My Love in Blue Paper Cranes

Chapter 1: Welcome to Birds of Prey

As an artist, Heather have always been drawn to beautiful things. Well, not exactly beautiful but things that can make you stop whatever you're doing and think 'Oh' and just exist in that peaceful state for a few seconds. It just so happens that whatever it is, Heather always finds it beautiful.

And that's why she's here, in a cosy cafe situated between a bookstore and a flower shop, sitting on one of the tables by the window, drawing as fast as her hands could endure.

The chorus picks up and so does her pen. The voice of the person singing on the little stage goes a bit higher and an owl's wings materialise on her sketch pad, seemingly beating against a furiously howling wind. The song gets faster, more desperate, and a few feathers fall, losing the fight. Heather's hand aches and a few more owls appeared, aiding in the previous owl's tribulations.

The song builds up, gets more intense, as if it's preparing for the end, then it breaks and the owls are flying.

Heather takes a deep breath, leans against back on her seat and lets the ache in her hand win over. She closes her eyes and lets them rest too, she had been fighting off the burn the whole time, not wanting to blink, in case there's something that she made or made a mistake.

Exactly seven seconds later, just as she predicted, someone sits on the chair opposite of her.

"Hey, Heather! What did you draw this time? can I see? Did you like my performance?" Riley, the person who sings regularly in the cafe that Heather currently reside sin, named 'Birds of Prey,' asks her excitedly, her amber eyes shining with anticipation and Heather impulsively wishes for sunglasses, hoping to protect her eyes from the literal sunshine that Riley emits.

Instead of answering her, Heather picks up her sketch pad and examines her ew drawing. It's a pretty good one. She had finally managed to get the owl's anatomy and proportions right. Those hours upon hours of watching owl documentaries with Riley actually paid off.

She hands her sketch pad to Riley and looks away as the other accepts it. It's silly, really. Heather has been drawing ever since she had picked up a pencil and is used to people seeing her art but for some reason, showing Riley her art is a little bit more important and so she finds herself fearing the possibility that Riley might not like her art.

But it seems like she didn't need to worry when Riley literally bounces on her seat and gushes over Heather's drawing, sparkles and sunbursts surrounding her as praises after praises flow out past her lips and Heather couldn't help but smile.

"Oh my god! I love owls! And this is just hands down awesome! And you did this! Heather, you're awesome!"

Heather smiles a bit more.