Closed All The Pretties

[Rhodri]

19th of Spring, 517 AV
Valergeig’s Gem Shoppe
9th Bell

The Eypharian had arrived early to make a good impression. It was an old lesson from his studies back in Ahnetep that promptness reflected well on one’s ability to handle responsibility. While not having much experience in the working world (almost none), Rhodri could recall that the better dressed and more well-to-do servants in his family home often had the more difficult tasks set before them. There was nothing the young desert brat loved more than himself but if anything came close I was finery. Be it wine, women, silks or oils but nothing so much as gems.

Giddy as a boy after his first kiss, Rhodri stared at the jewel-encrusted storefront with the eyes of a man in love. He could’ve been a thief or an aristocrat; beggar or priest and the man would still have been struck dumbfounded by the display. He ran his hands over the brightly-colored stones in a way that created a barrier of invisible space between his long fingers and the valuables. He studied their shape, cut, facets, purity of color and the ability to refract light. Every detail about each piece was carefully scrutinized so that he could remember what true perfection looked like. Given that each stone was not flawless, Rhodri was not foolishly staring at the stones individually. It was the entire display that was perfect. The jeweler must have spaced everything intentionally and the selection of the array’s colors was not random either. The mastermind behind this was certainly one from which the spoiled exile could learn.

Rhodri moved through the door and found a blue man behind the counter toiling away at some sort of bracelet. “Browse all you wnt but don’t touch anything and don’t bother me unless it involves money.” The man said in Common without looking up from his task. Rhodri took a deep breath to avoid saying anything unpleasant and walked forward until he came to loom over the workspace which cast a shadow upon the Akalak’s hands. This drew his attention up and the look he shared with the Eypharian was not pleasant. “Are you so tall that you didn’t hear me?” He snapped. Rhodri just grinned and handed over the work permit that he’d been given at the labor bureau. The owner ignored it for a tick then ten then a chime. The Eypharian waited patiently then cleared his throat. With a huge sigh, the jeweler took and look then rolled his eyes. “Ugh! Fine, let me get Jac.” He shut his eyes and the cranky expression faded. When the eyes opened again, a more pleasant face and bright gaze looked up as the Akalak rose to eagerly shake Rhodri’s lower right hand.

“I’m so pleased to have some help, Mister…”

“Rhodri.”

“Rhodri. Don’t mind Efrev. He tries to scare people away but I desperately need the assistance. Can you start now?” The Akalak chuckled. “Of course you can!” He practically pulled the Eypharian behind the workbench and led him to another table against the rear wall. There was a basket full of unpolished and dirty stones. Some were still encased in the hard rock of the mine where they were found. “I need these cleaned up yesterday. I trust you know how to use this otherwise they wouldn’t have sent you.” He pushed a particularly round ceramic vase and lid at his help then walked away.

Word Count574

[Rhodri]

The Eypharian blinked. He knew almost nothing about the cycle of how a rock became a jewel but he had seen a few things and decided to figure it out on his own. Rhodri had been slowly adjusting to the up and down nature of the city and its residents. With a lifted brow to the Jac/Efrev man, the apprentice turned to his task. There was the vase, a huge amount of rough stones and a pitcher of water. He also noticed that the entire tabletop was a screen that rested above a basin. The young man picked up five stones from the bucket that didn’t have any pieces of stone still attached. He studied each one but didn’t recognize them. Maybe after he cleaned them up the memories would return.

Two red, one blue, one yellow and one white gem were all set within the fat, round container. Rhodri stared at everything that was before him at the prep table and debated what to do next. He covered the vase and gave it a shake but the noise drew an audible response from his new boss. The brown eyes looked over his shoulder to see a disapproving look so the Eypharian lowered the vase and removed the lid. He poured a little bit of water into the vessel until the jewels were mostly covered and then set the vase aside. Rhodri covered it once more and gave the thing another shake. Something didn’t feel right so he pretended to know what he was doing instead of asking for help. The big man turned around so that he was facing the Akalak and shook the container about with his lower set of arms. With his middle set, he rested his palms on the table and braced his upper body. Casually, his gaze drifted around the shop until he caught a glimmer of movement from the store’s proprietor. The Akalak was making a swirling motion with one of his arms. Without skipping a beat, the big Eypharian stopped shaking the vase in favor of a rotating motion. The scrapping sounds became quieter and he could feel the wave of water inside the clay piece perpetuating the action. This felt right and the sound was bringing back more memories.

Rhodri gave the stones a ‘bath’ for almost fifteen chimes. His arms ached from the constant motion but he was able to switch sets several times to maintain his rhythm without stopping for a break. It was just another reason why Eypharians were superior to all other races. The aristocrat didn’t mind the exertion his body was enduring because his mind had wandered to a place where brightly colored stones adorned a certain, graceful neckline; delicate collarbones draped with gold and diamonds, rubies and sapphires. The glands in his neck began to seep with a light amount of pheromones and the smell of vanilla and sandalwood filled the space around him. Rhodri went back to his task and opened the vase. He dumped the stones and water –once clear now muddy- on to the screen. The gems remained above the mesh while the muddy liquid drained down into the basin.

Word Count1106

[Rhodri]

Resting on the metal of the screen was a sight that brought a swell of joy to the arrogant man. Glowing red chunks of stone, shimmering white and yellow and a softly radiant blue light dazzled before Rhodri and the colors reflected in his eyes. “Nice work.” The voice was directly behind the Eypharian and he jumped a bit. Rhodri whirled around and the Akalak dodged an out-flying elbow. “If you can get this whole tray sorted in the next few bells, we’ll call today a victory.” Jac went back to his table and left his new employee to it.

Rhodri took five more stones and placed them in the vase. He added water, closed the lid and set about the swishing cycle as he had before. It was almost cathartic to rotate the vessel and feel the weight of the gems revolving around the track that’s been worn inside the ceramic container. Fifteen more chimes and he was finished with a second batch. In a bell, he had twenty two rough stones polished and lined up on a towel. He sorted them first by color then by size. As his eyes gazed upon the tray of work that was still waiting for him, he noticed that every single piece bore some kind of ugly rock shard that was embedded into the gem. The Eypharian strained his knowledge again and searched his memory for what one should do in this case. He had no choice but to turn and approach Jac but the man behind the counter was Efrev.

“Quitting already?” The evil chuckled was accompanied by a sneer and some kind of rude gesture. Rhodri went to say something but the blue form rose from his chair and waved a hand in silence. He walked over to a cabinet and began to rummage through a long, rectangular chest. When he returned he had a small pick in his large hand. He took the left middle paw of the Eypharian and slapped the tool into his palm. With a very pretentious glare, he stared into Rhodri’s brown eyes. “Find the corner of the foreign body and hit with this. If you’re not a complete idiot, it will pop right out.” The boss blue turned back to his desk and sat down with his bracelet. The alignment of finished begets and small jewels on the silky black cloth was impressive and it made the Eypharian wonder who the bracelet was for since it was obviously a commission.

Rhodri went back to his corner in the shadowed back of the shop. He picked up one of the larger green stones and studied the busted line of beauty that was run by a grey rock. The ‘corner’, as it had been described, was obscured by dirt and grime so the Eypharian set the tool aside and tossed five of the more complex rough stones into the vessel. He added water and swished the contents around in the vase for about five chimes then dumped it out on the strainer. He set the vase aside and took the same stone back into his left middle hand. The rock nested into the gen was easy to follow and it most certainly had a corner. He placed the stone down and turned it in his finger until he had a flat surface to strike. Rhodri pressed the rock against the metal mesh then took the pick in his middle right hand. He lined up the tip to the point he wished to strike and made several practice swings from a few inches away. He was nervous. If he missed in a certain manner, then the stone could be ruined. That wouldn’t bode well for a first day.

Word Count1727

[Rhodri]

Rhodri laid a solid hit on the stone but fairly weak given his size. The pick landed right where he wanted it to but the Eypharian was definitely not going to rush through his task. He lifted the tiny hand pick and stared intensely at his target – a small nick in the crease of the imperfection. The novice brought the point down harder than before and hit to the left. He was off his mark but the shot was hard enough to knock the stone out of his hand and send it across the mesh tabletop then onto the floor. When it hit, the worthless shard of rock came free and went skidding across the floor leaving just the pretty green gemstone.

Jac looked up for a moment and made a motion that Rhodri should pick up the valuable item then went back to his own task which seemed a lot like book keeping. The Eypharian might have been grinning at his success but the almost dismissive way in which he was directed set him on edge. Petch on you, rodent. The thought was instantaneous and fervent enough to cause his lips to part but the young man had enough sense to not let the phrase actually escape into the open air. Instead, Rhodri stooped down with one hand on his knee and the opposite leg kicked back to balance his heavy upper body then grabbed the green gemstone. As he righted himself, a touch of light caught the precious rock and sent a blast of color into the earthen stare of the Eypharian. He paused and held it out for his boss to see then posed a very logical question. “What’s this one called?”

The Akalak looked up and sighed in irritation. “Uhh…” He squinted. “Bring it closer. Quickly.” Rhodri made use of his long legs and covered quite a bit of ground in just two strides then extended his hand to show off the gemstone. Jac closed one eye and leaned into the green rock with his open eye wide. “Emerald. Quite valuable if it’s cleaned, polished and cut properly.” The passion for his job spilled out for just a second and the desert aristocrat caught it. It made him rethink some of his first impressions of the business’ owner. “Back to work, Eypharian.”

Word Count2113

[Rhodri]

“Sure thing, Blutus.” Rhodri chuckled at himself for being clever and made his way back to the dark corner. He had a small batch that still contained foreign bodies which must be removed by hitting the ‘corner’ but there were so many stones that he didn’t know. Surely, day one of a new job should contain some kind of introduction. The Eypharian picked up a large red stone that looked like it had been stabbed by a dingy black triangle. He moved it around in front of his face until he had found what he believed to be the point where he should jam the pick. This rock was large enough that he could hold it with fingers from two left hands so it wouldn’t get away from him. He grabbed the pick in his mid right hand and took several practice swings as before. One real swing and it was a good one. Hard and precise, the black object moved within the red stone but it also cracked the big gem. Rhodri sucked air in between his teeth and this drew his superior’s attention.

“What did you do?” It was no longer Jac but Efrev. “If you trashed something worth more than your life, I’ll own you.” The man hustled back to check on the exile’s work. As a novice, Rhodri wasn’t sure what the man expected but he held the gem out for inspection regardless of the consequences. The Akalak stared up at his new employee and snatched the stone away with an aggressive swipe of his hand. The master jewelsmith moved the gem around over and over again as he inspected his inventory. After a chime or two, the bright red jewel was given back to the subordinate. “It’s fine. Split it in half and get that hunk of shale out. Just make sure there are only two pieces.”

Rhodri took back the piece of work that still required his attention and held it up between the two men. “What is this one called?” The eye roll was expected but almost worth it. The Eypharian had to fight back a smile. He was curious to know more about this industry – certainly, the pay was good enough but he couldn’t help but poke at his ‘mentor’.

“It’s a ruby and a petching good one.” The blue fingers took back the stone once more and held it up so his protégé could see it clearly through the light. His fat fingers pointed to the already formed crack. “If you follow this line, I can make a very nice pair of earrings out of this one piece.” He handed it back to Rhodri and gave him a very stern look. “Don’t petch it up.” The Eypharian smirked and went back to his table. He liked to learn new things even if it did mean having to keep his mouth shut through certain situations.

[Grim Ravenwood]

Your Grades

Skills:
Observation: 4
Gemcrafting: 4
Geology: 2

Lores:
Self: Loves gems
Gemcrafting: Cleaning stones
Gemcrafting: Using a pick
Geology: Emerald
Geology: Ruby

Grader's Comment:
Don't forget to delete your post in the request thread. If there is an issue with the grade, feel free to drop dead to my graveyard and bury me a pm. Geology xp was awarded due to gaining knowledge about what a ruby and emerald look like, though keep in mind that at higher levels, more appraisal will be required to earn xp. Enjoy your grades while you can, they are to die for.

As always, Death guide you Eypharian~
Grim