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Lana frowned down at her canvas, tilting her head this way and that as she tapped her pencil against her knee, contemplating. She wanted to paint, she knew that much, quite desperately, and yet inspiration seemed to be stubbornly evading her. It was a plague like no other, to have creativity trapped in your veins with no outlet. But, when a knock sounded at her door, inspiration struck like a bolt and she knew that she needed to do.

Canvas in hand, Lana followed Rime toward the kitchen - the new blimp was so incredibly large and Lana was prone to getting lost - ready to put her inspiration to work.. once she’d eaten something.

Between bites, the sketch began. First from memory, as she couldn’t really get true references while they were in the sky.

She worked for weeks, snatching moments away between training her voice more precisely and bonding with this new version of her crew post tragedy, when she’d only just started to get to know them before it. Lana worked mostly in secret, in stolen moments where nobody would be able to peer over her shoulder and learn what she was creating. They asked, of course they did, and each time she would simply insist that it was a surprise.

“Are you sure you can’t tell me what you’re working on, dear?” Rose asked softly as she perched herself on the chair opposite Lana, a warm smile on her face that never failed to make Lana feel uniquely safe. Rose’s motherly aura was something that Lana loved about her, the way she managed to make any room feel instantly safer if you were by her side. “Sorry Miss Rose, it’s a surprise.” Lana insisted again, though she never grew tired of the insistence. It felt good to have the people around her so interested in her art, so determined to know what her current project was. “I wouldn’t tell anyone.” Rose said with a smile that turned a little conspiratorial, and Lana just giggled and shook her head. “You’ll like it, I promise! It’s just not done yet.” She replied, tilting the canvas so Rose wouldn’t be able to see it as she stood again, fixing her skirt to walk away. “If you’re certain, then I’ll leave you to it. But I’m very much looking forward to seeing what you’re creating on such a large canvas.” Lana nodded, wathing Rose walk away, then got right back to work, grateful for the reminder of the details on Rose’s eyepatch.

“Mr N, I’m back to sit in the corner.” Lana called into Narcisse’s labratory, with a knock on the doorframe. He didn’t respond, but he rarely did, so Lana simply slipped inside and set herself down in the corner she’d been using for weeks to work on her painting. He was the person on the North Stars that was least likely to ask about what she was working on, as he valued the peaceful tranquility of his lab. It was sacred, or so he said. Lana didn’t mind that at all, she was content to simply work alongside him on their separate works, the peace often helping to boost her creativity. “Ah, you’re back.” Narcisse observed as he stepped into the lab. Lana didn’t speak, just waved with a grin, and then turned back to her canvas to work on some fine details. She knew the rules for being in his space well by now, so he didn’t feel the need to repeat them. He wasn’t the most kind or gentle man, but Lana had grown to appreciate how intelligent and pragmatic he often was. He made for good company on her low days, surprisingly, on the days where she didn’t need to hear placating comfort, she just needed to exist. She could do it with N with no expectations of speech, safe from others who might badger her. He was a good man, at least to her.

“So,” “What’cha workin’ on?” The twins asked, appearing either side of Lana and making her jump. She quickly slammed the canvas down against her lap, away from their prying eyes. “You scared me.” Lana said shakily, resting a hand over her chest where her heart raced. “Our bad,” “But we couldn’t resist.” She shook her head and laughed, letting the twins sit down beside her on the floor, tucked away in one of the storage rooms where she was able to work in peace. “I told you already, you’re not allowed to know until it’s done.” Lana told them with a fond smile and a roll of her eyes, tucking her pencil behind her ear fin. “You’ve been working on it for ages,” “You sure we can’t get a sneak peek?” Lana looked at each of them in turn, lips pursed and brows raised. “No sneak peeks, no hints, no previews. You can see it when it’s done.” “You’ve not even started painting it yet.” “This is torture!” They protested dramatically, leaning against her body. Lana tossed the canvas aside as she laughed, knowing their games by now, and quickly they devolved into a pile of laughing bodies. It was a good opportunity to get a better look at their hair.

Lana lay in front of the stage on the floor, on her stomach with her shoulders propping her head up, canvas in front of her as she idly altered some lines and adjusted some angles. Rime was practicing up at the stage in front of her, not truly performing for her small audience as much as she was simply warming up. They were due to do a performance soon as a group, putting them back into the public eye after taking a brief hiatus, and Rime needed to be perfect. Lana was pretty sure that Rime was never anything but perfect, she looked up to her a lot. She was an incredible performer - the best ever, if you were to ask Lana - and she commanded a space with so little effort, something Lana was sure she’d never be able to do. It was hard not to be starstruck, even all this time later.

“You okay down there, babe?” Rime asked from the stage, making Lana look up at her, beaming. “Yeah. You sound amazing!” Lana replied, pushing herself up to sit properly, dedicating her full attention to the woman in front of her. “Ya think? I think I need to run that one again.” She replied, stood with one hip popped, her hand resting there. “Whatever makes you feel good! But I think you’ve totally got it - you always do.” Lana pushed herself up to stand to make sure she could fully get her point across, careful not to step on her canvas as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “How far are you on that painting then?” She asked conversationally, making a hand signal to the person operating the music. “Sketch is nearly done, just ironing out some details. Painting will be faster cause I know what I need to do then.” Lana explained, reaching up to tighten her pigtails. “You’ve been keeping us waiting for quite a while now, you’ve got us all wondering.” “I know, I know! But I swear.. like no more than two more weeks!” Rime nodded and gave another hand signal, and the music began again, allowing Lana to go back to detailing.

Hanon was one of Lana’s favourite people on board, though granted everyone on board seemed to be one of her favourite people, Hanon was just that tiny bit above them. They got along incredibly well, and could understand each other on a level that others just couldn’t quite do. She sat outside his tank, laying on the ground looking up, holding her canvas at different angles to inspect it. Hanon tapped on the glass of his tank and signed to Lana. “/I thought you said you were nearly done with that?/” She hummed softly as she considered her response. “Yeah, it’s basically done, I just need to add all the shading and stuff. I just.. it feels like something is missing, y’know? And sometimes you just need a different perspective to work it out.” She said, setting the canvas aside to fully focus on the man beside her. “/Sometimes you need to totally take a break and come back with new eyes./” Lana nodded, she knew the value of that. “You’re right. Painting can be finished later, for now, I’m hanging out with one of my favourite people!” She said, setting her canvas down at the side of the room, face down so nobody could see it, and focused on Hanon, giving him her full attention. Hanon had been the first North Star that Lana had connected with, and their bond remained strong even now she had so many other new friends. A real group of friends, unlike the one she had before.

Though she still wasn’t quite happy with it, Lana had decided that the painting was the most done that it could be. She took a snail photo of it to send to each member’s personal snails, allowing them to see it. It was, objectively, a good painting. She was proud of it, in a sense, especially after all her hard work. It just didn’t feel finished.

Rime was the first to find Lana, interested to see the painting in person. She took the canvas gently and inspected it with her piercing eyes, and Lana simply waited to see what she’d say. “It’s missing something.” Rime said conversationally, glancing back at Lana. “That’s what I thought, but I couldn’t figure it out.” She agreed with a sigh, running her fingers through her loose her. Rose approached them next, having overheard as she passed by the two and inspected the painting herself. “I thought so,” she mused with a smile that made the corners of her eyes crinkle, “I know exactly what’s missing.” Rose said, a knowing twinkle in her eye. Lana didn’t flinch when the twins appeared either side of her, leaning against her shoulder and head respectively. “You aren’t in it.” Came Narcisse’s voice from across the room, a single brow raised that told her he expected better. “What? It’s art of you guys though.” Lana protested. “Yeah,” “And you’re one of us now.” The twins said, ruffling her hair.

Lana had never felt more at home.