”If you would ever be interested in it, I would appreciate the company,” Jigano assured Jiao , hearing the discomfort in her voice and holding himself back from pushing too hard. He admired the shape of her lantern, the paper precisely folded and supported by the clever string that was both frame and hanger. The colors she chose were bold, and the abstract pattern her clever fingers cut and shaped to attach to the crimson silk flowed organically across the planes of the lantern’s star, each piece perfect and well placed. Jigano whistled in appreciation when she set it spinning, clearly impressed. ”You are a mistress of many crafts, lady Jiao,” he complimented with a smile. ”Elegant and stunning. If this is what you can do with paper and a bit of silk, I can’t wait to see more of your clothing designs.”
Melita ‘s silence was worrisome, and the bard was glad that Isuma was near her. The gryphon chirruped across the huntress’s lap at Fangorn, glad to see her pumpkin friend and making sure that he was well. She climbed up onto the table as Melita finished her frame, picking her careful way around the materials on offer and bringing some back to present to the girl hopefully. She reeped satisfaction at the fuzzy brown paper that was chosen, though her ‘help’ might have been more of a hindrance as she settled in beside the young woman’s arm and proceeded to purr and rub her face against the human’s chill skin, even cooler than Jigano’s was. The bard looked over as he was putting some finishing touches on his own lanterns – black fabric around the sphere, white paper around the cube – and smiled sadly at her choice of design. ”Emmett?” he guessed softly, remembering the stubborn young farmer, his courage and insight, and the donkeys that Remi had decorated his burial shroud with.
Ezra was an entirely different kettle of fish from the other two, and Jigano arched a brow at the casual bluntness of his explanation. It was so much like Edy’s brand of honesty and he felt his throat tighten for a moment, and all he could do was nod until he had cleared the emotion enough to speak past it. ”Ah… you work at the Rathskeller, then?” The bard had used to play there regularly, before Zariah’s usurpation had thrown their little world into sullen chaos and slinking rebellion. ”I… don’t know who’s in charge of it now…” he realized belatedly, looking a little lost as he tucked his hands into his sleeves to hide their shaking that was more than just illness. It took several deep breaths to calm himself and focus on the lanterns they were all making.
He frowned, concentrating fiercely to make his hands steady and behave as he applied glue to the frames he had made, though he made a bit of a mess of the paper and had to start again twice. At last he finished his own pair, just as Ezra approached. Jigano looked up with a weary smile, lips quirking into a bemused grin at being called ‘babe’ but not against a little flattery. It felt nice to be complimented, even if it was just so he would help the handsome lady with her lantern. ”Of course,” he chuckled, reaching for a glue pot. The frame was a little lopsided, but that just gave it more character, he thought. Brushing a line of paste down one side of the square he smoothed an edge of the fabric along it, holding it in place while he silently counted time. ”Anchor one end first to hold it firmly. You won’t need as much glue on the other edges now, just to keep it steady as you wrap the fabric around.” ‘Like wrapping a sheet around yourself,’ he almost said, but bit back the assumption. Just because Ezra had enjoyed Edy’s lifestyle didn’t mean they had the same rapport that he had built with the Launceleyn girl over a year of friendship. ”Trim the edge of the cloth so it finishes with a bit of overlap where you started, and put another thin line of glue down along it to attach it along the frame itself.” he demonstrated, the simple nature of Ezra’s lantern making it easier to deal with than his own had been.
///
With their basic shapes established and the outer coverings to contain their light firmly applied, the lanterns needed only final touches. Jigano led the way to the final stump, Isuma chirruping brightly as she accompanied Melita and Fangorn to the last station. Feathers and beads, dried flowers and leaves, charms in wood and metal, paint and thread, brushes and needles and slender knives were prepared and laid out. ”We can add a little more personalization here,” he explained, reaching for a needle and silver thread to begin stitching along his round, black-cloth lantern. ”Whatever comes to mind to represent those your lanterns are for. Hanging charms or painted vistas or flowers of the field. I hope that whoever your lantern is for will sense the care that is being put into each of these, and will be warmed by it.”
Last round! How will you decorate your lanterns for the lost?
No posting order!
Melita ‘s silence was worrisome, and the bard was glad that Isuma was near her. The gryphon chirruped across the huntress’s lap at Fangorn, glad to see her pumpkin friend and making sure that he was well. She climbed up onto the table as Melita finished her frame, picking her careful way around the materials on offer and bringing some back to present to the girl hopefully. She reeped satisfaction at the fuzzy brown paper that was chosen, though her ‘help’ might have been more of a hindrance as she settled in beside the young woman’s arm and proceeded to purr and rub her face against the human’s chill skin, even cooler than Jigano’s was. The bard looked over as he was putting some finishing touches on his own lanterns – black fabric around the sphere, white paper around the cube – and smiled sadly at her choice of design. ”Emmett?” he guessed softly, remembering the stubborn young farmer, his courage and insight, and the donkeys that Remi had decorated his burial shroud with.
He frowned, concentrating fiercely to make his hands steady and behave as he applied glue to the frames he had made, though he made a bit of a mess of the paper and had to start again twice. At last he finished his own pair, just as Ezra approached. Jigano looked up with a weary smile, lips quirking into a bemused grin at being called ‘babe’ but not against a little flattery. It felt nice to be complimented, even if it was just so he would help the handsome lady with her lantern. ”Of course,” he chuckled, reaching for a glue pot. The frame was a little lopsided, but that just gave it more character, he thought. Brushing a line of paste down one side of the square he smoothed an edge of the fabric along it, holding it in place while he silently counted time. ”Anchor one end first to hold it firmly. You won’t need as much glue on the other edges now, just to keep it steady as you wrap the fabric around.” ‘Like wrapping a sheet around yourself,’ he almost said, but bit back the assumption. Just because Ezra had enjoyed Edy’s lifestyle didn’t mean they had the same rapport that he had built with the Launceleyn girl over a year of friendship. ”Trim the edge of the cloth so it finishes with a bit of overlap where you started, and put another thin line of glue down along it to attach it along the frame itself.” he demonstrated, the simple nature of Ezra’s lantern making it easier to deal with than his own had been.
///
With their basic shapes established and the outer coverings to contain their light firmly applied, the lanterns needed only final touches. Jigano led the way to the final stump, Isuma chirruping brightly as she accompanied Melita and Fangorn to the last station. Feathers and beads, dried flowers and leaves, charms in wood and metal, paint and thread, brushes and needles and slender knives were prepared and laid out. ”We can add a little more personalization here,” he explained, reaching for a needle and silver thread to begin stitching along his round, black-cloth lantern. ”Whatever comes to mind to represent those your lanterns are for. Hanging charms or painted vistas or flowers of the field. I hope that whoever your lantern is for will sense the care that is being put into each of these, and will be warmed by it.”
Last round! How will you decorate your lanterns for the lost?
No posting order!
