The Artful Beast

by **Leo Eskandari** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:36 pm

Heavy metal music leaked from the metal shop as Leo bent pieces of metal into new shapes without even using a vice. To anyone curious enough to look in, he appeared agitated and seemed to be punishing the metal more than trying to make anything. He hadn't even welded anything.

by **Ainsley Green** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:15 pm

Ainsley wandered in, mostly just looking for his friend. He didn't have a lot of reasons besides Leo to come out to the point anymore since they roped off the Danger Room for purely academic purposes.

The heavy metal tipped him off where he was.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:44 pm

With the music going, Leo couldn't hear his friend approach yet he looked over anyway. He wasn't consciously aware that his nose had alerted him.

"Oh. Hey," he shouted over the sonic assault, almost smiling enough to hide whatever was bothering him this time.

by **Ainsley Green** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:17 pm

Ainsley nodded, keeping just a bit of distance so Leo could work.

"Whacha working on?" he asked, his voice over-riding the music. His voice was not loud, nor did it sound forced. More like the music got muted when he 'spoke'.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:27 pm

"Mostly stress relief," he admitted as he put down a thick S-shaped ribbon of metal and moved to turn off the music playing from a phone mounted in a portable speaker. It took him a few sloppy taps of his altered fingers to accomplish that.

by **Ainsley Green** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:21 am

"Oh? Something happen?"

by **Leo Eskandari** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:40 am

Still facing the portable speaker, he said, "I went to meet with my aunt and uncle to get some of my stuff."

by **Ainsley Green** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:58 am

"Guessing that went poorly..." He theorized, trailing off at the end.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:59 pm

"I got some of my stuff but the son of a bitch sold my baseball signed by David Ortiz. God damn asshole! It took everything I had not to leap across the table and rip him to pieces when he had the nerve to call me an abomination on top of everything else."

by **Ainsley Green** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:25 pm

Ainsley was silent for a moment, and reached out to Leo to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Did it mean a lot to you for some reason?" Ainsley asked, not fixating on Leo's anger, or the insult paid to him.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:32 pm

His anger left him and his tense shoulders sagged.

"I got it the last game my mom took me too. He... he had no right..." he said sadly.

by **Ainsley Green** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 12:54 am

Ainsley sighed, rubbing circles on Leo's back.

"He had no right to sell it... but what's important are the memories... and those he can't sell at a pawn."

by **Leo Eskandari** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:08 am

"I know that. It's just one more hit, yanno? A guy can only take so much," he answered, exerting some control over his emotions.

by **Ainsley Green** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:43 pm

"You are back, and you did no harm. You handled things well." Ainsley encouraged, trying to focus on the positives.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 2:20 pm

Leo turned to face his friend and said, "But I really wanted to hurt him. If my aunt hadn't been there I might have."

"I don't like feeling so violent inside."

by **Ainsley Green** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:12 pm

"Everyone wants to do violent things Leo. The want of it doesn't determine the value of the person. Their control does." He reassured Leo, his hand falling away as there was just too much of Leo and too little of Ainsley to keep his hand on the other young man's shoulder at this angle.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:30 pm

"That's the thing. I was never that great at controllin' my temper to begin with," he replied.

Except around you...

"So it's probably a good thing I started talking to Dr. Terrance."

by **Ainsley Green** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 8:57 pm

"Good! I'm glad the doctor could get you in.

Was she nice?" He asked, having not met her before.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:48 pm

"She seems genuine enough so far," he answered with a shrug.

Smiling slightly, he said, "Thanks for talking me into it. I think it's what I need."

by **Ainsley Green** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:13 pm

"I think so too." Ainsley made himself comfortable with his sketch pad, flipping a few pages for a fresh sheet.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:33 pm

"Inspiration strikes?" he asked curiously.

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:00 am

"You told me to draw you as more of a hardass.

Go back to work, and maybe I can do that." He replied, tone clearly joking.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:07 am

"A feat of wicked strength is all you needed, huh?" he grinned as he went back to bending metal with his bare hands. This time he appeared to have a direction.

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 1:13 am

AInsley was contented to sit quietly and watch Leo work, working himself on a drawing based off what he saw in front of him.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 1:27 am

After making a few starting pieces, he began setting up the welding equipment. When he picked up the welding mask, he frowned.

"Well shit. That's... not gonna work."

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:22 pm

"Headband too small?"

by **Leo Eskandari** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 5:13 pm

"Well, yeah. But even if it was, it isn't exactly made for horns and a cat head."

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 5:18 pm

"Can we rig it?"

by **Leo Eskandari** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:53 pm

"Might be simpler just to make myself one. Though honestly, any burns I got would just heal. Granted, it would still hurt like hell."

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 9:45 pm

"Mmm, the blindness may be a bugger, even if it's temporary.

How do we make a new one? Can I help?"

by **Leo Eskandari** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:02 pm

"You could help with taking measurements and figuring out the design. It might be pretty tricky."

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:30 pm

"We'll need one of those bendy fabric measuring tapes... and something to make a mock up of it with to make sure my measurements are correct."

by **Leo Eskandari** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:57 pm

"I think I saw that colorful Asian girl using one in the textile lab, which is something I didn't know existed. And we could probably just use wire and aluminum foil for the mockup."

by **Ainsley Green** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:52 pm

"Great! Let's get started then!"

by **Leo Eskandari** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:20 am

Sometime later...

"Here goes nothin'," Leo said, putting on the mockup of the mask. It looked rather like something The Predator might wear if the alien headhunter had horns and a leonine muzzle. But, you know, made of aluminum foil.

"Needs a little more in the field of vision area, but otherwise... it could work."

by **Ainsley Green** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:57 am

On a step stool, Ainsley shuffled a bit closer, his fingers gently pulling the mock up free of Leo's face to see about making the necessary adjustment.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 1:08 am

"Say... after we finish this, do you want to go grab some drinks at the XUB?"

by **Ainsley Green** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 1:28 am

"Sure. Sounds good." He replied, making a slight adjustment and placing the mask again on Leo's face, not thinking much of the question.

"Better?" He asked.

by **Leo Eskandari** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 1:32 am

"Perfect," he said, his tone pleased.

by **Ainsley Green** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 1:35 am

Ainsley gingerly left the prototype to set on a table for Leo to store it somewhere.

"Right then!

Pub?"

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