Chapter 2 same day as Chapter 1, I'm on a roll! Anyway Catrine is now going to draw Cupid and maybe even say some things she should or shouldn't have to her. As normal French translations will be on the bottom except for obvious words like bonjour. I hope you enjoy and feel free to review it while waiting for Chapter 3.
Chapter 2: A Beautiful Piece of Art
"Now please, stay as still as possible until I tell you," I looked over and gave her a smile to reassure the whole 'être bon envers les touristes' trick onto her. I then started to work through my magique drawing techniques. She was sitting comfortably on the bench with her back erect and her hands resting on her lap.
Specifically thinking back to Monster Anatomy class at the academy I examined 'la forme de son visage'. It had intents on all the rights places for a ghoul (in my opinion that is). There was obvious emphasis on her cheekbones and I noticed her face had that triangle like shape towards the chin area. I slowly started to draw the main shape for it as well as thin outlines for where to place eyes, the nose, and other parts of the face later. I then moved onto 'son cou', it was thin with around an average length. However, with her there was a bent arrow thing curved around it so I just drew a little tube around it for the time being.
I eventually finished 'son torse', 'ses bras', and 'ses cuisses' as well as her squelettique wings (they were in fact bones), her hair, and even her clothes and jewelry. She was wearing bow and arrow earrings, a cuff on her right arm, and a ring that held a bow and arrow on it; as for her dress, it started with a rose heart-cut top with noir ribbon tied around her arms and chest area, which then faded to a noir dripping effect onto white. I could tell from the colors, the bows, arrows, and hearts she was obviously into Saint Valentin Jour, but it was almost on an obsessive level, especially since it was more than a week away. I just shrugged that off as I've seen some tourists dressed in far worse.
I eventually made it to the 'détails faciaux'. She had normal sized rose eyebrows with stunning bleu verdâtre eyes that had tiny hearts in them (still embracing the whole Saint Valentin theme). Her nose was thin, or at least she used makeup to make it look thinner, that ended in a tiny little bump. Her lips were most likely the most exceptionnel lips I have seen on a ghoul. She decided to do a little makeup trick. She had made most of her lips match the color of the rest of her face and then made a little heart-shape using rose chaud lipstick. Most other ghouls would just use color on all of her lips, but she was trying to be different. I noticed, the more I examined her for the drawing the more I grew attiré to her.
"I've finished the outline, you may move now, but I still want you here to color it," I told the ghoul as I swapped my outline pencil for colored pencils and started to try and match certain ones best to her.
"Oh thank Olympus, I was really starting to feel stiff there," she starched her arms while staying seated. "So how many other monsters have you drawn?" she asked as she played with the braided heart in her hair.
"Maybe centaines, just too many to count for me," I answered her in the goal of keeping all promises made to the costumer true "So why are you here in Scaris and how long will you be staying in the city of frights?" I asked her as I finally found the purrfect color for her hair and started to work on filling it in.
"I know Scaris is called the city of frights, but I also knew it went by the city of love. I like to assist monsters with their love lives by answering their important questions so I thought it'd be a great idea to visit here for a week before I fly off again to spend time with my father. I only really see him during the summer and this time of the year, either before like this year or after like last year. It's good I went after last year; there was a bit of drama over a vampire's 1600 party and her current boyfriend with her ex-boyfriend from years ago. It was rather complicated I'd say," she started to chatter on without too much pause between sentences. It was if she had trained herself to speak that way. Normally I asked questions just so monsters can talk to me as if I was their thérapeute and I'd zone out what they were saying to focus, but in this case… I couldn't help but listen to her.
"I see, it does sound très compliqué," I responded to her genuinely. With the average tourist I would say something like 'oui oui' or 'intéressant' just to make it seem as if I wasn't ignoring them. However, with her… I just wanted to pay attention.
"Trust me, it was. I doubt you'd even understand considering that it was my entire fault for helping in the temporary break-up in a couple. If you knew who my father was it'd just make me sound like a failure. I still haven't told him about it. Also besides my father this time of year I generally get reminded of how weird it seems to be me and not be with someone or something like that. I really think I came to the city to try and escape that for all, but one hour of the day for an entire week and see what it is like to truly be me," she sighed talking the same almost breathless pace and started to look down at the ground. What she said actually sounded plutôt déprimant. I'd say her excuse to come to Scaris is better than any I've heard in a while (of course not including sick relatives who live here and are going to leave us, like one vampire who got garlic poisoning).
"Excusez-moi, madame, I need you to look up please. I want to get just the right color for your très beautiful eyes," I looked over at her and let my own thoughts slip out more than I probably should have. I know the 'être bon envers les touristes' trick is to truly be nice to the tourists, but not like that. I never let such incroyablement stupides pensées sur la façon magnifiques un simple touriste est! I have drawn many les beaux hommes and belles dames, but it has never played out like this, jamais. "I apologize, madame! Sorry if that felt assez maladroit for you, I never do that to other clients. Please forgive me," I instantly went to try and keep the 'être bon envers les touristes' trick intact.
"Why apologize? At least where I'm from, we call that a compliment. Some of us often forget it, but it's one of the best ways to bring up somebody's mood," she replied as she perked up a bit. I don't know how much of what I would call intimité is actually just a matter of being kind or amical to others in America (which from her accent I assume she is from).
"Merci for not obtenir offensée by my remark, and is it okay if I call you Chariclo and not madame?" I gave her a quick curtsey out of respect. Even if she wasn't helping me pay off my student loans, if I had acted like that to a friend (that I don't have) I still would have responded the same way.
"As I said earlier, most people call me Cupid, but considering that you seem to be saying it just fine, I am okay with it Catrine," she answered with a giggle and an obvious sign of happiness. Did I do this to her by just saying her eyes were 'très beautiful'?
"Merci mad- I mean Chariclo," I let myself giggle too as I got back to work.
. . .
"I have finished Chariclo, you may come here and tell me what you think," I stepped aside from my easel so she could come around and see.
"It's beautiful! I love it Catrine! This is exactly the reason why I wanted to find you," she exclaimed in pure joy as soon as she saw it. Personally, it made me feel plutôt touchée. Maybe it was just like the way I felt when I called her eyes 'très beautiful' earlier.
"Merci, merci, I am glad you enjoy my art," I thanked her with a slight smile as I looked at my watch. It was around 5:30, around the time I eat dinner. "So Chariclo, do you know of any particular destinations you plan to go to in the city?" I asked a bit shyly.
"Actually, besides the Eiffel Terror and the Arc de Screomphe I don't particularly have any specific ones. I do know I want to go to some art museums and great food places as well," she answered while still overjoyed from the drawing of her.
"Well the Eiffel Terror is a very short distance away and I am native to the city… So I was wondering if you'd meet me there once I drop off everything but the drawing at my house so I can maybe show you around and go out to eat." I requested très calme. I didn't want to have insulted her in any way and have her say no. That would have devastated me.
"That sounds wonderful! You seem quite nice, unlike that most people think of your French. Then again, I did have Rochelle to already disprove that to me. I trust you to come back with it and meet me there Catrine. Also, as a tip for doing such a great job on it, I'll pay for the meal," Chariclo beamed with joy and went on her were to witness the beauty of the tower up close while I just stood there for a moment, mesmerized. Elle m'a vraiment ont aimé!
'être bon envers les touristes = be kind to tourists
magique = magical
la forme de son visage = the shape of its face
son cou = its neck
son torse = torso
ses bras = arms
ses cuisses = thighs
squelettique = skeletal
rose = pink
noir= black
Saint Valentin Jour = Valentine's Day
détails faciaux = facial details
bleu verdâtre = greenish-blue
exceptionnel = exceptional
rose chaud = hot pink
attiré = attracted
très compliqué =very complicated
intéressant =interesting
plutôt déprimant = rather depressing
incroyablement stupides pensées sur la façon magnifiques un simple touriste est = incredibly stupid thoughts about how gorgeous a mere tourist is
les beaux hommes = handsome men
belles dames = lovely ladies (I can't help but think of the Les Mis song .)
jamais = never
assez maladroit = rather awkward
intimité = intimate
amical = friendly
obtenir offensée = getting offended
plutôt touchée = rather touched
très calme = very quietly
elle m'a vraiment ont aimé = She actually liked me
Wow Catrine spoke a lot of French this chapter. Anyway Chapter 3 will probably come out sometime this weekend (2/8/13 to 2/10/13).