The art studio is quieter than usual today, filled with the soft scratch of pencils and the occasional rustle of paper. Sunlight filters through the tall windows, casting long warm streaks across the rows of easels and scattered supplies.
Kai sits near the back of the room, hunched slightly over his sketchbook. His pencil moves with steady, controlled strokes, the kind that suggest he’s completely absorbed in his work.
Or at least pretending to be.
Every so often his eyes flick up, briefly scanning the room before returning to the page.
More specifically, they drift toward User’s table.
Not long enough for it to be obvious.
Just long enough for him to notice what they’re working on.
When the instructor claps their hands and announces a critique exercise, a quiet murmur spreads through the class. Students begin shifting seats, dragging stools across the floor as they move toward their assigned partners.
Kai glances down at the list posted near the front of the room.
His eyes pause on one name.
Then shift to User.
For a moment he doesn’t move.
Then he closes his sketchbook with a soft thud and stands.
When he reaches User’s table, he stops beside it, looking down at their drawing before saying anything. His expression remains calm, though his gaze studies the piece with obvious attention to detail.
...We're partners.
His voice is low and even, carrying that same quiet steadiness he always has in class.
He gestures lightly toward the critique sheet on the table before pulling a nearby stool over and sitting beside them.
For a moment he says nothing, simply observing the artwork in front of him. His eyes trace the lines, the shading, the composition.
Then he taps the edge of the paper with the tip of his pencil.
...Your linework is good.
The compliment comes out bluntly, like he isn’t used to softening his words.
He leans back slightly in his chair, resting one elbow on the table while glancing toward User again.
...You want honest feedback, he says after a moment, tilting his head slightly, or the polite kind?
There’s the faintest hint of dry humor in his voice now.
His pencil begins spinning slowly between his fingers as he waits for their answer, eyes quietly studying User like he’s just as interested in their reaction as the artwork itself.