Although her Archlector's robes are spotless, Wylla's hands are stained with paint. With the help of Nathan, one of the disciples, and several kind souls throughout the day, easels have been set up and paint palettes, cases of paint colors and canvases are liberally distributed throughout the shrine. The short woman is strolling through, half-present and in her element, half-lost in her own thoughts at each and every painting she encounters. "That's a lovely cat!" she tells a woman working on a not-very-good cat, not seeming to mind the lack of talent. Music fills the air. Wine flows. It's a convivial event, with people coming and going as they please.

Hana can often be found at Jayus' shrine in her role as a Disciple, but it's rare to see this much activity in the shrine at once; she looks a bit overwhelmed, though still readily offers a cheerful smile for everyone who makes their way in. And even if the young smith is no painter, she has a brush and paints in hand; it seems when she finishes greeting newcomers, she'll try her own hand at painting something.

Fortunato is a lean, small man who is, today, draped in a sheet, and that sheet is splattered with paint. He is executing a kind of poise and swoop -- wandering in the Archlector's wake and then suddenly descending on artwork that catches his attention. Or canvas that stays blank for too long.

Isabetta is no painter. She is no artist. So why is she here? Who knows, but she comes equipped with a notebook and some charcoal (something someone told her was for sketching. She also has a single paintbrush and a few paints and.. absolutely -not- the right outfit for doing this at all. She's wearing white fineries, the sorts of things specifically not advertised as supposed to be what you wore to this event. Really, why was she here. She decides to find a spot.

Isabetta has joined the Painters Alcove.

Gwenna has come prepared, from the looks. Her leathers are mostly white, save the smock that covers about as much as a painter might require. White it originally started out as white, like the Archlector hands, it has been stained with a variety of hues. Paintbrushes have been tucked into large open pockets on the piece as well. Hana's cheerful smile is met with one from Gwenna in return and then princess then offers her a cheerful wave to Wylla. "I brought a bottle of wine. Just in case," is noted with amusement in her tone. "I may claim any blank canvas and try my hand?"

Leta, renaissance woman, carries a lute over her shoulder and everything as she wanders into the painting event, glancing around as she struts through the shrine and settles into a spot in front of one of the easels. She puts the musical instrument aside and produces a somewhat worn and stained work apron to cover her colorful garments with. Then she starts to imitate others, setting up her canvas and paint palette with a focused look.

Aleksei looks rather different for once: he's without his white leathers and is dressed instead in a pair of brown leather breeches and boots that are only familiar to those who knew him before his days in the Faith, along with a plain cotton shirt. "Hello! I don't know how to paint."

Desiree carries a few things to paint with. She takes a moment to look at the others she will be painting with and decides on a place to paint. She looks toward Aleksei. "I'm not much a painter either, but it's still fun."

Fortunato pulls out of his pacing to general. "Event isn't about painting professionally. Anyone can put paint on a canvas. And we've got plenty of paint here. Enough to mural the shrine twice over. Pick a color you like. Pick colors that you /feel/," he adds on light emphasis. "Expression's what matters."

2 Novice Keaton Huntsmen, The Second arrive, following Margerie.

Wylla looks over at Gwenna, smiling a little uncertainly at her offering of the bottle. "That -- that's lovely. But we have wine! Any canvas, yes. wherever you would like to be." Her eyes take in the new entrants, and she nods to Fortunato, who apparently is the fellow to do the talking for her. But she reaches out for Gwenna's bottle without hesitation, moving to hand it off to another disciple. "And paint whatever you feel," she adds to Fortunato's words. "Good, bad, anything but indifferent." Hana, doing the intake at the door, gets a nod of thanks and a relieved little smile.

In comes Daemon, clanking and clanging in a full suit of armor and being tailed by a rather elegant looking Greyhound. "Ah. The smell of creativity. It does the body good!" He exclaims, clenching one gauntlet into a fist as he look at the gathering crowd. "Just as I've seen in the dreams. Wonderful colors and PRISTINE craftsmen! And craftswomen. Ah, joyous." He moves through the shrine, careful not to disturb anyone's festivities as he makes his way to Wylla, the Archlector. He bows deeply to her. "My thanks for bringing together this gathering, Archlector."

Isabetta doesn't know anyone. She's not giving any nods or waves or smiles, she is instead settled herself down and is going to GET TO Pa- well drawing. She is starting with a charcoal sketch. Working very hard, tongue between her teeth, eyeing something then looking at her page. Draw draw draw. Scribble scribble. She's not trying to hide her work, but soon her hand, along the bottom of it starts to darken with the charcoal rubbing on her skin. Draw draw draw. Should anyone peak they'll see she's doing. . . A stick figure. A very bad stick figure. But she seems proud of it at least.

Philomel, the Nightingale, Micana, the efficient amanuensis, 2 Igniseri scarlet phoenix guards, Golden, a juvenile Oakhaven bloodhound arrive, following Lucita.

Hana offers a smile back to Gwenna, waving the woman through to the canvases; the Archlector is left to deal with the bottle of wine; Hana turns her attention instead to Isabetta and then Leta, Aleksei and Daemon, offering each a warm smile and gesturing them on into the shrine's interior -- and the waiting canvases. Aleksei's remark about not knowing how to paint earns a grin in answer. "I don't know either," she assures him. "You want me to make a sword, I can do it in my sleep. But if I try painting... well, it's going to be /interesting/."

Serenity, Drysi, a young shaman apprentice arrive, following Khanne.

Leta has joined the Musicians Platform.

"Interesting is wonderful!" Fortunato brights over to Hana. "I know a lord who can't paint, but tries exquisitely hard, and the results are strange and exciting horrors." Fortunato then descends on Isabetta and her dark, dark stick figure. "Ah!" he says. "Is it a representation of the difficulty of identity?" It is likely not.

Lucita has joined the Musicians Platform.

Lucita checked charm + performance at difficulty 15, rolling 49 higher.

Margerie is a bit late and dressed appropriately in warm wools, but otherwise rather ill equipped when it comes to supplies. A good attitude? Definitely in attendance. She wanders until she finds a section with her fellow 'well intentioned but low talented' artists and picks out a bit of canvas. "Alright then Where do we start? I don't think I've done this since I ... goodness, a long, long while back."

Margerie has joined the Painters Alcove.

Khanne walks in, and close enough to overhear Fortunato speak. She grins and says, "you must be speaking of Percephon." She smiles broader and looks around. "Sorry I am late. I like to dabble a bit in painting and thought I might see what was going on."

"You're wearing the wrong clothes for painti -- " Wylla begins to tell Isabetta as she wanders towards the painters' alcove. "Oh. You're not painting. Good. Well, mind you don't get charcoal on all that white." She tangles a hand in her hair as she looks over to Daemon clanking his way towards her, her eyes wide for a moment. "You're more than welcome! Are you painting? You'll have to tell me about those dreams." She offers Aleksei a reassuring smile at his claim, and then glances towards Margerie at her approach. "Wherever you might like to start. What do you feel?"

Desiree has joined the Painters Alcove.

"It is for any critics," Gwenna remarks with a faint smirk to Wylla about the wine and then moves along to find herself a glass of wine, not meant for dumping, and a canvas on which to splatter some colors. The smock may suggest she's not a stranger to paint, though as to what level is perhaps debatable. Drink procured and a blank workspace soon after. She is near Isabetta and does, indeed, take a peek at the other woman's work. "Ooo. Do you work in charcoals a lot," is wondered, brows arching with the query.

Isabetta looks up at Fortunato and stares. She does not know him. She looks at her drawing and then looks back up at home. Finally she says, "Yes, I do not know her identity and I am drawing her. "She points her stick at Hana. Then Gwenna and she tells her simply, "No."

Leta is ready to paint, eventually! She has her canvas, and her palette, and a brush. It's all a little off, but she looks highly focused. Looking over, she listens respectfully to Wylla, then glances to the canvas, then glances at Fortunato with a friendly smile, than at the canvas again. Confusion mars her brow for a moment, but she dips her brush in some paint and begins working on a sky. It's blue, and there's a lot of it covering the upper half of the canvas, anyway. It's probably a sky.

Desiree starts painting her canvas with a light blue paint. She takes her time as she works on the painting.

Khanne has joined the Painters Alcove.

Someone should have told Jacque that it's canvas painting, not /painting/. He's bringing a bucket. And a brush that is certainly used to paint walls and maybe, if someone is feeling generous with a description, murals. But here he is, and he's just as short on supplies as Margerie. He wears an old, faded yellow tunic that has seen better days and a pair of wool trousers that definitely is barely still wearable.

Lucita comes into the shrine, her cloak swaying playfully around her legs as she steps along toward the musician's area. She rubs her hands together, warming them and gets her vielle out of its carry pouch. An amicable smile is given those who have gathered and a nod. After finding the spot musicians are to be she glances over toward Leta and gives her a wave. "You can use paints, I'm going to try to paint mental images for you using music!" And with that she skillfully begins to softly play, music infused with joy and smiles.

Margerie looks at the alarming expanse of blank canvas before her. So. Much. White. She sucks in a breath and tilts her head to examine it. She's seen artists do that, right? After a moment she straightens her head and speaks slowly to answer Wylla. "Well. So it's mostly white, and it's winter. So let's say we start with snow. How about a nice tree. If we're in winter, I can avoid all those pesky leaves with their shapes and their colors until I've gotten a wee bit better. Or I suppose I could start with the wine, but! Maybe that should be the reward for at least a few brush strokes."

"Ah! Portraiture. Very good, very good," Fortunato says. "Hana is a good subject, but don't tell her. She'll get bashful." He turns a brisk attention to Gwenna. "Charcoal is as welcome a medium as paint. Whatever excites you." He straightens back and flashes a smile over to Khanne. "Yes, Percephon. He's a treasure."

"Paint? Oh no! I'm terrible!" Daemon exclaims with the utmost exuberance he could muster at that moment. "But I will be happy to share all the dreams I've had and more, Archlector. I hope this event brings you every happiness you're hoping for." And with that he's retreating away, ushering his dog to follow along as he moves deeper into the shrine. Eventually he finds a spot on the benches, propping himself back to watch the many artists at work with a beaming smile.

Daemon has joined the worship benches.

Aleksei grabs a glass of wine and then starts puttering about, considering the different paints and colors laid out. He starts grabbing blacks and dark blues and purples, and then some of the most brilliant whites and silvers. And then he makes his way over to one of the painting areas to plop himself down in front of some canvas.

One of the King's Own arrives a little late and Tovell searches for an out of the way place to paint. He man pauses a moment to look at the green tarp that is put up and just shakes his head. The ginger knight finds a solitary spot to set up and he just starts at the canvas. The man starts using a heacy brush and starts streaking red over the canvas. The man lets out a breath and takes a moment to offer a prayer to Jayus and to try and embrace the moment.

Desiree notices Jacque as she looks up from her work. "Prince Jacque hi." She tilts her head. "Are you here to paint something?" She makes a few more strokes with her brush as she continues to paint the canvas blue.

Wylla's eyes brighten at Khanne's arrival, and she offers her fellow redhead a little wave of recognition, adding to Daemon, "Whenever you'd like." But she's off again, to the musicians' stand, where Leta is painting in blue and Lucita is setting up. "Blue," she murmurs thoughtfully. "There is... there is a lot of blue." She smiles uncertainly over at Desiree. "You have blue too! Who else is using blue? Are you all doing skies?" And then there's Jacque, who's just not doing it right. She blinks. Stares. And then gives Hana a puzzled look at Jacque's entrance, with a little anxious gesture of her hands.

Aleksei has joined the Painters Alcove.

Hana glances over at Fortunato with wide eyes; she disagrees with her uncle on whether or not she's a good portraiture subject, to judge from her expression. But then her attention is drawn by Jacque's bucket of paint, and she makes a noise of mild dismay as she hurries over. "Ah, your highness, that's a very nice brush and paint, but you might find one of the sets we have available for people to use is a little easier."

After a moment of watching everyone, quietly, Khanne shrugs and steps up to a blank canvas. She hmms as she studies it for a moment, then nods, collecting a pallet to use and dabbing just a few colors on it' blue, green, purple, and white. She smiles at Fortunato with a wink. "Yes... he certainly is." She turns back to her canvas and starts to dab bits of color here and there, occasionally adding a line. One green line is made rather thick and slightly on a diagonal towards the center of the canvas. So far, it doesn't look like much of anything. Catching Wylla's wave, Khanne raises her hand and waves back, splashing a bit of blue mixed with green over herself and her canvas in the process.

"Oh. Ah." This is Gwenna's response to Isabetta before the princess pauses to sip her wine. A few bobs are offered in reply to Fortunato. "Oh, I did not meant to suggest I thought otherwise. I was just curious, as I've not often worked with it and was going to inquire further." Her attention soon returns to her canvas, lips wrinkling with consideration. Margerie's words seems to illicit a bit of a smirk from her. "I do all my trees in winter landscapes for that very reason," is admitted. Finally, the Redrain seems to settle on green for a color to start with, quieting as she starts brushing out the beginnings of a hill, from the looks.

"Oh, hello, Lady Desiree! Fancy seeing you here. I came here to pa-" Jacque greets the Wyrmguard, but then he looks around, notices all the canvases, furrows his brow in realization of his mistake. He nods after Hana's advisement, carefully... emphasis on carefully ... setting the bucket and the wall-paintin' brush down. "Sounds good to me, Mistress Grayhope. Where can I get them?" Yes, he really was clueless about the /nature/ of painting this event was supposed to entail.

Isabetta nods to Gwenna and then starts making her picture more complex, instead of one stick figure now there are two, three, and one has a sword and one is being attacked! Argh, and she uses some of her paint, just the red and applies it to show a battle wound. The totally adult lady demonstrates all the skill of a picture one might accept from a child and pin to the cabinet to humor their burdening artistic 'Talent'.

Margerie has picked out some black. Oh, and maybe a bit of grey, and there, some brown. That will do for the moment, at least until there's the beginnings of a clue. "Oh squirrels. A sky. I'm going to have to figure out one of those." It's about then she notices Khanne and smiles warmly at the young woman. "Oh do tell me you're actually an expert ready to tell me what I'm doing. I would hate to dishonor Jayus by not trying to learn at least a little something." Catching Gwenna's comment, she huhs. "Or perhaps you can offer a little advice. Do I just swipe a line across the canvas and that's the ground?"

Desiree grins as she watches Jacque put down his bucket. "Painting is fun. I think you'll enjoy it." She shakes her head at the question. "Mine isn't the sky although I suppose it could be. Hmm." She considers as she looks at her painting.

Leta has a lute. It's sitting right there, and it's very fancy-looking. It's not very good, but it's very pretty. But she's painting instead, looking over to bow her head politely in Lucita's direction, "M'Lady. Oh. Well, that's nice - for inspiration and all." Then she continues to apply more blue to the canvas in big horizontal strokes. As Wylla addresses her, Leta looks up and blinks. She stares at the Archlector, then glances at the canvas, as if worried she's doing it wrong. "It's blue, right? The sky, I mean, Archlector. Not always, but mostly blue, I mean - if you ask me what color the sky is, I reckon I'd say blue, anyway. It's gray, sometimes, or pink, or red, or black sometimes, or - orange a bit, but..." she holds up her brush, covered in blue paint.

"I'm fond of charcoal myself," Fortunato notes to Gwenna. "It's rough, smeary, and dark, but even unskilled work has a certain raw drama to it." He gestures here to Isabetta. "This artist has raw drama in great quantity. The terror of combat, the tragedy of defeat!" He glances over to Margerie. "You can make any kind of ground line you want."

Hana offers Jacque a smile as she guides him over to one of the empty canvases near Desiree, where there are plenty of paint and brushes available. It seems the Jayus-folk assumed that the majority of people would /not/ be bringing their own art supplies, and prepared accordingly; each of the canvases has ample supplies already laid out for whoever chooses to take the spot. "It doesn't matter how good you are at this," she assures the prince. "Just have fun doing it."

Aleksei settles in front of his canvas like a man who cheerfully has no idea what to do. He's got quite a lot of black on his palette, though, so he starts off by getting a ridiculous amount of it on a paintbrush he doesn't know how to hold and then begins to slather it across the canvas. Doot doot. Black canvas!

"We can save your paint for the shrine!" Wylla is quick to reassure Jacque from where she stands. "If you don't mind." Margerie's words finally filter through, and she smiles uncertainly. "You could also paint a glass of wine," she suggests. "A still life. there are a lot of landscapes already. But only a suggestion." One made too late, apparently. And then she winces. "Whether you're a good artist or a bad one isn't the point. It's what you feel and what you want to paint!" A glance back towards Leta. "The sky is whatever color you would like it to be! It's all different colors. Sometimes five or six at once!"

Khanne smiles over to Margerie and says, "oh, I wouldn't call myself an expert. But it is something I did in the long winter months on days I was cabin bound." She looks at the colors splattered over her canvas. "This though, has nothing to do with winter, and everything to do with spring.... and is also something I am just experimenting with." She peeks over towards Margerie again and asks, "what are you painting? Still deciding?"

"Thanks, I'll... do my best," Jacque is evidently a little disconcerted with the misinterpretation of what this painting event could entail. He's always willing to lend an arm for the Faith! But now, this? He has no way to get this done. Still, at Hana's encouragement, he flashes her a sunny, if a little embarrassed smile before dipping his chin in a nod. "Thank you, Mistress Grayhope. Let's... uh, let's hope my ... art ... is at least recognizably so. But I'll have fun." Of course he will. He'll take up the palette, and start carefully running the tip of the paintbrush onto the canvas, leaving a trail of green paint across it. Then another, then another. He realizes his mistake, then. "I did this upside down." Oh well. With another smile to Hana, this time in thanks, he'll continue his handiwork just fine. "So how are you, Lady Desiree? It's been awhile since we last spoke at the Sleeping Knights." Small talk while painting. Why not. Well, the 'why' becomes obvious when that green becomes a sickly shade of purple as he dips into the wrong palette and smears it across the canvas again.

Lucita's amber gaze drifts from person to person, lingering here and there on each canvas that she can see. Her smile shows growing merriment and interest in what the others are doing. She continues to play, though the song becomes the musical accompaniment to a particular humorous ballad, not too raunchy, not too colorful in language, but giving an amusing adventurous tale, It's one Leta would well recognize since she is the one who wrote it. All is done softly, not to overpower conversation but be just provide a pleasant background.

Gwenna pauses with her hill thing and smiles brightly at Isabetta's work. Genuinely! Though her attention shifts to Margerie shortly after. "I suspect Jayus is glad to have any of us creating art and perhaps is the better judge than any of us. I've a little skill with painting, from lessons when I was younger, though mostly because I love color. Princess Gwenna Redrain," she offers before continuing. "Mostly, I get a vague idea in my head and then start smearing colors around. Sometimes it ends up like what I thought I wanted to paint, other times? Not even close. My only advice is to use what you like." Then it seems she considers Fortunato's words, to judge by her thoughtful expression and next remarks. "I will have to attempt some things with charcoal then, I think. Thank you for noting as much." More swaths of green cover the canvas, starting dark and growing lighter as the paint on the brush runs out. Much less like a hill now and more just a smear of hue.

Kenna slips in from the streets with the curiosity written all upon her face. Coming in she doesn't take much time to find herself stepping up beside someone completely random, and looking over their shoulder. In this case it's Leta, "What are you painting?" Gotta pop in somewhere~

Margerie dips her paintbrush into the black paint and boldly splats it against the left edge of the canvas. She starts to make a very energetic and slightly bumpy slash across the canvas (Fortunato said any kind!) when Wylla's suggestion stops her about 3/4 of the way through. It also likely stops whoever is next to from getting a good splattering of paint on them. Instead it begins dripping down the canvas. "Oh. A glass of wine instead? That would have all the reflections and light bouncing off it. Then again, I suppose I'm well on my way to the stem of a glass now," she says dryly as she looks at the dripping vertical line inadvertantly added to her work. She turns towards Khanne and says, "Well, I was going to do an oak tree in winter. Now I'm pondering how to combine an oak tree and a glass of wine." And with Gwenna setting the example of introductions, she puts her brush down before it can tangle her any further in the next few seconds. "Lady Margerie Keaton. I believe I sent you a note about coming to meet some of the hounds at our house. And ... now I am imagining dipping their paws in the paint, if it's safe, and just having them mill around on one of these!"

And the Archlector of Jayus is off again, flitting away from the musicians' stage with a soft word for Lucita, "Your music is lovely. If... if you want to take over for these fellows when they take a break," a gesture to the band, "you are quite welcome to." A hand covers her mouth as Wylla giggles as the ballad starts taking a turn for the risque, before she's back among the canvases. Tovell's entrance receives a wave and a chirp: "Thank you for helping me earlier with the tarp, Sir Tovell! Is Master Caspian coming too? He helped as well, you know." Aleksei's black canvas earns a long, puzzled stare. "You are using a lot of paint," she tells the man, awkwardly. "And only one color."

Desiree finishes painting her canvas blue. She looks at Jacque. "I've been fine personally. I suppose a lot has been going on and not all of it has been good, but we're all doing the best that we can. How about you? Do you have any interesting news to share?" She starts to paint some green blobs.

Isabetta finishes her drawing and signs it, "Talen." And rolls up her work, putting her things up. The final product is well, a real race for the bottom in terms of art. But she seems pleased with it. She nods her head politely before starting to head out.

Isabetta has left the Painters Alcove.

Dabbing at her canvas, now using her fingers instead of a brush, Khanne looks over to Margerie's. "Hmm... well, you could have the trunk of the oak be the stem, and lower branches perhaps cradling the goblet of a wine glass?" She shrugs a little and says, "I kind of like the image that creates in my mind. Fill the goblet with a wine of dark sky with twinkling stars... Sorry, I am apparently in a very abstract sort of mood today." She looks over to Gwenna and shouts, "Hi, Gwenna!"

"So far!" Aleksei assures Wylla brightly, his grin boyishly reassuring. "I have plans. For messes. But I've got these other colors!" Mostly shades of black, dark blues, dark purples. (And then the much lighter colors, too, but less of those.) He doesn't really know anything about brushstrokes or technique, so the oil ends up a bit textured on the canvas, peaks and valleys of darkness rather than a smooth surface.

Leta considers Wylla's words, and lifts her eyes pensively. After a long pause, and another stroke of blue across the canvas, she muses, "I've never seen a brown sky that I can think of. But maybe they've brown skies in foreign parts, Cardia and whatnot," she concedes, then dips her blue paintbrush in yellow. It's time for a bit of green! Instead of big broad strokes, she goes for short vertical ones. That's what grass is like, after all. To Kenna, she smiles, "This bit's the sky and this bit's the ground..."

Staring at the canvas for a moment, Jacque dips another brush into black ink, instead, and starts writing numberes. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. He stops, then, frowning, starting to unravel those numbers with little flicks of the paintbrush at their extremities, until it's a blur of drying sable right in the middle of the canvas. He starts painting around it, then, more or less achieving the result of a landscape. If said landscape hadn't been cut in half by a black stripe in the middle and if the green on top had less purple streaks. Nevertheless, he leans over to look at Desiree's artwork, "Hm? Oh. News? I don't have many interesting news to share right now, my Lady. Perhaps in the future." He smiles, briefly, frowning at the green blobs. "What are those supposed to mean?"

"Forging signatures is also an art," Fortunato idles over to Isabetta as she leaves. He glances at Gwenna's work and remarks, "Color is, for me, the most exciting part of art. The flash of red over the horizon, the blue-green swell of a gentle wave, the glitter-silver of light snowfall. It looks like you are green today. A green both rich and fading. Worth exploring." Fortunato flickers, then, a smile over to Margerie. "Fusing one idea with another is the essence of metaphor!"

Tovell averts his gaze to his canvas when the Archlector starts to approach him. He swipes slower with the red. The canvas becomes a sea of red that drips in heavy coats. Beads of paint roll down and threaten to drip off the canvas. And as he pauses he opens his mouth to speak but then quiets for a moment. "I am not sure, Archlector." The knight answers softly. "You are welcome." He answers, "Glad to serve the Jayus or any of the Pantheon." He states in a tone. "It was no bother." The man flushes slightly and looks back to his canvas. He cleans the brush and starts to paint a single figure, crudely, in the midddle of the sea of red.

Tovell * level tone

Desiree nods to Jacque and watches him paint a little. "Your painting is unique." She looks back at her own painting. "These are turtles. Honestly I'm not that great of a painter, but it's so relaxing to create something even if it's not very pretty. Do you have a favorite color Prince Jacque?"

Kenna stands on toes to catch a sight of Wylla's too, but saves her words for Leta. "Is it a particular sky and ground? Or just whatever comes to mind?" She drips back onto the soles of her feet lightly. "Oh, I'm Kenna Whitehawk," so she isn't completely impolite with all of the questions without giving //something// back.

Gwenna's brows arch up once again, a wide smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. "Indeed, Lady Margerie, and how lovely to meet you in person. I intend, quite truly, to arrange to come meet the hounds soon. I think paint would be safe enough for them, though the mess, my lady, might be a bit of something," she notes with a faint chuckle. "Perhaps an exceptional addition, though, to the Keaton gallery, wouldn't it be? A canvas covered in paw prints?" Khanne's familiar voice makes the princess smile once again and she lifts the hand not holding a brush to wave at the noble. "Lady Khanne! Hello!" Once again, Fortunato's words give her reason to pause, head bobbing once she's considered them. "That is the most exciting part to me as well, to be honest. Though I've not used silver quite enough with snow, now that I think on it. I shall have to try that. This..." The green on her canvas is mused over. "A hill fading into the distance, perhaps. A farewell, a good-bye marked as someone leaves the familiar for something else perhaps."

"There are gray skies that look brown during storms. This time of the year, actually," Wylla tells Leta, deep in thought. "And when the sun sets in a particular way and everything is orange, it can kind of look brown too. But a pretty brown, not a dingy one." She sees Kenna looking at her, and offers a little wave her way, a bit retiring about the gesture and uncertain. Then, to Tovell as she wanders over, with barely a pause. "It was... it was lovely of you to do. And don't worry about the cursing!" She pauses, reddening as she realizes what she said. "I shouldn't have said that aloud."

Khanne hmms in thought and turns her attention back to her own painting. Dipping her fingers in purple, she sprinkles purple all around the long green line. She gets paint in her hair, on her face... and yes, on her dress, but she doesn't seem to mind too much.

"Really, my Lady, I don't know if we can call this 'unique'. Maybe in the sense that it's a singular atrocity to everything art stands for," Jacque is very self-critical. He puts down the set, though, and starts leaning in to look at her work. "Ah, turtles." He nods in agreement, smiling at the Wyrmguard before excusing himself with, "Let's see what the others are painting... maybe I'll get ideas." His first stop being Aleksei's... black canvas artwork. He puzzles at that for a moment, looks at the Archlector of Skald, and then goes right along. To Khanne's. "Why not use the brush?"

Margerie leans a ways back from the canvas to study her extensive work so far. The two lines, you know. There's a healthy amount of skepticism before she shrugs and steps up again to extend the vertical a few inches above the horizontal axis to increase the trunk of the tree, then adds a not to scale u shape to begin the glass. "Like that?" She's trying, Khanne! But she doesn't seem overly discouraged by her abundant signs of failure. "I may need your help with this as we move forward. I like the idea of shadowy branches hinted at in the glass. But that is getting far beyond my lack of skills." And Fortunato is offering metaphor as a reason. "How ... we may begin in earnest plans of steady growth only to be derailed by the lure of intoxications?" A little BS helps the lumber trees grow! Gwenna's response to the idea of paw painting? It draws out a warm smile from the Keaton woman. "Precisely. It might be a source of good cheer in serious times to have something like that. Perhaps you will be inspired and want to make plans to take the best artist home with you when they're old enough." Hopefully the puppies, not the painters in the room!

Hana leaves Jacque to his painting, turning back towards the main entrance. But no one else seems to be showing up, and so she turns her attention towards the canvases as well. It's time for the smith to tackle her painting -- a new challenge in her life. She picks up the paintbrush and regards the canvas thoughtfully. What to paint, what to paint?

The smile Kenna shares out to Wylla at that small wave is as open and welcoming as the sky and she slips behind Leta to make it easier to speak to Wylla.

Leta trades a few words with Lucita on the subject of the song, perhaps, then focuses on the canvas, and continues to methodically paint some grass on it, layering short green strokes one after another. She blends in yellow and blue, so the overall effect isn't quite an uniform green. Kenna's question gives her pause, "Just the sky and the ground, I suppose - blue sky and a grassy green ground, you know? Then I'll maybe add some trees and maybe a city, see? And a road. And some birds and flowers..." she has big plans, and points them out on the canvas. "Oh. Leta Broadbent, m'Lady. Knight. Of the Lyceum."

Desiree nods. "I'll let you do that. Good luck getting some inspiration." She watches Jacque look at some of the other paintings before turning back to her own and painting some yellow and orange colored fish.

Khanne looks up and over to Jacque. "Hmm? Well... I did, before..." She smiles bright and says, "why not -not- use a brush?" Slowly her painting is taking shape, at least to her. It features, seemingly, purple splatters, a long green line, some blue and green finger swirls then some purple, blue, and green lines and dots... surely she is going somewhere with all this, right?

Tovell offers Wylla a warm smile and he dips his head, "No, I will endeavor to not do so again. I owe you an apology." He informs her with a nod. If he is ashamed by the conversation it does not show in his words or in his expression. The knight motions as he continues to paint a crude person int he middle of his piece, "Any time you need help and my duties do not otherwise bind me I am happy to be of service, Archlector."

The smile Kenna shares out to Wylla at that small wave is as open and welcoming as the sky and she slips behind Leta to make it easier to speak to Wylla too. "I think the sky can be just about whatever it wants too. All it takes is the right imagination." She's not at all above trying to peek a look at Wylla's picture too. To Leta though, "Nice to meet you! It looks like it'll be very peaceful when it's all done. Do you do this kind of thing often?"

"Do you leave the somewhere else undefined?" Fortunato asks, his head canting toward Gwenna. "What is the unfamiliar? Just a prompt, if you need it." To Margerie, light. "Yes! Alcohol as a deterrent to growth is a perfectly valid metaphor! As is 'all my growth comes from alcohol.'" He thump-thumps his chest. "Metaphor! It's terrific." To Khanne, bright. "What a riot! And I do adore a good riot."

Aleksei looks totally innocent at Jacque's puzzled look. He is just painting! This black painting! He makes sure to cover every inch of the canvas; eventually he notes having a bit of stray paint on the edges of the frame, and then he goes ahead and paints that, too. Black black black.

Khanne has left the Painters Alcove.

Serenity have been dismissed.

Drysi, a young shaman apprentice have been dismissed.

Khanne has joined the Painters Alcove.

Lucita speaks with Leta a little while and on noting one of the canvases lets the softly played music segue into a sea chanty to go with the fish being painted, It is a mild one, a forecastle type, of a ship getting ready to set sail.

"You don't need to apologize, Sir Tovell. It was not undeserved or out of proportion from your circumstances," Wylla is quick to reassure the knight. "I will do that, gladly," she tells him. Her attention drifts over to Kenna at her words, though she has no painting in hand. "Anything can be any color it wants to!" she enthuses. "Imagination -- and creativity -- and dreams."

And now that everyone is settled with their work, and at least partway throught their paintings (be they landscapes, landscpes out of numbers, colorful fish, canvases coated in red or black, or many other artistic works), there is a sudden CRASH! from the wineglasses. Wylla flinches, gaze drifting from Kenna, her eyes widening, staring over to where two of the white wine bottles have smashed onto the floor, glass shattered onto the rough-hewn floor.

Margerie's head jerks up at the sound of the crashing. "Oh dear. Not my inspiration and my reward. Whatever did the poor wine do to .... " Whatever caused the wine to come crashing down.4

Apparently Gwenna is going to run with this departing thing she mused on earlier. The hill near the bottom of the canvas is given more green color, the part that swiped up left in the faded hue. She uses her fingernails to etch some detail into the green, little bumps and lines left in their wake. Another small laugh escapes her lips as her attention falls back to the Keaton noblewoman. "I suspect, my lady, that I will quickly fall in helpless love with one of the puppies and beg to be allowed the privilege to call him or her my own when they are old enough," is admitted as she takes up her wine glass for another few sips. "I think so." This to Fortunato. "If the somewhere else is undefined, anyone might think of a place specific to them when they look at it. I like that makes me /feel/ something, so maybe I should attempt as much in my own." Those thoughts are interupted by the abrupt crashing sound, the Redrain flinching with the sound. "Son of a motherless bear..."

"I don't know how much water it's going to take to get all that paint off my fingers," Jacque answers Khanne, honestly, but he has a smile for the Halfshav, too. "That looks good, though. Random... but good." Nodding to himself, he lingers a few moments more, until he decides that staring at someone else's art-in-progress is awkward for both parties involved. So he introduces himself, "I am Prince Jacque Valardin, honor to meet you."

Fortunato sweeps a small bow toward Gwenna. "There is power in presence, and there is power in absence. Absence like, ah, whatever Archlector Aleksei is doing over there," the artist says, gesturing to the black. With the crash, he's peeling off toward the shattered bottles. "Friends. Participants! Can I get some assistance in the clean up?"

"This kind of thing? No, not so much, sometimes I draw a bit - just ideas I have, but mostly I sew a little, that's all, nothing fancy," Leta says to Kenna with a smile, and continues to fill the lower half of the canvas with rolling waves of green grass. She's contemplating the paints on her palette now when the sound of crashing wine bottles jars her away from her vision, wide eyes turning towards the sound.

"Random... for now," Khanne winks at Jacque. "Pleasure. I am Lady Khanne Halfshav." She grins wide and says, "water did you say? Just so happens, that is precisely what I need." She goes to fetch herself a glass of it, returning to her canvas shortly after. She looks to Fortunato and says, "it is about to become an organized riot. Hopefully you will like it." She then dips her multi hued fingers in the water, swirling them all about until some of the paint leaves her fingers, then she reaches up to the paint splotches and starts smearing them together with water.

"Eep!" Hana startles at the noise, turning from the canvas she was about to start painting on and glancing to Wylla. Then she glances over at Fortunato, offering him a rueful smile as he gathers folks. She, too, stands and makes her way over to try to collect the broken glass before anyone steps on it. "Maybe we should keep a broom or two around here," she muses. A storage closet would, apparently, make an excellent addition to next year's shrine design.

Margerie looks from Gwenna to the broken glass and back. "Shall we give them a hand before anyones' pets go over to investigate?" She sets off, but stops by Khanne's canvas on her way to heed Fortunato's call for assistance. "I still say I am going to claim you for a bit of help when we get to the complicated part of my painting." Which will likely be, well, all of it if her three efforts as yet are any indication. She smiles at Jacque since he's nearby and says, "I saw you come in. That was very sweet you know." Aleksei's black canvas catches her eye in passing. "Well. It's a choice," she enthuses.

"Yes!" Full hearted agreement to Wylla from the blue-eyed Kenna. She's listening intently to Leta, eyes on the brush making grass, when the dropping bottle of wine causes her to whirl around and dart her gaze to where the wine is settled. "Oh, well, that's rather inconvenient. I bet paintings get... very interesting when under a tough of the influence." It's said to no one in particular as she drifts away to go peer over another shoulder, this time o Aleskei's black black black canvas. "It's a bit dark if you ask me," said as an aside to Margerie. "Nothing //wrong// persay, but dark."

Gwenna does take a moment to glance over at Aleksei's painting, at Fortunato's mention of it, her lips pursing and expression curious. No time to mull over the absence for long, it seems, though there's a faint nod as though she likes it. Laying her brush down and taking another few sips of wine for good measure - there's less now, after all - she wipes her hands on her smock while nodding to Margerie. "Indeed, my lady. A shame for the loss of such fine vintage, surely." Hana's words make her 'hmm' aloud. "Well, I've leather boots on. I can probably scrape some of the glass into a better pile, lacking brooms," is offered.

Wylla is still staring towards the glass for a long, dreamy moment. Fortunato and Hana, tonight's assistants, will have to handle the cleanup, it seems, for the tentative Archlector is off in her own world for a moment before she comes out of her thoughts. "A broom!" she agrees with Hana. "I'll find a broom. I think I have one at home, yes. There -- there should be a rake somewhere outside." Well, what passes for outside in this quarter-finished shrine. Apparently the rake will have to do!

"Everyone is so judgey!!" Aleksei declares when he hears Fortunato TALKING ABOUT HIM. "It's /in progress/." And he does finally seem to be finished with the black -- only to startle for a moment's distraction, wide-eyed, as he looks over to the sound of the crash. "Everything okay, Wylla?" he calls over helpfully. Colleague to colleague. She does seem to mostly have it well in hand, and he looks back to his painting. And /now/ he starts with the /other/ colors. The blues and purples start to join the black, splotches to mingle dark against dark.

"For now," Jacque echoes Khanne, somewhat skeptically, but at her greeting, he smiles back, just as brightly. He lifts his eyebrows in surprse when she mentions water, and when she fetches herself a glass of it, he watches. "...Interesting thought." He admits to the Halfshav, though the disruptive sound of bottles breaking finally steals his attention. "Excuse me a second, but we should talk later -- at the very least, I want to see the end result of your handiwork, Lady Halfshav." Margerie's comment draws a smile to his lips, and he inclines his head to her, "Thank you, my Lady. I just -- happened to volunter for the wrong task, I suppose." There's a grin to the Keaton lady, and then he's finally heading over to assist with the broken bottles, when Fortunato asks for volunteers, he'll head on right over to sweep some of the glass with his booted foot and he reaches up to grab them, careful not to cut himself in the process. With a nod to Gwenna's idea, there's a smile to the Redrain before he discards the glass in some nearby bin.

Lucita has left the Musicians Platform.

Philomel, the Nightingale have been dismissed.

Micana, the efficient amanuensis have been dismissed.

2 Igniseri scarlet phoenix guards have been dismissed.

Golden, a juvenile Oakhaven bloodhound have been dismissed.

Between all these fine efforts, the glass is quickly brushed up, and Fortunato gets himself into mopping up the pale wine mess. "Thank you!" he blats to all and sundry. "Now take the inspiration of, ah, spilled liquid-- everywhere, and make your final touches! Or not-so-final touches! Unfinished is beautiful."

Desiree paints some legs on the turtles and finishes up the fish. She looks at her painting and decides if there's anything else she'd like to add.

Wylla is tugged aside for a moment by Nathan, the fellow whom at least two or three of the people in the shrine might recognize as one of her trusted disciples. He has a hurried conversation with her, apologetic, arms swooping as he gestures how someone -- he doesn't name names, but he does cast a look towards a disciple in training -- one of the serving staff -- who's looking very abashed at what happened. But Wylla's smile towards the girl is gentle, and she shakes her head.

As Fortunato takes care of the talking for her, she nods slowly. "Yes! Yes, thank you, Fortunato. I -- thank you." It's a bit awkward. "Everyone, please take a moment to feel the spirit of Jayus within you as your finish your work. Your creativity is there. Your dream is there. What has he called you to create tonight?" Subtly, some other assistants start to gather up unused paints and canvases from around the room.

Well, some cleanup is done and then it's back to the painting which is woefully in need of, well, an artist frankly. Margerie looks at it disapprovingly, but darned if she doesn't go about an enthusiastic attempt at blending the /idea/ of a tree with some root wiggles at the bottom with the /concept/ of a wine glass with some sloshy purple paint in the u shape at the top of the'trunk'. It is terribly elementary and somewhat slapdash, the inspiration of spilled wine evident in the splothchy droplets dripped over the canvas. Very not at all intentionally.

As people rush around to clean up that happy little accident, Leta focuses on her painting. Her tongue pokes out as she obtains a much tinier brush somewhere and begins to paint walls, careful straight lines and battlements in a pale gray. She leans very close to the canvas, to carefully detail her work. She's unlikely to actually finish her grand vision, but she's intent on having a highly detailed fortification of some sort, complete with little figures atop the walls. The proportions of everything are way off, the figures much too large, and perspective is just something that happens to other people.

Teamwork! Gwenna returns Jacque's smile as he joins in with the boot-brooming of glass. When it seems most of what she might be able to accomplish is done and the rest of the clean-up underway, she returns to her canvas and blessedly (no pun intended) unspilled wine. "Not judgy, truly. I /like/ the black. All art says something. Though ah..." This as she notices colors being added, which only seem to remind her that her own is not complete. The canvas boasts swaths of green, dark where they begin near the bottom left of the piece and then fading as the arch up toward the top right. Etches have been done in the deeper hues with her fingernails, the color still evident on her person. Impressions of grass may have been intention there. That's it, though, and after some review, Gwenna lifts her shoulders in a little shrug. "I think that says something well enough, if simply," is murmured.

The addition of blacks and purples against the black starts giving it a messy sort of depth on Aleksei's canvas, blobs of dark color mixed with the deeper darkness. If he were a real painter, he'd be able to have better instincts about it, plan it out or be able to mingle the colors better. It's amateurish, but he seems to have fun enough. It's only when he's done with the blues and purples that he takes up a smaller brush (too small for his hand, really) to start pricking bright whites and silvers, pale almost-white blues and purples, against the dark. It might eventually take on the -- suggestion? -- of a night sky. Maybe.

Khanne checked dexterity + artwork at difficulty -14, rolling 55 higher.

Having come late to the gathering Kenna makes no effort to start or continue anything. Rather, she wanders from canvas to canvas, shifting from tip-toes to slightly bent over to get a view of as many of the in-work paintings as possible. Quietly she makes sounds of appreciation for all of the colours that are being displayed. Sometimes there's a leaned-sideways head as she tries to puzzle out what they're making, but in general it's all positive sounds.

Satisfied with the sweeping of glass shards, Jacque goes back to his painting, after spending a moment introducing himself to Gwenna, "Jacque Valardin, a pleasure." He'll pass by Khanne, then, staring at her artwork for a little longer before heading back to his own. The paintbrush is retaken, the black smear in the middle spread over the rest of the unfinished canvas, then mixed with a chalky white until it's essentially a mass of greys, like misshapen rainclouds massing in the horizon. More dashes of green at the bottom, an attempt to turn the entire sky violet rendering it an abortive orange, and finally, that same white color is used to represent what could pass for a moon, if it was a circle and not some sort of eliptic, unspecified shape. He shrugs, his work concluded, the palette and paintbrush abandoned and the canvas left to dry. No signature left behind as he walks back to look at the Halfshav's work, mentioning to Margerie, "Apparently she really did have an idea with th water."

Broken glasses or bottles of wine don't seem to draw Khanne's attention away from her work at the moment, she is far too into her blending of all the lines and splatters. She dips her fingers into the water time and time again, blowing on the pools she creates on the canvas to spread them out more than to dry them. She steps back, tilting her head, then steps close again, dipping one finger into the water, and then into a shade of purple blended with white to make it pale. Leaving behind shadowy streaks in what seems to be, perhaps... wings. When she is finally satisfied, she steps back again, tilting her head to the other side. "Hmm." Then, a nod.

Khanne drops an ethereal dragonfly painting.

Tovell finishes his paint and closes his eyes for a time. It is a red background with a single figure dwarfed by the immense bright red that surrounds him. The single figure is small and inconsequential against the backdrop. The knight is no artist. He looks at the painting and takes a moment to prayer over it. A smile breaks his lips for a moment and he has a chuckle, "Well, there it is." He answers to himself. "I call it a knight's journey." And with that the man turns and finishes his water. Sir Tovell offers a genuine smile to the Archlector and anyone else he spots on his way out.

Wylla claps her hands, clearing her throat. She's not an imposing woman, even in that Archlector's robe. Her voice gets a bit swallowed up between the music and the chatter. But she's standing on tiptoe, and her gaze is bright and, for once, alert. "If anyone would like to display their paintings and make an offering to Jayus, now is the time! No matter if you thought your art was good or bad or in between. Please, please don't hesitate to offer it up in service of the god of creativity and dreams! Your creativity and dreams are in the work! Jayus blesses you for your efforts and for your confidence in sharing your talent, large or small, with your friends! Please have a glass of wine and feel free to explore others' paintings. They've given you each a piece of their soul." It's earnest. "And take a prayerbook as you go, if you would like. Thank you for, um, for coming."

Tovell picks up Floating Paper Lantern.

Tovell drops Floating Paper Lantern.

Tovell gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Margerie steps away from her canvas, which amazingly ends up being rather recognizably wine glass and tree related, if only just so. Jacque's comment about Khanne's success with water draw her now rather paint spattered self over to examine the exquisite piece of art. "Khanne," she says in a rather awed and hushed whisper. "Incredible." No words but that.

Margerie gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Fortunato raises up from his crouch, tucking his wine-damp rag away. He applauds quietly for Wylla's words. "Today has been a great gift, a snatch of time to take what is inside you and give a little of yourself to other people. The intent always, always matters more than the skill!"

Desiree looks at some of the various paintings. She looks at Khanne's. "That is absolutely beautiful. I love it." She looks to Jacque. "And I really like yours too." She looks at Tovell's painting. "I really like all of the red." She looks at her own painting with the different sea life. It is an underwater theme with some turtles and fish that aren't very detailed.

Kenna gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran's making his way into the shrine, not coming for painting obviously or he would have been here sooner but instead, the Archlector of Lagoma has come to see what's been produced!

Khanne gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Gwenna gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Daemon gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Leta finishes her painting with a thin brush and black paint - drawing whiskers (?) on the little soldier figures atop the tall many-towered fortress's walls. And tails. Whiskers and tails. Then she steps back from the canvas, scowling at the unfinished work, "Ah well, 's close enough for now, I suppose. That was getting all smudged there anyway," she muses to herself and sets her palette aside, turning to glance at the others.

Aleksei sets his painting of messy night sky and stars out with the others, even if it's terrible. He seems to like it well enough. He makes his way over to Wylla, offering her a bright, encouraging grin. "What a fun event!" he tells her.

"I would like to donate mine, if I may," Gwenna notes as she takes up her wine glass and leaves the painting upon its easel. Moving to take a prayer book, she passes the Halfshav's stunning work. "Oh, Lady Khanne, those colors are lovely and the way they have been blended..." Clearly the princess is impressed. Turning to find Lady Margerie again, she smiles. "I do promise to send word soon, my lady. It was such a genuine pleasure creating with you today." Turning to find Fortunato next, she dips her head politely. "Thank you for the insight today. It was veyr helpful." Next up, a wave to Wylla. "Thank you once again for holding this! I enjoyed it so very much."

Gwenna is overheard praising Wylla for: The Archlector held such a wonderful event to create art at the Shrine of Jayus!

Hana watches people finish up their paintings, with a nod and smile as she looks over each. She might not have had a chance to paint herself, but it seems more than a few people /did/ get their painting done. And whether or not they're works of art, they're all works of someone's artistry -- something done in honor of Jayus -- and so all of them make the young Disciple happy to see.

Margerie finally pulls her gaze away from Khanne's work, the better to finally pay attention to the other works in the room. The fortress and figures, the reds, the seascapes, the skies. She ends up stopping in front of Aleksei's work and smiling. "I was discussing the painting in the Shrine of the First Choice when you arrived earlier. We were talking about why it was at night, the different reasons. It's almost as if you heard the conversation." When Gwenna says she'll send word, it distracts her from the paintings and she grins. "We will have plenty of adorable little creatures ready to romp about at your feet!"

Tovell has left the worship benches.

Wylla offers Aleksei a shy smile. "I hope so. I didn't want the wine bottles to break." She looks a little disappointed by that, but she sets it aside easily enough. Leta's painting earns a little giggle. "Soldier-cats? Or cat-soldiers?" she wonders, before smiling at Gwenna. "I'm so glad you came. I'm not really much of a, uh, an organizer. You can thank the Grayhopes for doing most of it." A flickery little wave towards Fortunato and Hana. At Roran's approach, she smiles uncertainly, bowing to her fellow -- recognizably dressed -- Archlector as well. "You missed the painting!"

Margerie is overheard praising Wylla.

Margerie is overheard praising Hana.

Margerie is overheard praising Fortunato.

Gwenna is overheard praising Fortunato for: For assisting so wonderful in the art event at the Shrine of Jayus.

Gwenna is overheard praising Hana for: For assisting so wonderful in the art event at the Shrine of Jayus.

Khanne smiles and leans over to Margerie to hug her, carefully, her hands held very far away from the woman. "Thank you." She looks to Margerie's and says, "I like it! What do you think? Hmm. I now want to have wine glasses made with branches for stems." She smiles at the Lady Keaton. "I told my uncle last night that he should meet you. No reason..." She winks and turns to Desiree. "Oh, thank you very much. I love yours as well. I have a soft spot for the sea... Have you ever watched a sea turtle swim?" She shakes her head. "Magnificent." Pause. "Thank you Gwenna. I felt inspired... I love yours as well. It has great texture... and the hill is reminiscent of a piece of the north to me." Turning back to Margerie with an element of surprise, she asks, "really? I need to see this painting... Of night you say?"

"Oh, bottles break," Aleksei says blithely, giving Wylla a brisk slap on the shoulder. "It's no bother." He grins at Margerie. "I didn't! Skald and Prism both love stars, though. Maybe I was just thinking of it."

Kenna stops dead to stare at Khanne's painting. "It's //amazing//." There's more than a slightly breathless tone in those to words. Her palms press against one another like she would start to clap if it was't completely ridiculous to do so.

Fortunato ducks a small bow toward Gwenna. "You're welcome. Thank you for your participation. And your fading hill." He swings the smile over to Margerie and Khanne. "Thank you to you as well. The glass tree! The wild-flung paint as dragonfly. Thank you, everyone." To Wylla, he notes, "Don't give us too much credit, Archlector! We chatted up a few participants, but you were the organizor and originator."

Desiree shakes her head as she speaks to Khanne. "Thank you.. I can't say I have, but it must be a sight to see." She looks toward Wylla. "I really enjoyed myself."

Roran's stopping by to see Khanne's painting, raising those great bushy brows of his as he takes the moment to study it. "It is lovely." he agree's.

"I like yours, my lady," Jacque replies to Desiree, with a pleasant smile, before nodding in agreement to Margerie's compliment. He'll go get one of those prayerbooks eventually.

Jacque gets Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book from a basket of free prayerbooks.

Gwenna smiles brightly at Margerie. "I very much look forward to it, my lady," is remarked with a dip of her head. That same smile is offered to Khanne. "Thank you, my lady, though the colors on yours...I am inspired." She offers all a parting wave, from the looks, and moves to make her way back toward the city center.

Khanne smiles to Kenna as well. "Oh, thank you so much. Have we met?" She studies the woman briefly. "I don't think we have. I am Lady Khanne Halfshav." Looking around she asks, "where is your painting? Did you do one?"

Gwenna has left the Painters Alcove.

Margerie returns Khanne's hug, a bit less carefully than the young woman. An 'auntie's prerogative to spoil her family, chosen and otherwise. "Well you are entirely welcome to borrow the idea since it came from, well, everyone in the room! I couldn't make the masquerade the other evening, but I had an idea of a gown made to look like a winter oak tree with real branches for the collar. I suppose my body is probably grateful I skipped that. I imagine I would be ach..." Wait. Did Khanne say meet her uncle? And wink? Her voice slows a bit as she asks, "And who is your uncle again?" The topic turns towards paints of the night sky, though. She nods towards Aleksei. "In the Shrine of the First Choice. There's a painting of Skald, the Seraph, and the Queen of Endings at night. It's lovely." For her own paing, to curious and wandering Roran's, well, it is a beginner's work of a wineglass on a table. Or a tree against a skyline. It's recognizable as a blend of the two concepts, a tree trunk branching up to form a wineglass with a rather flat purple vintage inside. But at least the idea somehow comes across.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Roran puts Jayus's Uncommon Prayer Book in a basket of free prayerbooks.

Wylla smiles uncertainly at Fortunato's words, offering him a little nod of thanks, jumping at Aleksei's slap on her shoulder, a little flinchily. "I... thank you, Aleksei." It's a bit startled, as if she can't compute his gesture. At last, her dreamy gaze lights upon khanne's painting, and she stares at it, rapt, for a long, long moment. One hand reaches out to touch it before she pulls herself back. "I -- sorry -- but this is absolutely... Khanne, this is /lovely/!"

"Blessed Aleksei. Which one is yours?" Roran calls over to the other Archlector.

Desiree looks at Jacque with a smile. "It was good to see you again." She looks around. "And it was good to paint with everyone." She makes her way out.

Desiree has left the Painters Alcove.

2 House Wyrmguard Guards leaves, following Desiree.

"You've got talent, Lady Halfshav," Jacque joins in on the fawning over the masterful artwork, grinning at the Northerner before introducing himself to Kenna, as she's nearby, "Prince Jacque Valardin, honor to meet you."

Khanne laughs and smiles at Margerie. "Duke Vercyn Halfshav. Don't worry. I tease. I merely suggested he meet you because you are a delight to know. Your name came up during a family dinner. Or, well, the Keaton's as a whole. I can't... remember exactly how, but I remember that part!" She smiles, broadly, a little TOO innocently to be innocent. She turns to Wylla and actually blushes, just a touch. "Oh, thank you. I was trying to think of something... spring like to paint. I am looking forward to the season, despite my love for winter. At first I thought perhaps a crocus poking through snow... but then I thought purple... and... Oh," she turns to Jacque again. "Thank you. I dabble... there are others far more talented than I. Like Fortunato. Have you seen his works? He has the ability to rip a person's heart out... um, you know, emotionally... with his painting. It is a superb talent to make people feel strong emotions from looking upon a painting. He has that kind of talent."

"You do," Hana agrees with Jacque. "Your dragonfly is a lovely painting, Lady Khanne; not every painting /has/ to pull your heart out."

Khanne smiles at Hana and says, "thank you. No... you are right. Not every painting does. But when they do... I am just in awe. Mine are normally done just to stay sane... back when I had time to be bored." She laughs. "I never thought boredom was such a luxury as I do now."

Kenna has to rip her eyes away from Khanne's picture with absolute force of personality alone when Jacque introduces himself. While she speaks though her yes keep darting to the painting. "Oh, Well met Prince Jacque, Lady Kenna Whitehawk, or just Kenna." Finally she manages to keep her eyes on Jacque with a bright smile. "There are //so// many diversions in Arx right now!"

Fortunato laughs a little from the periphery. "Lady Khanne! You flatter me too much. And there is nothing lesser about a delicate scene rendered delicately and creatively. To render wings so diaphanous is a difficult task." He bows slightly. "For me, the natural scenes bring me great peace."

"It's the really terrible one," Aleksei answers Roran cheerfully. He gestures over to a canvas that was absolutely /covered/ in black pant before someone started layering on gobs of dark blue and purple. And then, over that, pinpricks of bright white and silver. It's like a very messy night sky. Very, very messy.

Jacque nods his agreement with Hana. "Sometimes it is good to look at something and appreciate its beauty for what it is," he explains his viewpoint on that, to Khanne. But he smiles when she mentions Fortunato. "Perhaps I should endeavor to see his art sometime, if it has that kind of powerful sentiment." He smiles wryly to the Halfshav. "Boredom is indeed a luxury." When Kenna replies to his greeting, he's bowing his head to her in response. "There are, indeed. A little bit of peace is always good."

Khanne smiles, falling silent a moment under so much praise, her freckles upon her cheeks becoming darker as the rose tint colors them. "Thank you... all of you." Her lips quirk to the side, turning into bashful shaman, then she says to Fortunato, "I'll paint you a landscape if you paint me something."

"Well if you're happy with it, surely it cannot be that terrible." Roran points out, tilting his head to look it over. "It's lovely. Needs a cat though I think." He jests, looking at all the other paintings on display. "Archlector Wylla! Welcome back and what a way to do such!" Roran calls over to the other Archlector.

Margerie touches Khanne's shoulder as she explains. "Well, in any case, I would be thrilled to meet the people who helped to shape you, and I would think that would include your cousin and uncle. You are dear to my family and ever moreso to me, young Lady. Seeing you so joyful when you visited the house recently warmed my heart. Perhaps we could bring the Keatons to you this time?" When Khanne describes Fortunato's paintings and the heart ripping, she gives the artist a mildly cautious appraisal. "Where are some of your words displayed?"

Wylla dimples a smile at Khanne. But the assistants are there, slowly packing up tools that have been left behind. Any abandoned canvases are gathered as signed or anonymous offerings to Jayus, set in a reverent stack before the easels, close to the altar. The Archlector of Jayus gives a relieved smile to Fortunato and Hana, and a shy little, "Thank you," to them as her hands play at the edge of her silk robes. She blinks, wide-eyed at Roran. "I'm glad you like it, Blessed Roran." Her bow is formal and proper, if -- just a little -- uncertain. "I'm glad everyone had a lovely and creative time! Gods walk with you."

"I am /terribly/ slow," Fortunato warns Khanne. "But it's a deal, hm? Landscapes for, ah, heart-ripping. Have you seen Mae Grayhope's work? She's rather more prolific and better at ripping, in fact." He turns toward Margerie even as he starts to drift doorward. "I don't actually have much public work, save in the archives. It's scattered to the four winds. But the mural in Skald's shrine's inner sanctum is mine."

With everything wrapping up, and other commitments at hand, Aleksei slips out of the shrine to get going.

Aleksei has left the Painters Alcove.

Hana tips her head to the Archlector of Jayus in answer, with a cheerful, "Of course, Blessed Wylla. It's nice to see the shrine so busy!" And then the young smith begins to putter about, clearly preparing to clean up some of the supplies that have been left out. The paintings that are left will be hung in the shrine, the paints gathered up and put away somewhere for later use, and so on. It's a Disciple's responsibility to keep the shrine tidy, after all!

"Why does it need a cat?" Jacque asks of Roran, puzzled for a moment. He then looks to Kenna and asks, "Do you think it needs a cat?"

There are still small details, bits of unpainted sky to fill in, splotches of white for clouds, fatter tails on the cats-at-arms, but Leta leaves her canvas half-finished and begins to remove her apron, careful not to get any splatter on her clothes. Then, hoisting up her lute onto one shoulder, she wanders the shrine to glance at everyone else's work.

Wylla nods readily at Hana. "Isn't it?" She smiles shyly at the smith, uncertainty writ large on her face at all the social whirlwind that the painting seemed to incorporate, and her shoulders sag a little in relief. "I... I'm glad everyone was here. And happy! And creative!" But, as people start to filter out, she settles herself on one of the worship benches, sinking into her own world again, as various disciples set to do the work of interacting with the rest of the impromptu artists.