When he heard feet padding the floor outside, Samuel went to the door to find Codi. "In here, my friend." He waved the young man in, and indicated the clothes he'd found. They were a little more modest, but only just, and the fabric was light, airy, a purple tone so deep it was almost black. Oh, if only Samuel could paint... He would paint stacks of Codi. It would be all he would ever paint, but only while he was asleep. Ah, the innocence sleep can bring. A devilish lion could be turned into the sweetest housecat with a few deft strokes of the paintbrush while he lay sleeping in his natural home. And to paint Codi while he slept? What better way to catch absolute, angelic beauty?

Samuel shook his head while handing over the clothes. He couldn't catch himself thinking of such things now. Not now, certainly. And then if those thoughts wandered? No, Codi had to be in a right state of mind. Maybe one day Samuel could...? He shook his head again, slightly this time, and brushed his hand through his hair. "Well, Codi. You have my home to roam, just don't go upstairs without me." It seemed he was more than capable of doing that. And the herbal focusing agent seemed to have put him on a one-track mind rather than a wobbly, ancient thing that threatened to derail at any moment.

Codi nodded, pulling his clothes on and enjoying the loose fabric. He went to find his day clothes and pulled the pocket knife and cigarettes and matches out of the pockets. "Am I allowed to smoke in here?" he asked the man, unsure if such a beautiful place could be ruined by some cigarette smoke. He followed Sam to the living area and sat on one of the sofas, watching the black and red man quietly. After some time, he lit his cigarette and took a few puffs, aiming the smoke at the fireplace so that it would go up the chimney. "You must read to me sometime... I'd like that a lot."

Samuel had gathered up a book and sat on one end of the sofa by the time Codi had followed. He loved that the young man had settled down much more now that evening---and perhaps the use of that herbal cube---had set in. He smiled. “I’ve never read to anyone.” He admitted. “No one really comes to me for my reading ability, anyway... They always prefer to see my art.” He thought he could be a good reader... Maybe he could bring out in voice what he felt inside, every time he read an emotional play or novel or poem, really feel the words in the air. Ah, that would be wonderful...

He sat by the fireplace, crossing his legs and puffing on his cigarette, watching Sam with interest. He had to admit that he was glad he had met this strange, but kind man. "Just read to me the story, I can't read myself, so it would be nice..." He stopped talking and waited, hoping that Sam would start reading out loud. He wondered what sort of art Sam was talking about. "So you paint or sculpt?" he still couldn't place what Sam did exactly.

He was flipping through the short stories, searching for one that was only a few pages. All of them were rather dark, usually ending with death or sadness for the characters or whole world, sometimes. As he flipped, he shook his head. “No, I don’t do either of those...” Samuel glanced up to Codi. “I do try my hand at sketching sometimes, but... Well, I guess you could say I have little drive, little... inspiration.” Oh, but he had inspiration now. He could wash the rust off and try again. He would draw, and draw well, take his time on his work. He could do that tonight, in fact...

He found a small story just a few pages long, and sat back against the soft couch. “I’m sure you would like this one.” He said, and cleared his throat:

”Once long ago sat a young man pale as moonlight. Like a statue he would sleep upon the grass throughout the darkness of night, glittering with dew as if the very stars had fallen to collect upon his skin and hair. His sleep went undisturbed no matter what, and one could imagine that the moon itself put him into a trance, slipping him into a deep, dreamless sleep, as dark as a starless, moonless night...”

Codi found himself becoming lost in the words read to him, imagining a world other than his, seeing this pale beauty for himself. He blinked a few times, wondering if this was what it was like to focus and to imagine. It was a new experience for him and he grinned, poking his tongue out as the cigarette burnt out. He threw it into the fireplace and lay on his stomach, propping his head up with his hands. "He sounds so beautiful. Tell me more about him," he said to Sam, once the man stopped talking. The story was too short. Codi wanted to hear more.

Samuel smiled, settling back a little more and turning the page, as it was only a partial page since the ending of the longer story. While he couldn't tell if it was the work of the herbal medicine or a true interest in the story, he didn't mind letting it go in favor of staring at Codi a little between verses. While he wasn't as pale as moonlight, Samuel could almost feel that he was the object of the story. Still, he cut his admiration short and looked back to the page, continuing:

"The sun especially loved the boy, and would anticipate each dawn with a sense of nervousness only known to those who have been in true, deep love. Alas, as she lit up the world each morning, she would only glimpse the boy before her sheer brightness overtook him, and he faded away entirely. Her tears fell in the form of rain, warm upon the earth and the boy, yet he woke only enough to see the arrival of the moon, and fall yet again into a trance. Each night the moon rose, and the boy slept peacefully under its calm, tired gaze, but each time morning arrived, the sun's sheer light would erase him from existence..."

"What the...?" Codi blinked again and chuckled, finding the story becoming sad and strange. He wasn't sure if he liked this story any more, as he saw the image of the beautiful pale boy disintegrating in the sunlight. "This is becoming really weird. Where does this boy live? He must have a crappy life if all he does is sleep and disappear..." Codi couldn't understand the story wasn't real. Imagination was something he couldn't comprehend. Now he remembered why he never bothered reading or going to plays. They confused him and made him feel irritated, a feeling he never really felt.

"Did you write this?" he questioned Sam, standing to his feet and walking over to look at the book, as if he was trying to find the boy it had written about.

"No, no, I didn't write it." Samuel closed the book quickly before Codi's inspections ripped a page. "I don't write, Codi, I prefer to act out scenes of what's already been written. Things very well known, epic poems and tragic operas. These stories were written decades, centuries ago, in times of myths and legends, when gods were many. In this story, Codi, the sun is a goddess, a benevolent but emotional creature, giving life, daylight, hope and prayer, and helping things grow and thrive. Around this time, Codi, people were rather obsessed with tragic stories and endings, and to be honest, this story is no different."

He set the book on his lap. "In the end, the sun covers herself with a thick layering of clouds, and never shines again. The boy that sleeps in the moonlight awakes to a strange and frightening world because the moon is obscured as well, and perishes in the forest because he has no idea how to live, and is no longer blessed by the moon's sleepy beams." He would love to create something like that... An innocent being, resting amongst foliage and sleepy trees, on pillows of grass. But that was beyond even his abilities. Perhaps he could capture Codi's essence in a painting similar? that might be worthwhile.

Samuel sighed. "But it's all only a story, Codi. It never really happened, doesn't really exist. It came from someone's thoughts, or perhaps, a dream."

Codi frowned and sat next to Sam, still staring hard at the book. Small words that made no sense to him curled around a picture on the front. He still didn't quite understand how someone could be able to make up such a strange and sad story. Codi had never had dreams, so he had no idea what they were. He heard that it was like watching a play, or being in one, where anything could happen. From being a mighty dragon to running from monsters... Codi sighed and stared at his feet resting on the soft carpet. The only "dreams" he had were black, or sometimes red.

"Do you dream, Sam?" he asked, feeling a strange weight in his chest. His voice sounded like what people talked like before they cried. Sad, he guessed. Perhaps he was feeling sad because he couldn't dream or imagine like normal people.

Samuel regarded Codi with soft, sad eyes, turning to face him and set the book on the table. "I... only dream about shadows." He admitted. "I try to immerse myself in my work, my art, what I do, what I can do, and do well, but... I never take those memories to dream." He smiled, though it was a sad smile, something he was admittedly used to showing, and brushed a hand over Codi's face, seeing his eyes specifically as he pushed a strand of hair out of the way. "I take it you don't dream, either." He muttered. "Do you feel blind when you dream? Like there is no world, only that veil of darkness?"

He sat back, gathering up his curled hair in one hand and twisting it around his hand. "I always feel as if I'm glimpsing the last few shadows I'll ever see before blindness sets in... And I'm not sure if they're people, or... something else." And he could never hear what they were saying. It was as if someone were holding pillows to his head, and everything was muffled, like he was inside a cellar during a crowded party.

"It's just dark and quiet." Codi let the man study him, finding it a bit strange how Sam looked at him. What was with those eyes... How he looked at him like a man seeing beauty for the first time. "Sometimes it's red, like a fire... And I hear things... I don't like those ones." He was glad to find someone he could talk to about his problems, a father-like figure that he had wanted for a long time. He was even happier that Sam was similar to him in many ways, even if he was rather unique.

"How can you create art or plays or paintings if you don't dream?" he asked Sam, looking the man up and down, feeling amazed. So many emotions since he met this man... Things he hadn't ever felt before.

Samuel felt pained. A nightmare didn't have to be full of heart-pounding chases and monsters in the dark to be truly scary. Sometimes all it needed was an impossibility to understand. What did a red dream mean? What kind of fire would hide behind that veil? Samuel shook his head, reaching out lightly to stroke Codi's face reassuringly, but only twice, and he backed away.

"I don't need dreams to imagine." He said. "I have my waking thoughts for that. I can see so many things that others just... overlook, or see for their outer shell. I see fantasy in the park, and strange myth in the alleys. And I see so many different masks on so many different people. Of course, it's all in my mind, but I do like to imagine... Imagine what life might be like if these things really existed." He loved those thoughts. He tried to remake them in writing but they just... didn't have the same intensity as in painting. If he could write a whole book in paintings...? That would be wonderful. And if that object of the book could be Codi? Ever the more wonder.

Codi grinned, but said no more on the subject. He was growing restless again, perhaps the effect of the chocolate was wearing off. He wanted to leave the house and stroll through the streets at night time, an act he did often. He never felt like sleeping, he usually kept walking until he found a place to lie down and stare up at the stars... But there were no stars on Sam's ceiling.

"Can I go outside? I'd like to go for a walk around the block." He had no idea why he was asking for permission to leave. Sam seemed to be the type that wouldn't want him to leave his sights... A dangerous type that often killed their captives after a while of growing bored of them.

Samuel raised a brow. He couldn't keep Codi here, no. But he was afraid that if the young man left, he'd stay away. After everything Samuel did to reel him in, be kind to him, hope that he might remain for a while... But he had to take a chance. Perhaps the promise of more kindness, food, and clothes would keep Codi around. "I can't make you say." He said. "You're perfectly free to do as you like. I do hope, though, that you might come back sometime in the night. I would be glad to let you in again, should you just knock." He would be awake. He'd be awake, thinking about Codi. The man couldn't just... forget the younger one, couldn't let him leave his mind, his imagination. Maybe someday he'd dream about true forms, and not just shadows, and see Codi, if all else failed. Where else would he ever find such an immaculate piece of living, breathing art? If Codi didn't come back...

But no, he had to come back... Samuel would hope, but not force. He couldn't let Codi get hurt...

"I'd come back, don't worry, Sam," Codi replied, still smiling. "I just can't stand to sit still, you know? But if I am welcome here... I might as well call it my home... If you will allow it." Codi nodded to the kind man. He wasn't about to take advantage of how nice Sam had been towards him. If Sam wanted him to stay, he'd stay. But first, he had to see the stars...

He climbed the stairs and left the theatre, walking down the street with his hands in his pockets. He stared up at the night sky as he walked, not paying attention to where he walked. Soon he had travelled a far way from the theatre. He turned around and started back, not running into anyone along the way. Until he rounded a corner and saw a policeman waiting for him.

"Hello there, boy," the policeman said, regarding Codi with suspicion. "Out for a walk, are we?"

Codi nodded, grinning like he always did. "Yessir! Just to look at the stars and clear my head, you know?" He noticed how the man narrowed his eyes further. "I'm on my way home, actually. Well, I've been invited to stay with Sam in the theatre, you know?"

"Oh, I know Samuel..." The policeman looked Codi up and down. "Are you going to be in his show? You don't look the type."

"Show? Nah, I'm not a good actor, sir," Codi replied. "I'm just his... 'living inspiration'... Yeah, I think that's what he called me..." The policeman raised an eyebrow, but asked no questions.

"Well, you better be off home before you get in trouble." Codi nodded.

"Yessir! Right away!" He flashed another grin at the policeman, before running off to the theatre.

Samuel calmly walked the entry hall with a warm cup. Its fumes lifted gently and filled his senses, warm and calming. It was a drink made of the same base that the chocolate squares were, and helped with sleep. It lasted longer, as well, and tasted like sweet fruit. If Codi had such difficulty going to sleep, it would help---it was already putting Samuel into a gentle, calm mood. The door to the theater was wide open, now, but he kept to the side since he had changed clothes into his barely-modest bedclothes. His hair lifted a little in the breeze that came in, and after a while, he was glad to see Codi returned. He was glad for that. Of course this would be Codi's home...

He placed an arm lightly around the young man and passed the cup to him. "Welcome back, Codi." He said easily, using a foot to close the door. "I think you may find this will keep your dreams less frightening, and you'll wake up more rested." And it would calm him down for quite a while longer than the square of herb.

Codi was still smiling when he found the theatre and saw that Sam was waiting for him, the doors left wide open. He was offered a nice smelling hot drink, which he took and sipped on. "The stars are so pretty at night... Like little lights up there... So cool," he told Sam as he was led back down to the living quarters. "One day, I'm gonna go to the stars. Somehow..." He frowned as he tried to think of how he would get in the sky.

Soon after he had finished his hot drink, he's eyes started to droop and he yawned widely. It seemed he was getting tired. "I might go to bed, Sam..." he said finally, stretching and moving towards one of the smaller rooms. He pulled his nightclothes off, climbing into the warm and soft bed, and cuddled down into the blankets. Soon he was fast asleep, snoring loudly and rolling around in his sleep.

Samuel smiled lightly and nodded as Codi talked. Travel to the stars? What an imaginative thought that was... And yet it gave the man so many ideas, so many beautiful ideas for gorgeous paintings and drawings. And the night was still young. He bid goodnight to the young man and sat with a book open, but not reading. Samuel would give it a while. Just thirty minutes or so. The drink did induce a nice, dreamless sleep quite quickly, and after a while he got up and gathered some simple things: An eraser, a couple pencils, and a few sturdy drawing boards. Easing open the door to the young man’s room, Samuel peered inside and smiled a little more at the way Codi was laid out, deep in sleep.

He sat in the chair nearby for hours, watching and sketching, catching Codi in still paper and lead. He just didn’t feel any form of capture was accurate in displaying the simply angelic beauty of Codi. He drew, though, and did what he could to catch it all, draping the young man’s form on the light of a star in a dark background. Eventually he smiled. It was good, but not up to par to the real thing. He set the picture against the chair, facing inward, and left the room, feeling tired himself. Surely hours had passed, more than he thought, and he had to have at least a little sleep.

Codi awoke from a dreamless sleep, blinking and glancing about his room. He had forgotten briefly where he was, but smiled when he remembered. He climbed out of bed, fully awake as though he had never slept. He pulled on his night clothes, having slept naked, before turning around and spotting something he hadn't seen before. A piece of paper with a drawing on it, that wasn't there last night, was it?

He approached the drawing and picked it up, staring at it critically. It seemed to be a drawing of him, standing under a bright star. He shook his head, perhaps it was just a drawing of that story Sam had read him, about that boy that disappeared during the day. There was no way a plain guy like him would look so beautiful in a drawing. He set it back down and left the room, looking for Sam.

Samuel woke to relative darkness, until he brushed his forest of curled hair back and breathed deeply, feeling calm and energized as he got up and stretched, looking around the room as if he were looking for anything different. But of course nothing had changed in the night, and he went to the wardrobe, pulling out some clothes. Today he’d decided to show Codi his artwork, and he did hope the young man would love it... After all, so many others did, they loved to get close to the pieces, touch them, coo at them, and talk about them as they left with their parties or partners or friends.

He smiled absently as he thought of that. Soon Codi would see what art he did. Soon he would be able to tell Codi what he had in mind, what he’d had in mind since seeing him yesterday. Oh, it had taken a little time, yes, to get to know him just enough, but Samuel was more than sure now. He slid on a black shirt and vest, tying a red ribbon under the collar, which matched his belt’s weaving. His pants were pressed, but still had a few creases in them. They would be ‘unfit’ for certain areas of the city, in society opinion. Still, he didn’t feel like going to those places.

Samuel brushed his hair quickly and left his room, walking lightly to find Codi.

Codi had found his way into the living area, and was sitting by the no longer lit fire, puffing on a cigarette. He had located one of Sam's books, this one had pictures in it. He was flicking through it, looking at the drawings of fantastical creatures and naked women, wondering what the writing said.

When he noticed Sam enter the room, he closed the book and grinned at the man, hoping he wouldn't be in trouble looking at the book. He put out his cigarette and balanced it behind his ear for later. "'Morning Sam!" he said brightly, standing up and putting the book back where he had found it. "I saw your drawing. You are good!"

Samuel was glad to see Codi awake and... reading? No, not reading, he recalled Codi said he didn't know how to read. He'd found one of his mythology books, full of pictures and artwork of gods and goddesses of times passed, monsters that were said to protect dark and evil places. "Good morning!" He replied lightly. "You did, did you?" He'd not really expected Codi to see it, but at a point, he had wanted the young man to see. "I'd spent some time on it while you were asleep. I was desperately hoping you'd like it---I drew you." He crossed an arm across his chest to cradle his other arm. He really liked it? Surely Samuel could have done better... But Codi did like it, and that's what mattered.

"Ooh, so it was supposed to be me?" Codi continued to grin. "I thought it was that boy from your story..." He went over to one of the cushy chairs and sat, sinking slightly into the comfortableness. "Man, I am hungry though... Am I allowed breakfast?" He had no idea why he was asking, though it would be rude to just go into the man's kitchens and take his food.

He stood again and followed Sam into the kitchen, waiting as the man prepared a simple breakfast of porridge. Codi poured some cream into the grey mixture and shook some brown sugar on the top of it. He grabbed a spoon and shovelled it into his mouth, ignoring the piping hot that burnt his tongue.

"Of course it's supposed to be you!" Sam said as he worked. "In all my years as an artist I've never met a human being so like you." And now that the layers of dirt were gone Codi shined ever more, like a real moonlit young man. But the moon would be wont to be able to shine on him. It was as if something had pushed him that direction the day he'd found the young man. And he was glad he'd followed that push, that instinct, as if he knew he'd be walking upon a flawless creature.

"Would you like to see my other work?" He asked easily, leaning a bit on the table. "None of it could come close to you, but I would certainly like to let you walk their ranks free, rather than like the many others that are charged for the time." He would have liked to run his fingers through Codi's hair. But that would be bad, at least, for now. Codi would begin to calm down, though, as he hadn't seen Samuel drop some calming herb into the mixture. It was more potent, so it would last longer since it had been heated. The sweetness could easily be passed off for sugar.