Inked (Punkinblackk x Paddie)

[PaddieCake]

​

A famous, but seemingly shy author who doesn't like reading aloud, is forced by his manager to work with an artist with an odd style that leaves it with an unfinished look to it. Both are too afraid to meet the either because they both have abilities others are unaware of. They can bring creations to life.
​

​

​

Oliver Sebastian Lawson
​

'Ollie' or 'Bas'⠂24 ⠂Male ​

Appearance: Oliver is around 5'10 with a slender, underfed frame. He has pale skin and light brown hair. It is constantly ruffled and messy as if he's always running his hand through it. He wears thin, square, black framed glasses, being near sighted, not needing his glasses while working. His eyes are brown and rather bright, though there are bags under them indicating a lack of sleep.
​

His clothing is consistently comfortable, often found lounging around in sweat pants and tee-shirts, only dressing up if he's forced into meetings or galleries by his manager. If he does go out to meet with others he often wears well tailored sports jackets, jeans, and comfortable, but nice looking, loafers. In fact, one would describe his closet to be that of two extremes, messy, old, stained sweat pants and tee-shirts, and well tailored suits and dress clothes.
​

​

He has strange scars marring his shoulders and back.
​

​

Personality: Ollie is a bit of a recluse. He doesn't like bothering with people most of the time, and only tolerates his manager. He does his best to accommodate those who claim to be fans of his artwork, but he often finds being around others tiresome. He isn't outwardly mean to those who talk to him or want to meet him, but he does have a problem keeping his disdain off his face, luckily these people mostly assume he's just tired.
​

​

When he doesn't look tired he often looks dazed and lost in his own thoughts. He always has ideas for drawings running through his mind, but is often afraid to put them on paper, even if he does leave them unfinished.
​

History: Oliver was quite young when he discovered his gift. The first drawing he can recall coming to life was that of a mouse. The only reason he claims that this mouse was his first living creation is because his drawing was purple, as was the mouse that suddenly scuttled across his classroom floor. The teachers didn't believe him when he said it was his doing, and didn't get a good glimpse of the mouse.
​

​

For a few years Ollie continued to draw in the privacy of his room, where no one could find his creations. He was fascinated by his ability to create things, honing his craft both in paper-creations and real ones. It was in middle school that he realized the true problem with his powers. As he grew older his abilities began to complicate things, if he drew a wolf it would come to life and run through the streets, if he drew a person, suddenly they would appear in his room, no home, no life, if he drew a creature or monster it would lumber around to attack those who drew near it. The more proficient Oliver became at drawing, the more terrified of his art he became. The horror of something terrible happening became too much.
​

​

He stopped finishing anything, leaving drawing uncolored, lines unfinished, and then he stopped drawing entirely, too afraid that he might accidentally finish something, accidentally hurt someone. He worked odd jobs here and there, but he couldn't stop drawing, not entirely. It was at a time he was going through one of his moods, where all he wanted to do was draw, that he was discovered by his manager, who found his art fascinating. He had been in a coffee shop, nestled in a corner when a man in a sharp business suit noticed him doodling away. He was interested in his art style, wondering why Oliver drew the way he did, and Oliver lied saying that it was just the way he drew. He took Ollie under his wing, something the brunette wasn't very thrilled with, and found the situation awkward and tedious until he got his first pay-check for a piece someone commissioned.
​

​

Oliver tries to pick and choose his commissions, but his manager has ultimate say and Ollie knows and despises it, but he needs the money and allows himself to be dragged around to shows and meet-ups with different people to discuss his art.
​

​

Other: He has a five year old spotted great Dane named Daisy (her ears are un-cropped).
​

​

Not sure if you had a particular CS in mind, but I figured those are the basics :3 I'll be working on mine ^-^


@punkinblackk

​

Also, unsure of what specifically you want to do with the managers, but I figured they were mostly side characters? *shrugs* :3 If you think I should change anything, let me know ^-^

 

[punkinblackk]

Leonardo M. Richards


pen name: Lee N. Marlen


Gender: Male


Age: 26


Appearance: Leo has slightly longer than shoulder length Red Brown hair, typically pulled back in a braid, or up in a bun. He has dark eyes, and a slim scar along his left cheekbone. At about 5'8" he's around average height, with a slender build. 


Slightly self-conscious of his weight, Leo typically wears baggy sweaters coupled with either straight leg jeans, or slacks, depending on the occasion. When writing he typically wears over the ear headphones, an oversized hoodie, and sweatpants. 


Personality: despite having a typically friendly, sometimes even bubbly attitude, after becoming a famous author Leo has withdrawn from society, sometimes even becoming short-tempered around pushy fans. 


Leo survives writing binges on cigarettes and caffeine, and can often be found carrying around a cup of coffee, with a cigarette either dangling from his lips, or between his fingers, regardless of whether it's lit or not. 


History: With a father that was rarely home, and a mother that abandoned him at a young age, he was an avid reader by age eleven, and discovered his ability months later. He stopped reading aloud shortly thereafter, but soon started writing. By age sixteen he had several short stories published in magazines, his fame slowly growing from there. 


By the age of twenty-one Leo had published five books, and had an international following, making it harder and harder for him to try out of publicity events, and book readings. 


Other: outside of his writing binges, Leo rarely ever lights a cigarette, unless he's stressed, or wasting time before replying to a potentially revealing question. He can get mildly paranoid, and, on occasion has been known to lock himself in his apartment for days on end. 


(Picture coming eventually)

 

[PaddieCake]

There was a loud booming bark as a buzzing sound echoed throughout a small, very messy apartment. What one could easily mistake for a pile of dirty clothes on the couch stirred slightly but seemed uninterested in the annoying buzzing sound. It was not until the source of the barking jumped up on the supposed pile of clothes actually sit up, revealing the haggard face of a young man.[/SIZE]


Rubbing his face Oliver grabbed his glasses that seemed to have fallen on the floor next to the couch and putting them on and going over to the buzzer attached to the wall next to his door.[/SIZE]


“What?” He said, his voice clearly annoyed about his interrupted nap.

"Just let me up Ollie have a proposition for you.” A very familiar voice said through the intercom.


“Oh, it’s you. I thought I told you I was taking the week off.” He said, buzzing the other man up anyway. It was only a few minutes before Ollie heard the door knob jiggle as he grabbed a pair of worn out flip-flops. He grabbed Daisy’s leash to take her for her walk.

“You’re off when I say you’re off. I have a meeting planned for you..”

And that’s how Oliver’s day started. The exhausted man took his poor dog for a walk before being forced to shower and change into actual clothing. His manager was quite vague about who he was meeting and why.

It was a rather bright and sunny autumn day, and while Oliver had much preferred to spend it in the comfort of his own home, he was now showered, hair still dripping wet, wearing a simple black sports jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans, but given Oliver’s preference for sweatpants and tee-shirts, he was quite uncomfortable.


He hated meeting clients, hell, he hated meeting people. It meant hours of talking, pretending to not look annoyed, and being asked to constantly explain his art style…Oliver let out a groan, not brought on by anything but his own predictions about how he was expecting the day to go.

 

[punkinblackk]

Leo would definitely admit that he wasn't the most social of creatures. Not, of course, that he currently noticed, or cared. At the moment, he was four days, and 600 pages into a writing binge. Having stopped only long enough to brew another pot of coffee, use the bathroom, and hunt down his next stash of cigarettes every few hours. Lost in the thrall of his muse, he had neither noticed his phone ringing incessantly, or the more and more frequent pop-ups on his screen informing him that he had an email.


At this point, about a dozen coffee cups, several doze cigarette cartons, and seven or eight overflowing ashtrays littered the coffee table and floor around where Leo sat cross legged on the floor, keyboard spread across his lap, with his laptop settled in the clutter on the table in front of him. The board claimed furiously as he typed, his fingers flying across the screen. His first draft was due in three days, and in the back of his head, Leo was aiming for another two hundred pages before then. The second draft would probably be less than half the size of what he'd wrote, as his editor cut out all the “extra”, though Leo would push it back up to at least six hundred pages by the final draft.


Fifteen years ago, Leo would never have guessed that he would become an international bestseller, ten years ago, he wouldn't have guessed that he'd be living off of his writing. It had simply never seemed plausible. Despite being published in several literary magazines by sixteen, his first novel had been published by a small company in his hometown. Three hundred copies that took him six months to sell. At least, until the right person came along and bought one, intending to tide herself over for the seven hour bus ride to New York city. Less than a week later, she was back in town. Asking the then eighteen year old if he had any other stories to share.


Somewhere in the deep of his mind, he knew this was the biggest chance he'd ever get to share the worlds in his head with others. She left again with nearly a dozen rough drafts packed in a box, along with his email and phone number. Three weeks before his nineteenth birthday, Leo himself was packing up to drive to New York city, contract in hand.


5 pm. Page 620, Leo had just resettled himself with another cup of coffee, a lit cigarette between his lips. Three days Grace blaring in his ears, he wouldn't have noticed the door opening, save for the fact that the tall, amazonite woman that had entered, turned on the lights. At just over six foot, noticeably muscular, with her short red hair in something that would approximate a pixie cut, save for the fact it was currently a frizzed poof, Elizabeth was his 29 year old editor slash manager.


“What the hell Liz?” Leo's voice was a short growl, as he pulled his headphones off, unfolding himself from his seat. “How many times do I have to tell you not to bother me while I'm writing?”


“And how many times do I have to tell you not to ignore your appointments?” Elizabeth stepped further into the apartment, coughing a couple times as she entered the thick cloud of cigarette smoke that had accumulated over the last few days. “Or to take care of yourself while writing? This is ridiculous. You'll be dead of lung cancer by forty with the amount of cigarettes you smoke. Or of a heart attack by thirty. Good God. I worry about you sometimes.”


Leo sighed, but he was used to her mothering by now. Sometimes it was actually welcome.



“Anyways. This is the artist they want you to work with for the special edition of your last novel. I told you I'd be bringing him by today.”

 

[PaddieCake]

Oliver had been dozing off in his manager's car, half-listening to him drone on. His once damp hair was beginning to dry, curling slightly, hair bumping up slightly from leaning against the car seat's head rest. His mind mostly wandered aimlessly, ideas flooding through his head, people and strange creatures taking shape, ideas for a comic perhaps... He might even try to sketch some things out later.


He had an accordion folder of some of his most recent drawings clutched in his lap so that they could see what they could expect from him. His stomach was knotting up as it always did when he had to meet someone. Oliver dreaded meetings, mostly because he despised dealing with people. He wasn’t very good with them to begin with, they had a tendency to annoy Oliver, and quite frankly the man never had much energy for other people, they were exhausting. This, paired with Michael’s own rather off-putting nature it was always a rather harrowing experience dealing with crowds, and Oliver often didn’t fair much better with one on one interactions. He was just as likely to grow irritated with one person as he was with many people.


    They finally reached the building they would be meeting in, “It’s… it’s an apartment building. Why couldn’t they come to us if we’re just meeting in an apartment?” Oliver asked, clutching his portfolio tightly, his free hand jammed into his pants pocket. Then again he would still be forced to change, there was no way Michael would have been allowed to stay in his usual clothing.


    “I dunno, just.” The stocky man murmured. They had followed a very tall woman, taller than either Oliver or Michael were, who introduced herself as Elizabeth. Oliver followed along, running his hand through his hair, mussing it up more than it already was.


They continued up to the apartment, the smell of cigarette smoke heavy and potent. It made Oliver crinkle his nose. "Oh come on." he said,  held his sleeve up to his face in an attempt to block out the smoke. He hated the smell of the stuff, "If it's going to be like this the whole time I'm going home." Oliver muttered under his breath, tossing an obvious glare at Michael. Michael's face told him that he was quite surprised there was anyone who lived as poorly as Oliver did, the shock on his face as the smell of smoke wafted through the air was obvious.


He did get some amusement as the woman berated the author, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit from behind his sleeve. At the same time Michael got over his surprise before putting a large, rather phony, grin on his face. "It's a real pleasure to meet you finally, love your work." Michael said, grinning broadly as he entered the apartment with absolutely no prompting from anyone.


Oliver knew this was his manager's act, he was quite sure Michael hasn't read a single one of this guy's books. Oliver, admittedly, had a few of them on his own bookshelf, and though he wasn't an avid reader he did find them rather enjoyable. Oliver kept his arm up to his face as he stepped closer to the doorway, refusing to go inside. "Hey." He said, keeping his folder tight by his side.

 

[punkinblackk]

With a long glance at the other two guys, Leo sighed. Moving around the room, he opened all the windows, releasing the smoke from the room. “Sorry, I was… unaware of the appointment.” Slipping back to the computer, he shut it, before picking up a bag and throwing the empty cartons inside. “Have you read ‘The age of Dragons’?” He glanced expectantly between the two men as he continued to tidy up the room. “I'd invite you in the study, but that's a mess with the third draft of ‘The age of Fire’ paper everywhere.”


Elizabeth sighed. “If I had realized how much of a mess he'd gotten himself into I would've come up first.” With a sigh she swooped in to scoop up half the coffee mugs, depositing them in the sink.


“620 pages Elizabeth. I finished 620 pages. I've still got at least ten chapters before I can wrap the plot up.” Leo groaned, moving the ashtrays towards his small kitchen.


“Not my problem. Though maybe if it didn't take you ten drafts to decide the book was good enough for you, you'd actually have time to write like a normal writer.” She wiped the coffee table down, and drug it back towards the two deep leather couches, before sitting down.


Leo pulled out a thick binder overflowing with too large sheets of paper and just too much paper in general, setting it down on the table. “To date, I have yet to find an artist that I'm sufficiently happy with, but I've got numerous fanarts, sketches from the other artists, and a few of my horrible drawings to show you the sort of creatures I'm after for your own reference.” Leo couldn't describe them out loud, which meant most of his artists had quickly grown frustrated with him, and left. Elizabeth had been slowly getting more and more irritated with him, digging deeper and deeper into the publishing company's list of associated artists.



It wasn't necessarily his fault, but considering there were still the occasional sightings of bizarre creatures in his hometown, he was petrified at the idea of reading any of his works aloud.

 

[PaddieCake]

Oliver raised an eyebrow as the author opened all the windows, the smoke slowly disappearing from the room. It was only then that Oliver put his hand down and stepped inside. "The Age of Dragons? I think so..." He said, trying to recall which of his books he had in fact read.


"I doubt Oliver minds much, his own apartment hasn't been cleaned in months." Michael muttered, recalling the clothes, crumpled and ripped up pieces of paper, and bottles that littered Oliver's own living room floor.


Oliver ignored Michael's comment, instead marveled at how someone could write over six hundred pages in a book and still need ten more chapters. To Oliver that was beyond insane... He was only pulled out of his thoughts when Leo pulled out a large binder full of drawings. He raised his eyes, sitting down on the floor next to the table, rifling through some of the pictures absently. He hesitated for a moment before pulling a pile of the artwork closer to him, simultaneously handing the author the portfolio he had brought with him.


There were some short, unfinished comics, copies of art he had done for others, things he had drawn for himself, all varying in topics. Some were simply drawings of people or animals, some of elaborate landscapes, others of more fantastical creatures, all only half-finished. He separated the pieces of art Leo had offered him into piles, separating them into various piles that reflected quality and creature type, based on his own judgement of the pieces and nothing else.


"There's a lot to work with." he said, though his tone of voice didn't sound very enthused, it was useful to have so many options, it helped to better understand what was expected.  " Are any of these more accurate than others? " He said, making a face at a particularly poorly drawn picture Oliver couldn't quite make out, at least he thought it was poorly drawn. He decided to put itoff to the side in an unofficial 'undetermined' pile.


Oliver didn't dare look up at anyone as he finished separating all of the pictures. "Do you want the piece set up in any particular way?" He asked. At last Oliver looked up as he ran a hand through his hair.

 

[punkinblackk]

Elizabeth glanced at the artist. "Didn't your manager tell you, we're after five pictures, and possibly a cover." She glanced at the fellow, Michael she believed was the name in the file. She sat on the edge of one of the couches, slightly irritated as both the writer and artist decided to sit on the floor, rather than the furniture.


"Each picture is for the intro into a part of the book, the first one and last one will be a group shot of the main characters, but the other three will be monsters and beasts." Leo rifled through a few of the artists pictures. "Most of them are relatively accurate. If you can make sense of my drawings," he motioned towards one of the piles. "Those would be the most correct. But I'm not the artist, and I haven't taken art since... ever." Leo shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly how I want them set up. However is easiest for you to draw I guess." He continued looking through the artists work, slowly beginning to notice the odd style of the drawings.  


"The final edit of the special edition is due in three months. Do you think that's enough time?" Elizabeth asked the artist, leaning forward. She had been concerned when she'd seen the first few pictures in his portfolio, but was slowly becoming more and more anxious. "Do you have any finished pieces in your portfolio? Or are these all just sketches?" She eyed him over, questioning how legitimate he was. She hadn't had time to hunt down the project he'd done for one of the other authors the company attended to, and at this point, was mildly frightened of the idea.


"No... his style is good. Besides, as long as we can work together, I don't think we have enough time to hunt down another artist at this point." Leo had separated a handful of character and landscape drawings from the rest, spreading them across the table. 

 

[PaddieCake]

"He might have..." Oliver said, honestly not sure, he only half-listened to the other man on the way here.


"I did." Michael insisted, crossing his arms. Oliver merely shrugged, then he supposed he had been told what to expect.  Five drawings, possibly a cover, at least six, though Oliver was already sketching out ideas in his mind, there were so many different creatures to work with he'd be hard pressed to choose just a small handful for three pictures. The group shots, Oliver felt, would be the easiest. He had to read through the book again, just to get an idea of the characters, thought he had no specific ideas for the first and last pictures, Oliver figured they would be a bit easier to do, less options than the endless beasts that laid out on the table in front of him.


He nodded a bit as Leo spoke, honestly appreciating his ability to just get down to the business at hand. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he looked at the pile Leo motioned to. While a couple of them were a bit hard to decipher, the others were pretty clear. He decided he would use those as a reference, combined with some of the better fan art he had gotten. "I can work with this, and three months should be enough time." He said, nodding slightly.


He felt pretty decent about this, at least until Elizabeth opened her mouth. Oliver's rather placid face slowly dropped, his straight lined mouth turning down into a deep scowl. His brown eyes met hers, narrowed in what was a clear sign of annoyance. His relatively decent mood, and his own inner excitement about having so many choices in creatures to draw, was quickly replaced by anger at his stylistic choices being questioned. 


The only thing that stopped Oliver from yelling at the woman for her inability to look into an artist first was Leo speaking before he could. "Thank you!" He muttered, settling back onto the floor, as he had been about to get up. "Someone gets it at least... This is how I draw, this is what you can expect from me..." He said, calming down a bit. Oliver had grown so tired of people paying for his particular style and then questioning why he didn't finish them, why would he even bring the portfolio if they weren't what was to be expected.


Michael, who had tensed up as soon as Elizabeth questioned Oliver's portfolio, relaxed, glad that the young man hadn't blown up like the manager had seen so many times before.


"Can I take these with me, or would you prefer I take pictures instead?" Oliver asked, looking up at Leo. He still wanted to do the project, the more he looked at the pictures piled around him the more excited he grew, his hand already itching to start.

 

[punkinblackk]

Leo covered his mouth as he let out a long yawn, before replying to Oliver. "Uh... you can take a few at a time. Sorry, I've just had enough other artists that drop the project and disappear with the stuff I'd rather not have to hunt anyone down again. But you can come by whenever you want. I'm pretty much always home." He ran a hand through his hair, which he realized was painfully greasy. A twinge of guilt coursed through him at exactly how horribly he must be coming across at this very moment.


"Yes... he's always home." Elizabeth spoke in a slightly disapproving tone, but quickly chuckled. "If you figure you'll be by often I can give you a key. You have the book right? If not I'm sure I can pick up one for you from the agency." Elizabeth slightly rushed through her questions, intent on getting the other two men out of her authors home, battling strongly with the embarrassment of presenting such an... eccentric, and very obviously ungroomed man for them to meet. It was one of the biggest things she'd been taught to avoid. Though Leonardo definitely did not make that easy. Despite the fact that she had discovered him some ten years ago, she hadn't expected to be turned into his manager, nor did she expect that the well groomed, if quiet, teenager, would turn into such a slob. Did she regret finding him? Hell no. In fact, as his manager, and one of his editors, she was excited that she got to read his works before almost anyone else, and above all, she got to read his first drafts. Though they were inhumanly long, they contained things that never made it into his final draft, simply because they weren't necessary to further the plot. 


"I go out every once in a while." Leo half glared at his manager, though, with an eye roll and a quick shake of his head, he turned back to the art. "If you don't mind working off a rough draft of my novel, I've got a copy with most of the descriptions marked out." And cross referenced, and recopied with his precise handwriting at the back to form complete descriptions. He called it his spell book, and he had one for each of his novels. Mostly to make sure he didn't get inconsistent with his descriptions, but still. He yawned again. The four day long writing binge was quickly catching up to him, and despite his looking through the pictures, his eyes slowly grew heavy. It took most of his effort just to stay awake at this point. 

 

[PaddieCake]

Oliver frowned a bit, not out of anger or annoyance, merely in thought. He had little desire to travel with any frequency for some pictures. Maybe he could convince Michael to make the trips... Probably not, the man did have others he managed,  and Michael wasn't anymore willing to go out of his way for something like this than Oliver was.


Oliver's nose scrunched slightly. Did he want a key? What would he have found more obnoxious, someone constantly bursting into his apartment with a key, or constantly knocking on his door to be let in... They both suck. "I think I have a copy of the book, but if you have a draft with more description that might be useful." He said, completely unfazed by the other man's sloven appearance, as a matter of fact Oliver was jealous he himself was stuck wearing more formal attire.  "I'm not sure how often I'll have to stop by, I don't need you to get me a key though." He said, pushing his glasses back up his nose, having been pushed down to look at the fan art that been provided.


Oliver was pointedly ignoring the conversation regarding how often Leo did, or did not, leave his home. He certainly had no right to say anything since he himself almost never left his home outside of walking Daisy, and usually had to be dragged out for anything work related. 


He chewed on his lip, trying to figure out how he should go about this,. He rearranged the piles he had made slightly, gathering a small handful of pictures, of different creatures. Oliver was certain he'd grow bored of being stuck with just one thing to draw for any extended period of time. "You said I had three months, right?" He asked, running his hand through his own hair. "If and when I visit I'll bring what I've drawn with me, then you can let me know what you like and don't like, give me some time to make changes if necessary." He said, taking the pictures he would be using for now.

 

[punkinblackk]

Leo smiled lightly. "Sounds good. I've got a couple deadlines in the next couple weeks, so if I don't answer the door..." His brow furrowed in thought. "Madeline across the hall, apartment 13C has a spare. I'll tell her to let you in if you come by." Running a hand through his greasy hair, he yawned again. As he pushed his lean frame off the floor, he swayed lightly, like a tree in the wind, before making his way into the study, a room, that once revealed by his opening the door, could be seen as something that appeared to be the aftermath of a tornado in a paper factory, as the papers covered in ink were spread in no particular order, covering every surface. Leo stepped carefully through the mess to pick up a thick black binder, bringing it back out. 


"Don't lose it, don't wreck it. If you're really interested, there are a few extra scenes, marked with blue sticky notes, those will be in the special edition. All the descriptions are marked with yellow or orange. The back contains my reference descriptions, which is probably your best bet, as it's every single description of the character in one place, then summarized. If you have questions, I think my contact info is in there somewhere? If not, I guess you do know where I live." He sat back down, sliding the binder across the table. Eyes sliding shut momentarily, before he shook his head, trying to stay awake. 


"Very well. I suppose we'd better head out. I've got a couple of meetings later, and I think Leo needs some sleep." Elizabeth stood up, stretching lightly, before glancing at the other two men. "Coming? Or are you going to show yourselves down? And Leo? I expect that manuscript in my inbox on time. The editors are on a schedule as well, and it's unfair to try and make them read through your monstrosities with less than enough time." She strode across the apartment towards the door, picking up her briefcase on the way. "I'll need you two to fill out some paperwork, and discuss further, if you'd like to meet somewhere else? Either later today, or a future date? Either my agency, or somewhere else. Whatever works, really." Despite the fact she had brought the forms today, she was pretty sure that Leo would be passed out on the floor in no less than five minutes if they didn't leave soon.

 

[PaddieCake]

"Alright, no problem." Oliver nodded pulling himself up off the floor a he repeated 'Madeline, 13C' over in his head a few times.  He was steady on his feet, but Oliver could hear his knees crack slightly as he straightened himself out. Oliver was about to follow him, and could see a bit of the papers littering the study.


As Leo came back in he brought a huge lack binder with him. It was rather impressive to look at, and while Oliver wanted to look through it then and there he was afraid he might drop it if he wasn't careful.  "This... is massive." Oliver said, in awe, rather than annoyance. It wasn't often he could look into the hard work someone else put into their craft, Oliver was rather impressed. He looked at the edges of the pages to glance at the sticky notes, he'd look through all the descriptions later. "I'll be careful." He agreed.


As Elizabeth spoke, Oliver grabbed some of the drawings he was taking for references, and put his portfolio back together. He gathered everything in his arms and clutched them tightly to his chest. He didn't want to be responsible for losing anything that Leo was letting him borrow, for many reasons.


"We're coming." Michael said, "Take care and good luck with finishing you novel." He said, nodding towards Leo before following Elizabeth to the door. "Later today would be best for any paper work." Michael said, giving Oliver a side glance as the young man let out an audible groan. "Your agency is fine if that's more convenient." He added, knowing it'd be more difficult to get the man out of the house a second time for another meeting.


Wonderful.  "Fine, but I need to stop home to walk Daisy." He said, already dreading this second meeting. He had not been expecting to continue this meeting elsewhere, he was already itching to start sketching out ideas and get back into more comfortable clothes. 

 

[punkinblackk]

Elizabeth nodded as she led the two men out of the apartment. "Very well, it's just after five now, I've got some things to take care of, but if you want to swing by my agency around seven, we can sign the papers and head out for dinner? There's a place across the street we usually use for business dinners, very professional." She decided not to mention the fact that Leo likely wouldn't be at the dinner, as he appeared to be falling asleep where he was on the carpet. This certainly wasn't the first time she'd had to try and coach him through meetings while he was little better than a zombie, and it likely wouldn't be the last. "And if you change your mind about wanting a key, I can still get you one. I assure you that Leo doesn't mind too much, and probably won't even notice you half the time."

Meanwhile, as the door to Leo's apartment closed, he yawned hugely, laying back on the floor. It was a position he'd slept in enough times he was loathe to do it again, but on the other hand, he didn't have the energy to move to his bedroom. Or the interest in doing his laundry in the next few days to wash the smoke and grime out of his sheets if he slept in his bed without having a shower. It was a personal crisis, that led to him waking up enough that he wasn't quite ready to fall asleep, but still dead enough he couldn't quite move. He wanted to keep writing, but he slowly realized that in order to keep writing, he'd need to get up and make coffee, and hunt down another pack of cigarettes. The consequences of leaving his mouth free were large. And they were consequences he couldn't quite bring himself to incur on anyone.

Eventually Leo managed to get off the floor and climb into the bath, dozing a bit as he soaked in the hot water, mind wandering.

 

[PaddieCake]

Seven, after seven worked fine Oliver supposed. He wasn't thrilled about having to go back out, but he supposed if it was quite a bit later it could give him some time to work on some of these drawings, and Daisy wouldn't be too angry with Oliver being out so long. Dinner sounded good though, Oliver was pretty hungry now that he thought about, when was the last time he had eaten anyway? He was pretty sure he hadn't eaten anything yesterday, but he supposed it was possible it had been longer than that.

"That sounds perfect. We'll meet you your agency at seven then." Michael said glancing at Oliver who was already walking ahead of them.He had half a mind to flip through the book then and there, he could feel his hand twitching in anticipation, leaning over his work desk, Daisy nestled next to him as he sketched way. His eyes glazed over slightly as shapes and ideas bobbed through his mind's eye. He almost walked right into the door frame as he did so, glaring at the offending piece of wall before walking around it.

"I'll consider it, let you know later." He said in regards to the key, he honestly knew he'd be annoyed if someone just randomly barged into his own apartment, but it would be easier than constantly asking to be let in.

 

[punkinblackk]

Elizabeth led them back down to the main floor. "Very well. I will take a moment to apologize for Leo's behavior, it's not usually like him to get so... bad." No, he usually only lasted a couple days like that before he stopped writing for a little while and cleaned up. Not some four days. She was highly concerned, but quickly shook it off, deciding not to let concern ruin the rest of her evening. Handing Oliver's manager a business card, containing not only her cell number, office number, and email, but the address of the building. "I'll see you guys at seven then." She smiled at the two men.

Leo slowly came back to life in the hot water, finally cleaning himself off, and stepping out. After dressing he made his way to bed, quickly falling into a sleep that was plagued with nightmares. His power had caused many issues over the years, and as he had been fairly into horror when he made his discovery, he'd summoned a lot more monsters than most nine year olds would have likely faced otherwise. Though, the upside of his power was that up until a couple months ago, he'd had a fairy dragon, a creature from one of his books, as a pet. The species in fact, had been designed specifically to suit his lifestyle. At about the size of a small cat, brightly colored, and highly intelligent, though with a life span as short as five years.

That had likely been the only time he had willingly brought one of his creations to life.

 

[PaddieCake]

Michael smiled back, giving her a friendly salute.

"Hey, open the door for me." Oliver said, calling to his manager. Michael had been about to just slide into the driver's seat, and rolled his eyes as he moved open the passenger door for him."Thanks." He muttered sliding into his seat, careful to keep the book and papers steady as he closed the door. He was careful, keeping a tight grip on the book and papers as he placed them on his knees.

"You seem pretty interested in this stuff." Michael said, watching Oliver flip through the binder a little.

Oliver nodded, flipping to a few of the pages marked with yellow or orange sticky notes "I like drawing this stuff, it's cool." He said with a slight shrug. Oliver had always enjoyed drawing things in the fantasy and horror genres the most, it was fun getting the chance to draw crazy things with weird appendages and strange powers. The more bizarre, the more fantastical, the more Oliver found himself enjoying what he drew. He knew he could never finish a piece, particularly pieces like this, and thinking about what his finished pieces could look like had a tendency to depress him, but he still enjoyed it for the most part.

"That's good, this'll be good for you, for us." this would only be Olive's third book related piece, second for this particular company, Michael wanted to have a more reliable connection with them and get more commissions done.

"Eh, I guess..." he said shrugging. He didn't really care, honestly. He liked getting an income, particularly being able to draw, but it was just so stressful. Oliver was constantly worried about whether he'd mess up and accidentally finish a piece, hearing people question and complain about getting unfinished pieces, and he'd be laughed at if he even tried to explain why he didn't finish anything. He hoped that this particular job would go more smoothly from this point forward.

"Alright, I'll pick you up at six-thirty, don't change into your normal clothes either, keep those on." Michael said, his voice stern. Oliver sneered but didn't argue as he headed into the apartment building, only waving good bye to Michael.

He took the elevator up to his apartment and after unlocking his door he carefully placed everything he was carrying on his work desk before greeting Daisy. "That's a girl." He said, not even needing to bend down to pet her, but he did so anyway so she could lick his face. They went for a rather long walk, Daisy trotting comfortably along side him before going back inside. Oliver made sure Daisy's automatic feeder and water jug were full before moving to his work bench. He put his portfolio away and slid the fan art and binder towards his left side before grabbing some paper and pencils to begin sketching.

 

[punkinblackk]

Shortly before seven, Leo woke up. He was absolutely starving. One of the most painful parts of his writing binges was that, as he paid very little attention to his bodies needs, the next 48 hours or so were a painful cycle of get enough sleep to be alive for an hour or two, drink coffee and come up with enough food to fill his ravenous stomach, before crawling back in bed for a couple more hours as his stomach digested the food, and decided that he was starving again. He remembered that his manager had arranged dinner in the restaurant by the agency, and quickly decided he'd pop in and see if he arrived in time to eat with them.

As he left the apartment, wearing dark grey slacks, and an off-white dress shirt under a leather jacket, it was just before seven. In the parking garage under the building he made his way over to the motorcycle he rarely used, starting the engine and pulling on the helmet he'd brought down with him. Weaving through traffic with a slight amount of skill, he arrived at the restaurant at about 7:15.

Meanwhile, at about 7, Elizabeth was waiting patiently in the foyer at the agency for the other two to arrive, files in hand for them to sign. It would only take a few moments, as they were simply disclosure and copyright forms. Stating that they were not allowed to share any materials that Leo, or herself gave them, and also that her agency had full rights over any pieces he made for the commission. As in, Oliver couldn't sell, or otherwise give away the pictures to be used in other projects or by other people. Basic stuff that happened every time.

 

[PaddieCake]

At a little before 6:30 Michael came back to pick Oliver up for the dinner. He was about to ask to be buzzed up but someone who recognized him let him into the building. He knocked on Oliver's door, but it was open, not something Michael was used to unless the artist went out with his dog, leaving him rather startled that Oliver was bent over his desk and not out with Daisy.

"We gotta go, kid." He said.

The sudden sound of someone in his apartment was enough to jolt the brunette's attention away from what he was doing. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows rather sloppily, his glasses perched on top of his head and his shirt halfway unbuttoned and his hair messier than it had been before. "What the hell? What why do we have to go?" He asked, completely forgetting that they had to meet up with Elizabeth later.

"We have paperwork to sign, remember?" The man said, rolling his eyes.

Oliver blinked rather dumbly at his manager. "Right..." He said frowning slightly. He looked back at the sketch he was working on, the fifth one since he had gotten home. "Alright let's go." he said, putting down the eraser that was still clutched in his hand, the sides of which were covered in graphite, as was his cheeks and around his eyes, from rubbing his face, but neither man seemed to notice this.

"Fix your shirt please, at least look professional." Michael said, glancing down to pat Daisy on the head gently, giving the man's hand a gentle nudge of appreciation. "You don't have to walk her do you?" He asked,frowning slightly, already short on time.

"No, she doesn't usually go out again until after eight." he said "Right? You already went potty, didn't you?" he said, nodding as he kissed Daisy on the face. "You be a good girl." He said, though she always was.

He pulled his loafers on before following Michael out of the apartment, keys heavy in his pocket and folder held tightly in his hand. the four sketches he had already done in a small folder, they were just a few of the monsters, finding those the most fascinating to start with. It took them about twenty minutes to get to Elizabeth's agency, meaning it was just before seven when they arrived.

"Good evening." Michael said, spotting Elizabeth in the foyer. "We're not late right?" he asked,checking his watch, though he knew they weren't. "Sorry if we kept you waiting."

Oliver shrugged, hiding a large yawn behind his arm "Hey." he said with a slight shrug. "Where're the papers I have to sign?" He asked, rubbing his eyes from underneath his glasses.

 

[punkinblackk]

Elizabeth smiled at the two men. "You're hardly late. The receptionist just leaves at seven, so I wanted to make sure I was out here to show you to my office." She led them down a hallway behind the receptionist's desk, towards a small office. "In all honesty, I'm one of the head acquisitions editors here, but I manage Leo on the side, as I'm the only one here that can deal with him." She shrugged, letting them into an office where every conceivable surface was covered in manuscripts, save for the large desk in the middle of the room, and the three chairs around it.

"These forms are pretty basic, you've probably signed similar ones quite often before." She slid the first set towards them, one each. "These are the non disclosure forms, simply stated, these are to ensure we can pursue legal action if you share any information regarding Leonardo's works, or his personal life." She pushed a small container of pens towards them and continued. "The other forms are a basic contract, our terms are essentially that we need you to complete your work in the amount of time we discussed earlier, that we have full rights to all pieces you create for this, excepting cases where they are used as part of your professional portfolio. And that we as a company, are not allowed to modify the pieces excepting for size, and must always credit you." Elizabeth went on to explain the rest of it as she waited for them to sign. She personally hated dealing with contracts and such. "Feel free to take the contract with you, and have a lawyer look it over if you aren't sure. The payment is to company standard. About five thousand up front, and then between another five and ten thousand when we've received the finished works, depending on the managements satisfaction. As we are buying full rights for the images, we will be offering you royalties, which will be gone over in a secondary contract after we accept your finished pieces."

 

[PaddieCake]

"Oh, good." Michael said smiling politely at the woman. Oliver looked around the office, much like Leonardo's home it was covered in manuscripts and papers. "Impressive." he added with an approving nod.

Oliver pulled the papers towards him as they were placed on the table, putting his glasses on top of his head so he could read the form. His eyes were focused on the words in front of him, reading everything carefully as he always did. He had in fact signed more than a few of these. Nothing seemed out of place or strange, it was typical in every way. "It looks fine." He muttered, still going over everything just to double check. He plucked a pen from the container given to them, signing and initialing where he was supposed to before looking over the contract.

"We'll have Richard look at these tomorrow." Michael said, turning to Oliver who had pulled away from the papers. The contract read simply enough, but he didn't like reading them, though he was glad to be getting paid partially upfront. "I'll call our lawyer tonight, should be able to get these back to you tomorrow." Michael said looking up at Elizabeth.

Oliver cleaned off his lenses with the hem of his shirt before placing his glasses back on his face before running a hand through his hair. "I signed this for now." He said pushing the NDA towards her, though he had no intention of revealing anything about anyone, he had done pieces for people before who didn't want anything about the pieces, or the persons involved, getting known to the public for whatever reason.