[D3, EN, Light & Shadow] - Star Gazing

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"I... am not out and about in the rain much. Or when I am, I am heading straight home. I suppose... my underwear is not actually much more revealing than what I was wearing when I came here last time, though it is the principal of the thing..."

She was half talking to herself as she followed Qasim, starting to warm up a bit thanks to not being as damp anymore.

[Qasim al-Basiri]

He chuckled having his bearings more firmly now "true enough though I believe I had a hard time not staring when I first met you as well." He said with a small grin "I am a man who thoroughly enjoys appreciating beauty."

He walked to a curtain that separated a this room from another and when he drew it back it revealed a good sized room that contained many paintings on the walls all around and towards the center of the room a large blanket with pillows on it.

The room was well lit with many lanterns though the ceiling seemed a bit lower than in other rooms though not oppressively so merely just noticeable.

"Come I have a collections of paintings to show you from all over the known world. If we start here and go around we will slowly go further away from the city." He said motioning to a painting on their right "this is an original painting of the house of the Heavens not long after its construction when it was still in its full resplendent beauty."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"Oh my."

Despite her mutterings Sora was soon back to her normal comfortable self. And if she hadn't already been, then the sight of all the paintings would have certainly done it.

"It's beautiful! To have seen it in person when it was still as such must have been quite the treat. Is the painting itself that old as well then?"

[Qasim al-Basiri]

"Indeed. It was a rather glorious sight when it was first built, a true testament to the piety of our people, or at least a definite show of wealth." he said with a smirk "Despite my own lack of devotion to the gods I do regret the way the House looks now and have made some charitable purchases to them but I fear it would take wealth greater than mine to fix everything that needs attention."

"Are you a particularly pious woman Soraya?" he asked looking from her to the painting, his eyes briefly wandering before returning to hers.

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"Hmmm... I wouldn't say so, no. I mean, I do pray every day. But I'm not very formal or strict about such things. Say some prayers for those who deserve better, and for those who deserve worse. Maybe something before sleep for pleasant dreams. I figure it can't hurt, at the very least. I've certainly never been inside the House of Heavens, only seen it from afar."

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim nodded "Yes a token effort to have a connection to it, makes sense." He continued down and there were a few more paintings of places in the Jewel, the Palace of Wonders, a painting of the river, even one of a sun setting behind the Khesir district emphasizing the point that beauty can be found in the ugliest places.

"Now we begin to venture outside the city walls these next paintings are featuring the surrounding desert area." Indeed the next few paintings were of various locations around the city. Among them paintings of the river cutting through the barren desert, the Ra'shari caravan with people dancing and drinking by fire light, a proud looking nomad with the setting sun to his back astride a camel, and other desert scenes.

"The wrath of the gods is hot and barren but even out there beyond these walls, in the burning sands there is beauty to be found not only physically but in the things that survive out there." He commented as they looked at the nomad and his camel.

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"It is true, I feel; You can find beauty almost anywhere. Especially when people do their best and embrace their passions. It can lead to some magnificent things! Including these paintings themselves. I wonder what it would be like to be able to paint like this..."

She looks at one of the paintings, the man on the camel, as she talks, appreciating the color gradient the painter used for the setting sun.

[Qasim al-Basiri]

"It takes time mostly like learning any other art. I am no expert to be certain but I am a fair hand with a brush, I had actually sold one of my paintings the day we met right before I spoke with you." He said with a smile as they continued onward.

Next they looked at some paintings from the Senpet empire with their great pyramids and stunning architecture, the dark skinned people in their simple cotton clothes and rulers in extravagant gold jewelry and their exotic facial markings and face paint "a fascinating people, claim they were the first people to build things though how true that claim is is lost to history, they also worship a head spinning number of gods but their buildings and land are undeniably stunning."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"Hm... I've never really known any Senpet, at least not very well. I have some Senpet books, but that is something I certainly never learned to read. They have a fascinating art style to their illustrations though, very flat but colorful. To see something like this with a more realistic depiction of things is very fascinating."

As they moved to the next paintings, Soraya glanced as Qasim, "...I don't suppose you'd be able to recommend anyone qualified to give art lessons, hm? Someone you could recommend to Rashid al-Menjari? I would be most interested in taking some lessons, but it would just be easier if they were at home rather than heading out."

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim smiled "I am not great artist but I would be happy to instruct you in what I know but I'm sure I could turn up more experienced hands for instruction though." He said with a smile as they continued on.

As he had said there were Paintings of and from all the different parts of the known world even a few in a very distinct Rokugani style much different from anywhere else in the world. "I may not have been able to show you the Jewel at night but I thought I could try and bring the world to you right here." He turned and took her hand in his looking slightly down at her "your beauty and fierce curiosity inspire me."