Bloody Arts || Open

Audrey saw the girl shake her head.  And while the girl had looked happier before, she seemed to go back to a scowl.  Go back, as in scowl seemed to be her default.  Audrey had just met the person, but there were people you could just tell they were scowlers.  Whatever.  But then when she answered the girl seemed to go back into a good mood.  Commenting on blood too.  Audrey arched an eyebrow at the rather unorthodox comments being made.

"I very much doubt it was real blood.  Hanging a crime in a museum stopped being cool in like the medieval era I think.  Or maybe it was the Renaissance I don't keep track."  Her arms kept doing a little beep everytime they translated something.  Audrey remembered that when she had first gotten the translator option on them, the beeping had been very annoying.  That said, it was sort of comforting at this point.  A reminder that no matter where she was in the world, communication wouldn't be a problem.  The girl musing about whether it smelled like animals or human made Audrey curious.  Well that was emo to the extreme, but hey she was a merc it wasn't like she hadn't seen anything like it.  She'd even seen it when she was an orphan.

"It probably just smells like paint honestly.  But that doesn't stop it from portraying both the darkness of death, and the vibrance of lifeblood, right?"  She thought that was a pretty apt art thought.  It wasn't exactly how deep she was trying to sound, but eh, Audrey went with it.  The euphoric sort of smile might have made other people think twice, but Audrey looked at it and saw a puzzle of a person.  And anyone who knew her knew she loved to try and solve puzzles, whether inanimate or person. 

Audrey heard the commet about how beautiful it would be.  It took her aback a bit, but it wasn't like she hadn't stumbled across oddballs before.  She shrugged.  Then the girl brought up an interesting point.

"It probably wouldn't be classified as a crime, but probably a waste if it was from a blood bank.  'Cause there's not too many people who donate anyways.  Still it's an interesting question."  She heard the girl speak about how that still didn't answer a question and Audrey arched an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?  Of course it would just smell like plain old paint."  The girl spoke about how blood ran through them no matter what race they were and Audrey nodded.

"That's something a lot of people seem unable to grasp.  We all bleed the same way."  Make the message more stunning huh?

"So what do you think the message is?  Because I think it might just be a paint splatter.  It's a shame it is, because done right with this colour paint it could've portrayed the impermanence of life.  Or even equality, that we all bleed the same and therefore discrimination shouldn't exist."  She sure as hell her translator was good.  But it was a quality one, so it should work great.  Sheheard the introduction and smiled, hergreen eyes sparkling a bit.  She was enjoying this conversation.  

"Audrey Maxwell.  Good to meet you then Maia."  She shook the hand offered, nodding to make it clearer that she was happy to have met this girl. 

A volunteer huh?  This girl was serious about this.  But people probably wouldn't willingly volunteer for an art project with their blood unless there was something in it for them.

"Well either you'd have to pay someone, or there is always the option of getting someone who isn't necessarily in a position to refuse.  And while that sounds iffy, hear me out.  I'm a mercenary.  I have to go against bandits regularly, and they all have bounties on their heads.  Now, if you were to use blood from THEM, you probably wouldn't get too much argument.  Get me?"  Audrey smirked slightly at the thought of the blood of the scum she hunted down be splattered across a canvas.  

"I'd imagine its smell would depend on how recently it was painted.  Bloodstains smell until a while later, right?  And magi blood and human basically look the same.  Which is why I find the whole rights issue ludicrous but that's another issue for another day."  She rolled her eyes.  They all bled the same.  They all screamed when their lives were about to end.  They all cried.  Audrey found her mind drifting to some topics that others might consider sinister.  That said, Audrey thought that if she vocalized such things in front of this girl, she probably wouldn't be judged harshly for it.  

"As for it staining the canvas, it would depend on what type of canvas you used.  Blood stains cloth, so if you were using a cloth canvas it would probably stain like anything else.  And bloodstains are always the most resilient things to stain, probably tied with, like, wine stains."  She tapped her chin.

"Wine stains would add a different sort of colour too, now that I think about it."  That was muttered lower, mostly to herself.  But the translator translated it regardless.  She heard the bit about doing it for class and Audrey smiled, nodding.  She heard the question of why she was at the museum too.

"I'm here because I do enjoy looking at the art and trying to think of alternate meanings to them that the artist might not have thought about.  Or if the artist didn't put their meaning, guessing as to why they painted it.  And sure, you can use what I say.  I know what a bitch homework can be."  Audrey chuckled.

"Although the opulence is bothering me as well.  There are so many orphanages all over the world that could've benefited from the money used to make sure the nobles could enjoy themselves."  Audrey's nose wrinkled at the thought.  

"Such a damn waste of money.  And anyone who willingly spends such money on a building that is impermanent and doesn't help others has a waste of space where his brain should be."  Alright perhaps that was a bit harsh.  But whatever.  

A steady supply would've been a bit much, but a few bandits she could do.  When she heard the bit about cutting out their tongues she had been about to answer when the girl said just kidding.  Audrey raised an eyebrow.  She'd just been planning on killing them.  She'd have only given the girl the ones who were wanted dead or alive.  Anyone else could implicate her in trouble as well.  But, well if the girl had ended that discussion that was that unfortunately.  Audrey had been finding the idea interesting.  Especially if it involved money.  She loved earning more money.  She heard the bit about keeping the smell fresh and she shrugged.  The smell of blood was something that she'd just gotten used to.  It hadn't occurred to her that somebody found it unusual enough to want to smell it.  Then she heard the bit about keeping the magi in line and Audrey scoffed.

"I hardly think the newer generations have time to foster feelings of superiority when they're busy running for their lives." Her parents never thought of her as any less than their beautiful little girl.  They died regardless of the fact they loved and cared for a human.   It was a matter Audrey was a bit bitter about.  And why not?  She'd lost her parents and her forearms to hunters who thought magi deserved to die.  This girl was interesting to talk to, but that didn't give her a free pass to talk about magi that way, at least in Audrey's mind.  However, she knew racism was simple ignorance so she just sighed.  She heard the words about the cotton canvas.

"I don't know what cotton canvas is like, but cotton has a bad habit of pilling.  Not something you'd want to paint on because I don't think it's as durable.  There is a reason they're called canvases after all."  She heard the thank you and nodded in recognition of it.  She heard the bit about Ethea priding themselves on being pretty and Audrey chuckled.

"Fokradiin prides itself on being strong.  You're supposed to be a warrior.  I suppose that sucks for the people who aren't warriors, but blood and strength are what's considered 'pretty' in my home country.  What is Ikigai like in that respect?"  Audrey was honestly curious about other countries.  

"Right?  Money's damn hard to get!  Why these nobles think they can use it on anything is beyond me!" 

Audrey heard the words about magi and she sighed.

"They may have abilities humans don't, but humans also have the ability to walk through society without prejudice following them.  And without the threat of looming death and doom too. You seem to be underestimating what hunters put magi through."  She flexed the fingers in her bionics, musing to herself about whether she wanted to say more.  She decided she might as well.  It wasn't as if it was a secret.

"Hunters took my arms.  Wanted to make sure I wouldn't be able to use magi magic.  They didn't know if I was magi or not.  I was not."  She'd leave it at that for now.  This person was obviously prejudiced against magi, so mentioning she had a magi parent probably wouldn't help matters.  Besides, she was finding the current conversation positively delightful regardless of the girl's obvious racism.  She heard the words about cotton and Audrey shrugged.  She knew it was hell to get blood out of cotton, that much was known.  She'd figured out the best materials and colours to wear on mercenary contracts early on in her career.  Her teachers at Victor's Military Academy had even given her some tips way back then.  She heard the words about Ikigai.  They were simple, with very little elaboration.

Audrey supposed that someone who was racist against magi would think Ikigai was odd.  That's the one thing she knew about the country, was that it was fairly magi friendly.  She heard the words about money being better used on immigration or disaster relief and her emerald green eyes sparked with annoyance.  It wasn't directed at the girl in front of her though.

"Damn nobles.  You're right, disaster relief would be a better use of the money.  Or training the police so they were less lazy and prone to bribes.  Although pretty much ANY use would be better than 'beautification of Ethea'.  Beautification my ass.  Fancy word for spending money on shaped shrubs!"  Her nose wrinkled.  

"I'd like to kick them where the gods split them.  Maybe into the Dagos slums.  That might be fun."  Her mouth curved into a sly sort of smirk as a mental picture of that situation sprang fully formed into her mind. 

Audrey heard the words about how magi flaunted their abilities and rolled her eyes.

"Yes because hiding everything they can do so that they don't die by hunter is CERTAINLY flaunting it.  Just because you're jealous of something someone else can do doesn't mean they deserve to die.  It's like if you accused someone of being an awesome piano player, or good at a certain weapon.  It's ludicrous to think that someone should die just because of a talent they have."  She was suddenly picturing a pianist being shot though, so her brain perhaps wasn't completely working on logic at the moment.  She was magi positive though, so damn if she wasn't going to say something.  

She just sort of ignored the bit about humans being superior.  It was quite clear to Audrey how screwed up this girl was.  She heard the bit about magi descent and chuckled.  She'd leave that one alone.  Technically she was of magi descent but there was no need to rile this girl up.  Her father had been a magi.  Audrey heard the words from the girl about mutilation, and how she hoped the hunters had compensated her for it.  And then the bit about Ethean tech advancements.

"Nope they didn't compensate me.  They killed my family and took my arms, and then they left.  Although one of them is no longer a hunter.  He will be...compensating me...sooner or later."  On the word compensating, Audrey's eyes grew dark along with her aura.  She had plans for him eventually.  She hadn't said it outright though so it was safe.  Then she just laughed and made out like she was joking.  She wasn't terribly worried anyways since the other girl seemed to have similar inclinations anyway.  

"I'd much rather be a cyborg than not have arms.  I am fortunate that someone in Fokradiin was wiling to pay for bionics for an orphan."  She laughed at the comment about coupons, and then the bit about the arrow.

"Ha yeah do that and then go 'oops I was doing a William Tell impression guess I should've practiced first...or not' I plead not guilty, but perhaps I'll take a bow.  Would certainly make the next election more interesting."  She grinned.  As the girl mentioned something about finding two pieces of art, something fluttered by Audrey's feet.  She bent over and picked up the piece of paper.  A flyer for the zoo?  Why was this in here?

"Do a comparison on a zoo flyer to some of the actual art.  Only don't mention it's a flyer just act like it's modern art and see if your teachers catch on."  Audrey grinned, scanning the flyer.  Lions, tigers and bears oh my.  Part of it was just a list of the extensive species of animals so that was fun.  Penguins, polar bears, Giraffes, monkeys.  All in alphabetical order, which Audrey supposed some people might appreciate.