Saltwater & Ink

32. Exhibition *temet nosce te ipsum*

   The museum space was dimly lit by several LED lights running along the floor in parallel lines, refracting off of the oppressive dark red walls. Inky felt slightly nervous, glad for the glass of red wine she'd had before they arrived, and the two glasses of champagne she'd poached from the catering cart. It was strange, almost surreal to see her paintings and sculptures displayed in the room, a black and white photograph that Thorn had taken of her framed in the middle of her artwork.
I'm so damn nervous, she thought, taking another drink of her half-finished champagne. Her mind was racing, the sparkling wine making her blood feel carbonated. Thorn stood quietly observant in a dark corner of the room, drinking undiluted gin out of the silver flask he usually carried with him. "Are you ready to start the show?" he asked softly, staring intently at her. Inky blushed, trying not to outwardly appear as awkward as she felt on the inside. There were so many people in the museum- and they were all here to see her art.
   Inky awkwardly adjusted the strap of her long burgundy and red dress, feeling overly formal and yet out of place. "I don't feel like myself," she answered softly, trying to muster up a shred of self-confidence so she could start the show. She finished the glass of champagne, setting it aside and peeking out from behind the black velvet curtains. "Maybe you're just a different version of yourself," Thorn replied, walking across the room to her. Inky smiled nervously at him, fidgeting with the two red ribbons around her wrist. There was still a faint bruise visible from the sleep paralysis episode, and she remembered the next day, how supportive he'd been of her artwork- and how he had set the show up just for her. This was something that she'd wanted to do for over a year- why the hell was she so nervous?
   Inky shook her head, trying to rid herself of any feelings of self-doubt and criticism. She looked around the room again, her artwork on display. Is this- stage fright? she thought, almost laughing at the idea. She remembered the first night she'd seen Thorn- on the stage at Tapestry, his dark performance art piece- how confident and self-assured he had seemed, even darkly arrogant- and yet he'd told her that the whole night, he hadn't wanted to be there, that it was all an act, and how full of rage he actually was, seeing the reactions of the audience members.
   Perhaps she would try to just pretend that it was just another job, block out any unwanted feelings, after all- these people didn't know her, would probably never see her again, and besides- who really gave a fuck if her art was a bit strange? The only person who she valued the opinion of was Thorn, and otherwise obviously he would never have set up the art exhibition, and she knew him well enough by now that he wouldn't lie to her- especially about this. Her mind drifted back to that first Artist's Night- what if she had been the one on the stage with Thorn, instead of Miranda? Would he have ended up killing her instead, or would she have perhaps prevented the deaths of her two associates?
   If he had introduced himself sooner- Inky decided that she would have worked with him- she'd already had to cut herself in the name of the Red Void- so how would being a part of the performance art be any different? Hell, it might have been easier if she wasn't the one inflicting damage upon herself- she always cut too deep, requiring stitches half of the time... Why am I thinking about this right now, Inky wondered, trying to compose her thoughts, suppress the dark contemplations. Thorn stood behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "You're going to do great- don't worry about everyone else- just pretend like nobody else is watching." Inky stood up straighter, realizing her posture was terrible, she didn't want to admit how self-conscious she was. Nobody else is watching... okay- easier said than done, she thought, turning slightly to face him, catching the look in his black eyes.
"What's wrong?" she almost whispered, feeling the familiar dread looming close nearby. Thorn looked at her in amusement. "Nothing's wrong, Inky. I was just- staring. Sorry," he said, though he didn't bother to look away. "Anyway- you look fucking amazing- red really is definitely your color- I mean, if I didn't already know you, I would be stalking you now for sure," he told her, and Inky couldn't tell whether or not he was being serious. It would be typical of him to joke about stalking her though... her face turned red at this strange and unexpected compliment, though she did feel less self-conscious now than she had a few minutes ago.
   It was almost 5:00, and her show would start at any minute now. The people were already patiently waiting outside, along with Thorn's boss, the art director- who Inky had yet to meet. Inky smiled slightly, turning around to face him. "Okay Mr. Stalker- are you going to be staring at me the whole time?" she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Thorn stared back at her, expression unchanging. "Of course," he answered seriously, holding Inky's hand. He leaned down to kiss her, and she could taste the gin, feel the warmth of his skin against hers, and her insecurities dissolved away. This is real, she reminded herself. We're real. Tonight I am going to show the audience- my reality. Minus the abomination, of course- that bastard is definitely not invited.
She looked up at Thorn, all traces of her previous nervousness gone now. "I think I'm ready to start the show now," she said, then quietly, "I don't mind if you watch- I like it..." Thorn smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really...I'll keep that in mind," he replied, staring back at Inky with a devious expression on his features. The black curtain opened, and Inky stepped out from the shadowy room to face the crowd. There was a sea of faces, all unfamiliar, but this time it did not bother her. "Hello- good evening. My name is Inky Delaney, and thank you all for coming to my first official art exhibition here at the museum," she began in a confident tone. She scanned the crowd, who all appeared excited to be there, to look at her artwork.
So far so good, she thought. The museum's art director nodded as she began to describe her pieces, her artistic process, and her job at the Gallery. At the end of her introductory speech, she thanked the audience for showing up, then glanced behind her to where Thorn was standing, dark eyes observant and watchful. "I would like to dedicate this art show to the museum's art curator, Thorn Keir- because without all of his hard work, I wouldn't be here tonight showing you all my art." Inky blushed slightly, feeling awkwardly formal again. Thorn stepped out from the hallway, looking mildly embarrassed as well. He introduced himself briefly, talked about how he'd met Inky- minus the whole Red Void (and stalking her) part- but some things were better left omitted. Inky finished her speech, and they walked into the back area with her artwork, as the crowd slowly filed in to get a better look at her art exhibit.
She apologized for the awkward part of her speech- "I didn't mean to put you on the spot or anything- but I felt that you deserve recognition as well," she explained. "Nobody's ever- dedicated an art show to me before," he said quietly. "Hell- you're the only one I've met who's even given me artwork, stayed around long enough to get to know me, I guess. Sorry- I'm not very good with words sometimes. You know- explaining things- feelings." He stood off to the side, inspecting one of her sculptures- the one created from a ship's wheel, so long ago now, it seemed. "So- you're not mad at me or anything?" Inky asked him tentatively. Thorn shook his head, laughing nervously. "Of course not- why would I be mad at you? I chose to be here, after all- I wanted to do this for you." He looked back at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "It's all for you, Inky. It always has been."
After everyone had left, several hours later, they stood quietly in the dark room together. Inky was starting to feel a bit drunk from all the champagne she'd consumed, light-headed but not at all nervous. Her artwork stared back at her from the museum walls, looking different, more real in this strange light. "I told you that everyone was going to like your work- and if anyone had said anything negative- well, they would have me to answer to," Thorn told her darkly, the implication of a violent act- even to protect her- making her shiver slightly. Oh, I know you would, Inky thought, meeting his eyes in the low light. She smiled darkly, knowing that he was serious about what he'd said. What's wrong with me? Inky wondered- before she would have been horrified if he'd implied murdering someone for the sake of defending her art. Is it bad that I wouldn't mind if you did kill someone again to protect me? That the thought of it- is a bit of a turn-on? Fuck, I'm definitely going to hell for thinking that- but we've already both been to hell- and now I know how to stop the Red Void...
They walked around the empty museum together, the rooms all quiet and still around them. "What would you think about having your work here as a permanent installation?" Thorn asked her, eyes serious in the low light of the museum hallway. Inky felt confused at first- did anyone really think that her artwork was good enough to have on display for more than the month it was supposed to be shown? Obviously Thorn thought so- otherwise he never would have asked her. "If that's what you think I should do," she answered quietly. "It's your decision, Inky. I can only give you suggestions. However- it is part of my job to add new art installations and exhibits to this place- and I've never seen anything like your work. It's a reflection of you- of your mind. I think you should say yes," he explained, taking her hand. 
   "All right," Inky agreed, a strange feeling coming over her mind. She had almost forgotten to tell him about her plan on defeating the Red Void, how to trap the abomination. Another thing that she'd wanted to bring up- the lease on her studio was almost up, and now she had the choice to leave that place- hell, she could even leave the Gallery and come work at the museum with him, as they'd originally planned before the Red Void incident. She'd been meaning to quit the Gallery job for a while, as Elder had taken over as the main proprietor following Cayson's murder, and did not seem to show any interest in her artwork at all.
   "I want to come work here with you," Inky told him, "My apartment lease is up at the end of the month- I was wondering- if I should move in with you," she said quickly, feeling the familiar self-doubt returning. What if he says no- what if he doesn't want to share his space with you? Her mind was trying to guilt-trip her again, thoughts a jumbled mess. Thorn looked at her, dark eyes serious. "Are you sure- I was actually going to ask you the same thing- but I didn't think you'd want to actually move in with me- especially into that building..." Inky stared back in disbelief- she didn't think that he'd actually agree with her, even after everything. "Of course I would, Thorn. It's just a building. It's where we first- I don't know, were properly introduced? I don't really care anymore what dark things took place there, because there's other things that happened there too..."
   She looked away, feeling her face grow hot. Her mind was replaying imagery of their first night together, out in the storm, the days she'd stayed there with him afterward, and she felt a strange emotion rising to the surface. "I'll talk to the art director about your new job tomorrow- we do need a person skilled in art restoration and history, and I can get you your own office here within a week," Thorn said. You're serious, aren't you? Inky thought, looking up at him. Fuck, this is all happening so fast- but I want this to happen- we have both been through hell this past year- and we've both been alone. Don't we deserve a chance at a real life, not doomed to be alone, plagued by the terrors of the Red Void? She knew that she wanted to start over again, once they were finally free from the ever-watchful abomination, perhaps they could live together free of pain, fear of the unknown. She wanted this more than anything.
   "I'll go anywhere with you. Remember that," Thorn told her, misreading her silence for apprehension. "I know," Inky replied, again feeling as if she might cry- this night was so perfect, but it seemed that whenever she got her hopes up, everything followed suit by crashing down around her in pieces. It was far easier to have no expectations, to plan for the worst possible outcome. That way she was never disappointed. This past year had been so painful without him there, that it had changed her mental processes in more ways than one. "Hey- don't cry. I'm not going to leave you again, I never wanted to," Thorn said, brushing away a tear that had slipped unknowingly down her cheek. Inky shook her head, feeling slightly embarrassed.
   Perhaps she was only crying because she'd had too much to drink- unfortunately alcohol sometimes brought out too much of her recently repressed empathy, along with the unavoidable depression that followed. No wonder Thorn had blocked off all emotions such a long time ago. It was far easier not to feel... He folded his arms around her, and she could feel his heartbeat, how real this moment was. "I can help you start to pack your things tomorrow," Thorn told her, his hands warm against her skin. There were no traces of deception in his voice. "I- don't know what to say. Yes. There's nothing I want more than to be with you," Inky replied shyly.
   Suddenly, the idea of stopping the abomination was on her mind, and she carefully explained what exactly it was they had to do. Thorn listened to her explanation in solemn silence, and when she was finished elaborating on her plan, he looked at her, surprised. "You know, I think that you're right. This time, I really think it's going to work," he said quietly, his hand holding onto hers tightly. "I sure as fuck hope so- it's the last thing I thought of- when we were down there in the dark," Inky replied.
   The next few days were spent packing up her art supplies and various items in her studio, the apartment seeming strangely bare once they were done. Inky drove out to the dark building that Thorn lived in, and they spent the rest of the day unpacking her things, setting up a new art studio area in one of the unused spare rooms. They had purposely left behind the sculpture of the abomination, it was all part of Inky's plan. How she prayed for it to work- she would be starting her new job next week, and had already given the Gallery her letter of resignation, writing a recommendation letter and thesis approval for the younger girl who was once her intern- Mikayla was her name. Mr. Elder seemed a bit reluctant to see her leave, but Inky felt that she hadn't been appreciated much during her tenure there, and now it was time to move on- to new beginnings.
   She had surpassed many of the difficulties and challenges that had been thrown her way, and even though she had dealt with some terrifying ordeals, she'd survived. Now all that was left was to trap the abomination, and Thorn was there for her, as an equal, and she no longer felt the constant mental strain and stress of being scared, alone. She stepped through the doorway of her new studio- which Thorn had painted for her- a deep midnight blue, decorated with intricate gold constellations. Her favorite Latin quote was inscribed on a strip of old parchment paper and hanging on the door- AD ASTRA PER ASPERA- to the stars through difficulties. Yes, indeed.