Closed Drawn to Solitude

We are more than meets the eye and ear. (Shall pls)

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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

Drawn to Solitude

Postby Gwin on February 19th, 2014, 8:34 pm

Winter 80, 513 AV


As a child of the sea, Gwin preferred staying near its salty waters even in Zeltiva, but sometimes the hustle and bustle on the Cerulean Pier tired her enough to flee from civilization. Then she’d bat her vibrant green and turquoise wings and relocate to the small hill a few paces down the shore. Zeltivans called it the Maiden’s Cape, she heard, for it was crowned by the statue of a young girl looking out to the sea with an expression of longing and loneliness.

Even if she hadn’t discovered the statue, the Akvatari would still feel some distant force tugging at her heart whenever she sat on that hill and looked at the blue mass that stretched out to the horizon in all directions. To the left ships and boats were following mysterious ways etched into the captains’ minds to and from the docks, bound either for trade ports all over the continent or the fishing grounds just off the coast.

The arrivals and departures held a faint fascination for Gwin as they reminded her of her own transitory nature. No matter where she traveled, what kinds of music and cultures she studied, she only came to leave again. Such was her way of existence, she thought, and never questioned it further. Still, the Maiden’s Cape filled her with a longing for something else, something she couldn’t put a finger on. As she half-heartedly tried to find its roots, she watched the movement of Zeltivan ships.

At some point she opened her satchel, producing a sheet of parchment and a charcoal stick. Then she sat and watched again. After two ships had disappeared behind Cerulean Pier, she put the charcoal down and drew a horizontal line. She wanted it to be straight, although it turned out more of a hill. Biting her lower lip, she proceeded by outlining the shapes of tiny ships on the horizon and larger ones towards the bottom of the parchment. Gwin knew she lacked the technique and practice of a good drawer, but the charcoal was calling to her. Sometimes it even drowned out the music in her ears.

As she added more and more detail to the ships, occasionally looking up to check with reality, she lost herself in the process of creation. It was so delicious, that feeling, that she couldn’t help but embrace it entirely. Consequently, her surroundings faded into the background.
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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Shall on February 23rd, 2014, 8:33 am

Shall was on her way to the Maiden's cape. She once accidently found that place while she was wandering a round. It was isolated, ideal for reflecting. Normally, she would stop by this place to have a quiet time all by herself. It also had the perfect view. Shall enjoyed quiet places as much as she enjoyed admiring the sea and the sky.

The sunlight was bathing the sea in sweet honey cream, littering its blinding fragments on the signing waves. Shall took in a deep breath. The salty air was very much like it was on her first day in Zeltiva, soothing and calming. The sea was a vast, powerful source force that Shall took interest in. She had soon found that being near water always calmed her soul, be it the sea or a small stream. Life began with water. It nurtured plants, animals and human all the same. Reaching her right hand out, Shall concentrated on her inner djed. She could feel its flow beneath her veins from all corner of her body, peaceful and slowly. Djed began to go through her skin and condensed to a kind of liquid above her hand. It took the form of a blue ball of liquid. Shall coated it with a layer of water, leaving a core full of res inside. Pointed her index finger out, she tried to control the ball and kept it hoving above her finger while she was walking forwards. She knew that her res was limited, what about her control of it? Could she keep it for a few hours? She must try to see the result.

Having resting her hand at her side, Shall focused on the ball and made it spin around her body. The water ball continued to go around until she made it stop and catched it in the palm of her hand. Shall abruptly came to a halt. Lost of concentratrion caused the ball of water to plash to the ground. There was someone sitting there. A girl with long blonde hair about Shall's age. A pair of large butterfly wings sprouted from her shoulder, which was green in color and veined with black. They had little dots, creating fine glass like wings. The girl was focusing on a parchment and from where she stood, Shall guessed it could be something like a painting. The stranger was drawing.

Shall hesitated. What would she do now? Should she leave? There's already someone there. Since Shall's here, she didn't have the intend to leave. It was not a lucky day for her then. Having decided, she went forwards and took the opposite seat a feet from the girl in hope that she didn't disturb the stranger in the middle of her creative time.

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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Gwin on February 23rd, 2014, 7:29 pm

Gwin left the sails white, accenting their shape with pale lines against the radiant sky, while outlining the decks and people with small dark lines and silhouettes. She also tried to touch on rigging with a few representative lines, although they didn’t turn out as light as she would’ve liked. Next she focused on the two large vessels in the foreground, a trade ship and a fishing boat, and worked on a pattern of waves on their hulls.

Although she heard steps, she was so focused on capturing the delicate patterns that she didn’t look up to acknowledge the wanderer. Perhaps it was another resident seeking peace in the sound of the waves and solitude – if so, Gwin was the last to hinder them.

After a moment, someone took a seat near the Akvatari. While her hand worked away on the parchment, she spared a curious glance. It was a girl, too pale and light-haired for a human. That shine on her skin as it reflected sunlight… The Akvatari tended to respect the Konti, appreciating their taste for art and their peaceful island. Gwin knew there were exceptions, but for the most part the two races were friendly towards each other.

That particular Konti radiated a slight unease. Gwin noticed it and halted her charcoal for a moment. “Greetings… This is a beautiful place, isn’t it? Perhaps it is because it reflects our condition in the world so aptly. Wherever we go, we’re altogether alone.” If not for the greeting, she could’ve voiced her thoughts to the sea and sky. Gwin wouldn’t apologize to the girl for breaking the silence, but she tried to give a little comfort by accepting her presence and sharing her thoughts with a stranger.

Then she returned to the drawing. Frowning, she tried to work out the pattern on her ship hulls a little more without darkening it too much. Controlling the charcoal and its mark on the parchment proved to be difficult.
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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Shall on March 1st, 2014, 10:01 am

From behind, Shall could heard the Akvatari voice. It was a normal greeting. Turning her head to the side so she could see the stranger's back, Shall pondered on her answer a bit. She answered: "Yes, It sure is." Then, she fell into silence. She had never met an Akvatari before. And, to actually meet one was an unexpected thing, if not, a fortunate one. Shall always a curious person, wanting to know the smallest detail once she had grasped the basic. Earlier when Shall was searching through the library of Syliras, she came across a book about Akvataries. Shall was deeply impressed by their work of art. Some writings and songs were still her favourite to these day. It looked like the one in front of her right now was no exception, being one of those talented artist,writers and musicians. She wondered if the Akvatari did it because of her own hobbies or it's just her job. Shall didn't think there was an exception, yet it's not hurt to ask. A need to know more blossomed in Shall's mind. Maybe she could talk to the stranger more to find the answer on her own. Shall was not a talkative one, and wouldn't go out of her way to talk to other people but having a conversation or two to satisfy her own curiosity was not a strange idea to her.

The Akvatari was still busy with her painting so Shall thought she needed to ask small thing first. After a little waiting, Shall asked with a small voice: " Do you often go here?"

Looking down to her painting, Shall tried to make out the details. It seemed like a painting of the scenery playing out of the stranger right now, with the vast sea and delicate detail ships. " Is drawing your hobby?" she asked.

Last edited by Shall on March 2nd, 2014, 7:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Gwin on March 1st, 2014, 10:33 am

Eventually Gwin left the pattern of waves and leaned back to inspect the drawing from a greater distance. It looked crude to her critical eye, but then again, she couldn’t possibly expect a masterpiece after so many days of idleness. The attempt at perspective with bigger ships towards the front and smaller ones near the horizon worked, but the proportions of many ships were wrong.

With a small sigh, she leaned over the drawing and put light shadows in the sky. She tried to work out shapes of white, fluffy clouds. At that point, the Konti spoke up. She’d agreed with her previous statement, but that didn’t mean anything. Now, as she was drawing, Gwin also listened to the other’s questions.

“No, I just discovered it… and thought it a good spot to draw the sea.” Maybe that was what she’d be doing days and seasons from now. It’d be interesting to draw a series of sea motives, one for every port city she visited. Sea, lake or river.

At the next question, she tilted her head in thoughtful silence and halted her charcoal. “Hobby, isn’t it a curious word? It seems to suggest the opposite of work. I think such decisions aren’t suited for my art though. It’s just what I do. I have to do it. Does that make sense?” Her voice was soft and airy. The last words sounded half-hearted. Whether the Konti understood or not, she’d keep making art and trying to express whatever wanted out.

Just like the lines and shapes on her parchment, the words poured out of her unasked and without warning. If asked further questions, Gwin would answer. Like an empty vase waiting to be filled.
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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Shall on March 8th, 2014, 7:59 am

So not a hobby after all. The Akvatari words were strange, yet it fit for someone like her. Shall was wondering if she had disturbed the stranger by her questions. Perhaps she should let it fall into silence.

Shall looked up in the sky. The wind caught her hair in a strong gulp and playfuly nudge her white hair. Some stray ones fell into her eyes. Painting was one of her favourite pastime when she was young. She used to paint a lot of things. Things she could remember from the past. Things she saw when she was traveling across the cities. Things she tried to figure out from many fragments of vague distant heaven. It were strange experiences she had.

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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Gwin on March 11th, 2014, 3:52 pm

Finally the charcoal stopped and Gwin held the parchment up to get a better look at the drawing. Her critical eye discovered several mistakes and inconsistencies. Obviously she wasn’t too good at proportions and her hand had left smudges here and there. Charcoal was a tricky thing, hard to control because it was a soft material, ironically. Still, for one who didn’t focus on drawing and painting, but on an entirely different form of art, it wasn’t bad. As a practice piece, it served its purpose.

The Akvatari let her hand with parchment and black charcoal sink into her lap while her gaze wandered out to the sea. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she observed how the breeze played with white hair. The Konti seemed as quiet as herself. Now that she’d finished the drawing, however, Gwin had the urge to pick up the red thread and continue the conversation.

“Have you tried creating art before?” she asked. Random question, yet not as random as it seemed at first glance. After all, the Akvatari lived and breathed art like no other race. Gwin saw everyone she met and everything she experienced through the lens of the artist.

While waiting for words from the quiet Konti, she gently folded the piece of parchment, stored it away in her satchel and pulled out a fresh sheet. There she started drawing wide lines and circles, the skeleton of something that was illegible for now. She simply grew nervous when her hands were still, so she occupied the body with charcoal while focusing her mind on the words coming from the side. If the Konti thought her distracted or disinterested, she didn’t really mind.
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Drawn to Solitude

Postby Neologism on June 30th, 2014, 10:35 pm

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Grade Awarded!

Gwin :
Skills

Skill Points
Drawing +3 XP
Observation +4 XP
Socialization +3 XP


Lores

➢ Layout: Maiden's Cape
➢ Shall: Konti
➢ Drawing: Charcoal smudges easily


Comments

Way to go Gwin! I really liked your description when you were drawing. You definitely play up the elegance of the art well. :)

Shall :
Skills

Skill Points
Reimancy +1 XP
Observation +3 XP
Socialization +3 XP


Lores

➢ Layout: Maiden's Cape
➢ Gwin: Akvatari
➢ Gwin: Thinks Art is Necessary


Comments

That was a good read on your part, Shall. I think you really got into character, but I would like to see a little more meat to your posts. I'm interested in what you are writing, but you seem to cut me off. :)
Since I am a JrST, I need to get my grades approved before I can post them. I apologize for any late grades. If you find any problems or are concerned about anything, please let me know and we can work it out. :)
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