tushanshu_logs | [OPEN] The Joy of Painting

Characters: Zatanna Zatara | Midii Une | Aya + OPEN
Date: mid-october
Location: Earth Sector
Situation: Pottery Painting!
Warnings/Rating: things might get a little messy....

ZATANNA

[The 19-year-old Mistress of Magic...was not much of an artist. Although, in her defense, she had never claimed to be. Performance was quite different from paintbrushes, and while her sleight of hand was superb, well...]

[Still, she managed about as well as anyone who's last art project involved allowing a former boyfriend to smear her in body paint so she would turn visible again (long story): after about a half hour, she came away with a few simple, yet seasonally appropriate designs on the bowls she's gathered.]

[She also looked quite proud of herself as she held up one of them.]

Maybe I should use these when I decorate the Welcome Center.

MIDII

[A month shy of her 16th birthday, and Midii had already found herself a present. A teapot. Simple, personal, and something she knew she would get a lot of use out of.]

[It was said the custom was meant to be a social event, and yet she still sat a bit aways from the rest of the group. Several small cups of paint scattered around her. A few drops of every color, in fact, and a small, thin brush she'd used to paint dozens of little hearts all over its surface.]

[One for each friend or otherwise familiar face she'd lost. Not just in Keelai, but...before.]

I wonder...if I should make any cups to match.

AYA

[For her contribution for this most interesting cultural tradition, Aya painted...a green turtle. Because of course she did. She was dressed no differently than ever, unaffected by the cooling temperatures, with the only subtle alteration in her appearance being a...small streak of green on the side of her helmet. Darker than the shade of her construct skin.]

I do hope I have completed the process accurately.

While I have knitted articles of clothing before, I have seldom done anything of this nature in the past.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She recognized Raine almost immediately. Though it had been a while, the older girls' impression had made a lasting effect in her mind. The healing. Midii had spent years being wary of magic, but there was something about Raine's gift that had been...comforting. Sort of.]

[Which was why she offered a genuine smile in return.]

Hello. It has.

[And then, returning to the tea pot...]

I have a cup at home I use. It's not decorated, but it is large enough. And...I don't know if I can recreate the pattern I made here.

How have you been?

[Since she's apparently more or less welcome, Raine takes a seat near Midii, looking at the painted teapot a bit more closely.]

It can be nice to have a variety of teacups, and you have the opportunity. If you're not sure you can recreate the pattern exactly, why not something that coordinates rather than matching precisely?

I've been alright.

[A vague answer, yes, but Raine's question had been pretty vague too. The kind that Midii normally heard from the local shop owners whenever she reported for work; in those instances, simple replies were best so they could get to the point faster.]

How would I coordinate something if it's not the same pattern, though?

[She had a couple ideas of her own, but creativity had never been her strong suit...and she wanted to hear Raine's idea(s).]

That's good.

[It was just a general query; Raine hasn't heard anything at all in Midii for a while, whether good or bad.]

Perhaps something in the same colors, or around the same theme. For instance, you could create a new design centered around one heart, in order to avoid the necessity of aligning them?

[...and this is why she asked; that was not one of her ideas. Well, not exactly.]

What other designs could I make with a heart, though?

Originally, thought maybe I could just paint...you know, one heart on each cup...but then I don't know if it would look like part of the same set.

Hmmm.

[Raine picks up one of the raw cups, turning it over and over. When she sets it down again, she uses her index finger to trace the shape of a heart inside it.]

Echoing, perhaps? Start with a small one, and mimic the shape over and over again, around itself?

[She illustrates as she goes, tracing heart around heart.]

[Her brows furrowed together slightly, and she turned her attention back to the pot. Then over to one of the cups, which she tentatively picked up. Turning it over once or twice before reaching for one of the paints. Red. She drew a small heart in the middle, filling it in. Then, she wiped the brush on a bit of cloth nearby and dipped it into a second color. This time, blue. Carefully, she attempted a heart around the first one. It wasn't completely even, and a small corner did smudge when she tried to even it out, but otherwise...]

Like that?

[Raine watches closely, unthinking for the fact the weight of her scrutiny might make someone uncomfortable. Midii does seem to have some familiarity with this form-- she's not making many missteps, at the very least.]

Yes, that's what I was thinking. It retains the idea of multiple hearts without making you try to precisely replicate the initial pattern.

Do you like it?

[She barely noticed being watched, despite the fact that any other time, it would have made her uncomfortable. Being the center of multiple people's attention was one thing. Having someone observing her doing something she was fairly confident in...she didn't mind so much.]

...it'll work.

[She waited until the paint brush fell away from the cup before offering a small smile. The equivalent of her being greatly pleased with what she saw.]

Thank you. For the advice.

[If it works, it doesn't need to be perfect, after all. Raine looks pleased in turn when Midii thanks her.]

I'm glad I could help. I'm sure they'll be lovely when they're finished.

[That isn't a platitude: she's pretty sure of it.]

[One didn't need to be an expert in body language interpretation to see the words were meant to be sincere.]

I hadn't started out wanting to make something lovely.

It's...strange. But...I think I'm starting to understand why they have a tradition like this.

Simply something functional?

[Raine can understand that. She tilts her head at Midii, curious.]

Hmm. And why is that?

[Well, the set had already been made and was proven functional. It hadn't needed her for that.]

Because...I felt relaxed the whole time I was painting. Like I didn't have to think or worry about anything else besides something so minor.

And...I see other people talking to each other over the designs they've made. Just like how you came over to me.

[Raine's startled into a little smile. Midii's point is already proved, it seems.]

Ah, I see what you mean. It's bringing people together, isn't it?

[She wouldn't have guessed it initially, but looking around, she sees what Midii means.]

...yes. No wonder the tradition's persisted.

Do you mean to paint any more?

[Sometimes it took a real people-watcher--someone who was used to observing from the outside--to see what was happening as a whole.]

Probably not.

As soon as I finish these, I...was going to wander some more. See what other people were making.

[Raine nods.]

Hm. I meant to head home, but... perhaps I'll come with you, if you don't mind?

No, I don't mind.

If that's what you really want.

[Raine barely needs to consider before she nods once more.]

Yes. I think it's a good idea.

[A smile.]

Shall we?

[She waited just long enough to add the last finishing touch on her pot, then gathered her things to return to where they would need to be. Having everything on a single tray made it that much easier; though she had a few separate drop-off points for each of the materials, she could up and leave and stop by them along the way. So as to not keep Raine waiting.]

Ready.

All right.

[Raine falls into step with Midii when she goes, and is content with it; it's a surprise, but a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.]

[OPEN] The Joy of Painting

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fading on?