Dare to Carve (Evalin)

[Traverse]

Lindyls listened. He wondered if the Nuit spoke so much because she had so long to practice, or because she did not often speak so much. Either way he sat patiently as she described the many potentials of the Ocelot.

"You are not wrong in your asssesssment, but I did not assk what I would do with the ocelot. You have not yet drawn power from the boness for the firssst time. What you propossse isss a perfect long term project for one looking to enhance their power, but let ussss sstart a bit sssimpler, yess?"

He paused a moment at Evalin's question. "My shop isss not usually one to take ordersss. I make many thingss, when people ask for ssomething, I usually have it on hand. They are alsso welcome to bring partss they have found to me and request me to make a piece from it, ass the sstrange viper did. Ssso truly, what to do with the cat isss up to you, but to save usss sssome time...let usss procede with your firsst idea."

Lindyls grabbed the skull, twisting it this way and that in his grasp a moment before replacing it and disappearing around a column of bones. He returned with a wooden staff, dull grey in color, and took the wide end of it and set it against the base of the skull, lying them upon the table. A curved knife appeared in his hand and he began slicing the ocelot pelt into strips, clean and fairly straight considering the off handed method he was using to produce them. Once that was done he produced a set of carving tools, curved metal tips of various sizes as well as a bottle of ebony ink, setting them down next to the girl.

"I find your messssage isss often ssealed better with the blood of the creature, but Maledictorsss make due. You may now asssk one quesstion, then I will depart and leave you to toil out the mystery of the bonesss by yourssself." Evalin didn't know the great constrictor well enough to know that this type of behavior was not his norm, but regardless he was not what one would describe as a teacher, best for the immortal to work away at the magic herself, he would merely give the tools to do so.

[Evalin]

Evalin frowned. It was not often that she was corrected, and even less often that the person escaped without at the very least a verbal bashing. In this case, however, it was perhaps best to allow the criticism to pass and a lesson to be learned. Still, it left a bitter taste in the nuits mouth, "Simpler... yes."

Then this was not an art that you could simply create whatever you wished... Evalin was not sure if this was because of the magic itself, and its unpredictable nature, or due to Lindyls own personal preferences. In any case, it would seen that if where this seemed to be going Evalin would be free to simply craft without much worry for specifics which might complicate the process.

Evalin watched curiously as the Dhani fashioned the staff and strips of leather. The supplies she then took note of, instruments for carving, and drawing and etching. It seemed these were the tools of the trade. Finally she looked up at the Dhani, tilting her head and furrowing her brow in concentration. She only had one question... if she did not ask the proper one, there was no telling how long she would be forced to play and fiddle until something were to occur... But what could she ask?

It took a few ticks, but finally Evalin's eyes brightened as she asked in a strong voice, "How do you draw out the power in the bones?" She did not bother asking for how you specify, or control, or alter that power. No that would be something she could figure out on her own. It was a general question perhaps, but it encompassed all she needed to know to begin. What method was used to pull the power out, how did you activate the magic, and likely if the Dhani began to speak of his craft he was so fond of Evalin farily certain me might offer more insights than he intended in his descriptions.

Think I that you place too much of yourself in this man... Tsenrika observed. Indeed, for Evalin if she were to be asked to speak of her life, or her arts, she would find her words spilling from her like a fount that did not wish to be cut off. The nuit doubted that the Dhani shared this trait, however, she did hope that he would be caught up with the pride in his work and reveal more secrets than he intended.

[Traverse]

Lindyls was growing to learn that this Nuit was many things, but a fool was not one of them. Perhaps it was the reason he was eager to have her in his shop, even if his demeanor did not seem so. No one in his career at Marrow had ever entered his parlor to learn and ended up being taught. But even though Dhani were longer lived than most any other race, he found their goals and ideas short sighted. It was only a matter of time till the Myrians washed over the few Dhani left like a great Tsunami, washing them all away, yet the Queens pranced around their tunnels as if they owned the whole of Falyndar.

Preposterous.

And this Nuit had chosen to get in the middle of all of that, of her own volition. Lindyls had seen in his bones someone more powerful at work behind the Nuit...was it a God's doing, or perhaps another powerful Nuit? He could not be certain, yet he saw her coming as a sign of changing times, just as the Spring Djed Storm, and as one who practiced Malediction, Lindyls was certain no good was to come of these changes.

"Circlessss, like in many World magicksss, are the key to drawing out the power of your bonesss. You will picture the traitss you wish to draw out and portray them asss aptly asss you can within your circlesss, conveying your messsage. How you choosse to do ssso is up to you. The great mysstery iss how your wordsss will truly ssettle within the creature or being that you choosse to carve into." Lindyls opened his mouth to say something else, then shut it, lips turning up in a smile.

"I will return in a few bellss to check your progresss." Then he slithered off, the rasping sound of his scales rubbing along bones marking his meandering through the collection of specimens at the Maledictor's disposal.

[Evalin]

Evalin watched as the Dhani slithered away, her eyes then coming to rest on the items before her. She tapped her pendant, whispering softly under her breath, "Come and be released to your true form."

The icy gem shimmered, and the clasp about her neck undid itself and the pendent fell from her neck, but before it could hit the table its form twisted and warped, forming into a small blue orb, no bigger than a sparrow, that floated over Evalin's outstretched hand, "What think you Tsenrika?"

A test this is. He stated simply, floating over the items supplied, One which you must pass. Think of you yet what it is you 'want' of this item?

Leaning over the table and its items Evalin slowly shook her head, "No... Of what could come of an item which I would create? What might I make with such materials as these?" Tsenrika floated over the skull and wood, A staff would come to mind... Perhaps one that would call upon the most obvious advantage of this creature. Its sight?

Evalin gingerly picked up the skull, turning it over in her hands. She noticed that the jaw was still somehow attached, at its joints there was still some kind of fleshy material that bound the bones together. tilting it slightly she saw that the bone that would form its cheek created an open loop of sorts and she could see down through the jaw as well, "Perhaps..." Evalin's eyes roamed over the strips of the creatures fur, an idea beginning to form.

Setting the skull down Evalin took up one of the carving tools, a metal hook of sorts that was thin and looked sharp. This she used to gently scrape against the white of the bone, along its forehead, and her brows furrowed at the terrible sound it made. She sketched a very rough circle, about the size of her palm, that took up most of the skull's forehead. Then, within it, she began to draw two slightly curved lines, one which curved up, and the other parallel that curved down, the ends of the lines connecting with the lines of the circle. Then, within these two lines she drew another, smaller circle, scratching away so that this circle did not touch any other lines. Finally she carved out out a vertical line within this smaller circle. The end product was a Very unartistic, stylized opened eye with a vertically slitted pupil.

Truly no work of a master. the Familiar commented as he drifted over the work.

The nuit ignored the Irylid however, so focused was she that she barely even noticed the words at all. She was beginning to remember one Wizard from Sahova. one who often wore the body of a child, a Master of this art known as Malediction. He had often carved his symbols into the bones first, before going over them again with ink in order that they would stand out. This practice Evalin would then copy, taking up the brush and ink and carefully tracing along the scratches, trying to keep the ink within the lines of the circle, though she did not always succeed. The end result was a rough sketched eye within a circle traced in black ink.

While the ink dried Evalin then turned to the strips of Ocelot skin, and taking up the curved knife the nuit began cutting the strips even thinner until they were about the length of her forearm, but no thicker than her thumb. Taking two she looped the strips through the cheek bones and through the creatures lower jaw, tying them into loops which allowed a little space between the lower jaw and the loop itself. Eyes turning to the staff then Evalin took the wood between her knees, steadying it as she carefully fixed the skull on top. Taking four more strips Evailn looped the pieces through the lower loop, crossing them over and around the staff before tying them together. taking up the staff then Evalin raised it before her eyes, tilting it to the left and to the right to see how the item wobbled slightly. This was easily fixed however by the addition of another loop on each side and tying down the skull with four more strips so that it was secured to the stick and would not simply fall off. It would not be useful in a fight perhaps, but if handled with care could be carried around with little trouble.

The final step then came and Evalin pricked her finger on the edge of teh knife, letting a small drop of white ichor fall on the drawing she created in the skull. There was a faint shimmer and then Evalin carefully set the item down, turning now to what was left. At this time the two bells would have passed, yet her mind was already working over what the next item might be. In her hands she took up the leg bone, turning it over in her fingers as she mused over where to go next.

OOCI apologize for taking so long! It kinda got lost in my thread list, but I will keep this one up now that I found it again. Thank you!

[Traverse]

Already focused on what she could make next, Evalin almost didn't hear the large Constrictor returning, there was no rasp of his tail, no shadow cast over her work when he was suddenly behind her.

A dark, almost ebony colored hand reached out to take the staff in his hand. He shook it a few times sharply, the skull shifting slightly, but staying in place, and looked at the singular simple design upon its surface.

"Shaky, rough, but you of all creaturesss knowss thesse skillsss take time." He smiled broadly, clean even teeth appearing in a dark face with two large golden hooped earrings sitting in each ear.

"I ssseee you are already eager to make more, thisss isss fine, but it isss alwaysss prudent to check one'ss work firssst to ssseee if it iss sucess or failure, come."

The Dhani grabbed Evalin's staff and began heading out of the shop, clearly expecting the Nuit to follow him. The trip was not short, but if she did comply a little over half a bell and they were exiting into Zinrah's ruins. Lindyls did not seem wary of Myrian patrols, or anything really, and headed briskly into the thick of the jungle, his long legs setting a brisk pace before finally slowing in a small copse of giant ferns. When the Nuit was beside him, the Constrictor passed her the staff.

"Tell me, doesss it work?" He waited patiently.

OOCApologies for my delay as well, a similar thing happened to me with this thread. I have an idea of something the staff could do, but I figured it be more fun to let you roll with it since you'll be making lot's of these things in the future! Show him whatcha got!