Arrivederci || Dan Heng [✓ ]

⋆ ✦ ˚｡ Part twenty-five˚｡⋆

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[dᥱ᥎ιᥴᥱ ᥒ᥆t f᥆ᥙᥒd]

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𓆩⟡𓆪
╰┈➤ 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 intently, soft noises escaping her mouth as the brush moved across the canvas. I dipped it back into the water, mixing around a few more paints.

"Woah...my big sister is the most talented painter of all!" The girl grabbed my clothes, tugging on them gently, "this is like the ocean from that movie we watched, right?" Her sincere praises ushered a sweet smile from myself,

"Thank you Clara, but hm...something isn't quite right." Both her and I studied the painting together, a hint of frustration gnawing at me.

"Maybe a little more blue?" She suggested, tilting her head thoughtfully.

I nodded in agreement, adding a touch of cerulean to the palette. With a careful hand, I blended the color in, trying to capture the essence of the ocean as I remembered it from the old movie.

But something was never exactly right, no matter how hard I tried, I could never mimic the true feeling of the sea. After all, the only thing I had to go off of was descriptions of it through films and books.

"There, how's that?" I held the brush up to her, showcasing the newly added shade of blue.

She examined it with the scrutiny only a child could muster.
"Perfect!" she declared with a bright smile, her joy very contagious.

I chuckled, the corners of my lips lifting into a genuine smile. Even if I myself wasn't satisfied with my own work, she somehow made it all worthwhile. As long as Clara liked it, I liked it.

"Thank you, Clara. I don't know what I'd do without you," I said, ruffling her hair affectionately. She giggled, swatting my hand away.

Then, both our ears perked up as we heard my mother call us from downstairs.

"Girls, come down and get some dinner!" Clara's eyes lit up at the mention of dinner, her infectious enthusiasm spreading to me.

"Food time!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her feet.

I laughed and stood up, extending a hand to help Clara from her chair.

"Alright, let's go before Mom thinks we're ignoring her."

The girl giggled and took my hand, letting me lead her out of the room. We descended the steps, the enticing aroma of the meal wafting up to greet us. As we entered the kitchen, my mother turned from the stove with a smile.

"Finally decided to join us, did you?" she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

"We were just finishing up our painting, Mom," I replied, nudging Clara forward. Her nose scrunched upon hearing the mention of anything artistic, she has never been a fan of my hobby anyways.

Instead of making a comment, the woman chuckled, placing a plate of steaming food in front of each of us. As we settled at the table, Clara's eyes widened in delight.