Insisted on another location

(chapter originally by Faith on writing.com)

"Ahem." Shiho coughed.

Both Phantom Thieves looked in her direction.

"Okay...as fun as this is..." Shiho said. "We're getting a little side tracked. So both of you listen up, okay?"

Yusuke and Ann each raised an eyebrow.

"First off...Ann! No bullying!" Shiho said with a huff.

"You heard him! He wants me to get naked right out on a public street!" Ann snapped.

"No. Bully." Shiho said, folding her arm.

Ann glared back.

"Ahem. Yusuke, correct me if I'm wrong here. Until recently, you've been living with that Madarame guy, right?" Shiho asked.

"That's correct." Yusuke agreed.

"So earlier, when you asked for some kinda special cinnamon tea blend and Ann growled at you-" Shiho said.

"No one was growling at anyone!" Ann interrupted.

"Acted annoyed by the request, I take it this wasn't the only time you've asked for something a little above your friends price range?" Shiho asked.

"....I am uncertain. My requests usually go unheeded." Yusuke offered.

"In other words, your used to have a certain lifestyle and aren't aware of how expensive it is because Madarame was always footing the bill." Shiho nodded. "At least, for the sake of argument let's assume that, okay?"

"Where are you going with this?" Ann asked.

"And I'm guessing in a similar way, whenever you were inspired to do painting, all you had to do was say 'Sensei! I want to do the painting this way!' and poof! You could do the painting that way." Shiho said.

"I...suppose Sensei did take care of the preliminary measures." Yusuke confirmed.

"That isn't surprising. One way an abuser victimizes someone is by maintaining control over them. They like to handle the finances, get their target expensive gifts, that sort of thing." Shiho scowled. "That way their victim starts associating their abuser as a kind and generous sort while at the same time having their ability to pay for the simplest things dependent entirely on the person who abuses them."

Ann sighed and shut her eyes. Dammit Shiho. Stop drawing parallels between the pervert and yourself. How was Ann supposed to properly deal with Yusuke if she was thinking about what made him like her best friend?

"I...yes, I suppose that is accurate. I have little experience with the outside world, so I cannot say for certain. Yet that tactic sounds like Madarame, and it certainly resembles my lifestyle until recently." Yusuke said.

"Okay. So I don't blame you for making certain mistakes here. But you need to start being more considerate, too." Shiho said, her voice a little more scolding than before.

"I thought I had done just that." Yusuke said.

"Sorry, but no. Your the artist here. You don't have a Mr. Moneybags to snap his fingers and prepare the stage for you to paint on anymore. You have to take care of all of that yourself. That means becoming aware of your budget and all the footwork you need to do to prepare the space and everything. And that also means considering the needs of your model and whoever else you work with." Shiho said.

"What precisely was I doing if not that?" Yusuke asked.

"You've been living a sheltered life, but that's no excuse. Asking a girl to be naked on a public street? Think about that! First of all, at the very least consider her modesty and how she might get embarrassed! People, some of which she might know, would be passing all around her seeing her naked! While that sounds like fun from a certain perspective..." Shiho winked at Ann, who offered a rude gesture in response. "...from another it will screw up her composure and ensure she won't maintain the pose or look you want from her. And that's just the beginning. Public nudity is illegal, so if someone catches her like that it would be big trouble for all three of us! Plus...we know better than anyone that there are bad, bad people out there. If one of them found Ann like that...we don't know to dwell on it. My point is, you the artist are asking a LOT from Ann here. She's on record as being insecure about her looks and the way people treat her and assume things. She putting aside all of that for the sake of your portrait. She's allowing herself to be really **** and putting herself in your hands. In return you are responsible for making her comfortable and safe in whatever setting you put her in. So our location needs to be somewhere we won't get in trouble or have too much interference from other people."

"But there are examples of artists doing outdoor nudity." Yusuke protested.

"Well, sure. But I'm not an expert on that stuff. At the very least we would need permission from a business (like Leblanc) or some kind of permit from the city to legally do it in public. We'd need to arrange to keep foot traffic out of the area if its outside, too. And the problem is...that costs money. Money none of us have. So, we need a private place, like your studio. Or a place we can legally do artwork while naked (like a nude beach or something). Or we need to side step the law a bit and find a place remote enough to get away with being naked without getting caught."

Yusuke pondered this point for a moment.