Pixel Paintings by Chiaki

[line_piece]

Characters: Chiaki Nanami and Open
Where: Outside the Observatory
When: April 2nd
Summary: Chiaki decided to pick up a new hobby, but her paintings are turning out strangely.
Warnings: Probably just gonna use action brackets for my own tags, but feel free to go with whatever makes you comfortable.

[In a recent conversation with Valvalis during the events in the Imperial City, Chiaki has decided that maybe there is some merit to the suggestion that she should be doing something with her spare time other than just playing games.  After all, there are no video games to speak of in this world, and that's what she spent the bulk of her time on before coming here.

So in order to fill the void in her schedule, she's decided to take up painting.  There was a brief internal debate about whether to go with this or carving wooden lawn gnomes, because everyone knows the latter is much more profitable, but Chiaki eventually decided the start-up cost of becoming a painter in terms of both materials needed and initial effort required was more efficient.

It seems as if she's finished a few paintings, and she's showing them off in a little impromptu exhibition outside the Observatory being used as the Heroes' guild hall.  But they all have a rather curious similarity to them - all of the images depicted are composed of hundreds of colored squares, almost like pointillism but more blocky.  And the paintings are generally easier to resolve into an image the farther away you get.

Right now, she's got three things sitting on easels next to her.  One is entitled Self Portrait, a second bears the title Valvalis, and the third is called Landscape.  Up close, it just looks like a mess of random blocks and colors, but once you move back, it actually appears to be a picture of the sun setting over the horizon of the city.  Chiaki is standing next to the paintings waiting for people to come by and comment.]

Comments

[line_piece]

Right. Follow me.

[And Chiaki takes off at a slow stroll toward her house, setting the paintings down by the door before opening it up and walking in. She pauses just inside to step out of her shoes before moving inside.]

Come on in.

[unyieldingspirit]

[K'pandolu sets the third beside the others, and stops to take off her own shoes before entering- if Chiaki did it, presumably that's the right thing to do? She looks around curiously as she follows after.]

Thank you very much. Ah… do you share with many people here?

[line_piece]

[It is if you're Japanese. It's just second nature for Chiaki, but she appreciates the gesture.]

Two other people. Valvalis and Jack.

[unyieldingspirit]

Indeed? I don't believe I've met them. What are they like?

[line_piece]

Val is...

[How to describe it.]

...really friendly.

[Nailed it.]

Jack is, too, but in a different way. He's a good listener, too.

[unyieldingspirit]

Really? So the three of you get along well, then?

[line_piece]

I get along with each of them. I don't know how well they really know each other.

[Chiaki moves through the room, getting some paper and a quill pen for K'pandolu to use.]

Here, you can use this to draw the symbol you were talking about before. I'll be back with the nail polish.

[And after a quick trip upstairs to her bedroom, she comes back with that as well.]

[unyieldingspirit]

Are they not often here at the same time?

[she follows, taking the paper and pen as they're offered.]

Thank you very much.

[and by the time Chiaki's back, she's made a mark that's roughly like this.]

[line_piece]

Val doesn't get along quite as well with men. I don't really know why.

[So many things are a mystery to Chiaki.]

Oh... this looks easy enough. I can probably do this one for you now if you want, if you've got the time. It'll take about 20 or 30 minutes, plus the time for it all to dry.

[unyieldingspirit]

Is that so… I wonder why. [it's none of her business, though. And there's no reason for her to stick her nose into it without call.]

If you're willing to do it! [she pauses briefly, blinking. Ah… she shouldn't overlook this.] What would you charge for it?

[line_piece]

I don't know. I don't really have a price scale for this sort of thing. With paintings it's easy, but this kind of thing is so much smaller and faster.

[Chiaki thinks to herself for a moment.]

5 gil? Does that sound okay? Or you can just pay whatever you think it's worth when I'm finished, maybe.

[unyieldingspirit]

That seems a little low. [certainly for that amount of time, at least.] Let's see how it turns out.

[and she goes to find herself a seat- that should help, right?]

[line_piece]

Okay. Maybe 10 gil would work better - 1 gil per toe.

[Chiaki's just musing out loud at this point as she brings her supplies over to the foot of whatever seat K'pandolu has taken, sitting on some cushions for comfort.]

Go ahead and take your socks off whenever you're ready, then.

[unyieldingspirit]

[that… still seems a little low, but K'pandolu nods. She can make a decision at the end of the session, after all.]

Oh- yes.

[and she does so, wriggling and stretching her toes out a little afterwards.]

[line_piece]

[Chiaki smiles, nodding back and waiting for the other girl to get comfortable before opening up the clear coat bottle.]

Okay, here goes. I'll try not to tickle you or anything.

[Since that might be a thing. It never hurts to be safe. Chiaki is very slow and methodical, dragging the brush down each nail in slow strokes.]

Tell me about the symbol of the Wayfarer. Is that one of the gods in your world?

[unyieldingspirit]

[she stays as still as she can, watching Chiaki's movements with curiosity.

At the question, though, she looks up and nods.]

Yes. He is Oschon, ruler of mountains and god of vagrants, and commands the element of wind. His symbol is the staff he carries, though he is often represented as a ranger with a bow of yew.

[line_piece]

[Chiaki pauses to blow lightly on her toes every so often, helping the top coat to dry quickly so she can get started on the actual pixel art portion.]

I thought it might be something like that.

[She smiles, letting out a tiny giggle as she finishes up and switches bottles. This time she sets the brush aside and gets out a toothpick instead for the fine detail work.]

So this is almost like I'm painting protective runes on your feet to keep you safe during your travels in this world.

[Not for real, of course, since that's not how Crystallis' magic works. But it's fun for Chiaki to pretend a little.]

[unyieldingspirit]

[she wriggles her toes at the air again, ears twitching lightly.]

It is! [and she feels much the same way, even if it wasn't really her original intention. Just… to have a symbol from home, at least for a time. This improves on it.]

Do you have runes in your own world?

[line_piece]

[Chiaki does her best to keep her breath light so that it doesn't tickle too much. As long as K'pandolu doesn't wiggle her toes too enthusiastically, she won't mess up the paint job.]

I'm only really familiar with the runes from games I've played, but those concepts tend to be based on and borrowed from mythologies created by ancient civilizations that really existed.

[Her knowledge base is very specific, in other words. Even as she explains, Chiaki keeps her eyes on her work, methodically putting down one 'pixel' of color at a time on the other girl's toes in the shape of the Wanderer's symbol.]

[unyieldingspirit]

[she'll do her best not to.]

From games? Then… do you know much about those ancient civilisations?

[while there are a few ancient civilisations she knows of, she doesn't know a great deal about them. If she could…

She's watching with great interest. It's looking good to her so far!]

[line_piece]

Sure. I could tell you a lot about the Sindar if you want.

[It is probably not entirely clear at this point whether Chiaki is referencing a real historical race or something from one of her games. This is an unfortunate side effect of having conversations with her.]

They knew a lot about the twenty-seven True Runes.

[Dot dot dot... it's getting done, bit by bit.]

There. First foot done. How does it look?

[unyieldingspirit]

The Sindar? [she has absolutely no context for this, so it can only end well. She nods.] Go ahead!

True Runes? [oh, that's one more than the Eorzean alphabet. curious!]

[she leans forward to try to get a better look without disturbing it too much.]

It's looking good! Veryneat.

[line_piece]

Good. I'm glad.

[Chiaki briefly blows on her toes again before starting in on the second foot, starting in on her explanation at the same time.]

The Sindar were an ancient race known for their advanced knowledge of runes. It is said that they were cursed by the Rune of Change and forced to move from place to place, never settling anywhere permanently. They journeyed all over, leaving ruins in every corner of the world and protecting their wealth knowledge with traps. Many of these traps are magical in nature, since they were the first race to truly master the use of the runes. Not much else is known about them other than that, but scholars and archaeologists the world over have studied them for years.

[She explains all of this as she continues to work on K'pandolu's toes, never taking her eyes from her work.]

The True Runes, on the other hand, are thought to have existed since the dawn of creation. They could be said to be like gods themselves, as they are powerful, sentient, and hold power over the very forces of nature themselves. For example, the Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water Runes hold sway over those natural forces. There are also runes related to creatures of the world, like the Dragon Rune, which allows dragons to exist, or the Night Rune, which allows for the existence of vampires.

[unyieldingspirit]

Nothing about what they were like? [well… she supposes it's possible. But it still seems like a shame.]

Sentient!? How? […if there were a Dragon Rune, she imagines Ishgard would be very interested in that.] What do you mean when you say 'allowing for the existence'?

[line_piece]

No... not really. Their existence predated that of humans, so there's no eyewitness accounts beyond what people have managed to excavate from the various ruins.

[Chiaki hums a bit, thinking before offering an unhelpful shrug.]

I'm not sure. Not directly, anyway. The True Runes attach themselves to a mortal bearer as a way to directly channel their power into the world, but handling that much power all at once usually doesn't turn out too well for the bearer.

[She pauses for a moment to get some more paint onto her toothpick before continuing.]

Because the Rune exists, the creatures associated with it exist. If the Rune were to stop existing, so would they. That's how powerful they are. The Runes are in direct control of primal forces.

It's a lot like what you'd get if the four elemental Crystals of this world could talk to you and behave proactively instead of passively influencing their associated elements, probably.