Sleeping Model

Writers: AL, Vix
Date Posted: 30th October 2008

Characters: Tanas, Marida
Description: Marida sketches Tanas while he's sleeping and then he awakens, not too happy about it.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 12, day 15 of Turn 4

He looked so peaceful when he slept, the weight of his responsibilities
slipping away during the night. For a while, Marida watched him. She
hadn't dared to try and draw him like this before for fear he would discover
her. With his permission to continue to draw, however, she entertained the
idea more and more. Mornings came early for her and already the food was
cooking. She had some time. So why not?

Marida quietly opened her trunk and took out her sketchbook and charcoal.
Carefully, silently she closed it and slipped back onto the bed, positioning
herself at the foot and getting what she thought would be a good angle.
Then she began to draw, hand skipping over the parchment, lines light, then
darkening as shape began to take form. Face, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, the
covers, pillow, the bed itself, gradually appearing on the page.

Tanas was deep in a dream, a dream where he was walking on the path toward
the weaver shop. . . no, toward home. In his dream he could smell hot klah
brewing, bread baking, and could feel the sun on his face, warm and light.
But there was something else, something intruding into the pleasantness of
the moment, the feeling that he was being watched, the feeling of eyes
staring at him.

"Whuh. . .?" His body jerked as his eyes opened, unfocused, but seeing
someone else in the room.

He moved, but Marida had gotten enough that she could add more detail later.
She added a bit of shading as he awoke, greeting him with a soft, "Good
morning." as she finished off what she would do for right then. Perhaps
she would do more later - after chores were done, of course. When the last
stroke made its way over the parchment, she turned her small, shy smile to
her husband. "Did you sleep well?"

His eyes had focused on the sketchpad in her hand, though from this distance
he could see only the vaguest of outlines. He glanced to her with a puzzled
look. "What are you doing?"

"Sketching you." Embarrassment suddenly coloured her face and she lowered
her gaze. "I just...thought you looked..." After a moment of fidgeting,
she swung her legs back off of the bed. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

He remembered the pictures of him that he had seen in his initial look at
her sketchbook and pulled the blankets closer. "You shouldn't do that. It's
not proper for you to be drawing a man – especially an unclothed one."

"Oh...it's...I'd...I mean...you're..." The words wouldn't come and Marida
clung to her sketchbook and nodded. "All right. It's just...you looked
so..." She paused again realising that what she had to say would probably
just make things worse. "I'll...I'll go prepare your plate." She stated
finally and turned to make a hasty retreat from the room.

He waited for her to leave the room and then quickly slipped from the bed,
grabbing his clothing and pulling on shirt and pants. He picked up his boots
and carried them with him to the kitchen. He had to admit to himself that he
was curious about her drawing and wanted to see what she had sketched this
morning, but really. . . He needed to stick with his ruling about her
drawing him, especially when he did not know that she was doing so.

Marida set his plate before him just as he sat at the table. Her fingers
lightly touched his shoulder and lingered for a brief moment before dancing
away and she went around to the other side of the table with her own plate.
She hadn't thought it would be bad to draw him. He hadn't been clothed,
but he hadn't been completely exposed either. Only his shoulders had been
showing. But Marida wasn't about to argue the point. She didn't want to
make him mad and have him change his mind about what she was doing. The
young woman settled herself at the table and slowly began to eat, uncertain
what to say after his reprimand.

He started into his breakfast, eating quickly, as usual. His mind was still
on her drawing, but moved from there to other aspects of her life. "The
stuff you need – the paper and whatever else – where do you get it?"

"Oh...they were last things my mother gave me before I left home." A sort
of wedding present in itself, though it was only for her. Marida ate much
more slowly and she paused to get Tanas a second helping. "I...haven't
needed anything else since." In truth, she hadn't been drawing that much
since her marriage though she planned to do so more now that she didn't have
to keep the secret from her husband.

He nodded as he chewed, still not looking at her, and finally swallowed. "If
you need any more, go ahead and buy supplies." Now he glanced up at her.
"But don't be extravagant."

Marida's face lit up with a smile. "No, of course not. I won't."
Permission to buy supplies! Of course, she didn't need anything at the
moment, but it was nice to know that she could replenish her stock if need
be - within reason, of course. "Thank you Tanas. I...you're very good to me."

It felt good to him to have her so grateful, but still. . . "Be careful what
you draw," he admonished her gruffly, slurping the last of his klah and
rising to his feet. "I need to go now."

Marida nodded and stood, then hurried back into the other area to retrieve a
wrapped package. She held it out to her husband, "Your lunch."

His hand brushed hers as he took it causing him to pause. His father had
always kissed his mother before leaving . . . no, he was not quite ready for
that. "I'll see you later."

Last updated on the November 1st 2008

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Sleeping Model