Art of The Ocean
A/N: Ahh!! I’m so sorry I have become so slow! I hope it came out to your liking.
Shay had been the high seas lately. Far too much for my liking, but it was his lifestyle and I tolerated it. Besides, we are only friends afterall. He was due to return soon and I could not be more excited. Most of the time when he returned, Shay would describe sights he saw in vivid detail as I scratched on paper what I saw. It was our way of ‘documenting’ his travels.
I stood at the docks, scanning the horizon for the Morrigan, eager to hear of Shay’s adventures. I stood out amongst the crowd, with my satchel and hands full of paper, drawing utensils and a smudge on my right hand from rubbing against the paper. Being an artist was not something many around here considered a viable way of life, but that didn’t bother me; my small art shop did me well enough for me to survive.
The sun rose higher and hotter, forcing me to take refuge under the porch of the local business. My excitement soon turned to boredom as I had spent more than half my day at the docks, still with no sign of Shay or his crew.
Rising from my chair, as the sun sat on the horizon, I called it a day for myself and headed back home. Climbing the small staircase to the apartment above my shop, I placed my loose papers on the writing desk and lit a number of candles. I placed two next to me on the desk and a few by my bedside, lighting the area well enough. I grabbed a fresh sheet of paper from my wooden chest and sat down. Without Shay arriving to tell me of his sights, I was at a loss.
I began sketching, almost mechanically. As the picture began to take form, sleep began to take me. Opting for a small break, I set my charcoal aside and rested my head on my arms. It was not long before I blacked out.
A gentle tap on my shoulder roused me quickly; almost falling out of my chair in shock, I rubbed sleep from my eyes. Peering up, I made out the distinctive red and black leather of a familiar Captain.
“Looks like you had a long night.” Shay teased, his accent was like sugar to my ears. Thankfully, his quick reflexes caught me and sat me back in the chair.
I yawned and stretched the stiffness from my joints, “Try long day. That’s more like it.”
Chuckling softly, he rubbed his forearm, “Sorry about that. Got a bit tied up and the sail back took a bit longer.”
I rose from the chair slowly, “Pirates?” I tilted my head, smiling slightly at the thought of etching a battle.
Shay scoffed and crushed my thoughts, “No, no. Plus pirates are easy to take down.” He motioned for me to follow him downstairs. “But I did see a group of the most peculiar animals.” He took a normal seat next to the register as I unlocked the door, open the curtains and flipped the small sign around.
“Please. If you make me draw another crab or lobster I will smack you.” Sighing, I recalled the last three times he saw a ‘peculiar’ animal.
Bellowing a hearty laugh, Shay waved a hand at me as I sat next to him with a fresh sheet of paper, “I promise this is an interesting one.” He began to describe the round creature, whose neck was nonexistent and body seamlessly connected to the blubbery head; the fat, flippered ball of blubber seemed to smile as the crew sailed by. The spots on their fur making them look similar to harmless house pets.
An hour or so passed, with few interruptions of customers and after a few alterations to match exactly what Shay saw, I realized what he had me drawing. “A harbor seal? You could have just told me you saw a seal!”
A bright smile crossed his face as a chuckle escaped him, “Well what I saw was a large rock full of about forty or so. There were even a few pups along with the mothers. I know you would have loved it.”
Placing my pencil down, I put the half finished seal sketch into the pile of sketches I kept under the counter. Noticing the large stack Shay spoke, “Aren’t you afraid of losing those? Or damage to them?”
“Everyday, I mean these are basically the logs of your travels. But a proper sketchbook is far beyond my budget. I can barely afford to get the canvasses for the art I sell.” Lowering my head, I tried to push away the ever present fact that my little art shop was the only thing I had, but even that could be snatched away at any moment.
The sun began its slow retreat behind the hills, my sign to close up shop. Shay quickly offered up the idea of us going out to a tavern tonight, thankfully he was kind enough to offer to pay as well.
Fortunately, for me, the night passed quickly. And the world was spinning after two or three hours. Able to hold his liquor much better than I, Shay led us back to my shop, basically carrying me up the stairs once there.
Barely remembering what had taken place, or how I even slept so soundly hanging halfway off my bed, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and walked downstairs. Shay was seated at the small table next to the kitchen, sipping what I assume was coffee.
“Finally awake I see,” He teased before taking another sip.
I sat across from him, and mocked a laugh, “Very funny. Sorry I’m not a sailor like you.” As he chuckled, I caught a slight sound of nervousness in his tone. “Are you alright this morning?”
Shay jumped slightly as though he was caught off guard by the question, “Yeah, perfectly fine.” He rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes looked as though they were about to glaze over. His skin looked a bit paler than normal, like the time Gist referred to me as Shay’s lover, only he was quick to cover the paled skin with a hard blush.
“I’ve just been thinking is all.” Standing swiftly, he placed his mug on the counter and walked to the stairs, “Well it’s getting late into the day best we open up shop.” Shay hurried away as though he avoided giving me a chance to ask on what he was thinking.
I lazily followed, catching him opening the large curtains, that shielded my windows from viewing at night, and flipping the sign. A small box on the counter caught my eye. ‘What is that?’ I thought as I panicked ever so slightly. Lifting the box, I inspected for any sign of it being from a Courier. Seeing nothing of the sorts, I hesitantly lifted off the top; it felt like a brick as I lay the top off to the side, standing speechless at the sight of what was in front of me. Laying comfortably in the box, the hardcover of the book stared at me. The lack of title and the rings along the spine gave all the signs of a very pricey sketchbook. I wrapped my fingers around it delicately, lifting it out of its box. My mouth opened to speak but I was at a loss of words.
Shay placed himself across the counter from myself, “I take it you like it?”
“I,” I forced a deep breath to help myself get some kind of composure back, “I love it Shay. How did you manage to get this? It’s so well made and the paper is some of the best I’ve ever felt.”
“I know people. Besides, a few extra coins are nothing when it comes to seeing you happy.” He blushed as his hand grabbed my own, forcing the book down and my eyes to his.
“Shay,” I was quickly cut off by his lips meeting mine. Despite being caught off guard, I quickly kissed him back.
The moment was short lived as he pulled back, “Sorry, got ahead of myself.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve wanted that for much longer than you can imagine.”