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 Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 6:40 am
 Shiahn strolled down the sun-lit street, observing the quiet, small shops. She'd followed her human companion out to an art shop she frequented; but she wasn't needed to help with "inspiration" today. She had decided to stretch her legs and exercise her mind somewhat as well.
It was fascinating to her. Humans had such a strange drive to build, to create; always trying to do more, never content to simply... relax, and appreciate what they had. And there were so many types- the greedy, the selfish, the visionaries, the idealists.
And of course the artists. Shiahn was biased, of course, but she liked those best. Artists- from what little she had seen- were more inclined to appreciate what was out there. To draw inspiration from it. To create something that captured the wonders already present, instead of striving to create more, newer, more dazzling wonders.
Such were the thoughts filling her mind; so much so that she barely noticed where she was going. Thinking about different kinds of artist; and those from other areas who she would, or might, classify as artists. And people who called themselves artists, but didn't really do what she though of as "art". And why humans were so driven by it, whilst many other spirits were content with the sources of inspiration.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:29 am
The rainbow of colors glimmered through the window as Draven pressed his nose up against it. He had been wishing to try his paw at painting but had never really known any other neko who had before, he often thought himself to be a loner. He tilted his head as we watched the humans inside gleam with delight as they picked up the various colors of paint. He wanted that satisfaction... He wanted to play with something more beautiful than himself. He sighed and looked down at his green and brown muddled paws.
"If only I could paint myself..." He spoke to himself, wishing he could be some of those vivacious colors. He always thought he looked like he had been rolling in the mud. He sighed again and curled up on the sidewalk... Maybe today someone would brush by him and he could convince them to buy him some paints. Just maybe.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:55 am
Between habit, her absent-mindedness, and a subconscious desire to see what her human companion had bought, Shian's paws traced a circuit near the shop. It's possible she would not have even noticed her artist friend even when she left the shop; her thoughts often distracted Shiahn from the world around her.
Not enough, however, to stop her ears from catching the voice- though not the words- of another Maneki Neko. She had no friends of her own species; and she was drawn from her thoughts on artistry and the way humans acted by the idea of making his acquaintance.
She wandered over; he was curled up on the pavement, so far seemingly oblivious to her presence. She walked over, mulling in her head the various ways to start a conversation- a simple greeting, of course, or an observation about the weather, risk-free but rather dull. A comment on the art shop might spark an interesting conversation- or he might be confused and put off. Or there was the option to ask about his human- but what if he didn't have one? Or then there was...
Her mind far too busy trying to work out what to say to actually say anything at all, Shiahn sat down close to the male and started grooming one paw as she tried to decide on the best course of action.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:23 pm
Another neko... Draven had rarely met other neko. His ears perked and his eyebrow quirked as he looked over this new face. He wasn't sure what to do or say, but he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away, perhaps this one knew a human, perhaps it was possible that today would be the day he acquired the paint he so longed for. He lifted his head from his curled body and gave a crooked smile.
"Uhmmm.. Hello.." he said awkwardly. "Could I bother to ask... Do you know how I could get some of those... ummm.. I think they are called.. Paints?" he wasn't sure whether he should have come off so straight forward, but he didn't know what else to do in the moment. He was quite surprised at the arrival of this new neko and was intrigued enough to know that he should say something instead of remaining quiet.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:41 pm
The voice of the male snapped Shiahn out of her thoughts and she glanced over at him, startled- more so as his question sunk in. She lowered the paw she had been cleaning, taking a moment when puzzled queries and odd ideas whirled around her mind. She became aware that the other was surely awaiting a response, and spoke up.
"That is... An odd way to start a conversation. That wouldn't have occurred to me." She let out a little purr of a chuckle at the idea of asking a stranger how to acquire such a... human product.
"They usually buy them, but might I ask... Why would you want paints? What would you do with them?" Curiosity lit her light brown eyes, and her ears tilted forwards in interest. She had only seen them delicately blended, applied together with a brush; the hand holding it so skillful, it was as foreign to Shiahn as the way she climbed trees and fences was to a human. What else could they possibly be used for- besides creating a mess? Was there other ways to use them she was unaware of?
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:54 pm
The reaction was not one that Draven was anywhere near prepared for.. He frowned and looked back into the window. He knew only of the colors and wanted them for himself. He wasn't sure what he would really do with them, other than try to make himself looked different. He wasn't aware of the disaster that could come of that.
He lowered his ears saddenly and looked back to the brown striped neko..
"Well.... I..I hadn't thought about that.. " he stuttered. He was a little taken back by her initial response and wasn't sure what he wanted to say to her. He looked down to the concrete and thought, puzzled for the moment and really quite unsure of himself.
"I thought I might create something with them.. I don't know... "He paused and again looked back at the paints, it was something he longed for. "I don't know what the humans use them for...but I think I want to color myself with something... Beautiful..." he wasn't sure if she would understand.. He wasn't sure if he would even be able to color himself, but he thought it was definitely worth a try.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:17 pm
Shiahn murred thoughtfully, her short tail twitching from side to side slowly. She thought about all the things her human, Eliza, had told her about paints... A lot of the time it was absent-minded rambling as she worked, but she'd also warned her about a couple of things, which Shaihn now thought she should also pass on to the other Maneki Neko.
"Well... Some paints can be bad for you, if you get them in your mouth. And they wouldn't stay in your fur anyway... And they're all wet, and kind of sticky, and would make your fur feel funny whilst it has paint in it. And my human said that some have to be washed out with water, or even with special liquid which smells really bad. I don't think it's a good idea to paint yourself..."
She mulled over that reasoning a bit more. Why would he want to... Did he not... like himself? She bent her front legs and settled down a little, to be more on his level.
"Why would you want to colour yourself? There's nothing wrong with your fur now, after all." Her voice was gentler now; kind. She didn't want to say the wrong thing, but she knew that when someone was feeling bad, often they needed someone to reach out to them to make them feel better.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:31 pm
At this point his idea's were mainly crushed...He wasn't sure what he could do at this point.. He lowered his head back down to his paws and almost gave a pouting look... He had been poked at and made fun of because of his coat. He had always thought that he looked different from the others... Not beautiful.
"I guess I don't have a choice then...do I?" he questioned.. He had never really been around humans, other than the brief encounters of walking by, or just watching them.
"But I could try to paint something else though.. I could paint this couldn't I?" He wanted to find something to do with these colors, he wanted to create something if he could. "I could swirl my paw in it and try to make something... I would just need to ... Practice..right?" He sounded a little more confident. He sat up and made a little motion as if he were going to paint. He wanted to try.. He had the ambition, just not the knowledge, perhaps this neko did.
"I.. I want to be beautiful.. I want to be something vibrant..and different.. I look like I've rolled in the mud.. I look filthy.." he sighed and laid back down.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:51 pm
Shiahn pondered. She'd only seen Eliza use tools for painting- but, perhaps paws could also be used as tools? And cleaning paws in water wouldn't be too bad... As long as they avoided those shiny, oily paints, that Eliza used the foul-smelling liquid to clean off her brushes. She nodded to herself, thinking it over. It could work.
She was feeling very sorry for the other Maneki Neko. He seemed so... sad. And so down about himself! Beauty was everywhere, and it seemed so sad that a being so determined to find it was unable to see it in himself.
Shiahn made up her mind quite suddenly, and stood up. She was determined to help this male, to help him find joy. She was inspiration to Eliza, maybe she could be inspiration to him as well. They would have to be careful not to make a mess, but it could work.
"My human uses paints," she said. "She left some out before we left... She sometimes leaves them mixed up so she can come back to painting later. She just adds some water..." She was thinking aloud now, more than talking to the other. "So if we did that, we could make the paint wet; as long as we were careful not to mix the colours together, or to make a mess, she wouldn't mind... Yes, that would work."
Coming out of her thoughts, she looked back at the other. He was speckled, greens and browns, and she didn't think he looked at all unpleasant.
"But, I have to say, I like how you look. Your fur doesn't look dirty. It reminds me of the park, of spending time in the grass and the trees. Nature is the most beautiful thing there is, and it makes me think of that, so your fur can't be ugly." She smiled, her ideas on the subject giving life to her face and lighting up her eyes.
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