Fantasy An Unlikely Muse

[rueberry]

an unlikely muse

Rishi

location

the summer festival

tags

fluticasone

Ah, the summer festival. It was an annual event held around the time summer break came to an end to uplift upcoming and returning students before the new semester began. There were different activities and festivities to be up and running across the whole campus excluding the dormitory areas for at least a few days. People in different outfits and costumes roamed around, whether it was their favorite character or traditional clothes from their respective cultures, or even just a nice outfit they put together because they wanted to dress up for the event. Blaring music sounded from the concert venues somewhere in the large area, there was an arcade area where friends could play against each other, and there were even people who held their own stalls in order to sell their own merchandise and commissions.

Any and all were welcome to the annual event and there were different types of people that could be found during this jovial week of the summer festival. For the most part, most people were either busy trying to have as much fun as they could by attending any events that caught their attention. Some liked to satisfy their senses by trying different kinds of food at the food trucks and food stalls stationed throughout the campus. Others liked to enjoy music or view any student demonstrations such as theater plays or experiments designed by the stem majors. The rest were busy working either trying to gain experience with selling their own work or taking shifts for various positions such as food stalls, technicalities, etc to fund raise for their clubs or departments.

Of course, there were a few who only showed up to see the main event of the summer festival as well.

Rishi was one of them.

A cascade of gold reflected across Rishi's body as the sunlight shone onto the tree branch he sat on against the tree trunk. He studied the paper mache peacocks that were perched on the branch next to him and took note of the shimmering colors that glistened against the sunlight and compared it with the jewelry he was adorned in. He always found the art projects fascinating to look at, of course he had no idea who made them but they weren't keeping guard of their creation so he assumed that it was just decoration for the festival in general. When a breeze swept through the air and sent a loose feather flying free from one of the peacocks, Rishi gently caught it and pondered for a moment before placing it behind his ear.

They wondered when the parade would start. It the main reason he had showed up to the festival to begin with. Rishi glanced up at the bell tower and checked the time of the clock underneath, questioning if he had gotten the time of the parade mixed up with another event. He decided not to worry about it too much. The parade wasn't the only thing he could study out of the festival anyway. But Rishi couldn't deny that it was the event he was most interested in.

He leaned a bit forward from the tree trunk to take out a slim golden flute he had purchased from one of the student flea markets while he was trying to find a good spot to wait for the parade in. The music department had been cleaning out their archive and were selling anything that would make room for the new sets of instruments to be distributed. this year, good news for the students really. The university was known for their well financed art programs and Rishi was happy to get his hands on something that gave air its own voice.

Just as Rishi held the flute in their hands, he heard the blares of wood horn instruments, percussion, string and orchestra instruments galore and looked down to see the main attraction of the summer festival making its way down the path through campus. Immediately, Rishi's eyes lightened up as he saw the people in the parade.

Students in various robes and costumes were happily marching. Some danced, some marched while carrying palanquins or flags with vibrant designs. Some even danced into a large animal costume that fit at least six to seven people under it. It was an entrancing sight that Rishi tried to soak every second of into his memory as he gazed at the sight below, watching the long parade make its grand entrance.
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code by @Nano

 

[fluticasone]

fontcallfontcall2

maria

summer festival . overheating in the sidelines

Every year, without fail, the school would lump majority of the parade decor to the sculptors of the fine arts department. It was a chance to show off their talents - if one managed to get the rest of the crowd to follow. With a sneer of disgust, Maria tossed a dismembered feather into the bin. Temper lurked behind brown eyes, glaring mutinously at the opulent feathered creations that their lead had insisted would be this year's focal point. Maria thought it was just tacky - the only redeeming factor was the paint division's work. The colors were rich enough to stop them from going into gaudy. When asked, however, Maria slapped a smile onto their face and said they liked it. It was easier to lie than be ostracized by their entire department.

On a good day, Maria was confident they could do something much better. Unfortunately, they hadn't had many good days in the past month. Nothing worked. On the technical level, they had no issues in class. The final thesis would prove a different matter. Surely something would show up. There was all this noise, all this texture. Even in sound alone, there should've been a spark of some sort-

The cacophony of instruments made them wince, but their ears remained stubbornly deaf to the inspiration Maria was sure was around them. A brief moment of chaos, then the university band launched into a peppy, upbeat rhythm that told everyone it was summer. Though Maria hadn't planned on watching the parade, they ducked under someone's staff to a spot in front barely big enough for them.

That's when it happened. As someone's xylophone threatened to blind them when the sunlight reflected off it, Maria turned their gaze to trees behind the crowds. The glint from gold caught their attention first, then the hand that held it. Fluid lines, an easy grace that persisted even in stillness. A challenge for their sculptor's hands. Burnished gold, maybe brass, keeping it rough to indicate shadow and strength. Maybe even some bismuth crystal to contrast against the fluidity and add color, like the peacock feather in their hair. Maria had never worked with a model before, but every artist was entitled to it at least once, right? Once the parade passed, they'd cross the street and ask, even if their hands grew sweaty at the thought.

 

[rueberry]

an unlikely muse

Rishi

location

the summer festival

tags

fluticasone

Rishi absolutely loved the parade. If colors had a sound, this would exactly be it. Colors? No, perhaps seasons would fit better. Rishi smiled as he caught a glimpse of cultural costumes and sculpted figures in the parade resembling the deities and other higher powers he saw back at the realm. It was nice to see things that reminded him of back home. It was times like this where he felt grateful to have been assigned to this planet. He had a closer look at the humans and how they defined their connection to the world around them. He thought it was an endearing sight to see, even if they got violent at times. Like the little battles and wars they had.

Rishi thought back to the history classes he took as a human student. They were a good source of reference to start with. But he noticed not all truths of the past were taught to the students and took it upon himself to seek out humans who were experts in those hidden areas that weren't taught. He found the extracurricular clubs of campus most helpful when trying to learn more about the past. Rishi made a mental note to visit them to refresh on what he knew so far.

There was nothing more fascinating to see than foundations and ways of living built upon ancient beliefs and values. He wished he had a say in how long he could stay on this planet. But that was out of his control. It had been nearly a year since Rishi had been assigned to study on Earth and soon he would be called back, regardless of if he felt ready to return back to inform the upper realm beings of his learnings.

Speaking of studying...Rishi sighed as he rested the side of his head on the tree trunk as he recalled his plans for the upcoming week and took a minute to have one last sight of the long massive parade still making its way through the campus before he jumped down from the tree branch. He gently pat the tree trunk, thanking it and bidding it farewell for the day before leaving the area.

As much as he wanted to stay and watch the parade till the end, Rishi had things to attend to and he wanted to spend the last remaining months of his time on Earth wisely. He turned around, facing away from the parade and went on his way, blending into the crowds of the festival. He thought about visiting the clubs he made a mental note about earlier but decided against it, figuring that now would not be the best time as they could be busy with their roles in the festival. He would go do something else. Something that didn't require any humans.

code by @Nano

 

[fluticasone]

fontcallfontcall2

maria

summer festival . trying not to come off as a stalker

They barely saw the parade, fixated on the figure that studied the displays the same way Maria studied them. They committed details, wishing for writing instruments It felt like years before they allowed the crowds past the barricades. The flood of people took their attention; if they weren't careful, they were liable to trip over someone else's shoes, and her rush would've been for naught.

In the brief period that it took to cross the street, their quarry disappeared from their perch. Don't panic, they told themself, they can't have gone far. Despite the peptalk, their hands grew damp. It was hard not to panic when the culmination of their years in school was in the hands of a stranger they'd seen across the street. If only inspiration wasn't so fickle; they might've just let it go. But Maria knew that if something grabbed at you the way they had, you had to do your damnedest to capture it. There was enough of a dreamer in them to think of that chance as something fated - if only they worked for it.

Maria searched the sea of people, but struggled. Too many individuals, all in clothes far too large and colorful to find their query. They thought they spotted them, already turning a corner-

"Maria!"

The voice made them still, guiltily hunching their shoulders. Fixing a smile to their face, they turned. The grin became genuine as they met the familiar bright blue eyes of their friend. While they spoke, Maria gave one last glance at the direction they thought their target had gone. There was no hope. It would be odd to leave now, and they'd be hard-pressed to ignore a missed friend for a person whose name they didn't even know. Their sigh filled with resignation, they let themself be lead away and into a conversation Maria didn't fully have their heart in. They wouldn't give up the search, but today it was time to stop.

 

[rueberry]

an unlikely muse

Rishi

location

wandering around campus and boarding the train

tags

fluticasone

It was a week or two after the summer festival had ended and the beginning of the fall semester. Since already spending a semester on campus, Rishi could already spot the different types of students he had learned to identify

There were the studious bunch, who have already formed study groups and reserved study rooms in the library so they could keep up with their strenuous workload their majors gave. Parallel to them, the fine art students who were carrying around big rectangular bags as a case for their assignments and projects. The music majors who were busy practicing their scores in their individual practice rooms. Rishi could go on, listing how they could spot the fitness majors and even culinary students from either their attire or mannerisms.

He thought it was interesting how some students seemed to take up more space than others as they walked. They would either walk in packs or just carry big bulky materials related to their major as they walked through campus. The rest of the students blended together, where RIshi couldn't figure out if they were a business or economics major.

There were a lot of majors Rishi had learned this university offered. It was to the point he was overwhelmed by the amount of options there was to choose from. It didn't help when the advisor suggested that he could even double major and have a minor on top of it.

Rishi shook his head as he remembered trying to choose from majoring in either botany, anthropology, or zoology. The first was for his personal interest, wondering how the humans viewed the flora of their planet. The second obviously related to his assignment. Zoology for more intel in addition to his main assignment on Earth.

They had settled on cultural anthropology and thankfully it had been a helpful resource to his mission thus far. But whenever he observed the students around him, RIshi couldn't help but wonder if he had been better off picking a more hands on major. Something fun. He wouldn't have minded painting all day, or learning how to cook. By the gods, even learning how to make wood carvings sounded appealing. Being creative would've have also taught him something about living on Earth, wouldn't it?

When he found himself overthinking the details of his student guise, Rishi exhaled and pivoted from his usual route of walking around campus. He decided that he needed a breather. An afternoon to clear his mind sounded like a nice change of pace. With that, he headed to the train station and caught one on time, boarding it as it head towards the town plaza.

code by @Nano