RL Date: 4/5/99
[Gardens]
Jaden is sitting on a blanket in the shade, carding wool, and daydreaming.
Declyn pads silently into the gardens, boots not making any noise in the grass he's choosing to walk in. A bit of a contented smile graces his mouth, and even remains at sight of a daydreaming apprentice. "Evening, Jaden."
Jaden starts slightly at the voice, and blinks twice, turning to regard the source. "Oh, evening, Master Declyn," he replies, flashing a smile, hands absently still working the wool.
The blanket Jaden's sitting on receives a very pleased look as does the wool carding. Declyn comes to a stop near one edge of the ground covering. "I see you listened to me."
Jaden nods quickly, and smiles again. "Oh, yes, sir. I've made sure to bring a blanket with me, every time I come here to work."
Declyn's brows elevate in unconscious hauteur. "Intelligent of you since if you hadn't, I would've found out about it." One graceful hand makes a sweeping gesture. "Mind if I grab a corner and sit a few?"
Jaden promtly scoots over to make room, snagging his basket, and pulling it over with him. "Not at all, please do." He rests the wool in his lap for the moment.
Declyn bends and fussily presses his hand to the blanket first, making sure no moisture's seeping through. His bootheels receive a quick inspection as well before he settles lightly down, legs crossing but feet arranged in such a manner that they're not touching the blanket. "Are the workrooms not suitable for you?" Declyn gives the wool in Jaden's lap a cursory look. "That's normally where the carding's done - there or in the Main Hall."
Jaden tilts his head slightly, watching all this though his bangs, before tossing his head, to get a better look. He blinks at the question, and flushes somewhat. "Oh, yes, sir, they are. I just like to be out here in the garden. It's beautiful here, don't you think? I'm sorry, I can take it inside if you want?"
Declyn looks about him happily. "No. You can stay here if you want for now. The workrooms are there for a purpose though. The gardens I had put in, not only for teaching purposes, but for relaxation. Regardless of what you may've heard, I do expect apprentices to take breaks and rest. Carding wool isn't even /my/ idea of resting."
Jaden grins, and relaxes somewhat. "It keeps my hands busy," he says, lifting one slender shoulder in a graceful shrug. His fingers toy lightly with the wool as he speaks, and he tilts his head again, leaning slightly to peer at the other man's hands a moment.
Declyn involuntarily answers the grin with a bit of one of his own. "In that case, it's acceptable." He follows Jaden's look down to where own hands rest easily on his knees. "Something wrong other than the usual signs I've been messing in the dye vats?"
Jaden flushes again, and turns his gaze to the wool again. "Oh, no. Sorry, sir. Rie had just mentioned the colour of your hands, when we were talking about colours, and I said I hadn't noticed, so I was just looking." His fingers leave the wool, and absently quest for something else to toy with.
Declyn quirks a blondish-red brow. "Rie? That'd be Riessa?" Den helpfully spreads his hands out for inspection, the fingers long and strong-seeming with the telltale marks of a longtime Weaver's activities plain to see. Currently, they're a dull magenta. The corners of Declyn's eyes crinkle in quiet amusement, "Were the apprentices betting which color they were today?"
Jaden laughs softly at that, and shakes his head, his hair falling back into his eyes. "No, not that, sir. We were just..." he pauses, then finishes, "Talking about colours. Dyes are something I really need to work on. I never get the colour I want."
Declyn turns his hands so they're palm up and regards the hue on his fingers unhappily. "Me neither."
Jaden tilts his head again, a soft puff of breath stirring his bangs for a bit. "Really?" he says in a surprised tone. "I should think you'd be good at it, since you are the Master."
Declyn lifts his own head arrogantly. "I /am/ good at it. It's one of the reasons I'm the Craftmaster. That doesn't mean, however, that I manage to attain every color I want perfectly the first time I try it."
Jaden bites his lip, lowering his long lashes to veil his eyes. "Sorry, sir," he murmurs. "Of course you're good at it. I didn't mean to imply you weren't." His fingers wander to toy with the trailing end of his sleeve.
Declyn loses the arrogant look, and it almost gets replaced by a smile but you'd have to be looking very close to notice. "You're forgiven this time. Don't question me again though until you've walked the tables and I'm a doddering old Weaver who can't remember his own name." Declyn's fingers snap once to get attention, "Quit playing with your sleeve. Do it enough and you'll wear a shiny spot in it and muck the color up."
Jaden's fingers fall away from his sleeve at once, and cast about for something else to fiddle with. "Sorry, Master," he says quickly. His fingers pluck at the corner of the blanket instead, as he watches Declyn though his lashes.
Declyn's hands return to their former resting place, loosely spread over his knees. He studies the boy a while before dropping his next few words into the silence. "You need a haircut. Unless you're /trying/ to blind yourself that is."
Jaden blinks at that, and tosses his head to get his hair out of the way. "That's what Master Piet said too," he says. "I always mean to get it cut, but never get around to it."
Declyn's expression softens fleetingly when Piet's name is brought up and is quickly replaced by a bit of a haughty look. "You'd best listen since we've both said it and don't forget to get it done - tomorrow morning. Faranth's eyeballs, ask Riessa or Sharia to utilize those shears of theirs if you can't find one of residents who's handy at giving haircuts. Because if you /don't/ have those bangs out of your eyes by tomorrow afternoon, /I'll/ be the one doing the cutting and I'm not sure you'd like that."
Jaden listens to this, wide-eyed, one hand lifting to touch his bangs. "Master Piet said he liked it long," he murmurs, lashes veiling his eyes again as he sighs. Louder he says, "Yes, Master. I'll see to having it cut."
Declyn's face goes terribly still. "/Master/ Piet is no longer Craftmaster here - I am. I'm the one you need to worry about pleasing. And I'm not asking you to cut your bangs out of spite. The first reason is that you need to be able to see what you're doing. The second is that it bothers me when I can't tell if you have eyes or not."
Jaden bites his lip, and nods quickly. "Yes, Master. I'm sorry. I'll ask Rie to cut it for me." His fingers abandon the blanket, and shift to fiddle with the ribbon woven though his basket.
Declyn stands up in one fluid motion, "However, if Master Piet finds them pleasing -" Declyn's face reveals not one bit of emotion but his words are bitten off and delivered with teeth gritted. "I'll settle on you braiding them back or what have you to get them out of your way. So long as they're not covering most of your face, I'll live."
Jaden watches the other man stand, looking wholly baffled now. "I.. yes, Master. I'll see that they're out of the way when I'm working." He blinks, then offers in a hesitant tone, "I'm sorry?"
If anything, that last apology makes Declyn angrier. "Not yet, but you will be." Declyn goes into the courtyard.