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It was a lazy tuesday afternoon at 61652 Fawcett Avenue in Parrodipolis. The store located there was Forbidden Comics & the stores' owner, J.J. Adams. As he manned his position he was thumbing through one of the comics he had yet to read. He looked up from his comic as one of the shop's regulars came in the door. She snaked her way around the store, stopping every so often to look at something. She then walked casually up to the counter which also doubled as a display case.

J.J. once more raised his head up from the comic book & said. "Hey, Catherine."

"Hey." was he reply.

"You do know that this week's new comics don't come in until tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I know. I just thought I'd stop on by."

"Ok. Just thought you'd like to know." He said before going back to his comic.

"Thanks."

Catherine's eyes scanned the shelves that lined the walls behind him. On a one of the top shelves was a painting. The subject of the painting was of a woman. She was wadding in a small pool of water. Around her were some rocks, a few bushes & a water lilly or two. Her long blonde hair draped down her shoulders over her chest & the ends just touched the water. A red orchid pinned back some of her hair over her left ear. The woman had bright blue eyes & also was apparently naked.

"Uh… J.J.?" Catherine asked.

"Yes?" He replied once more raising his head.

"What is that?" Catherine asked as he pointed at the unframed piece of art on the wall.

"It's a Diller."

"Please tell me that it not what someone thinks Phyllis Diller looked like when she was young."

"It's not. It's a painting by artist by the name of Adam Diller. He has done some really cool stuff."

"So, you went with the naked pixie?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah. So?"

"But she's naked? I know the store is called Forbidden Comics but I thought the store was family friendly?"

"We are. Plus, you can't see any of her naughty bits."

"True."

"It's not like you couldn't turn around & pick up a comic or two that has more sexualized art in it that shows a whole lot more."

"True. But most of those comics don't have art like that in it. The painting is almost photorealistic."

"That's part of why I liked it." J.J. said.

"What's the other part? Her boobs." Catherine said sarcastically.

There was few moments of silence between the two of them. J.J. was also trying to avoid eye contact with Catherine.

"That's it isn't it?"

"Yeah."

There was some more moments of silence between them. Catherine had a shocked look on her face.

"What? I'm a guy & I like boobs. It's not that shocking."

"I know. I know. But that you'd put up something so blatantly sexual."

"Catherine look at a number of the posters I have up around the store. What's one of the main focus of the a number of them?"

Catherine looks around & once she had finished her look around the store she said. "Ok. So breasts are on display around the store but this is different."

"Why?"

Catherine attempted to answer the question but was having problems, she keep stumbling over her words. Starting sentences but not finishing them.

"Plus, you got Boobs so you get to look at them when ever you want to. I got to find other ways of seeing them."

There was a few more moments of silence & then Catherine returned half jokingly with this comment. "But J.J. you've boobs. Quite big

Catherine then looked down at his chest with a sly smile.

J.J. then cross his arms over his chest & said. "No, I got man boobs & they aren't as sexy."

"Ok. But the girl in the painting looks 16!"

"She does?" J.J. said & then looked over his new painting.

"Yes. Or maybe younger then that. You sir, have a painting of a underage girl on your wall wearing nothing at all. There mind by some other underage girls on the posters you have up but they are all fully clothed."

"No!" J.J. said almost yelling the comment. He then said at his normal tone. "She's older then that."

"How much?"

"18 at least."

"Yeah, that makes it so much better." Catherine said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah. She's legally an Adult. Plus, you earlier said she looked like a pixie & if she was a pixie she could be centuries old!"

"So, instead of having an underage naked girl on your wall you have an centuries old naked pixie on your wall?"

"Yeah!" J.J. said quite happily.

"So, that's what you'll tell all the parents that come in here with their kids when they see your new painting?"

J.J. was about to say something then stopped & thought for a moment. "Uh…"

"Well?"

"I guess not." J.J. said somewhat ashamed.

"So, what are you going to do with it?"

"take it home." He said with some tone of shame to his voice.

"Ok." Catherine said quite happily. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"yeah."

Catherine left the store & J.J. took the painting down & put in the storage room.

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THE END

He'd better watch out for anyone coming into the store named Shauna...

J.J., looking up at the wall: "I don't know, it doesn't strike me as being overtly sexual at all."

Mary Prankstar: (yanks painting off the wall and smashes J.J. over the head with it) "How does it strike you now?"

It all depends on how much Adam Diller wanted to sell it for. Plus, there is shipping costs.

As for Shauna: I'm not sure if she & J.J. exist in the same dimension so the subject of the painting might vary.

This story all spun out of a few random thoughts about the painting. As I thought, 2 different sides of a conversation came to me. I thought having 1 side coming from a woman would be interesting so that's why I used Catherine. The thought of having Catherine discuss this painting in a comic book store was interesting.

In the regular life, I'm more on J.J.'s side both could see Catherine's side.

... It's more that the painting might be of an overtly sexual nature & is up in a place where children frequent.

I'm not sure I stated this in the story but Catherine didn't seem to object to the painting it self just that it was up in the store. She was probably just trying to protect J.J. from those parents that might avoid the store after seeing the painting up.