A Tale of Wood and Clay

[Palla Frostfawn]

20th of Spring, 514 AV
Palla picked up a block of wood, yawning. She identified it as common wood, and decided to carve a mouse. Palla was extremely tired, but kept herself awake. She carved the wood, going with the grain that was facing her, and with her shallow gouge, sliced the finger of her hand that was holding the carving.

Palla yelped in pain, and was jolted awake. "Petch." Palla mumbled under her breath, more mad at herself than scared. Palla walked to the front room, and found a fabric scrap on the ground. She used the tiny thing to cover her cut, and put clay over the makeshift bandage to keep it in place. It was very crude, but Palla had decided a while ago that she had no need for first aid kits. If the injury was severe enough, she could go see a healer. Now, however, she was starting to reconsider.

Oh, well. It's only a minor cut, it should heal within less than ten days, hopefully. Palla put her wood away, and cleaned up her table, putting her carving tools away. There was less than a half of a bell left in Palla's work day, so Palla decided that playing with clay would be a safer bet.

Palla then got a lump of clay out from under her table, and started to form half of it into a ball. She made half of it into an ovular shape, and cut the other half in half again, forming it into a ball. Palla crosshatched with her short fingernails in the clay where she wanted to connect the pieces, and then used water that she had collected in a handmade bowl on the corner of her table to attach the parts together.

The head of what Palla was going to make a rabbit fell off, and Palla tried a couple more times until she got it to stay. Once the head was securely fastened, Palla managed to get one ear to stay on the rabbit. The other refused to stay, and Palla eventually gave up. Palla smashed the clay buny an rolled it back into a ball. She stood up, preparing to leave, but she felt like she wasn't alone I'm just paranoid. There's nobody here.

Palla opened the door to leave, but hesitated. She waited, leaning against the door, for the shop was now closed, and she didn't want to let customers in. Palla waited, for some inexplicable reason. And waited.

[Natsu Nendo]

The small Pycon roused himself, standing up and stretching as he took in his surroundings. It had been a long night previously, and he wasn't quite sure where he had ended up, but the smell of wood and clay filled his nose as he crawled to the edge of the shelf upon which he had been sleeping. Glancing to and fro, he concluded that he was in a craft shop of some type, or at least a sculpting business judging from the countless figures which adorned the area. He shuffled back as a hand grabbed a block of wood from near him, and he let out a soft sigh of relief as she failed to spot his small form. I don't see how I can slip outside without her noticing, and I can't even remember how I got inside... the creature thought to himself. A few moments later a soft mumble accompanied by the smell of blood interrupted Natsu Nendo's thinking, and he quickly scurried to the edge once more, worried the female may have hurt herself badly. He smiled to himself as he took in both the fact that the injury was small, and what she seemed to have begun to carve had a distinct mouse-like shape. With a grin he slipped down his hiding spot, slipping behind a few lumps of clay while she had her back to him. As he moved, he observed the female slightly. She looked human, but he could have sworn her eyes had changed colors slightly, however that was not an issue on which he dwelled. His mind had already begun to spin and weave harmless pranks which he could pull on this worker, hopefully without scaring her too much. After waiting for a short while, he watched her efforts to create a clay bunny, and although the sculpture had promise she seemed to be lacking the patience to work with the difficult material and its refusal to stay put. He grinned to himself once more before slipping onto one of the display shelves, making sure he was noticeably out of place as a clay figure amidst wood sculptures. His plan was that she would notice him, pick him up to relocate him, and he would surprise her! I'll have to make sure she puts me down before I move, I wouldn't want her to drop me he shuddered slightly at the thought of falling, but after that remained as still as the elegant carvings around him. As the human made her way to the door Natsu's tail drooped slightly, wondering if all his careful planning would go to waste, but she seemed to hesitate, and he shut his eyes tightly, praying she would glance over her merchandise and discover him

[Palla Frostfawn]

Palla looked around the store one more time, about to leave, but saw a gray blob among her brown wood. Upon closer inspection, Palla saw it was a clay figure, made much more well than something Palla could have made. "H-Hello? W-Who left this here?" Palla looked around her shop, making sure there was nobody there. She returned back to the figure and picked it up. She held the statue gingerly in the palm of her hand, taking care not to squish the poor thing.

"C-Can you talk? I-I'm going crazy, clay can't talk. C-Can it?" Palla picked up the clay statue and left it on her worktable. "I-Is this some kind of prank?" Maybe it's a gift. Who would present it to me in such a way, though?

She decided to carve something for the statue, a little hat, forgetting her worries about cutting herself. "I-I'm going to carve you a hat." She used a small, square block of unusual wood to carve the hat. She used a shallow gouge to carve the basic shape of the hat, and then used a gouge with a more pronounced swoop and a v-gouge to carve the crevices formed from the cylinder meeting the brim. She used the same gouges to hollow out the inside of the hat.

It turned out to be a cute little top hat, and Palla placed the dark wood on top of the clay figure's head. Palla would take the clay figure to her home if it remained still.

This is, assuming the clay statue hadn't moved. If Natsu-Nendo had moved, Palla would scream and drop her carving knife, backing away against the wall. Palla would then, if the figure posed no threat, walk back slowly and deliberately, ready to run, and ask "W-What are you? I-Is this some sort of magic?"

Palla's mind would be racing if the pycon moved. What is this? Can it hurt me? What kind of magic is this? Maybe the thing means no harm, but why would it scare me like this? Does this thing have a name? Maybe clay creatures exist, but if so, why haven't I heard of them?

Palla asked one of the questions that was racing through her mind. "W-What is your name? D-Do you have one?" Petch you, Palla. In times like this, you ask for a name? "I-I won't hurt you if you come in peace." My unarmed combat skills won't help if this creature does mean to hurt me. It's probably stronger than me.

[Natsu Nendo]

Natsu Nendo remained motionless through the entire process of being lifted and placed back down, but he wondered if he had been discovered when she began speaking with him, asking if he could talk. As she turned her back to get the wood to carve him a hat, he smiled at her thoughtfulness, but quickly returned to his emotionless state as she turned to him once again. As soon as she placed the hat on his head he finally moved in her line of sight, reaching up and adjusting it to sit more comfortably on his head. As Palla screamed and dropped the knife, he held up his hands, taking off the hat and giving a small bow before replacing the wooden headpiece "Easy, easy, I mean you no harm" the creature said with a soft tone to his small voice "I am a Pycon, and yes... it is a form of magic I suppose" Natsu smiled gently, sitting on his hind legs and tilting his head in curiosity. It had been a prank, true, but he had not expected to frighten her this much, and he felt deeply sorry. He let out a soft giggle as she asked his name and he very slowly approached the edge of the counter upon which he had been placed "Natsu Nendo is my name, and I mean you no harm, I swear it. It was a prank, a foolish joke which I did not mean to frighten you... well, badly" He nodded to her and stretched his back out, climbing carefully across the counter to the shelves where he had first hidden, grabbing the small sack which he carried with him and crawling back over towards her. He stopped near the edge, pulling out fifteen gold Mizas and laying them on the counter as payment for the wooden hat. He took time now to study her, this human who seemed terrified, though he could clearly not do any harm to her, not unless he suddenly gained the ability to breathe fire. His body language remained gentle and soothing as his tail drifted back and forth lazily behind him. Natsu knew that he had frightened her, and he felt deeply sorry, wondering to himself if there was any way he could make it up to her. He felt ashamed inside, scaring her even after she had taken the time to carve him such a wonderful little hat.

[Palla Frostfawn]

"O-Okay" Palla said when the pycon said he meant no harm. Her heart rate slowed to it's normal pace, and Palla took a deep breath to calm herself. "A py-con? I've never heard of your type before." The pycon smiled gently. This creature is quite charming. Palla thought, as her eyes took on an indigo hue because she was amused by the pycon.

"T-That's okay." Palla said, looking again at the pycon. "I-It's true you scared me, but that's okay."

She watched in curiosity as the pycon climbed down the table and back to the spot where he had originally hidden. When the pycon came back, Palla was presented with fifteen gold mizas, Palla smiled and shook her head. "T-That's kind of you, but it would only cost one miza." Orabelle tried to give me fifteen mizas, too. Is there some sort of pattern?

A pycon? I never knew those existed! I guess I can trust Natsu Nendo, he seems harmless. Natsu's very charming. Wouldn't it be cool to have a pycon in my house, but if I invited him in, would that seem perverted? I don't think so... It's not as if I'm inviting a human into my home... "S-So... I'm going home. Y-You could come with me, if you'd like, but I have dogs..."

"I-I'm sorry if that sounded odd. I-I've never met a pycon before, so I don't know if that would be weird." Palla stammered. "I-It's just that you're so small, i-it would be cool to have you around." I probably offended him. I hope I didn't! Maybe there are other pycons in Riverfall. The city's pretty diverse, and it would be good for business if I could sell my carvings to other species.

"A-Are there other pycons in Riverfall?" Palla asked. They could be everywhere, but they're so small that I wouldn't be able to see them anyways. "I-I've never seen one before, not here or in Avanthal."

[Natsu Nendo]

Natsu Nendo blinked and tilted his head as the hue of the artist's eyes changed to indigo and his tail perked in curiosity. He listed to her words carefully, politely nodding as she spoke. "Pycons are quite rare in this region. My kind stays mostly North of here, in the area of Syliras, but my parents and a small group formed a Pyve a small distance from here on the coastline" as he spoke, Natsu pulled a small chunk of clay from his bag and began to munch on it, having been hungered by his climbing and scurrying. "No, I apologize. I have a tendency to forget that some are more easily frightened than others. It was impolite of me" the clay figure insisted, giving another small bow of apology. He was taken back by this female's kindness and humble prices, but he only replaced thirteen of the Mizas "two gold for such a beautiful carving, I wouldn't have it any other way" he smiled once again, his tail beginning to move back and forth behind him in... well, what was the right word for it? Excitement? No, more like... pleasure. Pleasure at the wonderful conversation, and the curious and quite adorable demeanor of the humble and shy artist. Natsu had never been very sure if his race could actually blush, but as Palla invited him home he swore his cheeks became quite crimson "I-I... I would love-... v-very much like to" he stammered, shyly hiding his face with his small sculpted paws "I've never really been around dogs much, I'm sure I'll live" he joked, peeking out from under his paws and grinning broadly. "No no no, it didn't sound weird in the slightest" Natsu replied quickly not wanting to lose the opportunity to make a close friend. He had long accepted the fact that he was quite small and the world was big, it was the truth, and he had grown to love being different, especially in a region all but devoid of his kind. "Oh, I nearly forgot I wanted to apologize for being in your shop in the first place... I don't quite know how I actually got here to be honest, but I'm glad I did" Although Natsu's smile did not waver at her question, his tail drooped slightly as he replied "no, there are no others here to my knowledge. Only the Pyve on the coastline. As for Avanthal, I can't say I've ever been to any other city, let alone another region" His heart began to pound as he imagined the other cities and his tail resumed its happy movement "have you traveled much? I would love to hear about the places you have been-... how rude of me, I just realized I never asked your name"

[Palla Frostfawn]

"W-What is a Pyve? I've never heard of one before." Palla vaguely remembered hearing of Syliras when searching for a city to travel to, but didn't know much about it. She decided to stick with one question at a time, leaving Natsu time to answer the question.

"I-It's only a hat. I-I would charge a miza for it, and I shouldn't ask for more." Palla didn't believe that she deserved it, and would feel a bit like she had scammed Natsu if he paid two gold mizas instead of the usual price. If Natsu objected once more, however, Palla would take the coins reluctantly, avoiding an endless conflict about the price of the hat.

If the pycon gave consent, Palla would pick him up and put him on her shoulder, walking carefully so as to keep Natsu Nendo safe. Why is he stammering? He's not me! "My dogs are friendly, they won't hurt you." I hope they don't think Natsu's a toy. I'll scold them if they do. "I-It's fine. T-The shop isn't supposed to be deserted, it's for customers and visitors, n-not just me."

"N-No, I haven't traveled much. " Palla explained, realizing she may have been misleading. "I-I can tell you about my journey from A-Avanthal to Riverfall, though, if you would like." Palla said. If the pycon wanted to know, Palla would tell him "I-I traveled with some merchants on a caravan. T-They were nice, and s-since they were going to Riverfall anyways, they said it wasn't much trouble."

"O-Oh, my name? I-I'm sorry, it seems I have forgotten my manners. I-I'm Palla Frostfawn."

[Natsu Nendo]

"A Pyve is a collection of Pycons such as myself, all coming together to form a society. The one in which my family lives- or... rather lived... was quite smaller than usual Pyves, but it was a home" Natsu Nendo answered simply, smiling at the curiosity of the artist and hiding a slight pain from the memories which they stirred. He noted her kind demeanor, giving him time to answer her questions before pushing ahead with her own, and it made him smile widely, his intricately carved wings fluttering softly behind him. The Pycon nodded at her disagreement for the Mizas and he gave a sly grin, leaving the coins where they lay "one for the hat and the other for your trouble then, I won't have it any other way" he said "though your talent for crafting and sculpting is very beautiful if I may say so" He did not want to make her feel bad by accepting his money, but he also knew it would not feel right to leave only one. The carved mouse crawled upon her hand and from there to her shoulder with a gracious bow, filled with respect by Palla's careful movements to accompany his fragile form. He had quickly gotten over his shyness of her asking him to her house, and he could only hope his momentary stammering had not offended her, that she had not taken it as an insult to her speech. "No, I don't mind animals at all, as long as I don't get crushed by a horse I'll be happy" Natsu giggled and made sure his small paws did not dig into Palla's shoulder as he balanced, finding the new perspective on Riverfall quite amazing, as if he was seeing it for the first time again. The clay ears of the Pycon perked as he heard the shopkeeper offer to tell him of the journey she had made, and he nodded quickly "I love hearing of other places, and a caravan sounds like more fun than traveling by yourself. Who knows, maybe one day I can find another city to move to as beautiful as Riverfall. I have no family left to hold onto, but it will be hard to leave the few good friends I have" a flash of sadness seemed to cross Natsu's face, but it vanished as soon as it appeared. Upon hearing the name of his new companion (or acquaintance if she preferred), he broke into yet another of his smiles, the tail behind him moving back and forth rhythmically in time with Palla's steps "a nice name for an even nicer woman" he said with a wink at her, though being on her shoulder he wasn't sure if she had seen the motion.

[Palla Frostfawn]

"O-Oh." Palla said in response to the answer. What else was she to say? "A-A few chimes ago, I would never had guessed that there were more of you. I-I never would've known you even existed a few chimes ago, actually." Palla looked to the pycon. Natsu's face was split into a big grin, and his wings fluttred behind him. These pycons are strange. This one is, at least. Why does he look so happy all the time?

Palla took the mizas from the pycon, thanking him. "I-It was no trouble at all. I-I'm fine." Palla smiled a tiny smile at Natsu. "Y-You are very kind. I-It isn't as if my 'talent' is unparallelled."

Palla laughed a polite laugh, acting as if she found it funny, what the Pycon said. However, she believed that the dangers were very real for this small creature. "W-Well, you're in luck. I-I don't own a single horse. I-I don't even know how to ride one, honestly. I-It would be nice, though.

Natsu Nendo crawled up Palla's arm to her shoulder. He seemed amazed, and Palla wondered how often he had the chance to do a thing like this. Maybe he doesn't have many friends that he can ask this of. How can he not, though, if he's so charming? Maybe people are intimidated by him?

"W-Well, there were a few men, but only one other woman was on the caravan." Palla started to tell Nastu about her journey. "T-They were respectful, maybe because I paid them, maybe because they were good people. I-I'd like to think the latter, though. T-They provided food for me, and we were safer, traveling in a group. S-Still, travel in Mizahar is dangerous, and I was a bit scared."

"I-I'd love to learn more about the world by traveling, but I love Riverfall even more. I-I finally have friends, and a successful business. S-Still, I hope you find a traveling buddy." Palla wanted the best for everyone, and Natsu Nendo was no exception. She saw Natsu looked a bit sad for a moment, but it was soon replaced by his normal expression.

"T-Thank you." Palla said when Natsu complimented her name. She had never heard that before.

Soon, they reached Palla's condo. "H-Here it is." Palla had a box, probably the biggest item she had made, that looked perfect for Natsu. "D-Do you have a home in Riverfall?" I-If you don't, you're welcome to stay here. I-I can carve you a bed and you can stay there." Palla said, gesturing to the box. O-Of course, I'll take off the lid for you or carve a door." T-This won't be weird if he has his own house, right?

[Natsu Nendo]

The Pycon made sure he spoke a little softer so as not to be speaking loudly directly into Palla's ear, and he mumble shyly "not many around here know of my species, we're not very central to an area like this, but the attention is nice I suppose" he giggled softly, his tail brushing the artist's neck slightly as he spoke. "As to your talent, it is the best I have seen, I dare to say the best in Riverfall" Natsu said, noting how snugly the hat fit on his head and how smooth the curved edges were. He would wear it with... yes, pride seemed to be the right word. The clay figure was secretly quite relieved that Palla did not own a horse, but he was sure that if she had he would still be alright. He had few people in the city he could truly call friends, though he was seriously considering the kind woman to be one of his now. He never really got the chance to ride on anyone's shoulder, it seemed to make people uncomfortable to have him where they could not really see him, and although Natsu took this in his stride, it did hurt a little. The Pycon's ears perked and he listened intently to Palla's tale, smiling as he imagined what it would be like. Although he did not want to admit it, Riverfall was quockly becoming a place he was wanting to leave less and less. The sights, the kind people, everything was so good, and he knew that he would miss it dearly. At Palla's offer Natsu hesitated slightly, though it was not because he didn't want to stay. He wondered if he would be intruding, if he- he shook his small head to clear the thoughts out and scurried carefully down the Vantha's arm to the box "I... I have no place to call a home currently. If you would have me, I would very much appreciate your hospitality, but I will not stay every night. It is nothing against you, there are just times when I cannot settle and I do not wish to disturb you" Natsu gave a long bow, his wings flaring wide and fluttering as they had before. A bed... Natsu thought. Not counting flower beds, I've never had a real bed before...