Solo The First of Many

[Job Thread] There is a first for everything

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Not found on any map, Endrykas is a large migrating tent city wherein the horseclans of Cyphrus gather to trade and exchange information. [Lore]

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The First of Many

Postby Taurina on August 20th, 2017, 6:21 pm


Early-Afternoon of the 29th of Summer 517


“I want to get a feel for you, so tell me about yourself.” Inquiry. Interest.

“Well, my name is Leana Sugartree of the Opal clan. I work primarily with animals,” a raven haired Drykas explained, elaborating that she loved her job with her hands, “this mare is not my first strider, but my first died a little over a year ago.” Great sorrow.

“I am sorry for your loss.” Sympathy was signed as the artist let the space between them go silent for a bit before picking her line of questioning back up. “What events took place surrounding the forging of your new bond?” Curious.

“It was unexpected really. Being without my strider was hard, but I made do because there was nothing else for me to do. I would have fallen behind. Still, one never really gets over that. It is more than loosing family… its like..” Loosing oneself. “I was not sure I wanted a replacement because who could ever replace that? But then, she came along and I feel like I have finally been able to heal. Finally able to move on. Not forget, but remember fondly. I know he would be happy for me to progress forward and she is wonderful." Great semekhe.

“I understand,” the artist replied with a gentle smile, “What do you call her?”

“Feyre,” Leana replied simply.

“What would you like these windmarks to look like? Where are they going?” the artist continued to question.

Leana extended her right arm forward, revealing the symbols that already marked her skin all the way down it. The marks went all the way from her shoulder down to her elbow. The artist recognized those marks for they resembled the same ones she had once watched Keil repair on her, now lost, pavilion mate Rufio. Same style, just different symbols in a different order with different patterns dividing the sections because this woman’s story was different from Rufio’s story. They had different lives, experiences, personalities, and likely many more things; but they had one thing in common, the artist who had created their first windmarks had likely been the same.

“These tell my story with my past strider. I want the same for Feyre on the other arm,” was Leana’s simple answer.

“Alright, we can do that,” the artist, Taurina, assured.

Leana smiled at the news, but all Taurina could focus on was the twist low in her gut. Her style was different and less formed. These windmarks would take so much time with her doing the work. Sure, Jarorra and Injal had both agreed to watch her work in shifts and assist with whatever she needed, but it was not the same. This was not just a simple faded job repair or something small. This was a full work that would take many bells to complete. Taurina’s first real commission. She swallowed, nervous. Leana was beaming though and the Eth could not help but smile in response. She would give her absolute best for this woman who had lost, but gained so much. Hopefully her best was enough.

“Tell me the story,” the Ethaefal requested.

Leana nodded and then launched into her story. Taurina listened intently, sketching down anything that popped out at her and gave her an idea. The story was long, many details. It was going to be a long rest of the day.

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

Last edited by Taurina on February 19th, 2018, 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Taurina
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The First of Many

Postby Taurina on February 17th, 2018, 5:25 am


It started with clouds and shadows. The grief of death blocking any potential for any sort of joy to be found in life. Leana told Taurina of how some days she could not even get out of bed her grief was so strong. Her family tried many times to entice her out using food and sweet things, but nothing would work. When she did move to work she explained it like being outside of herself. Like her soul was sleeping, but her body knew how to go through the motions. There was no joy within her, no life. Even when her children came to her with beaming smiles and gifts from their day’s adventures, she had found it hard to even pretend to delight in them.

Taurina sketched out her ideas for the uppermost band around the arm. It was to be tattooed in dark grey and black with white for highlighting. Storms represented to the Ethaefal that deep sorrow that Leana explained to her, for she felt that sorrow anytime storms came and took Leth from her. So, with the Drykas woman’s approval, a ring of dark and shadowy clouds was going to make up the first section to represent all that Leana had to overcome. The barrier between the first and the second ring was to be a thin, simple band of geometric patterns that partnered with what Keil had done on the other arm in years past.

“It was strange really, how that gloom ended,” Leana moved onto the next part of her story. “One day I just woke up and it did not hurt as much. I felt like trying again.” Slowly, progress.

The Drykas went on to tell of how happy her family had been to see her moving of her own free will again. How they had rejoiced in her return to life even though they had understood that things were not quite the way they used to be. Leana explained how her soul had felt empty, how she yearned for what no one could give her. The gods had taken away her best friend and she did not know really how to exist with that on her shoulders. She had not known how to keep from resenting them. She had not known how to just return to all of the things she had done when she had him.

Taurina felt that she understood, at least in a way. She had lost everything once. Her whole existence just gone in a blink. She could not remember what it had been like up in Leth’s realm. Not fully, just some of what it had felt like. Just like she could not remember the past life she had left behind, but still carried the form of. It had been hard to build her life to where it was now. It was still hard. She admired Leana for having been able to do it and she found hope in the Drykas’ story. If another could do it than so could she. No one was more special than anyone else.

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The First of Many

Postby Taurina on February 17th, 2018, 5:28 am


The second section was to be representative of those first days reentering society. Taurina wanted to show the returning of hope, but not make it look as though the storm clouds had fully diminished. Leana explained how things had still been very hard for her. That each smile was echoed by sadness and everything laugh stung. She told of how it had been worse than loosing a child for her. Worse than anything imaginable. She, guiltily, told of how she would have truly given over her entire family to have her strider back. Given anything just so his death would have been just a horrible memory.

Taurina sketched out wild flowers and wind to make up the second band. The flowers were of new life and the wind was meant to be hope, a renewing of the spirit. The Ethaefal was not well versed in what symbols meant what, but Leana liked her ideas and added some input of her own. To the budding artist that was all that really mattered. As long as her client was happy, she was happy. The simple thin band of geometric shapes was repeated as best as she could beneath the second section before she moved onto the third.

“It was just after a move. We had just gotten settled and I was alone. The men were hunting and the other women took the children to the market.” Rare time, quiet, peace. “I was thinking mostly, trying not to think to hard, and tending the animals. I was milking the goats when it happened.” Semekhe appeared.

The third section was easy because it mirrored what had been done on the other arm. Just a rudimentary drawing of a horse’s head, more geometric than realistic. It was just meant to symbolize the meeting. Meant to show that the ending of great sorrow had come, and the beginning of something beautiful had taken its place.

“She was beautiful. Smaller than he had been, but just as strong. I could see it then.” Obvious. “It was not love at first sight. I did not want her.” Fear. Blocked off. “I had just lost him. It felt too soon. I could not go through it again.” Great sorrow. “But she was stubborn and did not go away.”

Taurina smiled a bit at that. The striders knew best and they were always right. Once they had made their choice, that was it. There was no going back. Why one would want to was hard to understand, but the Ethaefal understood this. To go through such loss… It was easy to imagine how hard it would be to be open oneself to the possibility of it happening again.

“Days went by, but she never went away. I tried to push her away, get her to leave, but she was having none of it. It did not help that the children fell in love with her instantly and doted on her greatly. They all could see what I refused to accept, she was already mine.”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

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Taurina
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The First of Many

Postby Taurina on February 17th, 2018, 5:31 am


“Somehow I was alone with her again. She would just stare at me, as if waiting for something.” Something big. Acceptance. “I tried to ignore her, but I could not. I would stare back and finally I broke down.” Could not take it. “I told her of him. Of how he had been everything to me and how I had lost him. I told her that I could not do it again, how I did not need her then. It was so hard to tell her, to tell anyone of how I had been feeling, I could not hold back tears.”

Taurina saw tears in the woman’s eyes now as she told the story. The artist’s face fell into solemn understanding as she reached forward and offered a clean towel. She had no words of comfort to give, but just understanding in those caramel eyes.

“When it was over and I was done, she still stood there unflinching. I sat in the grasses with my head in my hands and that was when she finally moved. She came up to me and I when I finally looked up, that was the end of resisting. We bonded and I have never regretted it." I was whole again.

Taurina knew that feeling more than anything else Leana had talked about this afternoon. When Starfire came into her life she had suddenly felt whole. She had felt like the world suddenly made sense and even the parts of it that still did not, did not matter. Nothing matter but him, her, and their bond. She thought that that was how it was suppose to be when one found their strider. Like falling in love at first sight or meeting your very best friend for the first time and feeling as though you had known them forever.

Taurina sketch sun rays to represent those feelings because nothing else seemed to do the job. Bonding was like an explosion of light and color within one’s self. It was all the broken pieces coming together to make something beautiful again. It was everything. At least, to those who knew what it was and what it felt like to have it.

“Is there anything you wish for me to change on this?” Taurina asked, presenting her rough sketch for Leana to see.

The smile on the Drykas woman’s face gave the Eth reassurance that she had not completely missed the mark. Taurina still worried that her work was not going to be good enough. That it would not compare to Keil’s work in the slightest and look like a child’s scribbles compared to the woman’s other arm. All those nerves were knotted within the artist’s stomach, eating away at her as they twisted with all her other fears. She felt as though Injal and Jarorra had thrown her to the grassbears and left her to die. That was far from the truth, they were still near and they had confidence in her budding abilities, but that did not stop Taurina from believing all her insecurities.

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The First of Many

Postby Taurina on February 17th, 2018, 5:34 am


“It is grand, I am sure it will look even better in the final product,” Leana beamed, her smile and excitement nearly contagious.

Taurina gave her best smile, her nerves all bundled up within the pit of her stomach. It was nearing the hard part. It was easy enough to sketch and come up with ideas. It was easy enough to listen to a story and come up with those ideas for the sketch. It was another thing entirely to map out the sketch over skin and then begin to put ink to flesh. One could mess up in the sketches, things could always be redrawn. The same could not be said for tattooing. While some mistakes could be remedied, it was not like the sketches, not all mistakes could be fixed and windmarks were forever.

“It will be grand,” Taurina just agreed, trying to exude all the confidence she could muster up from within.

Never let the fears show. She had learned that long ago. It was best for the costumers to feel confident that they were in good hands. While Leana had been made aware that Taurina was not the most experienced, Taurina did not want to make the woman regret her choice in deciding to give her a chance. The Eth knew that if she made the Drykas woman think she was confident than Leana herself wound be less nervous. Keep the client calm, keep herself calm. That was what Taurina strived for as she excused herself to gather her supplies.

Before she picked up anything, Taurina took the sketch to Injal for approval. She wanted to know what he thought and what tips he had for the techniques she was to use. The windmarks were to be fairly simple which meant the details were important. Her edges needed to be straight, her lines matched up. Any flaw like a wobbly edge or mismatched shapes would show. The bands had to be evenly spaced apart as well, everything parallel with everything else. That was going to be the hard part. Injal told her as much and reminded her that she was capable.

“You will be fine, just pay attention. If you need help, we are here,” he told her, his voice friendly and kind as he clapped her on the shoulder and sent her back to her client.

The nerves remained, but Injal’s confidence in her helped. She would be alright and this would work out. Failure was not an option so the only thing left to do was succeed. She would do it, she had to. So things were gathered. Chisels, ink, clean rags, paints and a brush, and a shallow dish. Her tools in hand, Taurina returned to Leana and gave her a reassuring smile as she laid out her tools before her.

“You ready?” Taurina asked once there was nothing left to do but begin.

“Could not readier,” Leana assured in response, her excitement written across her features.

Taurina took a breath and gave her own smile.

“Then let us begin.”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

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Taurina
Lost in the Stars
 
Posts: 411
Words: 752473
Joined roleplay: January 18th, 2016, 4:18 am
Race: Ethaefal
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The First of Many

Postby Prophet on April 13th, 2018, 8:19 pm

Image
ImageImage

This was a beautiful introduction to the mind of a tentative artist. I loved it. It was not very skill-heavy but the story more than made up for it. Wonderful as always, m'dear. Be sure to update your request in the Grade Thread.


 
Taurina
XP
  • Investigation: +1
  • Observation: +1
  • Organization: +1
  • Sketching: +3
  • Socialization:+1
Lores
  • Investigation: Finding answers to be better at one’s job
  • Organization: Making preparations for a large task
  • Sketching: Using a story to create images
  • Sketching: Repeating patterns with small differences to create symmetry
  • Sketching: Using personal experience to give life to one’s work
  • Socialization: Extending condolences
  • Taurina: Nervous about her first real commission
  • Taurina: Can’t remember life in Leth’s realm
  • Taurina: Constantly comparing herself to others
  • Taurina: Needs reassurance for her work
  • Leana Sugartree: Opal Clan
  • Leana Sugartree: Taurina’s first commission
  • Leana Sugartree: Her second bonding is a tale of sadness turned to victory
Prophet
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