Tasteful Portraits

Posted on Sat Nov 12th, 2022 @ 4:09am by Michelle Erilin & Lieutenant Commander Alexander Espersen

Mission: The Interim
Location: First Officer’s Quarters

It had been a long couple of weeks. Since the end of the pirate encounter, it felt like Alexander Espersen had spent his days either on bridge watch, around the ship supervising repairs, or asleep for just long enough to take the edge off. Meals were light snacks in transit between assignments. A lot got done by the Starbase but he didn’t trust their engineers. He barely trusted his own yet, but he at least knew a lot of them. He trusted Jenna Jade, and he trusted that everyone else would rather get the job done right the first time to avoid being on the receiving end of a dressing down from the XO (and while Jenna had the right attitude to play Good Cop to his Bad Cop, she didn’t have the management training yet to do it properly).

But after a couple of weeks of this, some at the base and some in transit toward deep space, the work was nearing completion. The pace was slowing. And for the first time in a long time, Alexander was able to slow down a bit. He ate a meal in the mess hall. He spent an hour in the gym before bed last night. And tonight he’d indulge his creative side.

He sat alone in his quarters, wearing a comfortable grey shirt and black pants, setting up lighting, and waiting for his appointment.

Michelle had walked slowly, intentionally leaving her rather luxurious quarters early so as not to have to rush or appear to be so. The hunter green silk kimono swirled around her legs, giving anyone who saw her glimpses of strappy heels she wore and smooth silky calves along with the dark green painted toenails that matched her fingernails.

Her mind went back to the email that Comman- No, Alexander, had sent to her that morning. :

“Dear Ms Erilin,

I was wondering if you were available for a couple of hours this evening. I do pencil drawings as a hobby, including of humanoids. Your beauty catches my eye every time I see you in the Hydra Lounge. You have a face and a form that must be captured in art, and so I would very much like it if you modeled for me.

This would be a nude modeling contract. Not to be blunt about it, but in my experience models prefer being told this up front.

I have an account with your employing agency with a very positive rating.

I hope you’ll respond positively to my request.

Yours,
Alexander Espersen”

She smiled inwardly as the slight smile on her face didn't change and she inclined her head to a passing Ensign in greeting. She had already perused Alexander's profile with the database long before, after he had shown some interest in some of their prior interactions and he was right, there were no negative reviews from other 'providers' and the commentary from those providers assured her that she wasn't going to be walking into any sort of dangerous situation. And while she wasn't certain, she'd opted for the bare minimum of makeup, purely some light eyeshadow and eyeliner to define the shape of her eyes better for him. She'd modelled before, which was normally a precursor for other activities, but that was a part of her line of work.

She rounded the corner and spotted the door, shortening her strides even more to remain elegant and unobtrusive. Rather than reaching for the chime, she reached out and knocked on the door with her knuckles. Hard enough to be heard, but soft enough to not make a racket.

Rather than simply calling for the door to open, Alexander walked to the entrance, stood to his full height, and opened the door manually. "Good evening, Ms. Erilin," he said. He offered his arm to escort her into his living space, which at present could easily be mistaken for a studio. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Can I get you anything?"

Like any refined lady, Michelle slipped her own arm into the escorted position, draping her hand over his in the appropriate indicated fashion, "It is my pleasure." She smiled up at him graciously, "But while I'm certain I'll ask for at least some water later, I'm perfectly all right at this moment." Her eyes did their normal check of the area, something learned the hard way from... Oh my, was it only seven years before? Time definitely flew, "I've seen some photography studios that were far more run down than this, definitely kudos to you, good sir!"

“I’m an artist and an engineer,” he replied proudly. “I go out of my way to make sure my setup is technically perfect.”

He brought her closer to the workspace. Two areas were lit, one at the sofa and another by the window, the lights angled in such a way to minimize glare.

“I’m going to ask for two poses,” he said. “First, I’d like to draw you face on, lying here. We’ll get the pose just right and I’ll begin. The second will be by the window, standing, staring out the viewport dreamily, and I’ll draw from a reverse angle.” He demonstrated both where she’d be standing and where he would draw from. “In between we’ll take a break, and I can offer you a late dinner if you like. Not the fine dining of the Hydra, but it should hit the spot. Is that amenable to you?” He wanted to make sure she was comfortable along every step of the way.

Michelle nodded, glancing over the first, then musing over the second for a few moments, "That sounds wonderful, although I do have one question... Of course you're the artist and however you'd like me is perfectly fine, but if I may show you an idea?" She smiled up at him again, looking younger than she was as she asked permission.

“Please,” he said, gesturing to the viewport. He was always open to good ideas.

She brightened her smile slightly as she slipped out of the heels and untied the silken sash, holding into it as the kimono slid off her shoulders to make a puddle on the ground. As she padded over to the window wearing nothing but what nature had provided at birth, Michelle unfolded the sash, revealing a sheer green rectangle of fabric that could double as a shawl with leaf print. She wet her lips as she assumed a pose like what she thought he was going for, knowing that he'd set her the way he desired, one hand placed high on the window as she looked dreamily out of it with her lips slightly parted and draped the cloth over her right shoulder so that one hand clasped it to just below her sternum and it lazily touched the ground behind her. Her right knee was half-cocked into a resting position, giving her the look of someone who wanted to go exploring in the beyond. "Something like this?"

He couldn’t help but stare as his model revealed herself fully to him, and his eyes stayed on her as she positioned herself.

“Perfection,” he said, not speaking just of her pose.

“Hold still please. Let me know if the air is too cool or the light is too hot, and I’ll make adjustments. Let me know if you need to shift a moment, and we’ll pause. I think this will take about two hours, and I want you comfortable.” Two hours per pose, he estimated. He had booked her for six, to include a break in the middle and some extra time if it went long.

He picked up a clean sheet of paper, braced onto a wooden tablet, and his pencil, found his ideal angle, and got to work.

It surprised him how quickly he sank into his work. In moments his mind was fixated on the project, his eyes darting between the beauty before him and the developing beauty on the page. It was more than just a relief to be drawing again. He was inspired.

For her part, Michelle was content to hold the pose. She occasionally had to close her mouth to remoisten her lips, but she was comfortable enough. The hand against the window gave her support and she had no problem with her legs at all. She'd once been hired to be a statue at a party, with instructions to remain absolutely still until cued. That one had been four hours of very slow and shallow breathing, eyes closed because that was easier than trying to blink as she was allowed to do here. The effect, however, when her and her fellows had been given that cue and 'come to life' had been spectacular. Besides, the way the pinpricks of light were flashing by as the ship travelled through warp was beautiful, not something she'd ever truly been able to dream about back on Jovash.

Two hours and ten minutes after he had begun, Alexander’s work was done. He would do some touch ups later, but those he could do from memory. No need to have the woman keep standing, even if she was doing spectacularly.

He set down his tablet and pencil on an end table, then he collected the kimono off the floor. “At ease, Ms. Erilin,” he said, a smile on his face as he held the kimono open at the right height for her. “And thank you. That was…beyond what I expected. Would you like to see?”

Michelle slid first one arm into the kimono, then the other before gently rewrapping it around her and using the sash for it's intended use once more, but her eyes danced with interest, genuine interest, "I would love to! And I'm just really happy that I could do this for you." She didn't bother putting the shoes back on just yet, after all, this was a casual setting. They were easy to put on again if needed.

To Be Continued...