quiet is violent.

there was a sigh, yet the smile remained planted on her face, making each of her emotions conflict upon her features, and confusing anyone looking. her hands sat on her hips. the dress already had yellow paint on it, therefore any excess that lay on her fingers wouldn’t do much harm. “i don’t need any money, honestly, it’s just a bit of paint,” she spoke the words carelessly. the last thing she needed was money. in all honesty, the paint on her face was the problem. “nice way to spice up this plain old dress, don’t you think?” inez comforted, her voice lowering as she continued. “but let’s just say, i am always down for making miami drool. it’s one of my favourite pastimes,” she spoke, a careless shrug following as if the idea were obvious.

The look on the other’s face versus the emotion that her actions gave off was enough to confuse anyone, and it sure as hell confused Cora because she didn’t know if the girl was still mad at her or if she’d gotten over that and had must moved on to accepting that it had happened. Either way, Cora still felt bad. “Just because you don’t need it, doesn’t mean I’m still not going to offer, I feel horrible.” She replied, a small frown still on her features as she looked up at the other girl. “I mean, if you want to look at it that way, I guess you’re not wrong.” She said, nodding her head as her frown turned into a small smile. “Well then I think you’ve come to the right place because I can and will take some amazing photos that will have girls and boys alike drooling over you.”

He took the rag with a gentle smile, pressing it against his face as she spoke. He wiped it across his face and started to take away some of the paint. He eventually got it all off and then looked around curiously, “You mean … this isn’t the work order? I could have sworn somebody around here needed a printer fixed, but honestly the longer I go without having to fix a printer the better.” He smiled, looking at all the colorful stuff that was in the room. Maybe he took a misstep on a way to something a little less exciting, but it was a fortunate misstep at that, “That’s actually amazing. I love space. I think it’s crazy somebody can paint something that complex.”

As he went about wiping the paint off his face she took a few steps over to her small sink, washing the pain that she had on her hands off before returning to where she stood a few moments before, her brow raising slightly. “Um, no.. I don’t even have a printer up here. Might have been in the office below me, since we do share the same address, I think they’ve got tons of printers. Well fear not, I’ll keep you away from repairing one for a while.” She said with a grin as she watched him looking around her studio, a small blush on her cheeks as not a lot of people had seen half the things she’d been covering the walls with yet. “It’s actually pretty simple to do after you learn. It’s just getting all the colors right that makes it kind of difficult. I’ve seen people on the boardwalk making galaxies from spray paint, now that? That’s true art.

She had just been here to drop off some freebies from her bakery, she didn’t even think Cora wouldn’t hear her come in. Holding a box of goodies in her hands, she made a surprised face when she felt a coldness across her face from the paint. She too, laughed. “Thank you,” she said taking the rag and quickly wiping her face. “Don’t worry about it! You could probably make me into a masterpiece. That looks amazing by the way.” she said pointing to the mural on the wall.

She knew Cassie because of the bakery, but not that much after that if Cora was to be honest with herself. Most of that was her fault, though, always locking herself away in her studio with nothing but her canvases and paint, she wasn't one to really get out all that often anymore, something she knew needed to change. "You're welcome." Cora replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as her brow raised. "Even with that being said, I normally ask people if it's okay if I use them as a canvas before I splatter paint all over them! Thank you, it's not anywhere near done but it's inspired by The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Are you familiar with it?"

There was a small group of people that had keys to her studio, Remi because he was her professor and she valued his opinion highly. Apollo had just gotten one recently because she'd told him that he and Artemis could come study whenever they wanted to. Finally, Eli was the last person to have a key because, well, simply put, he was her twin and he was welcome around her any time. His comment made her smirk slightly, shrugging her shoulders. "You're probably right about that, I'm probably not sorry. Would have been if it was some stranger just looking for a canvas." She replied, rolling her eyes playfully at his next comment. "Don't get cocky on me, that stopped working a few months ago." She teased, her nose scrunching up at him as his words sunk in. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. But this time I actually have some sort of self control as I'm actually only with one person now. So that wouldn't happen again, I promise." She grinned, raising her brow slightly. "You want me to paint over your nerd tattoos? I don't think so. Yeah, I can for sure do that.. however, it being on your back means I can paint whatever I want to and you won't know what it is until I'm done."

merlin blinked as the paint, cool and wet, was spread over his face. “oh wow” he said, still blinking quickly in shock. “i am extremely unimpressed with your existence right now” he informed her teasingly, wiping at his face with the sleeve of his jacket although he was quite aware it wasn’t doing much to rid him of the substance staining his skin.

She wasn't sure if he'd meant his words for a moment, which caused her heart to drop to her feet and a frown to pull at her lips. "I- shit, I'm so sorry, here use this." She replied, handing over the rag she'd found that didn't have one speck of paint on it -- a miracle around her studio if she was being completely honest. "I can make it up to you? I don't know how, but I can. That was not my intention in the least and I don't like that you possibly don't like me because I did this. I just.. I'm sorry." She breathed out, the frown never leaving her face.

Archer was a bit stunned the minute the paint brush hit his face, Feeling the bristles swipe over his cheeks, nose, and part of his lip. He kept his eyes shut for a second, but then he burst out laughing. He stepped away from her and opened his eyes to see her giggling as well. He continued to laugh for a second before reaching up and touching his face where the paint was. He examined it for a second, “You think yellow’s my color? Really? I always saw myself more as a blue kind of guy.” The smile on his face faded as he looked up at her. He hadn’t smiled this much in quite a while between the mundane hours spent coding SQL servers in his cubicle. Then the smile reappeared on his face and he raised his eyebrows, “Could you paint something cool on my back? Like a galaxy or a forest?”

She'd seen him around once or twice, knew he was extremely good behind a keyboard and honestly she couldn't help but to be a little bit curious as to how he got to be that good at what he did. But then again, coming from her, she knew that it was hours and hours of work and practice to master a skill. She quickly handed him the rag, shaking her head slightly. "I'm so sorry." She repeated, raising her brow at his question. "Any color can be your color, just have to know how to use it right, and what shade to use. Blue could work too, I think a pastel blue would look great." Cora nodded, taking a few moments to try and figure out just what shades of blue she could mix with the yellow that was already on his skin before she nodded again, a grin pulling on her lips. "Of course I can, I specialize in flowers and galaxies so you just so happened to stumble upon the right studio."

“sugar free cupcakes? they sound like an abomination” he commented, pulling his shirt on quickly as he strode over to the girl, raising an eyebrow as he looked over her. “i mean, you have quite a nice shape without this place then, but no i’m not a personal trained, i train people to fight, defend themselves”

"They're actually not that bad once you get used to them. Don't even know why I bought them, it's not like I have a problem with my sugar levels." Cora replied with a small laugh, a genuine smile forming on her lips at his compliment. "Thank you, yoga helps with that bit. But I don't have any upper arm strength and that should probably be worked on at some point. So you're a self defense trainer? That's cooler than a normal one in my opinion. Do you do classes or individual lessons? I do live alone... wouldn't hurt to know how to kick people asses."

fuck. when attempting to find remi, a paint splatter in her face was not what inez had expected. therefore her eyes squinted shut for a moment, her hands clasped tight so her own nails dug into her palms, before she finally regained herself. her grin originally seemed angered, before it grew to a false one, a pathetic laugh passing her lips. “i’m already there, honey.” she wiped a splatter of paint from the edge of her lips, a deep breath following and her smile widening. it seemed realer now, but the falsity remained hidden beneath her charismatic layer. “but i don’t have any problems with being someone’s muse. so if you ever need me, say the word.”

Cora had seen the other girl a few times before, knew that she and her shared a mutual friend in Remi, but never did she expect that one of their meetings would go like this one had. Not even a word was spoken between them before Cora managed to mess things up, getting paint all over the other girl. “I am so terribly sorry.” She repeated because one quick look to the girl’s hands and Cora knew that she was angry with her. “I’ll pay to get your clothes cleaned, hell, I’ll even pay for dinner.” She told Inez with a small frown, chewing on her lip nervously. “I’m always looking for new muses, though.. and with looks like yours? I think we could get all of Miami to drool over what we could create together.”

deep breaths, six seconds in between each as he threw punch after punch at the bag hanging in front of him, accompanied with a kick to the side before he caught glimpse so the person standing near the door. “i truly hope you aren’t here to lecture me about using my break to work out even more than i do on the job, because honestly, i have heard it several times this morning already” he walked over to the edge, looking for where he’d placed his shirt when his workout began. 

Cora had never been one to go to the gym, she’d been maybe once or twice in the entire time she’d lived in the US, so going there was a strange thing for her. She couldn’t help but to laugh when he spoke, shaking her head lightly. “Nope, that’s not why I’m here. However, I do have some sugar free cupcakes if you want one..? Been thinking about signing up for a membership, that’s all.” She replied, a smile pulling on her lips. “Being an artist isn’t that physically taxing, figured I needed to get in shape. You train people too?”

After lifting his head, he smiled at the realization that it was Cora, not something he barely knew. “I think the real issue here is the floor boards, but you know, learning to walk is cool too.” Remi gets himself up and walks the distance over to Cora, sitting down beside her. “Got tired of hanging out with Poe?”

After a few moments of her laughing at the fact she’d just witnessed him falling flat on his face, she finally calmed her breathing down and raised her brow at him. “Whatever you have to blame it on that makes you feel better, Remi. I’m sure the floorboards have seen better days, though.” She replied, biting her lip at his question as she watched him sit down, crossing her arms over her chest. “There’s a thing called meditation, have you heard of it? Believe it or not, that’s what I was doing. But to answer your question: no. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of being around him. What are you doing in here?”

He stared at her, scoffing at her words, “Yea, well, I’m rude.” He said bitterly. The problem was what he wasn’t rude thought, his entire life he kept repeating apologies and excuses, always saying please and thank you. But, right now he was so bitter about life that the boy really didn’t care what he said or how he acted. “So just because you weren’t born in the sectors that gives you an excuse to act like that? People from the sectors already thing people on the outside are savages, why do you want to prove they’re right so bad?”

She stood in her place for a moment, scanning his features with a frown. “I don’t really believe that... at all, actually.” She spoke softly, raising her brow at him in a curious fashion because she was so confused as to why he would act like this when he didn’t even know her. “I never said it gave me the excuse, no. I’m not trying to prove anything, to anyone. I didn’t think people would come in here.” She replied, carefully taking a few steps towards him with a small smile. “I don’t know you, or even your name, but here, I think you need to try this. You’re angry at something and keeping it inside isn’t going to help. I’m not telling you to tell me, because if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. But.. just, here.” She replied, holding a single plate out for him as she watched his features.