Chapter 594: Chapter 594 - Some Things Are So Precious They Just Tumble Out Of Their Warm, Safe Place On Their Own... To Etch Things & Be Etched In Turn
The design came to her relatively quickly, considering she had just made those gifts for the triplets yesterday morning. The overall drop and clip style seemed fine, so she saw no need to make the jeweler do a lot of extra work - but why stop at placing one stone? The mint chrysoprase the girl wanted could be paired right against a nice chocolate jasper, for both the intriguing contrast of light and dark colors... and so that the piece would represent both of their eye colors.
"Pretty..."
Though even with the praise from the eventual receiver, Elua hardly intended to stop there. With three small onyx accent beads in a triangle around the central brown stone - the mint underneath - she modeled a few swing patterns against the rules of gravity and inertia, before settling on how to have the jeweler place the connecting chains for stability. Especially with a rigid lateral brace to keep the additional side pieces of the upper chevron at guaranteed distance.
It did turn it from something elegantly simple into an item that was a bit more gaudy, but that felt about right for a child’s ornament anyway. And distinctive enough in shape that her sister could identify it across a room on her bag, should anyone else ever happen to copy the white leather style... as society fashion is known to do. Especially when other people see a girl looking so cute that it heals!
’How many of them at the Youth Guild began to subtly modify their things to match mine. Though in that case, most of the children - or their parents - were trying to draw Qatrand’s immovable eyes. Silly kids.’
"I have these three already at this size, with the boring already done. I will have to do it for these two."
"Knowing you, that will only take a moment. Right?"
"If you want me to rush, I can do so. After all, your advice has helped me progress a lot over the years."
"Please. I’d like for her to have it in hand today."
The jeweler was already nodding at her choices, sketching details on a slate so that she had a rough outline of the design for later. It was kid approved after all! After she was satisfied, she began to collect everything she would need. Other trays were pulled out, from which she selected three black stones and some chains of proper size. She even began staging pieces and necessities in her workspace while her two customers picked from her selection of brown stones.
Most lapidaries would be limited in prepared stock, with such a fairly unpopular neutral color that many used for filler at best. But of course a region with Ondua er Goltbred had taken to the color as symbolic - so she almost *had* to keep a lot at hand to satisfy the demand of people so proud of the former Hero... even after more than two decades on.
"This one is nice. Also I’ll take these two myself, no settings needed."
"Excellent picks. I like that piece of flint particularly, it kept a really nice brown-gray as it was polished into a wide teardrop."
"So it did."
"Color kind of looks like dad’s eyes when he feels bad."
"...So it does."
The little river-bend really was too perceptive at times, Elua had to admit.
"I’ll get to work right away if you want to watch?"
"Please. It has been a while... and I have had the pleasure of trying to help along a different Sound cultivator recently."
Intrigued by that revelation and hint about the existence of Kaland as a same-Element cultivator, but excited to get to work... the woman moved to the block of pitch wax she had been heating up alongside the stone. Sticking the first piece right in it - the chrysoprase - to let the entire thing cool down and seal in place, the jeweler began explaining to the inquisitive child how it will help keep the bead stable as she worked. As well as the function of the brass rod for similar attachment while shaping cabochons.
Next, she held a small piece of round copper wire in hand before applying a slurry of literal diamond dust abrasive that she had been ’lucky’ to receive from her long-time patrons. In this case it had been a gift from Ondua, not Elua or Yatrel. Officially, anyway, as she had whispered the idea in his ear years before this moment. When describing all of the really valuable uses of his Crystal Element manipulation when it came to so many industrial processes.
The best part was that he began to do it and things like that of his own accord, no matter whether she had influenced him with ideas or not!
An almost insect-like buzz invaded the workshop that made Onya rub her ears and look around. Ultrasonic frequency vibrations being passed into the wire oscillated it rapidly, not so much cutting or spinning as it was rapidly hammering the abrasive material onto the softer-than-diamond quartz. If you looked close enough, you could even see the slurry almost dancing in geometric patterns as the particular frequency shaped matter itself.
"Is that really what is happening?"
"Yes. It looks just like this."
"That’s so weird..."
To the ancient cultivator showing a ’magnified’ illusion, there was also the distinct scent of atomized water beginning to invade the space. Cavitation bubbles created negative ions in the slurry, and the slightest amount of ozone... which somewhat reminded one of a storm. A thought that crossed her mind while she was evaluating the growth of yet another one of her ’not a disciple, but shared a tip or two’ acquaintances.
Though stones worked this far unfortunately held no petrichor moment waiting in the aftermath of that onset scent, because any remaining plant oils had likely been rubbed off in the tumbling phase. Only the potential for acrid sulfide smells remained, thanks to trace solid bits of pyrite common in the case of quartz. Or the potential fluid inclusions that ruptured minuscule pockets of hydrogen sulfide into gas and made the piece what was known as a fetid mineral.
However, those samples were often made obvious by just attempting to scrape along a hard surface - and rarely made it to a reputable artisan. El herself had tossed and then crushed to powder... a lot of stones from the Exclave with this problem. Some of it was given for chemistry experiments to Rezzue after, some of it sintered back together after chemically cleaned, while even more of it remained for Ondua to use as base material for forming stones himself.
Should he find time to visit that place ever again.
’Not like I was going to waste my limited carrying capacity through the Gateway on a gift for him. After all, my coming back was the better gift... I am sure he would say. And mean.’
Her thumb and forefinger pressed a little harder into ’his’ stone. Maybe she would tell him after all. Or maybe she would only get her not-apprentice to use her buzzing wire trick to etch a little saying on the back of the stone, before placing it onto the leather band she was now imagining. Instead of the *utter* hassle of putting it on her sword, somewhere. A shift which surely had nothing at all to do with keeping it further close by on her wrist.
"Hey..."
Onya watched for minutes before tugging on her elder sister, the process itself growing tiresome fast - even if the cultivator was doing it at advanced machinery speeds - but an interest in the *idea* of this sort of thing remaining. Brown eyes didn’t immediately lift to meet the mint which turned right away. To the brunette, it was quite clear that whatever this idea was, it was still forming and muddy. The sort that a kid wants to bring up, but isn’t sure they have all the words right.
"Could I... could I get other things instead of this?"
The jeweler paused, the tone in the air cutting out as she realized she may be dealing with a tough customer. Approving a design and then deciding they wanted something else was one of the worst things that can happen to a commission artist of any sort. Especially when something was being tailored to specifications that meant resale would be constrained!
"What can we do instead to please you, little one?"
But a professional keeps a smile bright, and the fire of burning passion tight inside. Instead of arguing ethical virtues with a child. However, Onya er Goltbred was well used to seeing a smiling face on older women that actually meant ’you have done something wrong, but continue’. At least enough to know the difference at a glance!
"No, I mean - I did want this. I do! It’s beautiful! Thank you! I just also want something else... more?"
"After we just had that whole talk about being greedy and you denying you are spoiled..."
"But um, that’s what I meant? Instead of something just for me..."
Her voice grew smaller as she realized she didn’t have enough of an explanation prepared. There was no design, nothing like that in mind. She had just spent all morning following around her sister, who gave out gifts to others like they were going out of style despite them being quite fit to the individual and thoughtful besides. Fingers gripped hard on the countertop, small hands trying to work out her frustration while suddenly looking very serious.
"I want to give something to Qat for always teaching me. And... and her brothers. Even though they got to spend all that time with you. Their stories are funny. But I kind of wish I could catch Ajoreal with a prank for turning his face into mine yesterday."
"I can help with that later. But go on, keep thinking out loud. What is it you want to do, Onya?"
"Uhm... like the triplets. Something like that? Making this is reminding me of it. Something that all three of them could have that sort of looks the same."
"Why?"
Smiling softly at her sister, Elua continued prompting without any judgment. She had taken her out today to see how she handled being out of the house. Being around others, including those she had never met. So far she felt she couldn’t be prouder, but she had a feeling that much like always loving Qat more than she thought possible, she was sure the esteem she held for the pure-hearted child would also only grow.
"Kaland said it. That they like how strong they are, but also wish they just stayed at Qat’s place these months. They didn’t get to spend time with her. Even less than I have with you. So... I... that’s why I want something for all of them instead. Just for them."
The jeweler had not been prepared for that turn - and the hand covering the lower half of her face, as the corners of her eyes teared up at the *utter preciousness*, showed it. She glanced once at Elua, a woman who used to act that sweet as a young girl... but whom she learned was not entirely so during the brooch making scheme.
"Then you will want matching scabbard ornaments for the three of them. It’s something all of them will always wear. So they look like a matching family unit and think of each other more, even when apart."
"Yes! I think? Er, though, can we... can we make Ajoreal’s just a little *little* worse?"
The proud smile grew. Pettiness was not something a normal person should usually be proud of, but Elua had never claimed to be normal. Just hard working.
"No, dear. I’ll help you get back at him separately, I promise. Keep your good deeds nice and separate from your bad ones so you don’t regret them both, hm? It’s one area of life that you shouldn’t try to do two things at once."
Turning toward the owner of the shop, she waved her along. They still had other places to go, so everyone working toward their own ends in this case would be quicker.
"Keep making that for her. I’ll look around for ideas and design what she wants, with her help. Promise we won’t take or break anything from your stock. Or else I’ll replace it."
"Break... my heart is already cleaved right in half. That was so adorable I almost don’t even mind if you take everything."
"She is my sister after all."
"I think she’s cuter than you ever were."
...
Tilting her head and walking away toward where she remembered some nice blue stones were kept, Elua filed that statement under the ’tell Qat if ever need blackmail’ category of her particular spiritual library of knowledge. Pettily enough, but also separate enough from this nice moment they were all having...
