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 Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 11:56 am
Kiran smiled warmly at the quiet laugh that he heard escape her. "Well, I do enjoy going against the norm," he said in a joking manner. He suspected that his love of crowds and need for attention came in large part because of being spoiled by his parents in his early years. But that hardly seemed like the best thing to confess to anyone. After all, saying he was spoiled would only paint him a bad light, even if he wasn't all that spoiled anymore. "I imagine it's hard to be surrounded by a crowd all the time though. It would just get too tiring without having a place to escape to for a moment of peace and quiet."
"Thank you." Warmth and happiness mixed with deep appreciation lit up his expression as the smile cracked his face. He laughed the next moment, a deep chuckle resonating through his chest. "I honestly have no idea how my mother does it, but she always turns the most delicious of ingredients into something that tastes horribly." He sighed, trying to imagine the taste of the crab as Li described the cooking method. "My mother is always burning everything. But if anyone else tries to enter the kitchen when she's around, she'll try to whack us with her spatula." His mother was very territorial in that respect.
"Being able to take a blank canvas and turn into something beautiful is a remarkable gift," Kiran admitted as he examined the bust that she turned toward him. "I don't have any artistic skill, but my sister is amazing with a brush." His smile was light but warm as he spoke. "And you're just as amazing with a bit of driftwood and a chisel." He was exaggerating with his compliment. He was beyond impressed with the exact likeness of him that she managed to carve on a simple piece of driftwood.
His eyes tore away from the carving and darted up to Li's face. He was too stun by the offer to keep the bust to make a cocky comment in response to being a "fantastic subject." "Are you sure?" He fumbled for thought for a moment. "I don't have anything to give you in return."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 11:30 pm
"Excellent. We need more of us that are willing to go against the grain." Smiling a little more easily to the other, she rolls her shoulders in a shrug, calloused fingers still held comfortably around the bust. "I suppose so. I'm not a fan of crowds, but the select company of few is always welcome."
Li couldn't help but grin a little at the confession about Kiran's mother, shaking her head to herself and pushing a stray strand of white hair behind an ear fin. "We're not all built to stand behind the chopping block and make magic. I think it's as rare and coveted a skill as battle prowess." She had to politely cover her mouth at the mental image of a faceless woman smacking Kiran with a spatula, her mirth melting into a girlish giggle. Some parents did everything they could to get their children interested in learning to cook, and others, it seemed, would do anything to keep them out.
"It's something anyone can do," she returns demurely, looking slightly abashed. "Finding beauty in the simple things, that is a gift. I simply look to harness what I can see." If someone could appreciate the finer things in life, that, she felt, was a greater accomplishment than capturing any fleeting moment. His surprise, however, drew her out of her inward reflection, pale brows lifting with a light smile. "Absolutely certain," she confirms, offering the bust more pointedly. "You gave me a chance to practice the craft, there's no payment greater than the opportunity, Kiran."
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 12:33 pm
"I suppose that is true," Kiran said as he tapped at his chin. His mother certainly lacked the ability to make a delicious feast. But he doubted his mother had any sort of battle prowess. He paused at that thought. He really couldn't be certain on that point. His mother had always been stubbornly against his involvement in any sort of fight. But the girlish giggle snapped his mind from his thoughts of his mother. He blinked in surprise at the sound, but it brought a smile to his face.
"And it's the people that can find the beauty in simple things that amaze me," Kiran confessed. He took the bust when she offered it again to him. His fingers ran over the delicate curves carved on the bit of driftwood. "It really is a remarkable gift." He lifted his gaze and smiled warmly at her. "Thank you. I will definitely treasure this forever." There were only a few important items that he valued. Oddly, they mostly seemed to be something handcrafted, like the strands of beads and shells that he wore.
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:48 pm
Li offered Kiran a plain smile and a delicate shrug of her shoulders. "If you can find beauty in this humble piece of woodwork, then you see more than I." The woman brushed her hands off on her thighs, gathering her tools and sticking them in her belt before she stood. "It's kind of you to even consider admiring it for the day, Kiran, but forever is awfully long." She smiled then, bowing her head politely to the blue-haired male. "Should you be so inclined, perhaps I can try again at a later date -- when I have more skill."
Looking out over the water, she clasps her hands behind her back, her expression whimsical. "I suppose I should be on my way, since I've accomplished my goal -- I should make dinner for my family after all our talk. I'm in the mood to try."
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:00 pm
"But it's such a lovely piece of work," Kiran said sincerely. Li could have carved a bust of anyone, and he still would have admired the skill she put into creating it. He grinned widely at her. "If you're ever in need of a model again, I'd be happy to offer my time." Kiran, of course, enjoyed the attention, but being in such good company made it better.
Their talk of food was making him hungry, though he thought he would perhaps pick up a snack on his way home. His mother was probably already in the kitchen working on dinner. "I should probably head off too," he said as he stood, brushing sand off his clothes. "It was really nice getting to talk with you."
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:43 pm
"You are most kind, Kiran," she murmurs in gratitude, bowing her head to the blue-haired male with a pleased expression, "and when I'm ready to compare my progress, I will most assuredly find you." Li glanced over her shoulder towards the distant sprawl of the docks, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear fin. "Should you wish to find me before then, I'm usually around the docks if I'm not working -- ah. And the fishermen, I will speak with them, simply tell them your name and they'll be happy to be of aid." Tucking a mental note to speak with the motley crew of her new-found friend, she felt it was a fortuitous day to be out and about from the local crowds and marketplace. She certainly hadn't expected such an excursion to result in a satisfactory piece of woodwork or meeting the pleasant Kiran once more, but sometimes the unexpected wasn't always an unwelcome change of pace.
Her hands moved to the front of her hips where she offered a half bow to the other. "A pleasure to speak with you on friendly terms, Kiran," she agreed as she straightened herself, casting another unfettered smile to the fisherman as she began to jog off down the sand. "Until we meet again!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:25 am
"Look for me any time," he told her cheerily. His gaze drifted to the sea, washing the waves slowly roll in to lap at the sand beach before his gaze returned to rest on Li. "I'll be around here from time to time." He nodded, a short jerk of his head. Perhaps the bigger fish didn't feel like biting today, but at least he gotten to spend the day with such pleasant company. "I look forward to meeting your fishermen friends." Getting to spend time on their boat would be a great experience for him, especially since he planned to have a boat of his own someday to take out to sea for fishing.
Kiran copied her movement, offering a half bow in return. He wasn't used to the action, which he thought of as quite formal, since he was usually a more casual type. When he straightened, he waved to her as she left. "Until then," he called out in agreement. Then, with a smile on his face, he turned to gather up his fishing supplies before heading home.
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