Completed From a Distance

[Toan Onox]

He pressed on like the bold adventurer he was, the tip being his footsteps as the surface of the paper his uncharted territory. Yet his destination was still very far from sight as he only began this journey, the incredible journey of exploring the finer details of this woman he met. Vanari was by far engaged in her work as well, the times he would glance up to capture another image for memory, he would notice her eyes as they focused sharply on the object she carved from wood. How incredible to see those hands, those beautifully slim hands, work their magic as they used their tools to peel off piece after piece of wood. Each fragment led to a shape that was slowly forming on the object, the shape in turn becoming a model figurine of her muse that she chose to shape into a form of her own craft.

He smiled. He hadn't the time to worry about hands yet, still, but nevertheless he was focused on the lines and curvature of her lower frame now. The legs were positioned acutely enough to outline and in turn the frame of her lower half was coming around, the lines still lightly drawn as he took utmost caution in how he drew the legs. They were slender, yet built to support a sturdy frame. They had been worked out enough to build upon strength, to carry the muse he drew in confident stride were she capable of holding herself in such esteem. The feet were next, the details on how he drew them vague and unfinished as he retraced his steps back to the first one. Her frame had almost been fully outlined, and now it was time to add the finishing touches since she still looked to be occupied. Indeed time spanned onward and Toan found himself losing track, but in turn made excellent prowess compared to the amount of work his fellow artist had achieved.

Only because her work was more delicate than his of course, carvers worked with tools far more dangerous than painters and sketchers. What Toan could accomplish in a matter of chimes would likely take a bells worth for her, then again of course the fact he took pride in his work when enlightened also led to him working faster too. "Progress is excellent my lady." He mused as he was already finished with the outline of her frame, and started the work of the details about her shortly before she'd asked. "Captured your beauty? My lady surely such a thing can't be done so easily, for I can only by far ensnare only a essence of that beauty and fabricate it into what you see here." He charmed as he took a moment to flash the work in progress before her, at best it was definitely an unfinished piece waiting to be filled.

Vanari would definitely be able to see that her frame had been caught and lightly drawn out, yet the finer details and shading had yet to be fully added yet alone recognized. Toan's sketch did at least hold traces of her hair around a face, a face blank as the canvas as it waited to be filled. Her clothing and lines around her shoulders were started though, and sure enough they looked to be leading on to the impression that somebody beautiful was in fact being drawn. At least one could say it was a mediocre drawing he worked on, something he hoped would look to improve the further along he got with the detail. "Tell me now, how fares your wonderful work of art? I'm sure the project proves all the more tedious compared to my simple work, yet I believe no finer lady than your good self is more than capable of such a performance." He mused with a chuckle just before he cast a casual smirk her way, only to return to the project at hand as he listened to the words she had to say.

He would listen and in turn indulge her in conversation, hopeful that while his work would capture her beauty, and possibly her heart in turn, he would come to find out more about this girl. He was not only inspired by her, but motivated in turn, therefore he wanted to see just what all was possible to achieve by practically meeting this girl. Sharp eyes would move from the parchment to Vanari, but only for a moment as he would return them to the paper, and bite his lip as he concentrated on the additions of detail towards her upper and mid frame.

[Vanari]

oocphew, sorry for taking so long! been a crazy week

Ari smiled and nodded along to Nato's constant stream of wit and flattery. I just might be able to get used to this, the vagrant mused to herself at some point. Once you made it past the initial bewilderment and self-consciousness of receiving so many compliments in one sitting, it was rather engaging in its own right. She imagined his silvery words like an intoxicating fragrance and her head a dome of glass. The tendrils would curl into view, little fingers brushing against the translucent walls, begging entrance, whilst her consciousness sat safely inside, watching with a kind of enchanted curiosity. Pfft. Who was she kidding? It was petching distracting and she could only wish for that kind of mastery in self-discipline and meditated detachment. Vanari beamed with genuine enthusiasm, however, when Nato lifted his drawing and showed his progress so far. The last time she'd seen someone else's creation in the making was forever ago and it wasn't something she'd want to miss. The Vantha studied Nato's drawing with the characteristic enthusiasm of a Skyglow. She paid a small amount of attention to technical ability but not much; creating accurate likeness was only one aspect of an artist's skill, after all. It was far more intriguing trying to visualize where he was trying to take the portrait. What he had decided to focus on first and, most importantly to Ari in particular, how he had translated what he saw. And what he saw was something she felt she could have studied all day. It was a little bit narcissistic, to be sure, but it also had to do with one simple fact: Vanari was clueless to how people viewed her. Tall? Dusty? Exotic in heritage? Strange in demeanor? She hadn't the faintest idea. It certainly didn't help that she was a wandering vagrant with little to no luxuries to spare. Wealthier people had mirrors and dresses and peers to laden them with kind pleasantries. Ari had none of that. For the most part, it never bothered her. Not one fig. She chose this life, so what was there to complain about? It had its freedoms and privileges and she wouldn't trade for the world. But it did make her curious. Horribly, painfully so sometimes, especially when she was feeling rather alone. The Vantha supposed it was only human, to possess the desire to see oneself through another's eyes. To feel some kind of connection on a basic level, or just to weigh your assumptions of reality against that of another. She supposed that was what drove her to stare so intently. But another part of her was simply stuck on the shocking image itself. Nato had made her look so...soft. So ladylike. Sometimes Ari forgot altogether she had every ability to fit into a dress or stick a flowery pin in her hair. There just never seemed an appropriate time for her to do so these days. Not after what had happened with Kaie. Not after what they saw. It fascinated her to no end. Did she really look this...pleasant? Almost, dare she say, elegant? The drawing was still mostly outlines, but even still she could see her hands didn't look quite as meaty and enormous as she always perceived them to be. Ari looked down and rubbed her fingers lightly against one another, the tips coated with a thin film of sawdust, before turning her whole hand over as if studying it for the very first time. Was this really how people saw her? Or was this yet another form of elaborate flattery? Morwen, how she might never be able to tell. Her endless roundabout of questions came to a halt when Nato asked of her own work. Flushing, Ari covered up her carving and hid it away from the young artist's view. "I-It's not done yet, you can't see!" she blurted. After seeing how seriously he had taken the task, her idea seemed so childish now. Maybe she could still salvage the whole thing with a bit more time, but for now it was completely unfit for public view. With a burst of fervor, the Vantha set to work again as her companion did the same. Her knife carved more intensively now as she devoted almost all of her attention to the block of wood in her hands. She couldn't change the overall shape too much at this point but she could at least put in her best effort. It was far less leisurely, working this way, but Ari no longer cared about leisure. She switched tools with the rapidity of one lost deep in their work and set to defining more of the features, deepening and sharpening grooves with every press of the knife. She was going to finish this thing with pride, or die trying!

[Toan Onox]

He felt amused to see how taken aback she was with the work, honestly his progress through the sketch felt like nothing to him. He hardly caught anything worth the essence of the real work of art before him, at least not yet anyway seeing as how he was only halfway through the sketch. When she in turn decided to refrain from showing the amount of work done with her art, he merely chuckled at took it as a sign that she too felt the same with her own work. They were both artists after all and the hardest critiques were themselves when it came to their own personal work, for Toan though this was a way to charm her through means of art. Words weren't the only thing he tended to be good with after all.

Give her time, she has more to work with after all. He reminded himself after he thought about how much more attention was required to carve, she had to literally be vigilant with her tools after all and he merely had to make a few strokes to create lines. Therefore rather than rush into the completion of his own sketch he decided to take it slower, soak in more of the detail and admire her features for personal measure. She was a pretty one, a very pretty one that he would love to see more of. As he resumed where he left off he was working on the middle part of the frame, the careful ease of the charcoal tip on the parchment to outline a few corners and shapes to match the start of her hands. They were cradled her lap and looked as though they held mere practical lines, but later on they would reveal the truth of what she was doing when he returned to that part.

He'd managed to get the entire outline of her frame down now, therefore details were next and that meant a lot of shadows and shades were to follow. He started from the top where her hair was, took the the charcoal and tilted it towards the side. From there he would observe the patterns in which her hair flowed, and in turn make gently eased strokes in the directions that made marks flow outward until enough had been made. Overall her hair looked decent as it was already dark as is, therefore he had to now focus on the details of her face and clothing to fill in the rest of the body on the parchment. How fun this would be! The man was careful about how he observed her this time, cautious to make sure he was seeing parts of her face from several angles so he could get a good grasp at the depth of perspective he needed. Calm eyes, soft nose, pleasant lips. Not too low but not to high either. As he got started on the face he made sure to be soft with the markings, the outlines of the detail a rough draft for him to work with as he built a template to start off with.

It was then he looked once more to see where the shadows in her face resided, where the light shone most prominent in revealing the features that made her look so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Yes there it is, the way the light shows presents an exotic but delicate wallflower. He noted as he started to fill in the shadows on the paper, it was then he truly started to believe that the sketch itself had finally started to capture a small amount of her essence. Now he had to work on the clothing and the shadows involved with that, first he had to contemplate on the torso region and how to NOT over-exaggerate on the size of her bosom. From there he started with the outlines of detail that made her shirt stand out and worked his way down, with the process of shading to follow as well. "I believe this sketch is turning out quite well, I'll be done with it within a couple more chimes rest assured." He finally broke the silence of concentration between them, a grin on his face as he cast her another glance.

[Vanari]

All bets were off now. She went for the completion of her little statuette like a hungry urchin would for that fresh loaf of bread poking tantalizingly from the back of a bumbling wagon. All her focus honed in on that single task and everything else stopped mattering. If the Vantha felt like she had a lot on her mind before, it was nothing compared to the furious onslaught of wave after wave of memories now. At first her emotions were impossible to control. They fed off of one another like toxic ooze and threatened to overwhelm her altogether. But then Ari forced herself to calm, to focus. She reduced her thoughts until only the steady sliding of her tools, the wood in her hands, and the comforting sound of regular city life occupied her mind. Winter had been a hard season for Vanari to digest. Aside from the initial trauma regarding a certain, alien tentacled worm named Lord Ravarisk and his cult of crimson robed disciples, there was also everything she had left behind. Kept leaving behind, time after time. First her home, then her fiery spirited, Kelvic friend, then lovely little Ria, and finally Vera. Not to mention an entire sea of additional places and faces in between each. She didn't even know where Kaie was at this point; the Myrian was fierce enough to handle herself, to be sure, but the image of her shackled and beaten was still seared vividly in Ari's mind. Every time it reminded her of the loneliness of her chosen path. And every time it wore her down just a little more. She was by no means done following the whims of her weary feet, that much was certain. But sometimes the trials of her journeys left her spirits just a little battered. Maybe that was why she had stayed in Nyka as long as she had. Normal Ari would be gone as soon as her heart wished it. But present Ari...present Ari was afraid. The Vantha used her knife to carve all along the top third of her figurine, sending snake like tendrils of wood falling into her lap as a neck began to take shape beneath a crudely carved head. The more her little spark of imagination manifested itself in the block of wood, the more she felt her worries lessen. Once the neck was formed she moved onto the body, carving out curving lines to indicate folds of clothing and hemlines. For now the figurine's outfit was simple but that was fine. Her focus would be elsewhere anyhow. Specifically, she had to get working on the ears and tail. Yes, tail. A bushy one too, coming straight out of miniature Toan's little rear, with two fox-like ears to match. Deft hands brought forth vague shapes before switching tools to carve more definition and the beginnings of details like tendrils of fur. Ari fancied that her new friend reminded her very much of the clever animals themselves, with his sly charm and quick wit. Thinking of that though in turn reminded her of Ria...but she brushed those memories aside. It was no use dwelling on those portions of her past that she neither control or influence over. By the time she'd gotten the figurine to near completion, the sound of Toan's voice broke her from her self-induced trance. Vanari looked up around her with a few slow blinks. Good gods, how long had she been stuck in this position? Her neck had begun to hurt and the Vantha stretched as liberally as she could without dropping all of her gear to the ground. Ari grinned back, feeling much less embarrassed about her own project. "I think I'll be done soon as well." She rocked from side to side a bit and winced. "Though I don't know how much more of sitting like this I can take. Best get this thing finished soon." Brandishing one of her tools, she added, "You'll laugh when you finally see it!"

[Toan Onox]

He couldn't help but award her a smile when she had told him he would laugh at best, the nature of her work more or less bound to be comical when the piece had reached its finished state. Toan's work of course was more than just a means to flirt and advance his influence or reputation, it was by all means a way to capture the essence of beauty in the purest form. Drawing had been a means to capture such graces, all while admiring them before his very eyes while he immortalized them in both his parchment and his mind. It never ended there of course, there was always something just as beautiful to behold when it came to the world. Sometimes the beauty is so great it just goes beyond any imaginable skill just to capture it.

Yet it wasn't as important to Toan as establishing himself properly, more or less his name that he sought to have in life. He didn't just want a reputation worth having, he wanted a reputation worth living. Through whatever means he could get it no less. Thus his side practices with the illicit skills he's learned, yet lacked in practice, has to be the main focus of his career. For now though, all he could do was settle for art. "I'm eager to witness its completion already." Thus he continued to finish his own project in turn, the shadows and outlines of her lower frame finally in the works as he would make soft gentle strokes in the lighter areas to note, and then easing into darker and thicker strokes when the darker areas followed. Sure enough his work had been finished at last, and with the frame that once looked to be like shapes and odd lines that hooked and turned about, there was at last the form of a human girl who looked so deeply content with the tools she held in her hands. Wood had been held close to be keenly watched as she plied her work, but far enough to keep the reach of her tools of preference at bay from a dangerous reach.

She was... beautiful. Even if Toan could see his faults in the work of art, he could see well that what elements he did capture portrayed her look well. And so he was convinced for the most part, part of her beauty had been captured and immortalized. A part that would remain an essence on paper for the rest of days, until at last that paper could no longer hold form. "Well now," He finally eased back and relaxed, "I believe I'm finished." He eased the sketch to where she could easily look down upon it, if she decided that she wanted to see it for her self of course. Now all that remained was for Toan to see if this act would lead them elsewhere, which involved making more social advances of course. But the timing wasn't just right yet, he had to make the opportune moment happen. Somehow!

"I take it you're finished with your work too? Perhaps I might take a look and see?" He suggested as he would scoot a little closer towards her, his grin cast towards her as he hoped to find some sort of opportunity to openly advance towards her.

[Vanari]

oocphew, sorry for the delay, things have been hectic!

With a steady breath to clear her mind of irrelevant distractions, the Vantha pushed, nudged, and drew her tools across the statuette, leaving slivers of sheared wood to collect once more at the center of her lap. Every now and then she'd brush the shavings onto the ground, but for the most part she paid them little mind. It was getting to be hard work. There was less and less shadow now to hide within as Syna made her daily climb and Vanari grew ever more certain her rear had gone numb. Her neck and back ached from being hunched forward, her eyes burned from dryness and intense focus. But she couldn't stop now; they were both so close to completion. Just a little more and the figurine would be done... The trickiest part was getting the face right, as Ari had already gone through the tedious labor of marking all the fine hairs on its foxy tail, ears, and paws. She took extra care in carving out two little eyes that had a look of mischief about them and a curving mouth to match. For the nose, the Vantha shaped a gentle protrusion to mimic that of a real fox's. Not a full sized muzzle but not quite a human sized one either. It took delicate scrapes to get the tip of the nose just right, forming a little nib that made the figurine's overall visage even more sly in appearance. For her last touch--as it was all her aching body could handle at this point--Vanari flipped the figurine upside down and carved in both her initials and the date. With that done she set it right side up gain and blew off as much sawdust and wood shavings as possible. A quick brush with the hem of her tunic and she was finally done. The Skyglow held her statuette at a distance and huffed a breath of satisfaction. She glanced up as Toan spoke and gave him a weary smile. "Yes, I think I'm finished. And about time, too. My back is ready to break!" Looking down, Ari caught sight of her companion's finished piece and couldn't help but ogle it, eyes widening to drink in as much at one time as possible. It was different looking at a portrait. So drastically different from seeing one self in a mirror or motionless pool. A portrait held all the intricacies of interpretation and perspective that could only be seen through another eyes. "That's a lovely piece," the Vantha finally said after half a chime passed by. Then she sighed. "You flatter me so, and in return I've made this..." She held up her odd little figurine, urging him to take it into his own hands with no hope that it would be as elegant of a statement. It was funny looking in ridiculous sort of way, with an up-to-no-good sort of half-fox half-Toan face, tilted ever so slightly up and to the side, and a rather debonair posture for the rest of the plump body. Her mother always did say she had a strange sense of humor.

[Toan Onox]

When she seemed a little bit disappointed in her work after seeing his own, he inspected the piece closely with high curiosity only before he found himself immediately grinning out of amusement. It was him carved with fox ears and a muzzle, a humorous representation of how this girl happened to view him as a first impression no doubt. Enlightening. So he gave her the impression that he was a fox, likely because of how smooth and handsome he was to her. As much as he liked to humor himself with the thought, he had to take into consideration just how ironically close he did actually resemble the figure. He was cunning, quick witted like the creature that he was formed with. If she could read into that already, then he certainly had to work on hiding it as to avoid future prospects from seeing it as well.

"Nonsense! You humble me with this kind of gesture!" He cheered with a smirk as he drew a little closer. "See here," He leaned a bit into her to show her the carved muzzle he pointed at, "see here? The amount of delicate work put into the expression shows that you not only observe closely, but put very much care and detail in your work. " When he looked back to Vanari from the figure he would be looking in her eyes, a look of wonder in his own as he paid close attention to the change of color that would occur. "Wow..." He looked entranced by her now, his move to subtly close into her personal space already made. Now all that was left was to see if she might fall for his charm. "You have the most... brilliant eyes my dear."

All signs were go then, as Toan would raise a finger to her chin so he could even her face with his. He still looked at her as though he were bewitched by her beauty, a tick spent in hesitation as though he were in a heated debate on doing this. Of course he wanted to do this though! Why wouldn't he want to anyways! Without wasting another tick Toan leaned his face into her's, and attempted to give Vanari a soft but smooth kiss that might last for at most four ticks. However she would react to this was something Toan didn't consider, all he knew was that he wanted to make a move on her, and that was precisely what he had done just now.

ooc... I am SO sorry! >.< It's all Toan on this, so slap him or do whatever you think Vanari would do.

[Vanari]

oocnever enough torture for one's own PC's

Her intent behind the little figurine was, of course, not one of impressive craftsmanship, but of something a bit more sentimental. Vanari had merely wanted to make her new friend laugh. It wasn't anything she was capable of planning out meticulously ahead of time. She just felt, in the unexpected moment of meeting, that it might be something he'd appreciate. Despite all her mother's intensive social grooming, Ari had never been good at doing anything other than following her gut. So it was to the Vantha's complete surprise that Toan showed something more than just amusement. And amused he was, most conspicuously at first, grinning as he inspected the little fox version of himself from head to toe. But afterwards he seemed...thoughtful as well. Then that thoughtfulness turned into admiration, and then that admiration turned into an awe-stricken, soul penetrating gaze that left the lass forgetful of everything right down to her own name. It'd been a long, long time since anyone had looked at her that way. Ria. Ari watched, paralyzed by a dozen different emotions roiling inside her much-too-small skull, as Toan leaned in, his intentions profoundly clear. If she had any illusions about what he was after before, it was no longer the case now. In the handful of harrowing, confusing, and horribly flattering ticks before one artist's face met the other's, Vanari raced through her options with irrational urgency. She could just let him. Why not? It wouldn't kill her, assuming he was just a normal fellow who liked to draw and flirt and not some undead sorcerer or finicky poisoner, both of which she'd met in Ravok and wouldn't let near her face in a thousand years, circumstances be damned. Or she could stop him. Ari certainly saw little problem with that, lacking neither in size nor strength against this particular person. Except she might wonder...wonder for the rest of her life what it might have felt like... And in that final moment of indecision, his lips met hers. It was soft and not nearly as brash or bold as she assumed it would be. A gentle but tender kiss, bringing his skin close enough for her to breathe in his clean, warm scent. Something inside the Vantha stirred at the sudden contact. She'd been musing how long it'd been all this time, but didn't fully realize just how long long was until then. It was kind of...staggering, the amount of time she'd spent alone. The gesture only lasted about four ticks but Ari found herself a bit breathless by the end all the same. She felt so bloody confused. And lost. Was this how she was supposed to feel? Had it been long enough for her to forget that much? She stared at him, tawny eyes having long since transformed into an unsteady shift between deep blue and pale violet, with flashes of mischievous green appearing now and then. "What...was that for?" Vanari managed to ask after a few more ticks, hoping she didn't sound as pitifully bewildered as she felt.

[Toan Onox]

His approach with her was something he expected to turn into a scene, as he hadn't really done a lot of flirting here recently to make up for the lack of practice... save for today when he finally met Vanari. Of course now that his move had been made, and Vanari seemed to be struck with awe by it he felt himself smiling deep down inside. His attempt had been rather a miraculous success and if anything, took the very breath out of her as he continued to watch her eyes when they finally pulled away from one another. He loved what he saw, what he had tasted when he was no longer kissing her.

Vanari was a beautiful woman and definitely one that looked to have been lonely for a while, but how Toan had to approach that subject was by far a very important thing to consider. He hadn't necessarily been alone but he his days more often than not, and seeing as how Vanari turned out to be pleasurable company he couldn't help but just try and see. See where exactly this could go between them, see if he could take it just a little further so that they may both ease the pain of loneliness for a time. Misery loved company, but when it came to Toan he was hardly miserable, he just loved company regardless of what they may think or feel. "Call it curiosity." He stated boldly as he tried to keep his head close to hers, the personal space between them still a bit small as he watched her eyes.

He wondered what was going through her mind at this moment, the transition of colors almost bewitched him at best. He definitely found her alluring, enough to dedicate a bit of time in wooing her at any rate. "You kiss just as gracefully as you look, but I can tell my lady that you've not been with somebody in a while." He hoped that his choice of words hadn't upset her, his regards to observing her no doubt apparent for what it was he felt like going after. "I've no doubt you have needs, needs that maybe I can... satisfy perhaps?" The proposition. Damn him if he weren't so bold in making it obvious, he needed to find more inventive ways to lead women on, but as for now he settled with what obvious might work with. That led him to using what charms he had, keeping her allured by intensely curious stares into her eyes.

All that remained was whether or not she might actually go for it, or if she may in turn decided to turn him down in some form or fashion. He predicted a possible slap to the face as a probable outcome, but didn't go counting his eggs yet as the idea was still fresh out the nest.

[Vanari]

Curiosity...how fitting, was the Vantha's first thought at Toan's bold words. Then the full reality of what had just occurred came rushing back and lit both her eyes and cheeks with vibrant shades of pink. Of course, her fellow artist was no where near done. Not even close. Because now he was blatantly suggesting just how alone Vanari had to have been since arriving at Nyka. So, that was the kind of impression he got from their impromptu kiss? It was as mortifying as it was true, and for a moment her eyes danced dangerously between both ends of a reddish spectrum, not knowing where they ought to land. Yet Toan surprised her once more, this time by suggesting he himself could perhaps satisfy her needs. His final intentions were, of course, not the least bit surprising. It was the sincerity in his tone that caught the young woman off guard. She'd outgrown her boyish disguise long ago, allowing every type of advance under the Mizaharian sky to establish its own familiarity. But this one was different. His offer was neither crude nor crass, only genuine, it seemed, in both his curiosity and desire to please. And now the question was, could he please? For the initial few ticks following Toan's ballsy proposition, Ari had been enduring a rather uncomfortable see-sawing between indignant embarrassment and sneaking interest. She supposed she'd always been this way. Fully aware of the stupidity of her actions but unable to help wanting to see them to their bitter ends. Maybe this time around she'd be lucky and the end would be a sweet one instead. Or maybe her luck would remain forever the same and she destined to add yet another specter within her collection of ghostly memories. To have yet another face haunt her in her dreams. It was hard to look her companion in the eye, given how intensely he seemed to have been watching her all this time. But the Vantha made a tremendous effort to do so anyway. It only seemed to the appropriate thing to do, to match boldness for boldness. "When you say satisfy..." Vanari began, the traces of an impish smile growing across her features. "How relevant is the word maybe?" She was tired. Tired of this currently rather sad life of hers, roaming about like some aimless Nuit when she wasn't holed up in her room. Tired of dreaming of losing Ria's face in a sea of strangers, or Kaie beaten and bloody in chains, or of red robed cultists throwing pink acid to burn the flesh from her body. All that was petching done and over with, yet they hung over her head like a perpetual cloud of misery. Well, for once, Ari wanted to be done too. She wanted to go somewhere happy, if only for a little while. And why not do so right here, right now? Who was here to judge, to even care? The see-sawing was done. As it was won't to be whenever she found herself standing at a fork in the road. Gone was indecisive, boring, timid Vee. Come to replace her was curious, adventurous, and occasionally-suicidal-but-much-more-interesting Ari. Her eyes settled at last to a tawny sort of wayward green as she packed away her tools, brushed the wood chips from her lap, and came to gaze unblinkingly at Toan. "Shall we see what all your talk is made of?" she accepted offhandedly, amusement slipping through her flippant words.