----ZEKE---
“Hm? The chellix? You had it on your homeplanet? Damn, I thought this shit was invented here for students,” Zeke mused, itching just at the base of one of his his horns. “Yeah, if you can get it sent here, it'd be a lot easier than going all the way to the Daisy District. I usually buy in bulk for that reason, but fuck, getting it back is a pain in the ass.” He shrugged. He could never ask his parents to send the shit. Of course, he knew they both were on it, they had to be, but there was no way their little boy could be. Instead, he'd resorted to buying from a scary looking economics major.
It wasn't her species that was creepy, far from it, it was her. She had this cold way of addressing everything; her voice was mechanical, her small movements calculated and methodical. He shivered thinking about her. With a different personality, she would have been quite attractive to most, but as it stood, she appeared to not want any romantic attention, or even forge friendships. Theirs was a simple customer supplier relationship, and Zeke was happy to keep it at that.
He leaned forward, wrapping his hands around his cup as if warming them and grinned, “Actually, that's one of the theories. Their religions started that way, ehm, mostly anyway. Their language would eventually evolve to incorporate those things, but by the time they have set definitions they're already so engrained in a culture that they can't be rid of. Of course, there was massive prejudice against any mind altering drugs in some cultures, while still managing to be extremely prevalent. It's crazy.”
He pointed his finger at Meeqa as she made a point that he liked, “No, no, it's not silly. It makes sense. That, and think about it, we make the drugs to suit our needs, right? This uh..chellix.. is great for study and...just uh...general wakefulness if that makes sense? And look who it is that's using it. Students. Party-goers. There's a drug for every kind of person. No wonder that economics major is loaded.” He shrugged. It wasn't spending money on it that bothered him; obviously he could afford it, it was only the trip, but he could see why others would be interested in it.
“Ah, well, those pictures are at home, but I'd be happy to show you!”
---MAGALI---
Magali blinked. She wasn't alone! But then, they were working. There was a high possibility that they weren't students. “Are they dancers or...or...” She couldn't bring herself to say the word escort. She shook her head attempting to chase the thought away, “I'd...I'd love to meet them! You'll have to tell me when you work so I can watch you dance! If you're going to school for it, you must be really good!” Magali changed the subject as quickly as she could, happy to divert attention to her companion rather than herself. Her words, however, weren't empty. If simply watching Meeqa walk through life wasn't mesmerizing enough, the woman was a dancer on top of it.
Magali's breath caught in her throat as she took in all the art. All different styles surrounded her, and this was only the entrance. She could only dream of having her art featured here. The smell of paint was one that was all too familiar to her, and one that she'd grown to associate with comfort. As tempting as it was to breathe in deep, she knew what smelling too much of the stuff did, so she refrained. “This...this is lovely,” the felis breathed.
She wanted to sit and watch the various artists with their projects but decided that would be weird. It was only to easy to imagine herself set up here, steadily working on her own projects, projects that would eventually be turned in for a grade. “This is better than anything I could have imagined,” she whispered to Meeqa, afraid that being loud would ruin the sacrality of the moment. The sight made her want to turn around immediately to grab her own art supplies. “Thank you for showing me this place...”
She wanted to see everything there was, and this was an amazing start. To think that she'd be spending most of her days in a place so splendid! In her excitement, she had to refrain from giving her friend's hand a happy squeeze, so she quickly clasped her own haneds together. “Oh, I want to grab my supplies!”