Chapter Text
The sky was pouring down with heavy rain, Ina was quite in a hurry getting in her equipment hoping it was dry, she looked around the nearest station.
She finally found one.
Ina rested on one of the benches, she looked over her canvas, the paint smudged in as Ina noticed her clothing full of the wet paint. She sighs, she looks over the ruined canvas, paint wasted.
She sat as for the whole period of time, the clouds were much more gray. A person ran onto the station, she looked drenched.
The stranger sat right beside Ina, she started to take notice of her features.
White hair, blue tips?... Ina already had such an interesting take, much more caught her attention by the soaked stranger.
She fluttered her eyes open, catching breaths for herself, the stranger looked into Ina's way.
Their eyes met.
Ina quickly looked away, embarrassed to face, her grip onto her canvas made her much more nervous to look back.
"Hey"
Ina glanced at her, the stranger smiled.
"It's raining like cats and dogs isn't it?"
She chuckled.
Ina never felt such a warm feeling so suddenly, the whole view changed into perspective through her, the stranger smiled.
Ina wanted to reply something back, the stranger expected that she wouldn't say anything to her.
"I'm Gawr Gura, my friends call me just Gura. What's yours?"
She said, Ina's eyes lightened a bit still meeting their eyes with each other, a small smile crept onto her.
"I'm Ninomae Ina'nis, Ina for short.."
She replied, she didn't want to be rude by then it really got awkward. Ina kept stealing glances as she held right through her canvas and Gura fidgeting herself with her bag.
"Sooo.. Ina right? Uh what do you have in your hands?.. I mean if you don't mind me asking"
Ina perked up by such a question, she quickly hid her canvas by then, yet she formed a reply.
"It's.. Ruined anyways.."
There's a slight pain in her voice Gura noticed, Ina scoffed as she properly hid her canvas right to the others, Gura wanted to do something.
"Oh, um.. Haha sorry bout that"
Ina softened her eyes, Gura looked away and might've been thinking about the way she made Ina uncomfortable.
"Well, you didn't have to apologize for my ruined artwork at all"
Ina giggled, Gura was at least glad to hear it, the sky darkened, the rain became lighter, a bus stopped by the front of the both of them.
Gura sighed and looked at Ina one last time, she stood up and approached the bus. Leaving the violet haired girl behind.
"Well it's nice meeting you Ina, goodluck with your art stuff perhaps?"
She smiled as she entered.
The bus by then left, leaving the lone artist by the stop, Ina was.. Gazing..
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To the workshop, her place she called home for herself, she looked around with her humble abode with the canvases right around.
Colors wrapped around in each feeling of every drawing, tones of cool colors were around to artworks, trails of paints right to the ground.
Shades of Violets were much more seen, she took her equipment down and assembled it, she brought other colors with her. Warm colors.
She thought for herself in a bare moment, would the color of the autumn leaves and the sun itself try to enlighten her artworks around her?
Ina stares, the canvas was blank, her brush in the tip of her fingers and palette at her palms. But yet she couldn't think of anything.
Because all she thinks of.. is Blue.
She's a well known artist, every single artwork she does has brought so much attention to views in museums, Ina doesn't mind she was quite happy to share her works.
The canvas was still blank to her sight, does she add Blue? Her mind was off the hook, she put down her palette and brushed it off and sat down on the ground.
She wraps herself laying down on the floor, it was comfortable and nice. Her mind wasn't sitting it out properly, she looked up at the ceiling, doing nothing.
Until something popped into her head, she sat once again, her eyes widened.
She quickly stood up and grabbed her pencil, she kept sketching each stroke filled with thought, till she finished, but something was wrong.
Ina didn't bother much and continued, she started off coloring hues of red and oranges. Details of leaves, and the warm sensation of the painting, highlights and the unlit streetlight with the warm gray tone for the pavement.
She's finished but she wasn't content. Something was missing, something didn't feel right, the painting had no life.
What was it? One color kept lingering onto her mind, Blue.
It was Blue once more, why? She lingers this question for herself, a canvas missing a piece of it. She then left her studio, leaving her painting, she needed to get home and have a rest for a moment. She had dues in the meantime, but in fact she also needed a batch of paint.
Ina pulled her phone out to call someone, she rang.
"Detective Amelia Watson on the line, how can I help?"
The detective's voice sounded drowsy, Ina chuckled.
"Hey Ame.. Could you pick me up at my studio?"
"I'm a detective not your taxi driver pshhh"
"C'mon my day has been crazy enough just, would you get me outta here”
"Hep hep hep? Magic word?"
Ina chuckled.
"Please oh #1 Detective?"
"That's more like it, i'll get you there by 15 minutes better wait then nothin’'"
"Alright alright I'll see you"
"Watson's out!"
Ina waited, till a vehicle arrived in front. It was Amelia, she popped the door open and let her come in. She then started up the engine, she drove her way street by street.
“Thanks Watson”
“No problemo! Well? How’s your day? Got any works ready to show once more from the museum? A Lot of people like your original artworks and paintings, that kinda stuff”
“I tried warm tones but I was still missing something.”
“Hope you could figure that out”
Ina hummed as she answered to Amelia, there was still little to talk about on the way.
“How’s detective work?”
“Honestly nothing much exciting but there is one problem, the Vandalizing over the streets, we still haven’t figured out who and where is that mysterious artist but i gotta say they’re good”
“Is there any given name?”
“Well we usually see aquatic animals, they could work with both colors well? I guess, that’s what i get from being stuck with an art student”
“Hey, you watch that tone miss, be lucky i’m friends with you”
“Awww not even the bestest of frienddsssss?”
Ina chuckled, she found that cute from Amelia, they arrived in Ina’s Apartment. Shouldn’t she have a mansion? No, it feels like Ina doesn’t have to buy a big house when she already has her own studio for herself. She’s already good at paying rent.
“Wanna hang out this Friday perhaps?” Amelia offered.
“I'll check if i have a schedule if i could, i’ll chat you right away”
“Been a long time ever since we hanged out”
“See you Detective, hope you find that Vandalizing Artist”
“Thanks, See you in awhile you Sleepless monstrosity”
“Says the one who didn’t slept one week about a deep case”
“We don't talk about that, Bye!”
Amelia waved, Ina waved back, she was left behind so then and headed straight to her apartment, she could finally slouch away from the recent presentation over her from today.
As she went up to her floor she saw her neighbor, an old lady sweeping in front of her own door, she greeted her with a smile on her face, the old lady raised her hand up to pat Ina from her kindness by greeting, Ina lowered as she received it.
As she proceeded, she rummaged into her bag, her face drops about it, until she realized it wasn’t there
Her keys, she left her key in the studio.
In dismay she bent over to her knees dramatically, the old lady noticed, she went inside to grab something. As she came back and gave something, the spare keys that she had given to the old lady, she was thankful about it.
.
.
.
Pink fluffy slippers, Oversized shirt and a simple short as she pairs in her glasses, Ina feels much more comfortable, slouched to her own couch and sighed with a side of hot cocoa.
She opened up the TV to see what shows were on, she was in the news channel, she tuned in a bit, there was a kidnapping. Well she guessed that this can finally be Amelia’s case. But she prayed for safety to the one who got kidnapped as well.
Then she got moved to a host show channel, HoloTalk with Takanashi Kiara, she enjoys the show often much, but for now she wanted into another show she’d tune till she sleeps/
Animal Documentaries, now this is the one, it has oceanic animals for topic, sharks. She wasn’t very much afraid of sharks, as she favored Whale Sharks ever since she discovered those.
She could finally rest, a sip of hot cocoa was on her, the chocolatey goodness spiraling in her mouth she was very much pleased. Until a call was caught upon, and of course everything good has to end in a while.
Ina went to take the call to herself, in her phone it was an unfamiliar number but she reckons it was something about to do from the museum.
“Ninomae Ina’nis on the phone, What’s the matter?” Her voice sounds tired enough but was heard
“Oh there you are, Miss Ninomae!” the caller happily responded
“I would like to have a business with you”
“Business? For what?”
“I would like an unique painting from you, any aquatic animal you think of, an original piece and only a feast for my eyes, i'll pay you handsomely about 1 Million to it”
Ina’s eyes widened, that's a big offer coming from her art, what is she gonna do with that much money?
“I would like to request for the deadline in about a week”
“Sure.. I could pretty much work with that”
“Pleasure doing business with you,,”
The call ended, a devastated sigh went out.
“I wish i could go to a vacation at all”
She looked at the TV back, she shut it off with a click, heading to her bedroom wanting to sleep, as her escape of everything was under her blanket.
.
.
.
Aquatic animals… Ina thinks to herself by the moment, she has no expertise in animal anatomy. Wondering if she could find any reference for it, she thought about which places to go, an aquarium? A museum? She’s too lazy to go that far.
She remembered what Amelia said yesterday, vandalized aquatic art around the walls and streets.
She walks down to see if there’s any around her area, suddenly she sees someone approaching, who looked, very, very familiar.. WAIT!
They crashed on one another, meeting eye to eye. It was Gura! Ina clearly remembers, but yet she looks troubled, cans all over the place and men shouting. She hurriedly tries to take the cans back to her bag, Ina helps as in which is a surprise for her. Finishing the mess quickly, Gura stood as she helped Ina.
“Thank You!-”
She ran as quick as she could following her tail bumping and wagging to the left side, vanishing in Ina’s sight. Two police men scurried to see, nothing but the artist in front.
“Hello Miss! Have you seen which direction a girl with white hair go??”
She didn't have the words to say after everything that just happened, she pointed in the opposite direction instead, thinking of saving the shark girl. The policemen gave their thanks and ran ahead making Ina look for one last time.
Was she the Vandalizing Artist?..