<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/d/d9/Alexandervalentinepushe.png)</div><br/><hr/><strong>Name:</strong>Alexander Valentine<br/><strong>Faction:</strong>None<br/><strong>Date:</strong>December 20th, 1875<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Late Evening<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Future Site of Valentine's Oddities - Second Floor Workshop<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Closed<br/><hr/><br/><br/><br/>The scratching of Alex's charcoal pencil against parchment joined in with the cacophony of odd noises that filled his second floor's workshop and made it feel as if the room was alive, while a nearby candle provided him with some warmth for the cool winter night and cast little light about the room. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was more than enough for him to see by without wasting too many of his supplies and he wasn't really cold enough to burn another. Life was harder here than it was back East, but Alex was slowly starting to adjust to things and it would only get better (hopefully) when his shop was opened.<br/><br/>Or, maybe, when he stopped spending his money so frivolously. An example being what he spent on the prostitute that was sitting prettily on his bed as instructed, her agitation clearly growing the more he had insisted that she stopped her damned fidgeting and posed as requested. She was only there for that reason and nothing more, because sketching was the best way for Alex to get his creative juices flowing after having hit a roadblock on one of his inventions earlier in the day. Funnily enough, the brunette was the one who propositioned him this evening, but she probably hadn't expected the night to go the way it had. And while Alex wouldn't have minded taking her up on her original offer, the brunette's body sparked his creative muse in a way that it may have lit another man's lust and he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to sketch it.<br/><br/>"Can I a'least look a'it when yer done?" the brunette asked. She had a name, but it - like most others - escaped him at the moment. Alex scowled in response as his eyes lifted from the parchment and let them rove over her form, admiring her curves with an artistic eye and how her curly hair flowed over her shoulders only to pool at her waist. However, her hips were a bit lacking, her breasts a bit small and her shoulders were a touch too broad, so Alex figured her to having grown up accustom to hard labor rather than cashing in on her looks. It had also been clear in her tone and how she kept fidgeting that she was new to the work and still felt a bit awkward about being naked, since a more skilled woman in her profession would have been more used to a man's gaze. Or held less - or more depending on her clientèle - disdain in her eyes. Hell, if it wasn't for what she was wearing or the softness of her voice when she first approached him, Alex would have figured her as a boy if she wore trousers in place of a corset and stocking and put her hair up under a hat. But Alex didn't dare puzzle out why she did what she did, because it wasn't really any of his business. Nor did he want it to be.<br/><br/>"Maybe," was all he offered as his hand moved to hover over another part of the paper and frowned. She was sitting sideways and facing slightly away from him at the moment with her legs tucked under her and slouching forward, but he had finished those sketches of her and tried to think of a new position to observe. It wasn't often that he got to study human anatomy outside of figures in a book, and looking at cadavers wasn't as much fun because it was difficult to manipulate them once rigor mortis set in. And while Alex could guess at the build of others by looking at them with their clothes on, his margin of accurately picturing how they looked was fairly low. So having paid someone to pose for him - even if the original offer was sex - seemed pretty well worth it if it helped broaden his field of knowledge. "Face me, spread your legs slightly and lean backwards, jutting your chest out as much as you can," he ordered calmly and waited for her to comply. There was hesitation in her movements now, but Alex hardly seemed to mind as he continued to assess her. He was set on finishing a few more sketches, but he was probably pushing the limits of what he paid her. One more and then he'd send her on her way.<br/><br/>When she finally turned to face him fully, the first thing that Alex noticed was the slight flush in her cheeks that betrayed her professionalism and shamelessly displayed her inexperience, but it was worth a murmured compliment if anything for her having boldly come this far. Next, Alex noticed that the chill in the room had brought her darkened nipples to a taut pertness which almost seemed painful, and that her stomach was tight as well. The position that he asked her to sit in showcased her ribs - or most of them - and much more, but he tried to push any physical interest he might have in her away so that he could focus on the task at hand. Finally, Alex noted what would have probably been his undoing, but the shadow play of the burning candle shaded most of her sex and the brunette hadn't spread her legs far enough apart to fully expose herself.<br/><br/>"Do you have any siblings?" Alex asked suddenly, mostly in hopes of shifting his thoughts away from her petite form and his desires by changing a bulk of his focus and introducing a different set of stimuli for his mind to entertain. He didn't exactly have enough money to spare on another night like this, so he wouldn't waste what he paid by ending it before he could finish his sketches.<br/><br/>"What?"<br/><br/>"Siblings. You know... small human children that you share common blood with," he answered lamely, drawing a bell like laugh from the girl. He felt his frown slip away, along with a small shred of his lust, but it still wasn't enough.<br/><br/>"No. I know what siblin's are. Just... surprised that ya'd ask<em>that</em>is all. Why?"<br/><br/>Alex gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and scowled as he felt his face heat slightly. He tried to school his features with his tin man expression, but found some difficulties in doing so. "Curiosity got the better of me. I have two sisters myself and haven't figured out what to get them for Christmas yet. I figured that I should still send something back home for them despite them telling me not to, even if they got there late, but I haven't puzzled out what that<em>what</em>is exactly. Have any ideas?"<br/><br/>A sigh sounded from where the brunette was and Alex arched an eyebrow in her direction. She wasn't posing anymore, but he had already seen enough to remember what she looked like and could finish the sketch from memory if he wanted too. Her expression had turned quizzical as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face before big brown eyes met his again. She sprawled forward on the bed and stretched out before like a cat, propping her head up with her hand and went about watching him as he had her. "Ain't got no siblings, but I was young not too long ago myself. Didn't get much gifts I'm afraid, on account of being poor, but have ya ever thought about goin' back for a'visit?"<br/><br/>"That's... difficult," Alex responded and it was his turn to sigh. His circumstances weren't something he ever talked to anyone about, not here in Gomorra at least, and it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have right now either. Not here. And definitely not with someone he barely knew. "I've entertained the thought, but I can't go back yet. I don't have the money," he half lied.<br/><br/>"But ya can afford someone like me?" she asked and Alex grimaced. Her retort stung a little, but it also exposed his lie. He shrugged only because he was poor at spinning lies and turned to pack up his sketches. When he didn't offer a better explanation, the girl spoke again with a light tease,"What 'bout a'pony? Little girls love those." He already lied and said he couldn't afford a train ticket, so she most likely knew there was no way he could afford a horse.<br/><br/>"What? Did you want one when you were younger?" he asked around a rough laugh as he played along and pretended to entertain the thought. It wasn't often that he enjoyed the company of another, but there were a few things that could only be obtained from interacting with people. Well, less than a few if anyone ever perfected a machine for a man that took the place of needing another to receive pleasure while still leaving vital body parts unmangled.<br/><br/>The brunette gave a shake of her head and smiled at him, her uneasiness from being nude seeming to melt away the longer he engaged her in conversation. Perhaps her brain was digesting the new stimuli as well. "Had one, but she was my Pa's. Died kinda young," she trailed off sadly, "Figure she worked too hard." Swallowing hard and blinking her eyes a few times, she rolled onto her back and focused intently on the ceiling. Her knee bent as she lifted them and hooked one over the other which unfortunately drew Alex's attention back to her body and the neatly trimmed patch of hair near the bottom of her smooth belly. Unless, of course, she had planned on it. If so, maybe she was more cunning than he had originally pegged her for. "What about a'doll?" she asked, craning her head backwards to better glance at him.<br/><br/>"They already have too many I fear. Our mother would probably explode if I sent them any more. Although I doubt that would be a bad thing," he said after a small bout of chuckling. She'd probably have the nanny toss out a few, or give them to her for her own kids. But Alex wanted to get his sisters something special. Since a train ride back to New York was out of the question, he was still coming up short despite having a pretty soundboard to bounce ideas off of.<br/><br/>"How 'bout we clear that head of yers then? Might help ya think of somethin' to get them," she purred softly when she rolled back onto her stomach and slipped off the bed. Even though he was grimacing again, Alex let her approach and undo the snaps of his suspenders. If he was going to be honest with himself, Alex had already fallen victim to his desires when she had first undressed and he took in her form. But maybe she had a point. He already knew enough of her body to finish the sketches whenever he wanted, so this was nothing more than moving from one way of clearing his mind to another. So he let her help him out of his shirt before taking over from there and carrying her to the bed. The candle had been blown out by then, but its flame was no longer needed for its light or its warmth. The rest of the night would take care of that and more.