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 Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:43 pm
[the bbb team xD *shot* this is after the couple's visit to Blackbirch's territory, and before Blackbirch's request for Fi's visit]
Feathers ruffle from the breeze as large wings catch the wind for a slow and almost lazy glide. The owner of the wing span was quiet, carefully dangling a freshly caught squirrel with a talon and enjoying the brisk winter air that the night provided him in his travel. He was in thought: it wasn't long ago that he had requested the visit of his niece and her chosen other, and the metaphorical gears were turning. Did the wildtype have it in him? He certainly seemed interested in broadening his horizons, so to speak, but it's going to need a lot more than just his instincts to accept another apprentice.
And so, it just so happened that while he was speaking to a client of his, the topic came up and he learned of a Teacher who had used his services - imagine that! After receiving some more information [such as where he may find this teacher], he quickly went about to finishing his normal tasks for the night, caught a little something to interest the lady herself, and set off.
Her personal territory was closer to his vicinity than the center of Deep Woods where she taught, so it didn't take him very long to find himself in questionable boundaries. This must be it, he thought to himself as he made a quiet landing on a branch and giving out a hoot to announce his presence and to see if anyone was around. The squirrel continued to dangle by the talons.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:54 pm
 The unfamiliar hoot caught the teacher by surprise. The large ghost had just dropped to one of the lowest branches near the sunflower field and was lazily observing her companion fill a small pouch with seeds when the call came to her ears. The skurri closed the pouch with haste and carried it quickly towards her master who had already outstretched a wing to help the companion climb to her back. Taking the pouch with a talon, the red-eyed teacher hooted back as she rose in the air.
Landing softly on the main platform, her gaze pierced the darkness as she searched for any signs of movement. A customer… a supplier… a former student… she was quite sure she wasn’t expecting anyone that night. But she was looking for students at the moment so it there was a good chance the unfamiliar call had come from a minder or a parent.
“Feel free to enter. I’m on the middle platform.” She spoke a little harshly, as one who is used to bark orders often does, before she turned to her companion. “Ally, stranger.”
The skurri hopped from the ghost’s back but didn’t leave her master’s side. “Strangers” seemed to look at her differently and not exactly in good way so the skurri made sure they saw her next to the imposing grey shape of her master.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:32 pm
Ah, so she's home, he thought in relief. It would have been a long night if he had to travel to the heart of Deep Woods, and so it was with a feeling of gratefulness that he took off towards her forceful voice. That certainly wasn't a bad quality to carry if one was a teacher of those that are easily distracted, and so far, his impression of her - without necessarily meeting her - is good.
He weaved by trees and branches before his eyes finally caught the platform of which she spoke of, old and sturdy as though built by his own comrades. He gave another hoot of greeting before settling himself at the platform's edge, shuffling his wings to a close.
"Good evening," He bowed his head in respect and to show that he means no harm with his visit, "I hope I haven't intruded in a bad time for you."
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:58 pm
Breeze nodded politely as the older sentinel bowed his head and examined the newcomer with a quick glance. She first classified him as a Deep Woods but her eyes were quick to find contradicting feathers. An aberrant. She fought the instinctive reaction of contempt, silently ashamed of the first thoughts that occurred to her and hid the inner turmoil with a pleasant smile.
“Good evening to you as well. Your timing is impeccable as you’ve managed to find me without any students. And that is most rare I assure you. I am Breeze, a teacher at your service.” An older sentinel deserved all her respect after all and she wasn’t about to let old habits take control of her. After all, even if he was an aberrant, there didn’t seem to anything wrong with him. He certainly didn’t have any major flaws or weaknesses. If he had… well, he wouldn’t have lived to such an age.
The red gaze moved to the squirrel and back to the sentinel with mild curiosity. What kind of service did the old sentinel have in mind?
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:09 pm
Blackbirch has dealt with prejudice of his type all of his life and had grown used to the double-takes and side glances when others realize that he's not exactly one of them. Granted, he never took it well to begin with - sentinels should just accept each other for who they are and not be closed minded, and has been known to become rude or even hostile in his younger years to those who wouldn't mind their own business. Tonight, however, he didn't notice a discomfort of any sort, so either his mind is full and distracted, or Breeze is putting a remarkable amount of effort to hide her old habits.
"Well, that certainly sounds lucky indeed," He responded with a gruff chuckle, "I am Blackbirch, and my trade is Building. I come here with questions of which I hope you'd be able to answer, if you don't mind." He raised the talon holding onto the carcass and continued, "I have brought you a gift to make up for the trouble."
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:39 am
Breeze smiled cordially as the old sentinel chuckled and looked rather impressed as he stated his task. Her eyes travelled through the platforms around her but since Blackbirch went straight to business, the teacher didn’t dwell on the matter.
“A builder? That’s very interesting. And you came for… information… I hope I can help you then.” She still sounded pleasant enough but her smile wavered.
“Though I should warn you, gentleman… if the matter is not of the utmost importance, I don’t appreciate talking about my students behind their backs.” Involuntarily, the teacher’s eartufts dropped a little and there was a subtle warning in her tone as if her words hadn’t been clear enough. If the builder was looking for any kind of information that could be turned against one of her former students, he could take his squirrel and shove it where the… oh, wait… “Oh, are you interested in the platforms?” Breeze sounded a little embarrassed for making such a quick assumption but didn’t break eye contact as she began to preen her chest feathers mechanically.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:20 pm
Eyebrow ridges lift at the sudden warning that came out of the teacher. It's touching to see someone so protective of their pupils, though at the same time, he was sure he didn't give off any sign of malice. He cleared his throat and ruffled his feathers uncomfortably until she looked at a new angle. While on any normal circumstances, he would have loved to chatter about her architecture, but tonight, he was on business.
"Well," he started, "I'm not entirely sure if he was ever a student of yours, Breeze, though I believe you did employ his crafting talents. You remember one called Basil?" If she did, he would consider himself having a very lucky night indeed. "I met the boy recently, and I was wondering how he faired as a Crafter. I thought speaking with a professional such as yourself might give me the sort of insight I'm looking for."
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:51 am
Oh, neither.
“Basil? Well, yes… he is the only Crafter I’ve employed so yes, I suppose he’s an easy one to remember.” She turned her head and eyed a small hollow at the edge of the main platform. “If you don’t mind waiting a moment I can show you some of his works. I’m sure you’d like to see an example or two.”
With a few quick flaps, the teacher reached the hollow and moved inside until she grabbed a large wooden sculpture. The tan skurri found herself suddenly alone with the old sentinel and while she didn’t run away, the companion did take a few steps back, looking at her master as if begging for instructions. Oblivious to the companion’s pleading eyes, Breeze returned soon enough and dropped the sculpture with a soft thud. It was a rather beautiful representation of a standing hare.
“Basil worked for me for quite a while. He did a few models of common prey and small figurines of predators for my lessons. He also reframed my blackboard. Ally, bring the blackboard and the bear...no, the eagle.” The teacher pushed the hare closer to Blackbirch with a talon while Ally happily dragged the large blackboard to the two sentinels. Looking exhausted, the companion returned to the hollow to fetch the small figurines and the skurri must’ve become confused somehow because she brought three instead of one: an eagle, a bear and a wolf. The eagle’s well crafted feathers made the bird’s figurine by far the most detailed one.
“Basil added a something to the back of the board to make it slide better. The frame is perfectly adjusted to the stone and… I suppose you should take a look yourself.” The teacher tilted her head and stared at the wooden craftings glancing sideways at the old sentinel with well hidden curiosity. She couldn’t really imagine the proud Wildtype associating himself with the aberrant builder in any way. Unless something had changed…
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:41 pm
"Ah, you have them here? I'd love to see them, if you don't mind," Was his response to her suggestion. He waited patiently for her to retrieve them, not ever once thinking of dining on the poor nervous skurri. While he never had companions of his own, he can only imagine what it must feel to lose something helpful, and therefore, usually makes sure that whatever he catches is mark free. If there happened to be a companion without any dye or accessory at all, well....nobody could really blame him for his mistake, right?
At the sight of the wooden hare, a brief humming noise slipped through his throat. It was certainly made with detail and care, as such were the eagle and the bear. He carefully lifted the eagle with his will to take a better look, and was pleased enough with the amount of effort put into carving the feathers. "How long have you had these? Are they sustainable enough after fledgeling attacks?" Looks were important, but as far as building goes, nothing is more crucial than sustainability.
"Aahh..." The black board found a whole new manner of interest from the Elder. There was a very simple mechanical system added on to it to ease its use. "And he thought that up on his own? That is good, that is good."
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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:22 am
“These… let’s see. I got most of them around The Longest Night… not this last one, mind you, but the one before it. Or maybe the one before that… So far they seem to be in perfect condition but the children are very careful with them. I make sure of it. We use a leather ball and live prey for hunting exercises, the models only serve to create a solid knowledge foundation.” The teacher quietly admired Blackbirch’s will control in detriment of her rather weak ability. But he was a Builder, after all.
“Yes, it was his idea.” Breeze said, noticing the Builder’s sudden interest. “I believe I mentioned it was hard to move the heavy thing around and he surprised me with that. Quite clever, I suppose. Are you interested in trading for his services?” she was curious and rather open about it. While she didn’t mean to pry into the older sentinel’s affairs, she wondered if the Builder had already contacted Basil and if he had been warned about the wildtype’s family intolerant views.
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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 8:56 am
"I see..." He lets his statement drawl out as he gave a final look over on the wooden figurines and black board. Both types of crafted items showed that the wildtype could handle intricate designs, but most importantly, is also able to create simple wooden mechanisms, which could be very useful in Building. He was quite pleased with what the teacher showed him, and was grateful to her for taking her time to help.
"Actually, I've been toying with the idea of taking under an apprentice," he started, "And I'm impressed with what you've shown me. Thank you very much."
He took a step forward to bow his head down a little, and for the first time really laid eyes on the platform. "Out of curiosity, when was the last time this platform was maintained?" Perhaps the first project he'll do with Basil, if he were to accept the position, would be to maintain Breeze's platform into top condition.
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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 12:50 pm
“An apprentice…?” Breeze started slowly trying her best (and probably failing) to hide her surprise. “I assume you’ve met Basil, then…?” It was hard to tell if she was asking a question.
“About three summers ago if I’m not mistaken. Copperstone and his son used to do it every summer but the Builder retired last winter and I don’t really trust the boy to do it on his own. He didn’t even like the task he was being taught.” And perhaps aware that she’d been a little too blunt, the teacher added. “I need to make sure my children are safe so I can’t really allow any mistakes on these structures.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:55 pm
Blackbirch was beginning to feel a tinge of unsettlement at Breeze's reaction. "Yes, just a few days ago. I had invited him along with my niece to meet the new couple and to ...." Well, check the fellow out, he thought to himself. "To welcome him into the family."
He wondered why it seemed so surprising to the teacher to have someone such as Basil become an apprentice. Was there something wrong with the youth? Or perhaps she felt that maybe he would be an inadequate builder, and should just stay as a crafter. "....is there something I should know? You seem perplexed."
"Ah," So it's been a while since the platform's been last looked at. "That seems to be the case for many youngins' these days. All about the fashionable side of crafting, not so much for anything useful. It's a shame." His feathers ruffled in annoyance of the thought. "And I can understand the importance of safety. If you're interested, I can bring you my services. I very much appreciate you taking your time in showing me Basil's craftsmanship."
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:19 am
Breeze was absentmindedly scratching a talon with the other when Blackbirch answered her surprise. She left the talon dangling in the air, dazed expression across her face and head tilting slowly to the side. The perfect image of puzzlement. She was silent for a very long time (long enough to cause some discomfort to any normal sentinel) and she let the Builder finish speaking while she organized her thoughts as quickly as she could.
“I suppose… it’s true then.” She was silent again, eyes slowly narrowing as she eyed the hare sculpture as if she was going to crush its head. “I’m very sorry. I… heard that he was involved with a Mist girl but I hadn’t quite believed it. That’s the last thing anyone would expect from Basil… and last I’d heard, he was…” her voice grew harsher and the teacher left the final words dangling in the air as she eyed Blackbirch again, unsure if it would be alright to continue. The Builder’s offer though tempting was (perhaps purposely) ignored.
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:46 am
He suddenly didn't feel very welcomed anymore. There was an obvious static building up around the Teacher, and the longer her silence was, the more uncomfortable Blackbirch became. He felt like he had suddenly flown into something much larger than what he had come here for.
It seemed that the wildtype had something amiss, and whatever it was, it was definitely making the sentinel in front of him quite angry.
"......Excuse me, exactly how is his involvement with my niece causing you such distraught?"
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