Chapter Text
Egypt - Modern Day (probably)
A painter of sunflowers that decorate the many hues of the night and her companion arrive at a destination amidst towering structures that pierce past the arid air and into the boundless layers called a sky.
Simple words couldn’t reach an artist– much less a person enamored by something entirely new. The prospect of fresh eyes looking at a bright and shiny idea right in front of them was too tempting of a reality to ignore or put aside.
So when called out to the girl trapped in a trance,
“Goghie? Goghie!”
There was no answer aside from the brisk pace of a pencil and the wind.
The girl looks towards the towering figure above her and back to her book, scribbling frantically all the while. Her head moved quickly, nearly displacing the small white beret in favor of getting a good angle from her field of vision.
You didn’t try to interrupt her again, only walking up those steps towards her with a fascination that reflected her own. Hopping along the smooth and slabbed pathways with her flower stilts, she continued to record the out of this world scenery.
Such was the contrast between a tiny flower submerged by manipulation and threaded with lies; wilted and heavy with the burdens of her design-– and the crisp air with a hardened surface, cracked and caked with years of history to share with all.
She was free to plant her desires and let them take root however she wished.
There was no sign of a tortured artist in your field of vision. The girl who called herself Clytie Van Gogh held her sketchbook with a renewed passion for this new setting. The way you saw it, even the Outer Gods who patched her existence together could not touch her now.
She did not suffer. But flourish, as a row of flowers do on a warm day.
There was a smile on your face that you didn’t bother to hide. And as you slowly drew closer, ready to surprise her, you, too, found yourself spellbound by inspiration.
If simple words couldn’t reach an artist– then maybe a joke will.
“Hey, Goghie. How’s this one: I don’t have a pen or a paintbrush, but I’m still drawn to you!”
Lightly tapping her on the shoulders, you expected for her to jump back in surprise(or bloom. She does that sometimes). What you got instead was,
“Ehehehehehehe~ Master…Master! You’ve gotten better, you’ve gotten better!” She finally turned around to face you, jittering like a cold plant as she clutched the sketchpad. You locked eyes with the blue of her irises that shimmered different hues in your presence.
“Master… that was a very bad Van Goghk. ” She smiled awkwardly, tightly gripping the hem of her shirt.
“I know, I know. I’ll leave it to the pro next time.” She seemed to smile wider at your words.
“S-sorry Master…The others, they sent you to look for me? I went and wandered off without permission…hehehe. Oopsie.” You automatically shook your head, waving the apology aside.
“Nah, just me and this little Medjed here.” Out from behind your leg popped out the little hooded familiar, confidently nodding. “Nitocris has a bunch of them scattered around the place just in case we want to explore on our own for a bit.”
“O-oh. They’re so cute!” She bent down to whisper hello to Medjed and thank it for watching over her. Standing upright again, she looked at you with a proud expression. “Master, I like this place. These, uhh, pyramids are very pretty.”
“Right? You wouldn’t think so with how simple they are, but they’re really amazing when you see them with your own eyes.” She nodded sheepishly, quite glad she didn’t need to explain herself too much.
“I- I want to finish this sketch…And show it to you when I’m done. Can I?”
“Of course! We can stay here longer if you want to finish it now.” But she shook her head. A rare action of denial, even as small as it was from her, was new.
“N-no…It’s okay. We should check on Nobukatsu and Nitocris(I think I’m hungry). But…once we do, we can come back, right?”
“Yep. We can always come back, Goghie.” The sun(flower) of the abyss shimmered against the red stones of Giza, pleased at the prospect of returning, and at you, for not only tolerating her company, but enjoying it.
The moon of the sea(jellyfish) looked up upon the peaking pillars of Egypt with you– sharing a gaze of exuberance and tempered excitement for the exhilarating new adventure to take its course.