Of Radiant Summer Skys

Chapter 15

Jaxx followed the others to the craft room, a room he hadn't been in yet. It was like a cabin, but it had the same tables as the mess hall. Shelves lined the back wall carrying crates full of what he assumed were art supplies. Smaller containers, filled with things like pencils, pens and markers were in the center of each table.

"Do you think one of those will fit all of us?" Luca asked.

Jaxx shrugged, "Probably, these things are supposed to seat eight. We should still have room for Levi, if he ever decides to join us."

"I wonder where he could be," Candi said, "I miss him."

Sora and Alex took a seat near the shelves. Light took a seat next to Alex. Jaxx chose a seat next to Luca and Charli tried to sit on his other side, but Candi beat her to it. Dejected, Charli sat next to Sora instead, who shot Candi an icy glare.

Once they were seated, Alex and Sora each pulled out a sheet of paper and got to work. Jaxx wasn't very interested in watching them make... whatever they were making and the others seemed to lose interest pretty fast. Candi was already sneaking glances under the table, probably at her phone. Charli had reached behind her to grab sheets of paper and was now folding them. Luca noticed and asked for paper as well. Pretty soon, everyone had a few sheets of paper.

Jaxx was not an artsy person by any stretch of the imagination. He had no interest in art and he wasn't very good at it anyway. He found it more entertaining to watch other people create it than it was to make it himself, so that's exactly what he did.

He tapped Luca on the shoulder, quietly asking if he didn't mind him watching.

Luca nodded, "Sure go ahead, I don't mind."

Jaxx inched a bit closer, watching Luca fold his piece of paper in half before unfolding it and flipping it over. He folded it in half again. Jaxx wondered what he was making.

One paper boat was made, then another, and another, and another. Once he had four he'd run out of paper.

He turned to Jaxx, "Can I use your paper, or were you going to use it."

Jaxx enthusiastically slid him his paper. He enjoyed watching Luca make the paper boats and didn't want to feel like he was wasting the paper anyway.

Watching artists, Jaxx learned less about how to make art and more about artists themselves. For one, they didn't seem to like it when he got too close. They said it felt like he was breathing down their backs, so he'd always done his best to keep his distance. Until now that is, as Luca pulled him in like a magnet. Jaxx got as close as he dared, but Luca didn't seem to mind much.

As the paper boats continued to spring from his hands as if they were magic, Jaxx found himself watching not the paper boats, but Luca. He took in the concentrated look on his face and the way he bit his lip when a boat seemed to refuse to cooperate.

Before he knew it, Luca had made seven paper boats. They looked from Candi to their small fleet of boats, probably considering adding an eighth. Instead they pushed the final piece of paper aside and reached for a red marker.

They paused, "Do you want to decorate it?"

It took Jaxx a second to answer, he had gotten lost in their eyes, "What?"

"The boat," they said, "Do you want to decorate it?"

Jaxx shook his head, "I'm not very good at that sort of thing. I'll probably ruin it."

"I have an extra sheet of paper and there's more on the shelf. You can ruin as many as you want."

"Do you want me to decorate it?" he asked.