This chapter is dedicated to Shadow's Interceptor; thanks for the review! Also, a big thank-you to Skykhanhunter for being the first to review this story!
6. Relm Wants More Color
Shadow stared at the small girl standing in front of him. She stared back.
"I'm going to paint you," she said finally. He continued to stare.
"No." She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"I'm using a normal brush, so I am going to paint you."
"No," the man repeated, feeling the edges of his patience begin to fray. Relm began setting up her painting supplies, completely ignoring her soon-to-be subject. Shadow's left eye gave the slightest twitch as, upon finishing her setup, the girl turned to stare at him once again.
"There's something wrong with you," she said bluntly. Though her honesty was appreciated, her tactfulness was sorely missed.
"What do you mean?" If Relm was surprised by the almost unnoticeable hint of interest in his voice, she didn't show it.
"I like to use lots of colors when I paint, and you," she said, brandishing her paintbrush at him, "are not colorful enough." He motioned to the small areas of blue, red, and gold on his clothing and armor. She didn't look impressed.
"That's not good enough." She stared for a second longer before a triumphant look overcame her features. Removing her hat, she offered it to the assassin.
"Wear this," she commanded. His eyes narrowed, and a slight sneer formed behind his mask.
"Absolutely not." Relm sighed, shrugging. Shadow, taking this as a sign of defeat, replaced his sneer with a smug smile. However, the artist's next action soon rid him of his smirk.
"Grandpa, Shadow's letting me throw pointy stuff at the walls!" The silent man quickly snatched the hat out of her hand and awkwardly placed it on his head. The last thing he needed was the old man lecturing him on appropriate behavior. Relm beamed and went straight to work on her painting.
Sabin was wandering around the airship when he saw something surprising and rather comical: Shadow, the aloof assassin, posing for Relm, a ten-year-old girl, with said girl's brightly-colored cap perched on his head like a Gigan Toad. The Figaroan man began to back away slowly, knowing that Shadow would not appreciate anyone witnessing this embarrassing ordeal. As soon as he was sure he was out of earshot, the blonde man began laughing uncontrollably.
"Done! Whatcha think?" The artist turned her finished painting so Shadow could see. Sure enough, a perfect likeness of himself adorned the page. And there was that accursed hat. As if reading his mind, the girl held out her hand.
"Okay, gimme back my hat." He gladly removed the cap and returned it to its owner. Then, as he looked on in slight amazement, Relm gathered her supplies and left without so much as another glance at him. He sighed, rubbing his temple.
"There's something wrong with you," he muttered.
Author's Note: First of all, sorry for the long wait! Secondly, sorry if this one is out-of-character and a bit unbelievable/silly.
Thank-you for your time~!