Portrait of the Artist as a Young Alien (Semi-Closed)

[GypsyGirl84]

"No, no, I like it!" Luci hurriedly interjected, her own face turning red. As surreal as it seemed, not only was she accepting the fact that aliens were real, she found herself quickly becoming fast friends with the first (and only) alien that she had ever met.

Luci backed up and gingerly sat on one of the amorphous chairs, expecting it to react like a bean bag chair. Instead, the chair quickly changed shapes, quickly becoming the most supportive, most comfortable chair she had ever sat in.

"Oh, I could really get used to this," she sighed. Turning back to Steve, she almost made a joke about, if this had been winter, Steve might have had to endure hairy legs, as Luci had been known to skip a day or two shaving her legs if she knew she was going to be wearing jeans. It wasn't like her family had let her go out on a date where someone might have appreciated her legs, she sighed. Well, enough of that, she mentally admonished herself. I'm making...what's that Star Trek phrase?..first contact.

"Not that I'm hungry right now, but when we eat, do we eat together?" Luci remembered reading a story once where an alien race considered it taboo to eat in public. "I'm a lacto vegetarian," she continued, "but I'm not a zealot about it. I mean, I don't eat anything besides dairy and vegetables, but my family..." Luci chuckled. Her family probably kept the American bacon industry in business just by itself. Bacon milkshakes. She shuddered at the memory of her brothers' delight at first encountering that particular dessert.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve flushed red with pleasure again. She actually liked his color changes. He couldn't believe how easy it was to get along with this woman. It was so much easier to talk to her than anyone from the Confederacy. He paused and wondered why. Perhaps it was because everyone he had spoken to had either spoken to him with so much awe as if they were so far below him, or as if he were just a tool they were using to prop up their own station with. No one had ever just talked to him as himself. Luci was doing exactly that and he found it so refreshing.

"No Luci," he chuckled again," We can eat together if you wish, but I must warn you that all my nutrient intake is taken in via my tentacles. From observing some of your movies you may find this a little disturbing so you may not wish to dine with me. Rest assured though that I don't eat any live animals or anything," he chuckled again. " I normally make a small paste of vegetables and meat products that I then eat."

He gestured towards her chair with one of his tentacles. "If you are really enjoying that chair I think I will have trouble getting you out of your bed. It is of the same construction except it also heats itself to the optimum temperature based on your body heat and the rooms temperature."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Oh, no, they're kind of fascinating," Luci said, then covered her mouth. "I mean, I'm not treating you like an exhibit or something. It's just that I'm sitting here talking to an alien...well, you are too, but you've met lots of aliens. You're my first alien," Luci said with a self-effacing laugh. "I'm just hoping you're not put off by me. I mean, I just have these," Luci said, opening and closing her hands, "and they can feel textures and heat and things, but you've got a lot more appendages, that you can do a lot more with. How much can you lift with them. I mean, could you lift me?" Luci hurriedly added, "Not that I'm asking you to, especially if that's rude among your people. I mean, if you have taboos about touching other people, or being touched. Like, depending on where you grew up on Earth and other things, we have restrictions on where somebody can touch us." Luci blushed, and laughed again. "Right now, I'm sure there are scientists and sociologists and plenty of other people who could do a much better job at this conversation than me."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve decided to put Luci's mind at ease. "Luci please feel free to talk about anything you want. My culture really doesn't have any concept of these Taboo's or restrictions you are talking about. We can talk openly about any subject you wish, from how I move and touch, to how I reproduce and think. It is all the same to me." He smiled at her again his fur lighting up a darker pink.

"As for how strong I am, I am not sure in terms of your human measurements but I feel certain that I would not have much trouble picking you up. In fact I think I could do so only using two of my tentacles, maybe three and you are doing fine at this conversation. In fact I am rather enjoying myself. Normally I am very shy, but with you I feel very comfortable."

He relaxed comfortably then decided to ask a question of his own. "Luci if I might ask, What is it like only having two appendages? It must be very limiting to work with."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Luci stuck her hands out, wiggling and flexing her fingers. "Well, I never really thought of myself as being limited. But then I didn't know there were better options available," she added with a grin. "Maybe it's a trade off of some kind. I mean, your tentacles are amazing!" Luci gushed. "And my senses are sort of concentrated in one spot. Maybe it means I have to make other compensations for my limitations, and I get ideas that you wouldn't necessarily get, because I have to overcome those limitations." Luci added with a shrug.

"Can you tell me about your family?" Luci asked as she pulled her legs up in her chair, placing her chin on her knees. "In my immediate family, I've got my Dad and my four older brothers. There's my Mom, but that's sort of a long story. I really don't know anything about her," Luci added quietly, becoming silent for a moment. She then shook her head, as if that action could dislodge a particularly unpleasant memory from her head.

"My Dad and my oldest brother run a trucking company. That means they transport things, not people, from place to place on the ground using trucks. Well, my Dad and oldest brother don't do that anymore. They're in charge of everything. My next two brothers are a lawyer and accountant, and they have their own businesses, but my Dad is like their biggest client. My youngest older brother...if that makes sense," Luci laughed, "Well, he studied mathematics, and is a professor at a university in the city I live in. But he does mathematical studies for my Dad. So I guess you could say everyone in our family does something with my Dad's business. I'd like to study astronomy, but I'm still sure we'll work that into the family business somehow!" Luci blushed before adding, "And I didn't give you a chance to answer my question, Steve. So how about your family? Are there other artists in your family?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

"I am sorry Luci but we Phelops have no concept of what you call family. We breed for specific purposes only and have a cast system. We produce offspring only when there is space available as we live in perfect harmony with our planet and all such births are done asexually with the parent being drawn by lot within the group. Thus if a new farmer is needed one of the farmers will be asked to fall pregnant and within ten weeks a new Phelop will be born and within a year he will be fully mature."

He studied her to see her reaction to this news. "However once in a while a genetic defect will be born. Someone with the creative gene like myself. They will be quickly taken away and nurtured until there expertise is known. So far there has been a singer, a musician, a writer and now myself. Not bad for over a millennium of existence," he smiled.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"I don't think that anyone who can produce the masterpieces that you do could be considered the product of a genetic defect," Luci said in a serious tone. She wasn't sure what to think of the society that Steve had described. On the one hand, there weren't unwanted children, and Luci suspected that child abuse would be as foreign a concept to Steve's people as a blizzard would be to someone who had never lived anywhere but the equator. And since everything was planned according to known resources, Steve's people probably didn't have wars, crime, poverty..

Still, it also precluded the bonds and happiness of a close knit family like Luci's own. And only a handful of geniuses over a thousand years. Or a tentacle-ful. Whatever.

"Do you have friendships? Romances? Dreams?" she asked tentatively.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve had to pause a little. He actually did not know a lot about his culture. He had been raised in isolation and only allowed to mix with a certain few of the elite of his own Society, yet he had been allowed to view his home world as his first paintings had been of it. He had observed his fellow Phelopians going about their daily lives and maybe he could put that to some use when answering her question.

"I would say we do have friendships Luci. We do bond with one another in that way and often share time with one another and in groups, however it is all within our own caste system. There is no mixing of groups. Why this is so remains a mystery to me because I am an outsider. Perhaps it is hardwired into the brain."

"As for Romance that is a totally foreign concept. The first time I came across it I could not comprehend it. I have learned to recognize and understand it now but it is just to foreign for any normal Phelopian. We breed for necessity not feelings of love or caring, two more foreign concepts. I am learning these things but it is hard to do by oneself."

"Dreams however we do have, well I know I do. I dream of things all the time. Colors and shapes, sights and smells, Tastes and textures, they all appear in my dreams. I can't wait to wake up and paint them all. They clamor at me, wanting to be put down on paper, canvas, holo vid, computer screen, whatever is handy." He chuckled in his musical laughter. "Oh yes my dreams are very insistent so yes Luci we can dream."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"If it makes you feel any better, Steve, romance is a foreign concept to me too," Luci said with a sad smile. "I mean, I know what it is, and what I'm hoping for. And my culture is loaded with references to romance! Everything from classical to pop culture---all our songs and movies and everything else talks about romance. But my family culture..." Luci sighed before she continued. "I guess my situation is a little like yours, just on a smaller scale. My family tries to keep me cocooned, too. I know they do it out of love, but still..."

Luci's stomach chose that moment to gurgle loudly, making her laugh. She gingerly stood up, and found getting out of the shape-shifting chair was just as easy as it was to sit down in. As soon as she was standing up, the chair took its original amorphous form.

"I don't suppose we could go ahead and get something to eat, could we Steve?" she asked. "Just a couple of apples or whatever you have that is equivalent. And some more of that wonderful juice. And then maybe we can talk about our dreams over supper," she added with a bright smile.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

"Very well Luci. If you will follow me to the kitchen." Steve moved off from his seat and glided into the kitchen. For a start he got a large pitcher of the Alturian Dragon juice out and placed it on the counter. "Please feel free to take as much as you want Luci. There is always more where that came from."

He poured himself one and then walked back to the cooler. He took out eggs, cheese, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and onion. he knew they did not look like the ones on Earth, but he knew they would taste very similar to what she was used to. he then got out a sheet of pastry and lined a baking tray and placed it in his oven. He had been practicing making Earth meals for weeks now and he was happy he could now share his skills. He was going to make something called a quiche.

He whipped up the eggs with a little cream and then chopped the other ingredients. He used several tentacles so was able to chop several vegetables at once. He removed the dish from the oven turning his tentacle hard so as to protect it from the heat and placed it on the bench then poured in the egg mixture and the vegetables and then he grated the cheese in and stirred it all up before placing it back in the oven.

Smiling at her he cleaned up his mess quickly and did his dishes. "It will not take long to cook Luci, but if you want some fruit still just ask the cooler and it will provide. It has been stocked for your tastes and once it knows them it will even provide you some choices that matches them closely."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"No, no, I'm fine for now," Luci answered, making sure she kept out of his way. Some part of her expected that Steve's tentacles would be clumsy, even though she should have known better. She remember seeing a youtube video one time of a squid or octopus opening up a jar from inside. Steve looked as if he was more nimble than a kitchen staffed by a team of iron chefs.

"Steve," Luci asked as she watched her new alien friend cook, "Why do you think your client or patron or whatever you want to call them, why do you think they want you to paint me? I mean, not me me, but me the human. Why any human?" Luci added as she took another sip of the Dragon juice.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve paused a moment to give this serious thought. He had not really thought about this before but now that he did it did seem strange to him, especially that they had insisted that it be him as the artist.

"I am not sure Luci. It is strange that a human has been chosen at all. Your race is on a restricted access list with several other races that are considered either too underdeveloped or too warlike to be approached yet. Still that does not mean that you cannot be studied from time to time or that specimens can not be taken and examined to be returned with no memories of their encounters." He looked at her and spread his tentacles. "I may not personally agree with this but it is the way of the confederacy."

"As to this painting though, I am surprised I was chosen. There are many great portrait artists in the galaxies. That they chose me tells me something. You have seen my paintings and have seen their effects. I do not just paint a picture I paint the feel and emotions behind that picture. If I paint you those same things will happen, which leads me to two conclusions. One someone is trying to convince the confederacy to let Humans in, or two they are trying to convince them of keeping them out."

He looked her in the eyes and flushed a little pink "Having talked with you though I think it is the first. Although if this is a good or a bad thing is yet to be decided."

A small chime sounded and he removed the quiche from the oven and quickly removed it from it's pan. "It needs to cool a little but it is ready. I hope it tastes okay," he said turning a little orange in worry.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Luci was mulling over the possibilities that Steve had presented, and trying very hard not to be overwhelmed by them. She was also curious whether this Confederacy thought her planet was too underdeveloped, or too warlike. She was hoping it was the first, but was afraid it was the second.

Before she could get too steeped in an internal philosophical debate, her brain keyed in on Steve's fur turning orange, a particular shade she hadn't noticed before.

Trying to change the subject of her internal debate, she asked, "Steve, are you worried? I mean, about the mean you just cooked?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve looked at her then looked down, turning a little blue. "You are getting very good at reading my emotional colors already Lucy. Yes I am a little worried. This is my first time cooking for someone else and it turns out I am cooking for another species. I hope it has turned out okay. It smells right but as I told you I have had to use ingredients similar to your Earth ones. I wanted it to be real and not synthesized food products as I think they tastes better."

He held one of his tentacles above the quiche and then pulled it back. "I believe it is ready."

Quickly he cut it into serving slices and popped them on plates and put one in front of her along with a knife and fork. "I believe these are the utensils you use to eat with. I hope it is alright but if it is not do not hesitate to tell me. I will not be offended."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Steve, I'm having dinner made for me by an extraterrestrial on another world. Your cooking could taste like sawdust, and it would still be one of the most incredible dishes I'd ever had," Luci laughed as she took the silverware he proffered her.

Luci gingerly cut into the quiche and lifted a bite to her mouth. She closed her eyes in delight as she let the flavors seep in. She didn't know if it was the ingredients Steve had used or his own artistic flair, but the subtle mix of mundane and exotic flavors were simply divine.

"Oh, Steve, this is simply fantastic," Luci said, before she cut another piece and then let it sit in her mouth, savoring the taste. "You may need to quit your job as a painter and become a master chef." Luci took a few more bites before she grinned. "Although if you were one of my brothers, I'd be teasing you mercilessly right now!"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve almost glowed red in pleasure. She had liked it and he could tell by the waves of pleasure radiating from her that she was not just telling him that to ease his feelings.

He was glad he had been able to cook her something from her homeworld and get it right and he was now curious to what it actually tasted like. He was used to eating his food in pureed or liquid form, but he could eat food in any of it's forms. He cut a small piece for himself and put it in front of him. Slowly he ran one of his tentacles over it and then allowed one of his small mouths to expand and take a small bite from the piece.

He was astounded as all the flavors hit his receptors at once and he stopped processing them in surprise. Starting again he gradually ground up the piece and then swallowed it down and into his stomach. He kept his red glow as he moved in for another bite.

"Does all Earth food taste as good as this Luci?" he asked in delight.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Luci watched in fascination as Steve expanded an opening on one of his tentacles to consume a bite of the quiche. She was brought out of her reverie by Steve's question.

"Well, not quite like this," Luci said, taking another bite out of the quiche. "It is a very good blend and balance of ingredients. But yes, I can safely say that when food is done well on Earth..." Luci almost snickered at herself, sounding like a culinary expert on all things to do with her planet's cooking..."it is this enjoyable. Of course, to make a great dish like this even better, you have to get really involved in your cooking. I guess it's like painting. You can be technically good, but there's that line that, in order to cross it, you have to make yourself part of your creation, if that makes sense."

Luci studied the kitchen for a moment, then turned her attention back to Steve. "This might be something I can do for you, is to expose you to different types of Earth foods. Well, the different types of Earth foods I know. I mean, we have categories of food, and then subcategories, and breaking it down further from that. For example, if I told you I was going to make you a Mexican meal, I might mean something my Tia Rosa would make in her home in Brownsville, or it could be something my Tia Liliana makes in her restaurant in Oaxaca City or something that my cousin Miguel helps prepare in the hotel he works at in Cozumel." Luci studied the kitchen one more time and nodded to herself. "It will take some experimentation, but I think I can handle this kitchen. You'll just have to make sure to give me a couple of hours off from holding perfectly still, or whatever I am supposed to do when I pose for you."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve took all of this in. On his world everyone ate the same food no matter where they were from or what caste they were in. He had learned to appreciate different foods when he had been exposed to them on his travels, but he had mainly stuck to the juices and what were termed deserts and soups on most worlds. Anything that was runny and easy to eat like on his home world. He did not know he had been missing out on so much.

"Oh you will not have to sit still for very long with me Luci. I do not need you to do that. Maybe for the beginning sketch so I can get the feel of where I want you in the painting and the background and things, but after that you will be free to move around. I will still need you occasionally though to update my work as I go along. It is hard to explain how I paint and it is best experienced. In fact I am not really sure how I am going to paint you as I have said. I am not sure how to translate my way of painting landscapes to painting a portrait. We will have to work this out together."

He had been eating the whole time he had been talking to her and had finally finished his slice. "Now if this Mexican food is anything like this, you can have all the time you want in this kitchen, after all I have been given all the time I need to paint you."

Looking at her he picked up his drink and took a sip. "So are there any questions you need answered Luci?

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Well, I'll have to judge your tolerance for jalapenos, or whatever you have in your kitchen that's close to them," Luci said with a chuckle. "But not to worry. Most people I know...human people, that is," she quickly amended, "Think all Mexican food tastes like what they find on the border." Luci paused, and decided not to get into a whole discussion about geopolitical and cultural boundaries.

"So do you have any idea about how you want to do the initial sketches?" Luci asked. "Are you working on something else right now? I have to admit, I'm really curious about how you go from wherever you start to what you have hanging on the walls of your gallery. Is your style unique to you, or is it an art form other artists use? And if you need makeup or my hair styled, I hope you have a robot that can do that," Luci laughed, piling her hair on top of her head with a laugh before letting it all fall down. "Especially the makeup. It's a cultural thing. Not human cultural, but my subculture, I guess you would say. I'm not allowed to wear much makeup. One of my aunts helped me out on my quinceañera, but that's a special occasion for a young woman in my subculture."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve allowed himself a chuckle again. "Oh no Luci, I do not need you to wear any make up or get all dressed up. I have my own ways of dealing with that. As for my style of painting, as far as I know I am unique in the entire Confederacy. I not only use my eyes to paint, but I can use my other senses as well. You may have noticed that you could sense my paintings when you looked at them? You could almost feel what it was like to be there. The tastes, the sounds, the feelings, the smells, not just the sights of the place. That is because I am an Empath and can feel the energies of the place I am painting and am able to infuse them into the paint as I am putting it onto my medium."

He stopped to see if she was understanding any of what he was saying. "The problem is the way I normally do this is to extend my tentacles towards my subject and gather all the information I need as I paint. However I have been thinking and I don't think this is going to work with a portrait. I will get to much information from other sources and not enough from just you. I have thought about it and I believe I have a solution but..." and here he began to start to turn a blue again. "It may not be something you will be comfortable with."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Luci felt a little flush come to her own cheeks as she replied, "I think your present color means you're getting a little embarrassed, and I'm pretty sure that means I'm going to be a little embarrassed. But we agreed we'd talk things out, which is what we'll do. And if something makes one or both of us uncomfortable, we'll come up with some kind of solution. And it's not like we have to get all of this done by the end of the week, right?" Luci added, her cheeks burning.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve continue to flush blue but he noticed that Luci was turning red but her emotions were saying she was embarrassed not happy. Ahh so Humans flushed red when they were embarrassed. He would file this information away for future reference, but for now he needed to find a way out of this dilemma and he could only think of one.

"Luci, My solution involves my tentacles actually touching you and from what I have seen of your movies you would have a hard time agreeing to this. However it would be a necessary part of the process so I was hoping we could work out a way to maybe fix this problem together."

Steve hoped Luci agreed. He could try different ways of doing her portrait of course, but he didn't think they would be as good as the way he had thought up.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Yes, well," Luci was able to stutter out.

"I mean, touching is okay, and we're friends, so that would make it okay, but it's a matter of where you touch. For example, the bottom of my feet are a little ticklish, as are my ribs and stomach," Luci added, touching herself in both places. "One of my older brothers enjoys tickling me, it's sort of a greeting ritual you'd call it," Luci said with a laugh. "I mean, he doesn't do it all the time, or it would get annoying, but it's sort of like...I dunno, real light roughhousing? And he's the only one who gets to do it." Luci paused, a look of concentration on her face, before she continued, her nervousness apparent.

"When one of my aunts does my hair, she has to have her hands all through it, of course. And that wouldn't be so bad, although..." Luci paused, thinking for a moment "...I use a herbal shampoo, so I guess we'd have to make sure you weren't allergic to it"

Luci was quiet for a couple of minutes as she gave some thought to the whole matter, since the prospect of being "felt up" by an alien had never come up. But it wasn't like Steve was some guy who was trying to do stuff with her. Not that she ever had a chance to fend off such an attempt, Luci mentally sighed to herself. Luci doubted if Steve even found her attractive. Or if he could find anyone attractive in that way. Which made Luci feel a little sad for him.

"You know, thinking about it, I guess that would be okay, but there would be some areas that would be off limits. Like my front, from here to here," Luci explained, placing one hand on her collarbone and the other right above her bellybutton, "and front and back, between my waist and my knees. You're not planning to paint me nude, are you, Steve?" Luci tried to laugh the idea of a nude portrait off, even though the thought panicked her more than a little. "They say once something like that gets on the internet, it stays there. I bet that's true even in your Confederacy!"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Steve thought hard. He had been thinking he would have to touch all of her but he realized now that some areas were a no go zone because of species gender and social behavior. it had to do with procreation he understood and he had no wish to offend her in that way. Also painting her naked would be easy enough even with her clothes on. He had seen enough naked forms of females of her species to understand what they looked like beneath their clothes to form a picture in his mind of what she would look like. Transferring that to the canvas the client had ordered or his own sketch book would be easy for him. However he had not been commissioned to paint such a picture and as she seemed to be so against it he wouldn't.

"I would never paint anything against your wishes Luci and I believe we can work with your misgivings. We can try just a headshot from the top of your ahh breasts I believe," he said his fur getting even bluer, " To the top of your head. I do not believe I will have any reaction to your 'Shampoo'. If I am understanding herbal right that is a plant based thing and so far I have never had any reaction to any plant on any of the two hundred and forty seven worlds I have been on."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Well, there are different types of shampoo,'" Luci said, her body relaxing at Steve's pronouncement, "But yes, the one I use is strictly plant based. Nothing artificial. And I don't want to even think about telling you how to paint," she quickly added. "I just would really not like to show up in something where there were staples in my stomach," she added with a nervous laugh.

Finishing up her quiche, she asked, "So when did you want to get started? And I am so definitely not trying to set your schedule. I mean, we have just met and everything. I don't know if you have to go seclude yourself or whatever. I'm definitely liking it here," Luci said, looking at her surroundings with renewed awe before she turned to Steve and gave him a bright smile. "And I'm definitely loving the company."