Sunbeam Town: Portrait
#3 of Clean
"Welcome to Sunbeam Town, a quiet island community where nobody remembers the world beyond the waves. The townsfolk are friendly and welcoming, and united by the quiet knowledge that some past version of themselves wished to forget. Be caring and kind, and you'll fit right in here. And yes, it's okay to mourn for the person you used to be. Even if we're all happier now, we all have things we wish we hadn't lost."
Another short little story, exploring Lydia's struggles a bit. I should try to write longer stories in this setting, but this is good enough for now. <3
Also, if you like my work, you could send a few bucks my way on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/hexwitchcirce
CHARACTERS
Farrago: a chimera with a mix of dragon, owl, and fox parts, and robotic prosthetic replacements for her left arm, right leg from the knee down, and her tail. A restless, inquisitive trans girl whose identity always seems to be in flux.
Lydia: A fairy cat with butterfly wings and antennae. Her fur and wings become iridescent when she's feeling good about herself. A loud, extroverted trans girl who struggles with her sense of self-worth.
It's another warm, lazy afternoon, and Lydia is painting Farrago, who's happily posing nude for her. Farrago's a bit stiff from holding her pose for so long, but it's worth the tradeoff to help her girlfriend with her paintings (and let her stare at her naked, of course).
Lydia, on the other hand, appears to be getting increasingly frustrated. Her vibrant wings are starting to blacken and wilt, her usually sparkling fur growing dull. Farrago can't help but notice, but she doesn't want to move from her spot and potentially ruin the painting.
Lydia pauses, gripping her paintbrush tightly, her hand shaking. "Ugh! This is awful!" She swipes the brush across the canvas and flings it to the ground, getting up from her seat and storming off to her bedroom.
"Lydia? Hey, what's wrong?" Farrago gets up, following after Lydia. She pauses to glance at the canvas. It's hard to see what Lydia thought was so awful about it, although the half-finished painting is now obscured by an angry streak of paint.
Farrago follows Lydia into her room to find her sprawled over her bed. Farrago sits down and softly pets Lydia's head. "Are you okay?"
Lydia makes a quiet grumbly sound. "I'm no good at anything."
Farrago frowns. "That's not true. I saw the painting, and I thought it was beautiful."
"That's not true. I -- " She starts to cry, holding her head in her hands. "Y-you're so pretty and I was just making a mockery of your body by screwing up."
Farrago lies down and gives Lydia a firm hug, squeezing her close. "Just knowing you think I'm pretty enough to paint makes me feel happy. I'd be overjoyed with anything you made. It doesn't have to be perfect."
Lydia sniffles and nestles up against Farrago, her wings brightening a little bit. "I...g-guess so...but I ruined it, didn't I."
"That's okay. You can always start a new one." Farrago gently, soothingly runs her fingers through Lydia's fur, holding her close and letting her cry.
"M-maybe tomorrow...for now, can we just...stay here? This is...good..."
Farrago nods. "That's fine...take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
Lydia closes her eyes, slowly relaxing in her girlfriend's arms as the light slowly returns to her wings.