[Flashback] The Only Way Up (Velarian)

by **Iredeth** on January 27th, 2011, 10:52 pm

An expression of surprise flickered across Iredeth’s face. Velarian was offering to walk with her to the market… She had not expected that. She was sure the man would leave as soon as they had made it up the wall. Regardless, company was a welcome change from her customary solitude. Following a brief hesitation, she fell in step with Velarian.

“The market it is then,” she agreed, her gaze roaming around Kalinor’s streets. She had been in the city on more than a few occasions, but she had never truly seen it. When previously coming here for supplies, she had walked quickly, her eyes perpetually downcast. That had always seemed the safest way to navigate Kalinor’s streets. She knew that few Symenestra would have been openly hostile to her, but she still preferred not to draw attention to herself. She vaguely remembered visiting the city with Sirella as a child, and taking in the sights without fear, but the memories were grey and faded. They did not do justice to the beauty which was now laid out before her eyes.

Turning her head this way and that, she was amazed at how blind she had been during her earlier visits. Opting for staring at the pavement instead of at the elegance around her, she had missed out on a breathtaking view.

As they approached the market, Iredeth tore her gaze away from the street surrounding them to look at Velarian. “The suggestion you made earlier about the wire… You must be quite experienced in animation to have thought of that. Have you been practicing the craft long?” she asked.

by **Velarian Zantedeschia** on January 31st, 2011, 11:26 pm

"My father first thought me when I was thirteen. My first automaton I created with fourteen. I have been practicing ever since." Velarian's voice had dropped when they had started their journey into the city, a habit picked up long ago. Sounds carried a long distance in cave systems and the hollow Kalinor had been built into was dwarfing what people commonly liked to call a cave. He glanced towards the young woman thoughtfully.

"Wire will not behave the same way joints do. They don't have a set point to bend at, but if you are satisfied with movement alone, no matter if it mimics human or even animal characteristics, I would investigate the subject. Run a few tests maybe." When the used materials were cheap, the animator had no qualms to waste some of them in smaller experiences. It was better to find out a commission was meant to fail in time, before you spend hours planning and animating. He had no trouble destroying the failures he produced in his work room, only from his successes he sometimes had a hard time parting. It was not truly life he had instilled on them, but often he spent more time with his creations than with friends. Just family could claim to see him even more often.

"How about you? I was not aware there were Symenestra living so close to the city, nor that some of them know about animation." There were harvesters traveling the world, some of them who might even knew animation, but those where not exactly living outside Kalinor. At some point they were supposed to come back and they were supposed to do so with a woman in tow. Or two when they were good or lucky. Velerian had never thought of those who had left the city without coming back. Some might have made a home elsewhere, but he couldn't imagine to be separated from home and family for so long.

Before them the way led to the platform holding the market. A web was spanning far above people's heads, baskets dangling from it on long robes. Velarian eyed into one hanging in the height of his head, inspecting another one close to the ground, holding raw strands of flax, yet to be heckled. A boy was sorting folds of fabric into another basket, skillfully hanging from the web above. When Velarian passed the young Symenestra looked into his direction, but the older man shook his head. He didn't need any help inspecting the goods and there was nothing he intended to buy. Turning the boy stared at Iredeth for a long moment, before he climbed down to deal with another customer.

"How is it, living outside of Kalinor? If you don't mind the question that is." He had added the last part quickly after he realized the girl might not like to talk about such things. "I don't come to leave the city often, I fear." The circumstance did not seem to bother him the way might some others. In the city he had almost everything he needed.

occSorry for the delay. And don't worry about posting speed. Everyone is slow sometimes I figure <3

by **Iredeth** on February 6th, 2011, 8:44 pm

“I learned animation from my… guardian,” she said, stumbling slightly over Sirella’s role in her life. She had never figured out what the woman was to her. Iredeth’s mother had dumped the girl in Sirella’s lap right after she was born, never making the process official in any way. Iredeth couldn’t think of Sirella as her mother, but she was still something more than a regular caretaker. “I’ve been living with her my whole life, ever since my mother thought it best to free herself of my presence. The woman I live with a seamstress who occasionally dabbles in magic. She taught me the basics of animation, and I’ve tried to pick up the rest from books.”

Iredeth tilted her head upward, inspecting the intricate web above them. Her mind jumped around the possibilities of how it must have been spun, how many Symenestra it had taken to create it, how much time it took… She relished observing well-made craft. There was a beauty to anything made by living hands that she was instinctively drawn to. She wondered idly how it must feel to participate in such a large project, creating not only for the purpose of creation, but for the purpose of community.

She kept her eyes deliberately trained on the web, even as she felt the gaze of another Symenestra boring into her. She was used to people staring while they tried to figure out who she was. It no longer unsettled her as much as it had when she had been a child.

She heard Velarian’s question but stayed silent for about a chime before she answered it. “It’s peaceful. There’s never this much activity going on,” she said, trying to keep a wistful note out of her voice. “My guardian, Sirella, ventures out to the city a lot to sell what she sews, but I spend most of my time outside Kalinor. Merchants heading to the city stop by our cavern sometimes, brining news from other places.” She was silent for another chime, inspecting her surroundings with unfocused eyes. “I guess I never really realize how solitary that existence is until I spend some time in Kalinor,” she added with a note of resignation.

She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, black bun of hair swaying precariously. “Sorry. That’s rather morbid of me,” she said, the corners of her lips turning up in a small smile. She continued to look over the baskets of goods, mentally assessing the different fabrics before she reached out a hand to touch them.

Her fingers trailed haltingly over a piece of soft, cream-colored fabric. Iredeth tugged at it lightly, testing its sturdiness. “This one’s good for skin. It’s the right color, and it’ll hold well,” she murmured, more to herself than to her companion. Withdrawing her hand from the basket, she moved on to another one, all the while aware of the vendor casually keeping an eye on her. This time, she stopped between a basket of dark red fabric and one filled with a lighter, almost pink material. She touched both of them, making sure that the textures were the same. “Which one do you prefer?” she asked, turning to Velarian, and gesturing at the two baskets. “I can spend an entire bell trying to decide between two shades of color, so this would probably go much quicker if I could have your opinion,” she added with a slightly crooked smile.

by **Velarian Zantedeschia** on February 8th, 2011, 10:27 pm

"It is not easy to find a master in a city as small as Kalinor," Velarian agreed turning away from a basket he had been inspecting. "Since my father's demise I have resorted to experiments, but eventually I will pick up a few books in Lhavit at some point." He would have done so already, had traveling not been an onerous and potentially perilous task. The animator had not shied long journeys while he had still been younger, before his son had been born, but in the last years he had grown wary of dangers. A long moment he watched her, ruby eyes thoughtful. "However, if you cared to – I would not mind an academic liaison for studying purposes. Every animator has his tricks... I will share some of mine for some of yours."

A second it seemed he wanted to add something else, but then he stepped back. He did not know her mother and if the young woman had wanted him to know her, he was sure she had mentioned her name by now. Living with a half breed was not easy, he understood that. One had to carry them around to most every place, sometimes they even needed help at home. Still, the man could not imagine to live separated from his son. There was little he could have said to Iredeth. Excluding half-breeds from the family was inacceptable, but his newest acquaintance was not a solitary case.

"Peaceful is good. I appreciate peaceful," he continued instead. The woman had started to look around the market and Velarian followed her in a little distance, rabbit box under one arm. "Activity can be very distracting. Of course, a good conversation is nothing to be looked down on." He missed those on his rare travels. Foreigners rarely cared for a good conversation, not with one of Velarian's ilk. Of course, not all strangers he met harbored the same prejudices, but many he found did. Many jaundices were not entirely unfounded either, the older Symenestra knew. He shook his head when the younger animator apologized.

"There is nothing to ask pardon for. Kalinor's structure is not suiting the needs of outsiders." He tilt his head to the side. "And a small amount of our own people even." Leaning over to a casket he searched through an assortment of colorful ribbons, before turning back. "Eventually that's something to be changed at some point."

Quietly he closed the distance between himself and Iredeth to look over the two rolls of fabric she showed to him. A second his fingers wanted over both, feeling the texture. "The red one is more elegant, almost the color of heart blood. The lighter one is livelier, like a rose blossom." He pulled his hand back. "It is hard to say, for a child's doll I would use the later. If I want to animate it for myself without a potential buyer in mind... I would take the former. It is a timeless color." At least it was for their kind.

by **Iredeth** on February 23rd, 2011, 8:08 pm

Iredeth’s eyes lit up at Velarian’s offer of an academic liaison. She had never considered trading tips with another animator, mostly because actually meeting another animator had never entered her mind. But now that the possibility was there, Iredeth could barely hold down her excitement. There was only so much Sirella could teach her, and books held a finite amount of knowledge. Iredeth nodded at Velarian’s suggestion, trying to keep a nonchalant air about her. “That would be splendid.”

Iredeth had trouble pegging Velarian’s character. His tone was one of understanding, with no pity in it that she could discern. His intentions seemed simple and genuine. The acceptance which he seemed to give to her with no second thought was what scared Iredeth. Her whole life she had honed a mistrust of the Symenestra race. She had taught herself to approach them with caution, and engage in conversation only when absolutely necessary. Now, she felt like she was letting her guard down around Velarian. He spoke of changing Kalinor’s structure as if it were a feasible feat, as if the resident Symenestra would ever agree to modify their city to accommodate outsiders…

Iredeth gave a minute shake of her head, dispelling the thought. It was never safe to fully trust a Symenestra, even though she might have been enjoying this one’s company. She focused her gaze on the fabric before her, idly stroking the cloth with her fingers.

“Blood and roses,” she murmured. Her fingers stilled, resting on the dark, red material. “I have already crafted enough dolls for purchase. I will take this one for myself.” She pulled out a roll of the blood-red fabric about 50 yards in length. She mutely held out the roll to the vendor, who had never stopped tracking her movements with his shrew, red eyes. Taking the fabric from her, the vendor lowered it on a scale, which weighed the material at 12 pounds. Iredeth dropped her hand into a pocket of her skirt, brining it out with a handful of silver coins. Silently, she counted out five silver mizas and offered them to the vendor, obviously familiar with the fabric’s pricing.

He Symenestra accepted the coins, taking an unnecessary amount of time to count them before returning the roll of fabric to Iredeth with a nod. She cradled the roll in the crook of one arm, expertly maneuvering it so the fabric wouldn’t jut out behind her and hit anyone. Then, she glided over to another basket and picked up a medium-sized leather box marked as a ‘Sewing Kit.’ She pried it open with one fingernail, glancing inside to make sure that the appropriate assortment of needles, thread, and other sewing supplies were present. She held it up for the vendor to see, before depositing another 18 gold mizas in his hand. Once again, the man took his time counting out the coins before nodding to Iredeth. She nodded stiffly to the vendor and spoke a quiet “Thank you” in Symenos before turning away.

She was used to these silent exchanges, but the vendor’s manner still grated on her, no matter how familiar it was. She glanced at Velarian, offering him a small smile. “This appears to be everything I needed. About your offer earlier… Do you still wish to trade some tricks of the trade? I do not know where we could go to practice, though. Are you familiar with a quite spot where we would not be bothered?”

OOC, To the mod who will be grading this thread :

by **Velarian Zantedeschia** on February 27th, 2011, 11:32 pm

"Seems we have come to an agreement," Velarian offered with a smile. The animator was looking forward to their exchange. Since his father's death, chances to to share thoughts and ideas with others had become a rare opportunity. Discussions had been the hatchery for some of his best automatons and he had come to miss them. It was not like he would give away any tricks for free, his father and mentor would not have approved of that, yet the advantage of an open discussion was obvious. Everyone would gain. A master of their art could afford to hoard the wisdom he had gained over his life – Velarian had to collect such knowledge first. He sensed the young woman was much in the same situation.

The pale man nodded to her decision. It was one he would have made himself. Red did not remind him of roses, but it did remind him of the soft shimmering of blood, its fleeing warmth. The soft metallic scent filling the air the moment it was spilled. He had shed blood in the name of Viratas and so far no harm had come to his family or those Velarian held dear. The man could not say if it was the gods doing, yet he liked to think his family would continue to prosper as long as he kept up with the rituals, the prayers.

"I have never been one for rose anyway," he admit with a half laugh.

Taking a step back, he watched the exchange between Iredeth and the Vendor. Despite the deal he had made the other man did not seemed pleased with either the situation nor the halfbreed staying before him. Almost the animator was surprised to see the man take her money. But then, in a city were most families had at least one or two members dabbling in the craft one had to be glad for the chance to sell to locals, he figured. In the end greed won out against any dislike.

Iredeth continued her look around the market and Velarian scanned over some boxes himself, turning goods here and there an exchanging a few words with the venders he was familiar with. When he had been younger his aunt used to sell her goods on the market every second morning and now the old Symenestra woman had resolved to teaching her children and grandchildren his sister could be found in her place instead. Once in a while he would sell on the market himself, yet he seldom had enough goods to make the business worthwhile. Automatons were expensive and when people struggled with survival few were interested dresses swaying around their feet like an exotic's fish tail, or to have boxes which only unlocked at the sight of their faces. Overall business could have gone better.

He nodded towards the young halfbreed when she uggested finding a place for their venture. "I would be too glad," he said honestly, eyes wandering over nearby structures. "There are a couple unused buildings in the city. Some or which are freely accessible." Velarian turned on his heels, scrutinizing the far dark. "We could go to my place as well. My son is hopefully with his aunt doing his weaving lessons, so there shouldn't be anyone to disturb us."