You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Aidara on May 5th, 2011, 12:45 am

Image


15thth of Spring, 511 AV

It was Market Day. The best of day's, and definately the happiest of day's for those who lived in Wind Reach.

Normally, Addy visited the stalls in the market because she could, wanted to buy something, or took it as an opportunity to be social. Today, however, she was on a mission. It wasn't a particularly hard mission, but it was one that needed her direct and immediate attention: Keah had forgotten the box of prepared oils and such that had been set aside to sell today.

Okay. So maybe Addy was a little OCD and could have sent anyone else with two hands and a head to carry the box over to the Mortar and Pestle, but she had to see it done and have a word with Keah.

Slipping through the crowds with a friendly wave here and a smile there, Addy tried her best to look super important so that no one would stop her. A mission was a mission, after all. Upon making it to the stall that her Assistant Healer manned this afternoon, Addy gently placed the box on the counter and pointedly stared at it until Keah noticed.

"Oh! Aidara! I'm sorry!"

It's okay, Keah. Just try not to forget next time. I'm not here to scold you, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that if someone is to come up to you needing help, is hurt or whatever..Don't, for
Priskil's sake, charge them. Either help them or send them back to the Infirmary, okay?
There had been a minor problem of her workers being unsure if they could help the penniless. It was a ridiculous problem, Addy thought, since they were mainly an Infirmary, and only sold home-made health kits for the ease of their fellow Inartans.

That done, Addy had some time to wander. Most of the shops she knew, and waved at their owners, continuing on her perusal but sometimes stopping to chat. The healer was walking backwards, waving goodbye and shouting a few last words at one of her friends when she collided with something large and hard. Turning, she came face to face with a stall that hadn't been there before.

"Oh, I am sorry. I thought I knew where I was going." Smiling happily down at the young girl that puttered around behind the counter, Addy inclined her head in greeting " I don't think I've seen you around here before. I would have noticed, you do lovely work" The girl was selling cards and those sort of things, and Addy waved a hand to encompass them all in her compliment. "I wish I could write like that."
Image
Last edited by Aidara on May 6th, 2011, 3:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Image
User avatar
Aidara
The "i" is silent
 
Posts: 1048
Words: 946840
Joined roleplay: October 6th, 2010, 5:20 am
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 10
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
Power Fork (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Vala on May 5th, 2011, 3:28 am

Vala looked up from her work. It was a very elaborate thank you card from one Avora to another – something about an 'amazing' night. Vala chose not to ask any further, nor try to decipher the not so cryptic innuendo. She wiped the quill nib against a towel before putting it down to the side of the stall counter to better examine the pretty lady that didn’t look too much older than her. Vala gave her an 8 out of 10; she had yet to find a perfect 10. From her bearing and fashionable dress Vala assumed her to be an Avora, one that could pay for her wares and service; Vala bumped her up to a 9. Vala’s eyes continued to quickly scan, making sure not to linger for anymore than a moment, as not to seem too invading. She especially noticed the lady’s supple skin, obviously cared for far better than her overworked chiet’s flesh, and she especially noticed the lady’s sharp green eyes. They told Vala that the lady was not one to be easily manipulated – Vala would have to be conscientious of what she said.

She chose to start off with a compliment herself, since the lady had been so generous with hers. “I’m sure your handwriting is beautiful, without any unnecessary flourishes. And I’m sure none of my work could ever match your radiant prettiness, ma’am.” Vala’s honeyed words, were not lies as much as they were business orientedly enhanced. As Vala spoke she pulled out the still fairly thin portfolio of examples of cards, invitations, and poems she had written before. The leather casing was new and shone with oiled luster. It was not Vala’s, well, not yet. She had yet to fully earn it from Warden. She still owed him at least four more copied books before he officially ‘gave’ it to her. Vala had a lurking suspicion she was getting gypped by the old man sometimes, it was just hard to resist accepting his terms when he did his cutesy grandfather wink.

Pushing aside the drying work, which needed maybe just a patterned border before it was really finished, Vala untied her folio and spread out her work. “I don’t have many examples yet, I’ve just started you see, but is there anything here you like? I write all manners of cards, invitations, business letters, flyers, announcements, almost anything. It doesn’t have to be in a calligraphic font either, if you just need a bunch of letters written up for a business I can get those written up in a matter of a day. Costs are all dependent on the supplies you choose. We have a selection of parchment, vellum, and even paper made from the mushrooms from our very own underground forest. A few of them are even scented, if you’re interested in a… more romantic gesture.” Vala winked, blushing. “We also have a rainbow of ink colors you can choose from. Unfortunately I have yet to order any silver or gold ink, I might have a stock in twenty days or so.” Though she probably wouldn’t make enough extra money to buy them from Warden for at least another season (and she definitely wasn’t going to be borrowing any more materials at the steep prices, er slave labor he demanded). Vala wasn’t really interested in new stuff, but she mentioned it anyway. “If you are not interested in a straight Pinion trade, I’m open to certain trades.”

Clearing her throat, Vala took a deep breath. She was sure she had spoken a little too fast, probably slurring her words a bit. It was a little nerve wrecking trying to run a stall by herself. It wasn’t at all like working in the library where she always had Kirna to look to – she was on her own here. Warden was far too busy dealing with his onslaught of his own customers to bother with his semi-apprentice. Vala bit her lip, trying to gauge her potential customer. She didn’t seem too interested in buying any of her actually wares, but Vala really didn’t want to lose her now that she was there. The lady had mentioned something about wanting to write calligraphically. Vala had never thought about trying to train anyone before. She had learned everything by herself, mostly through experiment and straight up perseverance. That and the better copying jobs usually went to those who knew a bit of the pretentious art.

Too selfish and impatient to really be considered a good teacher, Vala wondered if she was really up to the challenge. She wanted pinions for a more supplies, but did she want it that bad?

The answer: Yes.

“Or would you rather like to learn? I have some simple learning exercises I can do with you here, or if you would like I can draw up some lessons that you can do on your own time… for a price.”

Vala smiled nervously. Suddenly remembering the old saying – Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’re out of a fishing job.

Vala’s Folio :
Image
For Me to Know, And You to Find Out

VPVCSMPMOAPACS
User avatar
Vala
Crimson Beauty
 
Posts: 530
Words: 439124
Joined roleplay: February 17th, 2011, 7:22 am
Location: Wind Reach
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Medals: 5
Lore Author (1) Peer Reviewer (1)
Trailblazer (1) Donor (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Aidara on May 10th, 2011, 12:17 am

Image



Addy smiled through the whole of Vala's little speech. She'd obviously practiced this, and was eager to sell her wares so the woman did not try and stop her. She nodded at appropriate times, smiling and reaching out to touch the offered samples, feeling the paper and looking closely at the penmanship.

"Vala, you really do lovely work. I will most definitely give you my business when I have need of such things." A rueful smile, and Addy shook her head "My writing as it is, is like chicken scratch. Fast fast, get it down on paper. I never practiced, and gave up trying to perfect it early on. Though that makes me a little mad. I like things to be perfect. Laughing at her own OCD-ish tendencies, Addy turned her gaze back to Vala.

“Or would you rather like to learn? I have some simple learning exercises I can do with you here, or if you would like I can draw up some lessons that you can do on your own time… for a price.”

Oh, she was good. Addy hadn't ever thought of learning how to barter at that young an age, she had other methods. Having worked people to get what she wanted as a child, it was all Addy could to do not smile knowingly. Instead, she propped her hands up onto her hips and twisted her lips into a thoughtful, pinched expression "How much are we talking here? By the hour, the lesson or a lump sum?" Lifting a hand to tap thoughtfully at her lip as Vala responded, Addy drew out the moment even longer as she pretended to weigh her options.

"Alright Vala, you have got yourself a deal. Extending her hand to the young girl, Addy smiled once more "You sure know how to drive a hard bargin (even though Addy had made no attempt to bargin) "When would you like to start?"

OOCI figured I would set the descriptions I usually put in everything aside for now and just get the business end of the deal out of the way. :) Sorry it's so short.
Image
Image
User avatar
Aidara
The "i" is silent
 
Posts: 1048
Words: 946840
Joined roleplay: October 6th, 2010, 5:20 am
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 10
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
Power Fork (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Vala on May 17th, 2011, 9:24 pm

Vala sucked in her breath, gathering her wits. By the hour would be the most profitable if Aidara was slow to learn, patient enough to stick to the lesson and rich enough not to care. By the lesson would force Vala to come up with something to actually teach and then put a fair price to it. Then there was the lump sum - Vala just ignored that since she was still really green to the whole business thing and had not idea how to set that up.

Now the decision was:

Less work, less money vs. More work, more money

Evaluating her energy level, Vala deemed it high enough to be tolerable, as in she was tolerable to work with. Preferring quick interactions, anything that prevented having to get into that awkward state of a conversation where she might actually start caring about the other person, Vala was unsure of how she would fare teaching. Being a student was one thing, you could feign extreme engagement in the work and the teacher would more or less leave you the bloody petch alone to do what needs to be done, but if she was to be a teacher she would actually have to engage Aidara, instead of the other way around.

Lets see - short tempered, self centered, and usually disorganized - yep, the perfect traits to make the worst teacher that ever lived. Thinking about the extreme incompatibility of her traits with the job at hand began to rile Vala up. She even began to mentally argue with a confusing lack of opposition. Bad teacher? I’ll show them! I can do anything. And I’ll probably do a better job than the semi-incompetent teachers of the Yasiry... .I’ll show them. If anyone was paying even the slightest bit of attention they probably would have been unnerved by the crafty gleam in the bright baby blues of Vala’s eyes.

Now back to the original question of payment. Vala wasn’t one to volunteer extra work when she had nothing to gain, but seeing as money was at stake, Vala definitely wasn’t one to do anything half-assed. The obvious answer was then made clear - pay by the Lesson. It was the fairest way to exact payment, and judging by Aidara’s countenance, she seemed like one to pick up on something fast (a.k.a less work in the long run)

Sifting through her folio, Vala pulled out a worn sheet of parchment. It was so worn down that the corners where Vala liked to hold it were thinning to the point of transparency. She pulled out another two just as worn as the first and splayed them out onto the counter, pushing the other work back into the leather case. Holding up her hand, a silent gesture to Aidara that she would be right back, Vala walked over to Warden’s booth. The old man was busy cajoling a poor reimancy student into buying an overpriced volume. Using as much sneaking skill as she could muster, Vala plucked one of the two unused stools behind the Written Word’s booth, right behind the old man’s back. Waddling back to her booth with her prize, Vala set it down two feet from hers, basically the other end, the left of the cramped stall. “You can sit right here,” Vala said a little out of breath. She sat back down on her own stool, trying to settle back down. “So these,” she said, pointing to the three sheets of parchment. “are my copied master sheets. Nari actually doesn’t have than many types of traditional fonts, well compared to Common that is. These three are the most commonly found. Just a little fact that Warden actually told me, these fonts actually go back all the way to the Valterrian.” Vala beamed, proud to share her informed trivia. “Anyway, as to the lesson. I’m thinking we could start with something that I actually used to get into the hang of the font, which is writing the characters of your name. You can pick whichever font you want, I’m comfortable with all of them.” She didn’t mention that was because the last two were basically the same font with just varied serifs and what not. “Oh and here, you can pick from these styluses... hold on.” Vala blushed, running back to Warden’s stall.

She was met with a gruff old man. “Did you take my stool?”

It was obvious; Vala wondered why he even asked. There was no point in lying. “Yeah.”

Warden smiled at her childish honesty. “And let me guess. You’re back to take more of my stuff?”

Vala pouted. “I’m not taking. I’m borrowing!”

Warden chuckled. He leaned to the right to get a better look at Aidara, before turning back to Vala. “So you’re teaching now.” He said more as a fact instead of a question. “The student tools are below the books on glassblowing. You know where. Just make sure to put them back where you found them. And don’t forget, you still owe me copied books.” He chuckled again before turning back to another customer.

Puffing out her cheeks, Vala flushed a little. It was annoying to be treated like a Yasi. Instead of letting herself get further worked up, which she really wanted to, Vala just grabbed what she needed and walked back - she had no intention of losing her first student by keeping them waiting.

The redness had faded to a duller rose, just on her cheeks. “Sorry about that. Anyway...” Vala dumped a handful of styluses on the counter and handed Aidara a beaten up tablet. The hallowed center of the gray stone tablet was filled with semi soft clay. “You can also pick any of the styluses here to write with. I would suggest the wooden one there, the one with the thicker nib. It’s lighter than the stone ones, and a load better and easier to handle. Oh sorry, let me explain. I know you already know how to write but calligraphy is all about perfection. Starting out with ink and paper is going to be super frustrating - trust me. With these practice clay tablets you can actually erase any mistakes just by smooshing it a bit with your fingers. Go ahead, try it out. It’s super fun.” Vala smiled, feeling a little more comfortable in Aidara’s presence. Actually surprised that the teaching thing was going so well so far. “The feel is different, but its easier to adjust to the feel of the nibs on different surfaces versus getting the hang of letters. So I’ll give you a minute to decide which and what you want.” Vala swung her legs back and forth, a little impatient to start. She stared at Aidara, a little too pressingly, almost like a needy baby. Vala was so engrossed in teaching that it completely slipped her mind to determine payment - not unusual for the occasionally absent minded twit.

Font Types :
I have no idea what Nari looks like, but I personally think, judging from the culture and available surfaces (stone, clay, glass, and not much wood/paper) , that hey would have something similar to what they had in Mesopotamia. I kind of cuneiform/syllabary thing.

But since I don’t exactly have the time to help develop that yet, lets just assume that everything is Roman Lettering with an alphabet - for the sake of teaching calligraphy.

Here are the fonts that Aidara can choose from.

1. Thin flowy script. Think Italian Handwriting fonts. Letter weight is airy - more space between the letters and words. More curls and longer lines. Clean yet almost windy in appearance. Hardest to keep uniform, yet fastest to do letter wise. Strokes are fast. Very little pressure needed. (medium)

2. Thick, almost blocky letters. Very thick and heavy. Requires a steady hand and concentration. Strokes are slow and deliberate. Also requires more pressure. Straight forward and clear to read. Think gothic fonts. (easiest)

3. Almost exactly like the second but a lot more frills. Lots of those annoying extra little lines and spikes at the end. Makes it harder to read, but more fun to look at. Also takes twice as much time to do as the second, four times as long as the first. Think super gothic. (hardest)


OOC :
I would have written this up sooner, but I totally forgot to bookmark it and it just got lost. Sorry if everything is a little too technical or if you need more descriptions to draw from, just give me a nudge.
For Me to Know, And You to Find Out

VPVCSMPMOAPACS
User avatar
Vala
Crimson Beauty
 
Posts: 530
Words: 439124
Joined roleplay: February 17th, 2011, 7:22 am
Location: Wind Reach
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Medals: 5
Lore Author (1) Peer Reviewer (1)
Trailblazer (1) Donor (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Aidara on June 4th, 2011, 8:27 pm

Image



Smiling a little at Vala’s suddenly very business-like attitude, Addy moved quickly around the corner to set upon the stool that was indicated to her. As Vala darted off into the neighboring stall, the healer took the opportunity to gaze around at the rest of the girls work. She was just reaching for a couple rolls of parchment under the counter, her curiosity getting the better of her, when Vala returned. Addy snatched her hand away and turned her full attentions on the young girl as she began talking quickly again.

Different sheets of paper and a whole bunch of funny looking pens were dumped onto the counter before her, and Addy stared at them blankly. “Alright….” Vala had suggested the wooden one, and the girl did know better than she. “I’ll use the wooden one then.” The rest were shifted off to the side, so that Vala could do whatever she did with the extra styluses. Opening her mouth, Addy had been about to ask where the ink pot was when Vala explained the advantages of the clay tablets. Reaching out, Addy pulled one of these towards herself as well and nodded. “Oh, by the way, I’m left handed.” She smiled slightly, knowing that this was going to make things a little more difficult. At least, it had been when she had been taught her letters as a child.

Turning the tablet so that it was angled harshly to the right, Addy tried a few different hand positions. She grasped the stylus between the very tips of her fingers, and tried holding her hand so that it wouldn’t rub against the clay when she began to write. But the healer hadn’t even made a single stroke on the clay tablet and her fingers were already starting to ache. She readjusted her grip, pulling her fingers in closer to her palm and inching the tips up towards the nip of the stylus. Much better. The firm grip was comfortable and she could hold the stylus with a steady ease, not to mention she still had full range in her wrist, allowing her to avoid smudges.

“Alright, I think I got this part down. I think I would like to try the thin flowy script.” Indicating to the corresponding example with a point of her finger, Addy looked over at Vala “Should I try a few, like what is written here and then you correct me, or…?” The girl was clearly enthusiastic about teaching. Addy could see the glimmer in her eye and the way she sat on the edge of her stool watching the older woman carefully. Feeling it was better to let the girl take complete control instead of plowing ahead and scribbling on the clay tablet without instruction, Addy instead just looked politely over at Vala as she posed her question. “Like I said, my writing is horrible. You’ve got your work set out for you.”
Image
Image
User avatar
Aidara
The "i" is silent
 
Posts: 1048
Words: 946840
Joined roleplay: October 6th, 2010, 5:20 am
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 10
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
Power Fork (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Vala on June 6th, 2011, 3:18 am

It wasn’t that Vala lacked the potential to be a good teacher - far from it. She had all the necessary skill and dedication to start showing others the basics of calligraphy: she was extremely book learned though she may have lacked practical experience. No, the one thing that made Vala the worst possible teacher was her impatience. Vala had a constant need for something to be happening... always. She didn’t mind boring work as long as it kept her occupied. Once she was left alone to the emptiness of her mind she would start to lose it. Even meditation was a good time filler, but unfortunately, her lack of skill still held her back from practicing the art in any environment other than that of complete and utter silence with a comfortable space for her to sit or lean.

It was a lucky break for both Aidara and Vala that the new Endal was quick enough to keep up with the attention deficient girl, and her near incoherent stream of instructions. “Oh shush.” Vala said rudely, quite out of her station. Another one of Vala’s issues, was when she started to work, like really work, she had a tendency to lose herself, forgetting about other people, and most especially their feelings. “Don’t worry, stop saying your bad. Just show me what you’ve got and I’ll correct you from there.” Vala pulled the master scroll for the thin font Aidara had chosen, to sit between them. “I’m guessing you use these characters,” Vala began pointing to the Ai, D, A, R, figures on the scroll. “,to spell your name...” She continued once Aidara agreed or corrected her. “The first character of your name only has four strokes, not so bad. They don’t even require that much dexterity. Here I’ll do each stroke individually to make it even easier.”

Vala made the first stroke on her clay tablet with an extra stone stylus. It was a quick flip of the wrist, straight and true. “The next line is nearly perpendicular. Nearly, but not quite. Like this.” Vala drew the first stroke again, right next to the other one, but this time she continued with the second perpendicular line. Vala was just about to explain the next stroke when she forced herself to pause, biting her lip nervously. “Actually, so I don’t get too far ahead, why don’t you show me what you’ve got now. First the downward stroke, next then the perpendicular one. Remember the second stroke is slightly angled up, diagonally, to the corner of the page.”

Vala watched as Aidara tried drawing both strokes in succession across her page. Before Aidara could get to ten of them, Vala held up her hand, shaking her head. “Wait, wait.” The insensitive twit didn’t even bother keeping the hint of disappointment out of her voice. “Why don’t you just try the first stroke thirty times... and uh... then we’ll try to put the strokes together, eh?” Vala hesitated as she spoke, ripped from the work trance she had sunk into, by a gruff cough that conveniently emanated from Warden’s booth. Vala puffed up her cheeks, forcing herself to release her breath slowly. Then drawing on all her acting skill, Vala tried to pretend like she wasn’t getting impatient at all, by altering her voice and relaxing her tensing facial muscles. She was still probably quite transparant, but she hoped Aidara was still too focused on her own work to bother looking up at Vala’s crazed eyes. She may have been able to force her lips into a delightful curve, but she still wasn’t skilled enough to stop her eyes from dilating in anxiety. She wasn’t angry or annoyed at Aidara, far from it - Vala just wanted her to be perfect.
For Me to Know, And You to Find Out

VPVCSMPMOAPACS
User avatar
Vala
Crimson Beauty
 
Posts: 530
Words: 439124
Joined roleplay: February 17th, 2011, 7:22 am
Location: Wind Reach
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Medals: 5
Lore Author (1) Peer Reviewer (1)
Trailblazer (1) Donor (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Aidara on June 9th, 2011, 5:15 am

Image


It was lucky for the young Chiet that Addy was far more laid back than the rest of her Caste. The snappy attitude that Vala possessed simply left the older woman with the hint of a smile playing around her lips. Had this happened months before, Addy would have undoubtedly been at the girls throat for her rudeness. But the woman had been going through a rough patch, having been unable to cope with her insecurities involving her sister and her life in general. Luckily for everyone, the healers life had improved grately and few had to suffer whiplash from her tongue anymore.

"Okay, downward and then perpendicular..." Saying the words slowly as she drew her stylus along the page in what she thought was going to be a fairly good copy of Vala's own hand, Addy bit her tongue between her teeth. Lifting her pen from the page with a flourish to reveal the carefully drawn letter, her face fell as she saw the final result. It really did look like a child had written it.

"Wait, wait. Why don’t you just try the first stroke thirty times... and uh... then we’ll try to put the strokes together, eh?” Gah. Yes, the disappointment was clear in her voice and Addy couldn't help but sigh. "Alright."

Stylus was put back to paper, and the only result at first was a huge blot of ink. "Oh!" With the quiet exclimination, Addy quickly pulled her hand away, but not before getting a bit of the ink smeared across the side of her hand. Writing this off as a hazard of the job, She instead moved the ruined piece of paper away and pulled a fresh one towards her. The healer had taken no heed to the fact that Vala prized her papers highly, as she was on a lower salary than the endal and had to work hard for every scrap. Instead, Addy started praciting the elegent downward and then upward motion of the first letter. Slowly but surely, as she progressed across the page they became neater. Her hand started to shake less, so the lines were becoming smoother. It took a little while, but Addy was also getting a feel for the stylus she had chosen. It was also a gradual change, but she discovered that she didn't have to hold the pen in a death grip, nor did she have to put all her weight down on the pen as she wrote. Instead of being in danger of ripping through the paper, her lines became thinner and lighter.

"Ah, I did all 30." Setting the borrowed stylus down gingerly, Addy surveyed her work with an air of pride. Yes, the letters had started out sloppy but they had quickly transformed into something legible and as clear "Ai". Having been shushed the first time, Addy silently pushed the paper with her completed task towards Vala and waited.
Image
Image
User avatar
Aidara
The "i" is silent
 
Posts: 1048
Words: 946840
Joined roleplay: October 6th, 2010, 5:20 am
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 10
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
Power Fork (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Vala on June 20th, 2011, 6:07 am

She wasn’t genuinely worried or angry, she didn’t really feel anything, but her mind was still anxiously whirring away at a hundred miles a chime. Vala stood from her stool, only to stand annoyingly behind Addy’s shoulder, just looming and basically blocking the light. Thankfully the pupil was still too new and working on too simple a project to really notice the lack of the ever important light, something every scribe learned to cherish.

Cringing at every wayward stroke, Vala bit her inner cheek. The glint of a passing Endal’s talon sword brought her swiftly back to the world of Wind Reach – the caste dominated, xenophobic, red headed culture that was her home. Vala knew she had already pushed, too far for her own good, it was a miracle she had yet to be beaten down for her impertinent tongue.

The coppery taste of her own blood flooded her mouth, filling it with delicious warmth. The taste of blood never changed – it was at least one constant in her life.

Vala’s right eye twitched as Addy presented her the finished the clay tablet. It took every scrap of will power to not point out every wobbly line and miss angled stroke that she saw. The color drained from her face, giving her winning smile a strained look that matched how she felt. Somehow when anything was connected to work Vala always felt it was harder to put on an act, even when it meant her own skin.

She had seen Warren teach before. She never lingered. There wasn’t much to watch. It was boring watching others fail and flounder pathetically, always asking their insistent questions but never really listening to the answers. Vala was always the opposite – never asking questions when she was taught, preferring to learn things on her own. Flexing her right hand into a claw then back into a tight fist, Vala distracted herself physically as she convinced herself that Addy was doing great (she really was) and that there was no need to be overly critical. It was painful for her. She would have much preferred a well placed sucker punch to the gut, but she pushed through.

“It looks perfect!” Vala lied through her teeth. If Addy wasn’t paying attention she might not have caught the false twang – Vala realized she should be working on her acting skills if she really wanted to get into teaching. “Why don’t we start on the rest of the strokes of the character? Now that your wrist is all warmed up I’m sure it will all be a breeze.” Vala kept going, the rest wasn’t as much lies as it was exuberant cheerleading. “Here I’ll show you step by step.” Vala began the rest of the steps for the character Ai. Once she had done it several times for Aidara, Vala smudged out her own tablet and gave that to her. As Aidara worked, Vala smudged out the full tablet with her thumb, getting everything ready so Addy wouldn’t have to wait for prep work… but mostly so Vala wouldn’t have to wait with her anxious thoughts so obsessed with perfection.

As the chimes progressed, Vala showed Aidara the next character – D. As she was her second tablet in, with all the strokes memorized, just the execution to work on, Vala asked, halting Aidara mid stroke “How’s everything going so far? Too fast? Too slow?” The ‘self-aware’ questionnaire only made possible by Warren’s less then subtle mouthing and ham gestures. And with all of Vala’s insistence of nonstop repetition, Addy’s hand was no doubt getting quite fatigued. If she didn’t stop soon, there would be a serious risk of cramping that could last until the next day. Vala didn’t bring it up not because she was cruel, but because it had been so long since she had cramped from such a short time she had forgotten that newbies didn’t have the stamina as she and Warren did. Only Addy would be able to speak up to her own hand’s defense.
For Me to Know, And You to Find Out

VPVCSMPMOAPACS
User avatar
Vala
Crimson Beauty
 
Posts: 530
Words: 439124
Joined roleplay: February 17th, 2011, 7:22 am
Location: Wind Reach
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Medals: 5
Lore Author (1) Peer Reviewer (1)
Trailblazer (1) Donor (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Aidara on September 14th, 2011, 12:50 am

Image


It was a lot more work than Addy had been anticipating. By the time Vala showed her how to write the embellished D, the healers hand was starting to cramp.

"I think maybe I should take a break. I'm starting to get cross-eyed, and I am sure that you're tired of looking at my terrible handiwork." Trying to lighten the mood, it had not failed Addy's attentions that Vala was getting a bit irritated. The girl always seemed to be short of patience, except when she was in the process of fenageling for something that she wanted. Addy knew her kind; Vala reminded the healer of a younger version of herself, though Addy liked to think that she had had much more style than this Chiet.

Picking up her clay tablet and turning it this way and that, it was hard for her to see any improvement in the scratches that marred the surface "I think..I am going to have to say that I am horrible at this. Either that or it is the clay that is making me look bad." Still another smile was offered, but Vala had disappeared into Warden's stall, leaving Addy alone in the Avant Card.

Shaking her head and taking it as a lost cause, Addy took a few bottles from her pocket. At the apocathary, she had purchased some small samples of perfume that could be burned or just left out to sweeten the air. These she left on Vala's stool as payment, after she cleaned her writing tool and straightened the counter before departing.

Attempting to wring the pain from her hand, Addy disappeared into mass of Stalls that was the Market, back into shopping mode and destined to find a replacement for the perfumes she had just given away.
Image
Image
User avatar
Aidara
The "i" is silent
 
Posts: 1048
Words: 946840
Joined roleplay: October 6th, 2010, 5:20 am
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 10
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
Power Fork (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

You Teach Me This, I'll Teach You That (Vala)

Postby Indigo on October 13th, 2011, 5:02 pm

Image


Character: Aidara
Skills: +1 subterfuge, +2 Observation, +2 Calligraphy
Lore: Using OCD to your advantage, Being an eager student, I'm a lefty! Too magnanimous for rank pulling, Practice makes perfect, Fair payment

Character: Vala
Skills: +1 Calligraphy, +2 Teaching, +1 Subterfuge
Lore: Butt-kissing business style, It's not stealing: it's borrowing! Teaching before money, Book learning isn't experience, Overstepping your Chiet caste

Notes: Your rp is quirky as always. I enjoy the see saw balance between perfection/OCD and her innate kindness despite rank! If you have any questions or comments about your grade, please don't hesitate to PM me.
Indigo
As you wish (no1 gets princess bride quotes)
 
Posts: 284
Words: 84986
Joined roleplay: August 31st, 2011, 10:46 pm
Race: Staff account


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests