Xulthas stepped back, his green eyes slowly roaming over the finished portrait resting on the easel with an expression of satisfaction. He had captured every detail.
Hearing the soft splashing cease, Xulthas turned to find Zaliyah leaning back against the wooden rim of the tub, breathing a sigh of relief. The moment the charcoal sticks were laid down, Zaliyah slid beneath the surface of the water, letting out a string of bubbles and muttering, "It's been so long since since I did this"
Xulthas chuckled, walking over to fold the portrait with meticulous care before stowing it away in a protective cylinder. "It's been so long you blew bubbles like a child?"
"Yes" Zaliyah replied, popping his head back up above the waterline, wiping droplets from his eyelashes, and demanded, "Let me see it."
Xulthas snapped the brass clasp of the cylinder shut. "Not a chance. Some things are far too dangerous to leave out in the open."
