All you could hear in the room was the gentle whirr of the potters wheel, each student diligently working on their projects. Clay littered the floor, the layers of old and new clearly visible, chalky puffs of dust appearing when a new spatter hit the floor. No one minded, it was an art room after all. Everyone in the room was similarly covered in the grey material, the more dedicated artists even had it in their hair.
Set was focusing intently on his little pot, trying to be as gentle as he could. He'd gone through more than a few clumps of clay, each of them having torn or ruptured from being pulled too thin or drying out too quickly, with the occasional one being pancaked by his fist when he got too frustrated. Pottery was clearly not Set's forte.
Students slowly began filtering out as the afternoon progressed, needing to get to other classes or grab something to eat. Set didn't have any other classes for the day, and he was dead set on finishing at least ONE damn piece of pottery. Mana sat beside him, contentedly humming as she spun away, kicking the base wheel as fast as she could and watching the water fly off the edges. She giggled as Set sighed, some of the water droplets having landed on his arm and face. "Sorry!" Mana smiled softly, removing her foot and just letting the wheel rotate until it stilled. "Maybe you need to take a break, Set. Get something to eat and just walk around for a bit?" Careful not to bump into him, she got up from her seat and moved to the opposite side of him, watching as he cupped the clay between his hands, the ball slowly growing upward, only to go crooked when he tried to make it wider.
"Damn it.." Set sighed, releasing the collapsed vase and slumping back into his chair. "I never thought this would be so difficult. Everyone makes it look simple..." He reached up to run his hand through his hair, stopping short when he remembered his hands were covered in gunk. "And I haven't finished a single thing for this class. Not anything worth keeping, anyway. I don't know how I'll pass." Set frowned at the small collection of failed objects on his shelf, lumpy little bowls and crooked cups that he at least glazed well. He could paint and draw just fine, but apparently three-dimensional art was a whole new game.
"I think they're fine!" Mana frowned, puffing her cheeks out. "You worked hard on them, right? That's all that matters. Not if they're perfect or not!" Turning on her heel, she returned to her wheel, and carefully removed her neat little vase from the surface, placing it among the other things needing to be placed into the kiln. "Teacher knows that too, so I'm sure he'll pass you Set. I don't know why you're worried!"
"They're awful though..." Set spun slowly in his chair, watching Mana gently clear a space to set her vase. She was talented with the three-dimensional art, maybe because she didn't focus on what it was supposed to be, she was more free with her thinking than Set was. He envied her for it. She still had the ability to think like a child, far more imaginative and creative than Set, who thought more like a rigid old man, or so he thought. "Please tell me you don't intend on using them at home. I will throw them away if you take them." He chided, knowing she had expressed wanting to take all of their usable creations home with them.
"Of course I do! I like them!" Mana had her hands on her hips, her face still twisted up in a pouty frown. "I'm gonna use them alllll the time! Just to make you mad!" She laughed, playfully poking Set's nose, getting clay on it. As he blinked and crossed his eyes to acknowledge the smudge, she got a brilliant idea. When Set caught the gleam in her eyes, he immediately tensed, and raised his hand to block her, but he was much too slow. Mana had tossed a chunk of rather wet clay at Set's face, plastering his cheek.
"Mana! Why-" He was silenced by another splat of clay, streaking the bridge of his nose and onto the opposite side of his face before smashing into the floor. He was replied to only with a giggle, and another swat of clay covered his arm. "Can you not do that?"
"Mm...no?" The smile on Mana's face was full of mischief, and she took a step towards Set, placing her fingers on his face, dragging clay along his cheekbones and forehead in patterns and swirls. "There! You look marvelous!" She burst out laughing, placing a kiss on the top of his head, the only place free from clay - she knew better than to get it in his hair.
Set just kept his eyes closed, shaking his head slowly as he let a small smile cross his face. "You're ridiculous, Mana." He peered up at her with one eye, the cerulean color almost glowing in contrast with the orangey undertones from the clay. Quickly, he reached up and planted a small handful of clay on her cheek, making sure to swirl it around onto her nose. "But you're right, I should just take a break, come back to this later, yeah?" He laughed, clapping his hands together to remove the bigger pieces of dried clay. "We could go get dinner at the cafe on the way home if you want. I think I need some tea..." Tossing the lump of clay into the sludge bucket next to him, he began mopping up the mess on the wheel's surface.
Mana bobbed her head in agreement, reaching over to help him clean off his wheel. "That sounds good! Although we might want to go home first? We're awful messy..." Another giggle left her, making eye contact with Set, who sighed.
"Well who's fault is that, I wonder?"
"I said sorry!!" She smiled, as Set got up to rinse the sponge and get as much junk off of him as he possibly could. She stood beside him, washing her own hands off. "I just wanted to help you relax a little!" Grinning, she flicked her fingers at him, spraying him with water.
"Well...I wouldn't say I'm relaxed, exactly, but thank you." Set took a paper towel and tried to remove the clay from his face, but when it just became more slick and slimy he gave up. "And I guess we'll head home first, yeah. Shower and then cafe, sound alright?"
"Yes yes!! Very alright!" Mana cheered as she switched the light off, and the pair closed up the room, leaving it more clean than themselves.
