„Good morning, Lady Burhan“, Tristan cheerfully greeted the statue of Elyna Burhan that stood in the solar of Burhan House, as he had done every morning for about fourty trials. “How are you?” He put the bag with his tools onto the table and rooted through it, occasionally looking up at the statue as he did so, as if she were a living human being and he expected an answer from her. “I think we are almost done. I just need to work on your skin some more. No offense, but it still looks somewhat rough.”
He pulled a flat steel tool with a coarse surface called a rasp out of his bag and started working on the statue’s neck and shoulders, removing small portions of excess stone. Every once in a while he cast a glance at the clay model of Elyna that still sat on the table to make sure that he got everything right. In his opinion the two versions of Elyna did of course look exactly alike!
Once he had finished his work with the rasp, he took a smaller version of that tool that was called a riffler and used it on the face as well as a few other places to create the details that were still missing – such as a few well-hidden scars, behind her left ear, on her right shoulder blade and on her left leg, just above her ankle.
He didn’t think he would be able to get away with giving the statue scales or a second nose above her existing one and get the salary that he unfortunately depended on. Baroness Burhan didn’t seem to be the kind of woman that appreciated creativity. It was unlikely that she would notice the scars though. The woman looked kind of old and probably already had bad eyesight.
“That’s better, isn’t it?” he remarked, put the riffler down and brushed the dust that had inevitably started flying again from his clothes. He should really not have put a black shirt on, he thought. The fine white dust was unfortunately all too visible on it, but there was nothing he could do about it now, so he did the one thing he could do. He continued his work.
“I need to polish you now”, he explained, took a piece of sandpaper and showed it to the statue who did of course not react in any way. “Think of it as some sort of peeling. I was told women like that.” With that he started rubbing the sandpaper all over the statue’s body, occasionally increasing or decreasing the pressure, depending on what was necessary until its skin looked nice and smooth.
“You turned out quite beautifully, if I’m allowed to say so”, he remarked as he put the sandpaper away again and took a step back so that he could admire his creation better. “You are a real masterpiece. I wonder what your human counterpart will say to you. I told her I would be done this morning, so she should arrive anytime now …”
There was something almost perverse in being able to sneak into the family home without anyone noticing her. Dressed simply in trousers and a shirt Elyna had used a side entrance through one of the gates, sidestepped one of the guards and slipped in through the servant’s door. She’d spent enough of her teenage arcs in and out of the house to have explored it thoroughly. As an Airman, before her nineteenth birthday her family had insisted she remained at their house and travel down the lodge all day, unwilling to let their daughter live among the other members of the iron hand. Ever the rebel, she’d used this particular route to sneak into the house under the nose of her father and the servants, especially if she’d been out drinking with her fellow Skyriders. Keeping to the shadows and with an ear open for anyone moving in her direction, she slipped through the long and winding corridors until she reached the solar.
Leant against the door, she listened with a small smile as the artist chattered away. She was relieved to notice he wasn’t too familiar with her statue but maybe a little lonely if the stone was the best company he could hope for.
“I’m already here,” she announced herself, lifting a hand to wave before folding it back against her arm.
“I think it’s beautiful…I’m sure my mother will be delighted…have you been working on it all these trials?” She pitied him, it was turning into a beautiful season outside and her skin was only so pale because she’d been so ill. She’d lost some of the weight from her face and so her appearance was slightly different to the sculpture he’d made from clay. But poisoning, and near death would do that do you she supposed.
Curious the Skyrider stepped forward, boots kicking up the dust on the floor and sending it spinning through the sunlight. She grinned and waved her hands, moving it around as though it were some kind of magic dust before she wiped her hands on her breaches, “how do you polish it? Do you paint it with something?” Close up she circled it carefully. It was definitely still weird to see herself carved into stone. It was her, that was certain…but it wasn’t quite a mirror image because it was a separate entity. He’d captured life though, somehow in the cool surface.
“I look thoughtful,” she lifted her gaze back to Tristan, “the Baroness will be pleased that you think I’ve got a brain…”
„Oh“, Tristan made as he heard Elyna’s voice somewhere behind him and turned around. He didn’t look as if he were embarrassed, he didn’t blush, he just looked at her with a vaguely curious expression on his face and a small smirk, as if he found the situation at hand somewhat amusing. “So you heard what I said to the statue, didn’t you? I hope you don’t think that I’m some sort of antisocial introvert now because I talk to a woman made of stone because that’s definitely not what I am. I’d rather you thought I’m insane. Insanity can be quite enjoyable sometimes.”
He walked over to her and stood next to her, hands clasped behind his back, as she admired his work. “Yes, of course. Making a human sized statue takes forever, but I don’t mind. At least I leave a lasting impression on Idalos with my work. I could be a baker and have my creations disappear down somebody’s esophagus every trial.” Elyna would be able to notice that Tristan too was quite pale, but it wasn’t the unhealthy pallor that her skin possessed. He simply looked like somebody who spent too much time behind closed doors, sculpting as well as engaging in more questionable activities.
“That’s actually something I wanted to talk about to you”, he told her as the conversation turned to polishing. “I could polish the statue with oil, with linseed oil for example to make the surface shinier. I could also use tin oxide if you want to and seal the surface with wax, but it’s not an absolute necessity. A highly polished surface often looks cold and sterile, and I’m not sure if you want to be seen as cold and sterile, Lady Burhan.”
“So I thought I’d leave it up to you. I’ve only used sandpaper on the statue so far. I think the stone is quite beautiful as it is. If you want to, I’ll do more though.” He followed her with his gaze as she circled the statue, wondering if she’d notice his additions. To his disappointment she didn’t make any comments about them. Had he hidden the scars too well?
“Well, you do have a brain”, he remarked and looked directly at her. “I only copied what I saw. By the way, did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you inspected the statue? I couldn’t give it scales, but I did something you mentioned to me. I’m not sure if you remember …” He really needed to know what she thought about that!
“I think you’re an anti-social introvert because you’ve spent the last thirty, or forty trials inside carving a statue and it doesn’t look like you’ve seen any of the sun,” Elyna retorted with a grin, “am I wrong?” He was covered in dust, but beneath his skin had a similar ashen tone to someone who hadn’t ventured out from behind their pile of books in the library for too long. Some fresh air and mild weather would do him some good, but it wasn’t in her nature to criticize.
His mention of additions was tantalizing and she looked up at him before returning a slow gaze to the statue. She circled back in the opposite directly, curious and searching for the changes he had made. First she found the scar behind her left ear and she laughed, looking up at him, “brilliant! Thank you so much,” her laughter continued as she knelt and found the other mark’s he’d made, running her fingers carefully over them, as though her skin could somehow impact the stone if she wasn’t careful.
Finally straightening she leant back on the stool that had been left in place, “did you want the silver for them?” She asked, still smiling. He’d crafted something beautiful from a lump of rock and she couldn’t help but be impressed, “I think keep it as it is, it’s perfect…”
It was so large though, she wondered where the Baroness intended to keep it. If it was going to Burhan then it would take some getting there. How would something so heavy be transported? On a cart of some kind? Maybe once made of a thick metal, but wooden wheels would surely buckle. Realizing that her thoughts had wondered Elyna forced her attention back to the room, “so once you’re free of house Burhan, what are your plans? Are there any further works in the making for you?”
He seemed a nice enough young man and she felt bad if he’d been cooped up in the house for the best third of the season. Outside spring was definitely springing. The air was clear, filled with pollen, blossom petals and the grass throwing up shoots of yellow and blue flowers. The Skyrider held back her smile to be polite, but she was buzzing with happiness and positivism.
“Oh, I do have a social life”, Tristan assured her with a smirk. “It just takes place at night. If you want to, you can join me, and I’ll show you a side of Andaris that you’ve never seen before.” His blue eyes shimmered brightly, and the tone of his voice was so very persuasive. He even came closer to her and looked at her a certain way, as if he were seriously trying to tempt her to explore the city’s nightlife together with him.
It would be incredibly amusing to confront Lady Elyna Burhan with the women that worked at the brothel, the gambling addicts or the former smuggler who ran his favorite tavern. He almost hoped that she would say yes, even though he had made his offer half in jest and his reputation that had never been that great to begin with would likely be tainted even further.
“I’m glad that you like them”, he remarked her as she finally discovered the scars. “And I do of course want the silver. I’d never say no to free money, even though that circumstance probably doesn’t show me in a favorable light.” He looked at her as if he were actually embarrassed about his character flaw and were having second thoughts about admitting it, even though that wasn’t true at all. In addition to all the other character flaws he had collected over the arcs, Tristan was unfortunately also a bit greedy, and he didn’t care who knew.
“That was actually my last big job this season”, he informed her. He too was buzzing with happiness and positivism because of a job well done. Making the statue for Elyna’s mother had been more challenging than most of the things he had done since he had graduated. He was tempted to pat himself on the shoulder, but no, that would be a bit too much.
“Until the end of Ashan I only have to complete a few smaller works of art for which I’m glad”, he said while he put his tools back into the bag and wiped the table with a piece of cloth as it was covered with dust and small pieces of stone. "As much as I love sculpting, I need a change every once in a while. I’ll probably go to the beach, visit the circus and do all those other things that are best done when the sun is shining.”
“And relax, I’ll definitely relax even though laziness isn’t exactly a virtue, and my dear mother would probably complain if she knew that I’m not doing anything”, he continued. “But then again, she always complains about me because I’m not like my oh so perfect relatives.”
“And you, Lady Elyna?” he asked, realizing that he knew nothing about her apart from the fact that she had a job that wasn’t exactly typical for a noble lady. It didn’t seem right to be so clueless when he had been working for her and her family for about a third of Ashan. “Do you have anything special planned before the season is over?”
“By the way”, he added and took the clay model he had made of her all those trials before. “This is for you. I said I would give it to you, and I usually keep my promises.”
There was a subtle shift in the air as Tristan approach. His smile turned almost predatory, but enticing. Possibly a taste of the kind of evening he promised. Elyna raised a brow, curious as to what his tastes were and what dark secrets the city had yet to unveil to her. She’d spent more than her fair share of time in the city’s taverns and inns, especially in the previous arcs. Her behaviour though had somewhat curbed throughout Ashan, she’d been distracted by other things. For the rest of the season though, her time was limited.
“I might just take you up on your offer,” she met his challenge with a smile, “sadly though I’m due to depart for Burhan in a couple of Trials so won’t be able to join you. But in Ymiden? We can arrange a night?”
From her pouch she pulled out the change she had and passed it to him, three silver nels. Somewhat surprised by his acceptance, the Skyrider shrugged it off. She hoped he wasn’t in any trouble though. Andaris could be a dark place, a pit to get lost within. She’d seen enough folks lost in gambling and hoped his hard-earnt coin wouldn’t be easily squandered.
She watched him gathering up his belongings in the quick deft motions. He didn’t seem like a gambler? But she’d managed to hide her own faults for long enough to realise that the image presented to the world, wasn’t strictly accurate to the heart that lay beneath.
Had she planned anything special? Elyna couldn’t help the smile that spread across her features. Her lover didn’t know it yet, but she planned to surprise the Captain with a day at the circus the next trial, she was excited and hopeful that he wouldn’t find it flippant or childish “the circus,” she explained, “I plan to visit tomorrow…maybe we’ll see one another,” though she secretly hoped not. Being recognised out in the company of a married Baron was probably not the best idea. Still, she had her plans and she was damned if she wasn’t going to spend the day in Malcolm’s company…and hopefully the night.
Accepting the clay head she lifted it to eye level and studied it with care, nodding with appreciation, “thank you. I’ll leave it to dry? Is that what I should do with it? Or does it need to be baked?”
„Ymiden would of course work”, Tristan replied. He was very happy that she’d agreed. Now that he wasn’t worried about being trapped in an arranged marriage to Elyna anymore, he actually liked her and was looking forward to meeting her again. He hadn’t thought that that would ever happen. “I promise that I’ll make it worthwhile. There are so many great places in this city that they never told me about.” With “they” he meant his parents of course, those conservative, traditionalist, law-abiding nobles that did their best to shape their children into perfect - as well as perfectly boring - copies of themselves.
“Thank you”, he said as she gave him the silver and pocketed the coins. If he had known that she was worried about him having a gambling problem, he would have laughed out loud, but as it was, he just smiled slightly because that trial was turning out to be far better than he had thought.. “Maybe we will indeed see each other at the circus. I might try my hand at dagger throwing and watch the magicians and the fire eaters. I’m quite good with a dagger, but since I don’t have one here right now to prove it, you’ll just have to take my word for it.”
In addition to being greedy and often slightly inappropriate Tristan was unfortunately also prone to exaggerating. While he had had some training when he had been younger – his dear father had insisted that he learned to handle a weapon - he was far from an expert at it. He just knew where the pointy end went and where it would likely hurt his opponent the most, which was, when you thought about it, the most important thing anyway.
“Don’t tell anybody, but when I was a little boy I wanted to run away and join the circus”, he added in a somewhat conspiratorial tone, as if he had just told her his deepest, darkest secret, before he closed his bag as he had finished packing. “As for what you should do with the clay model, you could of course leave it to dry, but if I were you I’d put it into the oven and bake it. It will probably end up looking better if you do.”
Elyna almost asked for an assurance that the activities would be legal, and then she held her tongue. She had accepted in good faith and would start adding in conditions and provisos. Instead she grinned across at the man, he day was too bright for any shadows of worry to blight it, “well I’ll look forward to getting back to the city then.”
She laughed at his suggestion of knife throwing, “I’m always amazed if anyone manages to hit anything with their knives,” she chuckled, “they always weight them to make it impossible. You’d have best luck throwing with your feet, with your eyes closed,” the image continued to make her smile. It was more than a bit ridiculous.
Settled back on the stool she nodded at his admission, “I think we all dreamt of simpler lives,” she admitted, “there seems to be something so…free about the lives of the circus folk, they travel the world, work with what they love, can chose who they love…” the final phrase fell before she could stop it and she stood up quickly, “do you think I left anything behind last time?” she raised a brow at Tristan, kneeling down as though searching for a needle or thread, “I think something dropped out of my bag when I was weaving – but I haven't been able to pinpoint what it was?”
When she had finished searching for the phantom needle Elyna dusted off her hands on her trousers and straightened. The smile she offered Tristan was warm, genuine and therefore a little shy. He was an attractive enough man, a few years older and maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad match. It was not to be though, her heart and soul had been utterly claimed and she had no intention of marrying anytime soon. Not if she had anything to do with it. A bird dropped down onto the glass roof, skidding on the tiles, left its ablutions and flew off again. She hoped it wasn’t the Universe commenting on her thoughts.
“Bake the clay it is. It’s been good to meet you, I’ll look forward to our forthcoming adventures?”
"I could try and throw a dagger with my feet", Tristan offered. "I’ve never done so before, but I like a challenge." He looked down at his feet that were currently encased in very fine soft leather boots as if he were already wondering how he would best go about it. Should he do a handstand? If he did do a handstand, how was he supposed to see his target though? Come to think of it, how was he supposed to hold the dagger with his toes?
"If I successfully manage to throw a dagger with my feet and hit the target, the circus will probably offer me a job", he remarked after he had given the matter some thought and looked up at Elyna again. There was something about the way she had said that circus folk could choose who they loved that made him wonder. Had she ever fallen in love with somebody that her parents had disapproved of?
For a moment he was tempted to tell her that they were in the same boat, that he hated that they weren’t allowed to choose their partners, that his parents would likely disapprove of whoever he fell in love with as well, but he wasn’t sure if she really wanted to talk about it.
In fact she seemed to try her best to detract his attention from the topic that had suddenly come up, and thus he just cast her a meaningful glance before knelt down and pretended to join her search for the missing needle. "I’m not sure", he murmured as he let his gaze sweep across the floor and even patted it with his hands here and there. "I can’t find anything. Are you sure that you dropped something? Maybe you should check your bag again."
He stood up again and picked up his own bag. His tools were fortunately too big to just disappear. "So do I", he said as she told him that she was looking forward to their adventures. "I feel like I should say something more before I leave, but I don’t know what. So I just wish you good luck and hope that you’ll have fun, if that’s okay with you?"
Specific Knowledge
Sculpting: Using a Rasp
Sculpting: Using a Riffler
Sculpting: Polishing
Sculpting: Different Finishes for Stone
Elyna: Has an Unapproved of Lover?
Specific Knowledge
Clay: Better Baked than Air Dried
Tristan: Talks to his Sculptures
Tristan: Eccentric
Tristan: Wants His Work to Last
Tristan: Enjoys the Nightlife
Tristan: At Odds with his Mother?
As always, any questions or concerns, if you think anything is missing or are wondering why something is there, send me a PM!
Spoiler
Elyna and Tristan are an interesting pair with fun dynamics! They have some things very in common, but are utterly different in others, and its neat to watch this, particularly when we're privy to their thoughts!
