[Nikau Harrison]

Nikau frowned as he was offered the paintbrush, but accepted it nonetheless. 'Are you sure?'

Sticking his tongue out, he crouched down to be at canvas height, and looked into the distance for some inspiration. Hesitating at first, he started to paint gentle, small brush strokes, trying to reproduce a pine tree in the distance. He looked at the real thing, and then back at his work. It looked nothing like the tree, as far as he was concerned.

'I'm sorry, it's rubbish,' he said.

[Marley Dalton]

She shook her head vehemently and waved off his unfair assessment. She put her finger on her lips and studied the painting. She tilted her head and pursed her lips.

"Not rubbish no," the tip of her finger tapped against her lips. "Why are you brooding?" She asked him as if the painting had revealed his state of mind.

[Nikau Harrison]

The woman was a lot more indulgent towards his dubious skill than he was. But she seemed to sense something else in his three brush strokes, and he had to pause, vaguely confused.

'Brooding? Not especially, I don't think. Perhaps I'm just the brooding type?' Sounded like him.

[Marley Dalton]

Marley chuckled. "Is that your type or is that where you feel comfortable?"

She took another paintbrush and started mixing a bit of yellow with her gray.

[Nikau Harrison]

Nikau shrugged. It was way too early in the morning to have his inner workings questioned, but he didn't have enough coffee in him to think of anything else.

'I don't know,' he said. 'It's probably more comfortable to keep things inside than to be vulnerable with someone.' Merlin knew how much he kept inside. He envied people who were able to confront their feelings and their problems head on. He just burried them inside and tried to forget about them by throwing himself in his work. 'Do I strike you as the brooding type?'

[Marley Dalton]

Rather than look at the man, she stared at his art. She truly felt as though she could see the essence of people through their art. Her finger hovered over the strokes he had painted. "Are you brooding or are you hiding?" She pondered as she studied the painting. "Does it matter?" She mused.

She finally turned towards him. "If you wish to be seen, you must show yourself," she concluded cryptically.

[Nikau Harrison]

'Erm,' Nikau replied, uncertain. For some random painter he'd just met out in a field at a much too early hour, she certainly seemed to be analyzing him in ways he wasn't entirely certain he was comfortable with. Mainly because she did seem to be so spot on, if he admitted it to himself.

'I don't know.' He took a sip of his coffee, eyeing her curiously. Who was she? 'Do I want to be seen?' Surely it was too early for all these musings. And surely he didn't have all those answers to give her. Why would he want to be seen? What did he have to offer, outside of being a father, and an Auror?

[Marley Dalton]

"Everyone wants to be seen," she murmured assuredly as she mulled over her painting. She thought of Margot and their complex dynamic. She thought of the other woman who prevented them to truly be together. Marley was convinced that if Margot could truly see her, she would be able to commit to what they were destined to become.

[Nikau Harrison]

Did they? Did everyone want to be seen, Nikau wondered. And did he? He wasn't sure he wanted that. Because of the aforementioned vulnerability, sure, but because being seen meant things changing. And he'd had quite enough of things changing, what with the whole debacle with Rian...

'I don't know. Maybe that makes sense if you have someone that should see you. I don't. Do you?' It was his turn to peer at her. It was none of his business, but then again, her questions hadn't been any of hers.

[Marley Dalton]

"I found the one," she answered assuredly. Slowly her hand dropped to her side, leaving the paintbrush further and further from her painting. After a moment of silence, she added. "But she is not ready to commit."

[Nikau Harrison]

Nikau nodded, listening politely. How had they reached this level of intimate conversation with one another? They were strangers, after all. Maybe talking to strangers was easier than talking to people you were close to. Disappointing strangers didn't matter. If you told them something that upset them, you never had to see them again.

His eyes widened when she said her chosen one was a woman. That, he hadn't been expecting. It didn't seem like he knew anyone who shared his experiences. Or, well, not really. She was far along enough to have found herself someone. He wasn't.

'Oh, it's a she?' Nikau almost sputtered. Was it reassuring, to hear someone else talk openly about her life? He shouldn't get worked up. It had only been a sentence.

[Marley Dalton]

Feeling as though he was offering her an opportunity to speak about her soulmate, Marley smiled. "And she has the most beautiful soul." Marley turned towards Nikau. "She is reserved and guarded and yet such a force to reckon with." Her smile lost a bit of joy. "Her eyes are a blue I have never been able to recreate."

[Nikau Harrison]

The woman didn't make a case of his surprise, and just as well. He didn't want her to think he was judging her. Quite to the contrary, in fact. He admired her openness, especially now that she seemed to be talking about the other woman in earnest. He could only hope to become this comfortable with himself. Meeting someone wasn't even something he really dared to imagine. Not after how disastrous all his dates had been. And certainly not after everything had turned out with Rian.

'She sounds wonderful,' he said, forgetting that the woman had stated they were no longer together. Her comment about the other woman's eyes made him smile. 'Maybe that's because you're only meant to see that blue when you see her?'