, Central Park hadn’t seemed ‘everyday’ enough, and Time’s Square had seemed too have too much bustle.

Rockefeller Center ran the same risk as Time’s Square, but there was something more intimate about the place that Kealey liked. Maybe it was the ice skaters.

So there she’d sat, sketching away and letting herself float gently on the tide of emotions. It wasn’t quite holiday shopping season, so people were still in the general good mood that crisp autumn days seemed conducive to.

Until a voice shook her from the concentration.

A stranger was standing above her, requesting permission to see her sketchbook in exchange for a cup of hot chocolate.

Immediately, Kealey was suspicious. One of the first real things she’d learned in New York was that a girl should never take a drink unless she knew exactly where it came from.

She also knew that it was rude to be rude, so she shook her head.

”Not sure about either of those things, but you’re welcome to take a seat and keep me company while I try to finish this assignment.” She said, trying to gage the young man’s emotions and finding the mildly amusing blend of assertive cockiness that guys his age usually possessed in spades. Some of this other emotions were flattering in the right context, but Kealey didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

”Do you always offer strangers hot drinks, or did I do something to elicit such treatment?”

Apparently…he did give out warm drinks to strangers.

More words, more flattery, and Kelaey had to shake her head and smile. They were in the middle of a very public place. It wasn’t like he was going to poison her.

She reached out and took the warm cup of cocoa, sipping gingerly.

Just the right temperature. Reluctantly she handed over her sketch book. It was almost full of x-costume sketches, Halloween costume ideas, and her recent school assignments.

”I’m Kealey.” she said by way of introduction.

”Do you meet many interesting people this way?”

”Fashion.” Kealey admitted easily, looking out on the ice at the people who were skating. She’d have to drag Shin back here at some point so they could skate. Kealey had never tried it before, but the couples on the ice sure looked like they were having fun.

Aedus. Kealey smiled. A solid Irish name. He pointed out that she’d look nice in something and she glanced over at the page, lips pursing when she recognized the sketch.

”My boyfriend thought so too.” she admitted, ”But I think he likes my hair down better.”

Kealey nodded. She could see what Aedus meant with the neckline, and Shin hadn’t really had an opinion on her hair in that outfit. It had just been a convenient thing to say to get her point across.

It had worked, and Aedus said he’d behave himself. Kealey nodded her approval and her answer to Aedus’ question.

”I do actually. I design all our uniforms.” she admitted.

As to today’s assignment?

”Drawing inspiration from life. People here feel very alive.”

”Nope.” Kealey said to the suggestion that she had imitated the looks the X-Men wore. ”All original designs worked out by myself and the other team members.” The blond wasn’t about to give away the secrets of each uniform, or the safety features each one had built in. She was smarter than that.

Aedus said she was good, and Kealey smiled and shook her head. She really wasn’t…not compared to some of the people in her classes. She was passable though, and the professors always appreciated what they called the ‘human element’ in her work. Kealey knew it was probably her mutation giving her more insight into the emotion behind the models…but still. The comment was appreciated. ”Thank you.” she said demurely.

He’d obviously caught her accent, and when Aedus asked what part of Ireland she was from, Kealey shrugged her shoulders. ”Here and there, but I grew up in Newtonabbey.” she answered casually. ”If that means anything to you.”

”Mmhm.” Kealey said, choosing not to expand on her place in the X-Men, or her mutation unless her companion asked for it. He continued to compliment her drawing and she smiled. There really wasn’t much to say to his words that would be anything more than self-flattery, and that wasn’t Kealey’s style.

Ireland, however, she could talk about. At length, in fact. Aedus pointed out that his family was from Dublin and Kealey nodded her head. Sometimes, growing up, the rest of Ireland had felt like it was a world away. It wasn’t until just before she’d flown for New York that Kealey had ever even seen Dublin.

”I stayed North until I came to the states. I can’t boast being very well travelled. Other than New York, the only places I’ve been are Japan and New Mexico.”

It was sad that he’d never seen Ireland though. ”You should go there sometime. Where it’s not grey and raining…it’s so very beautiful.”

”You don’t have to leave.” Kealey said, flipping back to her assignment and starting to sketch again. Truth be told, company helped. Sometimes it was easier to draw when your mind was wandering and your instincts were doing all the work.

He’d talked about always living in the city and Kealey wondered what it would have been like for her growing somewhere like that.

”I was very lucky when I was young.” the blond explained, and she meant it.

”The circumstances and nature of my abilities would have made my life really difficult if I’d have been somewhere densely populated when they manifested.” If it hadn’t been for the seclusion and peace of the convent, Kealey didn’t know what would have happened.