Artistic intuition [cw]

Outfit

It was safe to say that Gerard felt a bit weird about these types of parties. He had grown up without any money to his name, and now just because of some pictures, people thought he was worth all of this. He was wearing a rather simple outfit, not wishing to stand out, but he always did. Once he opened his mouth they would hear his french accent. Grabbing a drink he walked among the different pictures, stopping from time to time to look at a few, stopping at his own picture just in time to hear a blonde young woman speak about it. Perhaps it hadn't been his to hear, but a smile pulled up on his face as she seemed to analyze it. "There is beauty in the imperfection, non?" he asked with a warm smile on his lips. His hair was a mess, and he had a bit of bags under his eyes from overworking himself one too many times. It helped that Xalvador was there to throw him in to bed from time to time. "Or perhaps I couldn't grasp her beauty like I hoped," he said, humming to himself before taking a sip of his champagne.
She looked different from the other female photographers, some of them opting to look more eccentric than they actually were, but she looked stunning. "But I must agree with you, ma chérie, I should've picked a different picture indeed," he said, moving on in to the exhibition, looking at the different pictures. He smiled a bit to himself, falling in to a few small talks with some of the patrons, but his eyes always seemed to be aware of where she was.

When she heard him speak and realized it was a question that sparked from her not being able to keep her mouth shut, she felt her cheeks redden as she looked down with an apologetic gaze. Her first impulse was to apologize but she hadnt been trying to insult the photograph, though it might have seemed that way. She looked at him, blinking a few times as she remained quiet. He definitely looked like someone who had far more experience than her, so she definitely worried that he had found her insulting. And yet he seemed to be so friendly and least to say handsome.
His last words made her clutch her glass a little in her hand as she frowned and looked at the picture. Didnt he like it, his own picture? She wondered, though she knew it wasnt common for artists to like their pictures. She liked all of her own, even the ones that she knew others wouldnt like as much. She looked at the name of the bottom, noting it in her mind as she moved on to look at the other pictures. She finished her drink and handed it to a nice lady that offered her another, to which she politely declined. She instead went to a table filled with food that had barely been touched. She grabbed a few grapes and popped one in her mouth once in a while, just to keep her mind a little occupied. She fell into talk with some woman that seemed to be quite full of herself. Somehow Tessa managed to annoy her by asking if they could talk about something else. She sighed deeply and corrected her dress as the woman just left. She looked up and looked to the guy that had been talking to her before. It just felt a little odd to just walk up to him and assume that he would want to talk. She went on to a more quiet part of the showroom, looking at a big wall of all sorts of pictures that had been put together. She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what it was supposed to mean, but then she started walking back. Once she got a few meters back, she gasped as she realized the small pictures made out a big picture. "Oh my god!" she whispered, stepping closer again to look at all the small pictures again. She looked back at the others, wondering why they were only sticking to one side. She drew in a deep breath as she mustered up the courage and walked up to the stranger she had met before. "Come check this out," she said excitedly, grabbing his arm carefully to pull him with her.

Everything seemed to be going well, people were seemingly having fun, but at these types of gatherings you could never be sure. People seemed to be stuck up as soon as they made a name for themselves in this field, but Gerard had always kept himself on the low. He was on his second drink of champagne, wondering if he should grab some of the delicious food that had been placed out. Moving over, he picked out a few things he liked, eating a finger sandwich as the young woman from before came up to him and started pulling him with her.
Chuckling he followed her, eating the last bite of his sandwich as he was in front of the mass gathering of what seemed to be polaroids. "Why it is quite nice," he said, smiling a bit as he studied the small photos at first before taking a few steps back to appreciate the large picture. "I am curious: What do you think it means?" he asked with a friendly smile. There was no doubt that he was turning up his charm a bit because he found her interesting. She was strange, but in the right way that kept him enticed. Taking another sip of his champagne his eyes lingered on the piece of art in front of them. He himself didn't like working with polaroids as it felt more unstable than a digital camera, however that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the work that someone had put in.

It was maybe a little odd for her to just pull some stranger with her, but she felt like despite the odd introduction. She let go of him to let him see for himself, standing a little on her tippy toes as she tried to contain her excitement. "What it means?" she repeated, looking at the polaroids. "Well, the bigger picture is a face. The smaller ones however are simple black and whites of outdoor scenery," she said before she frowned a little and looked at the small plate at the right bottom. "The face of outside," she read out loud before she chuckled, finding it rather funny to title it that way. She went to stand next to him to look at it again. "How long do you think this took to make? I mean, let alone planning would be for months, but taking the pictures... assembling them," she started rambling before she drew in a deep breath and sighed. "I feel like an amateur walking around here and looking at all these pictures," she admitted, looking down for a bit with a shy smile on her lips.

"The face of the outside, huh," he chuckled lightly, looking at the photographs as a whole. He didn't really like these types of art installations, mostly because he so many times had seen it be cheated, that effects had been put on the photos to only make it seem surprisingly clever. "How long it takes depend on the memory of the artist; If you can remember all of the pictures you have taken and what order you need them in I suspect perhaps a year - But perhaps more if you're less organized," he pondered, taking another sip of his champagne. He actually felt rather relaxed around her, not that his demeanor changed, it was more how he felt on the inside. Growing up as he had, he had quickly learnt to act civil and polite, and that facade he had a hard time stripping himself of.
Her admittance made him frown, looking at her with confusion. "Amateur? Why would you think that?" he asked, placing his glass down on a tray before taking her hand and flipping it a bit in his own. "Is your hand more amateur than my hand? Is your eyes more amateur than my eyes?" he asked, chuckling as he looked into her beautiful hazel eyes. "Non, ma chérie, do not ever call yourself amateur, it will make the other's think they are worth more," he said in almost a soft whisper.
"There you are Gerard, I've been looking all over for you," a mature woman spoke as she got closer. It was clear the woman was eyeing the young seraph whom Gerard still held her hand. "Mrs. Willow," Gerard chuckled. "I see you have met miss Morgan," she said, it was clear she was one of the patrons hosting tonight and she knew her way around the artists. "Qui, madame, we are getting acquainted," he said, letting go of the seraph's hand to talk to the patron. "However it seems I have lost my manners," he said, looking to the seraph by his side. "I'm Gerard Castell," he said. "Mister Willow would like a word with you-" she said, looking at the valkyrie up and down, "if you don't mind, dearie?"

His ponder made her nod as she sort of agreed, but she didnt believe she could ever recreate something like that. She enjoyed the aspect of just being able to do whatever she wanted in the moment she picked up a camera, so the thought of having to plan a bunch and then execute it exactly as planned just didnt really speak to her. "The less organized, the better for me," she admitted with a soft chuckle.
She noticed his confused look and his question made her shrug as she then seemed to freeze for a second as he grabbed her hands. Not because it was uncomfortable, but because she actually liked it somewhat, how charming he was and how exciting and new this was to her. Well she was also rather young, so it didnt take much to surprise her. She looked from their hands into his eyes, swallowing at his question as she opened her mouth, searching for her words, but it felt hard to concentrate with his alluring accent and the general fact that he hadnt dismissed her yet.
A woman spoke and she was pulled from the trance she seemed to had been in, feeling her cheeks redden as she looked down at their hands. She folded her lips as she knew that the lady probably knew who she was and the fact that she hadnt been able to get here without permission from her parents. She fiddled a little with her hands after he let go, wondering if the woman would bust her now and ruin the moment. He introduced himself but she smiled a little shyly and mumbled that she already knew from the photograph earlier. She nodded as the woman told her to go talk with Mister Willow, shaking her head at the question. "I dont mind at all," she said politely, looking shortly at Gerard, a little nervous all of a sudden. "Nice meeting you, Mister Castell" she mumbled once again in a shy manner, before she hurried to go find Mister Willow. Her cheeks felt so warm, she felt so stupid for not being able to keep herself contained.

It was strange, really, because it seemed like not much really caught his attention lately. For authors it was called writer's block, but he hadn't found the proper words for how it was for a photographer. However she seemed to spark something in him. Of course mrs. Willow was ever talkative, especially it seemed with the younger male artists present.
Mr. Willow was standing by one of Tessa's photos, inspecting it with a trained eye. Aah, miss Morgan, so pleased to see your pictures here tonight," he said, leading on to a long conversation about his youth and his own artistic endeavors. Patrons were often supplying the photographers with presents like access to new equipment or funding for a particular project, and the Willow family had a lot of money to waste on pretty much anyone. He offered her a decent sum of money to continue her studies alongside her artistic exploration. "I hope to see more things from you, despite your age you have a magnificent eye," he told her with a polite yet genuine smile.
Mrs. Willow was quite busy trying to flirt without directly flirt, knowing that her husband was at the same event she had to keep things on the low side. Gerard on the other hand would've usually picked up on those signals, knowing that she was offering him a lot if he did as she wanted, but his mind was preoccupied with this beautiful blonde woman. "I thank you for your offer, however I made a promise to miss Morgan that I would show her a good spot for pictures after the night is over," he lied, but he did so very casually, making him seem very believable. Besides, he did have some sort of plan to find her and ask her to join him for a walk. He had had about enough of this place.
Excusing himself and moving in to the party, he looked around for the young woman who had seemed to captivate him. "Mister Castell, what a pleasure seeing you here," mister Willow said with his raspy voice. Gerard turned, looking directly at the valkyrie, a small smile spreading on his face. "I thought you would've left by now," he said a bit confused. "I was actually hoping if I could steal miss Morgan with me?" he asked before looking at her with a charming smile. "Of course, only if she wishes," he added, holding out his hand. If she did agree and took his hand he would lead her up to the roof of the building, a beautiful garden spreading across it.

She reached Mister Willow and a bright smile spread on her lips as the redness had left her cheeks. She straightened her back a little by habit and nodded politely as the elder went on to speak about his youth. Despite how young and spontaneous Tessa could be, she could also stand still and partake in a conversation with anyone. She did have a few questions about how it worked back then when there werent really a big social network. The money surprised her a little, taking it as she wasnt sure what to do with it. "Thank you so much Sir. I'll make sure to keep them coming," she thanked him politely, folding her lips before she smiled bright.
She continued the conversation by telling him about a recent art project she was working on with her friend after they had stumbled upon a section of an old warehouse that they both had deemed to be a good place for a photoshoot. She saw Gerard and felt her stomach flutter a little as Mr. Willow greeted him, looking down as she smiled a little shyly. Mr. Willow's confusion seemed to confuse her as well as she looked up at Gerard; Was he usually gone by now? Then why was he still here? Then he asked whether he could steal her away and once again she felt her cheeks warm up a little. His addition made her chuckle as she nodded and grabbed his hand to be led away. She politely bid Mr. Willow farewell before they went to the rooftop. She felt a little queasy with heights, but it was alright as long as she didnt look over the edge. In fact she looked around the small garden that seemed to be here, her mouth dropping open a little. "This is such a pretty place," she said, before she looked at Gerard with curious eyes. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

He felt a bit of relief as she agreed, holding her hand rather delicately as he led her up to the roof garden. It stretched most of the roof, a small area kept free for supplies like garden hoses and such. Her question made him chuckle. Did she think he might be some twisted serial killer luring pretty young women away? "Well, that and I don't really like parties," he confessed, walking over to a small part of the garden reserved for edible herbs. "I just need to know your name, your first name," he said with a small chuckle, looking at her in the dim light provided by the moon and stars above. "Or would you rather me keep calling you ma chérie?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Kneeling down, he just dropped his jacket on the ground as he touched a few of the herbs growing. He loved nature, at least when it came to photographing. He never felt satisfied with the pictures he took of humans and such, but nature pictures never seemed to disappoint him.
"You were right about my picture ... It is terrible," he confessed with a light sigh leaving his lips. Plucking a rosemary leaf he moved to his feet, holding it to his nose and inhaling the scent before offering her to smell it as well. "I feel lost when I take pictures of others because they always end up different than I intend," he explained softly.

She nodded at his confession though she didnt really know what she thought of parties herself. Sure she usually went out with Maddie to crash whatever party once in a while, but that was a different thing. She reached out and touched one of the hanging flowers to get a better look at it, gentle to not break it or fondle the petals. She did feel rather nervous around him but that was purely out of fearing that he would find her childish or silly. And he was just ever so charming, making her heart beat a little faster as he asked for her name, her cheeks flushing as he asked if she would like to be called something else instead. She moved some of her light blonde hair behind her ear and smiled shyly. "My name is Theresa, but everyone actually calls me Tessa instead. But you can call me whatever," she said, despite how flirtatious her words could seem, she had no idea how to go around this. He seemed to know just what to say and do.
His confession made her frown, shaking her head as she definitely wasnt agreeing with him on that. His explanation made her sigh as she stepped closer, reaching out and grabbing his hand to lead it to her nose so she could smell it. She closed her eyes and liked the freshness of it. It reminded her of the saturdays where her mom and dad would cook together and make a nice family dinner. She held onto his hand as she opened her eyes to look up at him, raising her eyebrows a little at his explanation. "Your intention might be something else, but you have the method and knowledge to make a decent picture, even if you dont like it," she said, then a sweet smile spread on her lips as she seemed to gather a little courage. "Isnt art subjective anyway? What you hate, someone else could love regardless," she teased him, brushing his hand gently with her fingers as she let go. She had no idea what she was doing, so she quickly just turned to look at the view over the city, walking a little closer to the edge before anything rash could happen. Could seem like she was playing hard to get?

"Theresa," he spoke, his accent making her name sound slightly different, but he was more so testing how it felt to say it out loud. "I will call you Theresa if you allow me to speak the name of such beauty," he said softly, looking at her in the dim light. She was even more beautiful out here, her blonde strands looking almost like pure silver under the moonlight above.
Letting her grab her hand he simply smiled as she seemed to take in the smell. To him it reminded him of the first time him and Xalvador had gotten money to buy a proper meal from a restaurant. All herbs did that for him, perhaps because salt and pepper was mostly the things they could afford back in the day. Gerard was awfully aware of what effect he could have on others, but he didn't want to come off as pushy or too flirty. He had taken a genuine interest in this Theresa and he wanted to see what might grow from this encounter. "I suppose you are right, ma chérie Theresa," he sighed, smiling as she let go of his hand to move to the edge. He simply watched her, being silent for a while before his eyes moved out to the city view. Walking over he stood beside her, not really doing much, folding his hands in front of him.
"But you did not like it ... So I must do better," he then said, having given it a lot of thought. He smiled softly, wanting to hold her hand once more, but not doing so as it would be too rash of a move. "What do you like? What do you hate?" he asked, a smirk on his lips. "I want to know more of this amateur critiquing my art," he chuckled in a teasing manner, clearly not wanting to offend with his words.

She definitely liked the way he said her name, even if it was in the manner that no one seemed to use. She was definitely falling for his charms with both of her feet, because to her there was no one who had ever been this good at sweeping away her feet. If he kept talking like this, she was sure she would melt like butter, if she wasnt already. She drew in a deep breath and felt the tension loosen a little as she looked out on the city instead. She did notice how he was watching her which made her smile a little shyly and cover her face as she jokingly asked him to mind the staring; But she didnt really mean that.
When he seemed to believe that she disliked it, she shook her head. She did like it, but the critic in her always wanted to see what could be done better. Every picture was means to find a better way to capture the next. His tease made her scoff but she liked it. "The lighting was really good, it highlighted her features very well. Some people dont give a shit about lighting and it really does show in the final product," she started explaining now that he had asked to hear her opinion. "I mentioned angles back then, but angles arent the sole part that defines a picture. When you took that picture, what did you have in mind? Looking at her through the lens, what were you trying to capture?" she asked as she looked at him. She looked out on the city again and wrapped her arms a little around herself, it wasnt exactly warm outside anymore.

Her covering her face made him giggle lightly, finding it adorable how she seemed so unaware of how stunning she was. Perhaps all seraphim were just beautiful, but there was something different in the way that Theresa applied her make up and dressed herself. It was new and refreshing, unlike so many people around him. She told him to mind his staring, but it didn't seem to deter him from watching her. It wasn't a hard stare, more of a soft gaze, watching her and taking her in as she stood here. Wondering if every part of her was as beautiful as she looked to be.
She went on to explain her critique, and he was paying attention, not just dismissing her. To him it didn't matter if you had been working with photography for a day or ten years, you could always learn something new from another person. Her question made him sigh as he lifted his jacket up, covering her shoulders. His perfume wasn't overpowering, but gave a nice contrast to his own scent. "I was not focusing on her face; Many models have pretty faces and I was sure that I could simply walk on to the street and find anyone," he said with a shrug. "I wanted to capture her eyes, how the yellow seemed like a teasing sun in the brown, how there was a small hint of green," he explained, placing a couple of fingers under his jaw as he thought it through. "For me, a picture needs to be real ... Real emotion, real feeling, and her eyes showed me her story," he explained, chuckling as he felt like he was starting to sound older than he actually was.
"I'm terribly narcissistic, aren't I?" he smiled, turning to look at Theresa, moving a hand up to remove a loose strand of hair falling in to her face. "I mean, here I am with the most stunning girl in the world, and I am talking about a bad picture I took," he chuckled. He wanted to make a move, but he kept himself at bay. Hopeless romantic was perhaps a great term to describe him. "However I have a feeling that you might leave today and forget all about me, and that thought is scary," he confessed.

As he placed his jacket on her shoulders, she pulled it a little closer around her, feeling her heart skip a beat simply by the thought of the fact that she was wearing his jacket. She listened as he went on to explain what his vision had been with the model in his picture. She subtly studied his features as he spoke, while listening to him. She couldnt help but smile as he seemed to pause and think it through, watching his fingers rest under his jaw. She bit her lip a little and nodded in somewhat agreement to the fact that there had to be some sort of real emotion present in the pictures. How many times hadnt she told Maddie that she didnt have to force a happy glow in a picture to make it look good?
Then he seemed to think of himself as narcissistic and she looked at him with confused eyes before he reached out to move her hair. Once again she felt her heart pick up a pace as he called her the most stunning girl in the world. Her eyes turned a little vulnerable at that, biting her lower lip a little as she had to admit that he really seemed to have gotten her right around his little finger. She frowned at his confession and started shaking her head. “I wouldnt forget all about you,” she disagreed, folding her lips as she wanted to use her words carefully. She looked away and out on the city, feeling like she would blush till she looked like a tomato if she confessed this while looking at him. It was enough that her heart seemed to be beating like crazy.  “I would probably lie awake every night after this, thinking what I could have done better,” she admitted, drawing in a deep breath. “I’ve spent most of my life concentrating on my art... I havent.....” she looked down on the ground, feeling her cheeks slowly redden again. Definitely without the intention, she did make herself sound like she was older than she was, because a 17 year old hadnt had time to do much by default, she just didnt view it that way with her bestfriend being Maddison Kara Vincent.  “I havent really had the time to... like people. And I like you. A lot,” she explained, carefully looking at him once she had finished talking. She felt a little exposed at this point, pulling his jacket closer around her. It wasnt that she was completely unaware of attraction and love, she had just never really bothered with it before. One heartbreak and she felt like she had tried enough.

A light chuckle sprung from his chest as she seemed to disagree, but her admittance made him tilt his head slightly as he looked at her. It was clear he wanted her to elaborate, to make him understand better, and so she did. However the way her body language changed, it was so different from the bubbly girl that had pulled him over to look at a gathering of pictures. She hadn't been in a relationship or she hadn't really done much to explore, it was at least wha he seemed to take from her words, nodding a bit as he reached out and took her hand. "I didn't mean to upset you, I guess I've always been rather forward when pursuing someone," he said, looking at her hand with what could closely be described as pure adoration. His other hand moving up to run his fingers over her palm, almost as if he was reading her life story, but he had no idea how to do that. However he had a good way of sensing how people were, there was just something in him that let him know who he should surround himself with. It had worked with Xalvador so many years ago, and he had trusted his gut ever since. "Let me make it up to you," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her hand carefully. It felt almost like electricity as his lips touched her skin, but he was afraid it was because she was getting too cold.
"Do you drink coffee?" he chuckled, leaning back to stand up straight, looking her straight in the eyes as he still kept her hand in his. "You seem like you could use something warm, and sadly my jacket does not seem to be helping a lot," he said.

She let him take her hand, shaking her head a little as she wasnt really upset by all this, she was just so scared that she would scare him away. She liked the way his fingers brushed her hand, but then again, so far he hadnt really done anything that she hadnt liked, taking out the fact that he thought she disliked his work. His whisper and the soft kiss made her open her mouth a little, her senses telling her to just throw herself at him, but she also reminded herself that she had to keep her feet on the ground. How she kept wondering if his lips could be just as soft on hers as they could on her hand? "Okay," she whispered back softly after a while, a sweet smile spreading on her lips.
She wrinkled her nose a little at the mention of coffee but then shrugged. "I mostly drink coffee whenever I have to stay up while working on a project. I prefer tea," she said. She shifted between his eyes, feeling slight goosebumps form on her arms. Another short-whiled courage snuck up on her. "Are you... taking me out... or inviting me home?" she asked a little daring in the tone, carefully stepping a little closer to him. She had taken notes from seeing her friend interact with men, but it definitely felt a little out of her field.

Tea? Noted. He smiled however, as it was not her denying his request. Her next words made him raise an eyebrow at her, however he kept his eyes soft, her stepping closer definitely made his heart beat faster. "If you don't mind a messy studio-apartment, then I would suggest home," he said. He wasn't just going to pull her with him, but wanted her to be sure before proceeding. "I live in Central, my roommate might not be home - However I would feel better if you tell someone where you are going," he said, mostly because he wanted her to feel safe. He was not trying to hide her from anyone nor was he trying to kidnap her.
If she agreed he would lead her to the elevator, going down to the ground floor before stepping out and leading the way. He was still holding her hand, almost afraid of letting her go if she decided not to. "It is not far, I promise you," he said as he started walking. His legs were long, but he managed to keep the pace with her in mind, holding her hand and carefully entangling them.
"Now tell me, ma chérie, do you have a studio of your own?" he asked, wanting to know more about her as well as her photographic endeavors.

Gerard listened as they walked, looking up at the sky as she spoke of her family. It made him happy that she had a good family, or at least one that was supportive of her life choices. "I would love to see it some time," he said, looking at her, his lips curling up in to a smile. He knew that some orphaned kids grew up to be bitter adults that couldn't even stand thinking about having a family to relate to, but he liked hearing about other people's happiness. It made the world less melancholic and sad for him. "I wish I had friends that would do that with me," he chuckled, already liking the sound of this Maddie girl. "But I have a good childhood friend, my roommate, and he seems to accept my insomniac adventures," he chuckled. Last time he had pulled him in to a photoshoot had ended up pretty well. At least Xalvador had scored a date that day.
"Do you have any siblings then?" he asked casually. She seemed like she had been given space to nurture her creative side, so perhaps she was a lone child? Or maybe her parents had more money to go around seeing as they could afford to buy her an apartment. He gave her hand a soft squeeze as they turned down a road that led them towards Central District, the stars above a bit harder to see with the streetlights on. "I myself have no siblings, no family but those I've chosen," he explained. Perhaps it was better to just be open about it instead of hiding it away in some sort of shame.

"I'll pray on every shooting star then," he replied, feeling giddy at the thought of getting to see where and how she worked. His own studio wasn't anything to brag about, but it had room for what he needed when he wasn't out and about shooting pictures. Her hand touching him cheek made him sigh rather happily, but also a little self aware as he hadn't exactly gotten to shave before going out. However hopefully she wouldn't mind, because he felt like he could get addicted to her touch alone. Her words sounding more like a question than a statement that made him smile. "I don't like sleep ... It just feels so lonely, so I keep myself busy and awake for as long as I can," he said. Maybe that was stupid, he knew it was stupid for his health.
She went on to tell about her brother, smiling as he could almost imagine how a creative and a logic type would probably bud heads more than once, however she didn't sound sad or angry speaking of him. He kept moving at a regular pace, listening as she opened up about her family being rather high ranking or at least of great importance. He had to say he didn't know much about seraphim customs, perhaps because he hadn't grown up with it. He shook his head. "No, ma chérie, picking ones family would be a terrible mess, but that is why you eventually make your own, get children to instill your own values and ideas onto," he smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. Gerard didn't know if he was ever going to be cut out to be a father, but part of him hoped that the day would come. Of course he was far from ready for it now, barely scraping enough money together for rent each month.
Instead of focusing more on her family, she went on to ask about his roommate making him nod. "Yeah, we grew up together ... We don't come from a fortunate place, so we found safety in each other," he explained, looking down at her, seeing her eyes gleam in the moonlight. She was so beautiful, such a wondrous creature that he wanted all to himself. "I guess we just have a hard time letting go of each other, he's a strange man but I must admit I love him," he chuckled, stopping at a large yet a bit older building, opening the door he held it for her to enter, letting go of her hand briefly to close the door after them. "Third floor to the left," he said as he ascended the stairs.

He shrugged at her question. It was as if he had some idea that one day he and Xalvador would outgrow some of their oddities, but alas he couldn't ever be sure that was the case.
Opening the door in to the apartment, it was relatively clean and he kicked off his shoes before helping her off the jacket, hanging it on a small nook by the door. "Make yourself at home," he said, heading out to the kitchen, opening a few cupboards before he found a kettle, filling it with water. He didn't know what type of tea she liked, so he simply took out the small selection they had. Gerard liked tea on occasion, however coffee was just his preferred way of getting caffeine. Finding a couple of mugs he went to the fridge, shaking the carton of milk before taking a whiff of it. It smelled fine, so he placed it on the counter as he placed the kettle on the stove, turning on the heat. Then he went in to the apartment to find Theresa. He found her in the living room slash studio, and he leaned against the doorframe as he looked at her. "Finding anything to steal?" he teased, pushing away from the frame as he went over to his computer, turning on the screen. A small display of pictures, some edited and done, some still in progress laying open for her to see. "Or perhaps you are really here to sabotage me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He was basically letting her do whatever she wanted and lift any small prop he had laying around.