Levi Open Post ((for nexus_crossings))

[tryingitall]

The angel Balthazar spends most of his time at Lucifer's villa these days, to no one's surprise. He hasn't let go of his apartment, though. He's only rearranged it for Levi's comfort. The sleek modern furniture has been replaced with antique reproductions, and the plain walls covered with art that matches the painter's tastes. Levi's very fond of copper, and shades of deep blue. The art studio that used to be dedicated to one small room has now expanded to encompass all but the bed and bathroom of the place. There are shelves of supplies, several paintings in progress, books and references, sculpting supplies, and in one room there is even a workspace dedicated to glass. Nothing bigger than jewelry or small vessels can be made there--there simply isn't enough space, but Levi relishes the opportunity to experiment.

It's weird having a time-share situation with his own body, but he can't deny that he's never had this much encouragement for his art before, neither in the way of supplies provided or financial support. If only Bart could have seen this!

Well, maybe he will, some day.

In the the meantime, even with all the opportunity surrounding him, sometimes when the angel retreats to let him play, all he wants to do is drink coffee and sketch and watch the world go by. That's what he's up to today, sitting on the veranda outside the lobby of the apartment building. It's late afternoon, and he's watching the tawny sky darken over the Nexus, listening to music of various ages and styles and planets drift from open windows in the apartment building above him. He's got an open sketchbook, a pile of charcoal pencils and tortillons he's stuffed into an empty dopp kit bag, and on the table at his elbow is a very foamy caramel-coffee drink, and a half-eaten plate of cheese fries.

It's hard to tell what he's drawing at a glance. It's a subtle swirl of gray, but if you sit with him long enough, a picture may emerge...

Comments

[tryingitall]

It's Levi's first time meeting a number of Balthazar's friends and acquaintances today. Some he's recognized on sight, some he needed introductions for, but Aziraphale is one that occupies almost as much of the angel's affections as Lucifer, though those affections are strictly platonic in Aziraphale's case. Of course, Levi knows him on sight, and he breaks into a smile, putting his sketchbook aside.

"Aziraphale. Yeah, I know!" His body language and accent, the angel will notice, are quite different from Balthazar's. There's a weariness and slouch to his posture that the angel doesn't have, and there are hints of Brooklyn and London that are absent in Balthazar's accent. His gaze is a little softer, too, without the weight of eons of war.

"Were you looking for him? He's...sleeping, kinda. Gave me the day to draw."

[sohoangel]

"You know who I am?" Color the angel deeply surprised. He's aware that Balthazar and Levi communicate with one another, but he wasn't expecting instant recognition. He laughs a little, regaining his composure. "Well, I suppose that saves me the trouble of telling you what I am and all that. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Levi."

The differences are obvious, even to someone without angelic insight. Aziraphale shakes his head a little at the question. "No, I mean... I just happened to be in the area and thought to say hello, but there's no need to rouse him. Besides, this is your day to enjoy yourself, I wouldn't want to disrupt that." He peers at the open sketchbook curiously. "What are you drawing?"

[tryingitall]

"Yeah, I know. He shares some things with me. Not usually whole conversations, but...impressions, I guess. I got the basics, and enough memory to know what you look like and sound like."

Enough, clearly, to put him at ease with the angel. "He's kind of emotional about other angels, honestly, but don't tell him I told on him. You can sit a while, if you have the time. I should probably talk to people more."

Levi tilts the sketchbook toward Aziraphale helpfully. "This is gonna sound dumb, but I'm drawing music. Which makes it mostly a study in texture and motion, with the charcoal. It's a pretty forgiving medium, but you can lose precision fast if you don't watch what you're doing."

It's very abstract, but there is something in the lines at the bottom that suggests cracks in a dry, flat plane, and then a sweep upward as if a wind was carrying clouds across a vast sky.

[sohoangel]

"Jolly good." Hopefully he left out the bit about Oscar Wilde. "He's told me a bit about you, or at least how you met. You're doing a great service, Levi, giving him a human vessel. It's a right inconvenience not to have one."

He takes the offered seat, sitting primly and folding his hands in his lap. "I hope I count as people," he jokes. "And I'd already gathered that about him, actually. I can be the same way. It's extra meaningful to meet an angel who is similar to me."

Taking a closer look at the drawing, he scoffs gently. "It doesn't sound dumb at all. I'm not as familiar with art as I am with literature, but many have tried to capture music in a visual medium. What kind of music has inspired this sketch?"