After-school activities were common at the Junior Stratos, and there was often several after-school activities every day, set up for all sorts of interests for young Rethans. Litvir though normally missed these fun extra lessons, and would spend what little spare time they had in the study halls, trying to do as much homework as possible before starting their actual work, patrolling the borders of the universe.
This week though, Litvir had time off. They didn’t have actual work. The other members of the Twelve Anew had insisted that Litvir spend a few days as a normal teenage Rethan, to give them a break. And, after feeling rather awkward after their first day off work, Litvir was now determined to do some of the things they always wanted to do.
The biggest thing was the after-school Freedom Art Class. An activity that let students use any and all art materials to make whatever they want. But Litvir was rather shy and currently a little late, so they didn’t know if they’d be allowed in or not.
Litvir knocked on the door to the classroom, the window of which was a pretty stained class window. Their first knock was rather weak, so Litvir tried again, and, this time, the door opened.
“Ah! Hello, little one!”
Captain Tekni was the art teacher, a much, much older Rethan, and Litvir had always liked them. They judged Litvir less than other teachers, and were more willing to answer Litvir’s constant streams of questions.
“Hello…” Litvir muttered. “Can I join your Freedom Art Class today?”
“Of course. Come on in!”
Tekni led Litvir inside. There were a few of Litvir’s classmates here already, but Litvir smiled as they saw Miisa at the back of the classroom.
“Where do you want to sit, Litvir?”
“Can I… can I sit with Miisa please?”
“Miisa!” Tekni called from across the classroom. “Can Litvir sit with you?”
Miisa nodded, but wasn’t paying that much attention, as they were busy drawing with thick coloured pencils. Tekni dragged Litvir over and sat them down on the stool next to Miisa.
“What sort of art do you want to do today?” Tekni asked.
“What… kind of art will you let me do?” Litvir asked back.
Tekni smiled. “Any art you want!”
Litvir glanced around the rest of the classroom to see what everyone else was doing. Most were just drawing, some were painting, but in one corner, two kids were gluing random items together and three kids were making silly shapes made out of clay. Litvir always avoided the messy activities because they didn’t want to get their clothes and armour dirty, but since Litvir wasn’t working, they decided they could make a mess for once.
“Can I play with the clay, please?”
“Of course.”
Tekni headed over to the art supplies cupboard and pulled out a packet of clay, a wipe-down mat and a cup, which they filled with water. Everything was laid out in front of Litvir.
“Have fun, dearie.”
“Thank you…”
Litvir wasn’t quite sure what to do first. They glanced at Miisa and their work.
“What are you drawing?”
Miisa looked up. “Oh. Hi. I… I was busy, sorry. I am drawing my mum and dad. I am looking forward to seeing them on the weekend. What are you going to make?”
“Um…”
“Do you want some inspiration? You could make your mum and dad.”
Litvir frowned. “I do not have a dad. And my mama is… uh… not really my mama.”
“You have a parental guardian instead?”
“Yes. Kinda.”
“You could make something for them maybe?”
“I guess?”
Miisa went back to their drawing. Litvir started plating around with the clay, squeezing it between their fingers, getting a feel for the material. They quickly worked out that the clay needed water to keep it nice and smooth.
At first, Litvir wasn’t quite sure what to do. So they decided to make some vague shapes, mostly small sausages.
“Who is your mama?” Miisa suddenly asked.
“I… I do not know.”
“How comes?”
“It… it is complicated…”
“Why?”
“I cannot explain…” Litvir sighed, before going back to their clay.
“That is a shame. They must be nice, because you are nice.”
“I do not know either way.”
Litvir sighed and turned back to the clay. They thought for a moment, then started making more shapes. The more they played with the clay, the more Litvir started to understand it, and they became more confident in their work.
“What are you making now?” Miisa asked.
“People I like.”
Litvir really got into the clay, and before long, they had made all sorts of different shapes. Miisa stopped what they were doing and started watching Litvir work. In fact, it turned out that the teacher was also wandering by, feeling rather curious about what Litvir was making.
Slowly, Litvir started sticking all the shapes they had made together. There were a lot of them, all laid out in an order no one else explained. Litvir was concentrating so hard that their tongue drooped out of their mouth and they seemed oblivious to everyone around them. Any little details were made with the tips of Litvir’s claws, or by using a pencil that Miisa had put to one side.
After a lot of concentration, Litvir blinked a bit then leaned back. Before them were four little figures of four different Rethans. Two were small, one was skinny and the last was large and bulky.
“Those are cool…” Miisa muttered.
Litvir blinked some more then snapped themselves back to reality. They immediately turned to Tekni, who patted them on the shoulder.
“That is some lovely art, little one!” Tekni beamed. “Very nice!”
“Thank you!” Litvir smiled a little. “How long will they take to dry?”
“About 24 hours. You can come by tomorrow and collection when they have hardened.”
“Can I paint them?” Litvir asked.
“When they are dry, of course! Who are they supposed to be?”
Litvir pointed at each one. “That one is me, that one is Miisa, and those two are Kyr Relkir and Kyr Gath.”
“Well, they are absolutely wonderful. You have some strong talent there, kid!”
“Thank you.”
Tekni headed back to the storage room, then returned with a piece of flat wood. They helped Litvir move the four clay models onto the wood, and Tekni then placed the clay by a warm window, so they could dry.
“Alright, Litvir, go and get yourself cleaned up, and then you can do some drawing to relax, alright?”
“Yes, Kyr Tekni” Litvir smiled properly. “Thank you!”
For once, Litvir actually felt genuinely proud. They got up and made their way to a sink in the corner, with a big grin on their face.
“Art class is so cool… I missed this…”