One Year Ago [Solo, Free Form]

365 days.

It had been 365 days since Clementine’s sister, Amilianna, had been taken into custody by the Magic Council. 365 days since Clem’s world changed forever. 365 days of adventure, changes, and learning. 365 days of sorrow, missing, and loneliness.

So Clementine found herself in the town of Talonia, 365 days after that day. It was a humble little place, filled with bustling guildless mages and bordered by a cascading waterfall. It was not without its quiet moments, though. Clem had visited the majority of the buildings around, and though they were busy during the day, at night it seemed to be quiet. The park in which she currently strolled, called Solemn Park, seemed aptly named. She passed but one person as she went, giving a slight nod. That was a major change that she had noticed in herself. She left behind her awful life of living in the slums, stealing to survive, and blending into crowds. Now that she was a delinquent by choice and not by circumstance, she allowed herself to stand out more in public. Greeting others, being confident in her words and actions. It was a major personality change that she had fully embraced. Her life was different, and she had to adapt accordingly.

Crickets echoed softly through the park. It was a clear night, the stars shining down and peeking through the canopy of trees above. Leaves rustled against a slight breeze, the only movement besides a female figure standing underneath a bridge. Clem looked over the bricks, puzzling over what design to tag on the structure. Two paint cans were gripped in gloved hands. Many more hung from the belt at her waist. Behind her, a softly glowing dragon lay coiled. His giant, colorful head rested on his paws. The rest of his body was too large to fit under the bridge, so it snaked out from underneath into another curl. The flared end of his tail twitched gently like a cat’s.

“Clem, I think you know what design you ought to do today,” he rumbled. She turned and gave the dragon a look. “I was tryin’ to forget about today, ya know,” came the snappy response. “But it’s just not happenin’. I prob’ly won’t ever forget…” the words trailed off as her voice began to waver.

“Your pain is justified. It’s not wrong to remember and it’s not wrong to feel hurt even though it was a year ago. You can let it out, Clem. You know I’ll be helping to channel your feelings into your work,” the serpentine shape shifted in the dark as he spoke, coming to rest at her side. The painter’s hand reached over to touch the dragon’s beard, running her fingers softly through. “I just dunno if it’s possible to do her justice, Magenta. What if I mess it up and it don’t look like her?”

“I believe your memory won’t ever let you forget an inch of her face,” the colorful dragon replied. “Now let’s start.” The once-coiled form began to pitch and roll like a stormy ocean wave. Spinning, twisting, turning. Magenta’s movements contradicted Clem’s still figure. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on conjuring her sister’s face in her mind. A pang of sorrow shot through her heart. She missed her sister so much…

Suddenly the painter’s eyes shot open and she sprung into action. Squirts of spray paint began to appear on the brick wall. Feet shuffled as she moved about, adding colors. Magenta swooped in and slapped paint of his own onto the design, picturing the end result just the same as his friend. The two worked together to build the painting like a strange dance of colors and emotion. Hissing paint cans, feet, and the clack of dragon scales were the only sounds to be heard throughout Solemn Park.

After hours of nonstop movement and work, Clem and Magenta took a step back to observe. There in front of them, like an apparition, was an exact recreation of Amilianna’s face. From the innocent brown eyes down to each lock of brunette hair, it was perfect.

Clementine collapsed to the ground, exhaustion finally hitting her. Tears began to leak down her cheeks as she looked over her work. “She’s so beautiful…” the painter sobbed between gasped breaths. The giant dragon nodded his head in agreement. Clem leaned back against his scaly side, finally letting her emotions free. Dragon and woman spent the night in front of their masterpiece, consumed by memories and the moment.