RL Date: 4/2/99
[Gardens]
Thakur flits through the spotty sunlight in the gardens, circling and eventually landing on a nearby bush in the sun. The little bronze flutters his wings, as if shaking off the cold of *between*.
Jaden glances up from sorting through his pack, and smiles at the sight of the firelizard. He makes a playful chirp sound at the creature.
Thakur chirps a reply, as if correcting the lad's cadence, and then warbles off an amused little spiel.
Jaden pats at his clothing, seeking a treat to offer, but finds nothing. He settles for whistling, attempting to imitate the creatures trill. Jaden gets to his feet, tossing another smile at the firelizard. "I have to go see someone, little fellow. Bye." He turns and heads out of the gardens.
[Cottages]
Jaden raps lightly on Master Declyn’s door.
A yelled, "Come" responds to the knock.
[Declyn's Office]
Jaden slips inside, rubbing briefly at his knuckles. He glances about the room, then directs a smile towards Declyn. "Hallo. Master Declyn?"
Declyn keeps working on the hides in front of him, not bothering to look up. "Yes."
Jaden fiddles with the strap of the pack slung over one slender shoulder, stepping a bit further into the room. "I was told to see you about apprenticing?"
That does elicit a response. Declyn looks up from his work eventually, studying the boy measuringly, or more likely the boy's clothes. "And? Who told you to see me?"
Jaden pauses, attempting to recall the names, as he tries to peek at what's being worked on. "Oh.. It was... Sharia and Riessa."
Declyn leans back in his chair, the light from the glowbasket picking up the redder lights in his hair and giving it a burnished gleam that offsets the color of his shirt nicely. "Have a seat." One dye-stained hand waves languidly at the chairs in front of his desk. "What's your name boy?"
Jaden drops gracefully into the proffered seat, and settles his pack carefully at his feet. "Jaden, sir." His gaze attempts to take in everything in the room, and regard you at the same time.
Declyn observes the pack settling with a raised brow. "And where are you from exactly, Jaden?" Declyn's voice carries the faint nasal tones of a Northerner.
Jaden shifts slightly in the chair, lifting one deft hand to flick his bangs out of his eyes, temporarily. "I'm from Karachi Hold, sir."
Declyn's gaze turns piercing, eyes narrowing. "That's a fair ways to travel." Jaden's clothes again get a once-over. "Who did that embroidery on your shirt? You?"
Jaden nods, and lifts his arm again, proffering his cuff for closer examination. "Yes, sir." He smiles brightly. "Embroidery is what I do best."
Declyn leans forward only enough to show polite interest. "I see. It's passable. That is supposed to be a firelizard isn't it?" He points a finger towards Jaden's cuff.
Jaden marshals his expression not to look hurt, and nods, his bangs tumbling back into his eyes. "Yes, sir, it is supposed to be. I'm rather fond of them, you see." He lets his hands fall to his lap, where they promptly fiddle with his cuffs idly.
Declyn states bluntly, "I'm not. They make messes in my Hall, like to dip their feet in my dye vats and ruin perfectly good cloth with their talons." His eyes drift towards the pack that he knows is there but can't see. "Any other examples of your work you want to show me?'
Jaden bites his lip briefly, then nods and leans down to scoop the pack into his lap. "Yes, sir. I have something I wove..." He opens the pack, and rummages though it, producing, after a moment, a lacy shawl of feathery threads made to drape the wearers shoulders softly, woven in colors of lilac, rose, and silver-grey. Delicate fringes edge the shawl and shimmer slightly with any movement.
Declyn reaches out a pair of long-fingered hands for the shawl, "Mind if I look closer at this?" His face reveals nothing but polite interest.
Jaden nods and passes it over willingly. "Of course." His teeth catch at his lower lip again, worrying it a moment.
[This lacy shawl of feathery threads is made to drape the wearers shoulders softly, woven in colors of lilac, rose, and silver-grey, forming a gentle pattern reminiscent, almost, of lapping waves. Delicate fringes edge the shawl and shimmer slightly with any movement, and a small bright purple violet is embroidered on the underside of one corner.]
Once Declyn gets it into his hands, he inspects the shawl closely, fingers smoothing over it with loving care. "Got hold of some llama wool for this did you?" He frowns intently, checking the shawl over for dropped stitches or at least one mistake in the pattern. There's a slightly pleased smile when he finds one small error. "You miscounted here you know." He spreads the shawl out on his desk lightly, beckoning Jaden closer so he can see the tiny problem that only someone with a whole lot of time on their hands would ever notice. "Overall, it's - acceptable."
Jaden leans forward to peer at the error, biting his lip once more. "I'll count more closely next time, sir."