Drawing on the past (open)

[Hay'aan Benedict]

ooc 1I'm using this thread as an experience thread and for some character development along the way. Please feel free to join it as all of the above is very welcome!

Timestamp: 35th Brightening of Pontius, Winter, Era XV

Hay'aan had come back to the beach where she had met Klue on her first brightening here. She had seen movement in the clouds, then, and it had given her an idea. This brightening, the clouds were dark and skittered across the sky ominously and she wanted to draw them.

So, clutching her parchment and charcoal she moved to the beach. To the spot where the whirligig had flown within inches of her and had splattered to its early and untimely demise a hairs breadth away from her.

ooc 2I wish that I had the talent to draw this, sadly I do not. All credit to the artist, whose name was not mentioned on the site

First of all, Hay'aan thought, there was the hairpiece that she wanted to look at. She had a vision of a butterfly, skittering across the winds, being pulled in directions which were not entirely in its control any more, which had come to her when feeling the wind on her face the brightening she had met Klue.

So, parchment placed on her knees, the young Arakmatan girl started to sketch. She wanted to get a feeling of movement and as a concept went, she liked the idea of a butterfly hairpiece. She had, in her minds eye, visions of it being silver with blue stones throughout it. She wanted to, she considered, remind herself of the frail nature of the butterfly, yet try to grasp its strength, to be able to withstand winds which would knock down humans by their strength, yet which the butterfly could use in order to travel. Such flexibility from such frail gossamer wings was something that she hoped to be able to utilise in the piece that she could foresee.

That was, of course, the trouble, Hay'aan considered as her hand moved deftly over the parchment. Her eye could see things that she wanted to make, but she lacked the skill. Her gratitude for Viskyia soared again as she considered how she was being given the chance to learn, to develop her skills to make what she had hitherto only dreamed of.

Thinking of this, Hay'aan put down the charcoal for a moment and lifted her right hand. On the wrist of that hand glittered a delicate and marvelously made bracelet. It was simple but beautiful and Hay'aan looked at it with fondness in her eyes. It was a gift to her from her mother and it was made by her mothers hand. If she could get half as good as that, Hay'aan considered, then she could almost certainly make a living.

Resolutely, she once again picked up the charcoal and frowned in concentration as she drew. She was wearing a long black skirt and a black top, and next to her sat a bag with her drawing supplies in it. She wore an expression of intense concentration on her face as she worked, trying to achieve the idea of a stylised butterfly which showed form and, at the same time, fragility.

Form and fragility.... she thought and smiled. That was a good working title.

[Garit Sevenstars]

The weather of Demios seemed quite as capricious as advertised, Garit decided. He had not been long on the island, and had seen the mood of the sky swing from one extreme to another with very little warning. Ah well, he thought, at least it is never boring.

Garit walked the beach and enjoyed the wind and clouds. There did not seem to be a great deal of people about, just the occasional stroller in their dark winter garb, which made the scene seem rather more dramatic.

He saw a woman sitting on the beach up ahead, performing some sort of art with a piece of charcoal on parchment. He turned and looked out to sea, trying to decide if she were drawing seascapes. It was possible, he decided. The dark clouds would add enough drama to make the scene interesting, especially if she was sure to capture a ship under sail beneath them.

Garit had met few locals since coming to Demios, and was rather of a mind to increase his social network. Still, it would not be polite to interrupt an artist at work with unwanted banter. Hmm...well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to say hello, at any rate.

Passing near to Hay'ann, Garit tipped his hat and said "Good afternoon," to her, and took a casual glance at what she had been drawing. "very nice work, that," he added. "Do you do portraits as well, or is design more of your specialty?"

[Hay'aan Benedict]

In truth, Hay'aan had not noticed anyone else on the beach. She was so focused on what she was doing that she did not see Garit until he was close by to her. She looked up at him and smiled as he did something most strange with his hat. She wondered whether that was a custom local to Demios as she stood up and placed the parchment down on the sand with the charcoal over it to stop the winds from whipping up and taking it away.

"Serale" she said. When she spoke her accent was lilting and almost melodic, not harsh and Arakmatan as her appearance would perhaps suggest. She smiled at him politely, although her eyes drifted down as was her custom and habit, looking at the floor rather nervously.

"Thank you" she said, genuinely pleased that someone liked her work. She looked up in surprise when he asked if she did portraits and she smiled "Well, it's not something I've focused on but I'd be delighted to give it a try. Would you like to have a portrait done of yourself by an amateur?" she said, her gaze friendly.

She watched him carefully, more than happy to do a charcoal sketch of him should he want. After all, she reasoned, any experience was good experience and would hone her skills. Hay'aan was a very focused woman indeed.

"Oh, I am afraid my manners escape me. I am Hay'aan" she said, offering her hand in the way that she had seen others do.

[Garit Sevenstars]

Garit took Hay'aan's hand, and shook it with gentle but well defined movements. "I am pleased to meet you Hay'aan. I am Garit."

"I should very much like a portrait if I am not intruding upon your practice by asking, and if, say, 20 crowns is adequate inducement. You see, I am staying at the Leap of Faith inn in one of their unfortunately named 'pauper rooms,' and may continue to do so for some duration. I find the accomodation to be quite comfortable, but the walls are not exactly brimming with art, which I imagine is just one of several cost-cutting measures they have effected."

Garit seemed a subject well suited for rendering in charcoal, as his hair, clothing, and even his eyes were all in shades of gray.

[Hay'aan Benedict]

"Well, hello there Garit" she said, smiling at him briefly, before dropping her gaze down once again. "I have no need of money, honestly, it would be my pleasure to practice. Gods knows I need it" she said, smiling at him gently "I ... if you don't mind, just sit there and look out to sea... that's it. Look.. pensive or something"

oocagain, not my own talent, just a sketch found on the internet and photoshopped...

Her hand moved across the parchment, looking at him and narrowing her eyes and then translating that onto the paper as best she could. She frowned in displeasure a number of times, scrunching up the parchment that she was using and starting again. After quite a time, however, she finally had something that she had decided would just have to be good enough. It was a simple sketch, she knew, and not the kind of thing that would help enormously with brightening up a room, but that was not the point, she figured. The point was that he would be able to look at it and think about meeting someone on a beach.

When she was done, she showed him the parchment with a rather shameful expression on her face "I'm sorry, it's not very good, but it's the best that I can manage" she said, frowning deeply. "In time I'm hoping to get better, and should I ever open an art shop, feel free to come in for a portrait on the house" she said, smiling gently at him.

"So.. what brings you to Demios, then, Garit? I assume since you're staying in the Inn, you're new here too? Are you visiting, or do you have plans particularly?"

She smiled, trying to let him know that she was not bothered if he threw the parchment away, as she was quite sure that was the best thing to do with it. In truth, she was enjoying her time here in Demios and she was glad to have come here. She hoped that the same was true for everyone, but the Inn sounded more than a little grim. Her mind wandered back to the Vardo of her childhood, bright colours and warmth, laughter and cool air and she felt rather sorry for the elf in front of her.

[Garit Sevenstars]

"You are a very fortunate person to have no need of money, I wish I could say the same. I shall feel quite the cad for intruding on your drawing and demanding a favor without paying for it, so at a minimum I must insist that you accept my friendship for whatever it is worth."

He sat down on a convenient piece of driftwood and as per her instructions, gazed pensively out to sea. He allowed his eye to focus on a distant fishing boat so as not to lapse into a glassy eyed stare.

Garit was delighted with the picture when it was presented to him. "This is wonderful! Just the thing! You have a real talent and I am glad that you took the trouble to sign it. When you are famous I shall be glad to be able to prove I have an example of your early work." After admiring it for several minutes, he rolled it up carefully to protect it.

"You are correct that I am recently arrived. I saw the advertisement for the Crystal Gardens Botanical Resort and thought that perhaps I could seek employment there, as I've training as a bartender. I'm not yet sure if that will work out, but one way or another I will find a position, if not here certainly elsewhere. In good times and bad there will always be jobs for bartenders."

"Long term, I plan to become an alchemist and study the borders of magic and mixology, which is a frontier that I believe has had few, or at least too few, explorers. Unfortunately this goal is not inexpensive- just the glassware alone can set one back to a shocking degree, and after one has aquired it one still needs lab space to use it in. And thus here I am, looking for a job and living in a pauper's room."

"But I notice you said 'new to Demios too,' which would seem to indicate that you also are a newcomer. What brings you here, if I may be so bold as to ask."

[Hay'aan Benedict]

Hay'aan's face smiled gently as he offered his friendship and she nodded "With friendship, even the greatest debt is repayed, so I must insist that you take mine in return in order to ensure that we are fair and even." she said, and smiled a genuine smile. When he said that she was fortunate in not needing money, she smiled at him and nodded "I am rich in all the things that matter" she said, quite earnestly.

Her silence as she worked told of her concentration and his reaction to her drawing was such that she released a beaming smile which lit up her face. "I am so pleased that you like it. I will get better, and I hope to one brightening send you a portrait of yourself that is much better. However, I hope that you look at it and remember that you have a friend"

When he said that he was going to apply for the Crystal Gardens, she smiled again, nodding "I work in Fire Island Jewelry, owned by the owner of the Crystal Gardens. Vikyia Crow. She is an amazing woman, and I'm sure that if you approach her and are prepared to work hard, she will be an amazing woman for you to work for, too." There was so much more that Hay'aan could say about Viskyia, but she didn't for fear of scaring Garit off with the intensity of her feeling for her Eshlahier employer. She made a note to herself that she would mention Garit to Viskyia when she got home, and hoped that she might be able to help him, as she had helped Hay'aan herself.

"Yes, I'm fairly new to Demios, indeed" she said "I came here to learn jewelcrafting,and I am. I'm apprenticed to Viskyia and learning Basic Law as well." She smiled at Garit and shrugged "I like it here, it's nice. I think I might call it home for a long while."

She hugged her knees up to herself as she sat. "I come from a lovely family, I am so lucky. I have supportive parents who want me to be happy, nothing more and nothing less. But I want more. I want to see the world, find love, live my life and do so with everything I have... I want all that and to have learned as much as is possible. I love the idea of learning, and I love to learn. It's amazing... so yes.. I don't know what brings me here really. The winds... fate... I'm not sure"

She grinned over at him "Hmm... I sound a little crazed" she considered and then lifted up her parchment again "I'm trying to design a piece .. a hair piece or brooch in the shape of a butterfly. I have this as a concept piece.. what do you think?"

[Garit Sevenstars]

"I am rich in all the things that matter" she said, quite earnestly.

"I very much admire your attitude," Garit said. "I suppose that when it comes to it, I am as well, though I have a zest for the future that leaves me...well...disatisfied is not the correct word. Restless? Yes, that fits the mood correctly. Restlessness is rather a curse of the Sevenstars clan, it comes from the mother's side. Then again, perhaps it is atmospheric- I grew up with 20 brothers and sisters and uncountable grandchildren, so as you can imagine the energy of the household was at times as thick as late autumn fog."

"And if you are going to promise me another portrait in the future, I shall feel honor bound to provide you with your favorite drink. Not, mind you, the drink which you now consider to be your favorite; I speak of the drink that you do not yet know exists that will become your favorite once you two become aquainted. The search can be arduous, but the scenery is pleasant." He considered Hay'ann for a moment, hand on his chin. "I believe I would start you off either with a hot chocolate mixed with a coconut liqueur or something with fruit juice and sparkling wine."

"I am glad that you have such good things to say about Ms. Crow. I am hopeful to be able to work at a reputable establishment and not some seedy dive with sawdust on the floor, and the Crystal Gardens sounds as if it will be a top of the line establishment."

"Hmm... I sound a little crazed"

Garit laughed. "Oh no, not in the slightest! I feel very much the same way, although my aim is not so all encompassing."

Garit took her offered sketch and looked over it carefully. "This is very elegant work. I like the flow of the shape very much, it sort of captures the darting nature of a butterfly within itself. Do you see this as a design done entirely in metal, or will there be stones?"

[Hay'aan Benedict]

"Oh, I understand restless. But I don't see it as a curse ~ far from it. The drive to move, to grow, to understand oneself and better oneself is a great gift indeed. Far from a curse, I think. But then I suppose it depends on what you want. I've never much craved a quiet life" she grinned slightly and then did a double-take as he spoke of his family "Twenty siblings? My word, that must be... busy!" she said, a small laugh lifting her expression "I would love to one day have maybe seven or eight children.. but twenty? I can not imagine it. I have a sister, a twin, but other than us there were no other children. I was raised in a community with other children, though, so there were always lots of us around..."

She reminisced slightly, remembering the times of her childhood. She had always been the quiet, the bookish young one who had preferred to be in her own company. Her parents had indulged that so far, but had insisted that she engaged in the community fully. She was glad of that now ~ she would never be the social butterfly that her sister was, but she could hold her own at least.

At the thought of a hot chocolate with coconut, Hay'aan smiled and nodded "That sounds like a beautiful drink, and you have a deal. When I am better at this, I will do you a better portrait and will sip my by-then favourite drink as I do. And yes, the Crystal Gardens will be amazing, far from a low-class place, it will be the most amazing resort ever."

His eyes cast over her drawing, as she asked him to, and he asked a question. "Oh, I think stones, yes. I see the metal being gold and the stones being maybe a pale pale blue, perhaps clear but more likely blue. I think. But I am not sure yet. I need to continue to draw and hopefully continue to learn to the point that I am able to actually create it... which I think will be a long time coming" she shrugged slightly and smiled. "But I would love to be able to create what my mind's eye sees. I would love to. I will, I hope, in time."

She smiled at him, then, looking at him as she took the sketch back "So, how do you manage to rein in your wanderlust by being a barman whilst you learn? Does working the bar help you to stay in one place?" she asked, head tilted to the left as she considered him and his answer.

[Garit Sevenstars]

Garit noted Hay'aan's reaction to his family size with practiced ease. "We elves have an advantage over you humans there. Our longer lives lead to more childbearing years, although it is quite unusual for elven fertility to reach my mother's level. And in the interest of complete information I should mention that 3 of the children were adopted. But yes, you are correct, busy is exactly the correct word."

Garit examined her drawing again. "I believe that blue would do very nicely. I personally I would prefer that over clear, although I will not present myself as having any learned aethetic opinion with regards to jewelry. Still, It seems to me that a butterfly ought to have a bit of color to it."

"I am sure that you shall one day be able to bring your drawings to the light of reality, and that you should take that as a basic assumption and stock your files with a wide range of designs for when that time comes. I believe that artistic vision is the most difficult part of this sort of thing, and most people either have it or else they never will. Clearly you have it, so all that is required is patience and dedication to learn the working of metal."

When Hay'aan asked him how he coped with his wanderlust, he took a moment to consider before replying. "I suppose the way to put it is that I have internalized my wanderlust and explore inwardly, if that makes any sense. I explore the world through study. I expect to expand my horizons greatly once I actually am able to afford the aparatus of alchemy."

[Hay'aan Benedict]

She smiled at him and nodded as he said that busy was the right word. It seemed most interesting to her that this should be true of elves, as she supposed that they had less children, not more. They must be very blessed indeed, Hay'aan considered and nodded. "A butterfly should have colour to it, you're right. Thank you!" she said, writing something in the journal that she had with her. Already it was becoming less empty, this journal, as she filled it with thoughts and ideas. She was pleased that she was able to do this, to actually learn the skill that she was so desperate to learn. She had feared, quietly in the dead of night, that she would have no ability to do this at all. That would be dreadful, but would be what it was, and she would have had to find a different path.

"Exploring the world through study sounds like exactly what I want to do" she said, nodding "I.. I want to learn everything there is, everything. I love learning, I really do, it's like... I feel like it fills me up and challenges me. I really want to be able to know as much as possible. I've always been the same, I don't know why, but I have. None of my family are, particularly, they know what they know and they have no wish to know more than that. My mother is a jewel crafter and she's amazing, but ... well, she's happy there, you know, just being who she is. Maybe if I learn enough, I'll get to the point that I'm happy being who I am... maybe."

She smiled then and shook her head slightly, her long black hair falling down around her shoulders "I am talking too much! So what does an aspiring alchemist have to purchase then?" she asked, interested in his trade.

[Garit Sevenstars]

"...Maybe if I learn enough, I'll get to the point that I'm happy being who I am... maybe."

Hearing these words, Garit rocked back on his heels a bit, and seemed to become lost in thought. After a moment, he settled crosslegged down into the sand, mindless of getting his pants gritty.

"At the risk of romanticizing the profession past its rightful place, I contend that it is nearly as important for a bartender to know people as it is to know drinks. The reasons are both philosophical and prosaic- one seeks to harmonize an individual with the drink that he needs in some existential sense, but also one finds oneself confided in quite a bit and needs to have something to say in response."

"In any event, it is my studied observation that self-approval does not come from the mind, but from the soul. Consider your emotions to live in a locked room within your chest. The mind cannot speak directly to the emotions within, the best it can do is send them letters in a tongue that they cannot entirely comprehend. Slowly your emotions can be persuaded along one track or another, although perhaps they will choose a startling new and unknown track to the wonderment of all."

"I say this not to discourage you from your educational goals, but to encourage you to make self-approval a goal separate from that. Do not make requirements that must be met before you approve of yourself, or they shall become excuses not to. But perhaps you'd rather I not speak of such personal matters on our short aquaintance."

He absentmindly shook some sand off of his hat. "And for the record, I quite enjoy hearing you speak so you are surely not talking too much. As for what sorts of things an alchemist must purchase, the main thing is the lab. A set of glassware is essential, and the pieces are often expensive. Oridnary glass is not ideal, good glassware must include a supplement of certain minerals that prevent it from fracturing when heat is applied. Then too you need a place to use it, which requires renting or buying a room. I can only guess at how much one would pay for ingredients, I have much to learn about that aspect of things."

[Hay'aan Benedict]

Self approval does not come from the mind but from the soul.

That was something that she could certainly agree with and Hay'aan nodded earnestly. "I agree completely" she said, quietly, then continued "I think agreeing with it and making it real and true to myself is a different thing, though. I mean, I... I don't know. I want to learn, not for the sake of achieving something, but because..." she shrugged, and looked out to sea, trying to search for the words, then looked back at him with an earnest expression shining out of her brown eyes. "I.. need it. Its like a thirst that I can not ever quench, that there is so much there to know to learn. Not because I want anyone else's approval but because I'm not happy with myself until I know it. It's... I find it hard to explain, really"

The conversation moved on then and she smiled at him as he said that he enjoyed hearing her speak "I'm not usually such a chatterbox, I promise you" she replied. In fact, since coming to Demios she had chatted more and made more friends than she had thought possible. But it was, nonetheless true. "Well, it sounds expensive" she said, agreeing with him "I am glad that for my art all I need is some parchment and charcoal. I have a jewel crafting kit that was my mothers, so I don't need that either. I'm sure that you'll achieve your desire with dedication and determination ~ and you seem to have both of those in droves."

She looked back out over the beach and the sea, smiling. "I... do you know, the thing that I find most difficult is achieving balance in my art. Life is not symmetrical, not at all, and yet the work that I do needs to be when I am planning a piece for an item of jewelry, for example. It.. it is perplexing. I've looked at art, and the really good stuff reflects life and so is not symmetrical, but then it's so much better than mine that when I try to achieve the same it just looks even more lopsided. I think maybe I need to work on balance in order to achieve a lack of it later..."

She chuckled then, thinking of what her mother would say to such philosophising. Surely there would be a great amount of laughter from her and the others. That caused Hay'aan to smile a soft smile, memories flooding over her in a warm and gentle breeze.

[Garit Sevenstars]

Garit found that the conversation was becoming extremely interesting.

"Well, I certainly don't mean to dissuade you from learning. Knowledge is always a noble goal, and I admire you for your dedication. I only recommend you rephrase your inner dialog from 'I'm not happy with myself until I learn it,' to 'learning makes me proud of myself.' "

Garit thought for awhile. "I have always been a better expert on other people than on myself. I grew up in a sea of people and sometimes I wonder if I actually have an identity. I suppose that sounds strange. Ask me about it after I've had an era on my own and perhaps I will be able to explain."

With that, Garit let the conversation return to art.

"I am a great admirer of art, but make no pretenses about being able to create it myself. Still, I've heard a lot of fine talk, and perhaps something that I have in the lumber-room of my brain can be of interest. You speak of an elegant inbalance, a lack of symetry without looking lopsided. I believe that this is a worthy goal, and I will offer several points to consider."

"Painters often use a principle called "the rule of thirds" in their work. The idea is that you draw two lines vertically so that they divide the work area into even thirds. Next, you do the same thing horizontally. Objects of importance should lie on the lines, or better still, the points at which the lines cross. I don't know if this can translate into jewelry, but it may be that you'll find that extending an eyecatching feature out beyond these points leads to a lopsided feeling."

"I have another idea as well. The Kemite have an art in which they grow miniture trees in shallow pots. The forms are quite affecting, I enjoy the work immensly. They have good luck with the triangle as a dominant shape. It need not be equalateral, but it is hard to get to imbalanced with the important elements of your design describing three sides, rather than more. Again, I don't know if this will translate to jewelry, but it is something to think about."

[Hay'aan Benedict]

Hay'aan listened intently to his suggestion of the "rule of thirds" and she frowned slightly "That seems rather... structured, to me. But I will certainly give it a go. I was taught to draw what I see, what I feel to be there, not what I have dissected. But each thing is balance to the next, so I will happily try that and see how it works. Thank you so much... that's very helpful indeed!"

At the suggestion of the miniature trees, Hay'aan looked at Garit with great interest. "Really?" she said, considering "I would love to be able to do that ~ it sounds like an excellent thing to do and a very worthwhile hobby. I think.. I wonder, do you know of anywhere where I might buy one of these trees?" she asked, frowning slightly "It doesn't matter whether it translates to jew