Valentine's Day CMO

[hurricane_chris]

Valentine's Day edition!

Call out one of the muses listed above and give me a prompt, or ask for one, and we'll go from there! Remember, all of them must incorporate Valentine's Day in some way!

Comments

[infinitejustice]

[That gets Athrun to smile. It's not often he hears that as a response.]

I'm glad that you agree. It's not a topic I bring up much, as I'm sure you understand. I have no regrets about what I did, but a little affirmation every now and then goes a long way.

[justgessen]

[ She nods in sympathy. When your choices are called into question by others, it's not uncommon to start doubting those choices yourself. ]

Regrets can only hold you back. The important thing is being able to walk forward knowing the path set before you now is the true path of justice.

[infinitejustice]

[He nods.]

Anyway...sorry for bringing the mood down.

[Athrun offers an apologetic smile.]

[justgessen]

[ She waves her hand a little, thinking the apology unnecessary. ]

Not at all. Listening to others is important, and you can get a lot of things off your chest by talking about them.

[infinitejustice]

Thank you. You're very kind.

[Athrun smiles warmly. He's beginning to think that this was a good idea, this whole thing.]

So, what kinds of things do you like to do in your free time?

[He needs ideas for a second date.]

[justgessen]

[ Yumi's at a loss for words, face burning, and she scrambles for what to say other than a "thank you" to mirror his. She's grateful for the switch in topic, lest her words continue to fail her. ]

Oh, well, I'm quite fond of calligraphy. It requires a lot of focus and care, but it can be tremendously relaxing.

[infinitejustice]

[Athrun is quick to notice the color in Yumi's face. It only serves to endear her to him all the more, and it's hard for him to keep a smile off his face -- or it would be if he were trying to do that.]

Really? I have to admit, I know next to nothing about calligraphy. I've never been very good at the arts. So far the only exception I've been able to find is the piano, and even then I practiced at it.

[Athrun had a strong motivation to practice it, though -- it was his way of memorializing a close friend who had died in the war.]

[justgessen]

But the piano is a beautiful instrument to learn! There are a lot of feelings you can convey through a melody, all without words too. [ Her eyes light up a bit more as she speaks. ] Calligraphy is the opposite in how it gets across the artist's feelings. The point of it is to find a balance between strict order and freely flowing thought. With the brush, you must make each stroke perfect or beautiful in some way and create visual poetry with the word that springs to mind, but you have to do so naturally. Letting each stroke of every word pour from your soul to the brush to the page.

[infinitejustice]

[Athrun simply sits and listens to Yumi talk about calligraphy. The sight of her talking passionately about something she loves is a very endearing one, and Athrun can't help but smile as he listens.]

I can really sense your passion for it from the way you talk about it. Going by that, it really must be something to behold. I hope I can see some someday.

[Though he might not properly grasp it without a little help.]

[justgessen]

[ Try as she might, she can't hold back a swelling of her pride. It's not often she gets to talk about her interests like this. Or rather, the normal ones. ]

I'd like that as well. I'm certain you could create a beautiful display of visual poetry. You have that air about you.

[infinitejustice]

Ah, I don't know about that.

[Athrun is pleased to get such a compliment, but at the same time he has a sheepish look on his face. Not in a bad way, just surprised and a tad embarrassed.]

My mind is more inclined to the likes of research and mathematics than it is to art. But we'll see.

[But there's no harm in trying, right?]

[justgessen]

[ She shakes her head slowly, but with the smile still bright on her lips, it's far from one made at his expense. ]

Nonsense. [ She waves her hand a little to further dispel such a notion. ] Math and art can go hand-in-hand if you study in both. Leonardo da Vinci created stunning works of art with mathematical precision, for instance. If anything, I'd say being excellent in mathematics or scientific fields would mean you could create something truly beautiful.

[infinitejustice]

That's true. I hadn't thought of it that way.

I don't know if I can compare to da Vinci, though.

[He's being humble. He's a Coordinator; if he's not as brilliant as da Vinci was, he's at least nearly as intelligent.]

[justgessen]

Well, maybe at this level of artistic ability, you can't, but who knows what you might be capable of if you kept at it. [ Believe in her who believes in you, Athrun. ] I don't profess to want the esteem and skill of Wang Xizhi, but perhaps I enjoy calligraphy as much as he did. That's enough for me.

[infinitejustice]

Yeah, I think I see where you're going with this. It makes sense.

[Athrun figures that what Yumi is getting at is gradual improvement over time simply from working at something. Do something enough, and one will inevitably improve -- it's just the speed at which improvement comes that differs for people.

In addition, this is when their food arrives. Athrun places his napkin on his lap and prepares to dig in, though he waits for Yumi to begin eating first.]

Good timing. I don't know about you, but I'm very hungry.