nature's photographers

Cam nodded, growing enthusiastic about the idea of asking the Voice to help with their photography. "She might even be able to make something more interesting than the cameras at home, since there's magic here. I mean, we definitely didn't have any technology like Ascension, so I'm sure she can do more than we did."

The possibility of magic cameras had them distracted for a moment; then they returned to the topic of Ascension itself, chuckling at Bastien's comment about staying fit. "Yeah, I look forward to not having to eat, honestly."

Bastien's enthusiasm made Cam feel better about the possibility that they'd paint an absolute disaster. He didn't seem like the type to be critical of a beginner, no matter how poorly the final project came out. "Yeah, I'll give it a try. Should I grab a canvas, or try paper first, or ... ?" They just weren't sure where to start.

Another nod, as Cam considered how Caido had brought people from different time periods together. "Yeah, I think Nate left from a few decades before me ... It's really interesting, though -- I'm glad we all got to meet when we wouldn't have had the chance otherwise."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"Oh, perhaps. I hope that once everyone has come to their senses, we may all reap the benefits of the Voice's designs. Her technology is...breath taking." The idea of living forever had been one to captivate minds forever and she had achieved it; Bastien found the way people on Caido could dismiss that so easily remarkable.

That someone could look forward to not eating - the missing taste of wine and fine food was one of Bastien's largest problems with Ascension - was bizarre, but he supposed everyone wanted something different. It might save some time, at least. As for starting with a paper or canvas for art, he shrugged and gestured to paper stacked on one table, and canvases in the corner of varying shapes, sizes and textures. "The decision is yours. Some find that paper is less pressuring for their first forays into art. Some find that the canvas is preferable for it's size and immediate display ability once you're finished."

Personally he always painted on canvas, Bastien always wanting things big and on show, but Cameron seemed like they might be the opposite.

Sitting down and kicking his feet up onto a nearby cupboard, Bastien clapped his hands and then opened them in a wide gesture; from the corner Pittore came running from where he had been apparently hiding in the shadows and jumped up onto his lap, clearly very happy to have the chance for a cuddle. Petting his head, Bastien nodded. "It is a benefit of this whole strange situation. Nate is...well, is family is from Italy, so we have some heritage of a sort in common. Have you found anyone else from Earth?"

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Cam nodded; they, too, were deeply impressed with the Voice's technology, even if they'd only caught glimpses of it so far. "She's definitely way beyond what we had at home, at least in some aspects. It's really cool. Once I decide whether to Ascend, I want to talk to her about technology, whether I'm Ascended or not. Not just cameras, either -- I have my laptop and phone still, but they don't work anymore. I wonder if she'd be able to get them back online, or even if not, if she'd find the technology interesting."

As Bastien had suspected, Cam preferred "less pressuring" over "immediate display." They doubted their first attempts at painting would be anything worth showing off, anyway. So they grabbed a couple sheets of paper and returned to the table, frowning at the supplies. "Are these, uh ... oil paints? You mix those to get the colors you want, right?"

Cam's only experience with painting was digital, but the "oil paint" brush was their favorite to use. Oh, and they doubted they'd want to start straight into painting with no idea of what they were making; instead they pulled their backpack around their shoulder so they could get out their sketchbook and pencil.

"Mm, no, I think it's just been you and Nate. I've met people from other worlds beyond here, though, which is fascinating. I used to believe in other worlds as a kid because I thought there had to be somewhere out there where magic was real. Didn't think I'd ever be proved right, though."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"Beyond, but it sounds as if she has quite different priorities." Bastien had no idea what a 'laptop' or 'phone' were, but he'd never heard the Voice mention them - if they were anything like the camera, they weren't going to be of high concern to their Goddess, who seemed mostly interested in perfecting her children and the efficiency of their goals.

He nodded in confirmation about the paints and as an afterthought, passed over a palette. Used, splotches of cracked colour covered it's wooden surface, but they'd long since dried. "Yes. If you find a thinner paint easier, we have some of that too. Oils...I find them the most forgiving, for they will move for you for longer than others. They also fill an area with the most wonderfully thick strokes." He gestured towards a painting on the wall that had been lavishly daubed in heavy lines of oil paint.

Personally Bastien had found the idea of other worlds difficult to get his head around; he smiled to hear that for Cam it had fit into a childhood dream. "Interesting. And...do you like it here? In Caido? It is a horribly dangerous place with plenty of flaws, but...well, it's certainly more exciting than Venice."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Cam nodded, sobering a bit as they thought about what must be the Voice's priorities right now, in the state Caido was currently in. For all the miraculous potential of their now-broken technology, laptops and phones wouldn't win the coming war -- not even cameras would really help with that. "I know. With everything that's going on, I can't imagine that she has much time for stuff that wouldn't work without wi fi anyway."

Cam took the palette, looking with interest over the old, dried colors, just to get an idea of what combinations were possible. Pretty much anything, it seemed like. They flipped through their sketchbook for something to base a painting on and found a sketch of a flower that they'd done a while back. Not a bad choice: the sketch was fairly detailed, and they thought they remembered the colors well; plus, flowers tended to look good no matter how roughly they were rendered. Taking up their pencil, they reached for the paper, then paused. "I'll definitely try oils, if they're more forgiving ... Do you usually do a sketch underneath, or just jump in with paint?"

For a long moment, Cam didn't reply to Bastien's question; they really had to consider it. Did they like it here? "Well, there's definitely stuff I miss from back home. A lot of my favorite things to do just aren't available here, and life here is just flat-out harder than at home." They did feel the lack of modern conveniences, not to mention modern medicine. "And I miss my friends and family. I wasn't close to a lot of people, but it's still wild to think that I'll never see them again. But, that said, I don't dislike being here. I think Caido is really cool, honestly. It's kind of funny, really -- when I was younger, I felt all disappointed because I figured I'd never be in an adventure like the ones I read about. Then I decided I didn't want to be anyway, because adventures are hard and dangerous. But here I am anyway!" They laughed. "If I were, like, 13, I would be over the moon."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

For a brief second, Bastien opened his mouth to enquire what 'wi fi' was, but ultimately decided against it and stayed quiet. There were only so many miracle technologies of the future he could hear about in one day and still feel sane. "You must think my world and this one to be quite primitive." He commented, voice sad and low as he thought over the humble inventions he had been impressed with in his youth.

Seeing there was already a sketch in the book, he leaned forward to inspect it, a smile coming over Bastien's face as he did. "I do not know why you seem so shy and unsure; this shows a good mastery of the basics already. I refuse to give you much instruction. I want to see you bloom on your own. Paint, sketch...do what feels right!" Gesturing out his both his hands in an arch, he went to find some other mediums and canvases and books to give Cameron when they left as he listened to their words.

"Ha. We all want adventures when we are young and too innocent to know that they always come with hardships." After all, what would there be to adventure for if there wasn't something wrong? "There are pockets of simple joy here, though. Not every journey has to be an epic quest. I have been a bartender, host, painter, husband, father...now Overseer. You will find your niche."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Cam frowned at the sadness in Bastien's voice. "Not primitive, just different. I mean, you might not have the same technologies we did at home, but here there's magic, and the Voice's tech, that can do things we could never manage. And as for your world -- well, there's a lot of bad stuff that's developed in the last few hundred years along with the good. Maybe you didn't get cars, but you also didn't have to worry about climate change, so it kind of evens out."

Bastien's praise quickly made Cam smile, though. "Thanks; I've been practicing for a long time. Let's see ..." They decided to go ahead and make a sketch to guide them on the paper before trying the paint, so they picked up a pencil and set out their sketchbook as a reference.

"Yeah. To be honest, I still wouldn't mind a little adventure ..." Cam mused. "I mean, I always thought I was too anxious and weak to survive something like that, but I've adapted better than I would have thought." They glanced up, smiling. "It's good to know that there are quieter things to do too, though."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

Cam's efforts to cheer him up didn't go unappreciated, Bastien smiling and nodding when they were done speaking. It was true that Caido had all variety of wondrous things; he was less convinced about his own past version of Cam's world, but he'd get over it. "Climate change? Do I want to know what that is, or I am I better not knowing the fate of generations on Earth after me?" He'd heard some awful things from Nate about what would happen over the years.

Knowing that some did not like the pressure of being watched while they worked, Bastien tried to keep his eyes off of Cam's developing sketch. "Ah, we all find multitudes within ourselves when we have to. I have been through things here I thought would kill me -" Instead of thinking of any monsters or wars, Bastien's eyes drifted to Rexanna's portrait on the wall. "-...But they didn't. We continue on."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

"You're probably better off not knowing," Cameron said, only half-joking. But they couldn't resist the urge to explain: "We sort of fucked up the weather really badly over several hundred years of environmental destruction. Also, uh ... Well, no, that's enough bad news." They had been about to tell Bastien that Venice was sinking into the ocean, but they figured that might hit too close to home.

They kept sketching, unaware that they were making faces as they worked: biting their lip, then baring their teeth in concentration. Then they paused to respond to Bastien. "Yeah. Sometimes the only thing to do when you think you can't bear something is to keep going, I guess. I like to look at it this way: I've survived 100 percent of my worst days."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"Oh." Was all Bastien could really say to that news, trying to picture 'environmental destruction' in his mind and coming up with an image far more violent and sudden than the truth. Whatever else Cameron was going to say, he didn't really want to hear it - life was hard enough on Caido without worrying about the doom for the home he'd left behind.

He did occasionally glance up and catch a glimpse of Cameron's expression as they drew, which made him smile, but was not particularly notable: many of his students did so. In his time teaching art he'd seen people make all kinds of faces at the canvas when they were alone in it's rapture.

Clapping his hands together in delight at their turn of phrase, which he found he quite liked, Bastien nodded. "Indeed! And we shall survive many more. I must have faith in my Goddess and the people around me. Then everything seems easier."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

"Sorry, it's a lot." Cam gave a sort of embarrassed little shrug at Bastien's response. There wasn't exactly much they could say to reassure him, either. "I mean, a lot of good things have happened too. We invented antibiotics and, uh, eliminated smallpox. But things are still kind of rough. Each age has its own problems, I guess."

Fortunately Cameron didn't notice Bastien smiling at their expressions, or they would have been embarrassed. Those expressions started to include smiles, as the sketch went well -- better than it could have, considering that they were accustomed to working from a photograph and now had only an early sketch. They would never get to work from an actual photo again, they supposed; they'd have to brush up on their life drawing skills instead.

"Yeah." Cam smiled. They had to have faith too, they reminded themself -- maybe less in the Voice, since they'd never been a religious person, but certainly in the people around them. And if those people were Ascended, it was basically the same thing, right? "Having good people around you makes everything easier."

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

Cameron's every sentence about the new Earth was a surprise, both positive and negative. Hearing the news about Smallpox (a term that had only recently appeared in his time, but the disease itself had ravaged humanity for many eons) was wonderful, even if Bastien didn't know what an 'antibiotic' was. "Oh, that is good. What a...complex web history weaves. I suppose if I were to recount the advancements of my own time to someone from 1300, they would be just as amazed."

He wasn't sure they had anything quite as weird as these 'cars', but there still had been some leaps in technology in his time.

It was nice to see them take so much quiet joy in their work. Continuing to dot about a clean as he kept an eye on them, he eventually came to stand behind their shoulder and peek at the pad. "Indeed. It is all about the company you keep. May I see...?"

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Cam nodded. They'd just about exhausted their store of future knowledge now -- oh, there was plenty more they could have told Bastien, but they realized they'd already overwhelmed and confused him enough. "Yeah, time just ... keeps moving on, I guess. I wonder what Caido was like hundreds of years ago."

And then Bastien asked about their work. Cam blushed instantly -- embarrassment was their automatic response to so many things. "Oh, uh ... I think I'm just about done with the sketch. About to grab paint and uh, get started, I guess."

Their sketch was light, as they wanted to make sure it wouldn't show up under the paint, but they'd blocked out the light and dark areas of the flower's form. They figured they'd start by putting down the dark areas, then add the highlights on top of them, and try to blend the paint between them to create a gradient. Of course, they really had no idea how real paint would behave differently from the digital imitation they were used to.

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"At war, as far as I've heard, and soon to be again." Bastien said solemnly, uncharacteristically bringing down the mood with his statement; the conflict just wouldn't leave his mind. He felt it like a weight on his body, the dread that his soon-to-be leadership position and the responsibilities he'd have placed upon him.

Had Cam arrived a year ago, they would have had a much more cheerful tutor.

He recognised the flustered reaction to his observations and ignored it, kindly just looking over the work one more time and nodding. "Well, I wish you luck. The paint will lift it from the page and make it real, I am sure. I look forward to see it, but I will not be here for the process - feel free to stay and work. I'm going to go and buy pigments at the market. Should you need to leave, just leave the door open~." Bastien said casually as he found a shawl to wrap over his shoulders and move towards the door.

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within