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Post by The Jenn on Jan 4, 2010 19:04:44 GMT -5
The Capital Museum of Fine Arts... Khushrenada hadn't walked these halls in years. Decades. Literally. And much had changed in that time. It made him rather glad that Mirriam had chosen this as one of her locations for the Scholarship badge. It was so easy to get the girl excited. The trick, he supposed, was getting her excited about the right things. Cultural education certainly counted as one of those. Especially when the collection on special display this season was a collection of Avington carvings. It couldn't have been more convenient for him to steer her in that direction. As they approached the beginning of the display, he fished around in his jacket and pulled out a handful of larger coins to put in the exhibit donation box. The museum's admission was free, but he had no problem supporting the arts if he felt that his money was going toward a good cause. Avington cultural displays were something this city could use a little more of. "Now Mirriam," he began in a quiet library volume while pointing off to the side, "can you tell what kind of wood that is just from looking at the way the swirls fall?" If she couldn't, the little sign below it would probably tell them as they moved closer.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 4, 2010 19:19:23 GMT -5
 From the moment that her guardian had told her about the Sprouts, Mirriam had been excited, and eagerly counted down the days until the program had officially started and the King had told her what sorts of 'merit badges' she could be earning. While she was somewhat dissapointed when informed the merit badges didn't have any powers and were just pieces of cloth to be pinned to a vest, she was back to being excited about it the next morning. A museum was something the little Bat had honestly never been to before, and the most she knew about them was that they were places where Cards went to see cool stuff. Of course she wanted to see cool stuff! And the fact that Khushrenada was coming with her was a plus, since he'd rarely had time lately to take her to the city, usually sending along some servant or another that were easy to slip away from or (worse yet) seemed to prefer some sort of long, boring adult conversation to answering her eager questions. She found plenty to distract her once in the museum, and it wasn't until the bird pointed it out that she even saw the Avington cultural display. " Oh, oh!" she said in her normal (not at all quiet) voice. " I know this, it was the same wood my bed used to be made of! Um, I think it's walnut?" She tilted her head, ear shifting automatically to keep the little metal flower she always wore from slipping off. Really, she was more interested in what the carving was actually supposed to be than what it was made out of, and she fluttered closer to look, landing with her leaf shaped nose just inches from the display case. |
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 4, 2010 19:27:37 GMT -5
Khushrenada tensed as she moved closer, ready to dart forward and grab her before she smacked into a centuries-old carving. Thankfully she stopped herself short of causing a scene and he slowly let out a breath of relief before walking over to join her.
Just to be sure, his eyes flicked down quickly to the display plate. "Yes, very good. Walnut is especially common in the northern areas of the realm, and so it was a popular carving choice. You can tell he was from the northern area because those types of birds he carved on the tree are found closer to Torquehelm than they are the Highlands."
He examined the carving himself for a moment, curious as to how they got the delicate forms to stay on the equally delicate-looking wooden branches. Possibly magic. Or maybe it was just glue. Some of the others looked much sturdier. "And how about this one over here? You can tell that the artist was more fanciful because I think this was their interpretation of a Rabbit. Notice the fangs and the fur standing on end. Classic for the period."
And entirely incorrect. He should know. Staring at the demonic expression made him distinctly uncomfortable and he shifted to look at a different piece instead.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 4, 2010 19:46:26 GMT -5
Mirriam grinned and let out a happy little squeak as she was praised by her guardian. Her ears were perked fully forward now in interest, and as much as part of her longed to reach out and touch the little wooden birds with a wingclaw, she refrained. That was something Khushrenada had definitely drilled into her before coming: don't touch anything. She thought she recognized some of the birds, but a small frown touched her muzzle as she found she couldn't recall their names. Had it really been that long since her...since she'd been taught their names and songs?
But at the word 'Rabbit' she turned, eyes flashing excitement. "Oh wow, that looks more like a Bandersnatch to me. Those things are fangy and mean unless they're the nice pet ones," the Bat said sagely, looking curiously at the carving. "Do you think this is really what Rabbits look like?" Being a child, she hadn't quite learned the difference between legends and 'reality' yet. The fact that she'd been asked what type of wood the Rabbit was made out of appeared to fly over her head. But as he moved to look at another one, she followed, a bit reluctantly, glancing back once at the 'Rabbit'. "So who made all these? Was it a Club?" She'd been learning about other Suit abilities lately and was fairly proud of her knowledge. Being raised with mostly Diamonds had given her only a basic understanding of other types of Cards.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 4, 2010 20:06:14 GMT -5
Khushrenada didn't notice her frown, busily not looking at the bizarre Rabbit carving. He glanced back at Mirriam when she started asking questions. "I don't suppose anyone could answer that question unless they actually saw a Rabbit. Most people say they don't exist and that they're legendary creatures. Even so, this artist felt them to be appropriate subject matter."
He peered at the name on the plate, unfamiliar with the tiny signature scrawl on the pieces themselves. "Shaelli, Nine of Clubs. Yes, it would seem that you're correct. I think I remember the name from my school days, but it's been forever... so I'm not entirely sure. From the smooth detail on all the wood, it seems likely that she created them with magic. You never know, though. There are some talented artists who work with nothing but their hands. A little ways down, I think I see a familiar piece or two. The larger ones. Their artist I recognize, and he was only a Two, believe it or not. He didn't have any power beyond the ability to charm potential patrons into purchasing his works. One of our own Suit."
Good, distracted from the subject of the Rabbits. And she seemed to be enjoying herself, which pleased him immensely. It was so hard to gauge what would entertain children sometimes, a fact that he had slowly become familiar with as time went on.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 4, 2010 21:58:51 GMT -5
"Legendary?" Mirriam thought about this for a moment. "So you mean...they only exist in stories? But then where did the stories come from if they're not really there? Maybe they're just hiding." Ah, the logic of children...so simple...and so often closer to truth than what many adults allowed themselves to think for the sake of their own sanity.
Luckily, she was easily distracted, and so forgot all about the Rabbits when she looked at the next carvings he was showing her. "Oooh. So is she still alive or did she live a long time ago, like Queen Cere--that Queen that Queen Theofilus took over from?" The history of the Diamond Court was something her tutor had been drilling into her, though some of the names still tripped her up a bit.
She listened, actually quite fascinated by the thought of someone making something like that without magic. That was really cool! She wondered if she could make something like this, then. "Oh wow! Really? Was he nice?" She quickly rushed over to see the new carvings, eyes sparkling as she took them in. "Did he teach you to make stuff too?"
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 5, 2010 19:27:37 GMT -5
It was rare that the snake hybrid had a day off without having to tend to the variety of duties that involved her two nephews. So she was going to savor this moment and have a nice quiet day at the museum. They even had a new exhibit related to Avington. She slithered quietly into one of the rooms, staring from the opposite side than most people. Viola never really understood why everyone started from one particular side and worked their way around. It seemed rather silly to always follow the same pattern. Each room was different and each piece of art was meant to be studied in a different way. Most people didn't seem to spend more than five seconds at a piece in her opinion. Why come to the museum if you were going to spend so little time looking at art? She didn't take notice to the other people in the room as she inspected the piece closest to her. Artists did have such wonderful romantic notions sometimes... |
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 7, 2010 0:54:41 GMT -5
"Maybe..." Khushrenada agreed vaguely, hoping that the child would drop the subject. Her attention span was short enough most days that it shouldn't take too long...
And there it was. Good. He stood a little ways behind her and watched her looking at the carvings. How many years would she retain this childlike wonder? It was hard to imagine her without it. Such a sprightly little fairy child. A truly light Avington spirit. He couldn't help but be fond.
"She lived a long time ago, longer than Queen Cerevanna. By about a century, possibly more. They've mixed current and classic artists in this exhibit, a very interesting choice, and it's not easy to tell which you're looking at unless you're familiar with the piece or the artist. And- oh?" He watched her rush over to the next piece he'd been glancing at, following after her.
"Did he... what? Oh, no, certainly not. I never actually met the man, just heard about him. It was a bit of a scandal at first, how much interest he was getting in his work for such a low rank, but Cerevanna took an honest interest after someone commissioned him to make a carving of her and he did a good job of it. Now, this piece..."
He would continue giving little commentaries as they passed by different pieces, regional art an old pastime of several years. He wouldn't know any of the extremely modern artists, but up to about forty years ago... he had a surprising amount of trivia stored away. Viola would no doubt start hearing his 'tour guide-like' descriptions as they moved closer.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 7, 2010 21:41:06 GMT -5
"Oh, that's cool! Is that one here too?" The Bat was a bit disappointed that Mr. Birdy Man had never met the artist who could make such pretty things out of wood with no magic, but she didn't have long to dwell on it, since he seemed to move between exhibits pretty quickly. With Mirriam's short attention span, this worked out just fine.
The little Bat constantly interrupted his explanations with questions, some actually rather intelligent and pointed, others just the random working of a child's mind. She tried to listen as best she could to all the facts, but it was inevitable that only the ones that she found most interesting would actually stick with her later. She did stare at each piece in fascination, though, guessing at the wood when she could, and sometimes remembering to ask when she couldn't.
She was amazed by how much Mr. Birdy Man knew about this. In her young mind, her guardian still knew everything, and this was just more firmly cementing that idea. Eagerly she pointed with a wing claw, possibly interrupting another explanation to exclaim, "And look at THIS one! This is of a deer, right? A real one, not a Card. Who made it? Was it a Club?"
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 8, 2010 23:10:23 GMT -5
Viola was trying very hard to concentrate on the work in front of her. However, it wasn't going all that well as she listened to the sudden commentary of the work that was behind her. Really, it was that type of person who didn't actually appreciate art, they just appreciated the prestige that went with being at a museum.
Then again who was she to talk? She didn't have an artistic bone in her body, and she could hardly understand the amount of work that went into art in general. So she supposed in reality she could hardly appreciate it for what it was beyond drop dead gorgeous.
She jumped with surprise when the little bat girl suddenly exclaimed her excitement over a deer statue. Of course her jump wasn't all that jumpy and no one would have noticed unless they were staring at her. But either way the girl was close enough that Viola felt like she could provide a proper answer without sounding like an idiot.
"It was made by a Spade from Avington who attended one the oldest Art Academy in Esterberry. She was one of the first female artist to attended the school."
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