Marvel's Ink

After a while, Leon heard a buzz as the gate opened, and the guard directed him on where to go.

Soon, he was before the main building, and standing in wait for him was a maid, who immediately led him to a section of the manor to wait.

The space seemed to be some garden of sorts. Leon couldn't exactly tell what it was for, but he did like the entire aesthetic.

"I thought you said you didn't want any connection to him," a familiar voice called out.

Turning to the source, Leon saw the familiar brunette standing at the doorway out of the little garden.

"I said I didn't want to get adopted by him. I never said I didn't want a connection to him… besides, where is he?" Leon asked as he rubbed his forehead.

For some reason, he didn't fear the fact that she was a telepath who could do a lot more than just read his mind. She may look inexperienced, but Leon knew that such powers were affected by emotions as well.

"He's sleeping," the girl replied.

"That means I won't be seeing him anytime soon, right?" Leon asked as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"Naturally. So what are you here for? You could have gotten someone to deliver this or even mail it to us," the girl asked.

"What's your name?" Leon asked.

"Grace," the girl replied.

"Well, Grace, for people like me to climb the ranks, I need to cling to shitty men like your father… do you know why?"

"Of course, it's because he's rich."

"That's one reason, but it's also because of the people he knows… from your father's reaction yesterday, I can tell that he is the type to collect artwork, and the journey from the gate till here has confirmed that… That means?"

"He must know other art enthusiasts, right?" Grace asked with a smile.

"Yes. I'm an artist. To grow, I need my art to be appreciated by these people, and to earn money, I need to mingle amongst such people," Leon explained.

"You really are only focused on making money," Grace replied before relaxing into the chair properly.

Looking at the young girl, Leon smiled at her naïve outlook on life but still couldn't blame her.

Her father may be shitty, but he does provide everything they need, so you could say that he is technically performing his role as a provider.

"Do you know that the chances of homelessness after you age out of the system is around 90%? It's that high, and I am not built to survive on the streets."

"Why are you telling me? It's not like I can help you. You yourself don't even want to be adopted by him," Grace replied.

"It's so you can be grateful. Your situation may be shitty, and from what I see, may cause some serious problems later on, but at least you have all you need," Leon said.

"As if," she replied as she started to play with her fingernails.

"Is that paint? Don't tell me…" Leon asked, noticing the dried pieces of paint stuck in her fingernails.

"No, it's nail polish," she lied as she covered her hands.

"Wow… you know you're not wearing any nail polish, right?" Leon reminded her as he pointed to her nails, which were still bare and neat.

"So what?"

"I'm not judging. I just didn't expect it from you… do you want to learn more?" Leon asked.

It really wasn't something he expected from her, considering all she had done and said so far.

She claims she wants nothing more to do with him but then practices in secret to try and impress the man.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing that you probably looked through my mind, thinking that was all you needed to learn how to paint, right?"

"…"

Seeing her lack of response, Leon took it as affirmation to his guess. Seeing as she had cornered herself, Leon nearly wanted to laugh but still knew he shouldn't.

"It's the mistake people make with telepathy. They think that as long as they know the theoretical part, then they can nail the skill… It may be a shortcut, but it still needs time," Leon explained.

Knowing that the girl wouldn't say anything else due to embarrassment, he simply opened the painting and began using it to teach her how to paint properly.

Hours passed by as the two talked, and soon it was noon. Leon, however, could be seen sitting beside Grace with a canvas in front of them, but Grace could be seen firmly holding on to the color palette.

In front of them was a small flower bouquet, which Grace had been trying to paint for the past two hours.

It was a bit more advanced for a beginner, but at the end of the day, the girl had absorbed his skills from his mind.

She may have a long way to go, but she was still better than the average beginner.

"I see you two have been busy," a new voice resounded as they both quickly jumped to their feet.