Art for the Angel and the Ram

New school year, and more people all around. Always with new people coming into the school. Ai even remembered that she had come to the island a little over two years ago. Everything had been so different to her home in the Himalayas. But now here she was and doing a group project with one of the new students. Of course it was art class, and though Ai did more knitting than painting or drawing. As the paints and graphite get into her clothing really easily. But now she was in a group project... did she think that twice? Her head was swiming with ideas and as such the teacher had only handed out envelopes with instruction and only told each group to open the envelopes once in groups of two.

"It... it's no t-trouble T-talion. I remember when I use to b-be the new student in class. I think it-it's better when... you get help... help on things like this." Her voice felt a bit steadier when she was near Talion, she didn't quite know why. But it did help her not to stutter as much. "I guess now that... that we are separated from... from the rest of the groups. W-What does the instructions say?"

Drawings of each other? Did they mean figure drawing? Ai began to blush thinking about it. Were those not done nude? The thought just cause Ai to blush harder. Though as Talion talked Ai relaxed. It shouldn't be that, this was the beginning of the school year. It was probably just a test for their current skills to show where they were at... yes that must be it. "Art is very... very important to many cultures. But I like how i-it can be very calming." Ai blushed a little harder when Talion said that he'd never drawn someone else before.

"I-I think that the teacher is... is just testing everyones s-skill. To see how much we...we might improve over the course." She spoke as Talion moved to grab pencil kits and paper. She watched him as he did so, she didn't know exactly why, but she like Talion. When he said that they could stay here or go to the dorms to draw Ai tried to think of where Talion might feel more comfortable. She always thought of others before herself when it came to being comfortable. When he spoke saying the dorms might be better comfort Ai simply nodded before hopping out of her chair to walk with Talion.

While they walked Ai would look forward down the hall way but would continuously glance up to Talion's face, and then to his back where his wings were. Was he an Angel? But aren't their wings white? Before her thoughts could go any farther she would blush and look forward again. Only for her to turn her head fully and speak up "u-um... Talion, I'm curious. W-what are you?" As she spoke Ai blushed harder and turned back to their path. "I-i-i didn't m-mean.... mean it l-l-like that!" She was getting a bit flustered now.

Blushing Ai used one hand to pull up the collar of her turtle neck to cover the lower half of her face. Talion then gave her a feather and only caused her to blush harder. "I-I-i'm not..." She couldn't blush any harder. Trying to pull her mind back on the project. "W-w-which dorm a-a-are we heading t-t-to?"

Trying to pull her self together she tried to calm her voice. "M-mine is in the f-female dorms... I d-do not t-think we c-can use mine.... W-wh--where are y-your dorms?" In her mind Ai asked herself if she really had just asked that to a boy...

Why was this happening to her? Here she was walking with this man. A fellow student, and he was very nice to look at to.... what was she thinking! Ai blushed hard again. She wasn't quite sure but she felt very comfortable around Talion and for some reason it was making her think oddly. "I-i-i-if it's n-not t-t-to much t-t-trouble" She followed behind Talion as he lead the way to his dorm room. Was this really a good idea to go into a boy's dorm by herself? She found herself not quite careing about that much. Talion wasn't going to hurt her.

Once they were inside Ai looked around and saw what Talion did for decorating his home. It was very different then what Ai did to decorate her rooms. Instead of Tapestries and Statues of the Zodiac, each representing one of her siblings. Those depictions helped Ai to be calm in this place where things were so different. "i-interesting decorations..."

When Talion brought food items to the coffee table she looked at him and blushed slightly, only just recently stopped blushin by being alone in the room with Talion. "U-um... Do you have any... vegetables? I...c-can't eat anything not H-herbivore f-f-friendly..." Ai looked away of the food doing one more pass through the room before looking at Talion as he said that they should take turns sketching each other. "W-who should g-g-go first?"

Looking over some of the snack food Talion had brought put on the coffee table she saw a bag of baby carrots a little buried under all of the other food items on the table. Gently moving the other items off of what she was going for she opened the bag and pulled one out and began to eat it slowly as she looked for a place to sit.

Deciding that it might be best to be close to Talion she sat on the other edge of the bed. She didn't want to presume anything by sitting to close. Once seated she spoke up. "Thank y-you Talion... for the snacks and everything." Ai' s blush was fading as she got comfortable and taking a deep breath to put her nerves in order.

When Talion suggested that she draw him first she knodded. "Okay..." She took her drawing pad and opened it to the first page, it was as new as the school year was. Ai began to draw, this was just going to be a simple sketch but she wanted to take this as seriously as if it were a final. So she put her heart into her drawing. Though every time she would look up at Talion's face and would look him in the eye she would blush and hurriedly go back to sketching. With this in mind it took Ai a bit longer to get his face drawn. As she drew Talion talked to her and when she was looking at her page she smiled softly. "I like being in class with you too Talion. But you are probably better than I am. Most of my skill is knitting, I'm no where near your skill."

As Ai finished a few more lines she decided it was as good as it would get with this assignment. It had taken maybe 5 minutes to do a page filled simply with Talion's upper body. Turning it around so her partner could see Ai blushed a little. She may have taken some artistic liberties and had Talion look more... heroic, maybe a touch more defined muscle. It was how Ai saw him. "I hope I did okay..."

As she said that Ai put the book down next to her, the page still open. And moved into a position to be drawn. Ankles crossed and tu ked under her, her hands in her lap, back straight and with a soft smile. She looked like she was ready to have her picture taken. Though with her thick wool turtle neck looking ready for pictures in a winter school picture album but her heart was in the right place. "Y-your turn..."