they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
The first to approach him was a young man who asked him quietly if this was the 'mural painting thing'. Bastien laughed, looking to the wall next to him then the paint besides him. "Yes, it is indeed. If you would like to help, you are welcome. Could I have the honour of knowing my collaborators name..?" He did not need to ask the name of his next attendant; Bastien wrapped an arm around Rexanna's waist and gave her a quick squeeze. "It would be awfully lacking without your touch, cara." She looked towards someone, a boy she had brought with her; the poor lad seemed absolutely terrified. Bastien had never been prone to shyness and struggled to understand it, but he was by nature kind, so he waved and smiled.
"Hello. It is good to see young people have interest in our guild - they are the lifeblood of art, after all. And what will you be signing your name as?" Bastien had known the youth of Venice well, had known what they liked and what was in their minds to paint; in Caido they were a mystery. It was an unexpected element, the best kind of thing for electric art, and he was thrilled to see it.
Amun arrived next - Bastien smiled warmly but watched carefully as he went to speak to Rexanna, noticing something off in the man's body language. He did not catch all of the words, but he heard 'woods' and 'fighting' and grasped it was probably something to do with the attack on the Mathair that Rexanna had told him about; for the moment he left it alone but he thought to ask her about it later.
Ezra's arms around him and a purring whisper by his ear demanded more immediate attention, anyway. Bastien laughed and looked at him sideways, tilted his head from side to side. "You will be top of the list, my friend, if we ever search for..ah, playthings." For the foreseeable future though, he was more than content with Rexanna - how could he not be? With the Deepfrost moonlight and the orange flames casting their light on her face, she practically glowed.
Why even bother making art, when the most beautiful thing in the world was before him?
But he had brought them here to create, so he would. Looking to each in turn, he smiled and clapped his hands together. "Thank you for coming, friends. I do not think I will be telling you anything new with the fact that the last months have been difficult, as times always seem to be here. And with Longnight coming...they shall continue to be." Bastien had always been good at dramatics, his voice solemn and his eyes dark as he spoke to them as if delivering a sermon.
"There are a few forms of relief you can find in these kinds of times--" He lifted his glass and drained it, put it down with a wink and a smile. "--but the most successful and least harmful is art. So I propose we place some of that wonderful remedy here, for our own hearts and for the eyes of the people in the market."
He gestured out before him, where five different paint buckets were available. "Each of you should be able to develop in your own space. Choose for yourself a colour and think of a theme, something to inspire and move us all in this time of desperation. Though do not worry if inspiration is lacking - even the most simple, intuitive of pieces can lift spirits."
For himself, he took a can of red paint from the drinks table (he was the leader, he got to have first colour pick) and marked out a red square, roughly 3 by 3 feet. "This is the sort of space you should mark out for yourself. Well, let us begin! I can hardly wait. I think I shall paint the newfound joy I have found in the ideas of commitment. A return to traditionalism, of sorts. In fact, it reminds me of..."
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Bastien is going to be rambling on forever, so choose a colour and a theme for your section of the mural!
Your options are: Purple, Blue, Green, Silver or Yellow
No post order
BASTIEN
