A smile was a smile, even if it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Painting was one of Zinnia’s favorite ways to express herself, even if most of them never saw the light of day, staying trapped inside the pages of her sketchbook or inside a bag where charmed all her finished canvases. They surely had different styles so maybe they could learn a thing or two from each other, both teachers and students at the same time.

Zinnia nodded. “I can’t say I use too much else.” Outside of charcoal, which she liked when she didn’t have plans to color anything in. He flexed his fingers and she just smiled at him, giving him a small tug forward. “I love sketching too. Maybe when you feel up to it, send me an owl. We can find a quiet place and sketch together.” She was very good at sitting in silence, finding that she was always absorbed into whatever she was working on.

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