an afternoon well spent pv scarlett noel Closed

September 16, 2023

The courtyard had been one of Rhys' go-to places when they decided they needed a bit of fresh air, and in their second year they increasingly needed to center themself. Drawing was therapeutic, and they could usually get a good amount of vent sketches in without being disrupted.

But Rhys would be lying if they said it wasn't lonely. It was true that they had Qrow to talk to, but the Slytherin was keeping their own secrets and Rhys wasn't sure they wanted to be the one to suggest unpacking each other's trauma. Because Rhys had noticed just how much their counterpart resembled their mother, and they also knew how she'd appeared to be getting better at the time of Rhys' visit. Qrow seemed happy, but Rhys couldn't ignore the feeling that this was a front. That they were acting happier than they really were. And they would know what that looked like.

They were doing the same thing.

They sat under a tree at the edge of the courtyard, mulling all this over. Their sketchbook was open in front of them, but the page was empty. Rhys needed to vent, but art block had reared its ugly head. They sighed, running a hand through their hair. It was longer than they wanted it to be, everything about their appearance wasn't how they wanted it to be. They didn't want to walk around looking like a girl and getting constantly misgendered. They couldn't even blame anyone, though. Rhys did look like a girl, and appearances were everything, weren't they?

Rhys looked down at their sketchbook, chewing on their bottom lip as they absently flipped back the pages, stopping abruptly on a page filled with sketches of Qrow from the year before. They smiled a little, touching the page for a moment before quickly shutting their sketchbook when they sensed someone nearby. Rhys tried to act natural, digging in their bag for a pencil despite having one already out, resting in the grass next to their sketchbook. They looked up at whoever had been passing by, giving an obligatory, tight-lipped smile.

Interacting with @Scarlett Noel