Closed Glass For A Sunrise

Saiyin makes bowls.

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Glass For A Sunrise

Postby Saiyin on May 16th, 2018, 3:52 pm

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37th Spring 518 AV
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ImageSaiyin woke early with the sun's rays only just peering round the edge of her bedroom window. She spent the morning in her usual pattern.
Breakfast came first; with a quick stoke of the old ashes, she layered firewood onto the hearth and struck the flint and tinder to conjure the heatgiving spark. Next came the pot and the oats, with a generous ladle of milk into the mix. Porridge was easy enough, after all, and the heat of the fire woke her up, as did the milky sweet breakfast.

Her morning routine chuntered on. There was a bowl of still water in the kitchen. She would have to pick up another pitcher on her way back from work, but for now she gulped down a cup and splashed the rest onto her face. She used the corner of her sleeve to wipe the water over her face roughly enough to bring a bit of colour to her cheeks.

Breakfast didn't take long. Saiyin was awake physically, so she slung a cloak over her shoulders and grabbed the key from the lock where it had hung overnight. She locked the door behind her and began the long walk to work. Mental wakefulness would come as she walked.

Several chimes later, verging on a bell, Saiyin reached the shop. Syna's light shone on the window pane but although the effect was pleasant, Saiyin was slightly dismayed to notice the rather empty effect it gave the shop front. She worried, naturally, of the ever-present debt, but today was due to be a good day. Her recent meeting with the owner of the Sunrise Nook buoyed her spirits: it was good to have a commission.

She unlocked the front door and on hesitation left it unlocked. Although she wasn't going to be on the shop floor that day, if any customer were to appear they could simply rap on the counter and she hoped she would be able to hear it from the furnace room next door.

The room in question had the musty smell of a room accustomed to being highly heated. In fact, it was rather strange for it to be cold, as it was now. Saiyin immediately got to work as she headed towards the crate containing the black lumps of coal that were so essential for her work.

A bell later, shovel safely stowed away and significantly more grimy, the young glassblower stood by contently as she listened to the roaring of the fiery furnace. She was already feeling the burn in her legs from almost constant pumping of the pedal operated bellow, but it was a satisfying burn that told of a job well done.

Yet there was still a way to go before she could even begin on the commission she was intent on starting, if not finishing outright. Next came the sand mixture. With great care, she shovelled a heap of the stuff and placed it into the crucible inside the belly of the huge stove. The fire crackled and spat, and she shielded her body and her face as best she could from flying embers. Before she could lose any heat, she quickly checked the crucible to see if it was set up correctly -it was- and then slammed the furnace door firmly shut with a heave.

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Glass For A Sunrise

Postby Saiyin on August 2nd, 2018, 1:32 am

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ImageIt was probably another half bell at least before the glass mix was heated enough to be workable, but Saiyin waited further until she was certain the molten glass was fully hot. It glowed almost white hot in the centre of the crucible, radiating heat and energy so palpable that Saiyin could almost feel it burying under her skin.
She reached for the blowpipe, her ever-useful birthday present, and mentally prepared herself for the task ahead.

The project was simple. Bowls, ten of them, ideally of a similar size to each other, and easy to use. Bowls she could do, ten of them too, but how uniform they would appear was a little more difficult. Nevertheless she resolved to do her best. If her best was not food enough, then well... she would only have to work harder

She plunged the business end of the pipe within the molten core and plucked up a goodly amount of liquid glass onto the end. She would need a medium sized amount, she made sure to properly observe the level of the glass on the pipe for the next bowl after this one, ans then extracted the pipe, turning furiously.

She bent and leant the side of the pipe against the bench whilst she blew into the mouthpiece. Saiyin huffed several breaths into the glass whilst observing the colour changing as it cooled. The bubble had to go in several times more during the process to keep it hot enough, but finally she was satisfied with the size of it.

Her equipment was at hand where she had tidied it away the last time she used it. That was just something she couldn't abide- missing tools. Thankfully, the soffietta was in clear view, and it was this and the jack that she needed to use next.

Saiyin worked methodically. She was by nature a careful and reserved character, but when it came to the furnace she found her reservations cracked and slipped in the face of the roaring heat. There was something about the danger of the furnace, and the beauty of it,
that sang in her blood. So although she was careful, she wasn't without flair when she toiled over the blowstick.

With the soffietta firmly in hand and the bubble of glass twirling in perpetual motion, the woman pushed the soffietta towards the furthest end of the bubble to push a dimple and then a hole into the end. It was what she wanted, as the conical end of the soffietta widened the gap enough to make the rim of the bowl.

It was wonky and misshapen currently, so she plunged it into the futnace again, making sure to give a good heave on the bellows. Her actions swung and danced as she navigated her way around the room. It was a new space for her, but the general set up was becoming as familiar as her own body. As with her own body there were places she knew better than others, and she was accustomed to the roar of the squat furnace and the feeling of the few tools she owned. As she withdrew the first bowl from the oven, she took the jacks, another most familiar tool, and began to smooth the lip of the bowl out.

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Glass For A Sunrise

Postby Saiyin on August 3rd, 2018, 2:11 pm

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ImageThe task involved manipulating the jacks in such a way that the tips gently pinched the rim of the bowl. Not too hard so that the glass narrowed to breakable thinness, but not too soft that the tools did nothing at all. Saiyin took her time, probably too much time, as she worked on the bowl. She contemplated the feel of the glass as it resisted and began to stuck to the jacks. She fired the glass to bring it back up to its former elasticity. She manipulated the glassware with the long metal jacks, aiming to use them as if they were merely an extension of her own fingers.

The cherry red glass bowl was done. When it cooled down it would become the milky, grey-green glass colour produced by the local sands, but for now it glowed dark red. Saiyin hoisted the blowpipe with the bowl on the end and walked it over to the secondary part of the furnace to let it rest and cool down at a sensible temperature. For now, she had another part of the order to make.

Saiyin swept her hair back from her face and accidentally smudged coal dust and sweat across her forehead as she did so. She dashed over to the furnace, aware it was getting quieter, and pumped on the bellows. After a good chime of concerted effort and a great deal more sweat, she walked over to the window for a little breather before carrying on. Outside was cool but bright and the breeze was delightful as it tickled over her face. She closed her eyes and sighed out through her nose before ramming the window open as far as it would go to let the precious wind through into the stuffy room.

Carefully Saiyin dipped the blowpipe into the crucible of bubbling glass. It was care that was needed, after all, to make sure she picked up the exact same amount of glass as before. Or, at least, close enough for no difference to be noticed. She withdrew and placed the pipe onto the edge, then holding it with both hands and twisting it around and around, Saiyin puffed several deep breaths of air through the end of the pipe. The mouthpiece tasted vaguely like copper, or at least it left a tangy taste on her lips which she tried very hard not to taste.

She kept a close eye on the bubble of glass at the end of the pipe as she blew. It was also important with this process to monitor that she wasn't making the general shape larger than before. Unfortunately, it was rather harder to keep track of what she had already made when it was cooling down elsewhere. She couldn't see it, so she went from what she could remember. Saiyin wasn't so much of a novice that she couldn't judge approximate sizes, but she wasn't exactly a master at her craft yet.

That thought threatened to derail the smooth and flowing glassblowing session. She needed to be ambitious with her work, but there was only so much she could do at her current level. It was a touch frustrating, to have a dream of projects and ideas that she could do, and not know if she could pull it off, or even if people would buy what she created. Nevertheless, as she steeled herself and continued, what else could she do but work hard and see where that got her? She smiled to herself as she reached for the soffietta again. Yes, that was all she could do, for now. She poured herself back into the work.

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Glass For A Sunrise

Postby Saiyin on August 4th, 2018, 5:27 pm

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ImageThe concept of her own ambition was a new thought. Saiyin didn't have the time to properly dwell on and theorise on her hopes and desires for Sesr Glassworks, but she touched upon the thought as she continued to work, because the idea felt important in a way she couldn't put into words.

The Glassworks started because glassblowing was something she felt inherently drawn to, but there had to be something more than that, something more than a simple enjoyment. She felt motivated, but she didn't know the why. At least, she had never truly thought about her reasons and had never solidified them in her consciousness. She had no parents to make proud or prove herself to. Hessel was her teacher when it came to glassblowing, but the elder woman only thought of it as a fascinating hobby, and Saiyin had never felt obliged to prove herself to the Eypharian.

With the soffieta in her hand, she began to press the end of the glassblowing tool against the inflated bubble to create a circular hole. She kept the pipe turning with a regular motion, enjoying the cyclical feeling of balance the movements brought. Whilst the glass was still red-hot, she began to wiggle the tip of the soffieta against the end. The tool was metal and shaped in a wide cone. The tip was sharp enough to puncture through the droopy glass, and smooth enough that as it did, the hole it created was circular.

Saiyin walked over to the furnace with the pipe in her hand. She kept it horizontally so that the glass didn't deform and wrenched open the door to heat it up again. To many, doing the same motions over and over again would be tedious, but Saiyin enjoyed the rhythm of her work. Keeping the glass heated, the walk to the furnace, the twisting of the blowpipe... All these actions were methodical, and she found it strangely reassuring. It wasn't to say that her job was all the same. The next day in the workshop was always different from the last, and that was the exciting part.

She withdrew the proto-bowl and began working at it again. With her hair in a flustered mess and her face red and streaked with dirt, she looked a right state, but a grin played at her lips often enough that it would be clear to anyone that saw her that she was deeply involved in her work. She held the jacks and looked closely at the rotating rim of the bowl, then pincered the edge and pulled it outwards. Quickly, she swapped from holding the jacks to holding the soffieta again, and she pushed the metal tool into the wider hole so that she could make a bowl shape, rather than a more narrow entrance to the glassware she was creating.

With a few more tweaks and adjustments, she was happy with the result. There was space for the second bowl next to the first, but just about. Carefully, ever so carefully, she held the blowpipe vertically down so that the bowl was hanging ready to be put inside the oven, and then she tapped the pipe. To her gratification, (and slight relief), the bowl was released and didn't shatter. Time to move on.

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Glass For A Sunrise

Postby Saiyin on August 4th, 2018, 9:52 pm

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ImagePlaying it safe, she thought it would be best to take out the first glass bowl from the oven to allow for the next one to go in. It had cooled, true, but not enough for her to lift it out with her bare hands without discomfort. In the workshop, she had a couple of leather scraps that she used to smooth the glass when it needed it, but they also made do as oven mitts. When she had more mizas, if she made enough that is, she promised herself an upgrade on her tools.

She set down the blowpipe for a few ticks whilst she dealt with the bowl. She searched around for the leather scraps and eventually spotted them beside the furnace, so she picked them up and walked back over to the oven whilst she wound the leather around her hands, the thick, scarred leather tough and difficult to manoeuvre. With care and some degree of trepidation, Saiyin lowered her hands within the cooling oven and clasped her fingers around the widest part of the bowl. She gripped and lifted, and almost dropped it in the process. With more speed than caution, she placed the bowl upsidedown on the work surface and winced at the crack sound that followed.

Peering at the bowl seemed to indicate that the crack sound was nothing more than the glass tapping the hard surface, and she grinned and grabbed the blowpipe once more. That was two bowls down, eight more to go. The day was winding on, but there was plenty more time for her. Even if it meant working into the night and walking home in the dark...

Saiyin collected glass onto the pipe and took the set-up to the bench, where she began the whole process again. She took several deep breaths before placing her lips around the mouthpiece, and found it easier to hold onto the long breaths that she directed through the pole, which she'd remember for next time, feeling a little silly that she hadn't thought of it before. The glass bubbled, but the sphere wasn't perfect. She looked around for the leather scraps, those pesky things that seemed to be hiding, and stretched to reach a piece once she spotted where she'd left them.

Being a little less careful than she should have been, she took the wad of tough old leather and plunged the whole lot into a bowl of tepid water, before cupping the underside of the glass bubble with it. The water cracked and spat as she pressed the leather to mould the shape, and she screwed up her face as tiny pinpricks of scalding water flicked across her bare arm. She winced and let out a loud hiss of pain as her right thumb slipped and caught the searing hot glass. Gods damn it. She gritted her teeth, but carried on regardless, gently moulding the fiercely hot, molten glass with the wet leather, her hand within direct reach of the surface.

Yet it was worth it, to acquire a fresh burn and a little bit of injury. She dropped the leather and took up the soffieta again so that she could continue making the bowl. The glass sphere was now exactly how she wanted it to be; nothing more and nothing less. The rest of the process went smoothly, and although she did end up working into the early evening, Saiyin managed to get home to see the sun sink down below the horizon, Syna's rays sweet and golden in the Springtime evening.

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Saiyin
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Posts: 134
Words: 91451
Joined roleplay: March 17th, 2018, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human
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Glass For A Sunrise

Postby Saiyin on August 5th, 2018, 9:48 am

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Grades Awarded

This was a self-grade, please PM if you spot anything wrong. :)

Saiyin


Skills
Cooking: +1
Endurance: +2
Glassblowing: +4
Observation: +3

Lores
Land Navigation: From home to Sesr Glassworks
Sesr Glassworks: Commission from the Sunrise Nook
Glassblowing: Simple bowl design
Glassblowing: Maintaining uniformity across an order
Saiyin: Thoughts on personal ambition
Soffieta: Use in creating circular holes
Saiyin: Enjoyment in repetitive tasks
Glassblowing: Inspecting work for cracks
Glassblowing: Using wet leather to smoothe

Notes
+1 fresh burn along the side of her right thumb, it will fade to a pale scar with time.


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User avatar
Saiyin
~☆~
 
Posts: 134
Words: 91451
Joined roleplay: March 17th, 2018, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human
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