"Really, Mele, you should be more aware of your surroundings." The redheaded Olplyn's full mouth barely moved in the semblance of a smile and she raised an eyebrow, taking in the brunette's clay-covered visage. However, the amused tone she was using became a bit lighter as she continued, walking in through the door to the workshop, a door clearly held open by someone else. "I had to let Gunn into the house myself."
A slow shake of the head as she was followed inside by the tall, quiet Vhaid. "What a lapse in manners. You're quite lucky your talented hands make up for your lack of social skills." Gunn's rough, soft tone inserted itself in Colby's pause, and she nodded politely, her slow smile warm.
"Ho there, Miss Mele. I was just dropping off your clay for the week, and a bit of sand, but when Miss Colby saw me, she decided I 'must come in and say hello'." All three were well aware that there had been almost no likelihood of Mele being in her home at this time of day, rather than the workshop. It was well after lunch, after all.
Still, when Cole wanted something, she tended to get it. No matter the time or day. Call it a gift.
Mele didn't remove herself from her usual spot in front of her wheel and didn't jump or startle when Colby entered her studio. She simply converted the complicated vase she was making into a much simpler and easy to complete bowl and lifted her foot away from her pedal. Her hazel eyes glanced up slowly and she nodded to both of the women who were very much crowding her work space. "Hello, Colby. I'm so glad I ever gave you permission to skip on into my studio during working hours. Hello, Gunnwale. Thank you, for the delivery. I actually have something, for you."
Her attitude, clearly cranky and irritated, brightened a little when she remembered what she had painstakingly created after the last delivery had been made with the water-loving Vhaid. The brunette wiped her hands on her apron that she proceeded to remove and hang on a random hook near the door. She quickly washed her hands in a pail of clean, soapy water that she kept handy. When she was finally properly clean, or at least cleaner, the artist waved Cole out of her hair and slid into a small closet that she kept all of her pieces that needed to dry before being fired, or finished pieces that she still needed to colour or decide whether any finishing details needed to be made.
She returned back into sight with a small, clear glass bottle in her hands, tilted onto it's side with a cork firmly stoppering it. Inside was a small, handcrafted ship, clearly made of glass, that was precariously floating in some form of teal blue liquid. Unsure, but with an evident sense of pride leaking into her stance, Mele held out the piece towards Gunn with a firm expression on her face. "Just so you know I'm not wasting your efforts. Even though the good sand is a lot harder to come by." She explained.
"Aren't you? Though, I don't think I've skipped a day in my life, honey." Colby was noticably silent after the gift was presented, instead turning away to examine some of Mele's works-in-progress. The Vhaid, though, her bright eyes moved from the glasswork to Mele and back, slowly reaching out with her own oddly colored palms to cradle the bottle. Gunn tended to get along with most people, even the proud sort, because she was perfectly comfortable acknowledging the strengths of others. Her sincere, soft voice was pleased as she raised the bottle to eye-level, examining it further.
"Beautiful. Miss Mele, your craftmanship is impeccable." A bit of slow warmth crept into her voice. "I never doubt that you're putting your materials to good use." Their eyes met. "It's no particular strain on my part to bring you supplies, but I thank you for the gift." It'd go in her houseboat, definitely.
"... Mele," It was a murmur from the other side of the room, where Colby stood, examining a few glasses on a shelf. "Do you have time for another one of my commissions? Something simple, for you. Wine glasses, with a nice design. I'm putting together a dinner party."
The ceramicist jerked her gaze away from Gunn and tried to keep the blush away from her cheeks, and felt like she was failing. By a lot. Either way, her attention was now towards another project. She searched her mind, and decided to peruse her closet to see if she had anything similar that would be appropriate for what Colby was asking for. Returning with three different glasses, she set them on the table that sat in the middle of the room. One was more of a champagne flute, thin and tall, and another was much more of a goblet: short and fat with a wide mouth. The third sat somewhere in the middle, and had a decorated stem, with a slight purple colouring.
"These are my usual glass designs, but if you don't like either of them, I can work to find something more appropriate. How many and any colouring are we talking, Colby." Her voice ranged towards the no nonsense, primarily because Colby could be a bit ..demanding and whimsical when it came to her work.
"You might as well have a seat, this might take a while." A little bit of amusement leaked into her voice, as if she were sharing a secret in plain sight. A glance back towards the Vhaid managed to distract her, and the ceramicist made sure that she got a grip on herself.
Cole immediately locked onto the glasses, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses as she lifted each one, giving it a slow, thorough once-over as she created her own design mentally. Still, her vaguely distracted voice was sharp as she responded to Mele's comment. "Guard your words, potter, my hearing is just as sharp as my mind." Still, she sounded amused [then again, Colby always sounded amused, even at her most dangerous], and harbored Mele no ill will.
"I like the third, however, I want it to be perfectly clear. No color." She gently tapped a nail against the glass in question, closing her eyes to listen to the tone. "You hear that, Gunn, darling?"
A slow smile from the Vhaid, who had remained standing tall in boots and tailored black pants, her hands casually clasped behind her lower back after she'd carefully set her gift on a shelf. "Yes. Perfect." Colby's gaze remained on the glass as she tilted it in the light, watching the reflection as she continued to speak in that preoccupied tone. "Let's be sure to stop by Luaya's on our way to the Game House, Gunn. You're far overdue for a fitting."
A low chuckle from the sailor. "I do believe my clothing is more than sufficient as is, Miss Colby."
The Olplyn's warm, sudden laugh was more than enough to give her opinion. "Oh, really? I do say you'll have to get a proper shirt for the dinner party." Gunn's raised eyebrows in response gave away her quiet acquiesance to Colby's demand.
Mele quietly stood, waiting for the answer to her first question. She actually had a few glasses, clear, that she had been intending to put together for the Market as a set, but they could easily be replaced in time. Granted, Colby's dinner parties could range from four to forty, so Mele might have some issues with the quantity that Colby was requesting, on such notice, if the dinner party was, in fact, within the next few days, as if appeared to be.
The brunette flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder and intruded into the conversation with a bit of a huff. "Colby. Please, concentrate. How many do you need and for when?" An order form appeared on the table, under her hand, that was gripping a pen with a look of irritation, only half filled with Mele's scrawling handwriting.
"Oh, calm yourself." Cole's cool, silky voice was dismissive, Olplyn of higher status to one below, but not entirely unfriendly. She just didn't like being interupted. "There's no rush." She waved a gloved hand airly, setting down the glass she'd been examining to turn her stormy eyes to Gunn, who's brighter oceanic eyes were firmly locked on the younger Olplyn, taking in her irritated movements. "A set of twelve. Three weeks."
Gunn smiled slightly, as if she knew Cole's next words before the redhead said them. "I assume that'll be enough time for both of you ruffians to find proper clothing and manners, on your part, Mele. Gunn may act like a peasant, but she has the etiquette of a diplomat, perhaps, if you ask nicely, she'll tutor you."
Several biting comments sprung to Mele's mind, but she kept her mouth shut as she finally finished filling out the order form. "Would you like half of your order in a week's time, to decide if you like them enough, or do you just want the entire set of twelve delivered when I finish them?" Mele tucked her paper into the front of a thick folder, with the Olplyn's name tagged to the front of it. When she turned back towards the two women still standing in her studio, she decided that her concentration was fully hampered for the rest of the afternoon.
Besides. When was the last day that she took the afternoon off? Sighing, she stuck her hand in her pocket and scuffed her bare foot against the floor. "I know my etiquette just as well. It's a decision of using it. Most times, there isn't a need to impress others. I suppose I might as well go and get changed, since I wouldn't want you to feel ever so degraded, being seen in public with me in my work clothes." Rolling her eyes a bit, the tanned jivviness covered her unfinished pieces so that they wouldn't dry out before she returned to them, and wiped up a bit of the mess she had made of the counter.
"You can either stick around or I'll meet you in the Village." Unconcerned with their decisions, or appearing to be, Mele walked past both females and relaxed a bit once her need for space had been rectified.
"You can bring them by the day of." Colby sounded unconcerned, following Mele outside once the younger woman had exited, Gunn behind them both. When the ceramicist returned outside, only tall, dark Gunn was there, cool gaze on the woods surrounding Mele's home. Her hearing wasn't the best, so it took a moment or two before she glanced over, smiling slightly at the sight of the Olplyn.
"Miss Colby went on ahead. I hope I'm a suitable escort, in her place?" A warm chuckle at her own modesty and Gunn offered a friendly arm, not at all self-concious. "You are well, I take it? Tell me of your work." They generally only saw each other once a week, after all, and Mele often took the opportunity to talk to the quiet nautical Vhaid, who loved to listen.
The ceramicist blushed and waited a beat on the porch she had attached to her small house/shop before stepping out into the shady, afternoon sun. She hadn't known exactly what she was expected to wear, since she didn't often give herself the opportunity to go out into town during the day, but the Olplyn had opted for one of the dresses from her mother that she usually despised but somehow felt slightly comfortable in, with Gunn here to walk her into town.
The younger, shorter jivviness glanced up through her hair, which she had quickly braided and plaited in a complicated pattern: held up over the nape of her neck. The dress was low cut in both the front and the back, baring almost half of her straight, strong back that relished in the fact that it didn't have to bend over the wheel for this vacation of an afternoon. The sleeves and skirt were green, a fondness of her mother's that it match her eyes and hair, and the torso portion was a thin, white linen. More than a little concerned that she looked ridiculous in this outfit, she tried to determine what Gunn thought of her appearance before she accepted the arm and the pair began their long walk towards the Village.
"Yes, well. Laurie just had another brood of children, as if the first set of twins wasn't enough for him and his mate. Which means I'll have to deal with more shrieking children for the next decade or so. In comparison, work has been practically peaceful. Colby rushes in whenever she pleases, but that isn't anything new. She keeps my business more than busy, which I can't complain about. I'll have to think of a new piece to keep her happy. She liked yours well enough, by her small tells, but she'd never accept something remotely like anything else I've ever made. She does, in fact, keep me on my toes. Very creative, that woman." Speaking slowly, with her tell-tale lilt, the brunette was working on several levels while she kept the conversation flowing, easily. Gunn was one of the few people that could make Mele ramble in such a way, but it was part of her gift, she supposed.
"Is that your mother's design? You flatter it." Gunn, of course, was dressed as simply as always, her dark, tailored pants belted at the hips [a sharp knife strapped there, as well] and tucked into high boots, her tunic [that laced over the chest] a strangely eye-catching blue. The shirt, naturally, was a special piece of clothing, just for this trip to the village. Most of the time, she didn't bother, and simply wore chest-wrappings, however, the village was such that things were simpler if she donned additional attire. The clothing she did wear, however, was perfectly tailored, crafted by the talented Luaya.
Her quiet smile grew as she listened to Mele's accented voice, not minding the quick changes of topic. She was quite capable of following multiple trains of thought. "Not all children shriek, Miss Mele." She'd been quite the silent one, herself, simply following her grandfather everywhere with giant, bright eyes that shifted colors with the weather. Gunn had been thinking of children quite a bit, lately, to be honest. Someone to teach her trade to. Council-knows that the other members of her family had a myriad of children now. "Miss Colby is very intriguing, yes. Her particular creativities lie in bringing others together, I believe."
When Gunn had finally finished her statement about Colby, a little titchy feeling sparked somewhere in the back of her brain. It felt somewhat familiar to another feeling she had a while ago that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Nudging the thought and rolling it around in her head, she nodded vaguely towards the comment as she tried to figure out what was so... familiar about what Gunn had just said about Cole. And sure, it had been a couple decades since it had happened last, her mentality turned sour as she finally put her finger on it.
The little scamp. Trying to find someone capable of a relationship with her again. She didn't need the help! Mele was perfectly capable of finding her own mate without the help of the older Olplyn OR her mother, for that matter. Or any one else in her extended family that seemed to disagree that whomever she was looking for would make themselves clear to her, in time. Clamming up as she decided whether to be upset with Cole for her sly actions or to simply let this one go, the brunette hardly noticed as they began to pass the outskirts of the Village.
Gunn was attractive, at least. And a female. Which was one of her more recent requirements. And she had a job. A full time job that kept her farther away than she would have liked. Either way, it wouldn't work, on the off chance that Gunn was even interested. Her mouth twisted down and she glanced up.
"She seems to have a certain... interest. Yes."
If the Vhaid caught her implications, it wasn't apparent, her voice as soft and easy as always. "The council has always appreciated her diplomacy between the ranks." Cole's life job, pretty much, was keeping things smooth between Olplyns and Sargtlins. She managed to do a pretty decent job, and was an asset to Jatin, who was slowly improving the public image of their entire rank.
Gunn did, however, note Mele's sudden silence, choosing not to comment upon it and instead gesturing to the market area, which only had a few standard stalls there. It was still another day until most would be set up and things would be in full swing. "Do you have anything special this week?" The younger jivviness usually did, and she enjoyed seeing them. Catching sight of a familiar face, she waved at them, "Ho, Roland," before continuing along another line of thought. "Our rendezvous with Miss Colby is supposed to take place at her home."
It a bit further, but not far, right in the center of town.
Mele nodded as she too, glanced into the area where the Market place would convene tomorrow. "I have a few new sculpture pieces I'm trying out. I even have a theme this season. Animals. The kind our grandparents spoke about. From before the Massacres." Shrugging, she ticked off a couple on her fingers. "An elephant, a zebra, a shark. Then some others. Slight butterflies, bees, birds, forest animals. The like. Both glass and clay. Only the smallest and the most fragile animals were made in glass. A metaphor, I suppose."
Conversation light as her own curiosity got the better of her and her topic wound down to a close. They would soon be at Colby's house, and when they finally got a minute, she would be sure to bring up the topic in a manner that would hopefully keep her own end of the discussion away from Cole's prying mind. Somehow though, she felt a little hesitant, when they reached the door stop.
"Thank you, for accompanying me here. It was kind of you. I enjoyed the conversation, too."
"Interesting. Not much use to the average villager, however, you'll catch the eyes and wonder of many, young and old." A pause as Gunn quietly slid her arm from Mele's, having delivered the younger jivvin to her destination courteously. "I have my grandfather's books, from his travels on the waters, which depict many things that may be of interest to you." A slight smile. "Perhaps I'll bring one by with your clay, next week."
Stepping away, down off Cole's stoop, she gestured toward the street. "I'm sure we shall see each other in the market tomorrow. Be well, Miss Mele."
A little spark in her eyes, Mele responded to Gunn with a rambling statement, saying that she would greatly appreciate such an action and would be sure to see her tomorrow, at the Market. She invited the Vhaid to visit her stall and thanked Gunn for the gesture, both of accompanying her to Colby's house and for the final goodbye. She expressed similar sentiments and waved to Gunn as she walked away before knocking on the door and waiting for Cole to come and let her in.
When the door finally opened, she stepped in and poked a finger. "You're such a meddler, Colby."
"Don't point, Mele, it's rude." Cole's smooth voice was once again distant and she hadn't bothered to wait around after opening the door, instead scanning a ledger of notes and tabs for later that night at the House, calmly walking [swaying?] down the entry-hall. "I don't meddle, I simply illuminate." A quick glance to the younger Olplyn as they entered the den and she dropped her notes onto a small table. "Relax, Joss isn't in."
Mele tended to get a little antsy around Sargtlins, she'd noticed. Then again, other than Cole, what Olplyn didn't? They weren't the friendiest bunch, after all. "How was your walk? Quite sunny today."
The Olplyn let her guard down minimally in Colby's house and followed the older female after closing the door behind her. "How are you not meddling in my business! You brought her into my studio, which I don't mind, because it's Gunn, but anyone else I would have been really upset about. You know I like my space and you make sure that you wind your way into my house and my workshop on a regular basis and completely violate my privacy. What if I had been in the middle of having sex! You would have just stomped in and then ruined it!" All of her words fell out of her mouth like a waterfall, and Mele knew that she was treading on thin ice, but she was working up a temper at this point, and Colby was going to listen to her, if nothing else.
"I like my space and you know that and you still don't listen!" With the additional comment, her expression turned downright sour.
"See. Meddling. If I want to see Gunn on a non-professional basis, that's my business. Not yours and everyone else in this damn village's." The brunette crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the older woman, who was treating her like a little Ust.
"So you do want to see her, then." Colby was clearly amused, though she appeared only minimally interested as she poured herself a glass of water from a pitcher. Coolly running her gaze over a bead over water making it's way down the finger of her glove, she smiled.
"I'd definitely be surprised if you were having sex. Congratulations would be in order." A pause and she provided another topic. "If you'd like, I'll help you create a design for your mother to make you, for the dinner."
Mele blushed at Colby's statement and she redirected her gaze to the floor, her anger totally dissipating in a matter of moments. "Maybe. I dunno. She's Gunn. What do we have in common. And she's hardly in town. Whatever my feelings are, it wouldn't work out." She mumbled her explanation in her quiet lilt and didn't raise her eyes. She looked over at the glass and the pitcher, both of which she had made at some point during her long relationship with the older Olplyn, but she couldn't remember when, or who had decided upon the design. The brunette decided that she rather liked the pitcher, but the glasses were fairly ordinary, for Colby.
"It doesn't matter, anyways," still mumbling, Mele knew that Colby wouldn't let this die. Something about the fact that she hadn't shown any interest in anyone within their small Village in over three decades did that.
"Gunn's hardly in the village center because she has no reason." The quiet laugh that came from her lips as they both exmained Mele's handiwork bespoke of Cole's thoughts. That this situation was silly. If someone wanted something, they should take it. That was how things got done in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, reasonable was relative, when one was immortal. "It doesn't particularly matter to me, no. However, your dress does. You should look nice, but please, not like you're trying too hard."
A second glass was poured, belatedly, and set down in front of a chair by the table, clearly for the ceramicist. "The houseboat is surprisingly attractive, you know." She was talking idly about Gunn, and the boat she lived on, several miles away from the main village.
Mele's blush only deepened, and she took the glass with a thank you, sipping the water slowly. She didn't know what to do in a situation like this. She had never been good at flirting, really, and she wasn't one to make the first move. The young jivviness didn't open her mouth to let any more unnecessary information slip out and give Colby a better idea of the situation at hand. Either way, Gunn wasn't interested. End of story.
"What were you thinking of, dress wise?" She asked, a little curious and a little suspicious.
A few gloved fingers flicking through a folder later and a sketch was pushed across the table to Mele. Cole did a lot of dress designs. "I like the bared shoulder look for you, definitely." A slight smile. "Ivory and blue, perhaps."
Her eyes shifted up to take in Mele's expression, amused. "We'll have to decide today. I've already sent my designs to Luaya for myself, a simple grey." Not that anything looked simple on her lovely frame.
Mele eyes the design for a moment and promptly decided there was way too much of herself showing if she were to don such a dress. And her mother would have a field day. 'With just the exact shade of blue that Cole's design called for,' she mimiced her mother in her head. "Look, the design is nice and I'm sure it would suit me and would be appropriate, but isn't it a bit much? For me? I mean, really. I don't see why you'd make me come to one these formal functions anyways. I don't fit in with your... crowd, shall I say? I'm quite happy just dropping off the glasses and saying hello and then going home to have a quiet dinner and work on some of my pieces. Alone. And anyways. Since when do you make Gunnwale attend, too? This is just more of your meddling." Her tone dropped towards the anxious, rather than whiney, but she pocketed the design anyways.
Not that she intended to go or anything. But perhaps she could ask Gunn about it tomorrow in the Market. Perhaps they could conspire to leave early. If they even left together.... perhaps they could actually escape the horrors of a formal dinner party at Colby's.
An elegantly arched eyebrow conveyed Cole's vague irritation. "You should view the invitation as the compliment it is, potter." Her nickname for the ceramicist when she was irked. "You haven't even asked for the guest list, so how would you know where you fit in?"
A gloved finger tapped Mele's nose, once. Demeaningly. "You will attend. Do not presume to think you are so important that I'd plan an entire event around your sexlife. It is immaterial to me."
"Fine. I'm not letting you come by to see my new themed pieces early. You'll have to come around to the Market with the rest of the Village." Openly sulking, the Olplyn sipped her water and pouted. "They're only my favourite thus far, save a few commisions and gifts that I have given people." While she spoke, a little hint of an idea formed in her head, based around the gift she had just gave Gunn less than an hour ago. Water themed objects. She would have to think more on that, but it did interest her. She wondered if her farstretched ideas would interest another water-loving individual at the Market tomorrow, as well. She might even be able to wrangle a pre-set conversation on the topic of water vessels.
"Mmn, I don't have the time, anyway." Using a fingertip to slide the sketches into a small stack, Colby picked them up in those gloved hands and held them out to Mele, tone briefly serious. "You would look marvelous in these. Think about it and we'll talk later. Now, if you don't mind, I have a Sargtlin to ensnare."
That dazzling smile and Cole was leading Mele to the door. "As always, thank you for your charming company."
Mele sighed and took the designs from the table, as Colby knew she would. It appeared that she needed to visit her mother before the end of the day and convince her that it wasn't exactly a special occasion. Pout still evident in her features, the Olplyn followed the older jivviness through the house and out the door. "As always, I so enjoy your lovely hostessing. I suppose I'll see you around, one way or another. Enjoy wrangling with her, Cole." Flapping her hand up over her shoulder as a lazy wave as she made her way out the door and towards the other side of town where the rest of her family resided, much to their dismay. Mele so enjoyed visits with them. Perhaps she could even sneak in a visit with her favourite of the two mates her brothers had selected...
Cole smirked at Mele's assumption that she'd been speaking about her twin, but she didn't correct the younger Olplyn, instead shutting the door quietly after the other female had left.
