 "there are always flowers for those who want to see them"
Fiona was no stranger to the Great Hall of Terrastella's citadel. It had hosted many gathering within its walls on the past, the most recent being the gathering of those who had been injured or left out in the cold during the floods, and the following arrival of Vespera with the gophers. Remembering the way Vespera had spoken to them, the expression she'd worn, it brought a dull throbbing to her side where she'd been injured. But now, Fiona looked at the Great Hall and saw no remains of that terrible time. Now, the fires were roaring not to dry the soaked but the stave off the winter chill. The tables were filled with food and drinks, not for the hungry, but for enjoyment. There was another addition too; the parchment and pens, pencils, paints. The Champion of Community settled in at a table, allowing the sound of surrounding conversation to pull her into some sort of creative trance. It was wonderful to her ears to hear the laughter and raucous voices, and the joy was contagious. Soon, Fiona was drawing a pen across the paper in front of her, smiling to herself and sipping an amber wine from a glass that had ended up in front of her at some point while she'd been distracted. @Corrdelia just a quick starter! |
 The crow witch made her way across the room, feeling the buzz of the mead in her body. Her mind was a little muddled, but not too much that she could not do basic functions. She did feel even more happier than usual though. After speaking with a unique woman, Hāsta was relieved that they had gotten up and went elsewhere. For whatever reason, her companion was terrified of Thana, but Corr saw nothing wrong with the woman. She was just a big baby and liked to complain about everything. Well, Corr was not ready to leave the party just yet and another woman sitting nearby caught her attention. It seemed she had just sat down to draw so there was not much yet on her paper. "Mind if I take a seat here, dear?" she asked, gesturing next to the woman. She was vaguely familiar, but Corr had not yet learned all of the names within the Dusk Court, even those who may have a higher rank within the Court. She spent most of her time in her home out in the swamp, which was another reason these festivities were so great. Now she could start to meet others within her Court and maybe make some friends (or customers for her readings). Either way worked just fine for her. "My name is Corrdelia Maude," she introduced herself with a warm smile. Hāsta flew over and landed on the table, then made a disapproving sound. "And this is my companion, Hāsta, but pay her no mind. She tends to be grumpy about everything." In response, the crow fluffed her feathers and looked at Corr angrily (or at least, as angry as a crow could look). The mare simply laughed and playfully nudged her with her nose. "What are you thinking of drawing?" she asked curiously. @Fiona
Fortunately, the woman did not mind her company and gestured for Corr to take the seat next to her. What came unexpectedly was how the woman responded back. With a pen and paper, her words came through. Her name was Fiona and she was born mute. It made Corr's heart sink. "Oh you poor dear. Well, no worries of course. My apologies for talking so much! I tend to get carried away at times," she replied with a chuckle. Hāsta let out a "hrmph" through their telepathy and she made a face at the bird. Corr would need to make sure not to overwhelm Fiona with all her rambling or else the girl would likely struggle to keep up with writing. When the conversation changed to Fiona's drawing, she gave off the title and the image became a little more clear. "Ah, yes, the cliffs have such a beautiful view. I have not spent much time out there just yet, but it is very picturesque indeed. I look forward to seeing your finished work!" From the brush strokes, it was clear this woman had a good eye and was very talented. She wondered if she had more paintings stashed away somewhere to share with others. The woman then asked if Corr was an artist and this made her light up immediately. She unraveled the paper by her side from the painting she finished earlier to show off to Fiona. It held a much darker tone than her companion's. Front and center was a single pine tree with lightning striking it from both sides. There were two splits in the tree where the lightning hit, one towards the top and the other a little further down. Small flames went upwards from the breaks in the trunk to show the tree lit up by fire. The tree was a white silhouette among the black of a night sky. "I'm not sure if you're familiar with tarot, but this represents The Tower," she explained, taking in her artwork again and the meaning of the card. In general, it bore a lot of powerful and often negative meaning, but she went with her intuition when she painted. "I don't paint too often, but when I do, it's usually when my third eye is open and I can really connect with the spirit realm. They're sending a heavy message this time indeed.." She drifted off, becoming lost in thought. Whatever the reason for this card's presence would likely come to light soon enough. They would all need to be cautious. @Fiona hopefully Corr doesn't freak her out too much xD "there are always flowers for those who want to see them"
Fiona had grown up used to other’s pity. As a filly, other children had often left her out of things and adults would give her that look that she quickly grew adept at avoiding. Not only because of her inability to speak, but as a girl whose mother had left her when she had been so young. It had been a long time since she’d experienced that sort of attention, but she supposed it couldn’t be helped by someone who did not already know her. Coupled with her feelings in the aftermath of the floods, however, the pity stung more than she remembered it having done as a filly. She wouldn’t hold it against the other woman however, in time she’d no doubt see that Fiona was as capable as any other regardless of not having a physical voice. Fiona took a moment to add more detail to her sketch while Corrdelia talked, nodding in agreement to her assessment of the cliffs. They really were quite picturesque, and at sunrise the early morning light slanted low across the water from the east, leaving streaks of red and orange on the surface of the ocean. But when her companion pulled out a rolled up paper and spread it open. She didn’t quite know what to think of the artwork before her, and as the woman began to explain Fiona only grew more confused. Third eye? Spirit realm? Fiona had no idea what tarot was, or what the pegasus was going on about. She knew about oracles and seers, predictions of the future and such things, was this a similar concept? I’ve never heard of it, no, Fiona wrote. She remembered when she’d met Atreus at the festival in Denocte people talking of something like this. A strange old woman reading cards in one of the tents set up outside the markets. Fiona had certainly never considered herself more realistic than idealistic but she wasn’t sure what she thought of it all. To tell the truth, the last thing she wished to think about right now was any sort of heavy message, real or not. What do you intend to make now? perhaps, if anything, she could steer the subject away from such things. @Corrdelia super late wow It's no surprise to Corr when Fiona writes that she hasn't heard of tarot before. If anything, it's more enjoyable when someone isn't aware so she can teach them about it. "That's alright, not many have," she replies, taking a moment to process a way to explain it all more simply. "Well, in a nutshell, it's a form of divination. So one may use it to understand what their future could hold, but it also gives good insight into the Self." She feels rather proud of her explanation and smiles at the other mare. "I, uh, don't want to toot my own horn but tarot is one of my specialties. If you ever want a reading, just find my little home in the swamp!" Corr hopes Fiona may take her up on the offer, but unfortunately not everyone saw the value in tarot like she did. When she's asked what she would make now, the question actually stumps her. "You know… I'm not sure. This one took quite a bit of my time and energy already," she admits. The thought hadn't occurred to her to paint something else, but well, who said they were only allowed to do one painting tonight? She takes a sip of her mead and gathers new supplies in the neighboring seat. "Maybe I could try to get the Spirits to show me something more pleasant?" she adds, then takes a few deep breaths. Grounding herself was important when communicating with the Spirit realm. Although, it was either the mead or the Spirits deciding not to show her anything else because her mind was coming up blank. With a perplexed look, Corr turns back to Fiona and notices a flash of color around the woman. It was something that happened off and on with her magic in relation to others' auras. She certainly is no expert on it just yet, but it sparks an idea. "How about I paint you? I'm just learning to read auras, but I can see some beautiful shades of light green around you," she says warmly. In her own Corr way, it is a compliment, even if Fiona may not fully understand what it means. @Fiona <3 "there are always flowers for those who want to see them"
The Self? Fiona has a lot of questions and doesn’t really feel like this is the time and place to ask them all, especially as she’s in the middle of a piece. But even with Corrdelia’s explanation she finds she still doesn’t quite grasp what exactly that means. She does, however, understand the idea of fortune-telling and such things, though she can’t say whether she believes if such things are real or not without some kind of magic involved. Perhaps this woman has some sort of seering magic? Regardless, she nods her head when the pegasus suggests that if Fiona ever wants a reading to find her home within Tinea. While the Champion isn’t sure if she will take the offer, she will keep it in mind at least. When the conversation turns back to art, Fiona feels more comfortable and relaxed. Her sketch of the cliffs is complete and she is ready to begin adding color to it. This part is less familiar to her, as most of her work is done completely in monochrome, with graphite or pen. But, as she’s picturing the sun slanting across the water in the early morning, she wants to add that to the drawing she’s already done. The lavender woman is about to begin mixing a few colors onto a palette when Corrdelia speaks, and her surprise brings warmth rising to her cheeks. She smiles modestly and gently tucks a bit of hair behind one ear. It’s all gathered into a braid, as she often wears it because there is so much of it. Well, yes, that would be alright, she writes, feeling a little bashful. If it’s okay that I work on my painting, I will do my best to stay still, Fiona adds. She glances at her companion and then back to her sketch, getting her supplies in order so that she will not need to be moving too much. At that point it just becomes her and the paints. Everything else fades into the background as she attentively brings her vision to life on the paper, as lanterns burn and conversations shift and parties come and go all around them. @Corrdelia a close c: Fiona becomes bashful when Corr asks to paint her, but when she agrees, the crow witch is ecstatic. Although this would be the first time that she's painted another horse before, the woman was very portrait-worthy with her lavender skin and long hair. She hoped she could do Fiona justice in her style. "Thank you, dear! And of course you can keep painting, I don't want to keep you from getting your own done," she replies, glancing over at the piece. "It's coming along beautifully!" she compliments before gathering new supplies to start her portrait. For a night that started with an ominous warning, Corr feels rather relaxed. Perhaps it's the mead or being in good company. Either way she doesn't mind and focuses on her new piece. Whatever the Spirits are telling her, she's sure that they would all overcome it. As she begins sketching, the noise around them fades away and she smiles at her newfound friend. @Fiona fin <3 thank you for the lovely thread! |
