[Interlude] Consorts and Canvas

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Kai
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[Interlude] Consorts and Canvas

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Ruarc casually made his way through the park that had once been his home. Though he had no real reason for coming to the park, it was still nice for him and Laoise to get out and roam. The day was calm and serene, with a clear sky, a bright sun, and a lazy breeze. Laoise was down splashing in the water of the pond while Ruarc listlessly strolled along the paths.

The young Irishman stretched back and tilted his face up to the sun. A slight smile crossed his face as he basked in the gentle rays, for a moment trying to feel like he was back home in Ireland. Satified with the stretch he slumped forward once more and gave a melancholic sigh before shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

Time drifted by as Ruarc made his way down a new path that had few people on it. As he got further down the path he noticed a young woman sitting off the path in front of an easel as she painted scenery. The path took Ruarc right behind her, and so he gave a glance over to the girl's painting.

Despite not knowing much about art, it was obvious even from a slight distance that it was very good. He slowed down and eventually stopped as he became fascinated by the girl's brushstrokes. They were exact yet free-flowing, well thought out yet very natural. As for the painting itself, while good, confused Ruarc. The painting did not mach the scenery in front of the girl, and yet there was something vaguely familiar that he couldn't place.

The Druid's curiosity grew, and without him noticing or putting much thought into he began to walk over to the girl.
"Tha' is a very good paintin' yur, um, paintin'," Ruarc said as he tried to think of something he could say to start a conversation. "But what is it tha' yur paintin'? It doesn't look like this park."

The girl stopped at the end of a stroke, and turned around, revealing that she wore glasses. Her hair was neatly tied away into two larger pigtails, though a little bit still flopped down into her now mildly blushing face.

"Ah- It's Ireland. Such a beautiful place I have never seen elsewhere," she answered, grinning sheepishly in Japanese. "Do you like it? Your accent sounds like you might be a native."

Now that caught Ruarc offguard, but explained why he liked the painting so much. A slight sile grew as he gave the girl an inquisitive look. "Yeah, Ah grew up in Northern Ireland, an' the paintin' looks fantastic. You've been ta Ireland before?" Ruarc said as he dropped into a more relaxed stance and adjusted his glasses.

If that was a surprise to Ruarc, then the girl's next action would be even more of one. She responded in Irish. "I lived there for several years when I was younger." She smiled, blushing even more, before continuing, "Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong country, and a part of me certainly belongs to Ireland, but, Japan is still my homeland."

She smiled at the irishman once more, before turning back to her painting, adding a few more strokes before starting to clean her brush, readying it for another color. "May I ask your name?" she ventured, adding "My name is Akechi Aya."

Ruarc's look was one of utter surprise and amusement. Many things crossed his mind as he listened to Aya's good Irish dialect, one being that that day was his lucky day.
"Well, Miss Aya, my name is Ruarc Flynn," Ruarc responded with a very courteous gesture, reverting back to Irish himself. "I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to hear Irish, and your dialect is quite good. Did you live along the western coast?"

"For a while, yes. My family traveled all over, generally near castles, as the history of them is so fascinating." she respnded, smiling once more, a rosy blush still on her face. She brought her hands up, and closed her eyes, palms on her cheeks, and seemed to begin remembering Ireland, almost dreamily. "Ah, yes, Mister Ruarc, It is nice to hear such a beautiful language being spoken properly."

"Hey Ruarc, who are you talking to?" Laoise asked as she finished her bath and flew up into a nearby tree.
"A girl who lived in Ireland for a few years," Ruarc explained to the bird.
"Eh, well I don't like her," the bird griped as she took off from the tree and went back to the water's edge.
"Quit being jealous you silly bird," the Irishman chided back.

Turning his attention back to Aya, Ruarc tried to think of what else he could add to the conversation. It was getting to the point when the Irishman was becoming aware of his poor social skills, and normally he would just cut off the conversation and leave; however, he wanted this conversation to keep going.
"Yes, Ireland truely is a land of great beauty and serenity. I cannot wait for the day I can return home," he added, tilting his head back to also think of his homeland.

"What brings you all the way out here to the other side of the world, then, Mister Ruarc?" Aya asked, snapping out of her reverie and turning back to her work. She seemed to be starting to fill in the base colors, having just finished the outline work when Ruarc had arrived. As she painted, it was an interesting mix of both traditional Japanese painting styles and a very accurate rendition of Ireland.

The time Ruarc spent thinking of how to respond to Aya's question was played off as watching the girl work. While interesting enough on its own, Ruarc did need a second to think of a not strange sounding excuse.
"I am, uh, I'm here for school," he said, fumbling slightly as he more or less just filled in words to make the sentence work. "I am an exchange student."

"Ah, how fun!" Aya responded, pausing to clap her hands together once, as if either delighted, or congratulating Ruarc. "I never formally went to school, I make my living off these paintings instead. You must be very smart to have transferred all the way to Japan."

Ruarc scratched the tattoo on his right cheek as he realized he needed to lie some more.
"Um, yeah, I guess. I was homeschooled most of my life, but some strings were pulled to let me study here in Japan," Ruarc explain, doing his best to sound genuine. "It must be a peaceful life style. Going around to different places and painting what you see. I am jealous."

"It can be peaceful, yes, but it's not as nice as having one place to call home. I travel from place to place, renting apartments, sometimes learning the language, hoping people will buy my paintings and allow me to eat and buy supplies." She paused to think for a moment, adding a little bit more to her painting before continuing.

"And I'm fairly certain that once people stop buying paintings, I will starve and get kicked out into the streets for good." she chuckled at that one, it being more of a joke than anything else.

Ruarc nodded solemnly, and was about to say something about buying a painting when he remembered he only had somewhere around a couple hundred yen on him. Then he was gonna offer some food, when he remembered he only had a scant ammount of dried beef left. He was then going to join in with the joke about living on the streets when he remembered that he lived under a bridge.

"I am sure they wouldn't go as far as to kick you out onto the streets, the starving part kind of goes along with being an artist though," Ruarc said, adding in his own joke.

"Hopefully," Aya answered, smiling still. "Would you like to wait here a while as I finish this? I'd like you to have it," the girl announced, referring to the painting. "It never hurts to be nice to a compatriot."

"That is very kind of you, Miss Aya, but I am afraid I do not have any money to offer in return," Ruarc said to her in a slightly disappointed tone. "This is your livelihood isn't it? I wouldn't want you missing out on a profit because of me."

Aya giggled. "It's a gift. Don't worry about. I've got plenty of paints and canvas, I can always make another painting." As she spoke, she continued working on the painting, with the base colors soon laid down, she began to work on the finer details, each stroke bringing it closer and closer to completion.

Laoise waited by the water for Ruarc, but as time passed she grew impatient. Flying up into a tree not to far from Ruarc and Aya, she settled on a branch and brooded. This was the longest Ruarc had spent willingly talking to someone since coming here to Japan, and much to her dismay he was feeling happier than he had felt and weeks. "Humph, why is he in such a good mood. I talk to him all the time," the dove thought to herself.

"Hey Ruarc, I am ready to go now. Come on, you need to get back to reading the Tome," she said curtly to the Keeper.
"In a little bit Laoise. She is going to give me this painting of Ireland," Ruarc responded.
"She is bribing you then," she thought quietly.

"Well, if you insist, then I will happily accept the gift. I shall cherish it," Ruarc said, turning his attention back to Aya. He then sat down and reclined on the grass as he watched Aya finish up.

It only took Aya a few minutes to finish her painting. Ruarc would be awed by the perfection in her strokes, by how natural yet precise they were. Before he knew it (though Laoise would find it to take much too long of a time), Aya was finished, and she blew on the canvas a little bit, trying to help it along in the drying process. "Ah, there you are. Just a couple more minutes and it will be dry. Luckily for you, the paints I use are flexible, so you can roll it up without damage once it has dried."

"That is good to know, I wouldn't want to damage your work," Ruarc said as he stood back up stepped a bit closer to Aya and the painting to get a better look at the finished piece.

"Now if you had a wall you could hang it up," Laoise chided from her perch as she did the bird equivalent of foot tapping.
"Oh hush. She said the paint is flexible, so I will be careful with it and hang it up when we get back to Ireland," Ruarc replied to the impertinent dove.

"I greatly appreciate it Aya, it will help keep me from getting homesick," Ruarc said as he gave a light nod of his head.

"Perhaps you can also remember me by it," Aya suggested, blushing once more, turning back to her painting to hide her embarassment. "It's always good to meet those that remind you of home or your favorite places." The girl put a hand up after a few moments and tested the paining, making sure it had sufficiently dried, before taking it off of the easel and rolling it up gently, before tying it with a bit of twine. "Now, it's still a little fragile, so try not to smash it. it should be completely dry by tomorrow, and you can do whatever you'd like with it."

Ruarc took the painting and tucked it gently under his arm. "I will remember you everytime I see the painting," Ruarc said, initially smiling but then blushing slightly as he thought about what he jsut said. After a few anxious chuckles he scratched the back of his head.
"I will treat it gently then. Once again thank you for the gift."

"Can we go now? You got the painting," Laoise said as she grew more impatient.
"In a moment Laoise! I'm talking," Ruarc replied to the bird, getting mildly annoyed by Laoise's pestering.
"Is that what you call it? Talking? What, do you want to take her back to the bridge as well?" the dove pressed onwards.
"Would you hush! We will leave when I am done here," the Irishman snapped back.

Turning his attention back to Aya, he kept a kind grin.

"You're most welcome," Aya responded, returning Ruarc's smile. "It's not very often that I meet someone like you, so it was all my pleasure." With that, Aya pulled out another canvas, and set up her easel again. "Now, back to painting," She began once more, smiling at Ruarc, "There's only so much light in the day and I hate painting in my apartment."

"Alright then. I will let you work and be on my way. I have a friend who is going to be annoyed if I take to long getting back," Ruarc said to Aya as he gave a slight bow to dismiss himself. "It was truely a pleasure to meet you."

With that, Ruarc turned and started to continue down the path he had been on. Laoise, gave a sharp cry and took off from the tree to follow Ruarc.

Aya continued to paint, beginning on another scene, this one looking more like Japan. As soon as Ruarc and Laiose were far enough away, a voice opened up in the girl's head. "Well, Well. That was quite a conversation. And you did some talking yourself." the voice began.
"Yes. That familiar of his is most annoying. Perhaps I should kill her and take him as my own?" Aya responded to the voice.
"Perhaps later. For now we should try to draw him out, and reveal his true powers and intentions." the voice cooed.
"Of course, Caoránach, we have to subdue him first." Aya agreed.
"Perhaps he can help us get what we need, and then I can have my own body. Then I will give him to you, as your prize for helping me all these years." the Demon-spirit within Aya offered.
"Thank you, my master." Aya finished, continuing with her painting.
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