Paint Our Way Home (288 views)

The sound of an unfamiliar voice caught the teacher's ears, as she let go of her blouse hem to look at where it came from. The gentle looking lady was tall, and certainly eye catching. While Madeline was confused and curious, Isabella merely waved a small hello from behind her easel, having just finished figuring out some of the basics she'd need for her palette. Of course, she spoke quickly, not wanting to concern her new friend. "Pas du tout.*"

Madeline failed to keep her promise rather quickly, prancing from her spot to take a closer look at the stranger. She knew most faces well, but had no classes with Daphne- as such, she had no way to recognize her except for definitive study. "Bien bien, une si jolie fille!**" Her praise was gentle in nature, but mixed with her abundance of energy to make a near explosion of emotion from the woman that had no ability to keep her heart off her sleeve. She turned her head carefully, smiling to her sister warmly. "Vous avez un ami mignon, Isabella!***"

Nodding a gentle agreement of sorts, Isabella moved from the easel to peek her head out properly. Her meek smile was overpowered by her glistening eyes, which clearly showed concern for the girl's well being. "Please forgive my sister. As I mentioned before she's...Very...Excitable."

Madeline giggled nervously, realizing she'd already messed up her word. She took a few steps back to give Daphne some breathing room, waving her hands nervously before her beet colored face. "My apologies, my apologies. It's just so rare for Bella to introduce me to a friend! Je suis sa sœur aînée, Madeline. C'est agréable de vous rencontrer, Daphne.****"

((*Not at all.
**Well well, what a pretty girl!
***You have such a cute friend, Isabella!
****I'm her older sister, Madeline. It's nice to meet you, Daphne.))

"Ah, my apologies." Madeline mused. She was surprised to be asked about English, and quickly switched to it so that Daphne could get used to her English instead. Not too surprisingly, Maddie's English was slightly slower than her French. However, it still maintained a clear amount of energy that caused Isabella to sigh in the corner. "I learned English a few years ago to better communicate with my fiance. It's...A bit easier to deal with at the moment than Hungarian." Though, she did learn at least enough to have tiny conversations with the man's relatives- but only a minor amount. Most of her words remained in her preferred English and French. "So...No need to worry. I do know what I'm saying."

"I don't think that was the issue," Isabella mused in quiet response. She knew just as Daphne that the two weren't exactly 'friends' yet. However, Madeline was quick to jump to conclusions, and the excitement made it hard for Isabella to tell her that it was false. Besides, Daphne was certainly easier to talk to than other people Bella knew. It wasn't a bad idea to become friendly, right?

Seeking a good spot for Daphne to sit, she couldn't find the definite answer. "Um...Anywhere you find comfortable is fine. Anyplace you find comfortable. Oh, and Maddie put the food by the sill, so if you want some, you're welcome to it."

"So you're not doing a still painting, Bella?" Madeline looked at Isabella curiously.

"It's easier to get the right mood by watching. It'd be unfair if she had to sit still for a long period. I want her to be relaxed. How do you think I managed to paint the twins if they had to sit still? Those little firecrackers have more energy than you." She couldn't believe she was saying it, but it was true. Madeline wasn't in fact the most rowdy of the family. Still, the thought stained her mind for a moment as she smiled in Daphne's direction. "As long as you stay near enough for me to see, I don't mind where you sit. Just try to relax and stay comfortable. Tell me if you need a break from the room, too, okay? I know it can get stuffy in here sometimes."

Madeline giggled a bit as Daphne tried to give praise with her long-winded explanation. "I don't know, I think your English sounds lovely." Isabella seemed to agree, nodding in her seat as she fixed up her palette a bit further. "Time is all it takes. But I'll be happy to help anytime you need a hand." Her smile beamed brightly as she danced a bit out of the way, watching her sister finish her preparations at the easel. When Daphne chose her spot, Isabella nodded happily.

"It's perfect." With a smile, she went into her own little world.

Maddie watched joyfully as she saw Isabella's hands dance across the paper with color. Every color change, every stroke, they all seemed to catch the older woman in their beauty. Of the family members, Isabella was the only one to have taken an interest so deeply in the fine arts- and her finesse for it was awe-inducing for the older sister that lacked any talent at all in it. She moved to stand behind the painter to see the progress, cautious not to get too close as to disturb concentration in the smaller girl. She could see Isabella's focus was far sharper than Maddie could obtain normally, and giggled gently to herself, smiling over at Daphne.

"Isabella semble sûr heureux de peindre un ami. C'est encore plus beau que d'habitude. Nous vous remercions de faire ressortir son côté doux encore, cher." She mused it quietly as if she was trying to hide her words from her sister, but she was too close and speaking easily enough to be understood- but, from them, a small smile graced the painter's face as her hand's dance continued.


((*Isabella sure seems happy to paint a friend. It's even lovelier than usual. Thank you for bringing out her sweet side further, dear.))

Madeline saw even when Isabella tried to hide it that the young pink-haired painter was blushing from Daphne's words. The redness in her face seemed to fit well with some of the paint she could tell the younger girl was mixing- and it only seemed like a picture she wished she could paint to show the two later on.

Instead, however, Madeline pranced back to be near the 'muse' in question. "A muse is still special, or so I've heard. I'm no artist myself though." She tried to remember the last 'masterpiece' she'd made- which was probably hidden somewhere in her old bedroom at home, under her bed and covered with more dust than anything in the house. Most of her failed attempts did that, and were never really known of by the family unless she actually admitted she'd tried one rare moment or another. "Speaking of sweets, do you like the snacks? I worked hard on them based on what Bella told me. I hope I cut the sugar enough to suit your taste. Hopefully you two can both enjoy them equally."

From afar, Isabella muttered something under her breath- probably about how Madeline worried too much about her, or something along those lines. Maddie had stopped worrying what Bella assumed regarding her love of her family. "I still think before I speak as well, you know. Even a fluent speaker has to think some time before they speak...Not just to translate, but also to make sure that they use the best words to express what they're feeling. Many might think the time you take shows your dedication and care for what you're saying, and not anything about your fluency in the language, don't you think?"

"Confidence is important," The teacher mused with a gentle smile. "But it's not something just learning can bring. It also takes time. You must be confidence in yourself more so than the language. But...I already have confidence in you. Surely, you'll be brimming with many people to talk to even faster than you think- and you'll be talking to them as if you never had a problem." A soft giggle was joined by long fingers slipping into the pocket of her skirt, where she dug for a bit of time in hopes of finding something vital. Pulling out a painting she always kept with her, she held it to the younger woman. The image was that of a cake, awkwardly drawn before the silhouette of a younger looking Isabella. "This is proof that change happens, and that you can attain any goal you wish. This picture is the first thing Bella ever painted for me."

From afar, Isabella had no need to look at the picture in order to turn scarlet. No, she already knew her sister's dedication to the family and what she'd find so valuable about such a silly thing. "I was five," She blurted out the words with a slightly frustrated tone, satin slivers in the end of her statement. "Unlike you, I couldn't cook yet. I had to do something after you made that insane birthday cake."

Madeline smiled, turning to Daphne. "Bella may seem uncertain, but her actions match her real feelings. She may be nervous, but she always tries her hardest, and likes to see people smiling. She remembers the little things too. Even if your words are slower than others, Daphne...Your meaning will always be the same- and your actions will always speak louder than them, no matter what it is you're trying to say. So...Even if you need more time to get used to English...Perhaps you can let your actions speak for you for now."

"Sis, you make it sound like she should start learning sign language." Isabella muttered. Madeline laughed at the clear concern behind her sister's adorably uncertain face, clasping her hands together in joy.

"Bella, Bella, you look like you're having fun!"

Isabella was a bit surprised when Daphne held the plate out to her. "I'd rather wait until I'm done...I don't want to get paint on it, and the paint's already getting on my hands."

"Bella always has been very hands on with her work," Madeline mused with yet another giggle. She meandered behind her sister again to peek at how close she was to completing the painting. "What do you mean you're not done?"

"I need to put an extra base coat on to be safe." The girl mused. "Then I can leave it to dry a little more. The extra base coat will help keep the paint from flaking or chipping."

Of course, the explanation did nothing to help her sister understand what she meant- unlike Isabella, Madeline had no concept of art materials. However, she was quite happy that her sister seemed very determined. And, quite soon after the thought, the base coat she'd mentioned was already done.

Turning the easel around carefully, she took a tattered towel from her smock's pocket and cleaned the paint that had managed to stain her hands fairly well. Turning to glance at her friend, she took a pastry now that her hands were clean, but hoped for her input as the paint settled gently on the canvas- as gently as the sweetness of her sister's pastries, she deemed. "What do you think? I'm not sure it quite does you justice yet, but...It turned out fairly well, I think."