Solo The Way I Work My Weave Pt. I

[Naadiya]

The Way I Work My Weave Pt. I 21st of Winter 521 AV This morning, Naadiya had woken up with the sun. Early as it was, she laid in bed for an extra few seconds before rolling over and walking over to the shutters. By now, Naadiya had learned to keep the windows closed at night unless she wanted an uninvited friend popping by. Opening them with sleep stiffened fingers, she breathed in the gush of fresh air that flooded the room. Cool, not too damp, and scented with rain. Naadiya could sense the smell of wet soil, freshly tilled by the winter shower she must have just missed. It was invigorating and after she drank two glasses of water and relieved herself in the bathroom, Naadiya went over to her work bag to look through and see what she had to work with that day. Without having had any specific project from Dawn, Naadiya had just chosen several colors all in the same light weight isuas yarns. Her hands now glided to a few skeins and, sitting on the bed, she began to unravel the first skein. She gave a couple of smacks until one of the yarn's loose ends revealed itself at the center. Naadiya pulled on it, unraveling some length before she began to roll up the end into a ball. Naadiya had been taught that yarn was most easily handled when rolled into a ball. It was easier to pull on and tangled less frequently, though could be problematic if living in a house with felines. This house had no felines as of yet so Naadiya rolled and rolled. She had done a several skeins and now had eight balls of yarn in what she now realized was a variety of blues, two in each hue.They were not random blues, but rather, a gradient, with each ball being slightly lighter in tone than the previous one. Naadiya took the few steps over to her loom and started setting up the darkest yarn. The loom’s warp yarns had already been set up the previous night. She’d decided early on to leave the loom ready to be worked on, as soon as she’d taken the last project off. It was a practice that she had found saved her more time than expected, as now she generally started to weave much earlier in the day. With her shuttle ready and her foot on the peddle, Naadiya sat on her little stool and got to weaving. She was working on a narrow piece, good to be used as a runner on a table or floor if kept whole or if cut, maybe towels in a kitchen or as decorative napkins or even place mats. After a few inches of the darkest yarn, Naadiya switched over the one tone lighter and went on for the same length before switching again, and again. When she was reaching the last stripe, Naadiya decided it was missing something and went back to her bag. Finding a pale cream tone, she quickly unravelled and rerolled the yarn before rethreading her shuttle. The last stripe was for the sand. Watery blue went from dark at the ocean’s depths to the lighter tones as the water neared the shore. Word Count: 530

[Naadiya]

Stepping back and examining her work, Naadiya approved of her color choices. Sometimes colors looked a certain way when standing alone but seem to alter when placed adjacent to a specific hue. Some combinations would compliment each other while others washed each other out. Her blues were mingling without issue so Naadiya decided there was no need to redesign. More than once, as a teen, did she let laziness lead the way. Having already started a weave, it would be much easier to just continue monotonously as the yarns were already in place. Her younger sister had produced some awful, nearly unsellable fabrics, refusing to change her yarns and even going out of her way to choose odd color combinations. Naadiya felt no such need to rebel. She liked for her colors to blend with each other effortlessly, her fabrics were easy to look at, never too bright or garish. Not needing to make any design changes at this stage, she went back to her weave. This time the pattern was reversed, continuing from the the sand-colored yarn and fading into the lighter blue that eventually darkened again. Naadiya finished another ‘shore’, as she had begun thinking of the repeat of her pattern. Hunger was creeping in and this time, water would not be enough to fool it. She left the loom behind and made her way to the kitchen. Upon the counter sat a wooden bowl filled with fruit and Naadiya picked up one that was yellow with traces of green along the edges of its protruding sides, doubtlessly something that had been gathered from the surrounding jungle by the inn keeper. A starfruit, Tazrae had called it, when introducing the fruit to her guest. And aptly named too, for when sliced, each sliver was the shape of a five-pointed star. She found a knife and proceeded to cutting the fruit into its celestial slices, picking out the seeds with the knife’s tip. After she had rinsed the knife, Naadiya rinsed the seeds as well then set them aside. She knew the inn keeper liked to toss the seeds back into the wilds so they could regrow without the need for constant care. Knowing this was a smart and resourceful idea, Naadiya made a mental note to take the seed spreading task on herself, if nothing else, she did need to get more comfortable with the rainforest. But not right now. Right now, she still wanted to finish a few yards and knew it would take her the better part of the day and some. The wooden plate in her hand was smooth and shiny and Naadiya wondered what kind of wood it was. It was similar to ones she had back in the desert, and those had been made of coconut wood from the coasts. The flecked pattern of the surface was almost like an animal print. Naadiya began to think if there was a way she would be able to replicate the design in a weave. It was very irregular and its scale made for a difficult task without it losing its appeal and just looking like a mottled mess. Maybe if she the the motifs in a light color, with a dark background instead the reverse? By the time she had reached her room, Naadiya had decided it was likely possible on one of Tony’s larger more complex looms, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to achieve the desired effect herself. Tony might, though. It would be much easier to embroider the design than it would be to weave in, she thought, considering the scattered irregularity of the design. Naadiya popped a piece of fruit in her mouth and resumed her weaving. After many long hours, interrupted only by snack and bathroom breaks, and periodically refilling her shuttle with more yarn, Naadiya had a long piece of fabric that must have measured at least 6 feet or so. She decided sleep was not a villain she could successfully fend off for very long and eventually gave it, leaving the fabric to be continued tomorrow. Word Count: 681

[Naadiya]

22nd of Winter 521 AV With morning, came the smell of something dark and roasted and barely even noticing how she’d gotten there, Naadiya was sitting in the kitchen in front of a hot steaming cup of coffee. Of the many vices that life had to offer, coffee was particularly close to Naadiya’s heart. It was a taste of home almost, though here she noticed people tended to prefer their beverage pre-strained through fabric filters. She had never been a huge fan of the grit in her teeth so Naadiya welcomed this difference with ease. She accepted the new bread from the inn keeper’s basket and wafted the fragrant steam while tearing it apart. The crispy crust of the bread sprinkled crumbs on the counter, and with quick sweep of her hand, Naadiya scooped them up and dropped them on the plate they should have landed in. Was there rosemary in the bread? Naadiya thought dreamily. She was never disappointed when eating at the inn, except for the times she missed the meals. There hadn't been a time when Tazrae had served Naadiya a snake fillet and for the, she was forever thankful. There had been some type of cheese on the counter and butter waiting to be used and Naadiya helped herself to both with gusto. It seemed almost a shame to hurry through the food in front of her and even to forgo some of the more delectable options but Naadiya knew she still had work to do. She finished up, left her plate in the wash basin and went outside. Before she could start her day, Naadiya wanted a good shower and a chance to pray. Since arriving in the new settlement, Naadiya had noticed that she stopped to pray less frequently than before. Yet somehow, each prayer felt more fulfilling. So, grabbing a towel, she went to the outdoor shower and washed off any lingering tendrils of sleep. Naadiya wrapped herself in the towel and knelt on the floor of the outdoor deck where the morning sun shone down on her. “Oh holy Goddess, great and bright Hear this humble plea. With your sight so true and right, Grant me clarity.” Her voice was low but not a whisper. She could not whisper to Syna. Whispers were for the night, but the day ached for songs. Soft notes fluttered from her lips as she finished her prayers, stretching her arms out towards the sun and then down to touch the floor ahead of her just until her forehead touched the ground. There she held for a minute, focusing on her breathing until her breaths were even and long. Naadiya could feel the sun’s warmth on her back and with closed eyes envision it being the blessed hands of Syna. Help me find him, Goddess of Light and Sight. Let me see the way. After a few minutes she knelt back up and took four long, deep breaths before standing and returning to her loom. She toweled herself off and then rewrapped the soft white fabric around her torso and tightly secured it. With a small relaxed sigh, she sat and braced her foot over the peddle readying herself to continue the length of fabric. Having the fabric already half-way woven, made for an easy job to pick up and her morning coffee and shower had really left her with a hop to her step, wired and awake. As she wove, Naadiya hummed lightly. There had been a song from her childhood that was stuck at the tip of her tongue. She kept trying to get to a certain part but words failed her every time and then she’d just babble gibberish and start again from the beginning. Having lost count of how many times she had sung the same couple of lines from the same song, Naadiya realized she’d gotten further along than she’d expected and already needed to refill the shuttle with more yarn. She wondered if there had been someone who had a magically self-refilling shuttle to sell. She knew her boss, Dawn, had some kind of magical hot-stone but hadn’t yet had a chance to ask about it. Would Tony have a magical loom? Naadiya loved her loom, but she wouldn’t turn down a self-threading enchantment or some such spellcraft. But for now, she kept refilling her shuttle herself. Word Count: 726

[Naadiya]

She was making good time and her passes were so smooth they were nearly effortless. The isuas simply did not snag and seemed to even tangle more infrequently then the best grades of wool she'd handled. No wonder the Swiftwaters had been so tight lipped about the market value of the finished woven product, she thought. A prudent merchant did not invite competition if they could avoid it. Not that she was competition, but they were only getting to know her. The people she had seen in Syka were for the most part, not extravagantly dressed, yet she had seen Dawn working with textiles Naadiya could tell would sell at a high price. Their clientele in Riverfall must be ones wearing the more fanciful isuas garments coming out of Syka. Naadiya's tortoise shell comb, a relic of her mother’s, sank into the weave as she adjusted and tightened the tension where needed. The yarns themselves may have been of a superior quality, but she knew her own limitations. The shiny shell tool was so smooth it left the fabric with no traces of its presence and Naadiya noted that even in this the isuas was more convenient. Then, with a sudden jolt, Naadiya sprang up and blurted out the missing lines from the song as her memories herded the words back in her mind. Laughing lightly, Naadiya looked up from her loom and gazed at out the window ahead. Repeating the newly rediscovered song lyrics, she was turning to get another drink of water when another voice joined hers. There he stood, in her door way, jauntily singing along to her song with a smile on his face and his hair pulled back in a knot. The blonde Svefra had become a repeat occurrence in her life since the day they’d met and Naadiya couldn’t say the fact bothered her much. He was handsome, and funny enough, and would sometimes just show up around the inn or the shop, ready to take her out for a drink, or a meal, or a drink, or a swim, or a drink. She could see he already held a bottle of something in his hands but surprisingly the wax seal seemed unbroken. Not liking being snuck up on, Naadiya bristled a bit. But her suddenly tense voice, was already melting, “I didn’t hear you come in, how long have you been standing there?” “You know I can be quiet when I need to” one eyebrow raised impishly, “but you do tend to prefer when I’m LOUD!” he said the last word with doubled volume. Naadiya tossed a ball of yarn at him but the Svefra dodged it with ease. “Tazrae let me in,” he said, revealing the hand he had behind his back, ” gave me these too!” It was a basket of some kind of pastry with nuts on top and despite not being hungry just yet, Naadiya took one and bit into the soft flaky dough before stamping her lips on Artik’s own in a quick kiss. The almond scent of her mouth met the rum on his lips and Naadiya recoiled with a shocked but not unpleasant sneer. “How have you already had a drink? I barely had my coffee!” He smiled at her but creased his brows, “I think someone needs a break!” Word Count: 553

[Naadiya]

Naadiya laughed and playfully smacked her palms on his chest as he pulled her in with an arm and planted another kiss on her lips. She was starting to feel her will weakening and quickly took a few steps back, standing just out of reach with her arm extended. She was getting to know how quickly Artik gave into his temptations and couldn't let herself get lost in the leisure-land he so easily called home. “No sir, we can’t all have such a la-di-da work ethic! Here take these!” She said as she took the bottle and basket from Artik’s hands and replaced them with a couple skeins of yarn. Naadiya led him to the bed where she motioned for him to sit with the yarn on his lap and rubbed his knee encouragingly. “The sooner I get done, the sooner we can go relax! Just pretend the skeins are me and give them a couple of spanks before reaching in for the goods.” Artik stared at her, stunned. Despite having a tremendously troublesome mouth himself, Artik always seemed surprised when Naadiya spoke like a sailor. She could tell that he enjoyed it but also didn’t know exactly how to take it from her, and that made Naadiya relish those moments all the more. He’d look at her as though seeing her for the first time, stunned but not displeased and hurriedly did as she instructed. Showing him how to unravel the yarn from its skein and roll it into a ball, Naadiya let him continue the one she’d started. She stood and closed the room door, then drew the curtains closed. Artik had been getting the hang of the yarn-rolling and decided to get more comfortable. He was readjusting his sitting position when a damp towel hit his head. Pulling it off, he could see Naadiya’s naked lithe body ahead of him. Dancing. It was not exactly a sultry dance, she was snapping her fingers and bouncing from side to side easily. “Give me a song!” He could not control the laugh that came next. It took Artik a couple of minutes to recover but once he did, a sailor’s shanty swam from his lips as his hands went back to rolling the yarn. Moving her dance to the loom, Naadiya went back to her weaving. It took only a minute to sync her own rhythm with that of the song. It was a commonly sung sea tune and Naadiya was sure she’d heard it before, either aboard the Svefra ship that had brought her to Syka, or since she had reached its shores, and while she could not sing its lyrics, the beat was easy to mimic. Occasionally, as she did her passes with the threaded shuttled, Naadiya would do a shimmy or shake her body in an unexpected way that somehow went with the song. Each time she did, Artik would struggle to keep his laugh from interrupting the music. While she couldn't say that his voice was held the smoothness of a bard's, Artik's familiarity with the words made did make the impromptu melody as entertaining as the dance performance that accompanied it. Time passed by and so did her shuttle. The length of the fabric grew and the sky grew dimmer and dimmer. Artik had already broken the seal of the rum bottle and they had each taken a couple of swigs to keep their spirits light. Just as she was about the stretch her back Naadiya felt Artik come up behind her, placing his lips on her shoulder, then her neck, then her ear lobe and she knew it was time to call it a night. Word Count: 616

[Alric Lysane]

Your Grades

Naadiya

Skills

Dancing – 1
Observation – 3
Seduction - 1
Socialization – 2
Singing – 1
Weaving – 5


Lores

Isuas: An Easy Material
Religion: Prayer To Syna
Syna: Goddess of Light
The Art Of The ‘Shimmy Weave’
Weaving: Colour Relative To Positioning
Weaving: Colour Switching
Weaving: Combing & Tightening
Weaving: Reverse Patterns
Weaving Timesaver: Leaving Loom Ready
Yarn: Easiest To Use When Balled