“You make an excellent point, and therefore I think that we are better off if we just resolve to never feud. I am not sure who would win but I am certain most of the herd would wind up being involved, and the battle would be extensive. While it would give our minstrels something to sing about, I think silly, entertainment combat is better that true fighting. Besides, I am fond of the rabble-rousers and I would not any harm to come to them.”
She tilted her head, musing as she clawed idly at the sands beneath her feet. “If you see Duman or Londyn before I do, please be certain to at least bring up the idea. They can advise us of any modifications, and save us any feathers if there are none on hand. I may borrow some from the hens or the swans to see if the dye holds well. Then we can talk to the eagles and hawks about feathers to paint.”
They grey mare smiled faintly and nuzzled Terhi before stepping back and watching him soar up into the sky. With a flutter of smoke colored feathers the hawk spun and flew off, disappearing beyond the edge of the artists’ work area and lost beyond the tree line in a matter of moments. “Safe and fruitful travels, my friend.”
***
With Terhi Tarik off on his own adventure, Sovanna turned her attention back to her work area. She had made a few pieces –a vase, a bowl, a cup, three buckles and a dozen or so buttons- to test her new technique on. There was a set that had been split with a splash and a drip-glaze technique, just to give her some variety. A duplicate set was left bare, ready to take on whatever they would from the materials she’d surround them with. She also made a set to leave in the pit kiln to try that way, though there was nothing to do but wait for the paper and sawdust to burn down on that batch. For the rest of her experiment she would be working in two of the smaller beehive kilns, rather than the largest downdraft climbing kilns on the far side of the work area.
Aside from one of the pit kilns and two of the beehive kilns, Sova had worked with some of the metal artisans to create what she was calling a bake chest, a kiln like-structure she’d filled the compartments of with sawdust and paper shreddings gathered from some of the other artists. With tongs near the kiln she’d been stoking and feeding, the plan was to fetch some of the wares while red hot and bury them in the paper or dust and close the bake chest.
She had also gathered a selection of wares to load into a cold kiln and then planned to stoke it, before pulling them out and cooling them with splashes of water. That set would go in while the first set were heating, so she had something to do while she waited to pull the first set free and place them in their paper and sawdust nests.
Glancing over her selection of items, Sovanna nodded to herself and began. Loading a set of test objects into the cold kiln with its nest of fuel, she ensured everything was correct and then left that batch alone for now. The next set was carefully loaded into her already hot kiln, and she flipped the delicate glass-and-sand timer on her work table once the door had closed. A crafting of one of the other merchants in the herd, the delicate spindle of glass and grains was framed by a rich golden wood that gleamed warm in the sun.
“I should ask for more of them.” She noted to no one at all, watching the grains fall with interest. “It’s become unaccountably useful, I think all the artists that need to time their wares should have them. I shall have to remember to ask Terhi what he thinks.”
The sands trickling merrily away, Sovanna set about to lighting the second kiln and stoking it as quickly as she could, pausing only to take the tongs in claw and work on removing the hot pieces and stowing them in the bake box when the time was right. Bake box firmly closed and paper and sawdust burning away, Sova flipped the timer again and set about fueling the second kiln until she was satisfied with the flames and once again waiting for the time to run down and her pottery to be ready for the next step.
Hopefully, by the end of the day, she’d have some samples to show Forest and the others.
She tilted her head, musing as she clawed idly at the sands beneath her feet. “If you see Duman or Londyn before I do, please be certain to at least bring up the idea. They can advise us of any modifications, and save us any feathers if there are none on hand. I may borrow some from the hens or the swans to see if the dye holds well. Then we can talk to the eagles and hawks about feathers to paint.”
They grey mare smiled faintly and nuzzled Terhi before stepping back and watching him soar up into the sky. With a flutter of smoke colored feathers the hawk spun and flew off, disappearing beyond the edge of the artists’ work area and lost beyond the tree line in a matter of moments. “Safe and fruitful travels, my friend.”
***
With Terhi Tarik off on his own adventure, Sovanna turned her attention back to her work area. She had made a few pieces –a vase, a bowl, a cup, three buckles and a dozen or so buttons- to test her new technique on. There was a set that had been split with a splash and a drip-glaze technique, just to give her some variety. A duplicate set was left bare, ready to take on whatever they would from the materials she’d surround them with. She also made a set to leave in the pit kiln to try that way, though there was nothing to do but wait for the paper and sawdust to burn down on that batch. For the rest of her experiment she would be working in two of the smaller beehive kilns, rather than the largest downdraft climbing kilns on the far side of the work area.
Aside from one of the pit kilns and two of the beehive kilns, Sova had worked with some of the metal artisans to create what she was calling a bake chest, a kiln like-structure she’d filled the compartments of with sawdust and paper shreddings gathered from some of the other artists. With tongs near the kiln she’d been stoking and feeding, the plan was to fetch some of the wares while red hot and bury them in the paper or dust and close the bake chest.
She had also gathered a selection of wares to load into a cold kiln and then planned to stoke it, before pulling them out and cooling them with splashes of water. That set would go in while the first set were heating, so she had something to do while she waited to pull the first set free and place them in their paper and sawdust nests.
Glancing over her selection of items, Sovanna nodded to herself and began. Loading a set of test objects into the cold kiln with its nest of fuel, she ensured everything was correct and then left that batch alone for now. The next set was carefully loaded into her already hot kiln, and she flipped the delicate glass-and-sand timer on her work table once the door had closed. A crafting of one of the other merchants in the herd, the delicate spindle of glass and grains was framed by a rich golden wood that gleamed warm in the sun.
“I should ask for more of them.” She noted to no one at all, watching the grains fall with interest. “It’s become unaccountably useful, I think all the artists that need to time their wares should have them. I shall have to remember to ask Terhi what he thinks.”
The sands trickling merrily away, Sovanna set about to lighting the second kiln and stoking it as quickly as she could, pausing only to take the tongs in claw and work on removing the hot pieces and stowing them in the bake box when the time was right. Bake box firmly closed and paper and sawdust burning away, Sova flipped the timer again and set about fueling the second kiln until she was satisfied with the flames and once again waiting for the time to run down and her pottery to be ready for the next step.
Hopefully, by the end of the day, she’d have some samples to show Forest and the others.
Wordcount: 788
