Finding an Area of Work [Snow-Stained Bows] [Hiring Thread]

[Auriga]

A light smattering of snow whirled around the marketplace, many snowflakes melting upon nearing the groups of people talking and moving through the area. One lone figure among many, Auriga strode past the various stores to the side of her, in the process of buttoning it up to preserve what little warmth she held, Syna's weak light hardly helpful. Glancing around, she spotted her destination; Snow-Stained Bows, who were hopefully hiring at this time.

Nearing the North door, she brushed off the powdery snow that had collected on her coat before opening it, walking inside the store. Closing the door behind her, she looked around, not seeing either of the twins managing the shop.

"Hello?" She said in a hopefully carrying tone, standing in the middle of the store slightly nervously.

[Ablation]

92ng Winter, 513 AV

OOCThanks for starting this. We can just get it going together ;p
We do have a 2 paragraph minimum in Avanthal though. Please adhere to that from now on.


The inside of the building was cozy with the fire blazing in the fireplace to the woman's left. Despite no one being present at the counter the place swelled with a presence. The sunlight drifted lazily through the windows but lent none of its own heat. The slant of light made the inside of the cottage glow. The wooden boards beneath her feet were as well worn as the door and a soft golden hue.

"Hello?" Another voice responded from behind a wall. Dusting off a frock covered in wood shavings a woman emerged beaming at the newcomer, "Beautiful day out miss?" She asked as she reached back to untie the covering. Turning away from her she removed the frock hanging it up a small coat hanger behind the tall table. Stepping up to she looked awkwardly short. Leaning forward she rested her elbows on it and smiled. Her lips resembled rose petals, deliciously curvy with a curious natural tilt to the edges but unusually small on her long face.

"I've never seen you before. We have a very tight knit clientelle. Are you just browsing for another or are you the hunter? My name's Arairiel Skyglow, by the way." Always ready to gab she offered information up ambly. New customers often returned simply for her charm and she knew it. " Stepping out from behind the counter before the woman could answer she pointed out the arrows hung up on the walls as examples.

"I do the bows mainly, my sister Laerchel does the arrowss. We create specific ones for every use so no hunter ever feels like their ability outmatches their arrows." She winked at Auriga, "We always want the hunter themselves to feel like the incompetent ones," She giggled mercilessly at her own joke.

"Whose here?" A voice asked form behind the same wall of wood from which Arairiel had emerged. Her voice was more haggard than her sisters. The powerful smell of citrus clouded the air suddenly. Leaning back while seated the woman poked her head out from behind the wall. Tanned with a face darkened with makeup the woman didn't speak again but simply leaned forward out of sight again.

"Excuse my sister, she's always like that. Frugal with her words as if she thinks she has a limited amount." Arai joked, "Well we certainly know that isn't true considering how you gab on!" Her sisters bodiless voice rebutted.

[Auriga]

The cottage remained quiet for a few more moments, the fire crackling merrily in the relative silence. The peace was broken by the voice of one of the shop owners, and Auriga turned towards the sound, relaxing. "Hello!" She said with a smile, moving closer to the counter. "Yes, it was quite pleasant, actually."

The women continued speaking, introducing herself as Arairel Skyglow, not giving Auriga chance to answer her query voiced in the midst of her introduction. She watched as Arairel gestured to the arrows displayed on the walls, giving a little laugh of her own at the unexpected joke.

Auriga turned her head to glance behind her once she heard a second voice, coming hand in hand with a gust of strong citrus. She only got a chance to see the owner's face before it disappeared once more, presumably to work on the creation of more arrows, if it had been Laerchel.

Turning to face Arairiel once more, she gave her a quick smile. "I'm Auriga- Auriga Skyglow. I came here to see if either of you were hiring.." She said, trailing off at the end. For now she decided not to mention her Ethaefal status, as it would really only matter if there was a job opportunity in the first place.

[Ablation]

92nd Winter, 513 AV

Arai looked startled at the young woman's announcement and smiled, "oh haha, of co-" interrupted by the appearance of her sister Arai frowned obvious annoyance crossing her face. Stepping back and crossing her arms she relinquished the power to her sister. "What can you do?" Lae asked crossing her arms sternly. Wearing tight britches and a tucked in beige cotton blouse she made a sharp contrast to her sisters hunched shoulders and flowing light pants and untucked blouse.

Lae nodded as Auriga spoke and looked over her shoulder at her sister shaking her head slowly. "Not a chance!" She mouthed. Scowling back at her Arai stepped out of the shadows and nudged her sister firmly. "Why don't you know us what you can do? Carve 10 shafts for us. If they are acceptable we'll hire you are a carver." "And if you fail, you can work here cleaning and sweeping." Lae interrupted. "Sound good?"

The two sisters exchanged a glance before looking at Auriga for her answer. Their business was built on sweat and blood, mistakes and triumphs. They had never been so busy before and desperately needed to hire someone to help them. Never having had an employee Arai and Lae were both nervous, if for very different reasons. Lae worried that an employee couldn't hold up their expectation for perfection while Arai worried Lae would chase away any prospective employees..they couldn't continue the way they were.


.

[Auriga]

Auriga waited slightly nervously as Laerchel appeared after her statement, the other sister giving off a stern vibe. She knew getting employed wouldn't be as easy as simply walking in and asking for a job, but she hoped whatever she had to do to prove her skill wouldn't be something that took more than a day.

"Oh! I have some skill in carving, and lately I've started dabbling in sculpting," She said quickly, pausing as they seemed to have a non-verbal debate between themselves. Auriga listened as Arairel spoke, the Vantha's words cut off by her sister's at the end.
"That sounds perfectly reasonable!" Auriga responded, glad there was an option either way.
"When, and where do you want me to start?"

[Ablation]

92nd Winter, 513 AV

OOCSorry for the delay.

Arai quickly took over the situation sending her sister back to her crafting, "You are going to be up late as it is finishing that, let me show her about, okay?" Her sister hesitated before nodding assent, "I'll review her carving before we hire her." She tossed over her shoulder. Rolling her eyes Arai nodded assent, "Of course oh great wise sister." Shooting her a sisterly look of simultaneous amusement and annoyance Laes face disappeared into her realm of citrus.

Turning back to Auriga Arai smiled and moved behind the desk and through an open doorway into a room adjacent to her sisters. "This is where I carve," She explained. The room was well lit by the noon sun and onward. A heavy desk was placed against the wall littered with wood shavings and various other equipment. "You can do your 10 here." She explained drawing out the large wooden chair. "Don't worry about our protocol for designing the arrows, we'll teach you that if you get hired. Just show us what you would do." She advised while offering her the long rods of pine wood.

"Pine wood is the softest and easiest to acquire in Avanthal of course, so we'll let you practice on that until we can trust you with the rarer wood. Alright?" She bustled about without waiting for Aurigas reply. Handing her a gouge and rasp she nodded to the other tools on the table. "You may use what you like, I'll come back in a bell or two to check up on you okay? Would you like any tea to sip in the meantime?" She offered.

.

[Auriga]

Auriga gave a small smile as she followed Arai, walking through the open doorway into the room where she was expected to carve the shafts. It was well-lit, featuring a work desk against the wall bearing numerous tools, some of which she would probably need to use in the next bell or so.

"Okay, thank you for the advice!" The Ethaefal replied, taking the ten rods of pine with a soft smile. She listened as the Vantha talked, accepting a gouge and rasp before emptying the supplies in her arms onto the desk. "No thanks, I think I'll pass on the tea," Auriga responded, giving Arai a smile before sitting down at the desk and clearing away some of the wood shavings.

Taking hold of the first rod and a pencil, Auriga measured out what she felt would be the appropriate length for an arrow's shaft, as well as drawing a little line where the nock would be. She remembered that part from overhearing a conversation about creating arrow shafts quite a while ago, and kept the information at the front of her mind as she worked.

Picking up a small saw, she positioned the rod with her left hand, holding it steadily as she began to cut into the wood, leaving a small amount of space between the line she had drawn and the teeth of the tool, cutting down with an angle to bite into the pine and break it's fibers. Her arm moved in an in-and-out motion, as the saw cut through the rod quickly, leaving a small pile of dust where the process had taken place. Examining her progress, Auriga noted with satisfaction the chipped wood that didn't extend into the area reserved for the shaft, planning to file it down at the end.

She moved the shortened rod to a vice, clamping it down horizontally, before picking up a planer from the far end of the desk. Carefully, she placed the tool at the tip of the wood before drawing it along the length of the shaft, trying her best to hold the tool straight as it removed a thin shaving of wood from the entirety of the shaft. The Ethaefal repeated the process, each time pausing to turn the pine over slightly, until she had covered all of the rod.

Unfastening the rod, she re-clamped it with one end facing up at her - the end she had marked out for the notch. Delving into unfamiliar territory, she picked up the gouge she had been given, hoping it would do the job. Gently, gradually increasing the pressure, she placed the tool against the line she had drawn and moved it up and down, dust spiraling away from the medium sized hole she was creating. Stopping, Auriga examined the notch she had made and deemed it passable, as she wasn't quite sure what the other Vantha used to make theirs.

Working quickly, she turned the rod over to the other end, before picking up a file and removing the excess wood, taking it away until she had just covered the line she had made. In her eyes, it was complete. It was in this manner she went through the nine other rods, working for nearly two bells in total.

When Arai came in to check on her, she would be in the process of making the notch for the last shaft, before unfastening the finished shaft and sitting back in relief after completing her task.

[Ablation]

92nd Winter, 513 AV

Arai gave a small nod and retreated when the Vantha declined the tea. Busying herself with sweeping and tidying while the Vantha took up her work space she enjoyed being out of the chair and away from the meticulous task of crafting arrows. Returning a few times to check on the Vantha Arai was impressed. She seemed confident around the tools and moved about with more ease then she had seen the Vantha embody since she had stepped in the door.

Grinning when she heard the woman sigh she peeked her head around the corner, "Done?" Stepping in she raised an arrow to her eye and looked down its shaft carefully. Running her fingers over its length followed closely by her eye. Pressing the end against the top of the desk she pressed her body into it watching the degree of bend and flexibility.

"Well...you used the tools correctly. You makeshift notch is badly made, but that is to be expected. You have an steady but hard hand." Arai explained pointing to the shaft and leaning in to show the Vantha.

"See how straight it is? That is good. But." She turned the arrow to the side, "See how it is thinner here, at the start of your movement and thicker here, at the end of it? That's because you aren't using the same amount of force." Arai explained pointing out the width at the beginning and end.

"You also forgot to sand it." She pointed out blandly, "That part is a pretty amateur mistake. But I imagine you were pretty anxious." Examining the others she had made she nodded, "Well at least you were consistent in your mistakes. Can beat good technique into you, but if these were all different then it would show you don't have a good base."

"Overall, it looks good to me." She said smiling at the woman, "You will have to work under supervision, and just start with learning to make notches and create the shafts but if you can stick that out I'm sure you'll be quite valuable. Let's go check with the big gloomy sis' kay?" "I heard that!" Her sister replied from the room across from them, getting a chuckle out of the Vantha arrow carver.

Appearing at the doorway Lae unceremoniously took the arrow and began to test it out in the same way Arai had. "Bland and Shoddy," She replied before turning to disappear back to her station, "But she will do. So long as she does the cleaning as well to earn her way." This received another eye roll from Arai.

"Alright. Well we will see you bright and early tomorrow then. You can start by sweeping and cleaning up the mess that girl makes working all night. Then we will get you learning to do notches and proper rounding. If any customers come in you can stand and watch me and learn about some of our products. How does that sound?" As she escorted the Vantha out she leaned in close and grinned, "Don't worry about my sister, we always bicker. She is incredibly talented though so if you work hard she might just show you a trick or two."

Smiling the Vantha carver nodded at the retreating woman and closed the door behind her.

OOCCongrats! You have been hired! Feel free to do your last post and I will get Traverse to add this to your SS thread

.

[Auriga]

Auriga turned upon hearing Arai's question, giving her a nervous smile and a nod. Standing up, she watched as the Vantha inspected the first shaft she had made, squashing a wince as she pointed out her obvious mistakes. All thoughts of sanding had completely left her mind while she had made the shafts, and she resolved to do better next time, if they hired her.

The Ethaefal gave Arai a smile upon hearing her conclusion, and waited as Lae inspected her work, biting her lip slightly nervously. "That-That's great!" She gushed, before flushing at her over-enthusiasm. If it was night she wouldn't have heard the end of it, an Ethaefal losing her composure at an almost trivial thing.

Auriga listened as Arai talked, making her way out of the shop. At her parting words she turned and gave her a small wave and a smile of gratitude, before walking away from the building, successful in finding employment.