doors I painted shut - Odette

[CODY KALETA]

 
I don't wanna stay

Under the low clouds of a humid heat

Doors I Painted Shut;;; the wonder years

-----------------------------------------------------

Normally, the more challenging the project, the more fun it would be for Cody.  If a commissioned piece was too simple or finished too quickly, it had a tendency to leave him feeling almost empty and unfulfilled.  For the first time in a long time however, he was beginning to feel like he had bit off just a bit more than he could chew.  It had started as a simple concept, an action style portrait for a client of his daughter, a Quidditch player at Hogwarts.  Cody had attended a couple of matches to get an idea of what to incorporate into the art, taking pages upon pages of hyper-detailed notes as well as asking the father for a few reference pictures.  It had taken a couple of weeks, to get something done that he was happy with before sending it to the father for approval.

That was three and a half months ago.

Every time it came back with notes attached of things wrong with it, and even after numerous corrections there seemed to be no pleasing him.  One problem would get fixed, and three new ones would suddenly appear out of nowhere.  A few times, after changing things to the fathers specifications he would request it done the previous way.  It had gotten to the point that Cody was ready to return the deposit to the client and do his best to burn any memories from his mind.  When it got to the point that he was starting to doubt his ability, perhaps it was time to admit defeat.

He leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of water and exhaling deeply.  His eyes watched the young girl flutter around the parchment on her broomstick, dodging bludgers with ease.  "I don't know what else he could possibly want.." he muttered to himself, twirling a pen nervously between his fingers.



tag: ODETTE HARMON

[ODETTE HARMON]

Odie was no stranger to the Leaky Cauldron, and the Leaky Cauldron was no stranger to Odie. She'd been in there more times than she could count and more times than she could remember. A habit from when she was a younger player, back when becoming a well-known name, made you feel larger than life. It wore off soon enough, but she enjoyed the high while it lasted.

Finding her perched on one of the bar stools around quitting time was pretty standard these days. She didn't live far away in London, nor did she have anything at home waiting for her. She sometimes chatted with other customers, and sometimes she would keep to herself and simply observe like that younger fellow sitting over what looked like a sketchpad.

She got up to take a closer look, as it looked like it was Quidditch related, and that's when she heard him mutter, likely to himself, that he didn't know what he could want. "What who would want?" she asked without thinking twice. Realizing that she likely just scared him, she was quick to apologize. "So sorry. I just noticed your picture, and then I heard what you said, and I couldn't help but ask," she added quickly after that.

CODY KALETA - nudge me for any changes ♥

[CODY KALETA]

 
I don't wanna stay

Under the low clouds of a humid heat

Doors I Painted Shut;;; the wonder years

-----------------------------------------------------

One thing that Cody loved but hated, was the fact that if he was in his own little world while drawing, good luck on getting his attention.  It made working on projects easy, but he had many an object thrown at him by family and professors alike.  His reflexes were top notch though, with a small part of him wondering if he should have taken up Quidditch.


Quidditch was one of his favorite things to watch in his free time, and that was partly why he enjoyed taking Quidditch related commissions.   Well, minus the current one obviously.  It wasn't enough to completely make him hate the game, but it was definitely leaving a sour taste in his mouth.


Being off in his own little world was why he didn't hear the voice speaking to him at first.  The words went in his ear but it took a moment to register what had been said.  He heard the apology, and just gave a soft chuckle.  "No need to apologize, some overbearing parent just isn't happy with anything..." his voice started to trail off as he looked at who was speaking to him.


Odette.  Freaking.  Harmon.


Not only was Cody a fan of the Appleby Arrows, but he would be lying if he didn't admit to having a crush on her during her playing days.  He was pretty sure most people did, at least those with eyesight and a pulse.  And here she was, talking to him.  His body was immediately sent into fight or flight mode, and he felt his heart start to beat just a bit faster.  "Sorry but...are you...Odette Harmon?  Like, Appleby legend Odette Harmon?"


Way to play it cool kid.  Real smooth, pops would be SO proud.

tag: ODETTE HARMON

[ODETTE HARMON]

She felt bad for intruding on his space as she peeped at his creation, but it was pretty good and that's what caught her attention in the first place. He didn't seem to mind explaining what seemed to have him all out of sorts and she was grateful for that. After all, she was the one intruding on his space. He had every right to yell at her to mind her business and leave him alone.

There was a moment after the younger man had looked up that his eyes seemed to cloud over before focusing on her. Did he recognize her or something? She didn't know if he was a Quidditch fan, even though he was drawing a Quidditch related picture – he said it himself that what he was working on was for an overbearing parent.

And then he spoke again and she realized that he did recognize her, and that he was a fan. She couldn’t help but smile at the awe in his voice when he asked her if she was in fact Odette Harmon, and even went as far as to call her a legend. "I don't know about legend, but I admit to being Odette Harmon. But, please, call me Odie. Everyone does," she told him. "What's your name?" she asked him.

CODY KALETA - nudge me for any changes ♥

[CODY KALETA]

 
I don't wanna stay

Under the low clouds of a humid heat

Doors I Painted Shut;;; the wonder years

-----------------------------------------------------

This was definitely a first for Cody.  Being starstruck was something he had never felt, but he also had never been face to face with his teenage crush.  It was never a situation he had envisioned being in, so it wasn't something he had exactly planned for.  His mind was running a mile a minute, but somehow he was managing to hold it together.

She officially introduced herself, and he returned the pleasantries.  "Cody Kaleta, pleasure to meet you Odie." he said, setting his pen down.  "And legend is DEFINITELY a fitting term.  Pretty sure most would agree." he said with a smile.

His eyes flickered back and forth between her and his drawing, and he suddenly started to have a ton of doubts about it.  He knew he shouldn't and he knew that his art was second to none but in the presence of someone like her?  It might as well have been primitive cave art.  "Not really sure what else to do with this picture though, some people are just never satisfied." he said with a sigh.

tag: ODETTE HARMON

[ODETTE HARMON]

Odie could tell that this kid was surprised to see her standing at his table, talking to him. Maybe it would be given her celebrity status for some, but she didn't like to flaunt that, nor use it to her advantage. She loved Quidditch, ate and breathed it for many years – it was who she was. She smiled and blushed slightly when he assured her that the word legend was fitting for her. "A pleasure to meet you, Cody Kaleta. And thank you for your kind words," was all she said to him about that.

She noticed his gaze shifting back and forth between her and the paper he'd been drawing on when she first walked over, the main source of their conversation. He then told her he didn't know what else to do with the picture he was working on, claiming that some people were never satisfied. "Did some player commission you to make them appear to be better than they are?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Or did some parent get too mushy over their kid making it pro and wanted to commemorate the occasion?" she then asked.

Maybe she could help him if he would let her. Not that she knew anything about art, but that didn't matter here. Did it?

CODY KALETA - nudge me for any changes ♥

[CODY KALETA]

 
I don't wanna stay

Under the low clouds of a humid heat

Doors I Painted Shut;;; the wonder years

-----------------------------------------------------

Cody could tell that Odie wasn't like most celebrities.  She was super down to earth, and the fact that she was doing her best to be extremely humble stood out.  She was acting like she was just another person, which was actually quite refreshing.

She turned her attention to the drawing, which immediately had his anxiety skyrocket once more.  He did what he could to mute the nagging voice that was trying to be QUITE loud, chuckling at her assessment.  "Technically neither?  Though the latter is close." he said with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Kid was a fifth year, first game as seeker.  Dad was a friend of a friend of MY pops, and asked if I would commemorate it.  Went to the match, took TONS of pictures for reference, but he just keeps nitpicking details that aren't even accurate." he said, venting a bit more than anticipated.  He felt his words spilling out faster than he wanted, a nervous chuckle escaping.  "Sorry for the rant, didn't realize I was holding all that in."


tag: ODETTE HARMON

[ODETTE HARMON]

When Cody first responded to her question about the piece he was working on, his words caused her brow to furrow. She didn't know what he meant by that and was about to ask him when he began to explain.

She listened for a moment and was then surprised by how quickly the man seemed to rile himself up about the situation and how the parents seemed very anal about the commission, which he has a right to be since he is paying – was he paying?

"You're fine," sje said when he apologized for his little rant. "Why don't you just do it exactly the way you want, since you were present and watched the match," she said with an eye roll. She had assumed that the father hadn’t been able to go to the game, so he sent Cody in his stead to commemorate the occasion in his absence.

CODY KALETA - nudge me for any changes ♥

[CODY KALETA]

 
I don't wanna stay

Under the low clouds of a humid heat

Doors I Painted Shut;;; the wonder years

-----------------------------------------------------

The nerves had finally decided to exit his body, and Cody found conversing with Odie to be far easier than he would have anticipated.  As critical as he was being with his art, having a fresh set of eyes and an unbiased opinion was probably exactly what he needed.

Her words made a lot of sense, and he hadn't even really looked at it that way.  "You know...that's actually a really good point.." he said, reaching into his bag and pulling out some of the earlier versions.  He thumbed through them, finding the original that he had submitted.  "I mean, if he REALLY doesn't like it, not really much I can do right?" he said, a small smile creeping onto his lips.  "I mean, maybe I'm slightly biased, but I think this looks damn good."  

tag: ODETTE HARMON

[ODETTE HARMON]

Odie could understand the kid's dilemma entirely. He was being paid to do what the patron wanted. It was standard business practice, after all. But there was always room for the artist's discretion regarding things like art. In this case, the patron hadn’t even attended the match that was the base for the commission, so he had no basis for his corrections.

Odie told him he should do the piece how he wanted and ignore the patron's suggestions, which seemed to give him thought. He then agreed with her as he reached for his bag. She arched an eyebrow as she watched him rifle through his bag and pull some papers. He looked through them and stopped on one.

He showed her the paper he'd taken from the pile as he spoke. She turned her head slightly to view it, and her eyebrows rose in shock, and a small gasp escaped her lips. "Is that Harper Davies from the Kestrals?" she asked almost immediately after getting a good look at the piece. She'd been at that game herself. "And he didn't like this?" she asked, stunned at the thought.

She had a thought that gave her a new avenue for her big project. Her eyes widened slightly at the idea, and she made a snap decision. "If he didn't want that one, I'll buy it. I can use something like this for her file," she told him. "And if you're interested in doing more like this, I've got a few other players I'd pay you to watch," she proposed.

CODY KALETA - nudge me for any changes ♥

[CODY KALETA]

 
I don't wanna stay

Under the low clouds of a humid heat

Doors I Painted Shut;;; the wonder years

-----------------------------------------------------

Cody wasn't sure what to expect when he pulled out the original drawing, but Odette's reaction was far better than he had expected.  She recognized the player and the match immediately, which shouldn't have surprised him considering what she did for a living.  "Yeah, still don't know what he expected." he said with a shrug.

Her next words caused his jaw to slightly drop, even if just momentarily, and he had to take a moment for the words to register.  "Wait wait wait.  YOU want to buy and use one of MY drawings??" he said a bit incredulously.  His mind was slightly overloading with the information and he wasn't sure that he wasn't fast asleep and dreaming.

She then mentioned possibly having him do other work for her, and he couldn't do anything but blink a couple of times.  "I mean, I'd be an idiot to say no to something like that, what exactly did you have in mind?"

tag: ODETTE HARMON

[ODETTE HARMON]

When she offered him a job on the spot, Odie wasn't sure what Cody would say. It was a snap decision she hadn’t thought through, but she wouldn't back down now. Having him attend games around the league would benefit what she was trying to do, and she couldn't let this opportunity slip her by.

He seemed shocked by her offer, which caused her to smirk slightly. He was still a bit star-struck, and the idea of someone he idolized offering to buy something of his and offering him a job on top of that was likely mind-blowing for him. "That's right," she said with a nod when he repeated her initial offer to buy his drawing.

Before she could assure him that she only had good intentions with the second offer, he told her he'd have to be an idiot to turn her down. Her smile widened at that, and she nodded again in his direction. He then asked her what she had in mind, and she cleared her throat. "I can’t say too much right now, but that is more so because this is all still in its hypothetical stage," she told him.

"But, essentially, you’d be helping me put together dossiers on all of the up-and-coming players, the ones who recently went pro, as well as the ones that are still eager to make it," she explained. That was all she could say now, but she hoped to share more with him later.

CODY KALETA - nudge me for any changes ♥