Welcome to Gaia! ::

He was reluctant to let her go, but realized the need in order to move. It warmed him a bit that she offered him a hand up even though it was more gesture than need.

Fanning his wings he managed to dry them relatively fast, the artificial breeze drying skin even faster. Pants back on and stachel over shoulder he nudged Sonata awake. He got a grumbling growl for his trouble. "Hush, you can nap bak at the house in that shady spot you like." That seemed to placate her.

Reaching for Elle's hand he started on the short path back.

Lonan gave a small bit of pressure with his fingers to show he understood. While he had no wish to harm the creature himself stepping on it would have been undesireable for more than one reason. That's what he got for walking barefoot.

The path opened up to a bit of the back orchard. Shadded by willow and cherry was a small house. More of a modern cabin in all actuallity. One large room that held a kitchenette, bed and a small table with two chairs. The only other furniture inside the building was a cushy armchair, an armoir, and what looked to be a pet bed next to the full sized bed. The skylight in the ceiling took up almost the entirety of the roof and there were sliding doors on both sides, leading straight through. A door led to a small bathroom that held sink and toilet. The shower was outdoors, enclosed with walls but open to the sky. A frosted glass door could be closed to keep others from watching and there was a shelf for towels and such. Under an extension of the roof was an easel as well as a pitcher and a few blank canvases.

The winged wolf huffed softly and grabbed the pet bed, dragging it outside and under a hyacinth bush on the cool side of the little house. She promptly curled up for a doze.

"What do you think?"

In response his wing brushed her back before he stepped away. Herbs and plants were laid out to dry, hanging from a ready bar as well as the overhead light fixture. Satchel aside he opened a cupboard taht seemed filled with vials of powder. Running his fingers over the corks he picked out a select few and laid them on the counter. Another cupboard was opened under the kitchenette's sick and two wooden pails pulled out. One had a dipper in it and he filled them both nearly full.

Carrying the buckets carefully he opened the second set of sliding doors and set them near the easel, proping a canvas on it before turning back inside. A few small stained ceramic bowls were pulled out as were the vials. Grabbing one of the chairs from the table he put it near ths tool by the easel.

Taking his seat by the easel he used the dipper to put water in one of the stained bowls, adding a pinch of powder from one of the vials. The water turned a bright but pale yellow. He didn't use a brush, but rather his palm to spread the dyed water over the canvas, letting the fibers absorb the color and turn a faint shade of almost holy gold.

He felt almost serene feeling Elle watch him work. The base laid down he picked up the vial again, fingering the top to make sure he had the right one and added a bit more powder. The gold turned depper and brighter. This time only a finger tip took the color to smear it at specific points on the canvas. A bright point, the outline of a body in motion and a halo. That color done he set the used bowl aside and rinsed his hand in the bucket without the dipper.

Another vial as scooped up and the lid fingered. He opened it and gave the contents a small sniff before putting the vial back. Another was picked up and the contents sniffed. That seemed to be the one he wanted. A tap of powder in a new dish with water and a warm brownish red appeared. That was added with careful finger tips to shade in a body, hand reaching towards the golden orb. For the finger points his smallest finger barely touched the surface. More powder was added to darken again. He went through three more darkenings before the shade he wanted was achieved.

Before the next color he paused momentarily. "There is a chair if you wish to sit and watch." His voice was tinted with amusement as he went back to the painting. Greens, reds, rich browns, and a vibrant orange at one point. Then he took a darker color. An indigo so deep it was nearly black. Over the holy gold it became a rich ebony as his palm moved to fill in areas.

Finally he was done. It was not realisticly precise, but there was a fluidity of motion in it. Energy. This was what he saw when he thought of Elle. The green dress she had described at their first meeting, her hair blown in a gentle wave away as one hand reached for the golden orb which she faced, as the other balanced behind her, the implication of her ring of keys in her hand. She was arched as though in the middle of a striding step, one knee bent up, the other leg long and slightly curved as she reached toards the glow of light in the darkness. The orb itself seemed to light one entire side of the figure. One of his wings reached out, gently wrapping around her. His voice was nearly inaudible when he finally spoke. "So you remember you are not alone in the dark."

The silent weight of her arm across his legs was comforting, calming, leading him further into the forms he was creating. Ones he'd never see but could recall none the less.

He was a bit surprised by her statement. He'd only seen her in this image, brow furrowed slightly as she led his hand. The colors melded with scents and memories in his mind. Elle had every right to see them differently. But what could he do but believe?

The tone of her voice rivetted him on the spot, listening intently to each word she spoke. His body nearly shook to match his feelings when he gave her the words. She moved too quickly for him to say as much back, saying it silently instead. Gently pulling her on his lap, wings and arms wrapped around her. The world could wait. What passed, was passing between them was too important to leave for later. Somehow he felt... full. Complete.

The world could wait.

On the canvas the colors melded and set into a portrait that showed more than just an image.