" uhm ... no," zhezhi corrects the general quietly as she parts with her equipment, easel abandoned alongside pencils and brushes as she steps over to the other. " you are – sorry – doing it wrong, jiyan."
for someone whose general speech and nature is ever as timid, it seems that the concept of painting him has brought out a different side to the artist. one that is bold enough to reach out and move him as she needs, an arm held differently and the touch of a hand guiding his head in the direction that looks best. while she could, surely, have found this exact position in combat, it is not the heat of the battle zhezhi wishes to paint this time around, but the swift and graceful motions tied to the sword and windy lance that jiyan calls upon in battle.
but, for her to say that he is doing something wrong? him, the general who leads troops and has made a reputation for himself out on the battlefield? oh, leave it to zhezhi so say such strange things.
" that's a little better, hold on –" hands part with the general's frame as she steps back a little, one step to take a look at his current stance and then a few more whilst navigating his eyes to her. " you look great, jiyan, now ... can you try to imitate my motions? i know that i am not a fighter, but – i have this image in my head, one that i believe would look really good on you and in return in my painting... so, if you'd be so kind to indulge me –"
she'd sidestep, attempt to navigate her arms so that she could imitate the way he held his sword; " – the loongs are such graceful entities in stories, but it's often overshadowed by their fierce look and mighty presence on others, removing people's gaze from the fact that they, like the cranes in the riverbeds, hold an elegance to them as well," and again, she would break out of her motions, telling jiyan to keep moving as she'd shift and position herself behind him instead. further directing his body, she'd tilt and adjust him as she needed, only asking him to lift or move what her hands alone couldn't (wouldn't want her to move his legs apart, after all).
"yes, like that –" zhezhi smiled with a relieved breath, touch lingering on jiyan's waist for a moment she'd imitate the steps right behind him. " that is beautiful, jiyan, please – keep going in this exact pace and movement, as i –"
part with his frame, pacing back over to the easel with a glance cast over her shoulder to take in the sight of his movements on the grassy meadow; " – paint you!"
Qinglong and the general made a sudden pause in their choreography when Zhezhi spoke up to correct them. The aero loong shrunk into a portable size and pulled away from Jiyan as the artist approached him and moved him as she needed. Jiyan blinked, surprised by Zhezhi's sudden change. No, it wasn't entirely sudden, the way she talked and moved was the same as when she was analyzing a landscape she wished to paint. But the Zhezhi right now was different from the Zhezhi who asked for permission to paint the Midnight Rangers while they trained. Back then, she made no requests and he and the rangers carried on with their training as usual. This time it was just the two of them and, well… it was different from what he was used to.
Being told that he was doing it wrong in such a straightforward manner certainly took him back to his days as a new recruit, when Instructor Yang let him know that his form was lacking and had too many openings. A decade later, while he would never call himself an expert, both practice and real life experience shaped his fighting style into what it was now. In battle, he left no openings for his enemies to take advantage of and wasted as little energy as possible in unnecessary movements. He was efficient and treated his body as an extension of his broadblade and aero spear. He kept his enemies at a safe distance and, if they got too close, he used the strength of his hip and body weight to kick them away.
But that was what he was doing wrong, wasn't he? When he agreed to pose for Zhezhi, even if she wanted to paint him when he fought, he wasn't actually facing an enemy. She wasn't looking for efficiency in his movements, she was looking for inspiration. He had been in a situation slightly similar to this before. A member of the Pioneer's Association wanted to take a photograph of the Midnight Rangers and made them all stand and move in different ways from their typical military formation. They had achieved quite the intriguing composition until their boss showed and scolded them for treating the Norfall Barrens and rangers like models in a shoot for a fashion magazine. Back then, while he understood the older photographer's point, he didn't see the problem with the artistic liberties the rookie wanted to take. It had been fun and different from the routine.
But this still was a little different from that. (Or a lot.)
Perhaps because he was completely unused to being stared at with artistic scrutiny. That had to be the explanation for it. That had to be the reason why he felt his face and ears heat up when she entered his personal space and guided his head in the direction she wanted. His attention should solely be on following the artist's pointers, but the more Zhezhi moved him, the more trouble Jiyan had ignoring their closeness. On top of that, it was just Zhezhi and him right now. Now, Jiyan wouldn't say he felt nervous nor inadequate, but he had the constant urge to smile and look away, a completely normal reaction for anyone when they were slightly embarrassed, but entirely new to the general, the man who could give an inspirational speech to his troops despite having no speech ready and didn't even stutter when he told the capital's elders the changes he wished to do in the Midnight Rangers to maximize their efficiency (survival) rate.
And yet, his stomach tensed and he found it impossible to concentrate on the artist's reminder of the loong's gracefulness and natural elegance. Indeed, the loong was an elegant and majestic creature, but he never imagined that he could help portray that elegance, not due to a lack of confidence, it was simply something he never thought of before as his resolution and wish to protect were the only things that came to mind when he summoned his qinglong. Perhaps he would've been able to elaborate a proper response if the situation was slightly different, but as how things were, he could only say: "Understood. Is this better?"
Fortunately, Jiyan was good at following directions and Zhezhi was great guiding him. Despite the initial... something he experienced at the start, he eventually relaxed and followed the artist's instructions to the letter. He no longer was trying to win a battle against an invisible opponent. Instead, he followed a choreography that felt more similar to a rhythmic battle with the wind and combined elegance with mobility. Qinglong, who had perched itself on Zhezhi's shoulders like a scarf, returned to him and accompanied him like a leaf dancing in the wind. His shoulders relaxed, and the movements flowed on their own, no longer needing constant correction.
He didn't know how much time passed since they started, but Zhezhi looked pleased after she asked him if he wanted to take a break and show him her progress. Taking a sip of water from his gourd, he was curious about the artist's vision for this piece. He had only seen her paint landscapes and wildlife, but she had wanted to paint him this time. And when he looked at the canvas, he remained silent for a few seconds, but the sides of his mouth curved upwards into a soft smile. "It's turning out beautiful, Zhezhi." The gracefulness and elegance of a loong... he could see it perfectly. But it wasn't just that. He didn't know if it was the color palette she picked or the softer shading that exuded a gentleness that made feel warm inside. How to put it into words? When he changed his scalpel for the sword, it wasn't out of an intense desire for vengeance or despair. He simply wished to nurture and protect. His wish for a gentler world, how his heart remains empathetic and gentle until now, it was wonderful to see that part of himself stand out instead of the fierceness of his qinglong.
Was this how Zhezhi saw him too?
In the end, even though he thought they would only take a five-minutes break, they ended up conversing about the painting for longer than that. He asked about the pose she picked in the end, the composition and enjoyed listening about color theory and her vision for this piece. Eventually, they talked and laughed about how tense and serious he was at the very beginning. Jiyan admitted to feeling out of his element and while, yes, he had no trouble adapting in a battlefield, this had been different because: "It's to be expected. Partially because being an artist's muse or model is more intense than I imagined. But mostly because of you. When you're concentrated, you're a lot more assertive than usual, it's as if not even a storm could stop you. I'm no match to that, so more than once I felt my heart jump and thought of asking for a 'timeout'. Besides, having you so close to me, and with such ease, makes me nervous and happy in a manner I'm not used to."
