A Respite|(Jane - FINISHED)

[chase]

Chase nodded solemnly, though he could not agree on all points. The reason for his loneliness was incredibly simple: he missed Lenore. But things weren't that simple for everyone, and he guessed Jane had more of a story than he did, and he knew better than to pry.

Still, he'd found a kindred spirit in Jane, far more so than he had in anyone since Lenore's death. That he should connect best with a stranger, completely unrelated to him or his situation, was actually rather telling.

"You're probably right," he mused. "I guess what's important is that we still kind of get each other. That's been hard to find, at least for me." He shrugged a little. "Anyway, I guess I should let you get started on your work. Genius takes time, right?" he added with a small smile.

[JANE EYRE]

"Genius, hardly," Jane snorted in a very unladylike manner. There wasn't a thing about her work that was genius, or even close. She dawdled in the arts, and certainly, it was therapeutic, but never was a finish piece a masterpiece. Her audience would look upon it happily, praising, but every second that passed was another flaw that Jane could see. The colors could always be deeper, the value more gradual or the contrast more obvious, the texture was never quite right, and more often than not, her rendering and balance was horrendous. But only she saw it. Just like, it seemed, that she was the only one to see the flaws in herself. People in New York seemed not to mind her tiny frame and simple features while Jane could only compare them to the beautiful and flawless Blanche Ingram who was unmatched in beauty and proper manner.

"If you'd like, you're welcome to my flat any time for a chat and tea. We can talk about whatever we like and not have to worry about judgment from others," Jane felt silly for offering but having someone to hold her secrets and someone whose secrets she can protect was too good an opportunity to pass up. Jane wanted to be good for something to at least one person in New York. At least, until she found the time to selfish.

[chase]

In response to her snort, Chase only grinned and tilted his head slightly. His first thought was that Jane was being modest- though, of course, he had never seen her work. But it was natural for people to imagine their friends and acquaintances as being the best in the world at their crafts, even if there was no evidence to support that assumption.

He did know firsthand, though, that any artisan's worst critic was him- or herself. Maybe that was the case here. Whatever her reasoning, he knew better than to argue about the her genius or lack thereof, especially since they had just met. Sometimes women just hated being patronized. Lenore definitely had.

"Thanks, I'm sure I'll take you up on that sometime," Chase said honestly after she invited him to her flat. "The same to you, of course. I live close to NYU. It isn't much, but it's a place." He had taken out his wallet as he was speaking, looking for the business cards he was supposed to keep with him. As usual, he hadn't brought any, so he tore a random receipt and jotted his name and phone number down on it, then handed it to Jane. "You can reach me there, usually."

He tidied up the books he had pulled from the shelves, considering whether to check them out or put them back. He had accomplished what he had set out to do anyway. "'Til then, um, take care. It was nice meeting you, Jane."



(I'm going to have the next thread up soon, so I'm closing this one.)