It was a Tuesday, and the weather outside looked grim, but it was bright inside. The set lights flooded the room with light, the pure white background making everything that much brighter and wonderful. Lake preferred a blank backdrop, because then all focus would be on the people in the shot, rather than what was going on around him. Yes, he did site shoots, but a one Lake Dale was well known in the photography circuit was for his skills working with models. He worked mainly for a studio, but also worked freelance. He was a regular at anime and game conventions, and while he would spend much of his time snapping away at all the people who had come dressed up, even at his age hadn't lost his passion for dressing up either.
There were no conventions on the horizon, and heading into the office after running from the train station to the New York studio, it seemed like there was little going on. Slipping past the main upstairs office, tucked away from the cameras, he dumped his things onto his already messy desk, and searched for the list containing all his current lists of work, when two names stuck out.
One was a high rise fashion designer. He had married a few years ago, but his work still remained under the name of 'Nomura'. Lake adored working with him, even if he was a little blunt towards his models. The man knew exactly what he wanted, and Lake gave him nothing less than perfection. He had attended the same high school as Tetsu, although were situated in different years and really only knew each other few a few things (mainly a student called Glass).
But there was another name, from the very same high school he had attended on the sheet of paper. Brown eyes looked down at the name. The model wasn't to be shot specifically by him, and glancing up from the page, eyes fell onto the man who would be taking care of the young model.
"Hey, Ricky, have you worked with Harriet before?"
The photographer in question looked up from his work where he was laying out photos of a very macabre theme out. "You mean Harriet Faelings, or Harriet Jenner?"
"The first one."
Ricky grinned, lips adorned with more piercings than Lake thought were attractive, they seemed more like a mutilation of the man's lower lip. "She's got this insect of a model, but she has gorgeous red hair, works well with blood. Not the most amazing body, but you can get away with naked shots, and the lifeless doll look she has in her eyes is amazing."
Lake's gaze fell to the paper in his hand. "Lifeless doll..." he muttered.
"Why so interested, Muffin? I thought you were a fag."
Sighing, Lake allowed the paper to drift down onto his desk, and slipped around to where Ricky stood, standing on tip toes to lean up to him, a malicious grin on his lips. "Because that model is friends with one of the few people I have ever truly given my heart to, and you're talking about her like she's trash."
"She's a model, Lake," the taller man replied, narrowing his eyes at the smaller, but older by a year, photographer. "They have no personal opinion. You work with Nomura, you work with other designers, you should know by now that the models have learned to accept that their feelings don't matter."
At that, teeth clenched together, Lake ready to burst, and he rarely ever felt like he was going to punch someone. "I work with Tetsu, because he's good," he told Ricky through gritted teeth. "And I care about her, because she was not only friends with Elliot, but she was my friend too, and in a few seconds you have managed to reduce her to nothing more than a mannequin!"
Growling, the male turned and marched away, heading out of the office to search through the many rooms in the building, wondering if perhaps the girl was in one of them. As he walked, he heard a shout of "She pays your rent" called from the office, which made the usually calm and care-free male even angrier. As he got to one of the rooms, the door flew open, and a blur of red hair shot past him. Shocked, and unable to follow, Lake looked back to where the girl had come from.
"That girl will never work in modeling again," the woman spat out.
"I don't think that is going to be very true, Miss Faelings," Lake informed her with a grin that ran from ear to ear. By the way things seemed, a different photograph had got there before Ricky, and the model had obviously rejected and stormed off.
Harriet looked at the twenty four year old blond standing in her way with a narrowed gaze. "And who do you think you are? I can ruin her career faster than you can say model."
"I, Miss Faelings, am Lake Dale. I'm a well known, and well published photographer. I'm sure you've heard of me, and am apposed at how you neglected to bring her to me while she was still under your employment," At just hearing his name, the woman became unnerved and agitated. Lake Dale was a photographer that was hard to get hold of, and he was obviously much better than what that stupid girl could ever achieve. "I do think it will be your career which has been ruined, that is, if I can get word out before her brother's get to you, and believe me, Harriet, I know what those two men are capable of."
"Are you threatening me, Mr. Dale?"
Lake grinned even more, if it was physically possible. "Oh no, not in any way. I'm just informing you that the girl you have turned into a pay check was not only someone I attended high school with, but was an inspiration for many of the photos that allowed me to become who I am today; although she doesn't know it yet." he reached out, and patted the woman on the shoulder in a very condescending manner. "I bid you farewell, Miss Faelings," and with a soft nod, he left her to resume his work. He'd leave it a while, allow the model to settle again before appearing at her door with an offer he knew she wouldn't refuse, desperate or not.
And that day came, and he stood outside the door and happily knocked on. a red head answered the door, but not one Lake had been expecting, but still, he offered up a smile.
"Natty!" he called out, taking a shaking the older male's hand. "Do you remember me?"
Frown formed and brown eyes wandered over Lake, trying to determine him. When the memory clicked, he grinned and enveloped the old schoolmate in a hug. Laughing, Lake pulled away. "Since I'm not out of a job, you haven't torched down my studio. Is Juliet here?"
"Believe me, Lake, we wanted to, but Evander didn't want us to be imprisoned for arson. I talked to someone at the last studio Juliet worked at, and the woman said that Harriet was bankrupt, out of work and all her models had left her."
"Bankrupt? Wow, I didn't realize I was that good!"
"You did it to her?"
Lake nodded. "So can I see Juliet?"
Nat looked at him skeptically. "You won't make her pose nude?"
At that, the younger male rolled his eyes. "Please. I hate breasts. I'm with your boyfriend on the whole heterosexual intercourse is icky."
At this, the ginger male giggled and moved aside to allow the photograph entrance to his apartment. Lake stepped inside, and saw the young model staring at the fish her older brother had collected, occasionally tapping on the glass of the tropical tank. Without word, Lake lifted a camera from the bag that had been hanging from his shoulder and snapped her up. At the sound of the shutter and sudden flash of light, the girl swung her head around to face the man.
"What....?"
Lowering the camera, Lake smiled brightly at her. "I want to be your agent," he said honestly. "And I promise, no naked pictures, because naked girls are yucky, even if you are truly beautiful."
No comments:
Post a Comment