Chapter Text
It's a stormy evening when Rafayel returned to his studio after a couple weeks away. He expected things to be as they were when he left, maybe a bit of dust. But a young woman sitting on the floor, soaking wet, wasn't one of them. Yet as he flicked on the light to the main studio, that's exactly what he found. At first he thought maybe he had just misremembered and left a statue on the floor, but he should have known something was up when he noticed wetness on the floor in places he hadn't stepped. She had long hair that seemed almost black from being rain soaked. Freckles dotted her sandy colored skin like unfamiliar constellations. Blue eyes with a yellow undertone were wide with shock, Clearly she was just as spooked by his appearance as he had been of finding her. Rafayel frowned softly confused about this woman and why she was in his art studio. The wind howled outside as a loud rumble of thunder filled the air. She must have been caught up in the storm Rafayel assumed as he looked at her. He sighed softly, mildly annoyed by this development.
“You shouldn't go around breaking into buildings, you know?” He said in an almost scolding tone as he stepped further into the room to where he kept spare towels for cleaning up spills.
“I didn't break in. The gate was open and the door was unlocked.” She responded seemingly unbothered by the fact she was soaking wet. Was she dumb? Whether the door was unlocked or not this wasn't open to the public.
“Still. Be more mindful next time. You're lucky I'm not some creep” It was a poor attempt at humor that she didn't seem to catch. Or she didn't care, it was hard to say. He picked up one of the towels and unfolded it, drying off his hair a bit before approaching the woman with a different towel. Thankfully the towels had recently been washed and were safe to use against bare skin. She stared at him, her gaze followed his every movement with a wary defiance. She took the towel from him, their eyes meeting. Both sides were so expressive and yet so guarded as they recognized another soul hiding behind a mask.
“The weather is pretty nasty, you can stay until the rain stops” He tells her as she starts to pat dry her hair. He noticed her hands were shaking slightly, he figured it was from the chill of the rain. He drapes his own towel around his shoulders as he starts moving things around.
“..Thank you” He heard her murmur softly from where she was still sitting. He glanced at her and her rain soaked clothes. They looked much too big on her small frame. The grey fabric of her shirt was old and thin, the rain making it near transparent. He couldn't really offer her anything to change into so just sat down and started preparing his new materials. New shades of blues and greens for his paintings which recently felt they were lacking his usual creative spark. Rafayel could feel the eyes of the woman watching him like he was some puzzle to be solved. He had to fight back the urge to return the stare. He flicked his gaze out the window to the dark stormy skies. Outside it was a deep greyish blue, rain poured down from the clouds in a curtain. He could barely see the rolling waves in the near distance. Lightning flashed across the sky illuminating the darkness for just a moment before another roll of thunder. It was so loud it almost felt like it was reverberating in his bones. She glanced outside for a moment but now that the lights were on and he was seated she was more interested in the pieces of art laying around. There was no denying the beauty of it all, this guy seemed to be extremely talented. The colors he used were vibrant and even the softer tones were rich with color. She remained seated on the floor for now, not wanting to ruin the furniture with the water. After a couple moments, she stood up and looked at some of the paintings. One in particular caught her gaze.
“This art is all yours then?” She spoke up finally. Her voice caught Rafayel's attention and he looked over at her as she stood examining one of his unfinished pieces. It was a piece that looked like you were staring out an old marble window and gazing into the depths of the sea, the fish not yet fully colored. There was no real depth to it yet just colors and shapes on a canvas. At least that's what it would appear to the human eye. To a Lemurian there were little details, faint changes in hues and shades that only their eyes could detect. To a Lemurian you could see Lemuria itself through the window. It was like staring out a tower over the kingdom.
“Yes. Why do you ask?” He lowered the bowl he was creating his new paint in. As he looked at her, he took in her appearance more. Her eyes were blue, but it wasn’t a blue he'd seen before. They were their own unique shade. A dull blue with a slightly purple tint, periwinkle but not. The undertone of yellow was more like a sliver of gold and it was much more prominent than he originally thought. It was like looking at the moon’s reflection on a sleepy sea.
“Just wondering if you were the artist or just the person who gets the paint” she vaguely glanced at the green paint he was currently mixing. Though she couldn't tell what it was he was using to make the paint, it was a deep almost jade green color.
“I like to source my own paint and materials” He said bluntly, clearly not invested in this conversation despite her interest in his art. She looked at him quietly for a moment, he seemed not interested in anything that had to do with her. She turned her gaze back to the painting, something about it felt almost familiar. Yet she couldn't understand why, after all it had been a long time since she had seen anything aside from cold sterile walls. She started to brush it off but just couldn't let it go.
“You make your own..” it clicked in her mind. That's right, back home we used to do the same thing. But there's something else going on here. It's the colors. The colors were stunning, vibrant shades that made the world seem dull. Colors that painted a picture meant only for certain eyes. Her gaze immediately snapped towards him, though she tried not to show a hint of the nervous excitement she suddenly felt. She stared at him closely for other signs. Surely if he was what she thought he was, there would be other traces? Damn it! I can't just ask it out loud. What if this is some kind of trap? Her jaw clenched slightly but she quickly relaxed it.
“You're talented. The meticulous detail, even in an unfinished piece, is immaculate.” She slowly tried to pry for more information without setting off any red flags about herself. He was carefully pouring the new paint mixture into a storage jar so he wouldn't lose the valuable tint, he said nothing until he finished. His blue to pink gaze traveled to the painting she was admiring then to her.
“Those are some big words, are you an art critic by chance?” Rafayel asked, his tone playful yet there was a hint of something darker lying just below the surface. Surely not. She seemed too poorly dressed to be one of those pompous humans. Besides they never just showed up uninvited to the studio, everyone knew it was closed to the public.
“Not a critic. Just admiring a unique piece.” She kept her tone calm, unbothered and honest. She had no ill intentions towards him, after all he wasn't hurting her. He was letting her stay in his studio when he could have easily kicked her out.
“Tell me, what's so interesting to you about this painting? What meticulous detail caught your eye?” He inquired with a playful lit in his tone. It almost felt like he was antagonizing her, daring her to say something foolish or out of place. Her gaze flickered from him back to the painting that called out to her like sugar to ants.
“It's.. vibrant. I've never seen so many shades of blues in a painting. The colors feel alive” She knew the answer was vague but she couldn't just admit to seeing the hidden design right then and there. He was a stranger. Her mind screamed that she was in danger, that she shouldn't trust him. But something kept her from running, something she didn't yet know what to name. He snickered softly and set the paint jar down and crossed his arms. The freshly mixed green paint had gotten on his fingers and now smeared on his shirt.
“Riiight.” He responded dryly, almost disappointed as if he had been hoping she would give him more. She turned her gaze back to him and studied his face for a moment. Nothing about him screamed out anything but human. She watched as he uncrossed his arms and wiped his hands off on the towel he had dried his hair with before grabbing the next materials to mix.
“You don't spare detail. Even in an unfinished piece” She spoke again after a moment of silence. Pushing. Testing his limits. Seeing if she could get answers on what she already suspected to be the truth. He was like her. This was a trap, or by some miracle he was like her. He had to be, there was no way a normal human could paint those details hidden in the faintest of hues. Or maybe it was a stolen artifact? She wasn't sure and didn't have the time to think it over. Her comment got his attention again as if his interest was momentarily reignited.
“Oh yeah? Like what?” He pressed back. Curiosity pulled at him like a fishing line, dragging him deeper into her mystery. He needed answers because the way she spoke about his art was like she couldn't decide what she was trying to convey. She was prying for information, he was being questioned and he knew it. He just didn't understand why, or who this stranger was. This made Talori pause a moment, shifting her weight on her feet, her arms crossed with her hands tucked against her body.
“Like.. the fish.” Her response earned a soft chuckle and a raised eyebrow. It wasn't the details of the marble window sill or the painted currents that caught her interest?
“The fish? What's so interesting about some unfinished fish?” Now he was questioning her. She didn't hesitate to answer this time, needing to sound convincing.
“The fish you painted are real species, and they're fitting for the area of the sea you're painting..” She was careful with how she phrased it. Not mentioning the invisible details like the tiny scales and fins that hadn't yet been added to the main art piece. She was also careful not to mention the hidden underwater city that was painted in great detail. Lemuria. She hadn't seen her home in many years, but she'd recognize those pillars and spires anywhere.
“You know your sea life, color me surprised” He's watching. He can tell she's not letting on to what's really on her mind, the way her eyes are moving across the canvas. She's not looking at the fish.
“I know a little about fish. I'm a bit out of practice but I can recognize some of the shapes and colors” She pulled her attention away from the painting not wanting to draw suspicion. She sat back down on the floor and leaned back against the wall. He didn't speak, he just returned to mixing his paints and hues. Quiet settled between them and adrenaline wore off, Blue eyes flutter shut as thunder rolled outside. The sounds faded into the background as the young woman fell asleep.
“You never told me..” He paused when he saw she was asleep. Her breath had slowed and her head had rolled forward at an odd angle some strands of her hair fell loose around her face, still dark with water. He stared a moment longer before returning to his work, grinding up the material to create a sky blue to rival all others. A final sigh escaped him.
“Silly woman.”