Leafing weird (Gale)

[Leigo]

It had been one day. It had been two days. Damn… it had been almost an entire season. There was always this one man sitting up on the tree, tending to the plant like it was family. Naturally, interest was spurred in those around him. This was the point at which you’d expect something like this to stop – he got his attention, so he’d go away, right? Yet the man remained immobile. This was when the boy’s interest started to perk up. He would go speak to this character and see just what it was that drove him towards tree hugging. There was no compassion here, or altruism, only curiosity and aching confidence. Besides, if the man ever stepped on a nerve, the blond would probably go only as far as burning down the tree. Chances of any of it happening were slim however. Pressing forward, Leigo would walk all the way to the tree, head rising up at the man. He was the stranger here, he knew. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and it’d never be. “Excuse me, sir, but what’re you doing up there?” when in doubt… go with polite. People always liked to feel appreciated. That was only understandable.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

64th Summer, 512 A.V.
Zeltiva, "Gale's" Tree.
Noon

Sitting on a branch of the familiar tree, the blonde young man was spending his free time of the day on attempting to draw his favorite person again. Having tried it a several weeks ago but failing epically, Gale took a break and now was getting back to it. He still hadn't gotten anything right, even with the few lines he drew. But he'll come around eventually.

One leg was hanging off the branch lazily, the other brought up on the branch, his sketch book using his thigh for a flat surface. Well, it was better then the bark of the tree. The light on his page constantly changed with the waving leaves, making the breaks in the shade constantly shifting. The light breeze was strong enough to move his light blonde hair to the side softly into his view. Pulling his hair away from his face, Gale watched the paper as his hand drew soft lines, curved lines, all sorts of lines. It not quite coming together to form his past wife however.

His shirt sleeves torn to go down almost all the way. He cut it to get rid of the blood stains from his interactions with Tock earlier this season. His pants are starting to wear down and had small holes forming in them from a previous brawl also earlier this week. The bottom of his pants were torn falling apart from his rooftop experience with the same man from the brawl. He definitely needed to get some money for some knew clothes.

Gale was actually in the tree today because he felt like it. So what? It was calmer up here then it was on the ground with people glancing over your shoulder and almost tripping over you and stuff. Besides, it wasn't anyone's business to be asking unless for some reason they bought the tree or something. Not likely though. He didn't think even the richest people in Zeltiva (the people who buy things like money grew on trees even though they have no real use for it) would buy a random old, small willow tree. Unless the wanted to cut it down or something but-

Someone called up to him asking a question. Gale blinked, startled for a moment, being so caught up in his drawing and thoughts. He forgot that people were still walking by. He looked down at the man by tilting his head away from his paper.

"Drawing. Why do you ask?" Gale questioned.

It wasn't uncommon for people to ask what he was doing but it still made Gale slightly curious as to how he even saw him in the Willow tree. Unless he watched him climb in it about a half a bell ago.

OOCI didn't find a Floral list for Zeltiva so I just inserted a random tree.

[Leigo]

Shaking off the primary motivator of coming up there and whooping the man’s behind, Leigo would reply to the man’s curtness with a nod. It wasn’t really that either of them was angry, but clawing words out of someone was always irritating, especially when you were in pain like Leigo was. “Well, you’re here often” and then he’d turn around and look at the distant and some not so, passerby “People are starting to get suspicious. Besides, the real question remains – what’s it to you?” he meant the tree of course, but his finger would still point to the roots in case this was one of those slower fellows. “In any case, I’m Leigo… what’re you drawing anyway?” it just so happened that he needed something sketched for him. Perhaps even this freak could do it – provided he wanted to leave his silly tree for a few dozen chimes.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale listened with some interest at the most to the man below. Watching the picture starting to come together for a picture of a person, not specifically Hana though, Gale felt like he was getting there though. Since he was watching his drawing take shape, he didn't see the man named Leigo gesture to the tree. Being bombarded with questions and information as it seemed since he was sort of distracted, Gale said before he could continue on with the questions.

"Whoa, one question at a time. I can't very well answer them all if you continue to ask so many." Gale said, finally sparring Leigo a glance. "Anyway, Leigo, I don't see why anyone would be suspicious of me coming here. I've been doing it for years." Gale waved his hand as if to emphasize it, with the charcoal in his hand. "Besides, I haven't done anything wrong. It's not like I'm some sort of criminal that everyone should be wary of. I'm just another guy minding his own business, as I suggest you doing one of these days." He looked back at his paper as if to end the discussion before pondering over his last question. "Why do you want to know what I'm drawing anyway?" His beaten body was showing in the irritated tone of the lonely young man's tone.

[Leigo]

Rising up an eyebrow at the stranger’s disconcerting response, Leigo wouldn’t do much to allow anyone noticing his confusion. Sure it was unexpected for someone to be so shaken up but then agai… was that a bruise on his face? All of a sudden feeling some sort of a connection to the man, the blond would grab his abdomen slightly as if to remind himself the rib was still hurt. “I don’t know if you’re usually this charming” the boy would begin, slightly provoked “But I so happen to have a job for someone able when it comes to drawing. So I’ll ask again, could I please see what you’re drawing?” still semi-polite, he wouldn’t be thrown off so easily. Yet if it wasn’t for a certain project he wanted done, this tree hugger would be but a distant memory at this point.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale looked down at Leigo again curiously. He needed someone to draw something? Maybe he could finally get some mizas to pay the bills. With a huff, Gale closes his book in case he dropped it on the way down so it didn't ruin any of his or Hana's precious pictures. Even though Hana's weren't any good he still treasured them like someone would a picture painted of them.

Gale grunted as he pushed himself up off the branch and on his feet. His posterior was glad for that. Looking down at the ground, Gale looked at Leigo, holding the tree trunk with one hand so he didn't fall . "Hope you're a good catch." Gale tossed down the book to him.

Not looking to see if it was caught, the heartbroken artist looked at the trunk for a way down. It wasn't much of a fall from the branch he was on but it was a fall and he had done plenty of that recently. Quickly finding no other solution, and letting out a sigh, Gale sat back down on the branch, both legs hanging in the same direction this time. Using all the strength the slim man had, he flipped over, gripping the branch, and lowering himself closer to the dirt below. But being so sore didn't help and his bruised fingers forced themselves to let go, letting Gale land on his feet but then falling back again with an oof. Shyke. What is it with him and falling? Gale stood up with a soft groan of effort and brushed the dirt away from his already brown pants.

[Leigo]

Leigo would catch the man’s seeming livelihood. There was no point in offending the man he potentially needed, and besides, he was genuinely curious. Interest being in the man’s work and not the man himself, the boy would open up the notebook. Only Gale knew what he’d see in there however. Perhaps a bit too curious, he’d ask something unorthodox. There seemed to be a lot of drawings, or well, attempts of a certain girl. This seemed weird to the blond. Was he a creep of some sort, observing a certain lady from afar, or was it actually more down to earth and personal? “So who’s she?” was his question. Surely he already knew he’d hire the man, but perhaps the stranger would act better and sate his curiosity for the time being if he withheld that information.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

After brushing himself off, and straightening his sore body, Gale look at Leigo look at his recent attempt to draw his wife. At least he didn't mistake the flowers (pretty horrible looking actually) to be his. Even though later in his book he did draw a fewof his own. When the blonde asked who is she Gale blinked, and started to stutter.

"Uuuuh." He cleared his throat, bringing a battered fist to his mouth before letting it back down. "That's my uh....That's my wife actually. Suppose to be anyway." Gale told him.

He wasn't sure if Leigo would believe him with his stutters but it was the truth. There was no point lying to a man who had a job he could do. It just happened to be the worst subject to talk about for Gale.

[Leigo]

Eyeing the stranger in slight surprise, he’d shrug mostly to himself. Closing the notebook, he’d hand it back to the man. So he had a wife? That was strange for a stuttering old wreck – Even stranger for the fact that this man spent half his days hugging a strange tree without seemingly any reason, but who was Leigo to know anyway? “She must really be something else, your wife” then an added thought to make it seem less creepy “I mean, not every girl would let you spend your days tending to a tree all alo…” but Leigo would never finish that sentence, as he could’ve easily guessed it sounded much too good to be true. They were either temporarily separated or it was a more permanent issue… either way, it was none of his business. Family thorn apart never made for good conversations. “In any case, you never did tell me your name” he’d extend his hand to the man in a greeting, but there wouldn’t be that added moment where he added his name, the stranger knew it already after all. Maybe something so mundane could get the man’s thoughts off the wicked wheel Leigo had put him on.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale gave a nervous smirk. Even though it was a bad subject about for Gale, when he is reminded about how beautiful she looked it never failed to bring a smile to his face,"Yeah. she was something." He said, mainly to himself even though he was looking at the man.

When Leigo offered a hand and asked him for a name, Gale looked at the hand before having his own connect with the strangers. "McCenry. You can just call me Gale though." He said