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Chapter 23: Past and present
Rose led Mariah to the center of the revel hall. Sunlight streamed through the windows, making Mariah squint a little. Easels were spaced in front of the walls, and a few scaffoldings were scattered around. Here and there was a random piece of furniture – a somewhat bedraggled sofa, a red armchair, an empty bathtub, contextless.
The walls had a line of molding about five feet up. Below they were freshly painted a slightly gray off-white. Above, Animal had begun sections of his mural.
Rose turned Mariah so that she was facing a wide panel opposite the main door. On top of a cool green background a picture was taking shape: an unkempt bed in which a figure lay, perhaps a woman, perhaps holding an infant. A group of people surrounded the bed. The picture was to such a scale that the large window in the wall seemed the size of a normal bedroom window.
Mariah's eye was drawn to the panel to the right, this picture complete, or nearly so. In it an older slave woman sat in a rocking chair, holding a little human boy, crooning to him. A human man looked on, while a human woman's back was turned, her face not visible. Mariah could see the tenderness in the slave's face, the placidity in the child's, the satisfaction in the man's.
"Master Animal won't let anyone else work on the first two panels," Rose told Mariah. "But the apprentices are allowed to help with the next one."
The third panel showed a party in a courtyard, humans dancing and slaves serving. The focal point was a little girl, watching the festivities, wide-eyed as she held the hand of a slave dick.
"Each apprentice gets to paint one person," Rose told Mariah. "Master Animal says that creates variety." She paused, twirling a strand of her hair, and added, quietly, "But he hovers over them so much it's really all his work."
"Where are the apprentices, then?" asked Mariah, looking around. Most of the crowd that had surrounded Animal when Mariah and Rose came into the room had left. Animal was on the far side of the room, chatting with the couple that remained while he loaded material onto a scaffolding.
Rose shrugged. "They come and go. But mostly they go. I think Master Animal gave them the third panel to entice them to stay, but . . ." She sighed pensively. "Master Gabriel has the same problem. People who say they want to learn healing from him, but wander off after a few days." She looked over at her master. "I wish . . ." she said, but she didn't continue.
Master Animal had caught her eye. Rose immediately started over to him, bringing Mariah with her. As they approached, the man Animal had been talking to shook his hand, and the woman gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. They both turned to go. Animal continued organizing the scaffolding. "Clarice and her cunt were supposed to be here half an hour ago to model for me," he said. He frowned at Rose.
"Would you me to take a note to them, Master?" Rose asked.
"You know it would do no good," Animal growled.
The door opened with a squeak and Animal looked over hopefully. When he saw it was Gabriel he frowned and sighed, but Gabriel was holding the door for someone behind him. A thin woman with strawberry blonde hair tumbling over a sleeveless green dress walked in, followed by three slave dicks. One of them was carrying a package.
Animal started, and stared, and started again, and then a huge grin broke onto his face and he hurried toward her. "Amalie!" he boomed. "The wanderer returns!" He hugged her, then pulled back to arm's length to look her over. "When did you get back?"
Mariah looked at Rose, who shrugged and shook her head.
"Three days ago," Amalie said. She snapped her fingers and the slaves who had followed her fell to their knees, but looked at her adoringly. "Aren't they sweet?" She patted one on the head. "I put in an order for them before I left, and they were just finishing their training when I got back. Best thing I ever did. This is the first time I've left my quarters. I came straight to you." She smiled prettily.
Animal turned to Gabriel, who was standing between Rose and Mariah, and gestured him to come forward. "I want you to meet my friend," he said to Amalie. "This is Gabriel, a healer, from Harmony."
"So you're the one I've been hearing about," Amalie said, still smiling. "The paragon."
Before Gabriel could reply she glanced at Mariah and Rose. "And that one must be the runaway," she said, gesturing at Mariah. "She's got trouble written all over her face." Mariah stiffened but stared at Amalie's feet. Animal started to say something but Amalie interrupted him. "Where's your current cunt? You never travel alone."
Animal gestured to Rose, who fell to her knees. "This scrawny thing?" Amalie asked. "She's hardly your type." Rose and Mariah risked a glance at each other and then quickly looked away.
Animal shrugged. "She's good at mixing paint," he said mildly.
"You let her mix . . . ?" Amalie trailed off as she turned back to Rose. "Standard position," she ordered. Animal didn't interfere as Rose scrambled to her feet and placed her hands behind her head, elbows pointing out, eyes down, face red.
"I see your master is still a pansy," Amalie said. "Do you like mixing his paints?"
Animal started to say something, but stopped himself.
"Yes, Mistress," Rose said, her eyes flitting to Animal as she answered.
But Amalie wasn't listening. She reached out and touched Animal's arm. "I was sorry to hear about your mother. I would have come to her burial if I had been here."
Animal shrugged and pulled away. "You know she was no loss to me," he growled. He snapped his fingers at Rose and she lowered her arms.
In the awkward silence Gabriel asked, "Have you been traveling, Amalie?" he asked.
Amalie was still holding onto Animal's arm. "Oh, yes," she said. "I've been to the ocean. Have you ever been?"
Gabriel shook his head. "Harmony is in the opposite direction," he said. "We only have songs about it."
Amalie turned back to Animal. "You must go some day. The sun reflecting a million colors off the waves; the way the quality of the light changes throughout the day; the endless horizon . . ." She trailed off.
"Did you bring me a picture of it?" Animal asked eagerly.
"Don't be ridiculous. I could never do it justice," Amalie said.
"You've talent enough, if you'd apply yourself," Animal said, frowning.
"And you know I never will," Amalie responded lightly. Before Animal could say anything she added, "But I did bring you a present." She gestured to the slave with the package, who carried it to her. She handed it to Animal. Carefully he opened the box, and brought out two wine glasses. They were identical, each with a swirl of maroon pigment traveling from the base, up the stem and around the bowl.
Animal handed the box to Rose and held one of the glasses up to the light, turning it. "It's beautiful," he said. "Flawless."
"And practical," Amalie said. She laughed again, and Animal joined in, as if she had brought up an old joke between them. She continued, "The sea sand is amazing. I brought some back with me, along with enough water glasses and windows to satisfy the Bearer. But I'm not sure if the forge here can do it justice." She sighed almost despondently, but then brightened. "Now, show me your mural. I want to see everything."
Animal led Amalie to the first panel. She nodded. "Your perspective has improved," she said. "Solis would be proud of you." She walked slowly over to the next panel, the one with the picture of the slave holding the toddler.
Amalie stared at the panel. "You didn't," she half-choked.
Animal shrugged, but said nothing. When he wouldn't meet her eye, she shook him. "How could you?"
"It's my painting," Animal said. "The Bearer gave me full rights to paint what I want."
"But . . ." Amalie sputtered. "With your mother barely in the grave . . . "
Animal took a step back. "Leave my mother out of it. She has nothing to do with this."
"Clearly," Amalie said dryly,
Animal shrugged again and looked fixedly ahead.
Amalie studied the panel. "That's you as a baby; I didn't know you then but you've painted your own face clear enough." As one, Gabriel, Mariah, and Rose looked at the painted toddler's face. They had only known Animal with his long, unkempt beard which covered so much of his features; but they could see now that the color of the eyes, the shape of the nose, were his.
Amalie continued, "And your father, of course. He was a sweet man." She stopped, almost wistful, remembering.
Animal crossed his arms in front of him, while Amalie continued.
"But you're not being held by your father or your mother. That's your father's slave. What was her name?"
"Edelia," Animal said sullenly.
"That's right," Amalie continued. "She was older when I knew her, of course." She looked at the painting closely. Then she glanced at Rose. "Did you have your cunt model for her?"
"No," said Animal. "I painted from memory."
Amalie looked back and forth between the painting and Rose. "Either there's a resemblance, or you've made one," she said. Rose blushed, but stared at the slave woman in the picture.
Amalie went on, "But that's not your mother. . ."
"Of course not," Animal snapped. "I have no intention of immortalizing her. I used a model."
Animal and Amalie glared at each other for a moment, and then Amalie burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've been away too long, and too far from comfort. Of course you painted the scene this way; you could do no other." Animal relaxed, and Amalie turned slowly around, examining the room.
"It's the project of a lifetime," she said at length. "I see that. But your paints will fade. What are you thinking letting the sunlight stream in like this?"
"I need light to paint," Animal said. "At the end I'll deal with the windows."
Amalie furrowed her brow in concentration. She walked to one of the windows and tapped on it. "Glazed glass is what you need," she said. "It's whitish instead of clear. Let's in a certain amount of light, but it's muted. I'll make the windows for you, of course." Before Animal could respond she glanced out the window again, and started. "Look at the time," she said. "I promised Aunt Matilda I'd meet her for tea." She glanced fondly at Animal, and then turned to Gabriel. "Would you like to come by my quarters tonight?"
Gabriel blinked, confused. "Why?" he asked. "Are you ill?" Animal snorted.
Amalie reached out to touch Gabriel's arm as she had touched Animal's before. "For comfort," she smiled. She gestured to the three slaves, who looked at her with puppy love. "For variety."
Gabriel blinked three times rapidly, and removed Amalie's hand from his arm. "Erm," he said. "No thanks."
Amalie shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said. "If you change your mind, Animal knows where I live." She hugged Animal quickly, snapped her finger for her slaves to follow, and left, Gabriel gazing after her as if stunned.
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