#earthrunes

Once Natira is tucked away, in the bedroom , Earl says "Should my gift wait for tomorrow?"

"Mmm... no."

"I see... okay. this gift isn't my usual baliwick... you understand I don't pretend to be.. oh heck with it" he reaches under the bed and pulls out the package wrapped in painted vellum with a black bow

"Don't pretend to be what?"

Zara is actually a very careful unwrapper - finding the tape rather than tearing paper.

"Well, I don't pretend to be the best artist at all things. " He says. Slowly it reveals a book, very well bound. There's a smell of paint oils from it, "And when you take real life photos and mix in what you know... that photos can't capture... it gets complicated"

A puzzled look, and she opens the covers.

Paintings, of course, it's an artbook. Well this should be nice.. only.. it's not his usual work of macabre, or horrific. She's seen these images before. Two young men sharing a pint. A young bride... only...

Earl has taken her family's old photos, some old enough to originally have been black and white, and using them as inspiration so he might repaint those same scenes, those same memories, in glorious colors and showing fae meins and voile! Oh some of the memories are newer, but still, the large 12 inch tall pages show portraits and scenes from not just her childhood but long before.

"Oh..."

"Hannah and Aarron let me take a look at the family photo albulm which helped" He explains "I tried to get everything right , or at least the feel of it right..."

Relations she never met. A painting of Ellis Island.

Near the end of the book, 'newer' memories... a very young Bronte greedily hugged around a tome.

A raspy rattle at that one!

Coradel laughing with a hand on the shoulder of a sighing Zara

A studious looking August, bent over his scribing work unaware his spit curl hangs like a banner

Zara in a wing back, in the center of a crowd of fellows....

Miriam, charging to the rescue on a giant sock Chimera

So many memories... so many historical moments... if not with her in them, tied to family and friends.

"I thought, this might help. When you couldn't be with family or friends, when you missed someone, it might.. I don't know, cheer you, if in a bitter sweet way, and make them seem not so far away?"

"It's wonderful."

"Thank you. And if you really want any of those.. enlarged so to speak, I think I could manage"

"Nay, they are perfect." A kiss on his cheek.

He lights up at the kiss, "Thank you. " A look "Are you okay? The idea someone might be copying your work..well"

"I must needs... there was one commenter... she was German.."

"Or at Least German American.. " A pause "Shoot. If she IS german do we need to go to Germany to settle this?"

"Oh noooooo..."

A brow at her "Are you mocking my Germanaphobia?" but a twitch of his lip

She sticks her tongue out at him.

"You're hoping she's in Germany" he accuses playfully "It will be 'Ooo an adventure' and the next thing you know you're slipping into the 'employee only ' section of one Ludwig the Mad's castles"

"Well, aye."

'Here I thought you would be upset at the idea someone is ripping your work off and instead you're cool with it as long as get to travel?" He says honestly surprised "I guess it's the artist in me, I get pissed when I see my work unacredited used on some website"

"No, I dislike it. It feels... " She frowns. "I dislike it."

"Intrusive?" he guesses

"Aye."

"And rude."

A nod "and rude" No argument "You shadow clearly wanted the world to see your talent. ... but I'm sure she never wanted someone to steal the fruits of your labor"

"Nay. And Natalie said that the plagarist had sent hers in first - so before my Shadow got loose."

"Pray... she did NOT show you the manuscript, aye?"

"Natira didn't" He nods

"Nay - my Shadow."

"Oh, her" earl says "Much as I wish she had, no. " A pause "There was a poem"

"A poem?"

"A rather ah, risque one, by sluagh standards" A light blush

Eyebrow.

"Fine, don't believe me" He shrugs causually

"And you show it not? Did it list the things I would wish to do to thee?" Coy.

"It went as far as to border making a few promises" a wolfish flicker of a smile

"Mmm..."

He snaps out of whatever daydream was going on as he looked her over and blushes.