Calliope raised their eyes to the sky “I see. So you have been invited but haven’t seen her yet.” They concluded, with a small nod of their head. Chéri nodded, confirming that yes, the old paintings were good enough “If that was the case, she would have mentioned that already, no? It’s not like you are walking around with your painting supplies.” Chéri rose their eyebrows and wrinkled their nose, but kept a sweet facial expression.
Calliope was very careful not to add any for of judgement in their voice, trying to avoid further topic been flipped into a source of depression.

Darius nodded and sighed. "I haven't seen her in quite a while. Having heard from her at all. And yeah, we might want to agree on location for paintings. She hadn't written anything more than wanting to see me. I will be hopeful though. I said I would be. Maybe she wants to reunite and talk about things. She is probably under a lot of stress too.." Of course Darius wasn't good at that sort of thing, but only time would tell.

He rubbed his neck and then looked to Calliope. "Ready to continue? I've gotten the air so I feel better.."

Calliope shurgged once again, wrinkling their nose “Maybe? But in that case, why to saying that in advance? You would make clear something is a business meeting.” Or at least, people did with them. Or maybe they didn’t mean too, but again, “romantic” and “professional” had the same meaning in Chéri’s -very short- book. On the stress part, they just nodded. That was a simple fact.

Calliope nodded “Let’s do it. Just the pose? Do you need the face too? What about the robe?” They asked, sitting on the love seat once again.

Darius shrugged. "I will just not be too expectant, so at least I will not be disappointed." He smiled weakly before going to his painting. "I would like the robe in place, you don't need to worry about your expression right now." He only waited for a few moments before adjusting a few things so it matched his original sketch and began painting. "Tell me, Calliope, about yourself a little? Nothing too personal. Just.. something."

Chéri didn’t shrugged, mainly because they had gone back to posing “That is true, but I don’t really think you are able to be indifferent, you know?” Chéri shook their head, at this point too used to Darius not to be direct. Calliope followed the requests and arranged the robe as necessary.
Calliope almost hissed at the request, but they contained themselves, as Darius was not exactly threatening, even for their standard. “I… like feathers.” It was something.

Darius nodded as he painted. "You could very well be right. But I can attempt to fake it." He painted slowly and listened to them speak.

"Feathers are nice. Do you have a favorite? I would assume peacock, but I could be wrong. I like pheasant myself. The lines are striking."

Chéri puffed again “And what does that do for you? Are you a good liar?” They didn’t seem convince, but they were giving Darius the chance to contradict them “also, you are not very discreet. You are like an open book. Indifference doesn’t go very well with that.” Chéri pointed out, incredulous.

They raised their eyes to the sky and started thinking “I haven’t seen enough. They were just coming back. I like peacock a lot, but those aren’t really my colours. Maybe ostrich? Once a man named me “peacock” so I think lots of them could suit me, but just one…” Chéri shook their head. “I also like Argus feathers, if they are really long.” Chéri added.

Darius shook his head. "I think it is clear I'm a terrible liar, but I've spent so much of my live alone showing little emotion, I think I can do that, even if there is a firestorm burning inside." He shrugged. "But maybe not."

"I've seen the feathers ladies wear in their hats and things. Especially in the big cities. I believe any color would look good on you, but that is fair. Those are nice. Much like roses, I find rooster feathers can be pretty too. Though I wouldn't use them for any sort of centerpiece, they are too common to ask for the center of attention."

Chéri bent their head back, since the pose was not so essential “Have you ever seen a dance studio?” They didn’t exactly wait for Darius to answer “Have you ever noticed it has mirrors everywhere? Do you know why?” They added, very peacefully.

Chéri nodded “Most colours look good on me because I am pretty, but some look better. Why would I choose to look good if I can look great?” They shrugged, not faking any humility “I think roses are more expensive. But looser feathers do have their merit: they do not dominate as much as others.” Calliope concluded, with a pensive nod.

Darius was painting but paused to think it over. "I hadn't, but I think it would be so the dancers could make sure they look right while they move? So much is put into the dance, it isn't just about doing the movement but that it looks right. The art of movement and form, correct?"

He rose his brow, "Art is more about what is pretty. Sometimes you want to be dynamic and startling. It is eye catching and can still be lovely in its own way." Darius was focusing on his colors for a moment. "I meant in our comparison between roses and orchids. The roosters and the more extravagant feathers."