PM to join The art of posing

[Hwyn]

Fall 83rd 516Av, early morning

The waking mind is a funny thing, there are times when upon waking the mind is unsure of where or what is in certain conditions, waking up in the arms of another was one such particular thing for Hwyn, nestled in Eva’s embrace Hwyn’s mind raced tell he realized where he was, he was still wrapped in Eva’s arms and legs... and body in general, it was almost amusing, it was like the woman had managed to entirely entwine herself around him one of her legs was over him and had his leg locked, arms over his shoulder, he could feel her soft breath in his hair. She was still very much asleep. Not wanting to interrupt her Hwyn sighed only to remember that his face was situated in a place most dangerous for his sanity. Closing his eyes Hwyn decided it was best to ponder a means of escape, or at least a way to gently wake Evarista up without irritating her. Pondering his options Hwyn decided he did know one thing she liked, and it was something he’d already done for her once, his hands still free behind her back moved to Eva’s back and began to move in slow circles pressing on the still tight feeling muscles in Eva’s back.

Slowly working his way up the woman’s back letting his thumbs and fingers drift across her back as he moved his hands slowly up her back, spine mid back, then to ribs Hwyn was hoping to gently rouse Eva from sleep. Making his way to shoulder blades and running his knuckles slightly harder to press on the knots hidden therein. From their shoulders, slowly running fingers over the same muscles that Eva had had knots in yesterday, the knots were still present though not quite as bad, and Hwyn resumed working on them, the whole time he kept his breaths soft and eyes close do as not to disturb her unduly. Moving back down from her shoulders Hwyn resumed the process in reverse he didn’t know how long it would take to wake her up but he hoped it wouldn’t take too terribly long, beyond that he found his state of clothing mildly irritating his skirt was hiked up around his waist where Eva’s legs had entwined him his hair band was nowhere to be seen and his sleeves were tight and gummed in his armpits, simply put his attire was a wreck simply because such a dress was not meant to be slept in. At least he wasn’t wearing his shoes, that was the only thing he’d had time to remove. Evarista was in similar disarray but due to his avoidance of wanting to keep his eyes closed he did not know to what degree, he cursed her momentarily for preferring simple easy clothes that could be fallen asleep in while he was trapped in a now embarrassing and uncomfortable cloth prison called a dress. He’d need to discuss this with Eva, he felt that if he tried he could convince her to get him pajamas.

Credit to Shimoje, the bestest buddy

[Evarista]

The morning didn't come with rays of sunlight pouring through the window, or the chirping of birds outside, or even with Bryony's angry 'you overslept' banging on the door as some mornings did. The usual and decidedly unpleasant wake-up chill didn't touch Evarista this time, because there was something soft and warm nestled to her. It took a few more moments to recognize the familiar heartbeat and identify the tingling sensations on her back. Ah, right. Hwyn. Still half-asleep, the girl kept her eyes closed as her mind slowly emerged from the fog. She wasn't sure what he was trying to do, but it felt nice, so she might as well stay still and enjoy his hands as they trailed her back and sides. Once her consciousness has largely returned and she began to feel the restlessness in her limbs, the young aristocrat decided it was time to get up. Besides, the constant tickle of someone's blonde hair on her face was getting unbearable. Without opening her eyes, she leaned her head forward until her thin lips were pressed against the boy's forehead. The soft smooching sound was to be her way of saying good morning, and rewarding him for the gentle ministrations, all while conserving words. Eager to stretch a little, she attempted to disentangle her limbs from captive. It turned out more difficult than expected, because her limbs were completely rigid from not moving during the entire night. She usually tossed about a lot in her sleep, but her latching onto Hwyn threw a wrench in her body's natural desire to flex. Her joints emitted a series of disturbing cracks and crunches as she broke free from the tight embrace and sat up on the bed, stretching her arms with further crunching coming from them. Inhaling deeply, she let her lips spread in a small smirk as she eventually opened her eyes and turned to cast a glance at her involuntary bedfellow. Amused by his scrunched-up look, she gave his hair a friendly ruffle, not caring about the fact that she disheveled it even further. Maybe she should buy him a pajamas, though. Actually, there would be an opportunity to do that today. Letting out a small grunt, the girl climbed over her soul-endowed plushie and set her feet on the floor, flexing the last bits of sleep out of her sore muscles and sighing contently. There were definitely worse ways to start a morning. The pain of the recent past still burdened her mind and body, but that was all the more reason to appreciate every pleasant sensation, every ray of positive emotion that broke through the black cloud hanging over her. She wouldn't stop reaching for that tiny ray of light. A timely knock on the door announced the arrival of water. Every morning, servants distributed small water basins and towels to the rooms, allowing the residents to comfortably wash their faces as soon as they woke up. Evarista usually saw it as a bother, but today she sank her hands into the water eagerly, splashing it on her face and accidentally also all over her clothes, but she ignored that. It was just water, after all. Passing the bowl to Hwyn, she buried her face in the towel and stood like that for a while. Her mind was already in full gear, formulating the plans for the day. She took Hwyn around the estate yesterday, but now she wanted to go outside. A stroll to stretch one's legs and some fresh morning air would be a good start. And no, she wouldn't be heading to the café and force their horrible acid down her throat. Instead, why not drop by Yae's? That's where she originally wanted to take Hwyn, but never got the opportunity. Maybe she'd get some new ideas while there, jolt herself with some great coffee, and... well, she really wanted something sweet right now, and Yae's pastries knew no equal. It wasn't a difficult decision. Yes, it would be an excellent start to the day. "Have breakfast, get changed, and meet me at the foyer in about half a bell. You can find your breakfast in the slave annex, just ask any servants for directions. Oh, just help me brush my hair first." Having dispensed the instructions to Hwyn, she sat down in the armchair for a quick brushing, and then left the room to take care of her own breakfast and other chores, internally riding a wave of optimism through it all. She had no intention of letting the day go to waste.

[Hwyn]

The art of posing

Eva woke up in slow stages, which was better than her not waking up at all, though. When Eva began to come into wakefulness, evidenced by her now less regular breathing and subtle movements Hwyn was surprised when a pair of lips found his forehead and kissed him good morning, flushing slightly Hwyn didn't respond to the gesture beyond mumbling a quiet "good morning milady"
at Evarista. Letting Eva climb over him Hwyn rose slowly after her and joined her in her morning yawn and stretch before following her over to the basin. Gently rubbing face down after Eva did he listened to her commands patiently. What she said made him smile slightly, she seemed motivated today and more so than that it sounded like she had plans for the day, which suited him just fine, especially if it meant that they were going to leave the house, he’d already spent one day in the manor entirely and while it was far from unpleasant fresh air was always nice.

Taking his place Behind Eva he gathered her hair as he had yesterday once more running his fingers softly through her inky locks. Gently tugging tangles and snares out Hwyn smiled as he looked at the midmorning sun and still pink clouds outside Eva's window, brush by brush Hwyn straightened out Evarista’s long hair, He was glad it was straight if she’d been born with wavier hair this process would’ve taken at least half a bell more but as it was it was fairly quick and easy and Eva’s hair was quite pleasant to feel to boot once it was detangled. No if their was one thing that Made Eva’s personal appearance stand out when she wore plain clothing it was certainly her hair. Hwyn pondered how he’d look with hair like that and quickly came to the conclusion that blonde suited him better, though the image was amusing. When he finished he bounded off to his room to prepare for the day.

Getting to the slave Annex Hwyn’s nose led him to a small meal of bread and cheese that he wolfed down, hardly any flavor at all in comparison to what Eva had fed him the day before but that wasn’t too surprising, still as he moved to his room still chewing his breakfast he was happy to have food in his belly. Once he got to his room he pulled himself out of the maid outfit and laid it out neatly on his bed to be laundered when he returned. Changing he adorned his simple back tunic and… as per request adorned the red underwear that Evarista had asked him to wear the day prior. After that he donned black stockings and shoes before trailing off to where Eva had told him to meet her.

When he arrived she was not yet to be seen, though that was likely because he’ had benn hurrying the whole time, it was in his mind decidedly better for him to wait on her than the vice versa, all things considered. As he stood waiting Hwyn pulled the trim of the tunic down to his knees, it liked to ride up when he walked so he was constantly pulling it down to conceal his thighs. After making said adjustments he went back to twirling one lock of hair around his index finger as he waited. He was curios as to what Evarista had in store for them today, though... he needed to remind himself he was only a servant now, so he couldn't behave as was his want... something he'd have to keep in mind from now on. The still healing brand on his chest should keep him informed he figured, it still smarted enough to do so.

Credit to Shimoje, the bestest buddy

[Evarista]

Taking care of breakfast, Evarista returned to her room, where her black outfit was already laundered and waiting for her with a note from Bryony. 'Tea goes into mouth,' the note said. Oh, it must've been that tea she had spilled on her skirt at the café. The skirt was clean now, but the snarky note showed that it took some effort to make it so. The piece of paper wasn't exactly signed, but no one besides Bryony would dare leave something like this for a family member. Evarista didn't particularly mind. In fact, the maid's bluntness has helped the forgetful and absent-minded girl many times in the past, so it was secretly appreciated. Getting out of the scrunched linen outfit and donning her black silk, Evarista headed downstairs, straightening her collar confidently. Her blonde attaché was already waiting in the foyer, also dressed in black. Evarista frowned a little; at first glance, the two of them together would look like they were going to a funeral. But no matter. More importantly, the girl wondered if he had remembered her instruction from yesterday. It would be slightly mood-killing to simply pull up his blouse and check, so she didn't. There would be other opportunities to find out. Taking Hwyn's hand and giving it a mischievous squeeze, she stepped out of the front door. A cursory thought of having a ravosala brought around was dismissed, since that would naturally defeat the point of taking a walk. Instead, she headed for a lap around the Noble District. Breakfast was too recent, so she didn't feel like going to Yae's yet. As they strolled, something else caught her eye: the Owl's Den. The somewhat obscure book shop has never interested the girl much, as she was generally too dense and too impatient for reading. While that hasn't really changed, there was something there that could be worth getting now that Hwyn was around. Stepping inside, Evarista introduced herself to the proprietor and inquired about any books he might have on the subject of music, violins in particular. She's never been here before, and while she looked more than respectable enough to be taken seriously as a customer, she didn't exactly make the impression of a discerning intellectual. After giving her a skeptical once-over, Tegol, as was the proprietor's name, approached one of the shelves and pulled out a thin volume. It was largely a notebook of worn-looking, tied-together grey parchment. However, once Evarista looked inside, she found it rather impressive. There were two chapters; the first contained a series of music sheets for simple and popular Ravokian tunes, while the second was an instruction on how to take care of a violin. There were some crude sketches and the handwriting was sloppy, but the notebook was clearly written by someone who knew a great deal about violins. This seemed to be originally written by an adept violinist for his or her apprentices. Content with Tegol's suggestion, Evarista handed the book to Hwyn, for whom it was meant. She was about to pay for her purchase and leave the shop, but then they were joined by another customer who just came in from the street. It was a well-dressed, lively middle-aged man with mischievous eyes and a quirky-looking braided mustache. He spoke to Tegol casually, requesting a bundle of good paper, along with inks of various colors. While he waited for the book vendor to fetch the items, he struck up a conversation with Evarista, obviously being the type who just couldn't stay silent for a second. The man turned out to be a hobbyist painter, and he was here to procure supplies. Knowing next to nothing about painting, Evarista struggled to keep the conversation flowing, which the man quickly noticed, but didn't let it deter him. On the contrary, he was eager to plant a seed of interest in the girl's dull-looking eyes. "Say, you might have a hidden talent for the craft, yourself. Why not try it? All you need is a piece of parchment, a brush, and some ink. Tegol sells it all. Besides..." He leaned in and whispered conspiratorily while nodding towards Hwyn in a knowing manner. "You seem to have a nice model available." Although Evarista hadn't taken him too seriously before, the last part made her perk up. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. No, this was an excellent idea. As Tegol returned with the man's ink and parchment, Evarista ordered some for herself. As her vision was still monochrome from overgiving, she saw no need to order colored ink, satisfied with plain black, along with a blank book and a comfortable-looking brush. Her expectations of herself having a 'hidden talent' were low, but at the very least this had entertainment potential. After bidding Tegol and the lively painter goodbye, Evarista set course for Yae's studio. A good place to sit down and try out her newly acquired materials. During the whole trip, she kept staring at the boy walking hand-in-hand with her, smirking in mild excitement as she sized up a good angle to try and draw him from. LedgerPaid for: Common Book "Notes of an Anonymous Violinist", 7 GM Blank Book, 3 GM 2 oz of Ink, 2 GM Medium Brush, 0,08 GM

[Hwyn]

The art of posing

It didn’t take terribly long for Eva to show up at the front of the manor and for them to leave, as was her nature Eva didn’t say a thing she merely took his hand and pulled him after her. Not the minded, it was a unique sort of intimacy she’d formed with him without his notice. It was as if she had a familiarity with him that he himself didn’t quite understand, she did as was her want and he followed, in part because it was now his duty to do so, but he did not think he minded so much, in fact if it wasn’t for the brand now on his chest he wouldn’t have had too terribly many issues with his new lifestyle. As it was he had already accepted the role for the time being ad saw little reason to refuse it unnecessarily.

As they left the estate Hwyn grinned at cool fall breeze that greeted them, if Hwyn had one thing he could say he really appreciated about Ravok, it was the cities’ weather. As Hwyn accompanied Eva he looked about drinking in the richer side of the city, it was the first tiem he’d gotten to venture to the richer quarter in the city so he drank in the sites of buildings much nicer than the structures he was used to, it really was hard to believe that the whole city floated on a giant lake, a fact that Hwyn had to occasionally remind himself of. When they made their way into a small shop Hwyn had never been into before Hwyn found the smells and sounds within the shop to be quite pleasing, aged wood and paper perfumed the dusty shop, looking about Hwyn found the shelves lined with quills inks and parchments fantastic, it wasn’t something he’d have ever been able to see in Sunberth. As Eva was talking to the man Hwyn found himself caught in a staring contest with the owl that adorned the man’s desk, watching it intently. Inching closer and closer to it. The owl staring back at Hwyn stared at him as intently as he it, as it ruffled it's feathers and hooted softly Hwyn chuckled and when it cocked it head sideways to peer at him returned the gesture. Hwyn wondered if he could pet the creature but was torn from his revelry when Evarista handed him a small leather bound book. Quickly flipping through the pages lettered with alien runes Hwyn frowned, he hoped that Eva was only having him hold the book not asking him to decipher it, he’d never been taught the written language scholars used, on the basis that he’d never need it.
As he was leafing through the pages of the inscrutable novel Hwy looked back up to see Eva talking to some odd looking fellow and frowned momentarily, feeling a mild pang of irritation when he saw the two he squelched the feeling when he saw the man and Eva look towards him when they were talking, he’d wished he’d been standing closer instead of letting the owl distract him so that he’d have been in on the conversation, but as it was he’d have to settle for not being in on the conversation. After the two he’d finished their chat Eva procured ink a paint brush and paper, was she a writer or something Hwyn wondered to himself. He’d hadn’t been with Eva very long so she could definitely have hobbies and secrets he didn’t know about.
As the Left Hwyn looked at Eva tilting his head to one side akin to how the Owl he'd been contesting with a moment before had and smiled at her inquisitively, he found the face she was giving him mildly odd and calculating.

“What’r you thinking about Miss Evarista?”

Credit to Shimoje, the bestest buddy

[Evarista]

Hwyn's question only got a breathy snicker as a reply as Evarista continued shooting his figure appraising glances. While she wasn't going to give a thorough explanation of her plans, she had no intention of hiding them, either. He'd just have to see for himself. Fortunately, neither of them would have to wait long, since Yae's studio was just on the other side of the Nitrozian estate. The Noble District didn't have too many different facilities, but most of them were so voluminous that getting around could take a while anyway. After walking in an arc around the outside of the estate, they soon saw the studio come into view. It's been nearly a season since Evarista was last here. Although the fancy atmosphere was nice, the studio served strictly non-alcoholic beverages, which was something of a deal breaker most days. Today it would be the opposite, however. Alcohol aside, Evarista was a tea drinker, but she could make an exception for Yae's top-quality coffee. Besides, she could use the jolt of caffeine. As they approached the entrance, the portier nodded to Evarista politely, but when Hwyn was about to pass, the man stopped him with a small gesture, a glint of suspicion in his eyes. Given his job, the portier had a sharp eye for those who had no place at such a fine establishment, even if they were in the company of a Nitrozian. Although Hwyn was presentable enough for the Merchant District, sideways looks in the Noble District were inevitable. Evarista let out a small sigh and silently pulled Hwyn's collar to the side, revealing the brand on his skin. Barring people's slaves from entry was looked down upon, unless they were so filthy that their presence was completely unacceptable. This wasn't quite the case with Hwyn, so the portier begrudgingly let him pass, shaking his head in disapproval slightly. The man was a bit too concerned with the studio's image than was sensible. Before getting seated, Evarista decided to approach the counter and greet Yae, donning her slasher grin and rigidly poking out her clammy hand in her usual uncharismatic manner. The old woman gave a small smile amusement and took Evarista by the fingertips, shaking them gently for a moment. She was a not infrequent guest at the estate, and found that the black-haired Nitrozian was a nice change of pace compared to the rest of the family and their snobbish demeanor. She met Evarista at just the right intervals to make the girl's unabashed awkwardness seem refreshing. In small doses, she actually enjoyed Evarista's company quite a bit, and was willing to indulge her today. "Welcome, welcome, dearie. Oh, and I see you have a friend with you. What's your name, sweetheart?" The older woman leaned on the counter as if to get a better look at the blonde girl who was obviously Evarista's entourage. A strange companion for an equally strange leader. An acquaintance? A maid? Or perhaps something else entirely? Hard to tell, but definitely more interesting that the mundane rich kid wannabes that Evarista's siblings usually brought along on their visits to the studio. Yae assured the pair that some coffee would be coming up shortly, and sent them to take a seat on the patio. Evarista didn't object. The patio was relatively crowded, with many well-dressed high-society types spread out eventy across the tables. Evarista recognized some of the faces; there were her siblings' business partners as well as other affluent individuals that sometimes showed up at the estate as guests. The girl limited her interaction with them to polite nods and rigid bows, seeking to take a place in the very corner of the patio where disturbances were minimal. As they waited for the coffee, she was impatient to put her newly acquired tools to work. Opening the first page of the blank album, she dipped the tip of the brush into the inkwell and laid some strokes on it, using Hwyn's sitting form as a reference. Some strokes for the hair, a round face, curved lines for shoulders; then a pair of round eyes and a set of puckered lips. The speed at which she drew surprised even herself, but the results were even more disappointing than expected. Forget aesthetic appeal, there weren't even any symmetry in the drawing. One shoulder was higher up than the other, the eyes were of different sizes, and the nose looked like a pig snout. It didn't quite do the model justice. "Hmm. Look at me. Look me in the eyes and stay still." Accepting her failure quickly, the girl flipped the page of the album and went for a second attempt, brush traveling quickly up and down the parchment as she cast referential glances at the blonde sitting across from her. The portrait sketch turned out slightly less asymmetrical, but still nothing resembling the real thing. Evarista frowned. At this rate, she'd waste the whole album without having anything to show for it. She was obviously doing something fundamentally wrong. Maybe she should have asked the gentleman at the bookstore for some tips to start with. Ah, well, perhaps she'd meet him later. The Noble District was not so large that chance encounters only happened once. Flipping the page again, the amateur artist paused to think her next move through. What could she do differently? What would make the process easier? Ugh, if only she had a teacher. Barely noticing the maid who put down the tray with coffee in front of her, she took her cup and sipped on it absent-mindedly, other hand idly tapping the rear of the brush against the table.

[Hwyn]

The art of posing

Unsurprised that his attempt at making conversation failed Hwyn didn’t even bother to pull a face, he just let Evarista do as was her want. Skipping along behind her Hwyn continued his marveling at the aesthetics of the richer sides of Ravok, it was amazing how once you had money to take care of yourself what one could do with the excess finances, not something Sunberth really knew all that much about. As they walked Hwyn pondered just what he was going to do about the book, reading was beyond him so he really hoped it was for Evarista, though in context he doubted she’d taken a sudden interest in learning violin herself.

When they made their next stop, at… a place that smelled nice and had a sign with a name written in decidedly fancy lettering that was still inscrutable to Hwyn, they were halted by a rather unpleasantly brutish doorman, but while the man was glaring at him Eva’s hand pulled his collar to reveal the mark on his chest, startling him but making the doorman relent. He wasn’t too terribly keen on having his chest revealed so freely, even if he was a boy. Sticking close behind Eva Hwyn leered at the… café? They’d interred, painting adorned the walls and the building had a rich aroma that he was unfamiliar with, but more so than that the clientele disturbed Hwyn, these were all well to do people, and since Eva and Hwyn were the newest arrivals they were momentarily the center of attention and hwyn found the experience disturbingly unpleasant. Eva Hwyn had made an exception for since she didn’t carry an aura of Ego and wealth, the others here however, were well to do and well aware of it. Torn from his momentary terror Hwyn eyed the woman greeting him and Evarista and curtsied softly to her.

“I-I am Hwyn, It’s n-nice t-to meet you m-ma’am.”

Satisfying the woman with his identity Hwyn skulked in Eva’s shadow until they reached a table on the patio, Hwyn still found the amount of people unpleasant but at least their attention was no longer focused on him. Watching Eva Hwyn saw the woman tear into her new toys quite zealously as she began applying ink to paper, and though he couldn’t see what she was drawing he could tell she was doing so with a clear goal in mind. Watching her work was amusing in its own way, it showed a side of Eva that wasn’t seen in her usual countenance. He usually half opened eyes gleamed with focus and her brows furrowed when she wasn’t quite pleased with a result, it showed that she wasn’t quite as unfeeling as she liked to play herself off as, though Hwyn had already assumed such. Whe she told him to look at her and not move Hwyn sat up straighter and tilted his head at her again, just slightly sideways, he wanted to see if he could get the same reaction out of her, if it worked like it had with the owl he was hoping he could coax a little affection out of her. Of course she wasn’t the sort for blatant emotion anyway, but that made teasing her a little more fun, if challenging.

Credit to Shimoje, the bestest buddy

[Evarista]

Flipping to the next page, Evarista dipped her brush again and went for a third attempt. However, before she could start drawing, she noticed Hwyn's strange posture. Why was he tilting his head? It reminded her of something, though she couldn't remember what exactly. What was he trying to make a reference to? Asking him directly would not be very amusing, though. Evarista enjoyed keeping communication wordless, so this gesture of his was appreciated, even if incomprehensible for the time being. Smirking in approval, she began drawing him as he sat, but the corners of her lips lowered quickly with every stroke. Drawing a head sideways was a lot more difficult than doing it normally. However, as she continued adding strokes, she realized that this pose had its advantages. The main of them being that asymmetries between the face halves were a lot less noticeable. Finishing with his facial features, she added a pair of shoulders and a neck. The neck looked like there was something seriously wrong with it, and she would want to re-draw it, but once the ink was on the parchment, there was no turning back. Perhaps there was some reversible drawing medium she could get her hands on? Ah, well. Questions for later. Flipping the page impatiently, she went for a second iteration of the tilt-headed Hwyn, this time paying extra attention to his hair, and the way it hung along the sides of his face and his chin. The more dynamic posture was a lot more fun to draw than someone simply sitting upright, and stroke after stroke another caricature of Hwyn appeared before her. This time, the neck looked slightly less broken, but she didn't know what exactly she needed to do to make it look completely right, so settling for the still semi-shabby result was the only option. The picture still looked like a young child's handiwork, but the aspect of the hair was nice, the way gravity pulled it down was interesting. Even though said hair resembled a stack oh hay, it was a very dynamic stack of hay! "Fufu... looking good. Here, you've earned a sip." Flipping the page once more, the amateur artist pushed the half-finished cup of coffee towards her blonde model. The ingested caffeine was already pumping through her, and she was eager to continue, now with a different approach, something that just crossed her mind. The few times she had tried drawing when she was small, it was always stick figures. A cross, a pair of legs at the bottom, and a circle on top. It wasn't art, but it was very easy to make a stick figure symmetrical and proportional, as far as such simple shapes went. This is not something she has thought about today, as she's simply been trying to draw what she saw, and the proportions turned out to be pretty terrible. So what if she tried to make a stick figure, and then continue by adding some details on top of it? Leering at Hwyn intently as he brought the cup to his lips, she followed the movements of his body, especially the way his arms bent, and his neck brought his head slightly forward. Drawing such complex positions at the start perhaps made things unnecessarily difficult in these early stages, but it was a lot more fun that drawing the same plain pose over and over. Evarista had the attention span of a goldfish and would not have the patience to sit through too many bells of this. She was somewhat aware of the issue, which is why she tried to mix it up as often as she could. First, she drew a line for the table surface for reference. Then a vertical line for the torso, a perpendicular line for the shoulders, a circle for the head, and lines for arms. One arm bent to hold the cup to the bottom of the circle, and the other bend to hold up the saucer at chest level. The three-dimensional pose made itself unfeasible to get right on the first try, as the arms turned out different lengths. And... hey, one of the arms got two elbows somehow. Eh. Not even bothering to continue or try to fix anything, the girl licked her lips and flipped the page lightly, immediately starting over on the same shapes, trying to catch the moment before he put the cup down. This time, she paid extra attention to the length of the arms in three dimensions. A small epiphany came when she realized that the lines that represented the arms didn't have to be the same length. If an arm was bent at an angle forward, the arm was a different distance from the viewer than the rest of his body. It was closer to the viewer - herself. This had to be compensated for somehow, but she wasn't sure how to do it the proper way, and thus had to settle for simply making the line shorter. She was afraid it would just make the picture look asymmetrical, but instead it added a bit of depth. Not bad. At the paper in front of her was now the upper half of a bald stickman sitting at the table and sipping coffee. Evarista's wrist and fingers were beginning to ache, so she put the brush down to rest, flexing the joints idly. Now that she paid attention to it, she realized that her hand ached pretty badly. She must have been straining it too much without noticing. Something to think about in the future. Meanwhile, she flipped the book around and put it on the table in front of Hwyn, afterwards snatching the coffee cup back from him. The still-faceless stickman looked up at him from the picture, completely absorbed by the act of shoving a cup into his face. "Heh. It's you," Evarista teased as she cracked her aching knuckle loudly. Her cloudy eyes continued scanning his form, sorting through the options for his next pose. Perhaps stick figures were the real first step, and she'd move onto more complex shapes once she got down the basic ones. Almost involuntarily, her mind wandered as she imagined Hwyn in all sorts of strange poses, idly wondering just how far he could bend. She licked her lips again. "Can you tilt your head even more?"

[Hwyn]

The art of posing

When Eva slid the coffee to him Hwyn sniffed the dark liquid tentatively, it did smell good, lifting the cup to his lips he hesitantly took a small sip and discovered that the scent did not exactly reflect the flavor and the bitter flavor made him wrinkle his nose and scrunch his eyebrows for a moment. Looking back to Eva who was still sketching Hwyn watched in silent curiosity. when she finally spoke she showed him what she'd been working on. on the paper, she'd been drawing on was a faceless figure drinking staring back at him, rough lines and dark ink had created a momentary distorted mirror image of him.

Smiling at the odd reflection Hwyn arched an eyebrow at what Eva asked him after showing him the image, could he tilt his head even further? Well that was a bit boring to ask, and odd to boot. But, if that's what she want'ed to see he could oblige. Tilting his head so that his ear touched his shoulder, and then tilting his head the other way to do the same to the opposite side hwyn cracked his neck. This causes in him the urge to yawn so stretching both of his arms back and arching his back as far as the chair would allow hwyn stretched and let out a large yawn before looking at Eva again.

"I'm actually pretty flexible Miss Evarista, i'm not super strong or anything but i've always been pretty good at bending."

Puffing out his small chest as he bragged on himself Hwyn smiled, it was kind of nice to be able to say he was good at something, though he wasn't exceptionally acrobatic he was fairly naturally flexible just by virtue of his size. to emphasize his point Hwyn twisted his spine left tell he was facing away from Eva and the twisted right and popped his entire back. it wasn't a fantastic display but thinking of other things he could do in a cafe made him frown.

"Uhm... on second thought... cafe's probably aren't great places... for such things miss."

Putting his hand in his lap Hwyn observed Eva drawing and had the funny idea of learning to draw people... by drawing on people... then again... that was dumb you couldn't draw a person's face over a person's face... to learn, looking and copying onto paper probably made more sense. that said it would be kind of fun to pretend to have tattoos like the warriors Hwyn had seen favored.

"I wonder if you could use ink to give yourself a fake tattoo. I mean, i've never wanted to get one, but I bet it'd be pretty fun to pretend for a day... maybe... nah that's silly of me isn't it..."

trying to make conversation with Eva was always difficult since she preferred her silence and contemplation to conversation but he had yet to learn to be comfortable with prolonged silence so coaxing words out of her was still an artform he was practicing.

Credit to Shimoje, the bestest buddy

[Evarista]

Evarista pulled the coffee cup back into her possession and took a small sip, leaving the corner of the cup in her mouth and sucking on it thoughtfully. Her unblinking eyes were directed forward, sometimes focusing on Hwyn, sometimes seeming to stare right through him. Even though she should have been excited to continue her practice, she didn't really feel like picking up the sketchbook again. The initial enthusiasm has already worn off, and in absence of any real pressure to challenge herself, the lazy aristocrat couldn't be bothered. It was like this with everything she tried. Having the attention span of a goldfish is so inconvenient, but trying to change oneself is inconvenient as well, Evarista thought with irritation as she was about to slip back into her usual melancholy. However, Hwyn's unexpected suggestion brought a flash of clarity into her drooping eyes. Putting the cup back on the saucer, she straightened her back and examined the boy across the table intently. "Hmm...! You're... hmm." While she didn't attempt to put it into words, she was clearly struck by his idea. The familiar haze of boredom that had begun settling over her face has all but vanished as she rose to her feet abruptly, chair scraping behind her. There was an unhealthy excitement in her eyes as she towered over the sitting boy, licking her lips deliberately with the ink-dripping brush in hand. It wasn't in vain that she asked him to bend his neck, and that's where her gaze was focused. Resting her free hand on his head, she tilted it gently again, all the way to the side, seeing the lean muscle stretch under his skin. "Hold still." Starting behind his ear, her finger traced the slope of his neck, down to his collarbone. The smooth texture was interrupted by the countless tiny scars earned by his life on the road. A canvas soft and coarse at the same time. Evarista's lips curled up in a smirk. Her artistic juices were flowing in full again, which wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it was too late to argue. holding her breath to steady her hand, she let the tip of the brush touch where her finger once touched, slowly tracing the same slightly curved line with a tar-like black. Drawing on paper was one thing, and this was something entirely different. The wet gloss of ink on his skin was appealing in a way a paper drawing could never be. Evarista's brush was already raised for a second stroke. Another gently curved line, connected to the first, extended from the back of his jaw and forwards, curling into a shallow spiral in the middle of his cheek. A third line stretched from the same place, curved under his chin and hugged his throat, ending near the opposite collarbone. A small trickle of ink soiled the collar of his dress. As if by design, he wore a black dress today, so the stain was invisible, but the painter wasn't paying any attention to it anyway. She was already absorbing in drawing yet another vine, following the features of his face and stretching under his eye, over the ridge of his nose, then under the other eye, and finally ending at the entrance to his ear. Stepping back with the brush still raised tentatively, Evarista examined her spontaneous artistry. It did look like a grove of vines. A pervasive plant, or maybe a small monster, taking up residence behind his ear and reaching out its tendrils to hug his features. The pitch-black ink contrasted starkly against his slightly rugged complexion and pale blonde hair, while seeming harmonious together with his black dress. The composition looked rather striking despite its simplicity. She didn't know why she was drawing vines like that, it just came naturally as she moved her hand. It was definitely not something she was unhappy about, however. No, this was great. With this newfound canvas, she already wanted to do so much more. A few muffled snickers and murmurs could be heard from the side as Evarista's sudden display turned a few heads, but she hardly noticed. Deciding to take a pause and ponder about this new inspiration, she put her brush down and returned to her seat. As the final sip of coffee slid down her throat, she was already making plans on the coming purchases. There had to be ink meant for body paint for sale somewhere. Would be nice to get some different colors, too. Unfortunately, body painting was a very uncommon practice in Ravok. The only one she knew who did it was a former Myrian slave at the estate, and the man was dead now. It wasn't all that clear where she should start her search for material and guidance to turn this serendipitous discovery into something truly amazing. Eh, that could be solved later. The ink she had was satisfactory. For now, she directed her gaze at her blonde companion, tracing the slender design on his face and paying attention to his features in a way she hadn't before. Her foggy eyes were touched by the hint of a smile as she finally commented on what she had just done. "Hmm. I enjoy your idea. We'll definitely make something special of this." Rising up from her chair, she silently gestured him to gather her drawing equipment and headed towards the gate, leaving her payment on the table. One of the waitresses hurried to see her off, but she dismissed her with another gesture, instead stopping at one of the guest tables on her way out. There was Yae herself seated, chatting relaxedly with some patrons. Evarista nodded politely to the unfamiliar ladies and then turned to Yae, holding her hands behind her back and putting on her most friendly wry smirk. "Thank you for your hospitality today. It was... inspirational." The older woman pursed her lips with a cautious playfulness, a glint of amusement in her eyes. From where she sat, she saw the girl during her unusual artistic display, and while she was hardly interested in the details, she appreciated Evarista's eccentricity, finding that the girl's visits indeed added a bit of flavor to the day. In small doses, she reminded herself. "Oh, of course. You're welcome anytime, sweetheart. There's always more inspiration to be had." Done with her brief exchange of pleasantries with the host, the black-haired aristocrat strode out of the gate, conveniently held open by the portier. The next destination was a bit unclear, so she just let her legs take her wherever they may, losing herself in thought.