Chapter 27
"I..." he trailed off, at a loss. "Well, I only have one name. And it's Alistar."
She returned her attention to the large picture in front of her, ignoring him without returning the introduction. He followed her gaze and found it difficult to not appreciate the beauty of the work in front of her. It captured a boundless meadow filled with lush fields of lavender and jasmine, that led on into a bright horizon, paralleled by a large sun in the centre of the cloudless sky above. But that was only half of the image, which was divided down the middle to create two contrasting scenes. The right side of the painting depicted a pale, full moon, partially obscured by the clouds of a starless night. Beneath this chilly skyscape lay barren fields of dead soil.
"Um," he said, nonplussed after a few minutes of silence. If her attitude was any indication, she wouldn't answer any of his questions. Not now, at least, but perhaps if he lightened the mood. "This is a nice painting."
"I hate it."
He sighed. "What do you hate about it?"
"Everything."
"And why is that?"
"Because it makes no sense!" She threw her arms up in exasperation. "The sun and the moon could never be out at the same time, so why paint both night and day in the same picture? If the plants grow so much on one side then why are they dead on the other? Because it's nighttime? Plants don't die just because the sun goes down."
"Does it really matter?"
"Of course it does." She spoke as if it were a matter of the utmost importance. "This is my father's favourite painting, my father, who's known all throughout the city for his equisite taste of the arts!"
"It's exquisite," he corrected her.