Leon, hearing him, opened his eyes to see a hyper-realistic image of his new friend. He had drawn it, but even he was mesmerized by it.
Looking at the painting before him, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. His friend, on the other hand, kept shouting and waving his fist in the air.
They had done it… This world wouldn't crush them as they had thought it would.
He would age out of the system in three years, which also meant that he wouldn't be able to stay in the orphanage anymore.
Richard, his friend, was 17 years old. His expulsion from the system was coming soon, and just like Leon in his past life, he would have nothing to rely on.
However, the painting symbolized a whole new way out of this dark corner before them.
"We did it!!" Richard and Leon shouted as they hugged each other while jumping around.
"What's with all the noise?" a nun asked as the door to the art room opened.
"Leon finally did it!!" Richard shouted as he quickly grabbed the painting and brandished it in front of the nun.
"You drew this?" she replied as she carefully collected it from Richard, since the painting had yet to dry.
Looking at the gentle smile on her face, Leon's face lit up with a bright smile as well. Knowing that you can do something and someone telling you that you did a great job were two different things.
"It's great, isn't it?" Richard asked excitedly.
"You've done a good job. Can you paint me next?" she said as she sat on the small stool they had.
"Uhm, ma, that will be $50," Richard said before Leon could even say anything.
Hearing him, the nun immediately began to laugh but still paid it at the end of the day as a way to support them.
Two weeks later, the two young boys could be seen setting up a small booth outside the church, along with other members of the church who had registered to participate in the bazaar.
They chose a shaded area to make the five-minute wait more comfortable for the clients, placing a large tarp on the floor to catch any paint that fell.
They managed to get a long couch and a single couch after begging the orphanage head, though they had to carry it by themselves and ensure it was returned unscratched.
"Richard, what are you still doing here?" they heard a voice call out.
Turning, they both saw the catechist marching toward them with a cane in hand. Immediately, they ran into the main church.
Richard was the church's main pianist, hence very important to the service. However, since he was essentially a ward of the church, he wasn't being paid.
Richard, on the other hand, didn't exactly mind, as it was a means to practice and improve.
Before the service could even end, Leon and Richard immediately ran to take their positions.
Leon prepared himself to paint, while Richard ran out to gather customers. With their efforts, it wasn't long before there was a moderate line of customers.
They charged $50 on average for single-person portraits and around $75 to $100 for family or premium single-person portraits.
Leon's hands kept flying across the canvas as well-made paintings were created one after another.
Such that Leon even began to wonder if this was a superpower or something.