To Paint a Picture (Open)

[Blythe]

33 Day Fall, Year 510 AV

Briar had just handed over yet another vase for Blythe to paint. It was her fifth one this week. "Another one?" Blythe cried, incredulous at her older sister, who seemed to practically churn the things out. Briar simply smiled at her younger sister, baby blue eyes sparkling. "Another one," she said, before she giggled. Blythe sighed, as much as she liked helping her sisters by painting their pottery, she much preferred her poetry, and this was going to take her ages.

Blythe held the simple vase in her hand. It had an hourglass shape. "I'll go paint it right now," she said with a smile as she picked up her bag, and a few simple paints and a brush that her mother had leant her, and placed them inside. "I think I may be a little more, inspired, if I go and paint by the sea, I'll be back in a few hours, or when the sun sets, whichever comes first," she said, as she smiled at her sister, hoping that she couldn't see right through her.

Blythe couldn't help it. She really liked writing poetry and taking long walks. Painting, on the other hand, although calming, and a good way to release some of her frustrations, did not come as easily to her. Clutching the vase to her chest, she walked past her sister and headed towards the sea, wondering what to draw on it to make the simple clay pot come to life.

Blythe thought about it for a long while, perhaps a series of shells, or the angry sea. But nothing in particular really sparked her interest, and before she knew it, she was standing at the shore of the beach, seemingly alone, and wondering what on earth she should do with herself.

Deciding that it may be easier for her to work, she sat down, resting the vase on the sand in between her knees. Blythe reached into her bag and removed her paints and her brush. When she was done, she looked up and out at the sea, "inspire me," she whispered into thin air.

[Aaliyah]

Aaliyah was walking along the beach, kicking up the sand as she walked, and marveling at just how bright the sun was. My, I just love the fall, she thought to herself, as she continued walking.

The beach seemed endless, limitless, like it went on forever and ever. It seemed like no one else was around, and that she had it all to herself. Feeling strangely innocent, blissful, and at peace, Aaliyah started to skip along, singing softly into the wind, a simple tune that she didn't remember ever hearing. It went, "they clipped my wings again, tore them apart, and then left me."

As she continued walking, she breathed deep, allowing the smell of the sea that was carried by the wind fill her nostrils. She stopped, and closed her eyes for a bit, just letting the sound of the crashing waves fill her. She loved it.

Just then, she spotted a figure sitting on the beach up ahead. From what she could actually tell, because the figure was a little blurry, the woman had blonde hair.

Aaliyah kept walking towards her, and stopped just beside her. "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

[Blythe]

"Whatcha doing?" Blythe heard another female's voice. She looked up at her. She had to cup her right hand and hold it over her eyes as a shield from the sun, scrunching her face up, which must have made her look horribly ugly and rude, in order to get a better look at the woman.

In her current position, Blythe couldn't tell how tall the other woman was, just that she had bright red hair, and towered over her while she was sitting. (No duh). It made her feel slightly self-conscious, even though something so silly certainly shouldn't have enough power to make her feel that way, it did.

The girl's eyes were an emerald green, and she was rather thin. Her skin was tan, and seemingly flawless. She seemed to be kind of young, certainly not yet an adult, Blythe thought to herself. As she remembered that the girl had asked her what she was doing. "Just trying to find something to paint on this vase," she replied simply. "I was hoping to find something out here that would inspire me.

[Aaliyah]

"Just trying to find something to paint on this vase," the other woman replied simply. "I was hoping to find something out here that would inspire me." Aaliyah plopped down next to her, the sand was a yellowish-tan color, and very coarse. She continued to scoop it up and let it slip through her fingertips.

She looked over at the other woman, she must be a konti, she thought, judging by the scales, which shone a pale pink in the sun, and the blonde hair, and alluring lavender eyes. Someone could easily get lost in those eyes she thought. As she nodded at the woman, introducing herself. "I'm Aaliyah, but you can call me liyah, I think it's far easier," she said.

Gesturing towards the vase she asked, "were you hoping to paint anything in particular, or whatever seemed interesting to you at the time?" Half-serious, half-jokingly, she added, "you could always paint me you know," as she playfully punched the blonde's right shoulder, and laughed a little, tilting her head up slightly, her red hair flowing freely behind her. The sun shining directly in her eyes, she had to close them so they wouldn't burn, and she wouldn't wind up seeing colors.

[Blythe]

"I'm Aaliyah, but you can call me liyah, I think it's far easier," the woman said as she sat down. Blythe nodded, holding the her bristly-paintbrush in her fingers. Poised as if ready to set out to work.

"Were you hoping to paint anything in particular, or whatever seemed interesting to you at the time?" Liyah began. "You could always paint me you know," she said as she playfully punched Blythe's shoulder. Blythe rubbed it thoughtfully. She got the impression that the girl wasn't entirely untrue in her statement. The girl wanted to be painted. However, Blythe also got the impression that the girl was hiding something as well. She wasn't being entirely truthful about who, or what she was.

Blythe laughed lightly. "I could paint you if you really wanted me to," she said, "but you'd have to stay very very still for me to get it right. And you'd have to promise not to make fun of me if it doesn't come out the way you like," she added, lavender eyes fixed on the Liyah.

[Aaliyah]

"I could paint you if you really wanted me to," the konti woman said, "but you'd have to stay very very still for me to get it right. And you'd have to promise not to make fun of me if it doesn't come out the way you like."

"I promise," Liyah said with a sly smile. "Cross my heart and hope to die," she said as she traced an "x" over her heart. She sat next to the woman as a cold breeze swept through, and the waves crashed along the shore.

I wonder if she knows, Liyah wondered. Can she tell I'm a kelvic, that I have more than one form, or is she not skilled enough for that sort of thing? Liyah sighed, swiping her hair out of her mouth. Attractive, she thought.

Liyah turned back to the girl and tilted her head slightly to the side, her mouth slightly open, just enough to reveal her teeth, "what's your name?" she asked.

[Blythe]

"I promise," Liyah said with a sly smile. "Cross my heart and hope to die," she said as she traced an "x" over her heart. Blythe said, "alright," figuring her promise was as good as any.

Blythe reached into her bag and pulled out a few of her paints, they came in small tubes. She only had a few colors- fall colors mainly, reds, yellows, black, orange, brown, and just a bit of blue and green.

When Liyah asked for her name, she didn't bother to look up. "Blythe," she replied simply. "Would you mind standing? I think I want to paint you standing up she said. I'm kind of in the mood to practice profiles," she finished.

Remembering to always draw the background first, Blythe started by dotting the vase rather finely all around, to give the illusion of sand. When that was done, she got up, walked over to the sea, after carefully placing the vase in the sand, careful not to mess up the wet pain. When she got to the sea, she bent over, and cleaned off her paintbrush, scrubbing it clean with her fingertips before going back to start painting the sea in as well.

She wasn't worried about polluting the water, all of her paints her mother made for her. They were all made from natural ingredients and wouldn't harm the creatures of the sea.

"Actually, stay seated for a bit," Blythe said, "may be easier since I have to paint in the background first," she added.

When the sea was done, what she washed her brush down in the water again, placing the vase even more carefully in the sea this time. Wouldn't want to ruin it now would we?

This time, when she sat back down, she held the vase from the top and told Liyah, "your turn, time to strike a pose."

[Aaliyah]

"Your turn, time to strike a pose," Blythe said again after painting in the background on her vase. It didn't look much to Liyah, from what she saw. Shrugging, hoping it was simply because she wasn't finished yet, Liyah stood and stretched her arms to the side, before standing, facing out towards the sea, and doing her very best to stay still, which proved to be a monumental task considering how itchy her nose was, and how her eyes watered with the strength of the fall breeze.

Liyah did her best not to cry, or scratch her nose, or move, period. It was rather difficult. Her body was made to move, she didn't like standing in one place for so long. It felt uncomfortable and unnatural to her. Eventually she asked, "mind if we take a break for a second? I really could use a good stretch."

[Blythe]

Blythe looked up at Liyah, then down at her painting over and over again. Painting slowly, in circles, being careful not to mess it up, which she was bound to do given her track record, eventually. She got through her head first, trying to capture Liyah's delicate features, but feeling as though she didn't do the girl justice. Then she moved onto the girl's body, which she found far easier.

"Mind if we take a break for a second? I really could use a good stretch," Liyah said. Blythe looked up at her, smiling, "yes of course." She replied, as she got a good look at her vase, she thought it was coming along ok, but could have probably done better. Maybe it was just that she didn't have the right shades? It made her creation seem a little off for a lack of a better word.

[Aaliyah]

Aaliyah smiled, thank goodness she thought as she arched he back, hands on her hips, stretching her back out. She sighed heavily when she did this. Then she moved on to touching her toes, then jogging in place, 15 slow push-ups, a few lunges on each side of her body, stretching towards the sky, wiggling her toes, and her fingers, turning her head from left to right, over and over and over again. That took her about twenty minutes.

"Sorry," she said to Blythe, "but I really needed to stretch. I was feeling so..." Liyah searched for the right word to describe the aches and pains she now felt in her body, how hard it was to stay still. "Stiff," she finally said.

She stopped talking for a moment and looked down at Blythe, "need me to stand in the same position?" she asked, "or should I shift?"