Saun 4, 718 - Morning
Auya awoke easily from her slumber at the Saltmaiden. She even got to have a proper night's sleep, sharing a room with Varlum and Leeson. It seemed the people here were not nearly as violent toward her kind as in Rharne proper. And with Varlum in the room, she was not worried of being attacked in her sleep. She looked over, able to see by the small amount of light trickling in through the curtains, one lump in Leeson's bed, and one much larger lump in Varlum's. She quietly slipped from her bed, careful to set her feet gently against the floorboards to prevent them from creaking. She dressed quickly and slipped out of their room, as best she could so as to not wake them.
She was grateful for Varlum's steadfast presence. A fellow blacksmith, and one that scared off many of the people that would attack her, and he was genuinely nice to her. And wanted nothing in return. A good man. One of the few she'd met in her two arcs here. She crept down the hall, into the reception area. She smiled at the man working the counter, different from the tired woman who'd been posted there when they'd arrived. This man smiled, at first. Then she saw his eyes shift just a bit off center of her gaze. His smiled dropped into a stern frown, and her heart broke. It wasn't any different here.
He'd seen her red hair, kept in a long braid she'd made up before bed, draped down her front. She quickly made her way out of the inn before the man could decide to throw her out. Once out in the open air, she looked around. It seemed most of the town had yet to wake up yet, only the earliest of people. Auya put her braid down her back, still determined to not hide it, for to hide it was to suggest being guilty of something. She didn't deserve this treatment. Not yet, anyways. She had yet to do anything of actual use for Faldrun.
She was walking through town, enjoying the nice lines in the architecture. She noted that all of the buildings seemed to be wooden here. It made sense, they were right by a forest. And from what she'd gathered on their entranced to the city, metals were risky to have here. Her own dagger was wrapped up in her spare skirt, in the far corner of their room. She passed by a shop of some sort, when a glint caught her eye. She turned, seeing a moving shimmer.
Stopping, she turned, and looked more closely. There was a man working around a fire with a pot on it, in the side yard of the shop there. At least, he was a man when he walked about facing her. But when he turned his back to her, he almost disappeared. She wore a curious look, realizing that no, he hadn't disappeared, but rather was wearing some sort of mirror. She moved closer, stopping at the gate there that separated them, watching quietly. It was definitely a mirror, but it moved like fabric, and he wore it like a cloak. It didn't make much sense to her. She knew that mirrors were glass, and glass was rigid. It couldn't move like that, it would break. Everyone knew that.
But her eyes were proving her wrong. Finally, the man looked up and noticed her staring in her curious wonder. He smiled. And this time the smile stuck. Still, she hesitated, nervously fidgeting. She decided to try something, to see if maybe he just hadn't noticed her hair color. She didn't want to get close enough to be hit. She nervously grabbed her braid, pretending to finger it, unsure. But there was no way he wouldn't be able to see the color now.
"Well I'm not going to bite, you wanna come see something amazing?"
Auya nodded, and pulled open the gate, slipping inside approaching the cauldron over the fire the man stood by. He held out his hand, "Names Royo. And who might you be?"
She gently took his hand, smiling softly, "Auya." She glanced at his cloak again, "How do you make a cloak out of glass? Why isn't it breaking?"
The man guffawed, "That's what I'm gonna show ya lass. This cloak isn't made of glass. It is made of cloth like any other." He gestured to the contents of the cauldron, "Inside there I have gelatin boiling. It is a substance that we make from boiling bits of animals. Like when chewing on chicken and you get that chewy bit on the end of the bone? When you boil that down, you get gelatin. Right now, it doesn't look like much, I know, but..." He picked up a sack that was on the ground, and held it up, "If we add mirror dust..."
He poured the sack of shimmering powder into the cauldron. The cloudy liquid immediately took on a sheen. It truly did look like a liquid mirror, and certainly different than just water. It was... shinier. He stirred it with a large wooden spoon, "Do you have something you'd like to make mirrored? Preferably small, just for a demonstration. Your hat maybe? For 10 glass nels?"
There was no way in hell that Auya was going to pass this up. Her curiosity was far too intense. She didn't give a damn about her straw hat anyways, she'd only bought it because she knew it would be a long ride in a wagon under the suns. She pulled it off her head, and handed it, along with the required coins to the man. He took it, smiling. "Watch closely." He grasp the hat with a pair of tongs, and dipped it into the shimmering liquid. He let go of it, turning it over and over, letting the mixture soak into the fibers. Once he was satisfied, he grasped it once more with the tongs, and pulled it out slowly. As he did, Auya gasped. The hat was like a mirror now!
He pulled it all the way out, and began to gently shake it, tossing away droplets, letting it dry. He held it close to the fire until he was satisfied. He handed the new hat to her, smirking at the obvious wonder on her face, as she wordlessly grasped the hat. It was like magic. Almost as if he'd read her mind, "It's not magic lass. It's alchemy. Now you have a nice trial, I have to make more things just like that fancy hat of yours."
Auya was smiling from ear to ear, for the first time in a while, as she plopped the warm hat upon her head. It reflected its surroundings and she absolutely loved it. She thanked the man, nodding at him, before leaving his yard. She walked through town with an extra bit of chipper in her step, happy about finally having a good day. Volta was already seeming like a much nicer place. And in her glee, she promptly ran into the back of someone, falling backwards and onto her rump.
Looking up, she could see it was a man, and she immediately grew fearful, scooting backwards away from him, just in case he decided to get violent, her eyes wild and heart racing, a quick "Sorry," squeaked out.
Auya awoke easily from her slumber at the Saltmaiden. She even got to have a proper night's sleep, sharing a room with Varlum and Leeson. It seemed the people here were not nearly as violent toward her kind as in Rharne proper. And with Varlum in the room, she was not worried of being attacked in her sleep. She looked over, able to see by the small amount of light trickling in through the curtains, one lump in Leeson's bed, and one much larger lump in Varlum's. She quietly slipped from her bed, careful to set her feet gently against the floorboards to prevent them from creaking. She dressed quickly and slipped out of their room, as best she could so as to not wake them.
She was grateful for Varlum's steadfast presence. A fellow blacksmith, and one that scared off many of the people that would attack her, and he was genuinely nice to her. And wanted nothing in return. A good man. One of the few she'd met in her two arcs here. She crept down the hall, into the reception area. She smiled at the man working the counter, different from the tired woman who'd been posted there when they'd arrived. This man smiled, at first. Then she saw his eyes shift just a bit off center of her gaze. His smiled dropped into a stern frown, and her heart broke. It wasn't any different here.
He'd seen her red hair, kept in a long braid she'd made up before bed, draped down her front. She quickly made her way out of the inn before the man could decide to throw her out. Once out in the open air, she looked around. It seemed most of the town had yet to wake up yet, only the earliest of people. Auya put her braid down her back, still determined to not hide it, for to hide it was to suggest being guilty of something. She didn't deserve this treatment. Not yet, anyways. She had yet to do anything of actual use for Faldrun.
She was walking through town, enjoying the nice lines in the architecture. She noted that all of the buildings seemed to be wooden here. It made sense, they were right by a forest. And from what she'd gathered on their entranced to the city, metals were risky to have here. Her own dagger was wrapped up in her spare skirt, in the far corner of their room. She passed by a shop of some sort, when a glint caught her eye. She turned, seeing a moving shimmer.
Stopping, she turned, and looked more closely. There was a man working around a fire with a pot on it, in the side yard of the shop there. At least, he was a man when he walked about facing her. But when he turned his back to her, he almost disappeared. She wore a curious look, realizing that no, he hadn't disappeared, but rather was wearing some sort of mirror. She moved closer, stopping at the gate there that separated them, watching quietly. It was definitely a mirror, but it moved like fabric, and he wore it like a cloak. It didn't make much sense to her. She knew that mirrors were glass, and glass was rigid. It couldn't move like that, it would break. Everyone knew that.
But her eyes were proving her wrong. Finally, the man looked up and noticed her staring in her curious wonder. He smiled. And this time the smile stuck. Still, she hesitated, nervously fidgeting. She decided to try something, to see if maybe he just hadn't noticed her hair color. She didn't want to get close enough to be hit. She nervously grabbed her braid, pretending to finger it, unsure. But there was no way he wouldn't be able to see the color now.
"Well I'm not going to bite, you wanna come see something amazing?"
Auya nodded, and pulled open the gate, slipping inside approaching the cauldron over the fire the man stood by. He held out his hand, "Names Royo. And who might you be?"
She gently took his hand, smiling softly, "Auya." She glanced at his cloak again, "How do you make a cloak out of glass? Why isn't it breaking?"
The man guffawed, "That's what I'm gonna show ya lass. This cloak isn't made of glass. It is made of cloth like any other." He gestured to the contents of the cauldron, "Inside there I have gelatin boiling. It is a substance that we make from boiling bits of animals. Like when chewing on chicken and you get that chewy bit on the end of the bone? When you boil that down, you get gelatin. Right now, it doesn't look like much, I know, but..." He picked up a sack that was on the ground, and held it up, "If we add mirror dust..."
He poured the sack of shimmering powder into the cauldron. The cloudy liquid immediately took on a sheen. It truly did look like a liquid mirror, and certainly different than just water. It was... shinier. He stirred it with a large wooden spoon, "Do you have something you'd like to make mirrored? Preferably small, just for a demonstration. Your hat maybe? For 10 glass nels?"
There was no way in hell that Auya was going to pass this up. Her curiosity was far too intense. She didn't give a damn about her straw hat anyways, she'd only bought it because she knew it would be a long ride in a wagon under the suns. She pulled it off her head, and handed it, along with the required coins to the man. He took it, smiling. "Watch closely." He grasp the hat with a pair of tongs, and dipped it into the shimmering liquid. He let go of it, turning it over and over, letting the mixture soak into the fibers. Once he was satisfied, he grasped it once more with the tongs, and pulled it out slowly. As he did, Auya gasped. The hat was like a mirror now!
He pulled it all the way out, and began to gently shake it, tossing away droplets, letting it dry. He held it close to the fire until he was satisfied. He handed the new hat to her, smirking at the obvious wonder on her face, as she wordlessly grasped the hat. It was like magic. Almost as if he'd read her mind, "It's not magic lass. It's alchemy. Now you have a nice trial, I have to make more things just like that fancy hat of yours."
Auya was smiling from ear to ear, for the first time in a while, as she plopped the warm hat upon her head. It reflected its surroundings and she absolutely loved it. She thanked the man, nodding at him, before leaving his yard. She walked through town with an extra bit of chipper in her step, happy about finally having a good day. Volta was already seeming like a much nicer place. And in her glee, she promptly ran into the back of someone, falling backwards and onto her rump.
Looking up, she could see it was a man, and she immediately grew fearful, scooting backwards away from him, just in case he decided to get violent, her eyes wild and heart racing, a quick "Sorry," squeaked out.