I was just a simple maid, in an ordinary mill town in Ionia. It is such a small town and I worked at the inn. I was from a town just south of here, I have been told that people from my hometown have a pleasant lilt in our voices. People often told me I was beautiful, angelic and youthful, everyone but him. The day Khada Jhin came to my little mill town, he asked odd requests. Once he had me line up and light lanterns, a white lantern every 4 yards and a red one every sixteen. Usually people just ask me to bring them food, or extra blankets for their room but not him, not Khada Jhin.

I don't know what his face looked like, but when he stepped out of that room in his strange ensemble, a strange bulk on his shoulder, gold that seemed to glow in the sunlight, his jewels, glittering, that cloak of his, cream colored with gold designing. I was mesmerized, he was so articulated, so dramatic. It was like every second of his existence, he was art itself. I brought flowers to his room after I informed him that I had finished putting up the lanterns just as he asked. I asked him what that strange large foreign object was on his shoulder, He stared at me, no not stared, examined, his one eye that could be seen looked at me intently then he simply said "It's for the crescendo, my darling."

I entered his room to set down the flowers I had brought, I could feel his eye following my every movement. When I was finished placing the flowers I looked at him and smiled before heading to the door. He stopped me, no not stopped, obstructed the path to the exit. He slowly closed the door and walked towards me. I was scared, but I shouldn't have been. He was gonna make me into his art. He walked forward, no, he strided forward. For every step forward, I took one step back.

One.

Two.

Three steps.

Then the fourth,

He came to a rhythmic end to his strides. He stood in front of me, my back pressed against the wall. "Such a dull, predictable design, so symmetrical" he caressed my cheek, "It would make a very poor mask. I will make it more interesting for you."

That's when he made me a work of art. One of his art pieces. I was so frightened at the time. He got so close.

A knife to my cheek.

A gun to my eye.

With such precision and a fluid motion. A line of four bullets from my right shoulder to my left hip. The removal of my left eye, and he carved a flower from the empty socket. Then he signed his work right bellow , KJ.

The pain was worth it. I am his art piece and that's the greatest thing anyone can be.