Sketch Me An Explanation (Marcus)

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe had been in the new art supplies store before, mostly because Adaryn wouldn't stop raving about it and so he'd gone with her several times, but this was his first time on his own. His sketchbook had finally filled up and now he was looking for another one, along with some charcoals. That was important, especially since drawig was another thing to do when he couldn't sleep. He still hadn't been sleeping at night, but getting random naps when he went to Hammel for training, allowing him to pass out in the student lounge for a few hours after Candence put him to sleep. It was sad to him that it had come to that, but he had to do what he had to do.

Everything was upside down anyway and he needed that few hours of sleep to escape from it. Processing it was difficult and he wasn't even sure he'd started to yet. That's how much it had flipped his life upside down, along with Eloise's...and Adaryn's and everything...

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Marcus(male) listed off the items he needed in his head, counting them away on his fingers to keep track of the number of them. If he listed them off and came up short, then he knew he was forgetting something and would list them again. It would be easier if he just put them in his phone, but well, Marcus wasn’t smart enough to think of that. Besides, he was sure he would remember what he needed when he was there and saw them on the shelves, right?

He tromped into the store, clad in his heavy treaded boots which were mostly hidden behind the wide legs of his black, bondage pants. His shirt was white and sleeveless, with an upside-down cross sporting the front, though since the days were growing colder as they moved into the autumn season, that image was only half showing behind his Anthrax hoodie. One of the attendants(probably new) gave him a stare as if she expected him to start stuffing things into his giant pockets. Of course he wasn’t going to do that…

Marcus roamed through the aisles towards the drawing supplies. Pens were what he was looking for. Pens and markers. Which were on the other side of the aisle which held the charcoal and graphite items. He started looking over the gel pens when his eyes caught the sight of the person on the other side. “Hey,” he started. “Aren’t you, uh….” Marcus couldn’t remember his name. “Weren't you in the art club? At Hammel?” Marcus blushed slightly. "Sorry, I can't remember your name..."

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Sketchbook already in his hands, Monroe had his eyes on the different kinds of charcoals, trying to decide what to get and how many he needed in a set. Working so much left him with some tips to put towards things like this (Tak usually sneaked some of her tips to him because he tended to help her out when it got really busy in the diner).

A voice interrupted him and actually rather startled him, not something that typically happened, but being in a haze lightly had led to the slightest interruption or out of place action to make him jump. "Uhh, yeah," he replied as soon as he recovered. "Yeah...I was. I graduated." Well sort of... Ugh it sounded so much better to say he was in college or something rather than he just wasn't there anymore, but oh well, he still kind of was there for training. "It's Monroe."

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Marcus had just turned 20 last month. These two had been more or less in the same “graduating” class, only Marcus hadn’t graduated. Again. But more than that, Marcus had been a member of the art club from since before his high school years. It had always been something he was interested in and was probably the only skill he cultivated on a daily basis, even if only in the forms of doodles in the middle of class…sometimes those doodles became epic ink drawings. Hence why it was so important for him to have a large assortment of colored pens. And of course, they had to be gel pens. Because gel pens.

But the point was, Marcus was expecting a little bit more of a reaction from someone who was supposedly his classmate and clubmate. Marcus had always been interested in looking at the works of other students and watching how they do it, so he’d even lurked behind Monroe on occasion. Sometimes he’d even try and strike up a conversation. But Monroe always seemed to be…absent, maybe? Anyway, Monroe’s lack of recognition was unexpected, and Marcus responded by giving the other man a stare that matched his surprise. “Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry.” Should he point it out? “I’m Marcus,” he continued. “Uh…actually, I was in the art club too…well, I still am. Didn’t graduate this year, but…maybe this year….” He scratched his temple nervously. “…sorry, I guess I thought you’d remember me, but…I guess I don’t stand out as much as I thought I did.” Oh, well. He shrugged and smiled.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Was it horrible that Monroe didn't remember him all too much? And with that fair, he thought he would have. Was he really that just...gone during his time at Hammel? Wow. It was like he only had the energy to move through his day and talk to a few select people. "Don't worry about it," he told the other guy. After all, he was the one at fault here... "Yeah, I figured that's why you asked if I was." He nearly facepalmed. Way too make it even more obvious that he didn't really remember him. "If it makes you feel any better...I graduated, but I still go to power training so I really don't feel like I'm graduated." Besides, he'd pulled off C's for the most part, except for art, which he'd received an A in.

"You do stand out." Shit. "I mean..." He faltered. Monroe stood out because of how he dressed and his combat boots that were so chunky and clunky and Marcus definitely seemed to with his hair. "Sorry. Let's just say....I wasn't really there in high school. I mean...I was there, obviously." It kind of sounded like he was saying he'd been on drugs.

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“Oh? You’re still in for powers training? I…wow, now that makes me look a little bit bad, I guess, ‘cause I don’t have the slightest idea what your power is.” After all this time, you’d think Marcus would have picked up on it at some point. Marcus shrugged. “I have a feeling even if I do graduate this year, I’m going to be held up again for powers training too, so you don’t feel bad about that either.” Marcus laughed, pulling his lips into a smile and dipping his head in lighthearted embarrassment.

He perked his head and his eyes stared surprised at Monroe. “I do? Ah ha ha….I…well, thanks. you do too, actually.” Marcus smiled nervously, scratching the side of his face. “Oh, trust me, you were definitely there. You were hard not to notice…I mean, I did…and not in a weird way or anything!” Marcus waved one of his hands up to stave of the weirdness. Great, now he probably made the other guy think he was gay and was uncomfortable. Well, if he thought about it, Marcus wouldn’t mind hooking up with this guy, but surely Monroe had a girlfriend(or boyfriend?) of his own, right? He’d seen him hanging around with a few girls around campus, it’d be surprising if he wasn’t dating at least one of them…not to suggest that Monroe was a player or anything.

Marcus peeked over the shelves to see what was on the other side, where Monroe was. “So…what’re you…working on?” Nosy nosy nosy…

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Yeah, unfortunately," Monroe told the guy. He laughed, waving off the fact that he felt bad. If anybody should be feeling bad, it was him, for not even remembering Marcus. "It's fine. I don't really advertise it. I'm a dreamwalker, it's not very well known either. So that's part of why I've had a lot of trouble." He felt awkward admitting this so quickly to someone he didn't know very well, but his power was a huge part of who he was, or at least who he'd become.

"It still sucks, but it happens. I know I'm not the only one," Monroe said, shrugging. Monroe also knew that he stood out, even if he tried to blend in. It was the combat boots and bags under his eyes. For Marcus, it was the way he carried himself, the fact that he was so tall and his hair. Since Monroe cut his, he felt like he lost that recognition. "It's fine. Really." He was sure he would have noticed Marcus too, had he not been a lethargic zombie the whole time. "I should have remembered you. I am embarrassed to say that most of my time at Hammel was spent rather braindead." It was as good of an explanation that he had.

"I just sketch, really." He held up the sketchbook he had in his hands. "And I prefer charcoals. That's all." He shrugged again, his signature gesture.

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“A dreamwalker…? Oh…well, I guess that makes sense then.” He didn’t dare say that he thought it was kind of cool. Actually, more than just “kind of”, Marcus thought that it was very cool. He’d rather have that kind of power than his own, which came with a range of problems. But…well, they said that the grass always looks greener on the other side and all, and people have said they thought his power was cool, when it wasn’t, so he guessed that Monroe was probably alluding to a lot of other problems one couldn’t see on the surface.

“I, uh…I’m a shifter,” he offered awkwardly. It was only fair, since Monroe shared his. Though he wasn’t sure if Monroe was actually interested in knowing. “Uhh…human shifting,” he said, keeping it general, but specific enough so he didn’t have to state outright that he just “turned into a girl”. But Monroe didn’t seem the type to make fun. “So, maybe that’s one reason why you don’t remember me. Sometimes I show up for club in my other form.” His other form, which he was sure still didn’t stand out were it not for his stylistic clothing. Marcus thought he was fairly plain as a girl. “So that…could make it confusing, that lack of consistency.”

“Oh, that’s cool, I sketch too.” His eyes brightened with interest. He always liked talking with other artists. Talking and comparing their art forms and sharing techniques. It was something more than what you got from non-artists, who mostly just said, “Oh you’re so gooood! I with I could draw!” Which got old after a while, because no matter how bad you thought it was, they always thought it was good and never really gave proper critiques. “I don’t do much charcoal, though. I, uh…” He held up the variety of colored gel-pens he was collecting. “I like using ink. No pencil, if I can help it.” Marcus laughed, a bit embarrassed for admitting that.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Yeah, it usually makes sense to people. They figure I'm not rude anymore, just so tired that I come off as rude and aloof. I don't like telling people my power, because it makes it sound like I'm excusing my behavior," Monroe explained, heaving a sigh. "Which I kind of am." And that made him feel shitty. He should have remembered Marcus. He realized how bitter he'd sounded. "Sorry," he added.

And here Marcus was, offering him another excuse, the excuse of his power, instead of Monroe's own. Still, human shifting sounded interesting. And while Monroe really didn't find powers the best thing to give to humans, as they would surely abuse them, (he still strongly stood by Seb's convictions about the fact that nobody should be allowed to have these powers), he had to admit that if he absolutely had to have a power, he'd rather it be something else to at least make life a little less suckish. "Dude, please don't make it easier to dismiss my behavior." He shook his head. "I should have remembered you regardless." He was curious as to what his other form was, but Monroe wasn't one to pry.

"Ink? Really?" he asked incredulously, grateful for the change in topic to art. "Man, I admire you for that. Too afraid of screwing up. Besides, I like the shading effects that pencil has."

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Marcus was past the point of taking offense and more into the stages of understanding. There were a lot of people with powers that brought upon more inconvenience than anything else. He remembered a conversation with his roommate, and how upset she was that her power made it easier to do what she loved, but also made it seem like she was “cheating”, even though that was never her intention. Then there was Lucas, the boy who could play any instrument because of his power. He supposed to some, that might seem like cheating, but…well, he didn’t ask for the power any more than the next person did. And Marcus was trying to think of it more like, how was that any different than a person who excelled in music because their brain was wired better for it, or a person who excelled in basketball because happened to be really tall?

Though, that didn’t mean that Marcus didn’t still have issues with his own power. It was a part of him, but he wished it wasn’t. Or that it could at least be treated like something natural, instead of something freaky and weird.

With Monroe, his power made him seem like a dick. And Marcus could get behind that. He chuckled to himself, smiling. “It’s okay, I’m not upset or anything,” he assured the other boy. “Besides, we’re talking now, aren’t we?” Maybe graduating helped free up his awareness or something? Because Marcus had a good feeling that he’d remember him this time. Hopefully.

“Yeah! I, uh…I like the look of ink, but yeah, I tend to mess up a lot, so trying to cover up my mistakes is interesting, and the end result is messy, but I think it’s because with ink my standards are a little bit lower and I don’t spend 3 hours working on the same thing because I’m not satisfied with it.” The ink kind of forced him to accept the flaws and work with them and turn them into something good instead.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe sighed. "Good, because I upset enough people." They were talking now and in truth, Monroe needed to talk to more people, specifically more people of his same sex. Being around females constantly could get a little tiring. However, he also didn't know that Marcus shifted into a female either.

He was appreciating the conversation about art. Mostly because it was something other than his power, his lack of sleep, and the new ways his life had appeared to be messed up recently. "That's the tough part. I like being able to erase. That and I just like sketching." Although ink did force you to be creative with whatever you had on the page, or throw it away and start over, although Marcus didn't seem the type to do that. "That's true. I spend an awful lot of time on a pencil sketch."

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“Ha ha.” It probably wasn’t something that he should’ve been laughing about, but Marcus was like that. He often laughed at inappropriate times to ease the tension. Marcus didn’t like uncomfortable situations. He’d much rather laugh than cry or yell or something.

“Yeah…I’m too impatient to do pencil sketches too often. I’ll end up spending forever on it and before I know it, it’s the next day and I’ve got almost nothing done, ha ha!” He couldn’t remember how many times he’d done that, stayed up all night because of an art project. “Uh…do you do anything else? Or only drawing?” Marcus could’ve sworn he’d seen Monroe doing other things, but maybe he was confusing him for someone else? He was already involved in the conversation, Marcus wasn’t even thinking about how the two may have been in the way as they conversed between the two aisles with a stack of shelves between them.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Did he do anything else? Monroe wasn't quite sure to answer that question. He ate. He drank coffee. He worked. He hung out with Addie. And he collected coffee mugs. But were any of those things something that he should verbalize? "Not really," he'd ended up saying, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly. He felt like there was nothing worth mentioning. His life wasn't very exciting and neither were his hobbies.

"That's a good way to look at it though," he pointed out. "About pencil drawing. I spend days, sometimes weeks on one drawing." Maybe he should consider ink.

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“Oh…” Marcus said, disappoint in his tone. He was hoping that maybe Monroe did other forms of art that maybe they could ‘bond’ over. Well, that didn’t mean that Marcus couldn’t share, right! “Yeah…I mean, I like drawing the most, honestly, but I got a hella lot of projects going on and kinda stashed away in my room. I like trying new stuff all the time, it’s fun seeing what you can do, you know? Like, one of my friends inspired me to try making these little clay sculptures ’n stuff…it’s hard though, ha ha.” Ugh, word vomit. Marcus was definitely the type that had to fill the silence when it reared it’s ugly head. “Sorry…I’m rambling, I do that a lot,” he said with a blush. He was probably bothering Monroe by this point.

“Yeah, I either get distracted and forget about it completely, or get so involved that I forget to do anything else because I want to finish it so damn bad…” It was a sickness, really. “Maybe. I just think it’s fun trying out new ways to do the same thing. It ‘expands my horizons’, or at least that’s what my mom always says.”

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"I mean, I don't really do any other forms of art. I've just stuck with what I know, but I guess I could venture outside my comfort zone with it, even if I'm not so sure I'm good at anything else." Anyway, art wasn't something Monroe was trying to be talented at, or pursue. It was a hobby, something fun to do when he was awake for so long that everything started to blur. Marcus seemed to be more serious about his art. "That's really cool...how you dabble in a little bit of everything." Did he just say 'dabble'? "Don't worry about it." He waved it off. He'd been hanging around girls mostly. And they often rambled more.

He agreed though. Art completely took you over or took a back seat to everything else. He often sketched instead of doing his homework. "Well, guess I need to expand mine."