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 Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:40 pm
Tonight she had indulged since she didn't feel like leaving the territory at all. With her mate on one of his long hunting trips their tree felt emptier than ever and she had asked Feather to bring down the small basket of mementos she kept hidden away among her supplies. She didn't know why she felt a need to keep pieces of the past, and she usually didn't talk about it. The little basket held pieces of eggshell from all of her babies, a few moulted fledgling feathers, and a set of Sanguine's moulted flight feathers. His set was the only thing that was useful since she sometimes had to imp broken feathers for him, but she knew she wouldn't be able to justify the other things if someone asked.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:18 pm
After leaving her grandmother's territory, Willow stopped only briefly in her own tree before she continued her flight, on a mission to be prepared for the crucial first meeting ahead.
When she reached the territory of the featherstyler, she landed on an outlying tree and uttered a hoot of greeting. Willowbreeze hoped the Sentinel she came to visit would not be displeased to see her. Afterall, she was arriving without an appointment!
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:35 am
The unexpected hoot nearly made Honeysuckle jump out of her feathers and her reaction startled Feather and sent the companion running for cover. She felt embarrassed by acting in such a silly way, even if no one else had seen her. Now to see to that visitor, it might be a client after all... But she couldn't bring anyone in here with eggshells and fledgling feathers dropped on the floor. It was nice outside too, but Honeysuckle liked to have her place tidy when she had guests or clients visiting.
"Feather," she called, "Come back here and tidy up while I greet the visitor. Don't forget to close the lid."
A quick preen later she jumped to one of the perches outside the opening to their hollow and hooted to let her visitor know that the Featherstyler was in and that it was all right to approach. They could sit outside while Feather tidied up, it was a pleasantly warm night after all.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:05 pm
Willowbreeze was relieved to hear the answering hoot, and pleased by its welcoming quality. She moved to perch nearer to Honeysuckle, offering a friendly smile. “Good evening. Are you free to take a client? I shouldn't take long-- nothing fancy...”
“Oh, pardon my manners. I'm a bit flustered. I'm Willowbreeze.” The usually articulate bard seemed more than a little distracted. A good part of her mind was occupied with reliving, analyzing and over-analyzing every moment of her conversation with Hollysong and Hazel.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:16 am
For a moment she had trouble pinpointing the type of the female approaching. Aberrant. Almost Deep Woods, but not quite. She would probably realise later, but it was annoying that she didn't recognise what other types might be in this girl's heritage straight away. Honeysuckle was usually good at picking out the likely types in a mixed type aberrant, but the female eluded her for now. Willowbreeze might notice that Honeysuckle looked her over, and that her gaze stopped for quite some time on the traces of her Deep Woods collar, but her face didn't betray any feelings she might have about aberrants.
"No, I should be able to squeeze you in," she said with a pleasant smile, "What did you have in mind Willowbreeze? I'm Honeysuckle, the Featherstyler, but I guess you knew that."
An aberrant's favour was as good as any other Sentinel's in Honeysuckle's book, and she didn't discriminate when it came to paying clients. However, there were certain things she refused to do, or charged very much for. She would never willingly help conceal the fact that an aberrant was aberrant, for example.
"I'm afraid I don't... ah... dye Sentinels to look like other types," she said carefully, still with the friendly smile in place, "But other than that I can help you with anything. Lovely eartufts, by the way. And it shows that you take good care of your plumage."
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:12 pm
"Wonderful, thank you." Willowbreeze returned the smile. After the examination she had just undergone by Holly, Honeysuckle's brief inspection of her feathers was hardly noticed. The bard assumed that, if anything, the featherstyler was gauging the condition of her plumage.
"A pleasure to meet you, Honeysuckle." She added, flatteringly, "I've heard you're very good, and I'm excited to be able to see you on such short notice. I imagine you're terribly busy."
Willow laughed softly at Honeysuckle's carefully-worded disclaimer. "I'm not here for any dye at all, actually. I just have a very important-- ah, meeting coming up, and I want to look my best. Just something to, well, enhance the best of my feathers, without anything unnatural like dye."
Pleased by the complement on her plumage, Willow thanked the attractive Deep Woods and settled herself on a closer branch. In a softer voice she added, "I'm to meet my intended mate soon, and I want to make the best impression I can.... without being misleading, of course." She smiled shyly, a fledgling's nervous smile, and shifted her weight on the branch.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:49 pm
Honeysuckle preened self consciously at the compliment. She was not immune to flattery, far from it actually, and she already liked Willowbreeze. A mere Artisan might not have been pleased with a customer who wanted no dye at all, but featherstyling was different. Honeysuckle had several tricks in her baskets, and actually enjoyed making beautiful feathers look even better without using the shortcut of colours and dyes. Not that she didn't enjoy working with dye. Hmmm... She might have a few things for talons and beak too.
"I think we'll sit outside," she said, and prepared to take Willowbreeze higher up, "It's such a nice night after all. Follow me please!"
The Featherstyler flew to a perch better suited for a styling session, a talon worn branch that provided enough room for both her and her customer. A quick call instructed Feather to bring her tools to this perch. It would take some time for the Mus to carry out the new command and Honeysuckle was happy to use the time for small talk.
"Tell me more about your mate," sha said, guessing that the mate might be a good starting point, "He must be very handsome. What does he do?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:38 pm
“That sounds lovely.” Willow was pleased by the outdoor venue, where the calm nighttime sounds of birds and insects was a soothing backdrop to conversation. She willingly followed Honeysuckle, commenting briefly on the attractiveness of her territory.
As the bard situated herself on the smooth branch, she chuckled softly at the featherstyler's question. “Ah, you might think this a little strange, but I've never met him. I don't even know his name... an arranged mating, you know. It's sort of a,” she paused, searching for the right words, “family tradition.”
She felt surprisingly comfortable with Honeysuckle already, and continued with just a hint of shyness, “I'll be meeting him soon.” The bard shifted her weight, excited nerves evident for a moment before she regained composure. “I'm fairly certain he will be attractive. Or... true to type, at least.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:26 pm
"That's unusual," Honeysuckle said, and her ear tufts perked up slightly, "I didn't know some families still did that."
An arranged mating? But the young female seemed pleased and not forced into anything. Honeysuckle had heard about arranged matings, but only among very old Deep Woods and Wildtype families. Why would a family of aberrants arrange a mating? It didn't make sense at all and she wanted to know more.
"I suppose I'm lucky my mate's parents approved of me," she said with a wry grin, "You might have heard about him, his name is Sanguine and he’s a successful Hunter. He comes from an old and pure Deep Woods family and since I was minder raised..."
She trailed off. Sanguine might not be as famous as Honeysuckle made him out to be, and this tendency to talk about him and his good qualities was probably why some people believed that she had mated with him for rank and little else. But since they had stayed happy and stayed together while raising two beautiful clutches the rumours had trickled out.
"If you don't mind me asking," Honeysuckle said, hoping she wouldn't step on any toes, "What type is he then?
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Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:36 pm
"Yes, it's a bit more common among some of the minor types, to keep bloodlines pure without too much inbreeding." Willow was not surprised that Honeysuckle thought the arrangment was antiquated and a little strange. Among the major types, where like-type pontential makes were readily available, there was much less need for concern about genetic variation.
"I have heard of him." Willow exclaimed, pleased to find she had this connection, however distant, with the featherstyler. "You must be proud of him." She faintly recalled seeing the Hunter, perhaps at one of her performances?
At Honeysuckle's next question, Willowbreeze wavered slightly. Was it idle curiousity that drove the question, or was there something more behind it? She wasn't sure, but with the quiet pride and self-assurance that her parents had carefully cultivated within her, she answered.
"He's a Chestnut. I'm three-quarters Chestnut, myself."
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:56 pm
Chestnut! Of course! Honeysuckle was embarrassed not to have realised sooner, but she kept smiling and tried not to let it show. She hadn't considered the possibility that Willowbreeze could be a minor type hybrid, but as soon as she knew she saw the obvious similarity between the girl and the few Chestnuts she had seen in her life. How annoying. As a Featherstyler she was supposed to be good at this! Perhaps she should make a point to spend more time with minor types, and try to gain some customers outside the regular types to learn more about their feather structures.
"Yes, of course," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment, "You don't see many Chestnuts these days, do you? Or I suppose you do."
Oh, Noctus, she was just making more of a fool of herself. It would be better to just drop the subject and talk about something else. Her rescue came in the shape of a Mus, very carefully carrying a pouch as it climbed. After seasons of training Honeysuckle was confident enough in Feather’s abilities to allow the companion to carry some of her less important tools up and down the tree.
"There you are," she said, taking the pouch, "Good girl, now lower the red basket for me."
The baskets were colour coded with spots of dye so the Mus only had to keep track on colour, not contents. Feather scurried up the trunk and Honeysuckle turned to Willowbreeze again, taking a better look and starting to evaluate her feathers, but without touching for now. She usually didn't touch her aberrant customers more than necessary, three quarters Chestnut or not.
"Feather will help me preen you," she explained, "She's very good at finding damaged feathers. And if you don't mind I will also use my Will."
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:48 pm
Willowbreeze's golden eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the usual prejudice against aberrants hidden under the featherstyler's question. She quickly decided that the best course of action was to ignore the implied insult, finish her business, and leave immediately after negotiating payment. This was a disappointment, as she had felt a sense of camaraderie with Honeysuckle. This warmth was quickly evaporating, leaving her to feel empty, and a little sick. She had little tolerance for those who would look down on her, but less stomach for petty arguments. Willow felt her talons involuntarily clutch the smooth branch more tightly.
She forced her face into a pleasant expression. “Ah, there are not terribly many Chestnuts, but more than most would think. Many of them are loners, or take combatant tasks in remote territories. My family and I live nearby, though.”
Willowbreeze was quickly calming down, her momentary flare of indignation subsiding in the face of the featherstyler's politely all-business attitude. By the time Feather had returned and began to lower the red-marked basket, she had mostly returned to her former amiable mood. “Oh! How clever. I've never been preened by a mus before-- she must have excellent training.” She looked at the little creature with approval. “Yes, that would be fine.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:12 am
Honeysuckle felt the change in atmosphere, realising that she must have upset her customer somehow. 'Oh, ventfeathers,' she thought as she watched the basket descend. This whole business was very conflicting and she was not at all sure how to treat Willowbreeze. She was usually good at taking care of her aberrant customers, but the uniqueness of this situation made her lose her cool. On one talon Willowbreeze was an aberrant, but on the other talon she was connected to a family of Chestnuts. A family important enough to live in or near Deep Woods nonetheless. If she handled things right she might get some associated business from them.
"Oh, that's nice," she said, once again in control of herself, filling the air with small talk as she worked, "You must have strong relatives if they live in the Deep Woods. I know we couldn't hold this territory if it wasn't for Sanguine. Do you feel the scent of the flowers? Most of them are going to be berries later in the season. Very handy for dye making. And here comes Feather again, she's a very valuable tool, yes."
At a command from Honeysuckle, Feather started to climb Willowbreeze's back, smoothing out her feathers and preening them with her paws as she went. The featherstyler started to rummage around in the basket with her will selecting containers and pouches she would use later.
"So you want me to sharpen your talons too?" she asked, "I have a wax blend that gives a lovely shine to the talons and beak. It usually impresses the males. What do you do for a living Willowbreeze? I don't think you mentioned that."
She wasn't going to hazard a guess like she usually did. One mistake was enough for tonight.
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 1:40 pm
“They are strong, I suppose. My grandmother is especially fierce.” Willowbreeze laughed softly. “My territory is a small one, well suited to a single Sentinel, but not nearly as nice as this. The flowers are quite lovely, and they seems to bring the bees, and birds after them. It is surely a pleasant territory.”
Willow shifted a bit, rousing her feathers to give Feather a bit more of a grip. It felt rather odd to be groomed in this way, although not unpleasant. “Oh? Ah, I'm a bard. I sing, mostly.” She paused, thinking, “Yes, please, I think I would like that wax and sharpening. It's nice to find a 'styler who works with the natural qualities of the feathers, rather than insist on dyes.”
She was being flattering again-- it seemed to come naturally to her, and the words, however honeyed, were sincere.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:21 am
The Bard task made sense, even if many of her bard-customers were much fonder of dye than this young girl seemed to be. She wondered if Willowbreeze had heard about her from one of her fellow Bards, but she didn't ask about it at this time.
"That's nice," Honeysuckle said, "I'll have to try to catch one of your performances then."
She had a feeling Sanguine wouldn't want to join her, but she liked to listen to Bards and watch Skydancers from time to time. She enjoyed the old stories and songs and the fact that she came in contact with lots of potential customers was just an added bonus, really. Fishing out a sharpening stone from the basket she set to work.
"You see, it's my job to know feathers, so it doesn't always have to be about dye," she said as she started sharpening the talons on Willow's left foot. Since Feather took care of the preening Honeysuckle had her beak free for gossip. "Oh, and have you heard? You're probably too young to remember the last Summer Strut, but you might have heard about it perhaps? Apparently one of my colleagues is starting up the old tradition again. He came here a few nights ago wanting a prize donation."
Judging by her tone of voice the colleague in questions wasn't her favourite Sentinel in the forest.
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