Solo Tain's Studio: Day 1

[Ayasi Sylves]

9th Summer, 518 AV

Ayasi was lucky she’d been able to find a job. Especially one in Zinitia Peak. She’d originally wanted to find a place to improve her glasswork, but the only glasswork shop wasn’t hiring. When she stumbled upon Tain’s Studio, however, she found that brushing up on her pottery wasn’t a bad idea.

It had been a while since she’d last done any pottery, but she wasn’t horrible at the art. She just needed to get some clay and the studio would provide her everything else.

The young Inarta breathed a sigh and swung her feet over the edge of her bed. Her hair was tousled and her eyes could barely stay open before she realized it was her first day of work. Immediately, she jumped up and ran to her poor excuse of a dresser to pull out her vinati and bryda. Opting not to wear her sontav that day, she carefully let her chirping bluebird jump onto her fingers before leading it to the balcony.

Ayasi slid the door open and stepped out into the frigid morning mountain air. It was supposed to be summer and she had not yet adjusted to the colder temperatures.

“Go explore today,” she told her bird, helping it down on the balcony railing. It coked its head at her and she waved it away with a gentle smile.

With a new determination, Ayasi turned back to her room and gave one last glance at the view of the plaza. She shut the door behind her and went back to her dresser. She took out her katinu and slung it around her shoulders, wanting to keep warm on her way to the studio. Slipping into her ankle boots, Ayasi head out her apartment and down to the lobby. She gave a slight smile to Shay, who she hadn’t completely warmed up to yet, and left Solar Wind.

Tain’s Studio was in an odd spot. Ayasi had to cross through the plaza in order to get to the edge of Zinitia Peak where the building sat peacefully. She climbed the stairs by the edge of the studio and marveled at the skyglass walls. It really was a beautiful building.

Ayasi pushed through the front door. She watched Tain pass by, walking with a fast pace. The Inarta moved toward him hesitantly, which seemed to catch his eye.

“Ah-,” he exclaimed, “You’re here.”

Ayasi hadn’t gotten to see much of the studio when she first arrived looking for a job, so she had a few questions lined up.

“Where do I get clay?” she asked in her best common accent. It was rocky, but clear enough.

“I can get you some. As long as you pay.”

Ayasi nodded and followed her new boss. She bought two pounds of clay, per Tain’s request and he told her he got a commision for a small bowl and was handing it off to her. It would be a nice way to test the waters and ease back into pottery.

Tain led her to a side studio lined with kilns and pottery wheels. A few other potters were working, but seemed unbothered by Ayasi’s presence. She was pointed to a station and told where to find the tools she would need.

She plopped her package of clay on a wooden table where the wheel was sitting, deciding only to throw for today.

Word Count: 562

[Ayasi Sylves]

Ayasi untwisted the packaging of the clay and took out the block of material. She set it on the wheel and turned to the back of the studio where the tool bins were kept. She grabbed a sponge and filled a small bowl with some water, then grabbed a tub to hold a few of the tools she’d need.

Returning to she station, Ayasi set the water bowl down next to the wheel and took off her katinu, setting in on the back of her chair. She then quickly began to round the block of clay into a lump. It was cold and smoothed easily beneath her fingers. The Inarta smiled, remembering the days in Wind Reach when she used to do pottery in her spare time. The feeling came back to hit her like a boulder. Her eyes started to water at the memory of her home. She missed it.

Wiping her eyes with the clean part of her arm, she continued to mold the clay until it looked ready for the wheel. She placed it in the center of the metal wheel and started it up, watching the lump of clay spin in her hand for a second before wetting the sponge and squeezing over the clay.

Ayasi took the side of her hand and held it over the lump, flattening the top of the clay. She then brought her hand down and rounded the side of the clay to give a coherent shape. It was surprising to Ayasi how familiar this all felt. It brought her back to her friends in Wind Reach, doing pottery on a day off and gossiping about which Endal was the cutest. She smiled as the clay ran through her hands, dirtying them with fond memories.

The Inarta dipped the sponge in more water and squeezed it again, then placed it by the bottom of the mound, centering it into a well-rounded shape. She then placed her thumbs on the top and pressed her fingers into the side as the clay spun around, making sure the shape of the bowl was perfect.

Ayasi then pressed the tip of her finger into the flattened top of the clay, making a circular indent. She angeled her finger and brought it down again, deepening the indent in the clay. She stopped the wheel momentarily when the basic shape of the bowl looked right and examined her work. The base of the bowl looked thick enough to be able to trim, but the sides were sort of thin. Ayasi figured she was going to have to make-do with a thin bowl, however, she was impressed with her first time throwing since she left Wind Reach.

She started the wheel up again and supported the side of the bowl. Ayasi dipped two of her fingers into the bowl and ran them slowly and smoothly up and down the side, widening the opening. The bottom of the bowl was a little flat, but fixing that would take practice and with such a small commision, the flatness was hardly noticeable.

She took her sponge again, and this time pulled the sides of the bowl up so it wasn’t so angular. Now the bowl was rounded. Next, she brought the sponge down to make the base smaller. Ayasi stopped the pottery wheel for good this time and sat back to admire her work for a moment.

Word Count: 566