|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:39 am
Another quiet day meant another slew of paintings, some discarded carelessly into piles half-finished and regarded as failures - some set aside to be revisited, which would probably later to join the rest of the rubbish - and then those that Alphonse followed through to completion. There were a decent number of these, less because the squire was actually pleased with the results and more because he tried to follow through with what he started.
Tried. The key word was tried.
More and more of his paintings, between the more morbid, macabre, stylized portraits of sadness and hope from those he'd seen pass through his wonder, or bits of architecture that had caught his eye, be it from books or from his always-too-short visits elsewhere on the planet, were phantoms of a girl, beautiful and small. Someone he saw far too little of, but thought of at least one in each passing day.
Now, though. Now he thought of nothing, with his canvas on the easel before him, a few feet back, his back propped against the wall and eyes closed. He'd meant to only take a look at his handiwork from a few feet away, get a better idea of how it looked all together before continuing or casting it aside with the other failures; and there, contemplating it, he'd simply dozed off, bathed in flecks of cool and dark paints from his work.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:02 pm
It was, most often, the preference of the guardian of the Ploutonion to be away from his Wonder. He had few duties there, except occasional layings to rest and sitting around and watching the Gates. He didn't even have to lead services, really, that was the High Priest's job.
Primarily, he did a lot of looking pretty and ceremonial gestures. Maybe someday his post would be more necessary. Until then, Vincenzo was all too content to spend time on other Wonders. And Mont Blonc was one of his favorites. Not entirely because of the place; mostly because of the Knight.
He had slipped through to Alphonse's studio, and rapped lightly on the door. "Alphonse? I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:14 pm
The rap at the door made him snap awake with a jolt, and within seconds he was powering up, slipping effortlessly into the regalia of Mont Blonc, blinking blearily as he half-stumbled up to his feet.
"Mmph, yes, yes, I'll be right there - " he called, trying to throw his voice harder so it wouldn't sound thick with sleep. He was blinking furiously as he rubbed at his face, a smudge of it still spread across his cheek, spread further by his rubbing; likewise, his fingers were dabbled with several different colors as he reached for the door and flung it open. (Here and there he'd gotten paint in his white hair, but not today; it was safe, this time.)
"How can I - " His eyes widened as it actually dawn on him that it wasn't one of his few assistants, attendants, whatever you wanted to call them calling on him to perform his duty. "Oh. Vin, " he breathed out, sounding more relieved than he wanted to. He slumped a bit against the doorframe with all pretense so easily cast aside, and his stern face contorted into a smile. His eyes more accurately reflected how glad he was so see his friend.
"Important. No. Hello."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:45 pm
Vincenzo had to cover a laugh, at the sound of Alphonse's flailing. The Tantalan wasn't in his guise as Ploutonion - no, it was just Vin who would greet his friend with a bright smile.
"Did I wake you up?" He teased. "You have something on your face, darling," he licked his thumb and then rubbed it across the paint smudge on Alphonse's cheek, the gesture casually seductive even without him having to think about it. Flirtation was practically ingrained in his genes.
"If you're tired, I can wait," and it was a physical effort to not include an innuendo, but he made it mostly for Alphonse's sake, because sending him into an embarrassed flurry would serve nothing. Except it being adorable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:53 pm
"No, " was his stoic, gut response - before he sighed, relaxing and powering back down into Alphonse again as his friend cleaned his face, a slight burn to his cheeks. "Maybe. - thank you, " he murmured quietly, wiping at his cheek again when Vin was through.
Of course, the half-dried paint from his fingers just left a few small, fresh streaks in their wake.
"I, uh, no, please, " he said, a little more insistently than he needed to. Mont Blonc got so few visitors that were not among the dying, and none of his friends - not even Vin - could be there all of the time. It was either ironic or fitting that the man left to tend to the lonely mountain was, himself, so prone to bouts of loneliness. "No need to wait. What is it Vin?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 1:54 am
Vin laughed, and shook his head. "You're hopeless," he said, and then he took Alphonse's hand and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiping some of the paint off his friend's hand. And then he brought the hand up to his lips, and kissed Alphonse's fingers before he let go.
"I just thought I'd drop by. Entirely a social call, I promise, no other motive. You spend far too much time by yourself out here, and I can think of few sadder Wonders to have to guard." The ones that were the last respites of the dying were the worst, for Vincenzo. He was far more interested in life, in the here and now, and he considered it a blessing that his interactions with the end of life were limited to the occasional funeral ceremony. "I had some free time, so I decided to show up and bring some color to your day."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:38 am
"Hm?" Alphonse half-hummed, half-grunted in response, his brow arching and a light smile on his lips as his friend began to clean him off. "Oh, that. Yes." He didn't really bother to push him away. At the warm brush of lips against his fingers, his smile widened, however subtly.
His lips pursued faintly. "Mont Blonc may be a place of sadness, but it is also a place of great hope; they need me here," and that was his way; although his wonder made his heart ache day in and day out, even if truly, Alphonse was simply too warm at heart for the kind of detachment and isolation his wonder demanded of him, his bond to his mountain was both unquestionable and unshakable. It might have been a complex relationship, but it was no less strong for it.
But he also knew how Vin worked and felt, and to be honest, there was not a thing he would have changed about his friend given the chance. Especially when he did things like these. "Color, hm? - exactly what colors did you have in mind, my dear friend?" There was an almost teasing edge to his voice.
Alphonse pushed away from the door frame and turned to head back into his art room, his personal haven. "If nothing else, let me sketch you? The paints aren't working with me today - I'd like to do some charcoal work."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 1:02 am
Vincenzo shook his head affectionately, tucking the handkerchief back into his pocket. "You creative types - beyond me," he said, playfully. But he had to admit, he admired Alphonse, for a lot of reasons - for his talent with art, for his dedicaton to his Wonder.
"You're a far better Knight than I. Honestly, I don't know how I ended up on Saturn at all. Surely I'm better suited for Ganymede, or Venus, or perhaps Cosmos," he said, and despite his light tone, he meant it honestly, perhaps more honestly than he would be with someone else. At least Alphonse generally understood.
He flashed a purposely seductive grin, and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, the color of my bright presence," he said, as he slipped into Alphonse's art room. "But in lieu of that, I'll happily pose for you. Though you doing it in charcoals seems counterproductive to me bringing you color..." Still, he took a seat, and settled into a position he was fairly certain he could hold for however long it took for Alphonse to draw.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 2:59 am
"I would never say I'm better than you, Vin." He didn't really give himself enough credit - but then, most other people didn't either.
Alphonse's face might be stern, but his gaze was softened by fondness, and his smile was no less genuine and gentle. "But you are right. You would be good for Cosmos. Or anywhere. You are suited for a million things and places, my friend - " He chuffed lightly and kept walking further into his room, fetching the charcoals from the far side of it. "But I have to say, if you were not here, my life would be much less interesting."
Laughing again, quietly, he went and settled in front of his fellow knight on his knees with a large pad of paper set aside his crossed legs, the charcoals themselves on the ground beside him. "The paints aren't doing me any favors today - and you're vibrant enough even without color, " he remarked as he set to work, shoulders hunched, white hair falling messily over his shoulders.
"How have you been, anyway? - it has been awhile, hasn't it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:09 pm
Vin sighed, heavily and a little overdramatically. "You wouldn't, no, so let me," he said. It was almost unfair, he thought, for him to be in the same Order as someone like Alphonse.
There was irony, he supposed, in his bubbling urge to argue his own unworthiness of his post, but really, Vinceno had accepted that he was worthy of being a Knight by virtue simply of having the power. Just perhaps he was not the best choice for a Saturn Knight. "I wouldn't have minded Cosmos, but I would have minded never getting to know you," he agreed, easily. His Saturn fellows - well, really, particularly Alphonse - were probably one of the few things he did like about his posting.
"Well, alright, you would know best," he acknowledged. The creation of art certainly wasn't his forte - merely its enjoyment. And watching Alphonse at work was a gift, anyway.
"It has indeed," he laughed, softly. "Too long, really. I've been - well. Nothing has changed, but honestly, it's not so bad. I took a brief trip home, which is always an exciting experience." Because Tantalus would always be home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:33 am
"Only if you'll then allow me to say, my friend, that you are vastly superior in many ways, not the least of which is your stunning wit and charm, " he quipped in response. With that said, Alphonse felt satisfied. He could not abide by his friend speaking so poorly of himself.
Though when it came to Cosmos, "You are suited to radiance, " that was undeniably true. Although was anyone really suited for a lifetime of service to death and silence? He smiled, faintly, but fondly. "But you are right. Call me selfish, but my life would be rather bleak without you in it."
Home. Was this home to him, his mountain? - or was it Thrymr? Was it Earth? He knew where his heart lay, but he did not think it was his place to lay claim to Methone as home when he was forever a guest, not a resident. His chest panged at the thought, although he smiled brightly at Vincenzo, pausing in his work to lay his yellow-eyed gaze on him more intently. "Did you? - how was it? How is Callisto?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
