[The Emporium] The Finishing Touches

by **Venser Rush** on February 15th, 2014, 9:28 am

88th Winter, 513AV

Clear skies allowed sunlight to fill the shop as Venser Rush entered the Emporium, crystalline eyes casting over familiar sculptures. Time and again, Venser saw a new addition, but, for the most part, Mikayas' collection was for show. When a sculpture was bought, it was nearly always a commissioned work, generally by the wealthier sort that could afford to invest in a work of art that equals in cost to a season's worth of expenses. It was, more than anything, a luxury. A luxury that, for the most part, was of the religious sort. Mikayas' most frequent customers were those that worshiped the Defiler. It made sense for them to create an image for their God. Venser himself would never do such a thing, as Harameus was in all things and by definition did not require representation.

Entering the shop, Venser set his pack on his desk, removing his pack and setting it above the remainder of his things before allowing himself to scale the steps leading to Mikayas' own work place. Venser arched his eyebrows as he noted the older man doing nothing but sitting in a padded chair, staring blankly at a sculpture. How... ironic. A sculpture of Rhysol.

Venser had formed an ill opinion of the God in the past, but in time, Venser realized that his worship was wide-spread through the city to an extent that open apathy was seen as heresy. Looking the sculpture up and down, Venser could see that it was rough, unpolished. Unfinished. It was a common job for an apprentice to do, to finish a sculpture. And it was not Venser's first time doing so. But, a sculpture of Rhysol had not been commissioned for a number of weeks. Perhaps more. My task for today...? The task was one he neither relished nor appalled. At the very least, it was a learning experience. Of course, the client was expecting a well-done sculpture, and Mikayas provided such a thing. Always. It was Venser's task to make it shine with the polished glory that such a thing deserved, that Rhysol deserved.

A chime had passed in utter silence as Mikayas stared, Venser daring not interrupt his silence with words, though a gentle cough sounded from his lips to alert the sculptor that his apprentice was present. It was a title that neither truly used, for their relationship was closer-knit than such a thing, but nevertheless, Venser addressed the elder male as Master. The carver turned his head, a hand raising to adjust his glasses as a smile materialized across the ancient's features.

"About time you come in, boy. I was awaiting your arrival. Here is a sculpture that is to be picked up in less than two bells. I have finished the body, but you must polish the surface before it is able to be sold. I have done the face already. Simply worry about the rest of the representation."

Venser was right. The sculpture was his task, but in his concern over the elder male, he had ignored the fact that Mikayas had made his job much easier than need be. Of course, it was Rhysol, so it made sense. Mikayas, having lived in Ravok for so long, possessed a reverence for the deity, if not outright worship. He knew of Venser's lack of worship to the God, but, open-minded as he was in many of their conversations, had come to respect the Rush twin for his opinions, which the latter did not hesitate to express.

The young man nodded, expressing his understanding of the task assigned as he moved forward to collect the statue, allowing a smile to place itself upon his features as he murmured, "Of course, Master. Is there anything else that I may assist with?"

The carver nodded, looking up at the apprentice as he added, "But, of course. You will also handle the transaction. Reference the pricing sheet as you have before. Keep your wits about you, there is more to this sculpture than meets the eye at first glance." Yet another mystery. Venser truly enjoyed the challenges that his Master set before him, nodding again as he collected the sculpture from the table it was resting on. Two hands gripped the thing, Venser pulling it from its place, noting that, for its size, a mere two feet tall, one foot wide, it was rather heavy. Venser had not noticed any oddities...

The light of the sun downstairs will be better suited to the purpose of looking at it plainly. Mikayas has put out the candles he uses to work. Sunlight is... limited here. Venser offered his employer a respectful bow before turning towards the staircase leading to his own workplace, eager to begin his task.

by **Venser Rush** on February 15th, 2014, 8:14 pm

As the apprentice carver traversed the stairway, making his way to the desk, the unusually heavy sculpture of Rhysol was held in both hands. Fingers were caressing the unpolished wood, trying to discern if there was a hidden compartment, or if the wood was augmented and reinforced somehow. But, in his limited capacity to examine the sculpture while walking, nothing came to light. The blonde frowned as he arrived at his destination, placing the sculpture on the table. The tanned leather, coated in sand was already there, a prepared and often used tool that Mikayas allowed Venser to borrow, but not take. A useful tool, to be sure, but Venser did not require such a thing. It did not have the sheer strength of material to polish bone.

In the future, he was going to defer to his Master's better judgement and ask him what sort of tools were necessary to warp bone to the extent that he required of it, but for now, he was content with his diamond-encrusted engraver's tools. The need to shape bone was not yet there, as Venser had the experience to, but lacked the items to make the utmost use of such tools. After all, hollow, smaller bones of those such as canine, avian and small prey were able to be manipulated. The day would come, and soon, that Venser needed to begin ascending to greater pastures.

The thought soon fled from the Carver's mind as he pressed his finger's to Rhysol's visage, his eyes acting not as the primary tool of examination, but the supplementary as he delved into a craft that Mikayas had described to him as 'seeing with one's hands. He remembered it still, a lesson learned rather recently, in fact.

Boy. Carving is not a craft, but an art form. It is not the making of a tool, but the designing of something to be immortalized in the hearts of man. When you carve, you attempt to evoke a reaction from, at the very least, three senses. To convey a sight is by far the easiest, for it is done by default. But the other two are more open to interpretation, and thus imagined by the viewer. In order to guide this, one must use all of these senses in order to impress their views into the work.

Upon being told this, Venser wondered for a time which senses he had implied, for after speaking he had simply walked - or rather - limped away, allowing Venser to figure out his words rather than coddling him like a small child. It was a teaching style that Venser found to be intriguing, but it was also very difficult. But, he had found his answer. Sound and Feel. A Carver with Mikayas' ability was able to relay even the tone of voice with their work, bringing a life and authenticity to their work that one like Venser could not, in this moment, imagine. It was beautiful, really. Venser imagined the Woman's voice in particular to be a lively melody, a chorus to match her physical beauty. It was remarkable how Mikayas evoked such feeling...

And then he looked upon the visage of Rhysol. More of an interpretive piece than an actual physical representation. There was a body, its head cloaked with a hood, facial features discernible, but not heavily detailed. They were polished, though, which was good. Venser did not have to worry about the delicate structure of the nose and eyes becoming clouded by a mistake in his buffing. The detail that truly linked the sculpture to Rhysol, though, was the presence of the... Ah! That's what makes this sculpture special... Mikayas, you clever bastard.

He chuckled to himself as his fingers traversed a rather complex carving into the material. Mikayas had imprinted the shape of the Black Sun itself into the circular base of the sculpture. Sculpture and relief pressed into one. But, what's more! He embedded something into the relief... A material... It was, by all appearances, onyx. A lovely, black mineral, refined and cut to perfectly suit the sculpture created... This was a joint work, to be sure. Venser knew that Mikayas was no stone cutter. This changed things entirely. Venser was going to have to add a commission cost for the gemcrafter who had made the work possible, as well.

But, it was not happening in the moment, and Venser relented, satisfied that he understood why the work was unique. Satisfied with this, Venser decided to leave the matter of pricing for later, instead raising the sanded leather to the wooden surface of the sculpture to begin his task.

by **Venser Rush** on February 15th, 2014, 9:25 pm

Tedious work. That was what this was. Buffing was a simple, repetitive process, meant to refine the surface of the wood, make it cleaner than before. With the task, the traces of granulated wood were removed, leaving it with a smooth, and with the addition of a thin film of wax or oil, the surface became polished. It was a simple task, though the finish did not last forever. But, after that, it was not Venser's problem. Nor was it Mikayas'. It was up to the owner to polish their own sculpture and take care of it, which was usually done. Perhaps an application of magic could keep the surface gleaned forever, but Venser was not sure, as his study of magic was limited only to the works he did himself. For now.

The blonde looked over the sculpture, turning it to its other side and beginning the buffing work on the hood, smoothing out various indentations and small bumps on the surface, keeping the material level. It was too simple, even for Venser, but he knew the task ahead was more difficult. Lowering along the 'fabric' of Rhysol's hooded form, Venser did his utmost to preserve the sculpted that Mikayas had adorned it with, keeping in mind to add the minute details to the price of the work as he smoothed them over. A mistake was made, and one of the folds was swallowed up, Venser adopting a deep frown, but deciding that the thing looked exactly the same, regardless.

The customer wasn't going to notice three folds instead of four. Shrugging off the mistake, Venser continued to buff the surface, moving along the styled arms, noting the lack of designated legs, the limbs swallowed up by the cloak the deity's representation was adorned with. It was interesting, to be sure, how Mikayas decided which details to add and which to neglect. Or was the sculpture commissioned to the minute detail? The carver doubted it. Usually, satisfied customers entrusted the elder male's judgement. Perhaps the Black Sun insignia was a special request, though. It made sense.

Noting the smoothness that the buffing had bestowed upon the work, Venser considered whether it was wise to do the base. Displacing the onyx is more than possible... If I do too much, the Black Sun could pop out of the wood. I think... I'll just round out the edges. Venser noted the presence of ridges on the circular base, indentations and unwanted imperfections in the shape, and decided that a more... refined touch was needed. This was not a work meant for sanded leather. He looked under his desk, noting the presence of a file that he was allowed, at times, to take home with him. His trusty tool that Mikayas allowed him to use. Grinning, he held the file in his left hand, pulling the sculpture over the edge of the table before tapping his chin, planning out how he was going to proceed.

by **Venser Rush** on February 16th, 2014, 6:48 am

The planning stage was short, Venser seeing only one, extremely obvious approach as to how to do this. It's over the edge now, just slowly spin it as the edge that's been filed down and buffed is completed. It narrows the possibility of a mistake and makes life easier. Of course, the carver had to ensure that the pressure of the filing did not tip the sculpture over, but this was easily done with his free hand placed on the other side of the base.

The blonde set about to do just that, his right, non-dominant hand coiling fingers around the left side of the sculpture's form, fingers pressed to the base of Rhysol's robes, his ring and smallest fingers holding around the base, instead. His left gripped the file, beginning the tedious task of scraping it against the rippled surface of the base, slowly grinding indentations to level on the narrow, eight inch, curved segment that he was given.

Mikayas had informed him of the basic understanding of the circumference of a circle, for him to know, but he never cared to use it until now. It's pi times the diameter, or something... right? Right! That's what he had said. Well, the diameter... was the length of the circle. How wide it is? That means that it's 1 times pi... Um... What was pi again? Venser felt so infantile for not remembering, but he closed his eyes, the scraping ceasing as he struggled to trigger the memory. Then, it happened, his mind flowing into the recesses of the past, for just a moment.

The blonde envisioned Mikayas explaining in a tired, resigned tone,

Pi times the diameter, boy. Vilkas Rush was clearly a wastrel of a father if you don't know this. Pi is a long, complicated number. But all you have to know is that it equals 3.14. Approximately. Don't doze off, boy! This information may seem trivial, but in our profession, it is necessary to know measurements!

The memory brought a laugh to the carver's lips. The Fall season had been an eventful one for him, Mikayas teaching him a measure of things, but in his effort to pursue his own interests, most were either forgotten or neglected. What was important was that now he had his number. 3.14 feet. That was how much space he had to work with. Exactly how much was it in inches? Venser was going to figure it out, but first, he needed to finish this segment of the curve.

The file continued to scrape along the surface, finally bringing the segment of the curve to a level field after a number of chimes, Venser putting the file down as he sought to buff the surface. The sanded hide was retrieved next, Venser rubbing the leather against the surface of the wood, bringing it to a neat, uniform appearance before Venser turned the sculpture with his right hand, revealing the next eight inches for him to work with.

by **Venser Rush** on February 16th, 2014, 8:16 am

More of the same. With each passing chime, Venser got just a bit closer to finishing his task, the number in his head so far at thirty-five. In less than a bell and a half, the customer would arrive to pick up their request.

It was not something Venser feared, for he was making progress, the body done with and polished, leaving only the base and then, the pricing details to be worked out by hand. As Venser progressed through the season, Mikayas was weaning him from the helping hand that the elder was giving him. The price list became a series of formulas with only a bit of guidance rather than a marked list which included each sculpture.

In time, the price list would be gone entirely, and Venser had realized this. He relied on it less and less each day, keeping a pad and quill at his desk to work out the cost of each sculpture by hand. The formula was simple enough, but the addition of the commission and the onyx gemstone lining was entirely out of turn. It both intrigued and frustrated the apprentice. The file continued to scrape against wood, Venser slowly turning the wood as the task completed, the carver willing for his work to be done so that he could progress with the day.

Usually, there was only one or two customers per day, Venser left to quiet engraving or even allowed to admire the sculptures and study them. It was a practice that Mikayas encouraged. For to look upon a finished art form was to draw inspiration from it. The more he did so the better.

Slowly, but surely, the filing came to a point where it was halfway completed, a total of 18.84 inches, according to Venser's calculations. The rest needed to be done, and Venser continued on with his work...

Another fourty-five chimes passed, Venser's task completed, the file placed on the desk, sanded leather held in his hand like a blade. He had tackled the beast that was Rhysol's sculpture, completing the task set before him with fifteen chimes to spare, no less. It was perfect, for it allowed the carver plenty of time to draw out his calculations for the item's price.

Venser moved to the other side of his desk, pulling the quill and paper, including an inkwell in his pursuit so that the task could begin. When he did so, Venser found a small note attached to the inkwell, arching his eyebrows in surprise as he unfolded the paper to read.

Add +50 GM to the final cost for the gemcrafter's commission fee.... All the better. Venser no longer needed to worry about working out the cost information for the materials used, for a commission cost included all of this. Venser was simply going to do some arithmetic, then. Dipping the quill into the inkwell, Venser hummed softly, his eyes narrowing over the parchment as he thought of where to begin. Closing his eyes for just a moment, Venser placed himself in the mindset to do arithmetic, remembering to when Verin and him had learned the basics of it together in their youth.

With each number that the woodcarver says in his mind, the quill moved to express the number on paper:

Let's see... It's nine gold mizas per square foot... Times two is eighteen. Then adding in the details of the face is six... Each arm.. four times two is eight. The hood itself is another four. Then the relief is a plus fifty... So, fifty plus eighteen, plus eight, plus six, plus four. Venser wrote out the script:

50 + 18 + 8 + 6 + 4 = 86 GM.

Venser checked his work once, then again before setting it down, checking the time. He still had five minutes before the customer picked up their sculpture.

by **Venser Rush** on February 16th, 2014, 8:55 am

Five chimes passed entirely too quickly, footsteps sounding through the small shop as an older male entered the place. There was none of the customary glancing about in search of a sculpture, dark brown eyes focusing upon Venser as he made his way to the desk. Venser wiped the desk clean of wood dust, crystalline eyes locking gazes with the middle-aged man as the latter opened his mouth to speak, "Are you the Rush boy? The old man told me to talk to you. About the sculpture in front of us. How much do I owe you?"

The man's questioning and manner were very direct, a stern tone in his voice. The carver resented the rather disrespectful way that his employer was addressed, but he said nothing of it. It was not the time to risk a sale in order to defend Mikayas' honour. No, he'd take the man's money, instead. Venser arched his eyebrows, nodding slightly as he replied, "Yes, yes. I am Venser Rush. Our price for this - I really must say - glorious sculpture of our Lord Rhysol, is eighty and six gold-rimmed mizas, sir." The rehearsed tone that the young man had taken in the beginning of the season faded with experience, crystalline eyes looking to the buyer with questioning eyes, checking if there was a dispute. There was not.

Rather, the man seemed to agree with him, fingers traversing the flesh of the sculpture, tips placed just shy of the onyx surface of the Black Sun relief, a soft sigh escaping the grizzled man in admiration. "Brilliant, as always. Tell your employer that his services are appreciated. As are yours, boy." The man smiled at him before the man reached for his back, producing a heavy sack filled with mizas and setting it on the opposite end of the table. Before he picked up the sculpture, he reached into his pocket, "And a bit off the top for you, Rush. Straight to the point, it's a good philosophy." The man flicked a silver miza the carver's way, and Venser reached out to catch it, astonishment materializing upon his expression as the man walked away with the sculpture.

Venser spent the next ten chimes counting out the coin and putting it back in the sack. A satisfied smile adorned his features before he reached for the sack, hoisting it up before placing it into the desk. Mikayas would collect the mizas later. Venser tidied up his desk, casting his gaze towards the staircase, deciding to take a break before moving to ask Mikayas for his next task.

by **Verin Rush** on March 16th, 2014, 12:44 pm

Venser Rush

Knowledge :

Micellaneous :

____________________________________________

Notes

*Lovely thread, as always, Ven.
*Would be nice to see more interaction with Mikayas, or with the customers?

Feel free to PM me with questions, comments, or concerns, if you have any. Also, remember to either delete your grade request or edit it as 'graded'.
Thank ye!

Skill	XP
Carving	+2
Mathematics	+2
Observation	+2
Philosophy	+1

Solo [The Emporium] The Finishing Touches