Updating Paintings (Lani and I)

January 26th
10:35 AM
Approximately 6 months after the start of the renovations of the Toromaki Death City Branch Estate.
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Months ago, when Takumi had first joined the school, when he was still hoping that maybe someone would want to use his pitiful weapon form, he had travelled the city in search of interesting places to capture within his paintings. One such place was a seemingly derelict estate, creepy and out of place in a town otherwise missing such curiosities. He never saw anyone go in and out, in the day that it took him to paint it. Not too long after that, renovations on the estate started, and the place started to come to life again. Takumi waited for the work on the outside of the place to stop, so that he could paint this estate as how it should have looked like.

He had excitedly set up his easel in the morning, in the place with the best view of the estate; the same place where he had done so all those months ago. Canvas set up, pencil in hand, paints and paintbrush at the ready, he began working. It wasn't long after sunrise that he started, and it was taking shape already, though the entirety wouldn't be finished for hours, yet. This would be the first time that Takumi has had the chance to draw a before and after of something as large as an entire estate, and he was certain;y taking his time, to make sure it was as perfect as he could get it.

The heiress residing within the mansion alongside the estate's master had been up nearly since dawn had broke across the sky. For the most part, her time was spent within the manor walls, making sure that everything was pristine as well as continuing her search for the perfect set of drapes. Six months after the renovations had begun, three since her room had started coming together, and two since she had moved in, Rin was still stressing over having the right curtains or drapes for her bedroom. By this point, she was certain that her cousin was moving from amusement to irritation over the scenario, but it was a perfectionist's issue that she seemed unable to let go of.

It was this apparent obsession that resulted in her notice of the weapon, as the mansion's numerous windows gave the staff a clear view of the boy from her room. Eyes narrowing at such, she stripped out of her formal, estate gown and rebound her bandages. Since the construction workers themselves were done by this point, she had little to worry about until at least the afternoon, when more interior designers would be showing up to discuss themes for the rooms and work with them to create a flow throughout the estate. Perhaps, in theory, they could help her with the issue --- perhaps. Still, the focus was on who in the hell was sitting outside of the estate and why. Did the boy pose a threat? Rin had no intentions of giving him the chance to do so. Taking the steps down like soldier, feet so quick that they could barely be seen, she made her way down the stairs and out of the mansion. After a few minutes, she was less than a yard from the painter, her bandages glowing with a bright, ethereal indigo outline, some of them floating about and off of her arms, aimed towards him like cobras.

"Who are you?" She demanded, voice commanding and stern, powerful despite the seemingly harmless girl that spoke them.

Despite the haste with which the girl left the mansion, and the strange attire, or the menacing way the attire was posing in in front of Takumi, he seemed to have barely noticed. When she ran towards him, he continued to paint, and he continued to paint even when she was standing right there. He continued to paint right until the moment that she spoke up. He looked from his canvas to the girl, and to the bandages which were seemingly threatening to strike at him. After a pause, Takumi's focused expression turned to shock, as he realised that he was in danger. Standing up from his stool, quickly, he tried to back away; not thinking clearly, in the face of peril, he tripped backwards over the stool, dropping the palette of paint he had been using, as well as his brush. He was such a mess, that he didn't even answer the question, but instead stared with his eyes wide open, from the ground.

Rin approached him, then, bandages still aimed at him, though his eyes flashed to the canvas he'd abandoned. "Your name." She demanded, eyes softening only the slightest bit, unnoticed by anyone without the knowledge of her or her acquaintance, her focus very heavily, very singularly on the boy. "I won't ask you again." Everything about her spoke that she knew how to carry, as well as handle herself. Though overall unassuming, she held her body in such a way that it was clear enough that she had at least some martial training; any professional knew her to be a master. By the way she handled her soul, the wavelength heavily in-tuned and in control of her bandages, it was also clear enough that she was a very capable meister, as well.

"Whaa! Amaterasu Takumi!" Thrusting his arms in front of himself, as if it would somehow stop the bandages or the girl from attacking him, he exclaimed. In his panic and haste, he named himself as he would have in his home country. Shaking his head, rather quickly, he fixed his mistake, saying his name again, but instead the other way around, as was the norm in the west. He saw clearly that this person was a meister. Her control of her wavelength, and those bandages, was astounding. And the way she stood there, in comparison Takumi was a massive cluts. Probably why he fell over. While he was startled at first, and could only stare, that initial shock was wearing off. With that going away, the realisation that this girl was wearing nothing but bandages soon replaced it, and he found himself looking sort of away, but still in the general direction of his potential attacked. It seemed indecent to stare, but at the same time, he couldn't just look away from a very probable source of pain and bodily harm.

"Why are you here?" Rin asked, noting the way that he looked away, seeming uncomfortable after looking her over with a clearer head. That worked rather in his favor, though it would not halt her threats. Adjusting her footing as she stepped forward, she snaked a single bandage closer, keeping it just beyond his arm's reach.

"P-painting." The boy stuttered somewhat, through the mix of fear and embarrassment that dominated his emotions. He pointed at his easel and the in-progress painting of the estate. He went from looking somewhere over the stranger's shoulder to staring at the nearest bandage as if it was going to bite. For all he knew, that's exactly what it would do. To Takumi, it didn't seem like the girl was getting any less aggressive, even though he was now answering her questions normally. Did she really think someone as small as him was a threat?

And hey, wait a second, did she ask him why he was here, with his painting right there? Did she not see what he was doing? However menacing this girl was, she was now asking questions for the sake of it, or was just that clueless. Takumi would voice neither theory, as a trip to the hospital was something he planned on avoiding.

She stooped down where she had stood, keeping the bandage in place. Her eyes seemed to brighten for a moment, as did the glow around her attire. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she looked him over. "You're not reading as kishin egg or corrupted," she noted, remembering the lessons she'd attended. "This young, in Death City, you must attend the school, though. Are you a weapon, or a meister?"

Why would he be in Death City painting somebody's estate if he was one of those things? Takumi really didn't know if this girl was this clueless or just going through all the possibilities, however far-fetched they may be. When asked whether he was a Weapon or a Meister, he kinda wanted to lie and say 'Meister,' to avoid having to tell anyone about his weapon form. He had given up on finding a partner a long time ago, and harboured basically no more hope of finding anyone that would settle for a weapon as pathetic as a paintbrush. However much he wanted to lie, though, as he really didn't want to be attacked in the girl ever figures out that he wasn't telling the truth. Takumi quickly mumbled the word 'Weapon,' and looked away entirely, as if just saying that was enough to somehow let another person know what his weapon form was.

She eased the channeling down, keeping the one primed and ready should it be needed. Still, she held a hand out to him, gaze even and heavy on his form. Her presence had lost none of it's pull and command, though the threat of it was softening slowly. Steady, still sizing him up, she gave him another command, demanding he proved the words he claimed: "Transform."

And there it went. Saying he was a weapon did mean that he would have to let someone else see his weapon form, nine out of ten times. Groaning, Takumi picked himself up off of the ground, and brushed all the debris his coat had picked up off. He had to think of something. He didn't really want to be laughed at by this girl, who, to Takumi, seemed like an accomplished meister, judging by her expert level of control over her wavelength. She probably had a cool weapon, like a sword or something, or maybe even someone more exotic. Brushing these thoughts aside, however, gave Takumi an idea. She never told him to transform fully into his weapon form. He had been practicing partial transformation JUST for this purpose! Lifting his hand in front of himself, Takumi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on just the handle of his form, and his index finger; after a moment, the finger began to glow, and then turned into a white handle, a smooth, soft, convex curve to it's edges. To a painter, it's quite obviously the handle of a paintbrush, but anyone else could be fooled. It was somewhat longer than most normal paintbrush handles, and there seemed to be a pattern in the, apparently, lacquered surface of the thing, unmoving, and colourless.

Her pupils dilated without her control, a fact that went wholly unnoticed by the meister. Taking the handle between her fingers, she met his eyes with her own. "Fully," she said, not fooled by the semi-attempt, knowing exactly what he was. Being able to touch the partial weapon form meant that she would be able to use it, which was a shocking discovery in and of itself; as though her classes hadn't told her themselves, instructors had notified her time and again that she had a very powerful, but unique wavelength. As a result, she had faced wavelength rejection multiple times from countless weapons, unable to pair with any she had found thusfar.

Takumi winced when this girl went to touch his transformed finger, having read about how painful soul rejection could be. When it didn't happen, he looked at the girl and pack to the handle, confused. Nobody had ever tried wielding him before, and he didn't expect to ever find anyone that both would want to partner with a weapon form as lame as a paintbrush, and actually be able to wield him. So, finding someone able to wield him, he wanted to find out if they would want to, if only a little bit. He still groaned when this stranger commanded him to transform fully. Undoing the partial transformation, he stepped back and, closing his eyes again, quickly transformed into his full form, and into the girl's hand. For someone who hated to transform, he was really quite good at controlling it. Then, unexpectedly, the ends of the black bristles began to glow, somewhat, as if dipped in a light of some kind; the touch of a compatible soul also made the patterns below the handle come to life, in a colourful, if not vibrant, swirling display. The tone of Takumi's exclamation was definitely one of surprise.

Rin's eyes lit up, the calming pupils of her eyes expanding once more as she watched his form take shape, coming to life in her palm. Staring into the handle she held, she smiled softly, understanding his unwillingness to transform, in full, and that there was a true sincerity to the reasoning behind his presence. "You're a paintbrush?" She inquired, fascinated by the form before her.

Seeing the smile on the girl's face, Takumi calmed down somewhat, both embarrassment at his weapon form and fear wise. Perhaps she wasn't like the others, who would ridicule his weapon form for being something so useless? Whatever it was, Takumi didn't get a chance to dwell on it, since she asked about it. "Yes, I am. It's not a form that is very good at much, I think, so I never could find a meister. It's embarassing, to be something like this..." He spoke from the brush, unaware of whether or not it could do anything. "It's even sparkly now! That's even more worse..."

A gentle laugh escaped the noble young woman, and she brought him over to where he had been painting. Searching, she uncovered another, blank canvas; setting it on her lap, she took to his stool and began to move the brush along the clean surface. "Has anyone ever tried to paint with you, before?" Even as she spoke, she was swirling designs along the edges of the canvas, watching the paint appear seemingly from nothing.

Being brought to his easel worried Takumi for a second, as he thought that the girl might attempt at adding to his painting. Only for a moment, as the girl then found another one of his canvases. When she started to paint, Takumi was totally in awe, as she hadn't dipped the bristles of his weapon form into any paint. Apparently, he didn't know anything about himself, and his answer to the questions asked of him would prove that; "I have never been held, let alone used." He answered calmly, now, voice devoid of his previous shame and fear. "A weapon is supposed to be a channel of the meister's wavelength, isn't it?" He asked his own question of this girl, who, in Takumi's mind, was still some amazing meister that surely already had a weapon, and would know for sure whether such a simple thing was true.

"They amplify them," She stated, watching the glistening paint spread along the borders. Curiously, she set about focusing on another color, amber, and idly beginning work like her calligraphy paintings. She spelled out several words, all in traditional kanji; most of the symbols expressed merely adjectives, but one in particular, a seemingly random placement of stardust stood out as the first and only noun.

"How do I do that..?" From within his weapon form, he asked, though a meister probably wouldn't know that. Observing what was being drawn by this girl, who he realised was still nameless to him, Takumi made a sound that lay somewhere in between surprised and being a laugh. "You know kanji? I don't see many people here who do." He spoke, while she drew, until the word stardust was added into the mix of descriptives; the entire drawing started glowing, before a shining, burning cloud of dust almost erupted from the canvas, quickly dwindling into nothing again. Takumi was too shocked to say anything, then, too dumbstruck to comprehend fully what just went down.

Rin froze, her bandages glowing once more and guarding her body as the dust flared and died down again. For a moment, she remained still, staring at the space where the last word had stood, now gone. "Elemental attacks..." the words were murmured, but she soon shifted her mental focus to the color blue, mimicking the sky more than anything else, and expertly crafting the word for rain.

Takumi was still trapped puzzled when the girl started to draw another character. Rain. It was a nice day, and the girl decided to potentially ruin it... Takumi didn't know the extent of his apparently not-as-bad-as-he-thought weapon form's powers, of course, so he expeected the worst. The character shone, just like before, and flew from the page, just like before. This time, however, the effect wasn't immediate, and a small cloud built up as it travelled upwards, before it emptied it's water content within a few seconds. The wind, luckily, blew most of the water away from Takumi's painting. A sight of relief could be heard from the weapon.

Noticing the relative silence of the weapon, broken only by the sigh that escaped his incorporeal lips, she finally answered his question, seeming almost slightly offended, by her tone, in the fact that he di not know who she was. "I'm Toromaki Rin, by your native tongue. Our family's lineage dates back to ancient times, surpassing feudal Japan. I have to know Kanji."

Takumi was almost surprised when the girl finally introduced herself. Honestly, the Toromaki name meant next to nothing to Takumi. "I see. Big powerful family and stuff? This must be an estate belonging to your family, then?" The boy inquired from inside of the brush form, clueless. He didn't even catch the offended tone that Rin had used.

There was an escalation in the near anger within her tone, "One of them, yes." She said, voice clipping as she moved to paint again, channeling yellow and illustrating the Kanji for spark.

Takumi got it, finally. He realised, that the Toromaki family were probably very proud, and someone not knowing who they were... Well, it wasn't good. He chose to just continue watching what Rin was painting. When finished, the Kanji glowed, as was standard, it had seemed, and then a spark arced from the canvas to the nearest thing which was in any way conductive; since that wasn't Takumi in his brush form, lacking any metallic parts, it was to be Rin's hand, which held him.