Completed The muse

[Valo]

89th Fall 512AV
Valo's house
Late evening

East Street is truly the place to meet the most interesting of characters. And Morgan Sallona was indeed such a character. Her love for life, her energy and perpetual enthusiasm had left Valo speechless upon their encounter. And truth be told, not many women made such an impression upon the young charmer he was. Somewhat out-charmed, he had taken an immediate liking towards the young blonde and perhaps she too revelled in his presence. None the less, the pleasant night that fallowed, though void of physical pleasure which the two could share, was none the less magical.

There was no need for intoxication. The two acted like children none the less, as hand in hand they fled though the streets of Zeltiva. The light thundering of boots upon frosty cobble stones. There was a distinct chill in the air and running, rather than walking, meant that such coldness would not spoil their wonderful evening. Besides, walking was much too slow. They wanted to experience what it was truly like to become cats in the night, to see the real spirit of Zeltiva and see it all at once; and for one moment in their life they wanted to be truly free. For such freedom was always suppressed by the standards of common modesty and dignity. And these rules had little value to both Valo and his beautiful companion.

She seemed positively ecstatic at the thought of the young Inartian being an artist. He told her all about his work and his exhibitions and his research. He would frequently describe the most mundane things in the most poetic and exciting of ways. And by that she was enchanted. His sensitivity to beauty memorised her. Taking hold of both his hands and looking deep into his green eyes, she placed a soft rosy kiss on his cheek. "Paint me Valo." she whispered and he would need no more persuasion than that.

It wasn't long before the two reached his cottage, submerged in the loveliest of conversations. The inside was small indeed and plain but she took no notice of that. As he prepared his materials, she lit several candles and began undressing.

Morgan was younger than he was, but only by a year or two. Though her eyes which were the colour of the sea in mid summer, radiated maturity. Perhaps at fault was the fact that like Valo, she too left her family at a young age and made her own way in this world. This little thought connected them. Within the darkness of the cottage, she sat on the little bed, lit only by candle light. The chiaroscuro - a contrast of dark and light - was powerful indeed amplifying her corves.

Valo sat on a chair with a small canvas on a easel. At his feet there were several other canvases for Morgan was beautiful and he would not sleep until he had released all the inspiration which his little muse gave him. Quickly he sketched out her features. The round face, leaning on her knees, the large blue eyes staring mesmerised into the distance. Soft blonde ringlets, cropped short, were a hurricane around her head. Her slender frame, now in artistic nudity, sat with her knees brought up to her chest and her arms around her. The angle which he chose to paint her from was utmost flattering and meant that when he sells the painting, no one would truly know it was her.

And so the anatomy of the woman appeared on the canvas, looking serene, yet at the same time, radiating energy. As if she was a cat, purring yet ready to pounce at any moment. Every curve, every line and every detail seemed to bring the attention back to those large round eyes of her's, looking at something which did not exist.

[Valo]

There was a smile on Valo's face as he mapped out every minor detail of her anatomy, until a second Morgan appeared on the canvas.

"I wan't to see. Let me see!" she pleaded with a delighted smile on her face.

"Patience, patience my dear." he replied, opening several tubes of oil paint, each of a different shade of just three colours. Red, yellow and blue. The three primary colours which he always used to mix the custom colour he had so much love for. A true statement to the colour theory he had spent so many years studying meritoriously. With the long handle of a paintbrush in between his teeth he added. "There's not a single woman in Mizahar more beautiful than you Morgan."

A soft rosy blush appeared on her face as she repeated the compliment in her head over and over again. Men have told her that often, but none with such honesty as the handsome Inartian who now focused all of his attention on her.

He began with the shadows, painting a part of the canvas in black, which flattened the background immensely. If he was painting at any other time of the day, he would not use black straight out of the tube, for the intensity of such a bold colour would distort colour naturally brought out by sun light. But there was no sunlight in Valo's cottage at this time of night. Such use of black would only amplify the contrast of light, which was indeed his intention. As for the rest of the tones, they were very easy to make. Candle light rendered the majority of the shades within her skin to take on an orange hue. And the very highlights were dabs of ivory white paint on the canvas.

All this orange contrasted sharply with the blue of Morgan's eyes. That memorising ocean blue. they were now the true focal point within the painting.

He had not stopped at just one. Painting way though the night, even toward the early hours of the morning where sleepy rays of sunlight disrupted his perfect light conditions. Eventually a series of three lovely paintings of his muse were now propped up against the wall, drying. It would be a whole five days before he can cover them with a glossy top coat medium and then a further fifteen to twenty before that's completely dry and he can finally sell them. But such was the need of the paint.

Painting upon a well primed canvas meant that the medium in which the pigment of the paint was suspended, would not seep though into the layers of the grain. Instead it hovered on the surface, giving it that shiny quality which is so readily associated with oil paintings. This meant that the drying period of the paint was increased at least by two or three days. It was also necessary that as paint was layered onto the canvas, Valo had to slowly substitute one mixing medium for another; painting the very bottom layers with addition of white spirit and the very top with linseed oil. Otherwise in a years time, the paintings would be cracked up and useless. And it was important to the young artist that his work will be beautiful for eternity. The gloss over the top would simply protect the paint underneath from fading, ensuring brilliance of the pigments for years to come.

[Valo]

As the sun began rising in the sky, the two parted with a tender kiss on the lips, promising that some day soon they should repeat that wonderful night. Morgan was his muse now and perhaps there was a deeper feeling within his gut, for the girl who became such good company so quickly. He counted the days until he would again see her.

But that didn't happen until he had sold his paintings. And what a hefty price they went for. Hopefully this would aid Valo in creating a name for him self in Zeltiva as a renown artist, for this was his real goal. And perhaps it would take him years of work, but his life was truly devoted to art.

[Echelon]

Adventurer's Loot A Gift Experience is its own reward. Val's Loot : Valo Skill XP Reward Socialization +1XP Painting +1XP Seduction +2XP Lore: Out Charmed But Not Humbled Innocent Relationship Experience: Cats In The Night Hungry For Experience Seeking Freedom in Relation Modesty: Restriction Unforgettable Moments: Morgan Sallona's Lips Shape "Paint Me, Valo" Stark Black For Intimate Light Items or Consequences: +5 SP (The Lord of Counsel Viewed This Peace Personally And Was Taken By It's Earnest Beauty and Vivid Disposition) Notes: I miss reading of how you describe pose and composition, love. I FEEL the art you write about, and that makes me smile every time. I found it curious that Valo would use pure black, though, that seems so unlike him, I am unsure why that seemed off, exactly. (Comments) - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, please PM me.