| Precisely three feet away from an interesting work of urban art - a 10-foot tall by 18-foot-wide brick wall with a slight concave curve, spray painted in a masterful style into an image of a young woman's face, upturned in a manner that's both haughty and sensual, with hair consisting of electric hues - stands Saya. She looks fascinated by the piece, by the subtle play of light and shadow on her cheeks and lips, by the texture of the brick wall, by the graphic-style flowers emerging from the girl's autumn-leaf-colored hair. She stands there, studying it closely, lost in her thoughts.
(http://tinyurl.com/n9n46ju)
Footsteps echo down the corridor, steady and slow as they announce the arrival of someone else before they're seen. From around a turn in the corridor, Donovan appears with a sketch pad tucked under one arm and a smile on his face. As he passes by a guard making their rounds, he offers them a raise of his hand. "Hey Frank." He offers before continuing on his way. As he nears the graffiti piece , his attention turns towards the girl lost in thought. He pauses for a moment, tilting his head slightly as he studies her studying the piece. He finally steps closer and speaks up. "It's amazing how you can get such great shadows and highlights with paint cans."
Saya glances around, and then when she realizes that Donovan is talking to her, she turns a bit more, so that he can stand sort of next to her, if he wants. "Yeah, I was just thinking that," she says. "I helped my dad spray-paint our patio furniture once, and it was //not// pretty," she adds. "This is just crazy amazing." She gestures at the work, shaking her head. "I can't figure out how they got such nice, sharp edges - I'm thinking they probably used, like, a piece of cardboard or something to block the paint from going places they didn't want, or something."
Donovan nods his head slightly. "Cardboard, paper and nozzles with various sized tips. It's similar work to my friend's stuff." He offers with a slight smirk before he moves to step next to the girl, looking up at the piece. "We were suppose to do a piece together, but school and work got in the way, so it never happened." He frowns slightly at the thought of it, but shrugs it off. "He taught me how they do this kind of stuff, though it's not really my forte."
"That's pretty neat," Saya says with a grin, looking from him to the art and back again. "I'm so un-artistic," she says with a modest grin. "But I love to dance, so that's at least, you know, sort of cultured." Then she tilts her head a bit to one side. "So you're an artist, too?" she asks, glancing down at his sketchbook. "Can I see?"
Donovan nods and offers a smile. "Well, dancing is a form of art, so you could say that you're an artist in that sense." He offers before he looks back to the piece then to her again as she asks her question, causing him to nod his head. "Yeah. Since I was a kid." He offers with a smile then glances to his pad. "Sure." He says, offering it to her. Inside, there are various sketches of all kinds both finished and unfinished works.
If there's a bench nearby, Saya will gradually gravitate toward it while she flips slowly through the pages of Donovan's book. There's a little frown on her face, but it's from concentration rather than sadness or consternation. Finally, she looks up and fixes him with a wide smile. "Wow," she says, obviously impressed. "You're really good - I mean, //really// good! You should go to art school in Paris, or something!"
Donovan follows her to the bench, taking a seat as she looks through the pages. He smiles at her assessment of her work, chuckling. "I don't know. Maybe one day. I have to get through school first, but then that's if my mother can afford it and whatnot. It's just me and her, so I don't know if I'd be able to leave the country without her. It'd be difficult, but thank you." He says, offering a warm smile.
Saya hands his sketchbook back to him and rests her hands in her lap. "You're a junior, right? I've seen you in the halls. Isn't your girlfriend blonde?" But she nods a little bit. "Maybe if not in Paris, then here. There's got to be a nice art school, around, right? I bet you could get a scholarship or a Pell Grant, you're really good."
Donovan smiles as he takes back his sketchbook, setting it down next to him before he looks back to Saya and shakes his head. "No. I'm a Sophomore, but yeah, my girlfriend is blonde. Her name is Ellis." He offers before he looks to her and extends a hand to her. "I'm Donovan, but people call me Don, Donny or Donovan. Any is fine." He says with a soft chuckle.
"Saya Takahashi," the girl says, reaching out to shake his hand in return. Her grip is surprisingly strong - but not crushingly so - for a girl her size. "Nice to meet you, Donovan." She grins and takes her hand back. "Seriously, though - apply for scholarships. You could totally get one."
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