30th Day of Fall 515 AV
Naiya was huddled beside the fire, it was bleak outside. Frost had coated the grass once more, adding ice to the frosty cold air. The cold had seemingly hunkered down, settling in the air with the persistence of a horse who didn't want to be moved. Just because the weather was poor, didn't mean there wasn't work to be done. She needed to finish up the work she had promised to have for the watchman. Naiya had cut the leather a few days ago, three pieces, one large panel for the back, and two panels for the chest.
She set the two front sections beside one another, aligned in the same way they would close. She used chalk to mark dots on the leather, spots directly across from one another. She used a small sharp tool to bore holes through the marks she had made, careful to be sure a length of cord could slide through easily. The pieces of leather no longer touched at about the height of the sternum, the stiffness of the leather would have been uncomfortable at the height of the ixam scales. All the same, she patiently bored each hole.
The small tool had to be pressed firmly through the material. Each one made with care not to cut through the leather and into her own skin beneath the material. She made eleven holes, each one an inch apart. She was only half way through the second side of the vest when she pressed the tool too far too quickly. The cutting edge sliced right through the leather, through her pants, and into her leg.
She jumped up with a loud exclamation. The weight of the leather panel pulling the tool down her leg before it came free and fell to the ground. It was a stupid mistake, one she scrambled to fix before she bled on the leather or further ruined her pants. She pressed her fist against her leg, hobbling to the travois for the scraps of cloth that had been her last set of clothing. She dropped them into a cook pot, pouring water from a skin over top and adding the whole thing to the heat of the fire. She shimmied out of her pants, looking at the small puncture and the scratch on her leg. She poured water over the wound until the small leather fibers rinsed out of the wound.
She poked at the torn flesh, trying to see if it warranted a trip to the Riverflower. It didn't seem too bad, and she still had some of that powder from the healer that she had used for the wounds she had gotten on the hunt. She waited for the cloth to boil, something Pearl had taught her, then pulled it out of the hot water and let it cool before tying it tightly around the wound.
Then with a sigh that expressed all the exasperation she felt with herself she got back to work, tossing her pants in the boiling water in hopes it would remove the blood before she patched them. She pulled the pot off the fire with the stick she had used to remove the bandages. She tossed in a few other things as well, may as well get other laundry done while she had used the pot and water for such things. She added in soap, just a touch and then stirred the pot before picking the leather vest back up.
Naiya was huddled beside the fire, it was bleak outside. Frost had coated the grass once more, adding ice to the frosty cold air. The cold had seemingly hunkered down, settling in the air with the persistence of a horse who didn't want to be moved. Just because the weather was poor, didn't mean there wasn't work to be done. She needed to finish up the work she had promised to have for the watchman. Naiya had cut the leather a few days ago, three pieces, one large panel for the back, and two panels for the chest.
She set the two front sections beside one another, aligned in the same way they would close. She used chalk to mark dots on the leather, spots directly across from one another. She used a small sharp tool to bore holes through the marks she had made, careful to be sure a length of cord could slide through easily. The pieces of leather no longer touched at about the height of the sternum, the stiffness of the leather would have been uncomfortable at the height of the ixam scales. All the same, she patiently bored each hole.
The small tool had to be pressed firmly through the material. Each one made with care not to cut through the leather and into her own skin beneath the material. She made eleven holes, each one an inch apart. She was only half way through the second side of the vest when she pressed the tool too far too quickly. The cutting edge sliced right through the leather, through her pants, and into her leg.
She jumped up with a loud exclamation. The weight of the leather panel pulling the tool down her leg before it came free and fell to the ground. It was a stupid mistake, one she scrambled to fix before she bled on the leather or further ruined her pants. She pressed her fist against her leg, hobbling to the travois for the scraps of cloth that had been her last set of clothing. She dropped them into a cook pot, pouring water from a skin over top and adding the whole thing to the heat of the fire. She shimmied out of her pants, looking at the small puncture and the scratch on her leg. She poured water over the wound until the small leather fibers rinsed out of the wound.
She poked at the torn flesh, trying to see if it warranted a trip to the Riverflower. It didn't seem too bad, and she still had some of that powder from the healer that she had used for the wounds she had gotten on the hunt. She waited for the cloth to boil, something Pearl had taught her, then pulled it out of the hot water and let it cool before tying it tightly around the wound.
Then with a sigh that expressed all the exasperation she felt with herself she got back to work, tossing her pants in the boiling water in hopes it would remove the blood before she patched them. She pulled the pot off the fire with the stick she had used to remove the bandages. She tossed in a few other things as well, may as well get other laundry done while she had used the pot and water for such things. She added in soap, just a touch and then stirred the pot before picking the leather vest back up.
