Mapmaker's Boon

393 AC - I remember the first time I stepped into Zaza's workshop. It was completely different from the Painthouse with its big bay windows. Hers was dark, and a complete mess as well. Painting had always been my escape, especially when the other children teased me. They gave me a hard time because I didn't talk much. But what they didn't understand was that my language was pictures, not words. And when I started to paint the world, the Matriarch put me in Zahira's care, because she was a mapmaker and she painted the world in her own way. At first, I didn't think it was the same at all. For me, drawing a map wasn't the same thing as drawing from real life. But over time, I began to see that it wasn't all that different after all.

At first, I just made whatever I felt like. I painted using my instincts and picked whatever subject grabbed me. But Zahira would always tell me that I needed to start with the basics. Reproduce, imitate, copy. She told me that was the best way to improve my technique, and that style would come later. It was good advice, sure, but it was boring! I had to be more accurate, always more accurate. But after a while, I noticed that when I painted the outside world, I was better at identifying what I wanted to do and expressing what was in my head. When I told her about it, Zaza called it "mastering your imagination". And even Bubbles' traits had become more refined as a result. I think it was all designed to prepare us for becoming an Exalt ourselves.

NADIR