The meeting had been miraculously short, considering how such things often went. Thrawn might have credited it to the fine weather had the others not immediately disappeared deeper within the city. But that did not matter to him. The meeting had been purely perfunctory, and the rest of the day was free to all.

The ride to the edge of the city's limits was silent, and he declined any offer of escort or guidance once he arrived at his destination. This planet, just barely within the perimeter of the Mid Rim, was fairly peaceful and untroubled, and he was not concerned with losing his way in the forest that bordered the city on its northern and western edge.

As his ride disappeared—somewhat reluctantly—back toward the city, Thrawn looked up from where he stood at the trailhead. The trees here were primarily deciduous, with tall silvery trunks stretching upward at least thirty feet high. The leaves shone in a brilliant display of golds and pale reds, shimmering and whispering whenever the wind caught them. The ground beneath them was sparsely scattered with foliage, allowing for a fairly clear view of the immediate landscape as it spread out from where he stood. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.

The path was well-worn, a sign of its regular use by the local population. And Thrawn was not the least bit surprised. The forest was beautiful, crawling over gentle rises and laced with bubbling creeks. The natural wildlife watched curiously as he passed through, and he in turn quietly observed their antics.

They did not have forests like these on Csilla, which was constantly frozen; and the world of his exile had been much more humid, its forest thick with undergrowth. Here, the air was crisp and clean, comfortably cool and filled with an aromatic, woodsy scent. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes briefly simply to enjoy the moment. The peaceful stillness here was yet filled with a keen sense of life, standing in stark contrast to the cold silence of a starship in deep space.

Eli had not joined him for the meeting that day, at Thrawn's insistence. He had seen the young commander's growing weariness and had taken a rather firm stand that he did not require his assistance today, recommending instead the opportunity to explore a bit of the planet's natural side. While Eli could take to the city when necessary, it was obvious that he often missed the wilder terrain he was used to on Lysatra; and there was no mistaking the slight slump of relief in his posture when Thrawn mentioned the possibility of such an excursion into the woods.

Thrawn strolled leisurely along the path, his hands clasped behind him as he took in the scenery. There was no one else there, and as the sun sank lower in the sky, brilliant beams pierced the canopy, dotting the ground with warm pools of light. Here and there, leaves drifted slowly to the forest floor. It was a later season in this planet's yearly cycle, and the vegetation was preparing for colder weather.

Art was not restricted to work done by hand, and the art of nature was by no means lost on him. It was simply rare to have these moments of appreciation.

Glancing ahead, Thrawn finally caught sight of that which he sought. A lone figure could be seen farther down the path, and Thrawn moved with silent steps so as not to disturb him.

Eli sat on a low rock wall lining a shallow ravine. Sunlight surrounded him in a golden glow, catching his hair and drawing out its color. He wore his civilian clothes, and in his lap rested his guitar, his fingers gently running over the strings in an improvisational melody. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, away from Thrawn, as if lost in thought.

Thrawn stopped several yards away, merely observing, taking great care not to interrupt the younger man's reverie.

Eli had not realized how much time had passed until the angling sunlight blinded him where he sat. Blinking the light out of his eyes, he tilted his head back, staring up through the leaves to the pale blue sky above him. The leaves shuddered and danced in the breeze, and for several long moments, he just watched.

It was so quiet here. So peaceful. It had been ages since he had been able to take a moment like this away from everything. Almost to forget. His fingers rubbed affectionately across the smooth, cool surface of the guitar's body. In a place like this, it was very easy to forget the frustrations of life.

With a soft sigh, he straightened, tilting his head from side to side and stretching his neck, which he now realized was feeling a bit sore from sitting there so long. "I guess I should head back now," he murmured to himself. He turned and made to stand up when he nearly fell over in surprise. "Oh! Sir! I didn't know you were there!"

Thrawn was standing just a little way down the path, datapad and stylus in hand. At Eli's exclamation, he returned the stylus to its position along the top of the datapad and clipped the whole thing to his belt. A smile played at the edges of his mouth. "I apologize for startling you, Commander," he said smoothly, stepping forward and folding his arms behind his back. "It was not my intent, I assure you."

"I know," Eli said, pushing himself to his feet and strapping the guitar to his back. "I just wasn't expecting you to be there." He met Thrawn halfway. "Did the meeting go well?"

Thrawn nodded, catching Eli's gaze. "As well as can be expected. Did you enjoy your time here?"

"Yes." Eli glanced back at where he had been sitting. "I admit I wasn't aware of how late it had grown. I suppose we should head back?"

"If you are ready."

"Yeah," Eli said somewhat reluctantly, turning away. "Let's go."

Thrawn wasn't in his office, although there was the possibility that he was training at the moment. Eli was about to leave when something on the admiral's desk caught his eye. Curious, he walked over to inspect it. There were several small bowls arranged neatly along one side, and in the middle of the desk was a strangely shaped flat object splattered with color and several pieces of paper—a very unusual sight, indeed, particularly aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer. Frowning, he rounded the desk for a better look.

They were paintings. And from what Eli could see, they were based on the wood he and Thrawn had walked just the day before. He blinked then bent closer. He was in two of them, one from a distance with the afternoon light falling like a halo around him, and the other a much closer view, the sunlight catching and highlighting the color of his eyes. He blinked again, impressed and shocked. Had Thrawn done this?

"Ah, Commander, is everything all right?"

The voice startled him, and he took a hasty step away from the desk as he looked up to where Thrawn had entered the room. "Y-yes, sir." His cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your privacy."

Thrawn was buttoning the sleeves of his tunic as he approached the desk. "There is no invasion, Commander," he said quietly. "You know you are always welcome here."

"I know, but—" Eli cut himself off, biting his lip as he glanced down at the paintings.

The light in Thrawn's eyes brightened as he realized what was making Eli uncomfortable. "Ah yes, I forgot to clear my desk."

"Did...did you do these?" Eli asked hesitantly, waving his hand over the images.

"I did." Thrawn bowed his head humbly.

"These are...incredible." Eli looked over each one before shifting his gaze upward to meet Thrawn's. "I knew you liked art, but I had no idea you were an artist yourself."

"Well," Thrawn said, lowering his eyes to glance at the paintings himself, "I have been practicing different styles and techniques, at any rate."

Eli snorted. "If this is you practicing, then I can't wait to see you complete a masterpiece."

"I'm afraid it won't come to that," Thrawn replied, stepping around to stand beside Eli. He bent just enough to open a drawer and pull out a thick binder, laying it on the desk's surface. Gently, he lifted the cover, revealing page after page of sketches and drawings and paintings. He pushed it toward Eli, indicating that he could look through the pages. "Apart from the fact that I do not have the time to devote to such a project, it has only ever been done for personal reasons."

Eli stared in awe, gingerly flipping from one page to the next, recognizing many of the images—and finding himself in a fair few, as well as others from the various crews they had been a part of in the past. It almost reminded him of the memory albums his mother put together through the years. "Are all of these particular memories?" he asked, glancing back up at Thrawn.

Thrawn tipped his head in acknowledgement. "I know photos can be a quicker and more accurate means of capturing such moments, but I find that they are more deeply ingrained in the memory when I make the effort to recreate them myself."

Eli suddenly realized something. "Your datapad. The special one you have with the stylus. That's not a normal datapad, is it?"

The corner of Thrawn's mouth twitched upward, and he pulled the datapad from the drawer as well, turning it on and allowing Eli to look at it. It, too, was filled with sketches, color swatches, and notes.

"Thrawn—Admiral—this is amazing! You are amazing." He set the datapad down, looking up at the other earnestly. "Have you ever shown anyone your work?"

Thrawn shook his head. "No. As I said, these are only personal. A means of focus, or distraction."

Eli looked down again, continuing his perusal of the binder, his chest tightening at the images of himself, the many expressions that Thrawn had seen and captured so accurately, so artistically. Eli had no idea. What did he think about when he created these? What prompted his desire to capture certain moments? Thrawn often pointed out how the art of a people could give insight into their thoughts and beliefs, what was important to them, how they would react to certain situations. So what would these reveal about Thrawn himself? If only he had Thrawn's skill in reading it.

"Thank you," he said quietly, resting his hand lightly over a drawing of the two of them standing on the bridge, side-by-side. He looked up into Thrawn's glowing gaze. "Thank you for letting me see this. It's a great honor."

"It is my honor to share them with you," Thrawn said in return, tipping his head and giving Eli a quiet smile.

Author's Note: So, completely random and fluffy. It's nearing autumn here, and as I was listening to music the other day while working (in particular, "November Woods" by Acoustic Eidolon), the image of Thrawn and Eli walking through a golden wood came to my mind, as well as Eli sitting in said woods and playing his guitar softly. I wanted to capture the images by drawing them as well, but until (and if) I get the actual time to do so, I decided to give Thrawn that honor (and another hidden skill).