Post by Beets The Beetle (Feenix) on Dec 14, 2023 17:22:48 GMT
“Annnnd, done! Here we are then, what do you all think?” The paint splattered pigtailed halfing sets down her paint brush before carefully lifting the still damp painting from her easel and twirls it in her fingerless gloved hands towards the festive adorned group assembled before her. Their fixed smiles and the light dustings of snow gathered upon them over the last hour giving them all the appearance of magically-illusioned ice sculptures between the odd shiver or sneeze.
“Oh it looks wonderful Adélaïde!” Diana the half elf exclaims moving forward to examine the wintery masterpiece. “I bet our customers are going to love it.”
“W-who’s idea w-was this a-a-again?” Stutters the slight figure of Jeremy as he tries to rub some warmth into his exposed biceps.
“Well we all thought it would be a nice idea to commemorate our second Winter together,” says the scarlet pinstriped figure of Gary, slowly peeling one set of fingers of away from a extravagantly sized candy cane held in his grip before reaching down to pull up his crutch from the snow covered cobblestones. “And you could have worn something warmer, you were in charge of the costumes after all”
“I-I j-ju-just didn’t r-r-realise it-it’d be soooo c-c-c-cold!” Jeremy moaned as he tries to stamp some warmth back into his studded booted feet. “Axel’s lucky, he’s got a full fur coat!”
The hulking dark figure of the tabaxi behind them does not respond at first, retaining silent statuesque portrait vigil before, with the smallest blink and sudden clink of the glass bottles in their grip he rests a great furred pawed on Jeremy’s shivering shoulders. “My toes are little cold.” He purrs quietly.
Beets smiles as she moves forward between her friends to look over the portrait, the far too large double-horned Goliath helmet digging into her shoulder blades chafing slightly but the chill cold of the day kept at bay by the carved wooden Ring of Warming on her finger. A family portrait. Never had she had one before apart from her own childish charcoaled attempts she had presented on scraps of parchment to Pa or Gramps on their birthdays. Nor had Gramps or Pa have any artistic flair to of captured them all. No, all she had was the memories to go by. But to see her and the Rooftop Beetles together, her new family. It gave special her a warm feeling inside. One perhaps even more ‘magical’ than the one from her arcane ring.
“Do you like it Beets?” Asked Adélaïde as she adjusted her spectacles with a smile, Diana now moving off to help Gary relieve his other hand of his festive striped treat whilst Axel albeit reluctantly allowed Jeremy to cling onto him in a warmth sapping bugbear-hug.
“Y-yeah, it’s perfect.” Beets smiles.
“Alright you lot, Paradise Frost hot-chocolates and iced biscuits on me!” She announces, spreading hey snow frosted wings. “You too Adéalaiaai-Adélayee…Art girl!-no one gets left out!”
In the days that precedes every regular customer of The Rooftop Beetles receives a hand ‘embellished’ card through their door-or window.
