Rogue, Jessica and Namor -- Art Class

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Rogue, Jessica and Namor attempt sculpture...abstract style.

It was about time that Jessica and Namor put their differences aside. Meddling, once more, Rogue had invited them both to come for a session on sculpture.

She had to admit, she was surprised when they both said yes but she took it in stride.

She could be very persuasive when she wanted to be.
When they arrived in the studio, they'd see the easles off to one corner, a beat up old table in the middle, three chairs and three blocks of modelling clay. Rogue would be at the table, already playing with her clay.

Namor was the first to arrive. His arrival through the lakehouse door was quiet, and he neatly piled all of his school materials in a near row before taking in the surroundings.

He frowned Frown #47: the hesitantly judgmental frown reserved for things that could mess up expensive clothing. "I need to know how messy this experiment may get," he announced by way of greeting.

Jessica landed just outside the lake house with a silent thump. She didn't know how on board she was about this whole "making up with Namor thing" but she figured Rogue wouldn't meddle without good intentions and that she was more of a royal bitch than usual when it came to the Inhuman royal pain in her ass. She sighed, shrugging out of her jacket as she passed through the door. Namor stood in front of her, saying something to Rogue that she couldn't quite catch over the rustle of her clothing. She'd come prepared to get messy and was dressed in a plain white beater and ripped jeans.

"Hey, Rogue, I'm ready to get down and make some art! Namor." She greeted with the slightest nod and narrowing of her dull brown orbs.
Rogue ignored the glares, and proceeded to answer Namor's question. "It's going to get messy, sugar. If you feel the need to take off your shift, I can turn up the heat....or give you a smock." She pointed to his chair where there was indeed a smock on the seat. "Same as for you, Jess."

Putting aside her sculpture, she brushed her hair back, some clay smudging on her face. "I thought we'd start with clay, because it's the most versatile, and you need zero experience for it. Sometimes, people can't figure out what to paint, or what they should do with it. So. This is what I want to see. I'm gonna turn on some music, y'all are gonna close your eyes, and you're just gonna move the clay. No peekin'. Just move it around. And when you think you're done with it, then stop. That's it. Sound good?"

Namor considered the many good reasons to make a mess, but instead he started to unbutton his shirt. "A smock would be sufficient. Miss Jones, I trust that your classes are going well?"

His small talk had the temperature of ice, but it was an effort.
Jessica thanked Rogue quietly as she took the smock from her and pulled it over her head, wrapping her hair up in a messy bun as she did so.

"My apprenticeship is going well, yes. Thanks for asking. And how's...all that good stuff you do? Good?" She asked, cracking her knuckles loudly as she moved to sit at the table. She sat down, hard, and prepared herself to mold the shit out of the clay in front of her. A tornado of awkwardness and friction practically tore itself through the room as Jessica's fiery attitude collided with Namor's icy demeanor. The young woman almost felt bad for Rogue for having to be there. Almost. It was her fault after all.

Rogue almost pointed out to Namor that she meant either or when it came to his shirt, but she may as well get something out of this session. Once they both started with the clay, Rogue did what she'd promised: music on, and everyone had to close their eyes. Occasionally she'd speak, remind them to feel the clay, to ignore their thoughts and go for whatever felt right. After about ten minutes, she told them to open their eyes.

"Namor, let's start with you. What did you make?"

"It is still a lump of clay."

Which, to his point, it didn't really resemble anything. His initial glob had gotten taller and there was the start of three points near the top, but it was a shape that wasn't aspiring to be much.

Rogue gave him a smile. "Remember, we talked about imagination needing to be exercised like a muscle?" She walked over to him and looked down at the sculpture. "I feel like this could be a triton, but something is holding you back from following through with that. Are you maybe missing home?"

He frowned a little deeper. "I try to avoid excessive sentimentality. Are you joking about my father?"

"Do you feel as if I'm making fun? I apologize if you do, as that wasn't my intention."

His gaze, hyper-focused, swiveled from his art to settle on the instructor. "Your apology is accepted. I will remind you, however, that the Agon family crest has nothing to do with the sea. That just happens to be my father's mutation."

"Fair enough," she said cheerfully. Today wasn't about working on Namor's issues with his father. "Jessica, what did you make?"

Jessica looked down at the lump of clay on the table. It had been shaped by her incredibly powerful hands into something vaguely resembling a diamond. She frowned. "I think its a vaguely diamond shaped lump. Whatever the hell that means," she replied.

"It can mean whatever you think it means. I can see that you clearly worked out some frustration on the clay. Namor, what do you think she made?"

Namor's answer was almost lazy. "A postmodern visualization of the human struggle for self-perfection in a world dominated by classless metaphor."

Jessica stared down at her lump of clay and then at Namor and then back to her clay. She tore a small piece off of it and weighed it in her hand. She seemed to think deeply about something for a moment before tossing it toward Namor. He was invulnerable, at least moderately so, so Jess didn't even feel bad about the extra "oomph" that she put into it. "The only classless thing here is your attitude. Where'd you leave your high horse Namor, I brought it a carrot." She added.

The man's attention was more on the clay that hit his smock more than Jess' prodding. He turned to Rogue, giving her a look that was part exasperation with a twist of impudence.

She really should've been the responsible adult. The one to glare at Jess, or explain that that was inappropriate, or whatever. Instead, she killed herself laughing. "What the heck? High horse? Clay? Holy shit, Jess, I didn't know you was 5 years old. Seriously?" She picked up a piece of clay herself, and threw it at Jessica, aiming for the side of her head. "Grow up!"

Jessica opened her mouth in mock offense as the clay collided with the side of her head.

"Me? Girl, you are on!" Jessica cried as she picked up a piece of clay and rose into the air, lobbing it air style toward the other two people in the room. She threw back her head and laughed. It'd been a while since she'd done something so juvenile, and it felt good.

Namor's look of aghast shock at the sheer immaturity being displayed by adults quickly grew to petulance. Still, it wasn't often you had mud slinging between three flying, super-strong, and various levels of invulnerable adults.

"You two should be ashamed." Still, he returned fire.

A glop of clay hit Rogue squarely on the head. "Now which one of you two did that," she laughed, her hands in front of her face. The art room was quickly turning into a disaster.

Go big or go home, right? Grabbing the water pot she'd set on the table to clean their hands off, she shrugged and tossed it in Jessica and Namor's general direction.

Jessica willed herself to rise as the water came her way, but she wasn't quite quick enough. Her lower half was drenched, but she found herself laughing as she snatched up a lump of clay and rolled it along the damp areas of her clothes. With a wicked glint in her eye she tossed it, fastball style, toward Rogue.

"And Jessica comes in with the revenge pitch!" She called, still laughing.

Rogue stepped back a bit, and watched the two of them, happily slinging clay and water between the other. Maybe there was some hope there, she thought, ducking a piece of clay, and emptying a pot of paint in the process towards Namor.

It would take hours to clean the art room, but it would be worth it.