36th of Spring, 517 AV
Minnim would be the first to admit he wasn't a very interesting person. He liked quiet, solitude, books, yarn and soft blankets, and the smell of tea. He liked the look of copper and the feel of early morning air.
Sadly, today was not a nice, boring day. Instead, Minnim was stuck with the loud, commanding voice of Alira at work, and the smell of the Kelvic peacock worrying beneath their feet.
"It can't be done!" Alira argued with no one, pacing back and forth between Minnim and the front counter. "Ten days, he said. I told him it can't be done, but he wouldn't listen!"
Minnim didn't respond. He had learned by now that this cycle was inevitable. Alira would take a job she couldn't complete by the deadline she had set, and then complain that it was someone else's fault. Any attempt at self-recognition was futile, and he would simply have to wait until her mania blew over.
The seamstress paced back and forth again. Of course, with the Kelvix at her feet, she tripped over the bird as she paced. This resulted in a flurry of creative curses and a brief sqeuak that made Minnim want to cover his ears. The bird, too, lowered his head in shame and perhaps fear, but Alira took pity on him. She knelt down to ruffle the peacock's feathers distractedly, her rage curbed for the moment. She seemed calmed by the motion, which gave both Minnim and the Kelvic a breath of relief.
"They don't understand. You can't rush the creative process." She said, much calmer this time. She ran her fingers through the silky blue feathers, causing Azure to close his eyes and lean into her touch. Suddenly, though, Alira rose, and Azure toppled over at the unexpected loss of support. Alira hardly noticed.
"That's why I have you, though. Right?" She asked Minnim. It was technically a question, but he didn't bother to answer. Alira was on a roll, and likely wouldn't appreciate being interrupted.
"I don't have the time to come up with anything, so I need you to look through the box of old patterns and find one we can make new again."
He wanted to tell her this was why she never made any headway, why the avant-gardes didn't give her looks a chance, why Azure Reflections wasn't yet the finest shop in town for fashion. But the words that came out of his mouth were, as per usual, soft, smooth, and above all passive.
"Of course, Miss Alira. I've got nothing but time."
She handed him a large box, stuffed to the brim with crinkled papers, tiny samples of weavings, and a few ink-stained journals. She smiled as she did so- a cool and collected look he thought she must have perfected as a baby for the way she wore it with such ease.
"I like you." She announced, as if only just deciding. "Don't petch this up."
Word Count493
Minnim would be the first to admit he wasn't a very interesting person. He liked quiet, solitude, books, yarn and soft blankets, and the smell of tea. He liked the look of copper and the feel of early morning air.
Sadly, today was not a nice, boring day. Instead, Minnim was stuck with the loud, commanding voice of Alira at work, and the smell of the Kelvic peacock worrying beneath their feet.
"It can't be done!" Alira argued with no one, pacing back and forth between Minnim and the front counter. "Ten days, he said. I told him it can't be done, but he wouldn't listen!"
Minnim didn't respond. He had learned by now that this cycle was inevitable. Alira would take a job she couldn't complete by the deadline she had set, and then complain that it was someone else's fault. Any attempt at self-recognition was futile, and he would simply have to wait until her mania blew over.
The seamstress paced back and forth again. Of course, with the Kelvix at her feet, she tripped over the bird as she paced. This resulted in a flurry of creative curses and a brief sqeuak that made Minnim want to cover his ears. The bird, too, lowered his head in shame and perhaps fear, but Alira took pity on him. She knelt down to ruffle the peacock's feathers distractedly, her rage curbed for the moment. She seemed calmed by the motion, which gave both Minnim and the Kelvic a breath of relief.
"They don't understand. You can't rush the creative process." She said, much calmer this time. She ran her fingers through the silky blue feathers, causing Azure to close his eyes and lean into her touch. Suddenly, though, Alira rose, and Azure toppled over at the unexpected loss of support. Alira hardly noticed.
"That's why I have you, though. Right?" She asked Minnim. It was technically a question, but he didn't bother to answer. Alira was on a roll, and likely wouldn't appreciate being interrupted.
"I don't have the time to come up with anything, so I need you to look through the box of old patterns and find one we can make new again."
He wanted to tell her this was why she never made any headway, why the avant-gardes didn't give her looks a chance, why Azure Reflections wasn't yet the finest shop in town for fashion. But the words that came out of his mouth were, as per usual, soft, smooth, and above all passive.
"Of course, Miss Alira. I've got nothing but time."
She handed him a large box, stuffed to the brim with crinkled papers, tiny samples of weavings, and a few ink-stained journals. She smiled as she did so- a cool and collected look he thought she must have perfected as a baby for the way she wore it with such ease.
"I like you." She announced, as if only just deciding. "Don't petch this up."
Word Count493
