Empty Gold - {ryden}

6. Ambedo

6. ambedo (noun) a kind of melancholic trance in which you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details

Ryan stood outside of Brendon's office door nervously, his hands twisting and untwisting anxiously. He's seen the cliché movies and read the cliché books, and he's kind of hoping that this outcome could be the same, but at the same time, he really doesn't want to have to deal with something like that right now.

He let out a soft stream of air before knocking on the door in front of him, hearing a soft 'Come in,' before twisting the knob. "You wanted to see me?"

Brendon smiled softly and motioned for Ryan to come inside. "Close the door behind you, please?"

Ryan nodded, closing the door and going to sit in the chair across from Brendon's desk. "So," Ryan said, still internally shaking with nerves, "what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Brendon looked over Ryan for a moment before he handed him a flyer of some sort. NY Empire State Tattoo Expo, it read. He read it over a couple of times before looking up at Brendon. "Every year," Brendon started, "there's a tattoo convention held in New York City. Tattoo masters from all over the world gather to attend, even artists from shows like Ink Masters and LA Ink attend the conventions."

Ryan nodded as he listened to Brendon talk about the convention. It sounded like something that he only dreamed of. A whole convention dedicated to body art, attended by some of his favorite artists? Who came up with such a wonderful idea?

"I have a couple of friends who are going to have booths at the convention," Brendon continued, watching Ryan nod gently. "I will be having my own booth at the convention as well."

Ryan's eyes went wide as he gaped at Brendon. You'd have to be a very well renown tattoo artist to have a booth at such a large tattoo convention that will be visited by hundreds - maybe thousands - of people in the heart of New York City. Maybe he wasn't giving Brendon enough credit as an artist.

"Every year I go to the convention, someone runs the shop in my absence," he said softly. "Last year it was Sarah, and the year before that it was Dallon. This will be my third year of attending the convention, and I'll have to chose someone to watch the shop for me."

Ryan started piecing things together. "You want me to run the shop while you're gone?"

Brendon laughed a small but hearty laugh as he smiled brightly at Ryan. "No, not quite," he said softly. "I was thinking Patty. He would generate a lot of business, and he needs to start having more responsibility. He's one of my favorite employees."

Ryan felt himself deflate just a little bit, but he nodded slightly. "Okay, so," he said, sounding a bit unsure, "what it is you want from me?"

Brendon smiled a secretive kind of smile before shrugging his shoulders gently. "I want you to accompany me to the convention."

Ryan nearly choked on his own breath. "Excuse me?"

Brendon nodded. "I would like you to come to New York to the convention with me," he repeated.

"No, no," Ryan started, holding a hand out gently, "I heard you perfectly well. Why - why - do you want me to go with you? I kind of officially just started apprenticing for you today, and --"

"And you're learning well, getting along with the other employees and already making a mark for yourself as an artist in my shop," Brendon cut in, looking at Ryan with serious eyes. "You need to stop being so modest. You have incredible talent, something that some of the artists here had to work for for months, even years, after they started working here. Did you know that Tyler couldn't do illustrative tattoo work until about five months ago, and now that's what he's best known for? Or that Patty couldn't tattoo a straight line to save his life until about three months after apprenticing directly under me? There's things that you can do naturally that these artists had to practice and practice and practice on for a long time. I want you to come to this convention with me because I want you to see other artists who have that same natural and raw talent that you have, and see what makes them - and you - so unique."

Ryan looked at Brendon with slightly wide, soft eyes. He'd never had someone say something so nice and real to him about his work, and he sort of felt out of his element. He's not used to such praise from someone like Brendon, and he's definitely not used to someone being so sincere when they do praise him. He looked up to see Brendon looking at him with soft eyes and a soft smile, and he returned it as Brendon spoke once again, putting his hand out. "What do you say, Ryan Ross?"

Ryan smiled a bit wider and he set the flyer down on the desk and reached forward to take Brendon's hand in his, shaking it gently. "I'm in."

* * *

"New York City!?" Z chimed loudly through the receiver as Ryan laughed gently. "Ry, this is absolutely huge!"

"I know, I almost can't believe it," he responded as he grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge and walked over to the couch. "Like, I'm just waiting for something to come flying out of the sky and just crush me, y'know? You know, better than anyone, that good things like this don't happen to me. What is happening to me, Z?"

Z laughed on the other end of the phone as Ryan took a drink from the bottle. "Maybe this is the universe apologizing for how shitty she treated you most of your life," she said seriously with a hint of amusement in her voice, making Ryan laugh. "Ry, this is so good for you. Your boss man thinks you're good enough to go to New York for a tattoo convention. Someone is finally noticing your talent, and that's amazing."

Ryan smiled softly to himself. "I miss you, y'know?"

Z sighed softly. "I miss you, too," she said quietly. "It feels weird not having a scrawny little gay boy I can drag around with me all the time."

"Gabe literally lives right down the street from you, Elizabeth," Ryan said with a small, playful bite to his voice.

"I'll tell him you said hi," she responded with a light laugh.

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "I've gotta get to sleep. Brendon gave me the keys to open the shop tomorrow, but I want to be there really early and try to get some new sketches in and stuff."

"Say no more," Z said happily. "Go, my son. Go decorate the world, cover it with your ambiguity."

"What are you even on about?"

"I don't know," she said with a laugh. "I'm tired. Goodnight, Ry. Love you."

"Love you, too," he responded before hanging up the phone. He hadn't stopped smiling since his meeting with Brendon earlier, and he knew he probably wouldn't hide his excitement very well for the next few days. He finished the bottle of water and trashed it before trudging down the hall to his room, where he kicked his shoes and jeans off before plopping into bed. He immediately covered himself with his blankets, another soft smile gracing his lips before he allowed his tiredness to catch up with him, a different smile filtering into his thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.