"Honesty, I didn't understand a word that chick said to us just then."
Keppit sighed and ignored her sister. She and Ranald had found themselves wandering around Barton town, and had seen a small artist reproduction shop. Keppit, being a person who apreciated art, had urged Ranald to come inside... but now she was regreting her decision fully. The white haired woman had done nothing but complain since she set foot in the door. Keppit glanced up at a painting on the wall. Sure it had all the promise of being a masterpiece (or a reproduction of such) and it was very very well done... but it lacked a special connection for Keppit. Every once in a while there was just something that made her smile, made her laugh... made her feel at home when she looked at it. But she wasn't really seeing anything like that here.
"I mean, where the heck is she from anyway? Did you even catch that accent? I couldn't understand enough to tell." Ranald sighed herself, and stood, arms crossed, frowning back at the desk where the purple haired woman had first addressed them. "And what's with the horn?"
Keppit turned. "Ranald... this is Gaia. You've lived here for a long time now. One would think that you'd have become acustomed to the diversity that exists." She turned back to a particular painting that had her attention. It was one that she'd seen many many times, and it had always filled her with something... not neccessarily happiness. "Would you quit being a block of ice and warm up a little?"
Ranald laughed and turned towards her sister, her frown abandoned as soon as she looked away from the Kirin woman. "More like a
chip. A block would mean that I was completely frozen... I'm only a little frozen." She ran a hand through her short hair quickly and shivvered slightly as she looked at the painting that Keppit was looking at. "Ew. Dali paintings have always creeped me out."
"Me too." Keppit tilted her head sideways a little, the way a dog does when it doesn't quite understand. "But not in a completely creeped out kind of way if that makes any sense."
"None. None whatsoever." Ranald cocked her head to the side as well, subconsiously matching her twin sister without meaning to. "But I can't even
begin to describe how many times you don't make sense to me."
"Kind of like the block and chip thing?" Keppit turned and grinned at her sister. "I didn't really understand that, so I guess we're even."
"We're always even." Ranald grinned back. "But that chip, block thing didn't even make sense to me. I was just talking to hear myself talk."
"As per your usual." Both of them turned back to the painting and squinted at the melting clocks and whimsical setting. "I just... when I look at it I'm not sure what it's
about... but I get the feeling that I should?"
"Wait, are you asking me?" Ranald shook her head and started to frown again as the purple haired woman came back around the corner. "Whup. here's unicorn girl again. Do you think she has special hearing?"
"Oh would you just give it up?" But Keppit's eyes didn't come off the painting.
"I bet she does... or maybe super vision. Some kind of wicked cool power." Ranald wasn't even paying attention to the picture anymore, instead she was squinting over at the Kirin woman. Suddenly she ducked behind a corner and whispered dramatically in the woman't direction, "I think your shop is too cold, turn up the heat." And then she watched for a second before sighing her dissapointment, turning back to Keppit. "Naw, I don't think it's super hearing."
"What are you talking about?" Keppit turned to Ranald incredulously. "You've gone crazy I think. Of course the woman at the front desk has a unicorn horn or something similar, and I wouldn't be surprised if she DID have super powers or something, this is GAIA!" Keppit laughed. "honestly Ranald, I don't know what to do with you sometimes." She turned back to the painting.
"Can we go now? It really is too cold in here."
"Well maybe you should wear a shirt with sleeves."
"Keppit, please. You've been looking at that same painting for fifteen minutes now."
Keppit startled. "Have I?"
Ranald leaned forward and plunked a long skinny finger down on the price tag, right under the numbers. "Yes you have, and look. It's not too expensive. Get it and let's go."
Keppit cocked her head again. "I dunno Ran. I thought Dali creeped you out?"
"Anything to get out of this shop.
Executive decision time. We're buying it. Let's go." She turned on her heals, gathered her breath and called out to Tai Bai-shen. "Miss?"
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