Solo Kaboom Goes the Sky

[Eilea]

52nd Spring 513 The Vantha sat near the lakes, carving away at a large piece of heavy wood. She was working slowly and carefully, as the man who had requested her talents of carving wanted a decoration for outside his room in the commons. He had requested it as a surprise gift for his significant other. Eilea, being such an emotional girl, knew she had to take this task. Making two lovebirds happy was something she lived for. Almost as much as making Kane happy. So she sat, her dress tied at her back, giving her more flexibility to move around this piece. The morning air felt so nice. The breeze was cool, yet the air was thick. If she knew better, a storm would be heading her way. But, she hadn't been around many storms, and this was only her second season in Wind Reach. If she had known better, she never would have brought the large piece out into nature. She never would have taken it so far from the commons. She never would have worked on it on such a day. When the clouds began to darken, the girl looked up, her eyes wide. "Wait... wait wait wait..." She whispered to herself, before looking around. There were a few deks around the area, all that seemed to be fleeing in any direction they could. Eilea glanced up the sky once again. "Oh Morwen... No no no!" She cried, and quickly grabbed at all of her carving supplies. She felt horrible. The man had spent a lot of pinions on the large piece of wood for her to work with. And she hadn't finished or even sealed the wood yet. Panic laced her thoughts and she quickly tore off her dress, leaving her only in her undergarments. "I can't let this be ruined. I just can't!!" She cried, wrapping the material around the wood. She stood, the rain falling a bit heavily. She glanced around nervously, her heart beating. Regret was filling her mind. That was when she saw her. A young dek girl was sitting against a tree, her knees against her chest and her head resting against them. Her hair was a mess, it was multiple lengths and draped over her shoulders. But she was out of the weather. She was against a tree. The Vantha took a deep breathe, narrowed her eyes, and began to drag the wood over towards the tree. "Excuse me?" She spoke in common. "Mind if I sit with you? Try and wait out the storm?" Eilea gave her a charming smile, but the girl didn't reply. She couldn't have been much younger that Eilea, herself. The Vantha jumped as the ground rumbled in response from the thunder in the sky. She pulled the wood completely under the cover from the tree branches and hoisted the large piece against the trunk on the opposite side that the girl was sitting. "Hey, I am sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt you."

[Eilea]

The girl looked at Eilea, but didn't speak. She ran a hand through her hair and then tucked her face against her knees, letting her hair spread over her shoulders. The Vantha tilted her head tot he side, curiously staring. "Uh... well... I'm going to try and work on this. If you don't mind..." She raised an eyebrow and then set her carving kit on the ground in front of the wood. It felt awkward, having a young Dek sit on the other side of a tree that Eilea had her work leaning against. She wanted to talk to her, but didn't even know if the girl could understand her. It was possible that she was mute... in which case, meant she could at least hear and understand Nari. The Vantha looked over at the girl after she had set all the carving tools in order. She was staring at her with bright curious eyes. To keep herself sane, Eilea decided to talk out loud, both to herself and the girl. It would at least keep the atmosphere comfortable, as the rain was starting to get heavier. "I am Eilea." She said in Nari and smiled at the girl. "I carve wood to make a living." She smiled at the girl, who returned a smile with broken teeth. The sight made the Vantha's eye twitch. She didn't want to know how that happened. "I have been asked to carve the imagery of a waterfall with a couple on each side." She knew the whistles of the language were off. She frowned at herself for that, as the Dek gave her an annoyed look. "Sorry..." Eilea began to trace the image with the white chalk. She started with basic shapes, drawing them each out carefully. First she drew the rectangular line across the middle of the board. This was the main concept for the waterfall. "I was told this couple met at the Falls." Eilea voiced, as she continued sketching away at the wood. Then she began to draw two smaller human like figures on each side, facing each other. One had more feminine qualities, while the other more manly features. "You know, carving really it like drawing. It is the same sort of movement." The girl moved closer towards Eilea. She bit her lip, but then looked at the chalk drawing on the wood. The Vantha held up one of the knife tools, the large U-shaped one. "And this tool is usually the first one I start with." She began to create a texture throughout the whole area of the wood, moving back and forth in several different formations, mostly criss crossing on top of one another. A lightning strike hit nearby, right as another clap of thunder echoed in the air. The wind began to pick up, blowing some of the rain in and underneath the protection the two had under the tree. Panicked, Eilea moved the board over against the tree on a different side. She touched the gnosis mark behind her ear and prayed to herself and Morwen. As she did, the rain water that hit the wood, immediately turned to ice. The Dek seemed to notice and made a little hesitant noise. Eilea looked at her. "I am from Avanthal." She responded. "Morwen blessed me with her ice. Do not fear." There was another thunder clap. The Dek jumped. Eilea closed her eyes for a second, then opened them, their color ever changing. She reached her hand out to the girl. "Do you want to draw?" The girl moved forward. The Vantha frowned at the girl's scent. She was dirty. Her clothes were spoiled. It made Eilea very uncomfortable. She set down the U-shaped tool and handed the girl a piece of chalk. "Try drawing on the tree bark." The Vantha ran her hand on the trunk of the tree. "It should be smooth enough." The Dek touched the tree and then began to draw.

[Eilea]

Eilea watched as the Dek girl began to draw. She moved slowly, completely unsure of herself. The Vantha just smiled to herself and looked back at her large piece of wood she was working on. As much as she had more to complete, she knew she needed to plan a way to get the large carving back to it's requester. She got to her feet and moved away from the tree trunk, looking around the area. For second, through the heavy rainfall, she saw what appeared to be a boy running with a coat over his head. Fallowing behind him was an animal. It was Kane and his dog! "Kane!" She screamed and took a step towards him. At that very moment, the loud bang of thunder carried through the storm, along with a large blinding purple streak of lightning across the sky! The Vantha fell backwards out of surprise! "Aii..." Eilea blinked several times, her sight confused by the lightning. It made her head throb. By the time her eyes could see correctly again, Kane was no where to be seen, and the Vantha could tell that the Dek was worried. For she had dropped the chalk and was staring at her wide-eyed. "I'm okay, I'm okay!" The Carver moved back to her piece. "I'm gonna get back to work. I really hope the weather calms soon." She picked up one of the carving tools and began to carve deeper into the wood. Every stroke of her hand created another line deeper within the wood. The deeper lines created a lighter colored tone, as deeper within the wood held a lighter color, the further to the edges were darker. This was a form of carving that made a three dimensional piece of art. The Vantha Carver looked towards the girl again. "Do you speak?" She asked. The Dek frowned and shook her head. "Yet... you understand me?" The girl nodded. Eilea frowned. She felt bad for the girl. She really did. But she also knew there was nothing she could do about it. It was just the Caste system in Wind Reach. People could move up in them though. Eilea couldn't help but want to help the girl, in any way she could. But, nothing could be done in the crazy weather. So the Vantha continued to carve.

[Eilea]

After two bells had passed, Eilea had finished the carving the image into the wood. The weathe rhad only gotten worse. The sky had darkened. Eilea's clothes were damp and uncomfortable and she had a feeling she would have to endure the night under the tree, with the Dek girl. She knew she had to seal and protect the wood from the water. Working in moist conditions would warp the wood and that was not a good thing by any means. She knew she had to work quickly with the oil, so she took the small vile from her kit and grabbed the small rag she had folded within it. Very generously, she applied the liquid, letting it seep deep within the carvings, hoping to protect it from the environment. More rain water, than she would have preferred had hit the wood and the damp material worried her. Eilea hated doing things wrong. She hated messing thing sup, especially her work. And carving was her love, or at leats one of them. Her real love was Kane, but... it wasn't time for Kane at this moment. It was time for finishing her carving completely. Which meant sealing and protecting it with the fancy oil form the carving kit. But it would take a while for the sealing liquid to set. The Vantha had lost all sense of time. She propped the piece of wood against the tree again, the design side facing the bark and moved over to the Dek. The girl had completely used up the chalk, what was left was dissolving under the water. It was getting too dark. "The sun must be setting." Eilea voiced to the Dek, who didn't respond. She looked to her. "It's really getting dark. I don't want to spend the night here." The girl just looked at her. "Do you know of any nearby shelter?" She shook her head. The Vantha let out a sigh. "Are you planning to stay here until the storm passes?" There was another flash of lightning as well as a loud deafening thunder clap. The Vantha shivered. "Well, I know I'm not going to go out there anytime soon. The rain is just getting worse." Eilea felt nervous. She wanted to talk to the Dek girl, but the whole situation was getting worse. The weather was deteriorating. She was cold. The carved piece didn't have a guarantee of making it through the storm. And who knew how long the storm would last? She leaned against the tree, and closed her eyes...

[Eilea]

Morning came with a shock. Though being Vantha, Eilea did have a resistance to cold, it was the wet part that surprised her. And the fact that the ground was soaked and partially flooding, creating many puddles around her. She blinked her green eyes and looked around. To the left of her, the Dek girl from the previous night was curled up against a puddle. The air was lighter. The rain seemed to be clearing, but Eilea could see larger, darker storm clouds moving in. It was her chance to take. She couldn't do much more. Eilea pondered waking the girl, but decided that wouldn't be the best option. So she opened the carving set and took out another piece of chalk. She grabbed one of the rags and wrapped it in it, before placing it in the sleeping girl's hand. The Carver flipped the carving over, and examined it. The watermarks had left a stunning color array on the wood. Somehow, the accidental exposure to moisture had made the carving a bette piece. Eilea almost didn't want to give it away. But she had made a promise. And this was a request. So she held it against her chest and looked out into the rain, before her making her way back to the commons, to deliver the carving.

[Phoenix]

Eilea

Award

Skill	XP Earned
Carving	5
Drawing	2
Teaching	3
Socialization	2

•	Lores Earned
•	Carving: Patience and a steady hand
•	Carving: A storm could ruin everything
•	Carving: Same movement as drawing
•	Being nice to a Dek girl
•	Scared of a thunderstorm
•	Accidently making a piece of art better

The Order of the Phoenix

I love how you make your job threads into little stories. I think it's great! Awesome job
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.