Enticing Offer

 There were so many masks. Quite literally shelves filled to the brim with them, their whites and dark browns contrasting against the grayish-blue colored walls. 

Paper mache, wood, ceramic...all of them in various unique shapes and patterns. Zenobia could not distinguish a single piece that wasn't beautifully, expertly crafted. If there was anything that seemed wrong with them per say...it was that none of them were painted. In the silence, he stood behind her, allowing her to marvel without word.

"Did...you make all these?"

Jealousy and awe intermingled together as she moved closer, staring at one specific piece that caught her attention. It was her peacock design looking right back at her. There were no feathers or jewels to really make it pop nor any flash colors...but the patterns etched in marker, the overall base, it was hers. It really looked like Elias brought her drawing to life.

Which wasn't confusing when she saw her picture underneath it. She had been in such a rush to get home before that she accidently tore that one page out. Her eyes squinted at the additional scrawls next to her measurement. What was written down she honestly had no clue, but it looked meaningful since it surrounded the original sketch.

 In any case she couldn't help going back to marvel at the delicate carving. Just from her drawing, he was able to perfectly recreate it. And in only a few days. Something she's been trying to do in secret but failing for years.

Zenobia turned back, facing his lowered, shy eyes. His body pressed heavily against the closed door, sealing the little trio inside. Was it always closed? He cleared his throat, still avoiding her gaze while he spoke.

"You know...you're a tough person to track down. After finding you gone with that drawing left behind, Nana panicked. She had me scour all of Vawushu so I could drag you back to her office." He extended his hand towards his bed, silently encouraging her to sit.

The boy with his cheetah mask in hand waited until she was settled right next to the already flopping Rosette to move towards his desk chair. Not that she was paying attention since without warning the affectionate canine plopped her head down on Zenobia's lap. The sweet dog demanded pets with that powerful puppy pout. It only made sense for Zenobia to pet her head, ignoring the chuckling in front of her.

"I was worried those guys from before went after you and was tempted to actually call the police. But then Mary called, wanting to check in on me. We don't usually get to see her since she's so busy, so she always calls us three times a week or whatever. Nana told her about your disappearance. She knew it was you from the description and told us, a relief, let me tell you."

Ah, ok. So that explained some of her questions at least. Hearing about them freaking out made her feel bad. She didn't mean to worry his grandmother or have him hunting all throughout his district for her. It wasn't her intention to cause trouble.

"I am sorry. I was just trying to get home."

"Yeah. Once Mary explained her side of things, it was easy to figure out why you bolted. Nice excuse with the staircase by the way. Mary said your mom bought it and was ready to tear into her." 

Poor Ms. Mude. She was just trying to help Zenobia out only to endure her old hag's wrath. At least her principal survived what she could only imagine was an onslaught of insults and lectures. She'll have to male it up to her somehow.

"Sorry for putting you and your grandmother through all the trouble."

"Don't be formal with me. I'd rather deal with you when you're ready to argue with me,"

"I wasn't being formal! I was sincerely apologizing because I felt bad. Don't be an ass!" His only response was to laugh.

Really? She glanced at Rosette who tilted her head with those wide loving orbs. If ever there was a hostage situation and Zenobia had to pick between him and the dog, she's choosing the dog. One hundred percent of the time. 

Boys! She tried to do the right thing and this was what she gets? After what felt like an eternity, Elias calmed down. He flicked what looked to be a stray tear from his eye. 

"Now that's the badass I know. Anyways even if you were a-ok, I still would've hunted you down."

"Why?" 

"Because..." She waited, watching him shift to avoid her gaze again. A minute of silence trickled in. The air turned awkward as she waited for him to finish his sentence. The longer the two of them sat there, the redder his cheeks got.

"Because I have never come across another person dedicated to masks, let alone someone who could design ones with so much thought and detail as you." Now she was blushing, unsure what to say. She never showed anyone her drawings-not even her sister. Not counting her mom not wanting her to, she didn't think they were ready yet.

She thought they weren't good enough for anyone to compliment them. Even her best sketches always had a good few flaws. Hearing him say that...touched her. Warming herboth inside and out as she listened.

"I thought you were cool after you willingly came to my rescue. Then I saw the artwork you left behind and rushed out the door determined to drag you back." Rosette barked, snapping upwards to leap towards her master. She circled around him once until he scratched the back of the retriever's ears, her tail wagging continuously.

"I want to be a mask carver but I'm not creative enough to make my own pieces. Colors aren't even an option of consideration for me-"

"What do you mean?" He stopped before slowly moving. For the first time he met her gaze. His eyes filled with disbelief. 

"You're seriously not asking me, are you Zenobia? I'm sure you can guess what exactly is wrong with me." He pointed to his eyes, tapping the edge of them with his finger. If this wasn't so serious of a topic she would have laughed at his dumbfounded expression. It was strange seeing the way the lines of his face scrunched around his uneasy grimace.

"I'm not going to guess or make assumptions. You want to tell me, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine, too. But in the end, I'm not going to sit and play twenty questions all day to figure out why you can't make these masks more spectacular than they already are."

There was no reaction from him for the longest time. He just blinked owlishly at her. They remained, having their little staring showdown for a several seconds. Then, a small smile spread to his face. That blush of his burned redder.

"You're so weird. If you really need me to tell you then fine, I'm colorblind. Not the 'oh I can't see shades of greens' or whatever common stuff. No. Literally incapable of seeing any sort of color. My world is bathed in shades of whites blacks and grays or..so Nana says anyway."

Colorblind? Things made sense to her now. That explained why Jennifer said what she did the last time Zenobia was here. She wondered why the old doctor didn't describe the color of the bottle especially if it was among several in the same area.

'Elias, go get my ointment in the sphere jar in my room... '

There was no way he'd have been able to distinguish what container had what by color. It was also why he hadn't bothered painting any of his masks. Why would he if he couldn't tell them apart? If he had to differentiate shades, what may seem fine to him would more than likely be a murky rainbow disaster.

"I'm going to be frank. I'm good with my hands, but as you can tell, I can't finish these. It's obvious to me you got a real talent for art and you're working towards being a mask maker too, so let's team up. You handle the designs and the paint job, I'll handle the commissions and carving. We'll split the profits 70/30 with me getting the latter. What do you say?" 

Did she hear that correctly? Was he actually serious? Wait-when he said he planned to drag her back after she left the first time-it was to ask her this?! Before she could give an answer, the door opened. Jennifer popped her head in, smiling at the two.

"Zenobia sweety, your mom is on her way. Come on down so we can talk about your scheduled sessions." The girl in question pursed her lips. She had no clue what the elder doctor meant by sessions, but she wasn't happy with the news of her mother being on her way.

Granted she figured her old hag would be coming sooner or later. Afterall, Zenobia certainly wasn't going to force Jennifer to drive her home or Elias piggybacking her again. Still, the knowledge caused her to sigh in disappointment. Something her companion caught when he tapped her shoulder.

"You ok?" For once she was grateful to keep her mask on. It allowed her to hide away her pain. She didn't have to pretend by fake smiling or accidently reveal some of the obvious tell tales her sister knew at just a glance. Even as Elias peered into her face with worry creasing his brows, she nodded at him.

"Yeah. Though you may want to put your mask back on when my ride arrives. She's on the more conservative side of things." There wasn't a way of telling how Elias got her hint. Was it her eyes that reflected back to her from his own? 

Perhaps it was the hidden under edge in her words? Zenobia had no clue. Either way, he nodded, comprehending her warning without any clarification needed. He gave her one final smile before shrouding it behind painted paper mache.

With an exaggerated groan he stood up, catching Rosette's attention. The lovable dog barked at her master, wagging her tail again. If Elias wasn't careful, Zenobia was kidnapping his dog. Zora would be thrilled with the idea.

"Let's go see what Nana's gonna do with you, shall we?"

"Sure." Planting her hands on her knees, she followed suit. Rising from the bed, she began to follow hearing the sound of moaning springs under her. It wasn't long before she found a furry head with floppy ears pressed against her hand.

"Mind doing me a favor real quick?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Give me your number?"