Closed [Sculpture Yard] Stories, music and drawing! oh my! (Elva)

[Zisien]

xx

Timestamp: 77th of Autumn, 513AV

Zisien half walked along a predetermined path of stone with Kaneli, following close behind. The little red puppy had found an interesting new game that consist of hopping from one of Zisien's paw print hole to the next, barking each time she landed in one. The polar bear had just taken her around Avanthal, to get her socialized with people and get use to her polar form. Kill two birds with one stone as they say.

Tonight in the sculpture yard, a small festivity was taking place. A night of music and storytelling. However it wasn't quite time yet, for the sun was still up and had a few bells to go before it passed into the horizon. Zisien wanted to get there early, to camp out a good spot to listen to the stories and to see the new artwork that has been displayed since the massive djed storm.

The Sculpture Yard was an artist haven and muse, already the garden was full of Skyglows and other artists looking for inspiration and exchange ideas with one another. They paid the polar bear and her extra ball of fur no mind. Kaneli didn't care for the artwork instead she jogged off, tail wagging, to a group of Vantha who were sitting on a bench near by.

Zisien made sure her pup was eye and charge distance of her. Not that she would think any of the artist would harm Kaneli but she wasn't taking chances. The polar bear stopped every once in awhile to admire the different artwork displayed. There was statues if native animals, prominent figures from the past and even a few abstract works.

Kaneli grew bored of the Vantha especially since they wouldn't share their snacks they were eating and made her way to the ice stone gazebo in the middle of the garden. She circled a few times, trying to get comfortable before laying down and promptly falling asleep. Zisien couldn't blame the pup they have been up and out since early bells of this morning. She was kinda sleepy herself and did look to be a great idea in fact. A small nap before everything got underway.

Zisien followed Kaneli's lead and plopped down next to her, lending the puppy her warm fuzzy heat and drifted off to sleep as well.
x

[Elva Skyglow]

There was a subdued excitement permeating the sculpture yard that evening. The Skyglow Hold had been abuzz with activity earlier that day as artists dashed about preparing their latest projects for show at an impromptu festival. Elva slipped into the yard as casually as possible and made straight for the gazebo in the center. She had arrived early to secure a place for herself out of the way. She had no desire to be noticed by the other Skyglows at the event or be questioned why she had no work of her own to display. In all truth she had tried to complete a few pieces. She agonized over a portrait of her mother, trying to capture the way the fabric fell against her thin shoulders and how her long hair tumbled down her back. In the end she had scrapped the portrait as a work for show, giving it as gift to mother instead. She let the memory of her mother’s grateful expression sooth her as she dodged a group of Vantha blocking her way to the gazebo. Distracted, Elva reached the entrance and as she turned to look inside it properly she stopped in surprise.

A dire polar bear was curled in peaceful slumber in the gazebo and nestled against it was a puppy with bright red fur. It was most certainly a Kelvic of the Icewatch, no wild bear would be here let alone napping cutely with a small animal. Elva’s eyes roved across the scene taking in as many details as possible. The way the shadows fell on the bear’s thick fur, the duos’ contrasting coloration, the size difference. She noted the overall mood of protection and comfort with a glint in her eye. This situation was far too precious to be ignored; she simply had to draw it.

Elva clutched her bag of supplies close to her chest as she carefully stepped into the gazebo and slid into the bench near her, keeping her distance from her unwitting models. Slowly she set her bag down next to her and maneuvered her pad of papers free of it along with a stick of charcoal. The stiff paper rustled as she situated it on her knees. Elva studied her subjects a moment longer before she touched the charcoal to the paper. The faint sound of scratching and frustrated grumbling could be heard as Elva struggled with the proportion of the bear’s broad head. “Shyke!” she exclaimed as she pressed too hard and snapped the tip of her charcoal, leaving a large dark mark where she had intended to make a gentle curve. She rubbed at it ineffectually with her fingers, having quite forgotten to be silent.

[Zisien]

xx

Zisien twitched every now and then as she slept next to Kaneli. She never dreamt when she was human but always did as a polar bear. Zisien wasn't sure why it worked that way but never questioned it fully. Her dreams were usually bright and abstract in a way and this evening it was no different.

Swirling bright lights slowly blended together at the center to make a color Zisien never seen before. The ambiguous color changed shape into something that could resemble a seal pup. It swam in the sea of colors before stopping in front a fish. The blobby seal was about to eat the fish when something rapped across her nose and abruptly woke her up.

Zisien quickly popped up, jostling the ball of red fur next to her. She turned around in a circle to see what had hit her nose and found a piece of broken charcoal lying on the floor of the gazebo. Kaneli now fully awake and full of renewed energy sniffed at the art medium before barking at it. The kelvic shifted and swooped down to collect the charcoal before the puppy began chewing on it. She couldn't imagine that tasting very good let alone be ok to consume.

First looking at the offending black stick, she glanced at the ceiling of the gazebo. Raining charcoal? Zisien asked stupidly to herself. She clearly wasn't fully awake as she thought and shook her head to clear it. Kaneli began barking at something behind Zisien.

x

[Elva Skyglow]

Could nothing at all go right for her today? Elva’s distressed flailing over her marred sketch sent a broken half of her charcoal flying across the room. By some divine providence it landed squarely on the polar bear’s nose, waking it with a sharp rap. The bear surged to its feet, clearly several heads taller than Elva, and she struggled to hold in a surprised yelp. Oh gods, that is a large bear. She silently mourned her ruined study as she pulled her book close in a defensive gesture.

Apparently the pair did not notice her as the polar bear and its companion discovered the source of their sudden awakening. Of all your transgressions, charcoal, this one has cut the deepest! Elva aimed vicious thoughts at the treacherous shard. Almost in reaction to her, the little pup sniffed and barked at the broken medium with gusto, it was quite darling really. Elva’s tense posture relaxed as she waited to see what it would do with the foreign object, but the bear snatched it away before the puppy could progress further its examination.

Elva felt as though she were at a crossroads. The Kelvic seemed lethargic and dazed from sleep, she could slip away from the gazebo and find another place to work that was not so close. On the other hand all possibilities with these two had not been exhausted. Perhaps she could persuade them to pose again? A sharp noise pierced through Elva’s ears and she suddenly found herself with the undivided attention of a very vocal young dog. Well, it appeared the stealth option was no longer available

The pup might wander close to her or keep its distance but Elva still tried to sooth it with an extended hand and murmured, “Shhh, now, now baby, no need for that.” before looking back to its much larger companion. Alright, social interaction Elva, you can do this. She took a breath and offered a soft and hesitant, “Hello?” Simply prime and brimming with confidence Elva, you petching idiot.

[Zisien]

xx

Kaneli was barking loudly behind Zisien. It was the bark when she didn't like something or a warning bark of sorts. Zisien was learning that Kaneli was a very vocal dog, which was good and a bad thing.

At the moment, somewhere in between, good because it alerted Zisien that there was someone behind her but bad because she was making all that racket. The kelvic turned around to see who had managed to sneak up on her and faced a young girl. She was much shorter than Zisien and striking black wavy hair with blue highlights. She was trying to hush the red ball of fur with little success until she noticed Zisien.

The shorter girl stands up, faces Zisien and mutters a hello. The silver hair kelvic scoops up Kaneli and holds her to her chest as make shift clothes. She wasn't being self conscious or anything because she was completely comfortable naked or clothed but it was hard for others to talk to a naked women.

Zisien had to shuffle the ball of fur so that she was still semi covered up and was able to hold the squirming creature with one arm. She held out her other hand to the shorter girl,"Hiya, I'm Zisien and this red puffball is Kaneli, my ward."

Zisien was horrible at formal introductions and much rather skip them, of which she did and went straight for asking a bunch of questions."So are you the source the of this charcoal? What were you using it for? Are you here for the storytelling and music? Do you tell stories? Or perhaps you play an instrument? Where is your instrument?.. As she asked her questions Zisien stepped closer and closer to the Vantha girl so by the time she was done she was inches from her face.
x

[Elva Skyglow]

Elva was not really surprised when the polar turned into a young woman. It certainly confirmed her assumption the bear had been Kelvic; she was also stark naked save for an armful of squirmy puppy covering the vital areas. Elva felt a flash of embarrassment on the girl’s behalf but shoved it from her mind. She could hardly call herself an appreciator of the human form if she flushed up like a strawberry every time she saw it nude. The girl was certainly exotic in appearance with her dark skin and striking silver hair, she was toned like a fighter. Even as a human she was taller than Elva by several inches and fangs flashed when she spoke.

Elva sized up the hand extended to her. What was the protocol for handshakes? “Zisien… I’m Elva Skyglow,” she took the offered appendage which as much confidence as she could muster. The handshake was more of a hand squeeze on Elva’s part but she was proud of the firm grip she managed. “Nice to meet you as well Kaneli,” and she offered a nod of her head to the dog, not really sure it was paying attention to her anymore.

She found herself bombarded with questions and little time between to answer. Elva supposed she should feel overwhelmed but was more relieved by the surge into the interesting bits of conversation instead of awkward pleasantries. Elva was entranced by the increasingly more detailed view of Zisien’s fangs and hardly noticed the other girl advancing on her until she was standing nearly on top of her feet. ‘I hope my breath doesn’t smell like that fish I had,’ she thought dumbly, but her eyes were already shifting from a high stress red into a calm silver with thin lines of green.

“Ah, yes the charcoal was mine. No, I can’t play an instrument, I’m an artist. I draw. I came here to sketch the storytellers and musicians but I found you and Miss Kaneli. You looked quite nice together and I thought I might try to draw you,” she turned her paper so Zisien could see it clearly. ‘I suppose it’s alright, I didn’t ask if I could draw her so it’s only fair she looks at it.’ It was unfinished and messy but the basic form of a polar bear’s head in slumber and the beginnings of a darker furred dog could be seen. There was smudging across the top of Zisien’s head where Elva’s charcoal had snapped. “Its not really my best work, its not done and I made some mistakes... But what of you? Here for the festivities as well?”

She dropped back down on the bench and moved her bag to the floor. She patted at the spot next to her, “Sit, if you like. You… you wouldn’t want to borrow my coat would you? Or does the cold not bother you like that?”

[Zisien]

xx
The shorter girl returned the handshake, well was more of a squeeze but Zisien accepted it all the same. The girl had introduced herself as Elva Snowsong. Ah, a Snowsong explains the charcoal

Zisien's thoughts were confirmed when Elva answered her barraged of questions and showed her the sketch she was working on. The polar bear wasn't art inclined so any bit of art was a masterpiece to her. The Vantha was doing fairly well until the charcoal had snapped in drawing her head.
Elva seemed disappointed in the work by naming that it wasn't very good and their was alot of mistakes. Either way Zisien thought it to be nice, she even drew the little fuzz ball next to her.

Elva sat back down on the bench and patted the space next to her, inviting Zisien to sit with her. "“Sit, if you like. You… you wouldn’t want to borrow my coat would you? Or does the cold not bother you like that?”

Zisien honestly had forgotten she was still naked and looked down at herself and the squiggly puppy that was her makeshift clothes, "No I'm fine in the cold like any other Vantha. Just as long as I don't try to do it overnight or in a blizzard or something... Zisien trailed off wondering how long she could actually stay naked before succumbing to hypothermia. "You can keep your coat I'll just shift back to a polar bear. Besides I don't think it would fit me." Zisien giggled.

The kelvic stepped back to the middle of the gazebo to place some room between her and Elva before shifting back to a giant white shaggy bear. She shook herself as if to get some water off of her but actually the shifts just tickled a bit.

"Oh to answer your question, yes I'm here for the festivities. I particularly like the stories, reminds me of being back in the nurseries." Zisien chuffed (as close as you can get to a laugh from a polar bear) as she sat down in the middle of the gazebo.
x

[Elva Skyglow]

"No I'm fine in the cold like any other Vantha. Just as long as I don't try to do it overnight or in a blizzard or something...”

Elva nodded, it made sense. Some traits from the animal form must carry over, and she recalled the fangs that had so captured her attention. What animal better suited to this climate than Morwen’s own polar bear guard?

"You can keep your coat I'll just shift back to a polar bear. Besides I don't think it would fit me."

She smiled reflexively in response to Zisien’s chuckle, “That’s a good point.” Elva felt a vague sense of disappointment at the Kelvic’s return to her animal form. Her human form had several striking features but Elva had not studied it long enough to reconstruct it from memory, not to mention she was bad at remembering proportions that way; she hoped she would have the opportunity to see it again.

Vani from the mouth of a bear was disorienting as was the difference between Zisien’s laugh as a human and in animal form but Elva was pleased to hear Zisien also enjoyed stories. Her own ability to spin a gripping yarn had long since atrophied over the years, but the pull to hear and commit more to memory had never left her. “The nurseries, what were they like? I’ve heard of them but not much beyond that. Do you have a favorite story? I had several I used to tell when I was a child, but I can't recall all of them.”

Elva kept her gaze trained on Zisien but her hands itched to reach for her materials. With her subject now fully alert there was expressiveness in her face and body language she wanted to capture.

“If you don’t mind, may I draw you again while we talk?”

[Zisien]

Elva perked up in interest when Zisien mentioned the Icewatch nursery, stating she's never been inside and was wondering what they were like and if she could remember any stories. The polar bear cocked her head to side, in thought. How to go about describing it..

As she thought about it, Kaneli found the whole situation boring and decided to go off exploring around the gazebo. Zisien was about to explain the nursery when the Vantha asked if she could draw her while she talked. The kelvic wasn't expecting that but nodded to Elva to say it was okay.

"The nursery is located in the barracks as well as several other facilities. It was like any typical nursery just full of dire polar bear kelvic cubs. Even as cubs we are pretty big so to have 6-10 big white bears running around it has to be durable and big. Fen'nia is the caretaker, she's sweet and kind. I loved her stories despite not liking the nursery it self. That litter year was all males but me so I was teased alot." Zisien wrinkled her nose at thought of all the taunts the boys came up with before pushing it to the back of her mind.

"My favorite story was about the old lady and her adopted polar bear son. Forgive me if I mess up, been awhile since I've heard the tale." The polar bear got comfortable before continuing and hoped her constant moving wasn't messing up Elva's drawing.

"There once was a small fishing village up north and every morning all the men went out to fish and hunt for the village. There was an older woman who had no husband or son to fish for her but by custom her neighbors shared with her. She was terribly lonely and wished for a son of her own, however she knew she was too old to bear children now." Zisien stopped briefly only to check on her small ball of red fur before continuing.

"One day the lady went down to the shore and came across a polar bear cub. She looked around for its mother but none could be seen. 'Its mother must have been killed.' she walked up to the cub and asked it, ' Do you want to come home with me?' the cub didnt think twice and followed the old lady back home.

Once back to her little hut she declared the cub her son. The cub went out everyday as the rest of the men in the village and always brought back food for himself and the old lady. As the cub grew he became quick friends of all the children and often played with them. So when one day, one of the children over heard the rest of the men plotting to kill the polar bear because they have grew jealous of his hunting skills, he hurry back to the lady's hut to tell her.

The old lady began to cry at the news. 'Come you must flee this village. The men have become jealous and plot to kill you saying you have become too dangerous for the village.' So the polar bear and lady quickly rushed from the village until they reached the great sea ice. She told the bear to stay out of sight but not too far where she couldn't find him. Every day then on she came to visit the polar bear, hugging him and sharing the kill he made.

After awhile, the other villagers started to understand the great love between the old lady and the polar bear 'son'. From then on they spoke with respect and pride upon their tongues as they retold the story of the unbroken love between the old lady and her adopted polar bear son." Zisien was no storyteller so she was unsure what to do next. So opted to just lay there and wait on Elva's response.

[Elva Skyglow]

Elva gleefully retrieved a fresh piece of charcoal and settled her book on her knees. She began by blocking in the outline of Zisien’s body. If she used dark shading around the body, the white of her fur would be more prominent and help define the form. Elva wanted to place as much importance on the face as possible. There was such intelligence and expression there, Elva thought it would be a disservice to not capture it properly.

"Fen'nia is the caretaker, she's sweet and kind. I loved her stories despite not liking the nursery it self. That litter year was all males but me so I was teased alot."

Elva's face twisted in sympathy and she nodded to let Zisien know she was listening. It was difficult to show just how large Zisien was without some kind of comparison but Elva gave only a passing thought to composition as she smoothed another shadow under the chin. As Zisien began her story Elva allowed her focus to split. Growing up in Avanthal, surrounded by songs and stories, Elva had learned to listen as well as work diligently though she still had a tendency to become too focused and block out her surroundings.

Once the general shape of the body was complete Elva began defining Zisien's face. This required a delicate touch; the smallest lines can change an expression. Elva looked at each feature in sections, mapping out the location of the eyes and nose. Using short curves she formed the shape of the eye. Elva grumbled as the left eye refused to mirror the right and she eventually scrubbed away both before trying again. This attempt was more successful and she moved onto the nose. This would be tricky, how to show the snout was extending towards the viewer? 'Focus, how do I see it when I look at her?' She stared at Zisien’s nose and noted the way the shadows fell across it. A bit of curving shadow along the left side might be best, it would give depth to the top and edge of the nose. It did not represent the true shadows the gazebo was casting but it would do the job. She was so pleased with her decision she shaded in the appropriate areas, scribbled the nose in and immediately moved on to darkening the eyes.

Elva barely noticed Zisien had stopped speaking, she was so absorbed in her work. There was something… wrong, with her image so far. She picked up the page and held it up to see it from another perspective and noticed oddness in the face but could not pin down what it was. What had she done differently? 'Do not move without conviction,' Elva recalled a bit of her grandmother's advice, 'each mark you make, a stitch or a spot of paint, must be deliberate.' Elva looked closer at Zisien’s face, analyzing every detail in parts as she had done when she drew the outlines. Indeed the nose was flat along the top and slightly rounded, not the full triangle she had drawn. She understood her error, she had drawn the nose in a rush without checking it against her model. Elva felt a flicker of pride in noticing her own mistake as she adjusted the image. She held it out in front of her and turned the page this way and that, the sense of wrongness was gone and she felt like smiling.

Content, Elva came back into herself noticed the quiet of the gazebo. She chuckled nervously, she had not intended to ignore Zisien, and turned her page so she could see. “Thank you for the story. You did quite well with it. I used to tell stories myself when I was a child. I would throw my arms around and try to act out the scenes. It would have been very difficult to draw me if I had been telling that story,” she said with a laugh.