Verses of the 'Verse (Open)

[Ned Middleton]

Ned's favorite part of sketching by the side of the road was the actual drawing. Not that she was any good at it -- Eldon had always been the visual artist in the family, and what she did was little more than make out rough caricatures for those who had a little extra money. No, she liked the way the customer would sit still for her as she drew their face and body. Sometimes they requested a little something extra, and she would give them a background of stars or draw them as a hero from the War. So long as her pen was moving, she didn't have to call out for new customers.

Of course, every sketch had to end sometime. She put the finishing touches on a drawing of a little boy who had asked to be a browncoat and handed him the paper. "Here you are. Thank you for sitting so patiently." She smiled at him, and he smiled back as his mother dropped a few coins by Ned's feet. As the two left, she gathered the money and stowed it away. She took a few seconds to collect herself as she tidied up her little corner of the road.

When she knew that she could wait no longer, she cleared her throat, looked up at the people passing by, and called, "Caricatures! Caricatures drawn in a few minutes, for the low price of whatever you can afford! Sit right down and have your likeness made out however you see fit!" Her mind felt almost itchy, so she added, "Poetry! Free verse, limerick, sonnet, and anything else you could care for! Give me a topic, and I'll immortalize it with my words! Poetry and caricatures!"

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

Ezekiel had never really been one for that kind of thing but the woman looked bored with herself and he was trying to be normal. Or as normal as someone like him could be.

He walked over to her and sat down he handed her a few coin and in a soft voice he said.
" the names Zeke i would like you to write me something what ever is your fancy and at the bottom of the page draw the image of me you where thinking of as you wrote it. I hope this isn't to tasking of a task but you look like someone who needs a challenge every now and then.|

OOC sorry i dont have a picture up its a younger mel gibson photo hopefully it will be up soon. He is an ex operative obviously your character wouldn't know that but as an artist i will give you a little of his soul. He has many layers up front it's calm collected average joe kinda guy. But if your intune with people then you can see remorse for a past he has mostly dealt with he is a caulculating man trying to be like everyone else, and also trying to keep sharp and not loose any steps.

[Ned Middleton]

Ned looked the man up and down as she took the coins. He looked perfectly normal and calm, which was something of a relief. Some people -- mostly kids, but occasionally adults -- got twitchy when they were waiting to be drawn or have a poem written for them. She wasn't entirely sure what sort of poem to write. If someone didn't give her a prompt, she tried to read what she could about their background and write something to please them, but she couldn't make out anything about this man.

She realized that she had been watching him for about a second too long and hurriedly grabbed a piece of paper and her pen so she could start writing. After a moment of looking at the blank sheet, she remembered a conversation she had once had on Osiris as she and Eldon had watched snowflakes fall on top of the attic skylight.

I never liked the cold
Just as you never liked the heat
And we both took solace in early autumn
In its warmth and greenery
Filled with that last brilliance before everything died
But I was willing to compromise when it snowed.
It filled me with a special sort of loneliness
And if I tried to smile, it would be a sad sort of smile
(I wouldn't be able to say why I smiled or why I was sad)
And if I cried, I would also be filled with peace
(I couldn't say why I cried).

If I die, bury me beneath the lonely snow.

There was enough space at the bottom of the page for her to put in a fair bit of detail, so she drew the man as he sat and added a few things from behind him -- fleeting hints of the people walking past, a few stray chickens, and some swirls of dust brought up from the wind of everyone's movement. Above his head and in the margins, she drew snowflakes, dotting them randomly across the page so not one was closer than an inch to another.

"Here you are, Zeke," she said with a smile, handing him the paper. "I hope it suits your fancy."

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

Ezekiel looked at the poem and art work. The both pleased him he didn't give her much to go off of.

Thank you there both lovely. he said softly as he held the paper in his hand softly.

[Ned Middleton]

Ned couldn't help smiling; even the smallest comment could cheer her up. She began to tidy up her work area, but her gaze kept slipping back to Zeke. There was something odd about him that she couldn't quite place. She had seen men and women of all types in her wanderings: Companions, Alliance, Browncoats, and drifters like herself. The man seemed to be as ordinary as anyone else, but he was a bit too ordinary.

'Stop it,' she thought, brushing some dust off her papers and covering them with her coat. 'He's just a quiet person, like you. Not everyone wanders around with their emotions showing plainly on their faces.'

"Been on Persephone long?" she asked, hoping her tone was light enough that it would sound like normal conversation.

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

Ezekiel wasn't one for small talk but through his training he was taught how to speak to people and how to engage in polite conversation. He was trying to be rid of his old skin while still keeping sharp. If he was going to have any normalcy he needed to care for people and to genuinely be interested in what others wanted out of life.

He could tell that his "normalcy" was off putting for her but it wasn't something he was great at. The Alliance was great at teaching him how to spy and kill people but they never taught him how to just be normal. He would have to stay sharp for the things he wanted to do in life and if he wanted to protect the only things he cared about but he had to be able to fit in if he was going to make a change at all.

" No I'm just kind of passing through. I've been out of the world for a spell so i thought i would walk it a while."? (OOC sorry had to He said with a little smile on his face. It wasn't natural but he made it look convincing.

" What about you? he said with genuinely.

[Ned Middleton]

"A bit of the same," Ned replied. "I spent most of my life on Osiris, so I thought I'd wander for a bit once I got out of school. I've been on Persephone for about a week or so now, and I'll probably catch a ship off one of these days." She smiled as she spoke, hoping she hadn't said too much. She didn't see how she could have; just saying where she was from could hardly be considered too much information. The urge to chat was building up inside her, but she managed to suppress it.

The man seemed different now, more like someone she could pass by on the street any day. She wondered momentarily where the oddity of before had gone but decided that it hadn't been anywhere at all. Her mind must have been a bit dazed from sitting on the same corner and watching a flood of people. At least she hadn't started imagining that they were all just very intricate drawings. That had made for an interesting half hour, but her barely hidden giggles had probably driven away some potential customers.

"What sort of worlds have you been walking?" Ned asked. The question was something of a habit when she met a drifter like herself. At first, she had been nervous that her father would post a wave about her, but after a few months of silence, she decided the just didn't care. "Been out to the Rim at all?"

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

Ezekiel smiled as she spoke

" so this is what normal feels like." he thought to himself

He knew he would never be normal from the things he saw during the war and the mission's he had to preform for the alliance but he could just be with people now. It had been so long for him to just be there in the moment not looking for his next target the informant who was late. He was always using his peripheral vision to judge the way people carried themselves checking for weapons there gazes and such. He may be a more normal man but because of what he was he would be a hunted man until one of them finally got him.

" I've been around not staying in one place to long I've seen some of the outer worlds. I used to travel a little before but it was all work and no play so i decided i wanted to get out and just enjoy life whilst i can. No one is promised tomorrow so i try and live for today."
not even he believed the gotsa coming out of his mouth, but that's what normal sounds like right? he was good at fitting in and he knew the things to say but he just wanted to talk. No agenda no information gathering.

It was an odd feeling she was normal, probably had some kind of history but he wasn't worried that she was an operative or bounty hunter after him. If she was then she deserved what ever obscene rate she was getting.

" you working here much longer?" it was a bold question and he knew that but he was enjoying himself. maybe take her for a drink or something of that nature. Art is a rough way to make a living.

[Ned Middleton]

Ned nodded as Zeke spoke. The feeling had come back, that he wasn't entirely normal, but she wasn't sure where it came from. There seemed to be little hints, but she couldn't place her finger on what she ought to do about it or what it could mean. Ignoring it could be dangerous, but the thought of confronting him sent little tremors down her spine. It was easier to go along normally, and so she would.

"I set my own hours," she said. "I think I've got enough to keep me going for a day or two and put aside a little." She glanced down at the bag of money by her foot and made a quick calculation. There should certainly be enough to add to her "get off of Persephone" fund. It was something she did whenever she landed on a new planet: starting a collection of money to move her on to the next. "I'm Ned, by the way."

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

" its nice to formally meet you Ned" he said with smile on his face.
" Well its always nice to have some coin in your pocket. Thank you for the picture and poem I have never had anyone do a caricature of me. Not much of a tourist. Are you done for the day?" Ezekiel would ask her to lunch if she was all finished for the day he was enjoying talking to someone without any alterior motives.

[Ned Middleton]

"I might as well be." Ned glanced up at the passersby, but none seemed interested in stopping her for one last drawing or poem. She started to clear up her supplies and set everything carefully in her backpack. It was probably unprofessional to carry around something that looked like it should belong to a schoolgirl, but it was cheap and sturdy, and that was all she needed from it.

It was spring, and the weather was pleasant enough that she didn't need to put on her jacket. She slung it over her shoulder as she rose and puffed a few strands of errant hair out of her face. "I'm glad you like the drawing. Is there a reason you're interested in whether I'm done?" She grinned as she spoke, trying not to make the question awkward.

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

He smiled when she asked her question.

" well i was wondering if you would like to grab a bit to eat, or something of that sort." he said with a smile

Asking her that was easy for him he didn't have to fain interest or use any special tactics to ask the question. Was he actually conversing with someone normally not watching there every move to see if they where after him. It kind of amazed him almost shocked him. He started to worry if he had lost a few steps traveling around but only time would tell.

[Ned Middleton]

"Sure, why not?" Ned grinned. It had been a while since she had had company to eat with who wasn't part of a ship's crew. The crews of ships she traveled on were polite enough, but they never seemed to enjoy talking with her for long. Perhaps it was because she tended to be silent for long periods in between sudden bursts of chatter. She was trying to work on that, but it wasn't as easy as just waving her hand and wishing all her awkwardness away.

Once everything was gathered neatly into the bag and she had tucked both stools aside for someone else to use later, she asked, "Have you got a preference for where we eat? There's a nice place just a few blocks down that's run by a fairly good cook. Well, by nice I mean clean and she makes sure to cook everything all the way through."

[Ezekiel Leviticus]

Ezekiel smiled when she mentioned the cook

" Sure that would be fine by me. Lead the way" he said with a slight bow and a sweeping motion with his hand. He was enjoying himself he couldn't remember the last time he just walked with someone. Their was always work to be done deals to be made. But this time he could just enjoy himself and not have to worry about what he would do if things went wrong. His mind was wired that way so it forced in some thoughts of alley ways he could take and quick routes to cover. He never had to think about that kind of thing his mind just instinctively went there.

[Ned Middleton]

Ned started through the crowd, glancing over her shoulder every now and then to make sure Zeke was following her. She wasn't too worried about him getting lost; he looked like he could take care of himself perfectly well. But the crowds on this part of Persephone came and went like waves, and she didn't want to reach the restaurant and realize he'd lost sight of her. Whenever a large group of people came by, she slowed just enough for Zeke to keep up.

The restaurant was the first place she had gone to eat on Persephone, and she remembered it well. The captain of the cargo ship she had traveled on had charged just about all her money, and she spent the rest on finding a room that didn't have mice in the walls. Her standards had dropped since leaving Osiris, but she still insisted on having a place to sleep with no animals. She hadn't been able to afford even a little meal of rice, but the owner and head chef, Yi Kuang, had allowed her to pay with a poem. She had probably only meant to indulge a starving artist but had enjoyed the poem enough to set a copy on the wall and give Ned another free meal. Since then, Ned had insisted on paying for her own food, but Yi tended to give her something a little nicer than what her money might get.

"Here we are," Ned said, stepping inside the doorway. The room smelled of herbs and meat. "Does it matter to you where we sit?"