From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
As Letha took the scalpel and began trimming the mug, Amun stood up. Crossing his arms, he waited patiently for her to begin. When she did, he nodded approvingly at her care.
As she lifted the blade from the clay, he smiled. "Good. Let the wheel come to a stop. I'll be right back." Heading back towards the workstation, he cut off a bit more clay from the big block and brought it over to her.
"Next step is the handle." Dipping his hands in the water, he wet the clay, then began to roll it in his palms. Once it was a cylinder, he placed it carefully on the outside of the mug, curving it into the correct shape.
Then he even more carefully pulled the handle off and crushed it into a ball. "Your turn!" He held out the clay for her to take.
As was her fashion at this point, the woman did as she was told. The wheel in front of her slowed its spin until it finally came to a stop. As Amun gathered more clay, Letha couldn't help but admire her creation at this point. It was not perfect, but it was her's. She smiled, her face softening first before the rest of her body seemed to melt a little and relax.
Turning her attention back to the more experienced crafter, she watched him work on the handle. Following his lead, she wet her hands before taking he clay from him. She worked the ball into a cylinder, just as Amun had. Putting it up against the mug, she adjusted the size of the clay enough for three of her fingers to be able to easily slip in and out of the handle. Satisfied, she beamed up at Amun.
"Thank you." She breathed, her shoulders dropping in her new relaxed state.
Smiling down at Letha, Amun shrugged. "You're welcome." Lifting up a brush from the small table next to the spinning wheel where he kept various tools, he held it up for her. "Now we smooth the handle." He brushed the handle where it pressed against the main part of the mug, attaching it more firmly.
However, he only did a little before handing her the brush. "Next, we paint it, if you want. After that, we just have to fire it for a bit." He pointed at the various paints and glazes resting on the initial workstation, trusting her to be able to figure that step out on her own. That done, he headed over to the kiln. Carefully, using the iron rod and tongs he had for precisely this reason, he built up the fire there.
Amun seemed as satisfied with her progress as she was, and moved her on to the next step. He stepped away to ready to kiln and Letha moved to gather the paint. He had not told her any was particularly off limits, so she picked a rather unassuming brown as her base, but her ocean eyes widened at a glimmering gold. Images rolled around in her brain, gentle and soft and gold. She frowned a bit, but gripped the small pot of paint like her life depended on it. Her mother, the images her mind remembered, was painted so delicately in gold. It was an accent to the woman's image, but Letha would never forget it.
Returning to her mug with her supplies gathered, Letha used two large brushes. It was rather simple, and she didn't mind. She painted the entirety of the mug brown, save for the handle and one, thick stripe across the girth of it, which she lathered in the gold. It was more of a yellow, in reality, but it still reminded Letha of her mother. "Okay, I think it's ready." She called out to Amun from where she was, turning to look at the man and nodding confidently.
As Letha finished her painting, Amun nodded. "We need to give it a bit of time to dry, then we can put it in the kiln to be fired." Grabbing a tray, he headed back towards the workstation.
He started adding pieces that needed to be fired onto the tray, starting with the mug, which he put carefully in the corner. "When you put things in the kiln, you have to make sure they're not touching anywhere. Given how long it takes the kiln to heat up, it's always best to do things in batches if you can." Once he'd finished assembling the nearly finished pieces, he stepped back. It was an eclectic collection: her mug, some other plainer cups, a lovingly painted bowl, a vase, all handmade and mostly unique.
Letha was thankful to learn something new today, other than what it meant to be in Caido and the be an ascended. Creating something and learning from Amun filled her in a way that she did not know she needed until she was in the throws of it. As Amun continued to teach and to gather up the clay creations that needed to be fired, she merely listened. On the tray of creations her's looked so plain -- almost frumpy -- but she didn't care. It was her's and it was special. "Thank you, again. You were a good teacher." She smiled, softly, at the older man.
"Would I be able to help you, and maybe learn some more from you?" She let her eyes wander around the rest of the studio, taking in all of Amun's goods. She would love to continue to work with Amun and increase her knowledge of clay crafting. It felt like purpose. That was, purpose outside of being bright, which she truly did not understand yet.
Snorting at Letha's compliment, Amun shook his head. "I had an easy job with such an excellent student." Still, it was easy to tell he was pleased.
When he judged that her creation was dry enough, he slid the tray into the kiln. Turning to face her, he raised his eyebrows. "Yes and yes, though I confess that I'm a bit confused." Chuckling, he grinned at her. "Not that I'm not flattered, but people usually like to see a bit more of the world before they go and settle down." There was a sort of lightly teasing tone to his voice. However, he gave her a curious look.
"I think I could do both." She states plainly, shrugging some. The idea of having somewhere to call home, a base to be able to take refuge, feels good. This whole world was new, and there were things Letha wanted to know, but it was all still overwhelming. The woman needed a place that was safe, where she could return to and process the information she gathered and the things she encountered. "Having a home would feel safe." She adds, her own curious look raising to Amun.
"How long did it take you to establish yourself here?" She is not trying to goad him at all, just genuinely curious. He had a home, so why couldn't she? Her fingers played with the folds of her skirt some before she stood up. She had to move. "I think solace is necessary."
Nodding at Letha's response, Amun gestured around. "You're welcome to spend as much time here as you'd like." The he grinned a bit, pointing at the cot in the corner. "I'll try to give you a heads up if I have company over." Again, there was that gently teasing tone to his voice.
However, when she asked how long it took to establish himself, he shrugged. "Depends what you mean by establish." He patted the kiln. "I haven't been here a full year yet, though it's close. So a few months to get this place up and running and to be known for my work." He sounded more than a bit proud of his accomplishments.
Smiling at her next comment, he nodded. "Aye, you're right about that." He spread his arms invitingly. "Well my home is yours until you've found a place of your own."
04-29-2020, 07:24 PM (This post was last modified: 04-29-2020, 07:30 PM by Letha.)
LETHA
She couldn't help but fidget with her fingers as she stood there, talking with Amun. As he gestured towards the cot and teased him about staying here, she smiled. Of all the things she remembered and did not remember, she was confident that she had never smiled so much in her life as she had around the potter. She could not express her thankfulness for him. Surely, he had not expected to receive a temporary roommate when he was strolling along the beaches of Torchline.
"Thank you, Amun." These words had passed through her lips more times than she could count at this point, but they were so true. She did not know what else to say. She sat down on the cot, and let a sigh escape into the air of the studio. The woman pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her back against the wall. She closed her eyes, the wave of exhaustion that washed over her was only emotional. She did not feel the physical need to sleep, but her mind felt utterly worn out.
