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 Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 1:13 pm
His parents had warned him over and over again about venturing into the bigger cities but there were only so many small ones to patronize so he put a hood over his feelers, which he thought was a shame, and let only a little of his black hair peek out to show that it was not in dredlocks. Black wasnt too much of a stretch maybe they would think it blue, at least his crystals didn't give him away, shaped like the rugged cliffs of Zena herself.
This time he had rented a stall in the market to show his wares, while he hammered on some delicate something or other made of soft metal that he could play with without a forge. It would be a leaf necklace he thought or at least thats what he was trying to make. It would help to improve his etching skills. After all one couldn't always make weapons, he wanted to make something gentle and beautiful.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 6:55 am
Jawaad slowly made her way through the marketplace. It wasn’t often that she found herself meandering through the stalls, but today was a special day. It was her oldest niece’s birthday and she wasn’t quite sure what girls her age really wanted. It sounded like a dated thought, but she didn’t get much interaction with the girl to know. Somehow, they both liked her temperamental younger brother more than her. She wasn’t going to let that stop her from getting her a gift though. As she glanced through the stalls, little caught her eye. Well, until she came across a hooded man working with a piece of metal. She wasn’t sure if it was the glimmer of the soft metal in his hand, or the shaded eyes. They seemed dark, darker than the rough crystals that adorned his neck. But it was rude to stare, even at a fair distance. With a soft smile, she made her way to the stall. “Good afternoon.”
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 10:55 pm
Ai'ian blinked up into the morning light that showed his eyes for what they were black, not yellow at all. They he could not cover up, letting people draw their own conclusion from skin and crystal, he hadn't inherited the alkidike bug eyes from his mother just their deep color. Personally he liked it, looking in the mirror pretending he had a dark soul when it was far from true. His eyes crinkled now in a smile. "Well hello there, is there something I can help you with?" His voice got slowly deeper day by day, and had since thankfully stopped crackling. Ai'ian set his fingers on the piece so he would not loose his spot. "We have weapons, tools, odds and ends etcetera." Well, wasn't she just a beautiful thing. What was it with Zena? No wonder why his darling mother had fallen for an iceling.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 8:28 am
As he lifted her head, she knew that she was in fact correct about his dark eyes. They were fascinating and he was definitely handsome… it was hard not to stare, especially after his warm greeting. If she had to guess, he was probably close to her age, though she couldn’t be sure if he was older or younger. But she didn’t want to be caught staring, so she gave another casual glance around his stall. “Well, I’m actually interested in your odds and ends, especially the one in your hand. Is it for sale?” she gave him a warm smile as she motioned with her hand, letting her bangles clink together. Whatever the stereotype of her tribe, they didn’t all have to be pompous. “Your engraving work caught my eye.” Along with his eyes, but that’s not something to admit just meeting someone.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 10:57 am
He peered down at the leaf in his hand like he had never seen it before. "This?" He asked, standing to a somewhat taller then normal height, he brought it over and opened his hand for her to inspect or take it as was her whim. He pointed at the centervein. "The smaller veins will branch off here and here all the way to the tip and I was thinking of setting a pearl or two near the bottom to be like water droplets, do you think that would work with this piece? If not I can change it or make you a new one." The gold leaf contrasted greatly with his hand making it look more 3D then it was. He looked up meeting her eyes just for a moment before casting them back down, he didn't want to intimidate her or anything but he had wanted to see what shade they were.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 12:25 pm
Jawaad gave a soft nod, her eyes following him up as he stood. Maybe he was older than she was, at least judging by his height, though she wasn’t that short herself. She listened carefully to his description as she gently took it from his hand after he had described his plans. “No, no. No need to change that at all. It sounds like it will be beautiful.” She could almost imagine it as she placed it back into his hand. Hearing his description made her want the piece for herself rather than a gift for her niece. As their eyes met, she smiled. She was concerned that she had been staring a bit too much, but he didn’t seem to notice or mind. It also seemed like, upon closer inspection, his hair wasn’t the dark navy that she had assumed, but pitch black. He was probably a hybrid of some caliber, but she wasn’t sure of what the other portion was. Either way, she wasn’t here to judge his handsome..er.. appearance. She was a customer. “Are you a weapon smith in-training? Or a metal worker perhaps?” It might have been rude to assume the “in-training” part, but he couldn’t be that old…But his talent was obvious.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 4:22 pm
"Indeed I am, I am taking smithing and swordplay lessons, if you can call it play." He snorted. "I enjoy both and was thinking of going with the sword itself but I find I am quite enjoying the smithing portion. I suppose. I'll probably do both, I like the idea of using the weapons but I'm not entirely sure I like the idea of violence." Smithing made him feel very peaceful, despite the awful heat and sweat. He could create beautiful things here, weapons with personality that could match their wielders "I've been practicing for a few months now, Brighton my teacher is fantastic." "Have you found your path yet? A treasure hunter perhaps?" He nodded at the half finished piece.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 4:43 pm
“Both? That’s quite the undertaking.” Her younger brother was a knight, she knew the of the undertaking it was to learn the way of the sword. “At least you will know the strength of your sword like no other.” She paused a few beats, surprised not only the short amount of time he had been practicing, but the odd familiarity of the name. He was either local or a big deal, she was going to assume the latter. Jawaad gave a small laugh at the question, “Yes, I have but not in treasure hunting. You’ve caught me without my quiver and bow; I’m actually following in my mother’s footsteps and becoming a hunter.” It was odd, she had almost forgotten what it was like to not be known by everyone. Though it wasn’t by her own hand, but her brother’s that she had gotten so well known. “I’m actually looking for a present for my niece. It's her birthday and she's come to the age where I think she can appreciate something beautiful.”
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 5:10 pm
mewmew kittykat94 /quote] He was delighted that she saw the benefits of smithing so fast. "Precisely, it's also helpful when you have a suspicion that your weapon is defective or damaged, with the skills learned through smithing you know how to fix and when to reforge." "It is a lot of work but its something I can pour myself into you know, both sort of aid each other with strength training in the end." "Ah wood, not something I have dabbled in yet, besides the arrowheads themselves, the carving can be beautiful though, and they are remarkably flexible. And there is something somewhat more romantic about a long bow over a crossbow, a great deal more skill in the wielding too." As for your niece I may have options for you," he went to the back and pulled out a long wooden box lined with wool. "This is not my work but Brighton's in one of his more whimisical moments." He showed her the necklace 3 lilies in a row, connected by leafy vines, the centers of the flowers inset with jade. "There is this one, one set with carnelian or the leaf that will take about an hour more, you may watch if you wish, I can talk and work." He hadn't talked this much in a long time.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 5:33 pm
“I completely understand.” It was rather amazing, she hadn’t met someone striving to become a smith before, but his words struck something in her. “I’ve actually taught myself how to make arrows. It was rough, but I know for a fact that each will fly straight and true.“ She didn’t get into the artistic aspect of it, but that was a bit beyond something that she could teach herself. Her mother’s bow wasn’t something to tinker with. She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes seeming to brighten along with her expression. “Yes! It seems like so many have moved onto crossbows for the efficiency, but there’s no love. “She quickly brought herself back from her enthusiasm, glancing over the wares. All of the pieces were beautiful in their own right. “If it would be okay, I’d love to get the jade lilies for her and,” she paused with a smile, "the leaf for myself. I’d love to join you, as long as it doesn’t distract from sales.” She’d hate for him to lose customers.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 7:46 pm
"Crossbows may be more efficient but they take much longer to reload then the bows do." Ai'ian put the box back together and put it where he could reach it later to wrap up a little better. "I don't think it will detract from sales, maybe they will come watch too." He got her a stool and sat down. "See the etching is pretty simple, you hold the chisel like this and gently tap with the little mallet." Soon enough another vein connected to the main vein and spread out to the border around the leaf. He took her hands gently and closed them around chisel and hammer. "Here, you do the next one, there is all the time in the world, I'll hold the piece." He placed blue fingers on the edges of the leaf and held it steady.
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:59 pm
“Yes. I would never deny that they have their benefits, but a long bow will always have my heart.” She watched as he placed the box back, excited about her purchases. Price wasn’t a matter, she just hoped that her niece would love the piece as much she thought she would. Giving a soft nod, she took a seat on the stool. “It would be nice. Your work is beautiful,” she said as she watched the veins come together. “Oh no, I couldn’t. I’ll ruin it,” she said with a bit of a laugh. With his gentle support and encouragement, she took a glance down to the tools in her hand. “O-okay. But if you feel like I’m doing it a terrible injustice, please stop me.” She gently took the tools, lining them up and gently tapped with a wince. She just didn’t want to ruin all of his hard work…
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:41 pm
"Thats it, now do that until you reach the edge, then I'll reset the mallet for you. Etching is rather fun if you have the patience." It was fun to learn how to etch and as it turned out it was even more fun to teach. She looked like he had when he first started awkward and worried about killing it, but if he hadn't she wouldn't, she was even more gentle then he was. "Your doing fine. Probably better then me when I first started." This was what he was meant to do, he could feel it. Learn, teach, play. He stood up and got the pearls putting them in a pocket for when the leaf was done and he had to weld the pearl cups onto the bottom of the leaf.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:48 am
That… didn’t go as horribly as first expected. She glanced down at the small etching then back to him with a smile. There was still a hesitance as she made the next strike, still concerned about the integrity of the piece, but a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders at his encouragement. “It’s not too bad…” she said with a smile. She wasn’t quite sure that she would pick up on it well, but it was rather soothing. She paused with his movement, not quite sure if she wanted to take a crack at it without him being there still. With her luck, she’d end up hitting it too hard the very last time and destroy it all. “I highly doubt that. I’m sure you picked up on it easily.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:51 pm
He showed her his hands, "My fine tuned control wasn't as good when I started out. I had squiggles from one end to the other." He sighed happily, "But its better now." He dug in his shirt and showed her the two pearls he would set on the leaf. "You think these two would work?" They might be too big and ruin the size ratio so he wanted her opinion on them. She was gentle and he had to admit he enjoyed her company, she was at least willing to learn and didn't seem to mind what he was.
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