A Cut Above.

[Faith Augustin]

"Yes. And I felt the same." Furious and helpless, that was. However, she raised an eyebrow when he talked about the first time they met. She'd been so excited she could barely contain herself. Then he'd made her tea, asked how to react when she dropped a curtsy and even gave her homework because she wanted it. Even then, that very first time they'd met she and he, she'd argued with him in a way she never would normally. But he felt it, knew it for sure the same moment as her? Faith looked at him and her eyes shone with delight at that.

She laughed at his summation, though and as rare a sound as is was from her, she was genuinely amused. "Well, we have done it all unlike anyone else. I think our romance should follow those guidelines, don't you? We can tell the grandchildren about love by the glow of the exploding tomb and how the flickering of the burning from the medical tent set the moment beautifully." She realised what she was saying and gave a wide eyed expression, "Not ready for grandchildren talk. Nope. No siree. Moving on." With a wicked grin, she set about doing what he needed her to do with the blood and, when he turned back and she called him a wimp she handed him two vials. "The second one is for you to experiment on, if you want. Call it love in a bottle or something sappy, but find out what can be done with it, so we can try and find someone with a healing mark." She was, as ever, entirely pragmatic.

He was happy for her to help him and she was delighted to do so. Faith had some skill with alchemy, but not anywhere near Padraig's. It was a real learning experince for her, watching the technique as he melted and applied the color shifting enchantment. She sewed carefully with him and then, when it was done she watched him as he put it on his shoulder. Faith beamed in absolute delight at that outcome then, when he offered it to her she laid it on to her skirt, which frankly more or less doubled as a tent as far as she could tell at this point and it shifted into the white when she laid it there, and the red when she laid it there. Then, she put it across the two and it shifted to match, half of each.

"Oh look at that!" She looked at him to check that he was happy with the speed and quality of the change and then smiled. "What now?"

[Padraig]

[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=4018[/img]

Grandchildren? There was a time when the mere thought, much less the mention of the prospect, might have caused a rash or at least sent a wave of resistance and dread through him. Oddly enough however, it didn't now. Had it been a looming possibility, then true, things might have been much the same. But they'd come a long way in a very short time. They'd both changed.

Their outlooks had changed. The thought of becoming parents wasn't quite as terrifying or repelling as it once had seemed. In fact? Well, as a future prospect, it had become a consideration worth, well, considering.

But nope, not ready for that kind of talk, he agreed with her and grinned a little as they turned back to the business of creating the cloak. Or at least the kerchief that would allow them to move on to bigger and better things. "Love in a bottle?" he asked with a chuckle as he received the second vial. "Combined with a hopeful enchantment, we'd have the market cornered on an Idalos wide trial of romance." They'd make a fortune he was sure.

So, the enchantment intended to cause the color changes had worked just as he'd hoped it would. And it worked exceptionally well. "Now we layer on the second enchantment, which I've prepared and have ready, and finish the kerchief. And test again to see how the two work together," he told her. And so their work on the kerchief continued, though it was a careful and slow process.

At the end, it occurred to Padraig that it would need to be him that tried it out, since Faith's blessing meant she was already warm, or cool as need be. She might not notice the difference. So bundling up with the exception of one glove left off, he wrapped the finished kerchief round his hand and stepped outdoors into the cold. He waited there, wanting to know if eventually the hand wrapped in the kerchief would grow colder the longer he was exposed. And to his delight, it didn't. And even better, when he lowered his hand towards a sill covered in snow, the kerchief turned white to match it.

And so he returned, wearing a wide smile. "It works. Both enchantments work." But just to be sure, he placed his hand nearer the fire in the hearth to see if it would grow too warm when exposed to the radiating heat. And it didn't. His hand remained comfortable, wrapped inside the kerchief. And so it seemed that they'd succeeded. And having done so, the cloak itself became a formality. A fine garment sewn and enchantments layered on as before. And then the commission would be completed.

[Faith Augustin]

The thing that she really hadn't expected about alchemy was that the layering on of enchantments was, well, just a little dull. Not that Faith said that aloud, and she tried to not let it show on her face, either. When she glanced at him, though, she saw that he felt quite differently. With a smile she lowered her head to what they were doing here and realised that this was why she was a seamstress and him an alchemist. Of the two processes, she found the outcome of alchemy to be fascinating, but the process itself? Give her a needle, thread and some scraps of material any trial, thanks. Careful not to jog against him or interrupt what he was doing, she laid her head against his shoulder for a moment and said nothing, quite content to just be in the moment.

When they were done, he went out to test it, which made sense since she couldn't really tell if it was working or not and Faith stood up and stretched, walking around the room with her hands pressed into her back. Pregnancy, especially suddenly-very-there pregnancy was hard on the back and whilst she did her best to not show it and she certainly never complained, he knew somehow. Something of a case of 'be careful what you wish for', she thought with a smile to herself as she made a cup of tea for when he got back in. Watching him as he came through the door, she could see that it had worked by the wide smile of delight on his face and she nodded, her expression matching his. "I didn't doubt it for a moment. Well done."

So, stop for a cup of tea and she sat in a different position for a few breaks, which helped enormously. Then, it was on to the cloak itself and that was going to take time, she told him with a smile. As she put it, she couldn't begin to rush perfection, therefore he would need to be patient with her.

Faith was meticulous in the making of the cloak. Whilst he'd seen her sew since she first moved in to their home in Andaris, it wasn't until he was involved that he got to see just how complex and, very probably dull to his eyes, it was. She measured and measured again, cut, measured, cut another time. The stitches she used were tiny, equally spaced and intricate; she sewed in places which no one would see but which she explained would help with the way the cloak fell. The difference between good and masterwork was in the detail, it seemed and Faith was determined to produce the cloak to the absolute best of her skill level.

It would be no surprise to him, of course, that she was a disciplined and focused individual. Heavily pregnant or not, she was quite content to simply sit and do this until it was done. However, ironically, she tried to remind herself to give him regular breaks. When it was appropriate she'd stop and make a drink, or walk a little. It did, she had to admit, help with keeping focused. Fundamentally, she would take all the time needed to make sure that he could do what he needed to and that the cloak was of exquisite quality.

[Padraig]

[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=4018[/img]

For Padraig, so far as alchemy was concerned, the process was as fascinating and engaging as the outcome. Maybe to an even greater extent. Done wrong, the process could result in a complete failure, or done correctly, a stunning affect. And yet there was always the potential for new, accidental but promising, even astounding discoveries. Just a pinch too much of this, too little of that, and so on, those things could shift the outcome dramatically.

Sewing? Well, he just didn't quite feel it but was nonetheless awed by Faith's mastery over needle, thread and fabric. "I believed it would work," Padraig told her with a smile when he returned from the outdoors and accepted the cup of tea.

"I was confident that it would. But there's always that chance," he admitted and was all too ready to sit and relax for a break or so before turning to the cloak itself. He was relieved in truth. What had been asked of him, he hadn't done before. And no matter what confidence he'd felt, it was a relief that he wouldn't return to his employer empty handed.

And so once again they worked side by side. Her on the cloak, him layering melting and layering the enchantments into the seams and the weave as the garment took shape. It took quite a while, a great amount of focus and patience. What they'd produce was a cloak that a woman with money to spend would be pleased with for the aesthetics alone. But also one that would function exactly as it was intended to. So at the end, Padraig suggested that Faith try the thing on in order to make sure the color enchantment worked as it should. Then once she'd done it, he'd wrap the thing round his own shoulders and step outside once again, to discover that all of the work had resulted in just what he'd hoped it would.

[Andráska Venora]

• A sweet little thread. I am always a little intimidated by reviewing your things, because you both have so many knowledge, that I'd hate to miss one and repeat it. With that being said: Faith - Not sure if you notice, but there is some knowledge, specifically about Padraig, that are repeated on your CS (Padraig: Hates Cats, and Padraig: Loves You, caught my eyes the most). Not sure if that was accidental or they were awarded more than once. Anyway, the thread was good and straight forward. I'm not the most scientific person, so I hope I did the review justice. I was very interested in it, as I am hoping to get one of my PCs involved in the craft of alchemy. Great job.
  Faith - 5/5/5
  These points may not be used for magic.
  

  Knowledges

  Padraig: Easy to Tease

  Padraig: Believes You To Be The Best

  Mirror Dust: Reflects Color

  Chameleon Gland: Good for Color Changing Enchantments

  Alchemy: Conflicting Properties Must Be Considered Before Creation

  Alchemy: Stone is Good For Regulating Temperature

  Alchemy: Divine Magic Is A Powerful Reagent

  Animal Husbandry: Frogs Regulate Their Own Body Temperature or Hibernate

  Socialization: How to Recognize Unwanted Conversation Topics (like Grandchildren)

  Sewing: Using a Sample Swatch is Vital To Bigger Projects

  Sewing: The Difference Between Good and Masterwork is the Amount of Detail

  Devotion	Immortal	Reason
  +1	Vri	Prayer
  +1	Famula	Prayer

  Loot - Quality time with the love of your life.
  
  Fame - N/A Padraig - 5/5/5
  The points may not be used for magic.
  

  Knowledge

  Faith: Very Jealous

  Faith: Wants to Try Sledding

  Mirror Dust: Reflects Color

  Chameleon Gland: Good for Color Changing Enchantments

  Alchemy: Conflicting Properties Must Be Considered Before Creation

  Alchemy: Stone is Good For Regulating Temperature

  Alchemy: Divine Magic Is A Powerful Reagent

  Alchemy: How to Determine the Success of an Enchantment

  Socialization: Using Diversions To Avoid A Task at Hand

  Chemistry: How to Purify Ingredients Into Powder

  Sewing: Using a Sample Swatch is Vital To Bigger Projects

  Devotion - N/A
  
  Loot - Enchanted Cloak
  

  Fame	Reason
  +3	Timely Delivery of Goods

  Also: I didn't see Xiur's blood in your inventory. Not sure if I missed it, but you might want to ask a mod or reviewer for it if you received it in another thread, or add it to your CS. It was a fascinating detail.