Solo A Welcome Distraction

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Timestamp: 32nd Day of Summer, 514, AV Uneasy dreams stirred Seirei into waking. As awareness returned, she immediately wished it hadn't. Her entire body ached fiercely. Part of it was caused by the bruises and strains she'd gotten when she'd fought Lian the night before. Or tried to fight him, at least. It never helped, but somehow she just couldn't seem to give up her futile resistance when he forced himself on her. In addition to the pains that had become a normal part of Seirei's existence, her stomach ached dully. It was a pain she remembered well from a time when she had taken ill as a child. For just over a week, she had thrown up several times a day, barely keeping enough down to survive. To the young child, it had felt as though she was throwing up constantly, but looking back at it, Seirei realized that that had not been the case. The dull ache Seirei felt in her stomach now was the same one she had suffered through as a young child. It was caused by throwing up too often in a short amount of time. When she was sick as a child, she had vomited more times per day than she was now, but her illness had lasted only a little over a week. What she had now was morning sickness, which was likely to last until the fall, at least. More disturbing than the nausea, and the aching stomach that threatened to rebel at least once a day, were the circumstances that had caused the morning sickness. And it was those circumstances that truly terrified Seirei. She hated the fact that she was pregnant. It meant that Lian's seed had taken root deep within her...and that meant that he had won. Seirei tried to think of the child growing inside her as hers, not his. She really did. But it was a daily struggle, and one that she lost more than she won. The misery that she felt because of the pregnancy didn't help matters any. But if she allowed herself to dwell on her misery for too long, she would fall into depression. So she turned to the one thing she knew would lift her spirits - or at the very least, give her something else to focus on. I could make some more beads. They seem to be popular here. And twigs are fairly easy to come by. Any trade caravan that has a wood carver traveling with them is likely to have them. The bigger twigs make good practice material for whittling, and getting used to using some of the tools we need. Like gouges when you want to use them to make a dimple as part of your design. Now that the traders are back, I should be able to find a caravan that has some. And with luck, I will be able to trade for them rather than buying them outright. If not, I can probably get a good price for them. Seirei thought, already focused on the beads she wanted to make. Seirei looked around the tent, her eyes settling on her backpack. With care, she knelt down beside it. Standing and squatting too quickly made her dizzy sometimes now. She sang softly as she rummaged through her backpack. The song she sang was a familiar one. She and her mother had sung it often when she was young. It had a bright, lively tune, and was about a dog that had to decide whether it wanted a big piece of meat, or a big juicy bone. In the many verses of the song, the silly dog went back and forth between the two, unable to decide. In the end, the poor creature took too long to decide, and got neither. It was a silly song that made Seirei smile every time she heard it. While clearly nonsense, there was a lesson to be had; too much indecision was likely to leave one with nothing. It was a children's song, complete with moral, and lively, fun rhythm to drive the words home to the kids who heard it. As Seirei searched through her belongings, her voice rose and fell along with the playful melody. By the time Seirei had found what she was looking for, she was laughing so hard that tears filled her eyes. She didn't even know why she was laughing. She certainly didn't have anything to laugh about...and couldn't imagine ever being happy enough to laugh again. But something about the song she had sung struck her as so ridiculous that she simply couldn't help herself. It took Seirei a good several chimes to calm herself down once more. Her wildly fluctuating emotions was yet one more trial for her to endure. One more thing that was out of control in her life. Seirei's eyes darkened even as they filled with tears once more. This time with tears of sadness, anger, helplessness, and frustration. "What's wrong with me...?" she groaned as she fought for control once more. Control came, but it took several more chimes for Seirei to start feeling calm again. When she did, she looked down at the painted wooden spheres in her lap. Though they were supposed to be beads...and would have been, had Seirei remembered to drill holes in them before the wood had dried. But they were rather pretty all the same. And she had a use for some of them now. I thought about giving some of them to Waisana as a thank you for helping me with my arm last spring, and for letting me help her to "work" off my debt in Lian's place. I really owe her for giving me a good reason to get away from this tent a lot. But I don't know if she knows anything about making jewelry. I don't want to give her something she would have no use for. And I don't know how to wrap wire around them so they can be used in a necklace even without having holes in them. But maybe I can trade a few for the twigs I need now. It was a happy thought. Seirei carefully placed her beads in one of Lian's pouches. He wasn't around for her to ask if she could borrow it, and with luck, he would never need to know. He was out hunting again, and not likely to be back before she was. Just in case she needed it, she decided to bring a little money as well. It too went into the pouch. Then she was off. The heat was staggering. It hit Seirei like a sharp blow the moment she set foot outside the tent. The air was painfully dry. Just breathing it made her thirsty. There wasn't even a breeze to cool things down a little. Now I know why we came to Endrykas in the fall most of the time when I was with my caravan. Is it this dry every summer? Or is this drought unusual? she grumbled to herself as she walked. As Seirei made her way through the brightly colored tents, she walked briskly. Even though the heat made her feel sluggish, and reluctant to move about more than necessary, she knew that exercise was important for someone who was pregnant. She swung her arms back and forth at her sides as she walked. It seemed to her that that extra bit of movement might give her that much more benefit in the way of exercise, though she really didn't know for sure. It just seemed to make sense to her. If exercise was vigorous movement such as running, or walking briskly, then more vigorous movement, such as moving her arms would equal more exercise. The bright blue tents around Lian's tent gave way to bright red ones. In this section of the city, Seirei noticed that a lot of people were working on all sorts of different kinds of crafts outside their tents. Some people were working with clay. It was a medium Seirei had never worked with before. But some people in her caravan had, and she respected those who did. Beautiful things could be made out of clay; some purely decorative, and some as useful as they were beautiful. It was something that Seirei was very interested in learning about some day. Other people were taking advantage of the bright light to weave. Baskets, clothing, and other things. Although making clothes held little interest for Seirei, weaving baskets did. These people were using grass, but Seirei thought it would be possible to make very thin strips of wood, and weave those, too. Still others looked like they might be building wagons. Seirei couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if she had been captured by a member of this clan. She hated being a captive...a slave, with everything that she was. And she knew that that would never change. But there would be some common ground with a fellow craftsman even if the craft itself was different. A mutual respect for the hard work involved in pursuing one's craft. Would that common ground, that mutual respect be enough to make captivity bearable? Seirei wasn't sure. But she hated and feared Lian more than she hated or feared anyone else. Ever. But if she liked her captor...or at the least had some common ground and respect for them. If they showed her the same respect...it might help. Had her "rescue" truly been a rescue, and had her rescuer given her time to get to know them, even to like them, and then asked if she would bear them a child to repay the debt of being rescued, Seirei might well have agreed. Especially if they had explained why they needed more children. She didn't hate all things Drykas, after all. Her own father was a Drykas, and she considered Waisana to be a friend. But things weren't different. They were what they were, and Seirei couldn't allow herself to dwell on the reality of her situation for too long. She knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to get up in the morning each day. So she shoved those negative thoughts to the back of her mind. Hearing comments from the people she passed taught Seirei that the red tents belogned to the Ruby Clan. It made sense, given the jewel theme she had discovered shortly after she'd been taken captive. Green tents represented the Emerald Clan, Purple tents represented the Amethyst Clan, and red ones were for the Ruby Clan...who were craftspeople as she herself was. The iridescent pearly white tents belonging to the healers were a part of this as well. Listening to people around you was a great way to learn things. Especially when they assumed that you didn't know their language. Seirei had spent enough time around the healing tents to have heard people mention the fact that many healers were part of the Opal Clan. Seirei made her way to the edge of the city where the trade caravans were located at a brisk pace. With the drought, there were far fewer caravans there than there had been when Seirei's caravan had come to Endrykas each fall when she was a child. But there were still several there. Although Seirei had grown up with a trade caravan, and she knew how things worked from that end, she had no experience on the end she currently found herself - that of the buyer rather than the seller. She knew exactly what she wanted, and what she could afford to offer in exchange. The question was how to get the best deal? The people of the caravans would be looking out for their own best interests, trying to get the best deal they could. Seirei needed to do the same.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Once among the caravans, Seirei took her time browsing through the wares. She had plenty of time, and being among the caravans reminded her of what it was like to live with one. So she stopped at each one to see what they had to offer. Many had a variety of weapons for sale. Bladed weapons like swords, daggers, and even spears were common. Ranged weapons such as short bows, long bows, cross bows were the most common. That made sense to Seirei since she had seen a lot of hunters carrying bows. But there were also bolas, and a wide variety of slings available to buy. With the weapons were the tools needed to care for and maintain the weapons. Polishing cloths, and stones for sharpening blades were displayed alongside kits with the materials necessary for making and repairing arrows. Seirei didn't know how to use the vast majority of the weapons or tools needed for maintaining them, but having lived with a trade caravan for most of her life, she recognized them. Weapons were a necessity, not a luxury item. So many traders had at least a few to offer. Her caravan was no different. Clothing, leather armor, and a wide variety of fabrics, and furs were available for sale as well. Some were the bright colors that Seirei had seen the Drykas wear while others were more muted colors. Seirei saw quite a few shirts that she liked, but she passed them by. Saving up for passage with a trade caravan and a nest egg to support her until she could find work in another city was far more important than buying more clothes when the outfit she had was in good condition. But how much longer will the clothes I have fit me? I don't want to destroy them by trying to wear them when my belly keeps getting bigger... Already Seirei had noticed a difference in the way her clothes felt. They felt tight, even uncomfortable now that her belly had begun to swell slightly with the child growing inside her. Seirei had seen pregnant women before, so she knew that she would get a lot bigger than she was now. She was a small girl, so her clothes would soon be too tight for her to wear. With that thought in mind, Seirei turned her attention back to the clothes she was looking at. She focused on looking for shirts and pants that were too big for her now, but that she could wear when she needed a larger size. Once she found several that looked big enough, she began narrowing them down. Some were set aside because they were clearly reaching the end of their usefulness. Badly frayed, patched, and full of holes that Seirei didn't have the skill to repair. Others were set aside because of the color. These were colors that Seirei had come to associate with the Drykas. Red, blue, purple, green...all the colors worn by different Drykas clans. Seirei wasn't a Drykas, and she didn't want to wear Drykas colors. Especially not blue. Blue was Lian's color, and Seirei wanted nothing to do with anything that would make her more like her captor. Finaly she made her choice. A nice, dark, even shade of black for the shirt, and black pants as well. She liked the color, it wasn't tied to any of the Drykas clans she knew about, and she hoped that the dark color would hide the dirt better than a lighter color would. She did see some white shirts that she liked as well, but it seemed like even the slightest bit of dust or dirt would show horribly. "Finding anything you like?" Seirei looked up to see a young woman watching her. She offered the trader a shy smile, and nodded. "I'm...going to need larger clothes in a few months." she said softly. The woman's eyes widened. Then she smiled warmly. "Congratulations!" Seirei resisted the urge to cringe, but only barely. She did not mention that she wasn't at all happy about the situation. After a moment, the woman looked at the clothes Seirei had selected, then turned her attention back to her. "You've picked some good, sturdy clothes. They'll stand up to a lot of wear and tear, even under the conditions you'll find out here. The material used to make them is of the finest quality as well. And you can see the fine workmanship that went into them. These clothes will last you for years. I can let you have them for the low price of five gold mizas each." Seirei's smile widened in amusement. Did this woman really think she was that stupid just because she lived with the Drykas instead of a more "civilized" city? "Living with the Drykas doesn't make me stupid. I know that they are seen as primitive by some people, but I assure you that they are not. I can buy five of these shirts for one gold miza, and still have change left over. What makes you think that I am going to give you five for one?" It felt strange defending the Drykas when she feared and hated Lian as much as she did. But he wasn't the only Drykas. Waisana was a very nice person, and she was a Drykas, too. Her father was also a Drykas. Seirei wanted to believe that most of the Drykas weren't like her captor. "Seven? Now who is the stupid one? Are you blind? Can you truly not see what good quality these clothes are? They're brand new, and made out of the best materials! There's not a patch or a ripped seam in sight!" "I admit that they are good, sturdy clothes. But linen is hardly the "best" material. It certainly isn't a luxury item like satin or silk. And while good, they obviously weren't made by a master in the craft." Seirei was bluffing on the last part. She didn't know enough about clothes to be able to recognize the work of a master just by looking at them. But the reality of the situation was that a trader had to know the people they were selling to. And a nomadic people like the Drykas needed comfort and durability more than fine quality. Practicality over luxury. Traders knew this...or they should at least. A good trader wasn't going to try to sell overly fancy clothes to a bunch of horse nomads. It was that simple. The trader frowned. "Fine. You've got me there. But they're still of very good quality. One gold miza each." "If these were made out of fine wool, I would agree to that. But they aren't. I won't pay more than three silver mizas for the shirt, or twenty four silver mizas for the pants. That price covers the fact that they are larger than most, and that they are well made." The trader hesitated, eyeing Seirei consideringly. Finally she seemed to realize that she wouldn't be able to get anything more out of her. "Fine. But I'll have you know that you're ripping me off at that price." she grumbled. Had Seirei truly been ripping her fellow trader off, she would have felt guilty. But she knew enough to know that she was paying a fair price. So she simply handed over the coins, and went on her way. Although she hadn't planned on spending any money today, she wanted to save her beads to trade for the twigs she needed. The clothes were something she hadn't realized she needed until she saw them.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

As Seirei continued to browse through the caravans, she found one that was selling several kinds of crafts, and the tools needed to make a variety of crafts. Figurines made of wood and marble were on display as were clay bowls, and brightly colored necklaces made of wooden and glass beads. Blank canvases were stacked against the side of the wagon for the aspiring artist. Seirei didn't think they would be a popular item amongst the Drykas who lived in tents, and didn't have walls to hang paintings on. But she supposed that it was possible someone might be interested in them. She was no expert on the Drykas, after all. "Are you going to buy something?" Seirei looked around to see who had spoken. A young boy sat on the ground a few feet away. He had a bag of twigs beside him, and he was using one to draw in the dirt. The dark haired boy was likely the son of one of the people who owned the caravan. "Well, that depends. I haven't really decided yet. You have some nice figurines for sale." Seirei gently lifted one of the figurines off of the shelf it was displayed on. The figurine was made of a rich, dark wood. The base was roughly the size of the palm of her hand. It was the image of a bird of prey perched on a rock. The bird's wings were mantled, and it clutched a fish in one of its talons. As Seirei examined the carving, she admired its fine quality. Each feather was incrately carved with its own unique pattern, and there was a wildness in the bird's fierce expression. There was an intelligence deep with the bird's eyes as well. Despite knowing it was impossible, Seirei half expected the bird to explode into flight as she watched it. The wooden figurine had clearly been carved by a master carver. A lot of care had gone into the carving of the figurine, and it showed. Seirei hoped that one day she would be skilled enough to carve something equally beautiful. "How much does this cost?" Seirei knew that it was well out of her price range. But she had to ask none the less. She simply couldn't help herself. The boy hesitated. "It's...not for sale. Not to you, anyway." Seirei frowned at the perceived insult. The boy leaped to his feet, shaking his head frantically. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that, honest! It's just that..." "Just that what?" Seirei asked, curiosity and annoyance mingling in her voice. "I'm going to buy it. When I'm older, and can afford it, I mean. My grandfather made it. It's...it's the last figurine he made before he died, and I'm going to buy it so I can always remember him." Seirei could hear the longing in the boy's voice. She knew it well. Owning one of her mother's figurines would mean a great deal to her, too. But... "Do you really think that it won't sell before you can earn enough to afford it?" "Well...yeah. Probably. A master work like that's really expensive. And a master's last work is worth even more. Not just anyone can afford it. But if I buy it, I'll get a discount because I'm family." The boy had a point. Most people wouldn't see as much money as a master's final work was worth in a year. "And besides...whenever we set up to display our goods, I hide this one in the back where people aren't likely to see it. I just didn't think I had to this time, since well...wooden figurines aren't real popular in Endrykas. You know that, right? You guys move all the time, so you can't collect as much stuff as people who stay in one place all the time can. My mother says that the Drykas like embroidered stuff and jewelry because they can wear it. It's easy to pack for travel." It made sense. Clothes were a necessity for everyone. Embroidered clothes were pretty as well as practical. "So...are you going to buy anything?" Seirei grinned. "Do you have any more bags of twigs like that one? And maybe some string, too?" The boy frowned. "Twigs? String? What are you going to do with those?" "Do you really have to ask when your grandfather was a wood carver?" The boy's eyes widened in surprise. He stared at Seirei wordlessly for a long moment. "You carve wood too?" he asked eagerly. Seirei grinned at the obvious interest in his voice, and she nodded. "I do. I'm nowhere near being a master, but I do well enough. I'd like to trade for some twigs so I can make some beads. And the string is to make necklaces with the beads I'm going to make." The boy nodded firmly. Then he turned around, and shouted for his mother. A tall woman with blond hair, and fair skin emerged from behind the wagon. She eyed Seirei thoughtfully before turning her attention to her son. The boy quickly told her that Seirei was a wood carver and that she wanted to trade for some twigs and string. The woman eyed her again, this time with more interest. Seirei sensed that she was getting ready for some serious negotiation, and she was surprised to find that she was looking forward to it too. "What are you offering in trade?" the woman asked briskly. Seirei pulled out a couple of the beads she'd put in the pouch she'd "borrowed" from Lian, and held them out for the trader to examine. The young boy stood on the tips of his toes so he could see them as well. "Hey, they don't have any holes! Do you really think you're going to get anything by offering us flawed goods?" he exclaimed angrily. "Not all beads are strung onto a string or wire. Some are wrapped with wire instead." Seirei said calmly. The boy stared at the beads again, this time with a thoughtful expression. His mother picked one of the beads up, and rolled it around in her hand. Then she gave it back to Seirei. "They're plain, but they're still kind of pretty in a simple way. They're made well, too. Not the work of a master, but not an apprentice's first effort either. Did you make them?" Seirei nodded. "They're not bad. Not bad at all. And they're a good size. They could be used in a necklace or as a decoration on their own if wrapped properly. I'll give a one pound bag of twigs for ten pounds of beads. And I'll take one pound of beads for an inch of string." It wasn't the worst offer Seirei had ever heard, but that didn't mean it was an especially good one, either. "Twigs aren't a popular trade item." Seirei began. It was true enough as far as it went. They weren't as useful as lumber, or blocks of wood for carving, but you could still make a lot of things with them. "You won't get much for them." "You need them, or you wouldn't be looking to trade for them. Wood is scarce out in the Sea of Grass." "Mother's right, you know. It took us days and days to get here, and I only saw three trees the whole way here." "Yes, and that makes them more valuable here than they might be in other cities. But twigs are unpredictable. I could buy a bag, and only find one that I can actually use to make more beads. Or, I might be able to use them all. I won't know until I buy them and get them home to get a good look at them." Twigs came in all shapes, sizes, and thicknesses. Some had knots in the wood, and others didn't. Some were warped, or frail, and would break when she tried to use them. And some woods were better than others for making beads. Apple tree wood was one of the better ones. Wood from other types of fruit trees was also good for making beads. "I'll give you a quarter pound of beads for every five pound of twigs I buy. And three beads for fifty feet of string." Seirei knew that her offer wasn't going to be accepted. It wasn't even a serious offer. What Seirei hoped it would do was to draw out a more reasonable counter offer. "The finished product is worth more than the raw materials, I'll give you that. Skill and labor add value, after all. But your beads aren't worth that much, girl. And they're flawed, which makes them worth even less. Three pounds of beads for a pound of twigs, and fifty beads for a foot of string." Seirei tried to add the costs up in her head. She wanted to buy at least five pounds of twigs. Perhaps a bit more. In terms of lumber, that would cost a little over one gold miza. Twigs weren't worth as much as lumber though, so the same weight in twigs was probably worth around half of that. Her beads, though flawed in the fact that they didn't have holes and would have to wrapped with wire, were still pretty. The paint she'd used on them added some value as well. So one pound of her beads was worth roughly three silver mizas. The string would be worth five copper mizas for fifty feet, so half a pound of beads for a foot of string was outrageous. "I wouldn't necessarily call the beads flawed. Not every bead is meant to have a hole. The wire used to wrap them and tie them into the finished piece can be seen as part of the decoration of the bead. I'll give you half a pound of beads for five pounds of twigs, and five beads for fifty feet of string." "You're not bad at this. This isn't your first time at haggling, is it? Even so, I can't let the goods go for less than a pound of beads per pound of twigs and a pound of beads for the fifty feet of string." "I grew up with traders, so I saw a lot of haggling. I know how it works. I'll give you a pound of beads for five pounds of twigs, and a quarter pound of beads for the string." A quarter pound of her beads was worth three copper mizas more than the fifty feet of string she wanted, but Seirei knew that if she let the trader think she was getting the better deal, she might come down a bit more on the twigs than she normally would. "Two and a half pounds of beads for the twigs, and the string combined. But..." The trader glanced over at the young boy. "I'll go down to one and three quarters of a pound of beads for the lot if you'll throw in a lesson in woodcarving for my son. He learned to love the craft from his grandfather, but he doesn't have a teacher now that he's dead." "I'll do it." Seirei said quickly. It would be easy enough to let the boy watch while she made some beads, and if it would get the price down to a reasonable amount, she was more than happy to agree. She also felt bad for the boy. Traveling from one place to the next as traders do, he wouldn't get much chance to learn how to carve unless another carver joined his caravan. Spending a few days, or even a few weeks in this city or that wasn't really enough to learn much...assuming that he could even find someone willing to teach him everywhere he went. And that wasn't likely to be the case. Seirei quickly handed over some of her beads in exchange for five pounds of twigs, and a spool holding fifty feet of string. Then she turned to the young boy. "Do you want that lesson now?" she asked with a warm smile. The boy's eyes lit up with joy, and he grinned. "Can I, Mother?" The trader smiled, and nodded. When she turned back to Seirei, she could see the gratitude in the woman's eyes. "Then let's get going."

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei led the boy back to Lian's tent. To her relief, the man was still not there. Seirei set the twigs down next to the tent. "Please wait right here while I get the tools I'll need. It won't take long." Seirei retreated into the tent, and got her tools. As promised, it only took her a few moments to get what she needed. When she returned, the first thing she did was begin sorting the twigs she'd just bought. "Have you learned how to identify different kinds of wood yet?" The boy nodded. "Can you help me sort these twigs, then? Twigs from fruit trees should go in one pile, and the rest should go in piles by what type of wood they are." The boy rushed to help Seirei sort the twigs. "We'll be using the twigs from fruit trees today. Their wood is the best for making beads." Seirei said as they worked. "Why?" Seirei considered the question for a moment. "Well, you can really use any kind of wood to make beads. But there are a lot of kinds of fruit trees that have wood that smells nice. It isn't necessary, but it is a nice added benefit." When they were finished, Seirei picked up two twigs that had come from an apple tree. They were roughly the same length. And each one was less than half an inch in diameter. "Okay, the first thing we need to do is peel the bark off of the twig." Seirei demonstrated how to do just that, using a small knife to carefully peel the bark off of the twig she was hollding. When she was done, she held the twig at a short distance, and examined it. Then she used her knife to scrape off the remaining bits of bark that she had missed the first time. "Do you want to try it?" "Yes, please." the boy said eagerly. Seirei handed her knife over to the young boy. She watched him carefully, but it was clear that he had been taught how to handle a sharp knife. He was careful not to get his fingers too close to the blade as he worked. His movements were slow, but precise. Seirei offered a few words of advice on how to hold the twig as he peeled the bark off, and how to get a longer. more even cut. But it was obvious that the boy had at least some idea of what he was doing, and Seirei couldn't find anything that he was doing wrong. Speed would come with experience, just as she had learned it. When the boy was done, he handed the knife back to Seirei. "You did well. Have you made beads before?" "No, but my grandfather told me that when you use twigs for anything, it's best to peel the bark off first. He's the one who showed me how to do it." "Your grandfather was a very wise man." The boy beamed. "What do we do next?" he asked eagerly. The boy's grin was contageous, and Seirei found herself smiling back at him. "We need to cut our twigs into pieces that will become beads." Using the same knife she'd used to peel the bark off of her twig, Seirei cut the twig into pieces. Each piece was a little bit larger than the size she wanted her beads to be. That would give her a little room for error if she made mistakes. "When cutting the twig, you should make the pieces a little larger than you want the beads to be. That will give you a little leeway if you make any mistakes while shaping them. The easiest shapes to make are round and oval beads, so those are the shapes we will stick to today. But when you get better at it, you can make square beads, or just about any shape that you want." Once again, Seirei offered her knife to the boy. He took it eagerly, and focused his attention intently on his twig. Seirei could see him trying to decide how big he wanted his beads to be. After a few moments, he made his first cut. As before, the boy's work was slow, but efficient, and it showed that he had some skill with the knife. His cuts were mostly even, but Seirei saw that some of his pieces were a little bigger or smaller than the first because the boy misjudged where he should cut.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

"Now what?" he asked as he handed the knife back to her once more. "Now comes the tricky part. We need to drill out the pulpy center of the twig." The boy grinned again. "And you have to do that before the wood dries out, right? It's good that you remembered to do it this time. Otherwise you'd have more beads without holes. The ones you traded for these twigs are pretty. but it's better if the beads have holes. Not everyone is going to know how to wrap wire around them so they can be made into jewelry, right?" Seirei cheeks reddened, but she nodded. "Yes, that's right. If you wait until the wood dries before drilling the holes in the beads, the wood will shatter. It still might if you use too big a drill, or if you aren't very careful. That's why this step is so tricky. You have to use the smallest bow drill that you can. This is the part that takes the longest when you're making beads. It's also the easiest to make mistakes in." Seirei dug through her kit until she found the smallest bow drill that she had. She positioned the drill carefully, then proceeded to drill out the center of each piece of wood. She felt the wood give way beneath the pressure of the bow drill, and used that feeling of touch as she worked. Although she was very careful, she still broke some of the pieces. Most of them turned out okay though, which was a relief. It was bad enough to mess up when she was working alone. But it was far worse when she had an audience, and was trying to show a child how to do something she loved to do. "This is difficult, tedious work. Especially if you haven't done it before. But it's easy to make mistakes in this stage even if you're a master. The slightest distraction while drilling will cause you to make a mistake and that will usually result in the piece you're drilling breaking." Seirei explained. The boy nodded, listening to her every word intently. "Would you like to try?" The boy's eyes lit up with eager anticipation, and he nodded. "May I?" Seirei could hear the excitement in the boy's voice, and it made her smile. She nodded in agreement, and she handed the boy her bow drill. The boy picked up one of his pieces of wood, and gripped it firmly in his left hand. Then he stared at the bead intently for a long moment. Seirei could see that he was trying to study the bead so he could determine where to drill the hole. In his eyes, she could see his determination to get it right the first time. She found herself enjoying teaching the boy. Seirei had agreed to the lesson mostly to lower the amount she'd have to pay for the supplies she wanted. But teaching an eager young student, and passing on her own deep love for working with wood was deeply rewarding. The boy held his piece of wood steady in one hand as he drilled the hole with the other. When the drill slipped, the wood shattered, and he swore angrily for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and calmed himself. When he was ready, he picked up another piece, and tried again. As Seirei watched, she absently placed her hand on her abdomen. Would she teach the child growing within her how to work wood one day as she was teaching this boy? Would he or she share the same love for carving wood that she did? Would they bond together over that shared love? Seirei found herself wishing for all of these things. She hated the fact that Lian had succeeded in planting his seed within her, and forced her own body to betray her in doing so. The thought of bearing that man a child was a very painful one. So was the thought of giving birth to a son that would grow up just like his father. But for all of that, she couldn't bring herself to hate the new life sleeping inside her. It wasn't she child's fault that his or her father had forced himself on her against her well. The child was innocent. And Seirei found herself wondering what the child would be like. Was Waisana right? Would the child truly be hers instead of her captor's? "Hey!" Seirei jumped at the sudden loud voice, startled out of her thoughts. "Yes?" Seirei felt a rush of guilt. She was supposed to be paying attention to the boy's work, and offering advice when he needed it. But instead, she had gotten distracted by her own thoughts. "Are you okay? I called you several times, and you didn't answer me." Seirei's guilt intensified. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking. What did you need?" "I'm done. Most of the pieces broke, though..." The boy sounded disgusted with himself. Seirei looked around, and sure enough, most of his pieces of wood had broken as he tried to drill them. He had succeeded with one, though, and Seirei felt a rush of pride. Both in him for succeeding in drilling a hole is one of the bits of wood, and in herself for teaching him. "That's okay. You did get one good piece out of the lot. For a first try, that's very good." she reassured the boy quickly. The boy beamed at her. "What do we do next?" he demanded eagerly. "There's nothing more we can do right now. The next step in making beads is to shape the pieces of wood into whatever shape you want. Oval shaped beads, and round beads are the easiest for a beginner to manage. You would use a file to shape the beads. First you would file the sharp edges off. Once that was done, you would use the file to shape the beads." "Why can't we do that now?" the boy asked, sounding disappointed. "The wood has to dry first. These pieces need to be set out in a dry open space so they can dry." "How long will that take?" "It depends on how much moisture the wood holds. But it can take anywhere from three to seven days." "Aww! But we'll be gone by then!" Seirei glanced up at the sky. Judging by the sun, it was late afternoon. Lian would probably be back soon. Seirei did have some beads that were ready to be shaped, but she didn't think she had time to teach the boy how to do it before her captor returned. "Do you have any carving tools of your own?" she asked after a moment. The boy nodded. "No one else in my family is interested in carving, so when my grandfather died, I got his." Seirei's eyes widened at that. Having the tools of a master to work with would help the boy greatly as he tried to master his chosen craft. It was true that a person's skill was far more important that the tools that they had, but having good quality tools certainly didn't hurt. And a master would have a far greater selection of carving tools to work with. If the boy started practicing with them all at an early age, and got a good fell of how to use them while he was just starting out, it would give him an advantage in the long run. Kids often seem to learn new things faster than adults, so the young boy would be able to master a greater variety of tools at a younger age. That would in turn allow him to practice learning finer detail than could be achieved with the basic tools alone. That was, of course, assuming that he didn't get discouraged and give up, or get interested in something else as kids often do. "Then why don't you keep the piece that you succeeded with? If you have more twigs, you can try and make more. Then when they dry out, you can practice shaping them. If you have paint that you can use, you can try painting the beads once you shape them." "Okay, thanks! I'm going to practice and practice until I get really good at making beads! And when I do, I'm going to sell them. I'll save all of the money I make from selling beads until I earn enough to buy Grandfather's last work! You'll see!" Seirei grinned at the boy's obvious determination and enthusiasm. She wished him luck as he raced off. Then she spread her own beads out on a tarp so that they could dry. With that done, she gathered up her tools, and put them away.

[Khida]

Seirei

Skill	Points
Carving	+1
Larceny	+1
Negotiation	+3
Observation	+2
Persuasion	+2
Rhetoric	+3
Socialization	+2
Teaching	+2

• Carving: fruit woods for a pleasant smell
• Larceny: 'borrowing' an item while its owner is away
• Medicine: morning sickness and its side effects
• Negotiation: a deliberate underbid
• Negotiation: highlighting flaws real and imagined
• Opal Clan: healers
• Persuasion: presenting facts in a positive light
• Song: The Dog's Dilemma
• Teaching: demonstrate by example, explain as you go

Notes

A neat little everyday thread. This may be the most actual haggling I've seen in a thread, certainly in a while. Also, I especially liked her interaction with the boy and his mother.

Some comments on the whys and wherefores of the grade: I awarded Rhetoric and Persuasion along with Negotiation for all the haggling Seirei did. I gave one XP in Carving here for the bow drill usage. I did not award Singing XP this time because I noticed that Seirei's almost halfway to Competent in that skill but has no technique lores. So you'll need to write more about the experience of singing if you want additional XP from me, there. Offhand, you might explore breath control / have her run out of breath on some line, or try singing in different registers (low pitch vs. high), and other such things.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please let me know!