[Written Word] Write to the Top (Solo)

by **Vala** on May 20th, 2011, 1:24 am

20th of Spring

There it was, just sitting out on his counter, like a fresh baked pie to a fat kid - a fully stocked scribe’s kit. A holy light seemed to shine down from the heavens just to illuminate the godsend. Vala’s brain watered just looking at it. “Oh dear Priskil, please please... I want it so bad.” She muttered under her breath, now unaware of the bustling crowd around her. Vala glided over to the Written Word, as if in an ethereal trance. She literally began to drool in anticipation, her hand reaching out, shaking in desperation. Just as her cool fingertips were about to brush the course cloth of the case, it was ripped right out from under her nose. She cried out, the call of a wounded animal.

She looked up, mouth agape in confusion and pain, to the sound of a low chuckle. “Are you interested in buying anything my dear girl? This scribe kit perchance?” Confusion quickly transformed into anger, anger at the man who had so cruelly taunted her with something she had been wanting for a good half season, and then cruelly snatching it away. He waved the package about in the air in his right hand. “Are you a student dear? An apprentice? A reiman-” He stopped his good natured ribbing when he noticed Vala flinch at the sound of Reimancer. He put down the cloth package, untying the knot and unraveling it out on the counter for her to see. He smiled up at her, flashing her a warm smile, an unspoken apology He wouldn’t admit it but6 he did feel a little guilty for teasing the yasi, well he assumed her to be seeing as she definitely didn’t look like a scholar. He tried to continue with the sell to try and stop her from pouting so accusingly. “You seem like you know what everything is, but I’ll just give you a quick rundown of what’s what. In this pocket there is two stone styluses made right here in Wind Reach by a reimancer. Do you know what they’re used for?” Warden asked, trying to get the girl talking and out of her funk.

Vala’s put wavered as she flinched at the sound of Reimancer.”Yeah, they’re used for making guidelines when writing out a page, to prevent sloping, and without adding extra unnecessary ink lines.”

Warden beamed. “Very good! You already seem to know more than I did at your age.” Vala flushed a little at the compliment. “Did you also know they can be used to etch out leather or even softer stone? They’re also perfect for clay or wax tablet writing. The stone ones are definitely better than the wood stylus here. Now back to the rest of the tools. This set also comes with a metal straight stick also made here in Wind Reach by a master blacksmith. So trust me when I say this is quality you can trust and depend on. Anyhoo, we also have a barely used pen knife to sharpen your quills, unfortunately that wasn’t made here in Wind Reach but it still is of outstanding grade. There are four more pockets that you can fill with more quills or even brushes if you have the coin for them. But this set basically has everything you need to start off as a scribe. Just as Warden was about to finish his sales pitch he was interrupted by an Avora. “Oh excuse me for a moment,” He turned to the higher ranking citizen, leaving Vala to think about the purchase. Her hand slipped into the pocket of her byrda, her fingers running through the body warm glass Pinions, their light tingling muffled by the cloth. When Warden turned back to the young woman, his face was a little red, as he muttered angrily under his breath. “What do these people think? Just because I’m gracious enough to accept their job offer doesn’t mean I suddenly become their slave - one day? One day! Did that Vygak really think I have to do one day jobs? And not even the audacity to ask me if I could before walking away!” Warden coughed; a little embarrassed he had voiced his frustration to a potential customer. “I’m so sorry dear. I’m not mad at you. So have you decided if you are interested or not?” Warden wiped his flushed brow, sighing from mild exhaustion.

There it was! An opportunity. She had only tried such a tactic twice before with Feyra and Camriska, but those had pretty much ended up going swimmingly - basically getting a new quiver for free, and a free beading lesson. She still had a weird relationship with guys, especially since they seemed to have a harder time respecting her need for space, but Warden looked like such a friendly old man, she couldn’t help but drop a few guard, even if he had taunted her earlier. Plus, it looked like he was really stressed out - she knew how that felt and wouldn’t wish it on anyone... unless she hated them, or at least mildly disliked them. She took a deep breath. Ok, here goes. “I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t help but over hear your problem about copying something in time…” Vala pumped out the charm, her earlier pout replaced with a perfectly plastic twist in her lips. She adjusted her stance, drawing her pretty little feet in to make a v, unconsciously making herself appear more vulnerable. Even her eyes seemed to water a little, giving them that glistening shine of a child. She was pretty sure the old man assumed her to be a yasi, which was a little better than a chiet; she had no intention of correcting him unless it would help her. Honesty didn’t belong in the cut throat world of business. “Well I may be young, but I’m fairly decent at calligraphy. I can’t write that fast, but if I take my time my penned characters come out really well, I swear. I can even show you if you like.” Vala’s cheeks flushed as the torrent of words spilled from her mouth. Warden bit his lower lip, nodding, listening to the girl’s proposition with an open mind.

When she finished he spoke slowly and deliberately. “So let me get this straight, little girl. You are offering me your services for this scribe’s kit?” Vala stuttered a little; she hadn’t gotten to that part yet. Warden abruptly turned around and began walking to the back of his stall, leaving Vala gaping and utterly distressed. Before Vala could start bawling her eyes out Warden turned and nudged his head, motioning for Vala to follow. She trotted after him like an eager puppy, one looking for some confirmation of her skills, and maybe even self worth.

Warden pulled out a wax tablet, a wooden stylus and a slip of parchment filled with barely legible script. “Here show me what you got.” He said as he handed Vala the tools.

by **Vala** on May 22nd, 2011, 11:53 am

“One the most important things about opening a copying stall is secrecy.” Warden said to Vala in a low voice.

“I thought it was a steady hand.” Vala replied.

Warden couldn’t help but chuckle at the girl’s naivety. “Yes dear. That is important as well, but hold on, just give me a minute to get control.” Warden wiped at the corners of his eyes as Vala tapped the stylus impatiently on her leg. “Ok, sorry. Wind Reach is very different than most cities out there in Mizahar. The enclave and the Valintar take care of everything in Wind Reach. Stalls like mine are for private commissions such as letters, private business announcements, and whatever business is left. And that’s why secrecy is important, my dear.” Warden smiled, happy to finally have someone to tell his business. He was as giddy as a small child. Vala nodded barely paying attention. She was far too focused on the paper before her, with its illegible handwriting. Her eyes narrowed to snaky slits, as she deciphered the scribbled words. Before lining Vala continue, warden interrupted her little reverie. “Another important aspect of keeping a writing stand is the ability to decipher the chicken scratch these people give us.” Warden picked up the paper, inciting an annoyed mew from Vala. He shook his head, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he himself tried to understand what was written. He put the paper back down. “Well, best of luck.” Warden giggled again.

Vala sighed, wondering what she had gotten herself into this time. “So are you going to tell you what’s written?” Vala asked a little exasperated.

“Nope.” Warden smiled even wider.

Vala leaned her chin on her hand, trying to support the weight of her growing headache. Warden opened his mouth as if to say something else, but was interrupted by another customer interested in buying some paper. He turned around, one last glance at Vala to make sure she was okay. When he was sure she wasn’t up to any trouble, he nodded for her to continue and began talking to the next customer, a very animated Avora. Vala looked on feeling a little helpless. She picked up the paper in her right hand holding it up to the light. It was a cheap piece of parchment, the grain felt course and rough between her fingers, she sniffed like a snotty brat. The first thing she recognized was that it was a letter, from the obvious heading. She began muttering out loud, trying to sound out when she saw. “dear… Um…T… T something…Tavik? Tuvik… Tuvin? Yeah, it looks like a Tuvin… I think?” Vala bit her lip nervously, not in mood, well never in the mood, to fail at such a ‘simple’ task. Doing her best to overcome her numbing apprehension, Vala forced herself to just start writing. How bad could it be? It was a clay tablet after all; if she made a mistake, she could just smudge it out with her thumb.

Vala twirled the stylus between her fingers, adjusting her grip. She pressed the slim stick firmly, but not too tightly, between her thumb and middle finger, using her fore finger for support. She had only used a stylus once before, but she figured it was just like holding a quill. She brought the nib close to her face, inspecting the cut. “Yup, just like a quill.” Tilting the clay tablet about 20° to the left to compensate for the lack of a proper angled work station, Vala brought her stylus the top left corner. Just as she was about to make her first mark, she remembered that Warden had never actually told her what font to use. She bit her lip hard, drying a bit of blood. He was still busy with other customer, and she knew it would be out of her place as a Chiet to interrupt the higher caste members in their conversation. His stomach churned in rising anxiety, without clear instructions and guidance, Vala was at a loss. She hated this feeling. She considered options: 1. Walk away and pretend none of this happened, and avoid any embarrassment on her part. Or 2. Take the risk, and open her up to potential embarrassment, but also open her up to a potential opportunity, one she probably wouldn’t be offered again.

Egged on by the sight of the open scribe kit before her, Vala pushed on stifling the churning in her stomach and the no says bouncing about her head. He had told her show her what she ‘got’- show him is what she would do.

After deciphering the rest of the letter, which was just a simple business letter from one stall owner to a traveling merchant, Vala got to it; her little pink tongue poked out, ready for some serious business.

by **Vala** on May 24th, 2011, 1:03 am

Readjusting her grip on the stylus, yet again, Vala finally made her first stroke. It was thick, sure, and quick. A little too quick for the font she had decided to use, but she had never worked with clay tablets before and her hands were not as steady as she would have liked. Ever the perfectionist, Vala used her left thumb to smooth out the slightly wobbly stroke to do it again. She was always like that – the first couple words always had to be absolutely perfect, because hey, that was the first thing people saw; Vala was a firm believer of the power of first impressions.

This time Vala made sure to lighten up her stroke, as she made a slow and steady line. Vala hissed in annoyance when she remembered that the clay tablet was only temporary… her perfectly angled stroke would eventually be erased. Her motivation a little dampened, Vala still tried to keep up her evenness with the rest of the letter.

After she finished shaping the first character, she shifted her quill angle to form a narrower edge, to start forming the accents. Vala preferred this font’s flourishes, because like the base strokes, they were simple and straight forward, they just took a lot more concentration and a steadier hand. On the first character she attached three simple bulges by weaving the stylus, not a simple task with both mediums combined, by any means, in a single downward stroke. She had a choice between rounded bulges and pointed beaks of hackles but the jagged downward stroke would have been near impossible on the malleable clay. Vala made sure to keep her stylus at about a relaxed 35 degrees.

With the first character sufficiently embellished, Vala had to switch to a modified version for the rest of the word. The technique of switching from one heavy set font to a modified (undercase) version, was a very common practice for scribes copying important documents or religious texts. Vala was being a pompous prick doing so with a letter, but she probably knew that.

The modified font had the same width, with the stylus held at a comfortable 45 degrees, but the stroke patterns were designed to take up less space, they were also not designed for additional embellishments, only maybe the occasional serif, which Vala made sure to tack on to every single letter. She switched back to the original, heavy font for the first letter of every sentence, to give it the pretentious appeal without making everything too cluttered, as well as allowing those special letters to be emphasized. The final product came out very heavy and over worked, but beautiful and balanced all the same. Of course the perfect tablet was not at all a practical representation of Vala’s skill; the obsessive girl probably spent an extra ten chimes smudging out her mistakes with her fingers or the back of the stylus. And coincidentally, Vala found out she loved not having to deal with ink, sure it limited the flourishes she could accomplish, but it also limited the rage inducing ink blots that a stray wrist flick could incur. Of course the tablet had its own issues. The stylus nib would occasionally gunk up after every five characters, especially during flourishes, from the softer clay. The only way to continue properly, was to pause and actually spend time just picking the clay off – which burned a good five chimes in total with the work.

The one hundred word, about five hundred character, letter it had taken Vala approximately thirty chimes to accomplish. Warden had actually been done with his Avora customer in the first fifteen chimes, but he wanted Vala to finish her work before disturbing her, and possibly flustering her. He walked over to her only when she was cleaning the stylus nib of excess clay. Her hand felt a little sore from being forced into such a steady position for so long, but all in all, Vala felt like it had all been worth it – well, she hoped.

Leaning his hand on the counter, Warden looked at the tablet over Vala’s shoulder. “Let’s see what we have here- oh…. Wow.” Warden trailed off, truly surprised.

by **Vala** on May 24th, 2011, 2:40 am

Vala nearly passed out - from joy that is. “Do you like it? Do you really like it?” Her voice adopted a desperate, rising lisp. Warden waved her down, motioning for her to take her seat again.

Warden placed his hands on his hips, looking Vala straight in the eyes. “When I told you show me what you got, I didn’t expect you to whip out your best font-“

Vala’s stomach sunk, “you could tell?” Her lip quavered a little.

“I’m surprised you even know this font, let alone have the most common characters and their flourishes memorized. Yes, I’m sorry dear, but I did notice you skip some of the less common capitals,” He winked playfully, actually lessening the severity of his statement. “What I expected was a simple copy, maybe in neat girl hand writing but this, just this-“ Warden paused to look at the tablet again.

A torrent of paranoid insecurity burst from Vala’s mouth, not even her hands could dam them up in time. “You don’t like it? You don’t like it. You don’t. You don’t like it? Do you?” Vala’s baby blue eyes began to water, her hands shaking.

Old enough to know how to deal with a hysterical woman, and callous enough not to encourage Vala’s tantrum, Warden slammed his hand on the counter, instantly shutting Vala up with the sudden noise. “Good, you’ve stopped your blubbering. Now don’t even think about starting to cry, I won’t have any of that business with my new apprentice.” Vala gasped, releasing a couple tears down her cheeks, as well as a very surprised smile. Warden couldn’t help but smile back. “Yes yes, no need for tears though…” Warden paused, momentarily unsure of how to regain control of the conversation, so he turned back to what he knew best. “If you know this font, then I have no doubt you will be able to accomplish and learn so much more.” He was further urged on to talk at the sight of Vala’s growing rosy flush of joy on her pale cheeks. “Anyway, I will not force you to be an apprentice, but if you would like to spend some of your bendis as my worker, under my guidance then I am quite sure I can teach you much.”Vala sniggered. She brought her hands up to her mouth, but she still wasn’t able to cover up the bubbling giggles that threatened to escape. She finally just let loose, allowing her entire body to shake, raked by playful delight. “What? What did I say?” Warden frowned, unsettled by her maniacal laughing.

When Vala finally managed to settle down, wiping the laughter tears from the corner of her eyes, she gasped for breath. Her words came out a little rushed and out of breath, but they were still quite clear. “You thought I was a yasi! I’m a chiet, silly! I work in the Enclave! Ahahaha.” Vala started laughing again

Warden frowned, unhappy for being so easily fooled. His wrinkled cheeks flushed a bright tomato red, but he couldn’t remain cross seeing Vala so happy, so he just decided to let it go, especially since he spotted another customer coming his way. Allowing Vala another chime or two to settle, he rummaged through his stall pulling out a couple scrolls, parchments, inks, and writing supplies.

Warden snapped his fingers, demanding Vala’s attention, who quickly sobered up at the commanding noise. “Ok dear. I have to do some business. I’m sorry for mistaking you for a Yasi, I’m glad you enjoyed that. If you want the scribe kit then copy that letter onto actual parchment for me, in just a casual script, more legible for laymens, three times. There are also five other letters that he needs triplicate of. If you can do all that well then the scribe kit is yours. Good luck dear. Don’t waste my stuff!” Vala’s nose twitched as she watched Warden walk off. What he needed would take her a good three bells to do… was the scribe’s kit worth it? Yes! Absolutely, almost definitely, without a doubt – Yes!

Picking out a fresh quill, Vala pressed her nose to the musty parchment.

by **Vala** on May 24th, 2011, 3:02 am

She was pretty dang sure that her hand was going to fall off. If not the entire hand, at least a finger. Vala sobbed audibly as pain shot out, radiating from her forearm, from her wrist, from her fingers, and even from her eye balls. Copying was tough work. Maybe not as hard as actually coming up with actual original thought to write, but still, deciphering merchant chicken scratch was dang painful - it reminded Vala of why these people had to come to Warden to rewrite to be sent out in mass copies. If she ever saw the guy who had shamed the written word this much, she would be sure to dump a vial of ink, no that would be a waste, a vial of bile onto his stupid face.

Following Warden’s advice, Vala found copying the merchant’s other letters a lot easier in the simple flowing font. The characters also did not seem as intimidating without their elaborate flourishes or thick letter weight. The light letter weight of her font reminded her of feathers, Wind Eagle feathers, fluttering in the sky during a windy day. She smiled as she added an extra curl to the last character just for fun. It was getting late and most of the other stalls on the outer edges had begun to pack up. Warden looked especially drained lounging about on a stone stool. “Did you finish, dear?” He asked in a quiet tone. Vala nodded, unsure why, but uncomfortable breaking the silence with her voice and words. “Did you stack ‘em all up? The originals in one pile, and the copies set so that they can be mailed together to the right recipient?” Again Vala nodded.

Warden stood up to inspect her work, licking his finger and flipping through the pages, just to make sure. When he was confident he could trust her, his hand shot out and grabbed the unravelled scribe’s kit and began to pack it up. In less than a chime he had it all packed up and grasped in Vala’s extended palm. “Here you go dear. You deserved it.” The two just stood there for a moment, enjoying the end of the day. But then Warden had to go on and break the moment with some business. “So will you be needing ink with that?”

Vala’s eye’s shot open, the ache in her body fading just for a moment. Ink! How could she have forgotten? She was at the last dredges, and what she had left was basically dried gunk. “Uh yeah... probably.” She frowned at the thought of what that would cost her.

“Well if you meet me in the next few days at my room located in the Craft Gallery I have a reimancer’s notebook in need of copying.” Warden smiled encouragingly, raising his eyebrows up and down, not so subtly hinting.

“And what will that get me?” Vala asked warily, clutching her new, earned scribe’s kit close to her chest.

“Well I guess its fifty pages or so... maybe two vials to three vials of black ink?” Warden opened his hands and arms, as if he was offering Vala the deal of a life time.

Vala lowered her chin and frowned, looking Warden straight in the eye. “Do you really take me to be that naive?” The continued in tense silence until Warden finally snapped.

“Ok ok you got me dear. How about we try to negotiate this properly the next time we meet and you can judge for yourself how much work there is and how much its worth?”

“Sounds good. I’m on to your game old man.” Vala nodded playfully. Warden shook his head, in amusement, in return.

“Goodnight Vala. I hope to see you soon.”

“Bye Warden!” Vala waved as she walked away, the last rays of fiery sunlight dancing upon her crimson hair and pale porcelain countenance.

by **Vala** on May 24th, 2011, 3:12 am

Scribe Kit :

by **Flicker** on June 3rd, 2011, 12:12 am

Vala’s XP Award:

Copying 3
Calligraphy 3
Negotiation 2
Acting 1

Vala’s Lore Award:
Stone Styluses
Clay tablets
Modifying font
Being a baby
Business with Warden

Acquisitions:
The indicated supplies in the scribe kit

Comments: Nice read. Watch for sentences with erroneous words in them, just one misplaced word can confuse key ideas. Any comments, just drop me a line.