Wait... Can I Draw You?

[Winnie Sullivan]

Winnie was skipping training again. She was a pacifist to the core, uninterested in combat or weaponry; instead of training, she usually ducked into the arts and crafts pavilion. Today, though, she didn't want to be inside. The sky was a beautiful shade of periwinkle, dusted with clouds like icing sugar on a big blueberry pie. The forest beckoned her; she sat just deep enough to be safely contained in the barrier, but far enough in to be out of the way. The sounds of swords clashing on the grounds was distant and muffled. Winnie pulled out a sketchbook and mindlessly followed the curve of a tree on the page in front of her. That was when she heard a rustling. She lifted her head, looking around for danger. Had she accidentally trekked past the magical barrier -- was she being ambushed by a monster? 

@ Miroslaw Mihailov

[Miroslaw Mihailov Rare]

When Miro woke up he had decided that he would not participate in training, he didn't want to, and when he saw the sky that day his decision became more convinced. It was too beautiful a color not to spend a whole day drawing it, taking it at different times, that sky brought joy, and Miro smiled, dressed quickly, always remaining fashionable and tidy, took his materials and his sketchbook and he didn't even have time to comb his hair when he was already out. He chuckled to himself, these days he didn't comb his hair yet his hair was perfect and without knots, tricks of the trade? He ventured into the forest, to a quiet and peaceful place that he usually used to relax by himself, the place where he had met Mila… he blushed. You could hear the swords clanking from there but that wouldn't have been a problem, his foot casually hit a bush which made the sounds of nature more magical, when he got there though, he found a girl who, from what you could see, he had had his own idea. He smiled and looked at the drawing beginning she was doing, she was talented. "Are you here too drawing such a beautiful day? Your drawing isn't bad" and he smiled sincerely at the girl who seemed to be the same age as his.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Miroslaw Mihailov

[Winnie Sullivan]

A boy stumbled out of the bushes before Winnie. She recognised him instantly as an Aphrodite camper -- they all had a certain way about them. Very chic, excellent posture, traditionally attractive. This boy ticked off all those criteria. "Oh! Yes, I couldn't let such a day be wasted on violence," she spoke in the dreamy, breathy tone she usually did. Grinning at his compliment, she angled her sketchbook towards him so he could get a better look. It was a rough sketch of the trees around her, pretty much just a mindless doodle. 

She shifted slightly and patted the grass next to her. "Join me!" she invited, smiling kindly. It seemed she'd accidentally hijacked this boy's drawing spot. "What's your name?"

[Miroslaw Mihailov Rare]

He smiled at the girl as he watched her, each demigod had particular features, perhaps small but which could make it clear that he was their divine parent and the girl's smile, so bright, her beautiful blond hair combined with a certain love and talent in art made him say Apollo. The girl was the daughter of Apollo, the sun always seemed to illuminate her face. He chuckled a little at his comment, the sounds of the swords could be heard clearly, muffled though, "You're right, I don't want to train today either, as soon as I saw the sky I realized the gods would punish me if I didn't start drawing ", ran his hand through his hair to push it back and then, following the girl's invitation, he sat down on the grass next to her and absently ran his hands over the blades of grass. He then took a look at the sketch of the girl and smiled softly.

He looked at her "Here I am!" she was happy that someone else had found this place, it was truly magical for him and she didn't mind sharing in moments like that. "I'm Miro, my pleasure! Well Miroslaw actually but Miro is shorter. And you?"

[Winnie Sullivan]

"Miroslaw," Winnie echoed curiously. "That's very pretty. Sounds like a Slavic name?" she offered, wondering where this strange boy might've come from. She'd never been outside of America before, but longed to see the world. She wondered if Miro had any cool stories. "I'm Winnie!" Technically she was Winnifred, but nobody ever called her that. She picked a daisy from the grass beside them and twirled it between her fingers. 

"You're a child of Aphrodite, right? What's that like?" she asked, curiously. She always asked a lot of questions; people were fascinating, especially new ones. She didn't usually talk to campers outside of her own cabin, so she always wanted to know their experiences. Preparing to listen to him talk, she closed her sketchbook and slotted her pencil behind her ear. The forest was still and beautiful, like it was waiting for something. A slight breeze rustled the trees above their heads. What a perfect place to make a friend, Winnie thought happily. 

[Miroslaw Mihailov Rare]

Miro smiled when the girl, who introduced herself as Winnie, asked him about his name, it wasn't that he didn't like revealing that he wasn't American, in fact it was quite obvious too, just... it was strange: sometimes he felt quite marginalized for this, he was happy to know that the girl didn't care, in fact, she seemed genuinely curious and interested. "Yes, you're right, I'm from Russia actually though... I haven't been back there for quite some time" and his heart dropped for a moment, some days, he missed home a lot. He touched the daisy on her fingers and came back quite happy, there was more to think about after all.... "That's a beautiful name, Winnie," and he looked at her, getting the idea of her, she looked just like a good person. "You guessed it! Again! In fact my mother is Aphrodite, well I have some really cool siblings! I love them and I love them so much, they welcomed me when I was just starting out, and then... I look good , even if I don't exploit it or believe in it as much as Levi." and he chuckled a little, thinking of his brother who he admired

"But I'm also very happy because I can do things like this" and suddenly he transformed into an exact copy of Winnie and smiled ... what could he do about it? He loved doing this trick. When the breeze picked up and she put the sketch book on the ground he felt entranced by the beautiful atmosphere, and decided to ask her his question: "You're Apollo's girl, aren't you? You have very beautiful features that are easily illuminated by the sun , you would be very beautiful as a model indeed" and he smiled at her.

[Winnie Sullivan]

Enjoying the way the boy's eyes lit up as he spoke, Winnie stayed quite silent as she listened. He seemed very passionate about a variety of things: his home country, his siblings... there were few qualities Winnie admired more than passion and kindness. Miro seemed to have both in excess! When he suddenly turned into a copy of her, her gasp evolved quickly into an airy giggle; "Oh my goodness, how did you do that?" she exclaimed gleefully, peering at him from different angles. It was an incredible power; he had replicated her so perfectly. It was definitely strange to look yourself in the eyes like that! 

"Yes, I'm Apollo's girl," she replied, once she'd taken in his trick enough to find her words. "That's probably why I love it out here so much," she gestured to the surroundings by sweeping her arms wide. "Everything is so beautiful in the sun." She grinned at the compliment, unable to hide her joy at being complimented. "Coming from an Aphrodite child, that means a lot," she said, tucking a flower behind her ear. "You would be a beautiful model too, though I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that!" she laughed. Suddenly, an idea came to her. "Wait... Can I draw you? It would be an honour to try and capture you in this moment," she said excitedly, picking up her sketchbook from beside her and flipping to a new page.