There are times when I am convinced I am unfit for any human relationship.
Franz Kafka
danmarks-styrke asked:
"Hey, hey Wim--" Mathias is smiling as he leans over his friend's shoulder. "Long time no see. Where'd y'go, hmmmm?"
“I got a new cat, and her first act as Princess of the Household was to knock a vase full of freshly picked tulips off of my dining table. Now all the animals are in full riot mode. Even the rabbit is being a punk.”
“Creating.” He looks up from his phone at his friend. “And hiring a couple accomplished baristas, but the creating is the important part. Art is life.”
[They’re looking him dead in the eye, holding a perfectly pink piggy bank above their head. The threat is real and it stands before him, unstoppable]
It’s about the satisfaction of the smash, bro. The smash.
Then spend a couple euro and buy a cheap vase from IKEA! Those deserve to be smashed, have you seen them? What did that poor piggy do to you, besides keep your money safe? Nothing. [ he stares back at them, squinting ] Don’t do it.
[Saima hums in thought a little bit as they take it in.] I don’t think it feels circus-y but if you want to slowly over time adjust the color depending on how people respond to it, that seems find.
[They step to the counter and idly run their hand over it.]
It’s always very peculiar to cross that line from imagination to reality. Almost uncanny even - but it’s here. [A small smile directed his way.]
Oh sure, if I can get a coffee with some cream on the side, that would be good.
Excellent choice. I’ve got a blonde roast that is surprisingly much better than I thought it’d be. [ for too long he had been stuck on the same old dark roast. Decades, in fact. He really was quite bad about trying new things. ] Anyways, I don’t really think there will be much in the way of changing the colors in here with how colorful the mural is already. I suppose we’ll see. Feel free to explore, though. [ he’s measured out some beans and the grinder goes whirrrr ]
I know that you may be unaware, but someone needs to raise awareness to the fact that countless beautiful sculpted coinbanks get smashed every year and I have nominated myself for that position. This is violent and uncalled for. Most of those banks have plugs on the bottom to remove money! Is it the quickest way to access your funds? Hell no, but why would you destroy a perfectly good container for your money? [ why is this the hill he chose to die on? who knows! he doesn’t. ]
[ snickers, giving his side a gentle jab ] You bet. Ya always do such a fantastic job painting. I’m sure if this is “mediocre” [ air quotes ], then inside must be absolutely marvelous.
Anyone else seen it yet or am I just that lucky?
The mural? Hm…. a few people have seen it, but they were the people delivering the tables and equipment. So no one that really mattered. [ he shrugs and lets them in, turning off the alarm]
I don’t remember the last like. Three hours of painting this, if I’m being honest, but I like the way it turned out anyways. Perhaps now that everything’s done, I can break in one of these chairs and pop open something good to drink. [ the mural is very colorful, with a variety of different blooms and a cup that appears to be spilling coffee painted directly onto the brick ]
[They give a small nod understanding how it would be a risk either way.]
As you wish.
[Saima follows behind him inside the building before taking a good look at the insides. The seating, tables, floral arrangements with brews and buds all seemed quite wonderful. The sheer amount of color and detail inspires a warm smile from them.]
It is pretty colorful. But I think it really works with all the color. Makes it a place that people would want to be in regularly.
[ Wim sighs and rubs the back of his head ] Honestly, it’s probably too much, but I’d have no idea where to even start if I was to try to reduce the color. It’s not just a coffee shop, but I’m worried it feels too…. circus-y.
[ he slides behind the counter and runs his fingers across some of the equipment ] It’s weird to see what I pictured in my head become reality like this. I’m an artist, so it shouldn’t feel so alien. But it does. Can I get you something to drink?
[ He nudges him gently and offers a small smile to his brother.]
Wim, It looks great. You should be proud of yourself. I’m glad you finally got it. I know you’d been talking about this for awhile.
It all sounds so great when I say it out loud to other people, but in practice it’s gonna be a train wreck. I can feel it in my bones. [ perhaps his bones are not the most reliable thing to trust when it comes to things like this, but that is neither here nor there ] It better look great though, for the money I put into it and the time I spent painting it. At least they’ll say I went out with style.
[ he pauses, purses his lips, and then looks at his brother, lips still pursed ] … You want some coffee?
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