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paint with all the 
colors of the wind

──● pocahontas
POCAHONTAS

╚═════*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═════╝

✦

Kasumi was nervous again, but this time, for an entirely different reason. Rhys was going to be arriving any minute now. There was no reason at all for her to be nervous, not really, but she supposed it came from the fact that people in general gave her a lot of anxiety. Even if Rhys was the very definition of a sweetheart, it didn't mean that the nerves vanished entirely.

Quickly, she walked across the floor of the lobby, pacing, twisting her hair with her fingers, tugging at the edges of her curls. At the very least, she was thankful that she had remembered Rhys somewhat - if she hadn't, her thoughts would have spiraled far too rapidly. Her fear of forgetting was an irritation to her, and highly suspectible to any kind of memory loss that she had at all. 

In her other hand, her phone buzzed, and Kas clicked it open, smiling once she saw it was from Rhys. Before she could respond, or even manage to read the text, one of her siblings chose to comment. Yume. Her older sister tilted her head slightly, then walked over to her. "ooh, who's got you smiling like that Kas?" She clicked off her phone, forgetting momentarily about the text as she pocketed it, rolling her eyes. Yume giggled taking Kas' hands in her own. "It doesn't happen to be Rhys, now does it?" Her smile softed, Kasumi ducking from her grip, and merely shrugged, snatching her forgotten whiteboard off of the table.

'maybe'

"Maybe, my ass." Yume snickered again, taking the marker from her hands, and writing something on the board instead. A small heart. Kasumi sent her a scolding look, smearing it with her hand, and ignored the slight flush rising in her own cheeks.

Honestly, Kasumi doesn't remember the last time she was asked out on a date, or was directly flirted with. She'd been catcalled, and harrassed, but just as Yume had told her so many times before - that wasn't flirting. It never had been, and never would be.

Regardless, her sister somewhat relented, taking her arm in her own instead. "I told the others to leave you alone while your working, but I don't have a doubt that I can't stop all of them." She sighed, "They're so nosy. Unlike me, of course, who's just the epitome of perfection." The wink sent a soft laugh rumbling through Kasumi's chest, a huff of a thing as she shook her head in mock disbelief. Yume guided her to the kitchen, the feeling of her arm in her soothing that bouncing anxiety that had built up in her lungs. Yume had that kind of effect sometimes, most of her siblings did with those small gestures of light touch. An 'I'm here' kind of touch. It was nice to not be so alone anymore. She doesn't remember much about her younger years. Her therapist says she's likely blocked out so much of it, but Kasumi remembers the feeling. The constant state of panic and fear and hurt. The memories were faint. The feelings were real.

Most of her siblings were upstairs it seemed, and the bottom half of the house felt quiet. Kasumi didn't mind so much, she felt safe here, and no doubt would her family be within arms reach the moment anything so much as felt off. She trusted them. Of course she did. They wouldn't let anything happen to her.

The kitchen was quiet, but a plate of Elijah's pumpkin cookies, as promised, were set out on a plate on the island. Yume picked one up, taking a bite before turning back to Kasumi. "You said you knew Rhys from high school?"

'it's more like he knows me'

Yume nodded, looking outside for a second at the chilling air in the sky. The colors had darkened, shifting to cooler tones of deep sapphire and aquamarine. Leaves of wine red laid stark against it, and sweet winds whistled through the empty branches of their trees. Kasumi wondered sometimes how the cold, could be oh-so-beautiful.

Lost in her thoughts, a sharp crack of splitting wood in the fireplace made her tense, and Yume's eyes slid to her, raising an eyebrow in question. Kasumi shook her head, a silent dismissal. Yu accepted that, glancing around the corner towards the front door. She finished her cookie, pushing off the counter and just headed for the stairs. "Good luck, if you need anything at all, i'm sure one of us will be sneaking around." And then she was up the winding stairs, and the bottom floors of the manor fell silent once again.

Remembering that Rhys had texted her moments before, she fished her phone once again from its place in her pocket, scrolling towards his conversation. Earlier, she'd noticed he'd put his contact name in as 'Rhysie', something Kasumi had ignored at the time being, especially because it caused that explosion of something in her stomach to form every time she saw it.

'omw'

The anxiety was reignited, and she made a stop to look into the nearby mirror, running a hand through loose curls to pull them back. It'd be better to have her hair up if they were painting anyway. She liked having it up when dealing with paint and things, even if it had the potential of highlighting any imperfections in her skin at all. Kasumi bit her lip, analyzing herself in the mirror for another moment, tensing up again at the sound of a knock at her door.

Hurriedly, she rushed to retrieve it, opening it up with a swing, planting her hand firmly against the wood to prevent the door from rushing into her too heavily to the point where she fell back. As embarrassing as it was, it had happened on more than one occassion. Mostly when she was younger, but it still never hurts to be cautious.

Before her was Rhys, a small, wrapped box in hand, pocketing his phone in the other. "Oh, I was just about to text you." Kasumi returned the light smile, looking past him, and frowning when she didn't see a car. Curiously, she looked back up, hesitating, then pointing outside. Rhys followed her point, then frowned slightly before looking back at her, clearly trying to deduce what she was saying. He was quiet for another moment before his eyes brightened "Oh! Are you asking how I got here?"

Something warm flooded her stomach as she nodded, grateful for the fact that Rhys seemed so patient about her anxieties and dislike when it came to speaking aloud. He was being really sweet to her, and if she was being honest, she was still worried that he'd get impatient, but at least for now she was thankful for it.

"I ran."

Say what?

Kasumi looked at him, blinking, rubbing her eyes as if that would somehow make her hear more clearly. He ran. Ran from where exactly? His own house? The school? Certainly not. Quizzically, she stared at him, but moved to let him inside the house as he explained.

"Well, I took the train, but since you guys are a little farther out, I just ran the rest of the way. It was only like, three or four miles." Rhys shrugged, as if this was normal for him. Kas knew a little about running, Junpei was a runner after all, but it still was boggling to her. Three to four miles, on nothing but a whim, lugging a backpack probably full of supplies and carrying a present for her just because he could.

Well, he did look much more capable than he had in high school, she supposed.

"I'll just run back later, I brought a headlamp, so it should be alright." Rhys smiled at her again, and warmth bubbled into her abdomen even as she frowned. Sure, Rhys seemed like he could handle it, but it was still dangerous to be running out in the dark. Clearly, he saw the worry on her face, and she felt his thumb press her forehead. "Relax Kas, I'll be fine, stop scrunching your face up at me." He moved his hand, setting down his bag lightly on the ground, and turned to take in the Morrigan Estate. "You've got a really nice house. It's big."

The understatement of the year, no doubt. The first year after she was adopted, she could hardly navigate the entirety of it. Kasumi only shrugged, staring at him for a moment before snatching up her whiteboard again, scribbling something down.

'i'm sorry if i'm awkward, i don't usually work with others.'

Rhys read it quickly again, looking up at her as a teasing smile ran over his face. "Well, the good news is, is that I work with others a lot, mostly because i'm not smart enough to do it on my own." he winked then, and Kasumi sent him a half-hearted glare. It was nice of him to say, even if it was a flat out lie. At least when it came to academics. Rhys looked around for another moment, then looked back to her. "Well, I did have a few ideas, but.." he trailed off, shaking his head. "What's the biggest canvas you have, Kas?"

Kasumi thought on that a moment, almost hesitating. Keitaro had gotten her a very large canvas, two technically. Although one was a little smaller than the other. As much as she didn't want to use the largest one she had, her curiosity was bubbling into her chest. So she took his arm, gripping the muscle in her hand, and pulled him toward the garage, leading him to wear it laid. Rhys followed her obediently.

Kas pushed open the door, immediately reaching for the lights. She shut her eyes against the darkness, a habit she often had. It was easier that way, to shut her mind off from what might have lingered in the corners of the unknown. The moment the light flickered back on, she opened them again, carefully walking down the steps. Most of her canvases were upstairs, but the two larger ones that she'd gotten simply hadn't been moved yet, so they were here. One of them was massive, a mural of a canvas. 

Rhys took one look at it, and half gaped, "Yeah, we- I don't think we need one that big." He sounded almost flustered, or in unbelief. "Do you have something smaller?" Kasumi nodded, moving to a different one, about a half size as the first. This one, Kas felt much better about using. The mural size felt like something special, like something that should come directly from her, not from a prompt. Rhys took a look at it, pressing weight onto his back foot and rubbing his jaw. "Yeah, that'll work. Is that alright if we use it?" She nodded, and he looked at her then, as if waiting for permission.

It took Kasumi a moment to realize he was asking for permission to pick it up and move it. Quickly she nodded again, and in one fell swoop he picked up the thick white board, and began carrying it back towards the main hall. She hurried after him, remembering to turn of the lights, and shut the door before they left. 

She led him to the now emptied ballroom. Only a couple weeks ago it had been lively and bright, full of people. It had quickly become overwhelming for her. And then there was the arrival of her sister's beloved, Rune.

Now though, it was quiet and empty, and the echos of their footsteps bounced off the walls and back to them. Rhys sat down the canvas on the floor with a huff, facing it up towards the ceiling. Kas looked to him, tilting her own head in question, to which Rhys offered a sly grin. "Do you have any shoes you don't mind getting paint on, Kassy?"

She frowned, but nodded, thick curiosity rumbling through her. It felt better than a surprise would, not as jumpy and scary as they usually are. It was soft, and quiet, and he was being so patient with her. She pointed to the ones she was wearing, already having changed into painting clothes in preparation for whatever they were going to do. They had originally been white, but were now splattered with multi-colored paints. 

Rhys nodded too, grinning again at her, and knelt down to his bag, handing her the wrapped present to open as he began pulling out a number of half-used paints. They were nice ones, looked well-taken care of, but it didn't look like they'd been replaced in some time. A snake of a thought wormed through her head, and suddenly, Kasumi knew what she was going to get him for his birthday.

Speaking of which, Kas looked down at the present in her hands. She heard Rhys mumble from where he was kneeling. "You can open it, Kas. It is yours after all." Petulantly, she huffed at him, but did as she was told, gently beginning to open it. The wrapping was somewhat crudely done, but it didn't really matter. Inside was a small, white box. She opened it gingerly, pulling out what looked to be a braided anklet of some kind, like a homemade charm bracelet, with little multi-colored charms added within threads of thin fabric. Kasumi stared at it for a moment, that same heavenly warmth blooming into her stomach as she admired it. She remembered what Delaney said, about how homemade gifts sometimes were the one's she loved the most. Something thoughtful, and sweet. 

This was one of those gifts.

She hadn't even noticed Rhys sit down entirely cross legged as he looked up at her. "So you like it then?" Her eyes glided over to his, and she nodded, pointing to it, then pointing in between her wrist and ankle. Rhys seemed to understand almost immediately. "Oh, you can wear it wherever it fits best I guess." He nodded, seemingly content with that answer. Kasumi mirrored the action, sitting down as well and tightening the bracelet on her ankle. She was worried it would fall off if she wore it on her arms, or she'd fidget with it too much, and it would snap.

Her eyes wandered to the paints, and then back to Rhys, once again looking at him quizzically. He only smiled, a mischivious kind of glint entering his eyes. "So, Kassy, do you know how to dance? Like waltz, and things?'

She nodded, then paused, and stared at him, her eyebrows furrowing like they did earlier. Rhys put his thumb on her forehead again, in that same half-scolding manner that held no real malice before he spoke. "Yes, I do know how to ballroom dance Kas. I took a class in highschool, I bet I can still do it." She once again answered with a huff of a sound, waiting for him to continue. He obliged her. "Well, we're supposed to do something together. So I was thinking, what if we painted the outer edges of our shoes, and danced over the canvas?" He shrugged, "And then afterwards, the footsteps will be hollow, and we can draw like shit from our journeys and stuff."

Kasumi stared at him for a moment, a flood of sudden ideas rushing into her thoughts, almost overwhelming her with scenes to paint and draw. It was a wonderful idea. She thought it was a wonderful idea.

Rhys was still staring at her, looking almost nervous, and scrambling to respond, she quickly nodded, her smile brightening with the thoughts. Rhys' own features were quick to respond, softening with ease and relief. Teasingly, she reached up, pressing her own thumb to his forehead in a mock expression. He scoffed, grabbing her wrist and pressing it away before shaking his head. "You're a bully Kassy, can't believe i'm friends with you."

Friends.

Oh. Friends.

Yes, Kasumi Morrigan very much wanted to be friends with Rhys Armstrong, who was kind, and exceptionally patient. The thought almost made her giggle as Rhys shook his head again, standing and holding out his hand for her to take. "So, Kas." His head tilted, that cocksure smile making an appearance. "You wanna practice first?"

Kasumi took his hand without any hesitation at all.

✦

✦ OPHELIA ✦

- third chapter in a day
kinda on a roll tbh

- i have an addictionnnnnn
it could be drugs tho, so
this i think is a better option

- also, immediately in love
with rhys, i think I made
him so cute, but then
again, i made all of the 
love interests really cute

what would your character be
doing right now (in this chap)

──● answers