It's Clever, but is it Art?

 ARGO, TRANSIT DEPOT #4

As the day slowly creeps to a close in one of the many small transit stations of Argo, people slowly file away. The transit depot in question didn't see much use except for work transport, and at nights, people tended to leave it be.

Which is why Petra Sideris, rogue artist of Argo, has shown up here, after close. Packing her paints and her brush, the rogue artist in question smirks as she opens the door of the transit depot, ready to paint over the blank, unassuming walls of the depot with plenty of fancy vistas of her own mind.

She stops short as she notices the functional signs. Normally nothing but directional guideposts, today they looked... different. Though the same information is retained, it's presented through loops and whorls, twisted vines and small waves transforming the signs into something much different than they were before. For objects where function begat form, form had reclaimed function.

And she recognizes that brushwork, Her eyes fall on the figure standing on a stepladder, reaching one of the signs and currently touching up the end of a vine. 

"Iroha!" Petra shouts, jabbing her paintbrush at the artist on the stepladder. The woman in question jumps down and turns to face her.

"Afraid I don't know who you mean!"

"Don't fuck with me, Iroha! What's the meaning of taking my new spot of inspiration away from me?"

"Already said, it's not Iroha! I've decided to change my name. Become a true artist! "Iroha Niijue.." What kind of a name for an artist is that? Sure, "Petra Sideris", that has a ring to it. People will buy your paintings.

I mean I don't see why they'd want to, but they will."

"Well? Out with it, then? Who's my new rival?"

"From now on, I am to be known entirely and only as... Mauve Vermillion! For I, myself, should be the rainbow I wish to bring to the world with my beautiful art!"

"That's less of a mess than I expected."

"Well, I did consider Mauve Azure Emerald Goldenrod Tangerine Vermillion. But I lost track the third time I said it to myself."

"Anyhow! That's beside the point, Iro- Mauve! This is my artistic inspiration! I had wonderful ideas for how to make those entering this transit depot feel as if they stepped out to the wide world, but how am I suppose to execute on them if you've already touched it up with your mess?"

"In that case, I've saved our city's fair commuters from a tragic fate. They come here to simply move through with their lives, with no interest in trying to stay in a transient location. Your art would be wasted here! 

My art, on the other hand, is perfect. I have once again created form out of function! These signs remain their normal self, yet now they brighten the day of those who see them, regardless of what those fussbodies at the transit department say!"

"Oh, they shot you down too?"

"Yes! They were insistent on "the signs need to remain communicative" and "they should be easy to read at a glance". What a stifling attitude! This is why the artistic mind is falling out of consciousness in our society.

I challenge everyone who views any piece of my art to think that art must be its own thing! We can make anything into art! An ornate fence can become art with a little work! Yet they insist on maintaining function, and function alone!"

"...On that, I still agree with you. But I can't possibly work here now. Your art... it detracts completely from the compositions I had in mind."

"I couldn't agree more! Your art would completely ruin the work I have set up here."

"Very well, then. But next time... Next time, I'm going to ensure you don't even get a chance to paint!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

With that, Petra Sideris departs the transit depot, while Mauve Vermillion continues to work on transforming the signs present in the station.

Two artists... so alike, and yet so unwilling to agree.