good night moon. /open

[TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE]

GOOD NIGHT MOON

Suddenly there was a cave. The forest had seemed normal, but the cave... the cave was odd. From the outside it was just a small circle, something foxes or rabbits would use as an escape route from larger animals. But inside it was much larger, expansive even. There was water below her feet, but she was floating, her bare feet never touching the wetness that the water offered. Rocks lined up along the western wall, staggered as they lead up to a second story.

And then he was there, running ahead of her, dressed in army blues and boots. He was yelling, but she couldn't make out the words. Then he was gone, swallowed whole by the darkness. Staggering forwards she found a camera around her neck. Telling herself to forget where it came from she ran forwards. Following the man who had appeared so suddenly before. Up the rocks, and into the darkness, nothing seemed to make much sense. Then there was a light behind her, illuminating her path, and there he was. Standing there before another figure.

She snapped a picture, and then another, using the flash to see better into the darkness. And then the man was running, towards her, screaming, crying out to her. But she still couldn't hear him, couldn't understand what he was saying. And the form behind him flew forwards, moving at inhuman speeds. She flashed the camera again, and again, becoming increasingly aware that the unknown figure meant her harm. Again she pressed the camera's button, and there he was. Dressed in red and white, with dark red eyes that pierced through her. Blood trickled from his jagged teeth and lips, his eyes wild, demonic.

She screamed, falling backwards off the rocks and into the unknown...

"Oof." The carpet was definitely not her first choice in taste when she woke. Her legs were tangled in the bed sheets, her upper body hanging off the bed and pressed into the floor. Sweat was clear on her forehead, goosebumps rose along her arms, a chill ran through her as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

"I need to stop watching horror movies before bed." Laughing, Tanya freed herself from the sheets. Nightmares didn't usually bother her, but the demonic Santa Claus was a little over the top even for her. She glanced at the stack of movies on her nightstand and gave them an angry look. Silly little things, giving me nightmares. Huffing she grabbed a pair of pajama pants, throwing them on before finding a sweatshirt to throw over her night shirt. It wasn't much in the way of clothes, but she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again tonight, so she might as well get some work done.

Slipping her feet into a pair of fluffy panda slippers, Tanya exited her dorm in a flourish of yawns and stretches and made her way towards the stairs that lead from the teachers dorms to the upstairs classrooms. Seeing as she taught so many classes, the entire east wing of the fourth floor had been turned into her own studio. She loved it! From the bleachers that rested along the walls, to the giant props she was able to build with her students for plays and other things. And, seeing as it was the top most floor for classes, the stairs lead right into the heart of it and rarely saw any traffic from other teachers.

After a few minutes of walking she finally reached the top of the stairs and a chair that she could collapse in. Deciding to rest on a couch instead, she glanced around the room, wondering what to start work on first. There was plenty to do, school had started again that morning and tomorrow kids would be rummaging through the halls and into her oasis to start learning.

Tanya taught an insane amount for one person, but she turned every lesson into a project. She wanted everyone to express themselves through their art, even if they couldn't draw a stick figure. Everyone was good at something, and Tanya enjoyed seeing everyone's finished projects at the end of each week.

She bit at the inside of her cheek, a running tab of what she needed to do ticking off in her head. There were projects to plan, and some to finish. She wanted to host a play before Halloween, which meant she needed to get started on props and costumes. Not to mention host auditions and probably figure out just what the heck she wanted the play to be.

Standing up from the couch she turned on her heel and headed towards the windows overlooking the gardens. She fumbled around with a spotlight she'd borrowed from the theater and turned it on so it lit up the walls between the windows. Tanya had started a mural last year, painting the flowers and trees from the garden below to bring some nature and brightness to her large classroom.

Picking up a brush, she dipped it into the newly opened can of red paint and started carressing the wall once again. Her overly active mind calmed almost immediately as she let the brush dictate where her hand should go.

869@open

?

[Deleted]

Emrys did not like the gender separated dorms and never had. It was really the biggest downside to Masquerade. After tossing and turning restlessly for a few hours he finally crawled out of bed, threw on jeans and a long sleeved shirt, and shoved his feet into tennis shoes. Running a hand through he currently messy hair he grabbed the book from his nightstand and padded his way down hall out into the common area. He wasn't surprised to see his sister just exiting the girl' dorm in a leotard and sweat pants, a bag hanging off one shoulder. She looked better rested than he did, but both of them preferred to be together as opposed to apart. She came to him, bumping her shoulder against him and nuzzling her face in against his neck. He tilted his head to rub his chin over her hair, pulling some of it out of the messy bun it was twisted into.

She pulled back and scraped the loose strands of hair behind her ears. Then in silence he followed her out of the dorms to the school proper. He knew where they were going. There was really only one place in the school private enough with a good space for her to practice and they'd figured out how to get into it last year, after their mother refused to keep paying for private ballet lessons. So they ghosted their way to the fourth floor, expecting it to be empty this early in the morning. But when Emrys stepped ahead of his sister to crack open the door, they were both surprised to see light spilling out. Immediately his sister's back straightened, chin tilting up- pulling her walls in around her.

He didn't really notice the change in his own posture from the slinking hunter to the aggressive nonchalance of the trouble maker most people thought him to be. Clearly Ygraine wasn't interested in giving up her dance, which said something about her state of mind. She must have been more restless than he realized. A summer of sleeping in the same room together had made them both used to eachother's constant company again. It would take a while to readjust to being at school. Not wanting to make too much of a fuss, they both stayed quiet as he opened the door and let Ygraine go ahead of him into the room.

She paused just in side, enraptured by the spot-lit mural slowly gaining color and life beneath Tanya's brush. Emrys shifted past her and headed for an open area of floor, not particularly interested in explaining what they were doing here. That was Ygraine's job. After a moment she came back to herself and cleared her throat, still lingering just inside the door.

"I didn't think anyone would be up here at this hour." She offered a smile that was somewhat wry, like she knew they'd been caught but wasn't terribly afraid of the consequences. Truth was, she wasn't. "Your painting is beautiful."

Ygraine and Emrys did not take music, art, or theater. Though they had both taken some lessons when they were younger, they had never been interested enough to keep practicing violin or singing. And now it was considered too frivolous to be in their curriculum. Ygraine had only ever tried to suggest it once. She had no intention of doing so again despite the envy she always felt when she saw people with their projects around the school.

TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE

[TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE]

GOOD NIGHT MOON

A little twist here, and here, annnnnnd, beautiful. Tanya's hand seemed to fly across the mural, her ideas coming so fast she barely had time to switch colors before her mind wanted to paint another section. The mural had once started as a replica of the gardens, but the flowers she was painting now didn't match any in the gardens. And most of them were pink since she couldn't find the time to switch out colors. A table sat to her left, holding extra brushes, closed paint cans and a few open ones that she had been dipping into every so often. She glanced out the window and then back towards the mural, repeating this motion several times as she tried to bring the garden back into focus on the wall. Her thoughts had moved from painting to movies, and finally to her favorite songs where she found herself humming softly as she started on a pink daffodil.

Tanya had fallen so far into her own thoughts she hadn't even noticed that someone had entered the room, let alone two someones. She dropped at the sounds of their voices, gasping out a scream of fright as she turned around her hand held tightly against her chest. "Oh my goodness!" She fell into a fit of giggles when she realized it was just a pair of students. Her hand fell to her side, brushing some pink paint along her kitty cat pajama pants and felt a moment of embarrassment and annoyance. "Oh even more goodness." She set the brush down on the table and wiped furiously at her pajama pants before returning her attention to the two students standing before her.

"I'm sorry. You two scared the bejeebus out of me! I hadn't expected anyone to be up this late... Er, early, I suppose." She flashed them both a smile that was both endearing and flustered. "Come in, come in! No reason to stand in the doorway." She waved her hand back and forth between them. Her purple sweatshirt swishing from the force. She continued to smile as she tried to clean up her work area, paints and brushes falling off the table as she murmured quietly to herself. A sudden burst of muse hit her and she picked up the pink brush again to draw the outline of a flower below the one she had already been working on. It resembled a tulip, but the outline was so faint even Tanya could barely see it.

"Sorry, thank you." She remembered quite late that one of them had complimented her mural. "I have been working on it for quite some time." Tanya dropped the brush again on the table, stepping back to stare at the full wall before turning her attention back to the twins. "Now. Good morning." Her voice was light for being up so early, her enthusiasm and energy were at it's peak and she was still running off a high from the scare the two had given her.

"Hmmm, I don't recognize either of you, beautiful darlings that you are. Ooh, I could paint the both of you. Sorry, sorry." Tanya laughed again, her thoughts getting too far ahead of her. "I don't think I've seen either of you in my classes, so what are your names?" She found a spare rag on the table and picked it up, rubbing it against her leg before she gave up trying to save the cat's face and moved to clean off her hands as best she could.

587@emrys

?

[Deleted]

Ygraine covered her mouth with one hand as the teacher started, not sure what expression if she was hiding or if she was just trying to disguise the fact that she had no idea how to react. Quickly she managed to get her composure together and she let her hand fall relaxed to her side, pleasant smile fixed back in place. Any annoyance she felt at her practice room being invaded had quickly been brushed aside by the beauty of the art. The teacher's compliment made her flush slightly and look away briefly, fully aware that she looked like a disaster at the moment. No make up, hair messily twisted up. She didn't feel particularly paintable. Still- she shot a glance at Emrys as he walked passed her- there was some merit in the idea.

Emrys pretty much ignored the whole scene, strolling to the most open area. He slid down to the floor, propping his shoulders and head up against the wall. He flipped open his book, settling it on his knees and apparently quickly lost himself in the words on the page. Yet any motion from his twin would've caught his attention. Inwardly, he had to preen a bit. He knew he and his twin made an attractive picture even when they weren't all made up. He wondered what she would think if she saw them out and about when they had put the care into their appearance they normally did.

"I'm Ygraine Bowen, and that's my brother Emrys. We didn't mean to disturb you but this is the best space to practice in." She would have offered her a hand but she thought better of it, seeing the paint all over. Instead she took a few steps towards the open area and set her bag off, kicking off her shoes. From her bag she pulled out gel toe covers and a pair of pointe shoes that had seen better days. She couldn't for the life of her remember the woman's name, though she knew she'd seen her around before and heard other students talk about her. "You're the art teacher, right? I'm afraid neither of us are in any of your classes. Not very artistic, you know."

She flashed a quick, bright smile, then stripped out of her sweat pants. She was wearing classic pink tights beneath. Then she sat down and pulled the gel toe covers on, pulled the feet of her tights over them, then tied on the pointe shoes. The toes were shredded and grey, somewhat shiny with the shellac used to extend their life. She needed new ones soon but she wasn't sure when she would be able to get them.

TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE

[TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE]

GOOD NIGHT MOON

Tanya's eyes followed both of them as they moved about the room. Her brain couldn't capture both of their movements at once so her mind had to switch back and forth between them. Like she was flipping channels through a TV. She smiled warmly at the two of them, her muse being sparked by their graceful movements. She felt inspired to draw them, but contained her enthusiasm so as not to creep the two of them out. Tanya's life was very spur of the moment and she sometimes forgot that not everyone lived their lives the same way. Sketching people when they least expected it sometimes lead to dramatic conversations. And while Tanya was all about the drama in life, she didn't exactly like being yelled at.

"Everyone is artistic. Some with a paint brush, others with a computer. You never truly know what you're good at until you try everything! For me, it's sculptures. I'm horrible with clay and it gets everywhere! When you hit the pedal too fast and don't realize what you're doing." She laughed softly at herself, remembering the fun times she had in middle school and the mess she left a very weary art teacher to clean up.

She picked up a clean rag from a table behind her. She poured nail polish remover over most of it and started to clean the paint off her skin. Her life was a messy one, she was an artist and didn't have time for such things as cleaning. But she felt obligated to clean herself up a little bit with the twins now sharing the large room. Tanya watched Ygraine slip on her ballet shoes and grimaced at the state of them. They were worn with love she assumed, but were ghastly in appearance. Tanya kept her mouth shut though and watched for a few more minutes before stepping closer to the two of them. With rag in hand still she cocked her head to the side and watched the young girl's movements some more.

Tanya watched Ygraine for a few more moments before turning her attention to Emrys. "Not much a talker, are you?" She giggled lightly, her hands still trying to clean themselves with the soaked rag. Her eyes stayed with Emrys for a few minutes before returning to the mural now situated behind Ygraine. Her eyes caressed the painting lovingly, it had taken her most of last year to get it this far, and she still had many long nights ahead of her if she wanted to finish it before Christmas. She almost cursed herself for leaving the school over the summer to enjoy some down time. She most definitely could have finished this earlier. She refocused her attention to the young girl and bent down to watch her put on her pointe shoes, awe for a talent she didn't possess on her features.

"How long have you been dancing for?" Tanya had never been much of a dancer, most of the school plays she participated in had speaking or singing parts that didn't require too much extra movement. She was not as graceful as Ygraine, and had landed on her face and both more times than she could count while trying to shake her butt. Even at her Junior Prom she had tripped and fell in her high heels walking onto the dance floor. She spent the rest of her night nursing a swollen ankle and vowed to never again wear heels of any size.

582@emrys | @ygraine

?

[Deleted]

Ygraine listened almost raptly as Tanya talked about ceramics. She'd always secretly loved watching potters work, though she rarely got the chance. Emrys sometimes teased her- gently- about her youtube history. It was full of people showing the world how they made things- leather work, drawings, ceramics, carpenty. She bowed her head to focus on her shoes, not really wanting to argue with the teacher but not sure she agreed. She pointed one foot, then the other, loosening up her ankles and arches.

"I don't know, it seems like some people just aren't meant for the arts either by nature or inclination." She grabbed a chair and pulled it into the open area so she could use the back for balance as she began to go through a typical ballet barre warm up. It involved a lot of squatting and bending but Ygraine had a way of making it still look like dancing, even though it was just a warm up exercise. As soon as she started really moving Emrys' eyes left his book, watching her over the edge.

His glance briefly slid towards the teacher when she addressed him and he inwardly sighed. He flashed her a small smile and gave a one shouldered shrug. "Ygraine's better at it than I am. So I let her do the talking." Then he pretended to go back to his book though his eyes frequently flicked up to his sister, studying her. Equally, he tried to keep an eye on the teacher unobtrusively. She seemed far too interested in them to be up to any good- and her giggling unnerved him.

"Six years now." Ygraine answered as she finished her first pass and swept her arms down into the rest position, mentally switching to the next set of exercises. She ran through the counts in her head, then began to move. Tondu and close. Tondu and close. Four front, four side, four back, four side again. "How long have you been teaching here?" She could carry on a conversation while she did this part, she thought. It didn't really matter if she lost the count- she could just start over. The extra excercise wouldn't hurt her.

TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE

[TANYA PEYTON GUATHIE]

GOOD NIGHT MOON

Tanya watched Ygraine dance with a jealous eye. She was a spectacle to behold although she wasn't doing much aside from a few exercises. Still, Tanya envied the amount of strength and grace the young girl possessed. She had always wished for a talent that would get her somewhere out of small towns and into big cities and onto the stages of Broadway. Her heart soared as she imagined it, the colors and the sounds, the smells that she would probably never get to experience. Sure, she could draw, and paint, but who couldn't? Artists like her were a dime a dozen these days and it was hard to break out onto the market. Which is why she never tried.

With rag still in hand she slipped into a seat besides Emrys. She could tell he wasn't interested in anything she might have to say so she didn't bother talking to him. She simply sat and rubbed at her hands while watching Ygraine. She thought about her question for a moment before deciding to answer. "About three years now, I suppose." She smiled sweetly, glancing down at her hands as she worked on a rather tough spot below her thumb. "Of course, I wasn't teaching at that time, I was TA'ing for the previous teacher. She was a funny old lady, very much into the dramatic arts." She looked up at Ygraine again, taking a moment to appreciate her form again before turning her attention to Emrys.

"Do you dance as well?" Tanya thought about poking the boy but decided against it. She didn't know these two that well and she didn't feel they'd be comfortable with the way she usually acted around students. "Your sister is excellent, I could see her up on stage one day." She tossed the rag onto the seat next to her and leaned forwards. Her elbows rested on her knees as she cupped her face in her hands. "And you said some people weren't meant for the arts. Ballet is just as artistic as drawing a bunch of flowers. A million people could do what I do, you have a special kind of gift. Only some people are able to dance as gracefully as you do." She sighed contently. Suddenly feeling tired after watching Ygraine twirl about.

"Well!" Tanya hopped up and rushed back over to her mural, grabbing a can of violet paint and getting to work on another flower below the pink one she had started earlier. "You two are more than welcome to join me in painting, especially you Emrys."

428@emrys @ygraine

?