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[tragic_mask]

Arriving at the Visitor's Center, Melpomene takes a look around.

"Well, this is it. In all its touristic glory. "

Comments

[mechanicalswans]

"Nothing worth having ever comes easily," he says. "And something so powerful--it should be difficult. But certainly possible."

[tragic_mask]

"Good. Then let's go," she says. "Though I'm not sure when the door will open... I've never figured out the rules to that."

[mechanicalswans]

"I wouldn't advise trying to find one here," he says, glancing around. "Do we want to go back to the hotel, pick up the car and go back to New York? Or stay here for a while instead?"

[tragic_mask]

"I don't mind," she says. "Depends how eager you are to see..." she makes a face-- "my dark side."

[mechanicalswans]

"Curious," he says, "but not exactly eager, not if it will make you uncomfortable or unhappy. We take this at your speed, not mine."

[tragic_mask]

"It's okay. When the boat comes back in, we'll... go back."

She feels slightly awkward now, wavering between the illusion and what she knows herself to really be.

[mechanicalswans]

He nods, watching her--and then takes the camera back out and snaps pictures of the waterfall, the boat, the other tourists.

It seems like the thing to do.

[tragic_mask]

She watches him taking pictures industriously with her head tilted, resting her hands on the railing of the boat. It's a peaceful moment. Almost normal. But she can see inside his head, when she thinks about it, and--

-- it's not.

[mechanicalswans]

The camera lens gets duly soaked; he attempts to wipe it off, guaranteeing that all subsequent pictures will be smudged and blurry.

Not that he minds.

He looks back at her, with a smile.

"We'll have to get some of these blown up. There's that space in the hallway that could really use a picture."

[tragic_mask]

"We'll see how they turn out," she replies, looking skeptical of his photographic skill. "I don't want your thumbprint in it, particularly if it's one of the first things people see when they walk in."

[mechanicalswans]

"Oh, we can use one of the earlier ones," he says. "There's one of you that I think will be beautiful... unless I had a thumb over the lens or something. It's been known to happen."

[tragic_mask]

"It must have happened. I think it's some sort of causal law-- no good pictures of me are allowed to exist."

[mechanicalswans]

"Does that law extend to sculptures? Because one needs to exist... it would be a crime for it not to."

[tragic_mask]

"Only if you can't tell it's me," she says. "Maybe... wearing a mask."

[mechanicalswans]

"...what would you do with a statue of yourself?" he asks. "Or would you want me to keep it? Would you want a different mask made, my little one? A mask you can wear every day..."

[tragic_mask]

She thinks about it.

"Well, I'd feel a little self-conscious, having a statue of myself in the apartment... so you'd just have to keep it. Like Pygmalion," she suggests.

"As to the mask... I could see that."

[mechanicalswans]

"I would be honored to keep a statue of you," he says. "Even if it would have to be wearing a mask. We will work on it."

[tragic_mask]

"And I'd be honored to model for you for hours on end," she says.

[mechanicalswans]

"...I just may have to work more slowly, then," he says with a small smile. "I hope it won't be too draining for you, the modeling."

[tragic_mask]

"Oh, no," she says earnestly. "I make a great statue. Really, I'll be the best one you ever had."

[mechanicalswans]

"Be careful," he says. "I could admire you for days on end. I'm not sure you'd want to model for quite that long. Especially when I wouldn't even have bronze with me for all that time--just admiring you."

[tragic_mask]

She shoots him a look. "Well, then, there'd be no statue... I doubt I could sit there forever, with you not at least pretending to be making a statue."

[mechanicalswans]

"There would be one, eventually," he says, "but to be able to craft something properly, one must first study it, understand it from many different angles. Which is what I would want to do."

[tragic_mask]

"I see," she says, skeptical. "But I'm sure you can do that while I'm mobile, can't you?" She give an explanatory spin.

[mechanicalswans]

"Mobile and conversational, I would hope," he says. "I like looking at you, I like speaking with you, I like just being in your presence."