I wish you weren't my friend (but so much more)

Chapter 4

The sun was already slipping behind the mountains of Tumble Town when Scott arrived. It had been a long day with too much to do and the cyanette needed a different sight then colourful houses. He knew one place when he could catch his breath. He was always welcome in Tumble Town, or so the Sheriff had said. His eyes searched the quiet town in hopes of finding Jimmy.

The glimmer of a gold badge caught his eye as Jimmy stepped out of the jail building, some villagers following right behind. Scott decided not to walk over, not wanting to disturb the Sheriff in his work. But Jimmy caught his eye and gave him a quick wave. Scott waved back, ignoring the curious looks of the villagers.

After his presence got acknowledged, the cyanette decided to sit down and relax. Jimmy was too busy to hang out anyway. He took a seat in an old rocking chair on the porch in front of the Saloon. Soon a drawing pad and pencils were in his lap. Scott loved to draw, he liked drawing nature the most, especially flowers. But he did the occasional portrait or architectural drawing. He looked around to find an interesting subject to draw.

Ah, over there. A small yellow bird in a big tree. Luckily for him, the bird stayed perched on the branch as he quickly sketched out the general shape of the tree. He quite liked the contrast of the bright yellow feathers against the brown of the tree. Flipping to the next page, he looked for another subject, his eyes falling on the houses on the opposite side of the road. Before he added colour, he decided to go against the simple brown tones the houses consisted of and add some typical Chromia colours. Purples, blues and oranges were quickly added to the page, making a perfect mix of Tumble Town and Chromia. Pleased with the result, he flipped to the next page.

A couple of voices could be heard nearby and Scott noticed some villagers struggling with horses on leashes. The Sheriff was among them. They were guiding the animals towards an empty pen next to the Saloon. Scott wondered what happened to make the horses so anxious. They were huffing, shuffling their feet and didn't want to cooperate in general. The people were struggling with getting them inside the pen. Jimmy rushed towards a young man, who tried his best to hold on to the leash. He was clearly struggling.

Scott watched as Jimmy took hold and tried to calm the horse down. He nodded towards the man, who reluctantly let go. The horse seemed to calm down as Jimmy talked to it, softly petting the animal. He then led it in to the pen, to put with the others. Scott froze when Jimmy looked up and their eyes met. The Sheriff smiled. He smiled back. Jimmy then fixed his hat and went back to work.

As the cyanette watched him gather hay for the horses, inspiration struck. Without being too aware of what his hands were doing, he began to draw. His eyes flitting between the paper and the hard-working Sheriff. Jimmy looked towards the mountains, where the last rays of sun disappeared, brows furrowed and lips pursed. Scott blinked and the drawing was done. It was one of his best works, if he said so himself. He was really proud of how the portrait of Jimmy turned out. His gaze was intense, a small smile on his lips, all kinds of colours blending together to make it a whole. He seemed to be looking of the page, a hand on the brim of his hat. It was perfect in Scott's humble opinion.

"Hey, watcha smiling about?" a voice suddenly asked, making Scott almost jump out of his chair. "Jimmy!" he said, frantically closing his drawing pad," You can't just sneak up on someone!" An amused was on the sheriff's face. "I did call out to you, but you seemed to preoccupied," he said, still smiling," You didn't respond." His eyes drifted towards the drawing pad in the other's hands. "I saw you were drawing. Did they turn out to your liking?"

Scott brushed some hair behind his ear, chuckling. "That happens when drawing, forget the world around me sometimes, sorry," he said. Jimmy smiled and gestured towards the door of the Saloon. "Care to show me them over dinner?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "I do always tell people to take me out to dinner first," Scott said teasing. Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Scott, please." Scott chuckled. "Sure, but you pay."