Soren had learned not to care about what other people thought of him. He was no typical neighborhood boy, what with his love for art and swordsmanship. Most of his peers were typical sports athletes, proud of their skill and prowess. Soren didn't have much interest in those kinds of sports.

He sat there in his usual place in the local market square, surrounded by his paintings, waiting for customers to even take a glance at him.

The boy didn't go unnoticed for too long, however. Eventually a newcomer to the town walked through the markets, smiling brightly and looking around at all the stalls, not buying most of the knick-knacks but always at least being polite about looking.

It didn't really seem genuine until he stopped in front of the boy's paintings, adjusting his glasses slightly the pictures better. "This is very good art... did you happen to do this yourself, or are you just selling them?"

"Done myself," the boy said quietly, a small smile of embarrassment on his lips. "I'm glad you like them."

There was quite a variety of displays, ranging from watercolored landscapes and horizons to portraits of famous people.

The man spent some time walking back and forth in front of the paintings, as if studying each one carefully for every nuance of meaning he could draw from them. Finally, he stepped back to appraise each of them before settling on one watercolour that depicted the landscape nearby.

"How much for that one?" he asked, digging around in his pockets for money.

Soren looked at the landscape painting and examined it. "This one? This is about $20," he said.

"Wow, that's a bargain for something like that..." The man grinned, but then it quickly faded as he frantically checked all his pockets. "That is... assuming I can find my wallet..."

A little more checking left him with a stunned expression. "I can't have left it anywhere, surely not... oh hell..."

A voice casually pipes up from behind the gentlemen, feminine but with the hint of a hard edge. 'Dropped this a bit back, your not an easy guy to catch up with in a crowd you know'.

Jaz stands, faded black jeans and blank shirt with a familiar wallet in hand, her other arm absently slung into her pocket. 'Should keep better track of your belongings, 'ya know?'

With a faint smirk, the young woman extends the wallet to the man.

With a huge sigh of relief, the man takes the wallet. "Oh, thank you so much... where did you find it?" He quickly fumbled through it and dug up the required money, handing it to the young artist before looking at the painting once more, pondering how to get it out of there.

"Hmm, this could be problematic." He kept glancing between both the boy and the woman, though seemed to be more focused on his new predicament.

Tongue half in cheek, the woman comes to the gentleman's rescue a second time for the day. 'You know, it's quite a large painting that one, perhaps you'd let me carry it back to wherever it is your staying and then buy me a drink, we could chat about how your going to pay me back for finding your lives savings there'

Pausing for a moment and flashing a pretty dazzling toothy lopsided grin, Jaz has an idea. 'Actually, I think I know how you could repay me...'

A quick glance at Soren and the deed is said, 'You take commissions squirt?'

"Aye," Soren said naiively. "That I do."

Another quick grin at the younger lad and Jaz pushes the idea home. 'I don't suppose you'd be willing to paint a portrait of myself, and my new friend and your customer here? I'd be willing to pay you a premium of course, as I understand it'd probably take you most of the day...'

"Well, I would welcome the money," Soren said mildy. "We'll see how long it can take me to do something like that."

He was already examining his subjects and thinking of backgrounds to put behind them. A moment later, he was taking out a new canvas to put on his easel.

"Um, hold on now..." The man - who was called Casey, though neither knew it at this point - was blinking repeatedly and looking between the two. He had only meant to pass through the town, and yet he'd gotten distracted by the art... now if he was to keep it, he'd likely be staying here for a time before thumbing a ride to his next destination.

Still, it didn't seem like there'd be any way around it. The girl had saved his butt already, so it would be bad of him not to repay her somehow. If this was what it took, then so be it.

"...eh, what the hell. You only live once..." He shrugged, all smiles again.

Soren had already begun to paint the two, his quick hands smoothly gliding this way and that. A stroke of flesh here, a dab of hair there. At the speed he was painting, it seemed as if he would finish within the hour, rather than within the day.

A sly and mischievous grin, a wink at Soren and Jaz leaps into Casey's arms forcing him to stumble slightly to catch her. 'You can't just stand there for a painting ya know' she smirks.

Soren grinned, his hand continuing that skill of painting that had become his instinct. "Oh, don't worry. I was not painting you in the positions that you were in."

Casey yelped slightly as he caught the young woman, precariously managing to hold her and himself in place. He blinked at Soren's comment, then looked back to Jaz. "Um, so is this necessary then?" He looked just a little flushed.

Feigning a pout Jaz laughs, making no move to stand on her own 'Well, I guess it isn't, although at least we now know that your quick on your feet, think you can hold me up for as long as it takes the kid to paint?'

"It's okay," Soren said, grinning. "I'm already almost done."

"Huh... if I hadn't seen your stuff already, I'd accuse you of rushing and doing a terrible job." Casey was holding Jaz well enough for the time being, though he didn't seem to be the strongest guy around.

"Seriously, though... may I ask *why* you wanted a painting done with me?" He looked at the woman in his arms curiously.