All Fired Up
- Theatre District. Early Evening.
There always seems to be something ongoing ion the Threate District. From parties, to shows, to soirees. The cultural center of the city is always in a steady pulse of the arts. And today is no exception.
Among one of the main thoroughfares, several chairs and tables are laid about, along with a large vat of seemingly light brown mud in the center, as well as a small furnace. A Lucht man is plodding to and fro from various station, each with a wheel with people working on unfired clay. "Remember! Keep the wheel spinning steady! And the pressure light!" he advises, swishing a rod around like a conductor.
Among one of the many people present, is that of an egalrin woman. She is dressed down, her surprisingly thin without all the extra robes. At least she kept the ribbons. Though, they are on her wings, as her arms are covered in clay as she tries to make a... plate? It's something alright, but she's humming away happily to herself. She peers around, seeing what the others are making.
A much taller egalrin was set up at a station nearby. Dressed in a pair of loose fitting pants and an artist's smock which were unfortunately incapable of fully protecting from the clay.
"Looks like it's coming along quite well, miss Messy." The large egalrin laughs as she leans over to inspect the work. Her own spinning wheel still had a small cylinder of clay spinning away on it for the moment. "Are you going to invite me over to dinner with your new dishes?"
There was a splatter of clay being puttered about. A pair of hands were gripping firmly on the spinning clay. Most of the clay was hitting the unamused looking sith-makar's scales. It seemed it was yet another failed attempt at... something; now just a spinning tower that had flopped in on itself again.
"To clean the mess on one's plate, certainly." The ruddy and clay covered Dragoon tilts his head towards one egalrin with a flash of his teeth, then he bends closer towards the other, ribbon covered egalrin. "Please explain to this once again how and why we are massaging clay." Aelwyn quietly whispers to Slixvah.
His fingers leave large claw marks that quietly tear the flesh of the once-pot open.
Slixvah snorts. "Hah! Miss Messy. That's a good one!" Though, the comment gets her face feathers to floof. "Tssh! Please, I don' wan' ya ta eat dirt."
She turns to look at Aelwyn, her brows raising in amusement. The witch leans in. "We are massaging clay ta make somethin' new. Mugs and cups. Plates!" she grins. "I'm sure ya can get it sorted. Don't squeeze it so hard! Guide it!"
"Well, you are, but that's a bit rich coming from me." The large egalrin laughs, gesturing to her own clay caked clothes and feathers. "Don't need to worry about that though, once it's cleaned up, glazed and fired, it'll be just fine to eat with. Or was that a lack of confidence in your cooking? You could always leave that to me, if that's the case."
Reithak looks to Aelwyn, and chuckles again. "Just keep at it, don't stretch out the clay so fast if it's collapsing like that. You can give it a bit of time to dry out near the bottom, too."
"Hmmh, usually with this one's hands, collapsing is something that shan't happen." The Dragoon rumbles as he starts piling the clay back towards the center. Splattering even more of it around. Tail swaying behind him. "Besides, one should be careful about what they let dry." Flash of his teeth. "Is that not right, Ribbon?"
Yes, Aelwyn was hopeless.
"Hmmh, this one is not sure of Ribbon's cooking, but she can spin up a fiery drink with a tale to tell."
Slixvah snickers. "Ey, we match!" But she, tries to fix her plate. Which makes it wobble and form into a half formed pancake vase. The Egalrin runt huffs, scratching the side of her face and smearing clay all over it. "I can cook!" she defends with a grin. "Jus' I don' think m'plates will be anything good ta eat off of."
She looks at Aelwyn. Blinks. Then picks up a glob of clay and throws it at him. "Dry that!" she sticks her tongue out at him, snickering.
Her pancake-vase falls over into a glob. "Yeah! I can make a mean drink wit' a good story. Thankfully workin' at th' TarRaCe got me right good at it!" she hums, making.... a cup now?
"Well, maybe you're doing something wrong, then." Reithak chuckles as she returns to her own wheel, working on hollowing out the mug that was taking shape. "Course it would be, you made it after all. Although you can't really make a meal in a cup, can you? Are you making one for those real swell drinks Aelwyn is talking about?"
"Oh, are we putting Aelwyn in the kiln now, too? He's pretty fire resistant, and I bet he'd make a pretty art piece." The large egalrin laughs as she watches the sith-makari.
Splat. More clay on those once lustrous ruddy scales. His tail makes a slow swing at Slixvah. "If she were not going to dry to a crust, she would be having a fight in her hands." Aelwyn rumbles with another flick of his teeth, as he attempts to start making something cohesive.
Yet, there were fighting words. His orange eyes look towards the taller egalrin - and then the clay is slowly raised...
And Aelwyn just pours it on himself; flattening it over his scales. "This one is a sculpture." He flashes his bright teeth; as he slowly melds the clay into his well-honed body. "Just waiting to be lit."
Slix makes no effort to dodge the tail, her letting it thud against her side as he just laughs. "I am absolutely doin' somethin' wrong, but tha's okay!" She looks over at Reithak's mug, looking a bit impressed as it actually keeps its form. "I mean, I heard 'bout some bakeries makin' a muffin in a cup. I dunno, maybe I can try and make a cup!"
She snickers, looking to Aelwyn as he's challenged. But she blinks, hands going still as her cup becomes more like a hollow fluted vase as she watches the ensemble of clay. She's about to make a comment, but she ends up conceding. "Okay. Ta be fair, clay on scales /does/ feel pretty good," she opines. "Also- Aelwyn, I do not have my spray bottle with me but I will spritz you with somethin'."
The halfing conducting this workshop peers from across the way from behind the vat of clay in the center.
"Sounds like a good idea! You should be able to bake something in it when it's finished. Don't worry about it, it's all a learning experience, after all." The large egalrin hums as she reaches out with one wing to bat at the makari. "I'm a bit jealous, those mud and clay compresses always look so pleasant, but all I'd get is a mess of muddy feathers."
"Well, mister sculpture, I don't think that the owner would appreciate you taking up their kiln. And just remember, you're paying for any clay you end up using, here." They chuckle.
Aelwyn stretches his arms out, flexing his tongue out. And body, while at it too. "Ah, this one thinks TarRaCe should offer mud baths." He says, flicking his tail. "Or hot sand, where one can slide, gently scraping off the old and battered scales..." He gets briefly lost, posing there with the clay slowly drooling down his body.
... before money is mentioned. "Tch, of course this one knew that." He did not know that. "Ribbon is an expert in making one's wings shine, though. Fashion should give it a try - imagine how those wings would look, freshly preened." The draconian looks over the witch-egalrin, flashing his teeth. "Right?"
Slixvah grins. "Yeah, good thing a little bit of magic can make that a non problem," she snickers, trying to stabilize her vase. Though, her attention shifts to Aelwyn and his stretching. By this point, repeated exposure through his antics has made such displays are met with a chuckle and roll of the eye. "I agree. Dust baths too."
She snorts at Aelwyn, her head bobbing and making her vase gain an odd curve to it. "Yes, yes, if Rei-Rei wants her wings dazzled I can totes do that fo' her. Tho', I am a bit of an odd ball, most Egalrin ain't like stuff in they wings."
"Well, I don't have any scales, but that sounds real nice. I'm with Slix though, a nice dust bath? That'll get the whole aerie coming by in a short time." Reithak laughs, though she stop, and tilts her head to fix Aelwyn with one eye. "Are you saying that I'm not taking good enough care of my wings?" They ask. "Not that I would object to Slixvah taking a look at preening them and dressing them up with some of her ribbons, but I do take good care of them."
The large egalrin chuckles and returns to her mug to wet down one edge, shaping it into more of a spout shape.
Tch, foiled. Aelwyn lowers his arms and leans once again towards Slixvah. "Are all wings so flighty when a praise is given?" He quietly asks from her, with a near serious undertone. He slowly begins to slide his thumb and fingers across the slathered clay, trying to scoop enough of it into the spinning plate. "Now why would this one say such a thing? Would this say a silk is useless, for certain there are smoother silks, or would this rather say, that any silk can make its wearer richer?"
The draconian takes a blob of clay off around his tight abdomen, and then casually flicks it at Slixvah. Yes, by now, his antics were more to mess with the witch.
The mention of the whole Aerie coming down gets the runt of an Egalrin to pause, Slixvah's vase crumbling under its own weight as it becomes a... plump plate. She shakes her head, focusing on flattening it once more.
She glances over at Aelwyn at the quiet question, and she murmurs back to him. "Wings are pride and joy of Egalrin. Just say they look beautiful and full, and you're in the clear."
She returns back, conversation now including Reithak. "Naw, Aelwyn jus' tryin' ta make ya prettier than ya already are, shug."
She opens her beak. Only to have the glob smack her on her face and body. The witch flinches, then sloooowly sighs, spitting out the clay. "... okay I deserved that," she snorts.
The large egalrin pauses, and sighs. "Actually, maybe scratch the baths thing. The Tarrace is fine how it is, and better to not ruin a good thing." They offer before stepping over to help with forming the clay this time, as her mug is set aside to dry for a moment. "You got a point there Aelwyn, but well, yeah. I did make sure to get these feathers looking as good as can be before coming out here today. Still, there might be room for improvement, you're right. I should keep a more open mind about those things, yeah?"
"Just not an open mouth." The egalrin giggles as the clay hits the witch nearby.
Aelwyn flicks a glance between Slixvah and the taller of the egalrins; but slowly he gathers some pieces together. "Tch, little sandbath can always be arranged for two beatiful ladybirds." He rumbles, then flashes his teeth. "Especially when this one is on the shift." He flicks his tail behind him.
The draconian shakes his head, "Hmmh, this one was not being generous. The wings look lustrous and sumptious."
The clay is continued to be scooped off his scales - and the Dragoon simply stretches some of it between his fingers as he holds it up at Slixvah. More where that came from.
Slixvah shrugs. "I mean, I wouldn't be apposed ta it if that somehow got sorted. Was lookin' over th' legers and apparently there was a bathhouse time fo' makari wit' a lot of stuff from Am'shere some time ago. Prolly gotta talk ta Rish-Rish bout that."
She snorts at Reithak before shaking her head. "Yeah yeah. But you's lookin' good hon. No worries on that front."
The witch hums as she's being helped, the plate finally taking shape after being morphed so many times. Though, she can't help but roll her eyes at Aelwyn. "I'm sure you'll take /very/ good care of us should you be on shift," she teases.
At the threat of being hit with more clay, she simply sticks her tongue out at him and shields herself with her wing. "Get somethin' made, Flutter. I'm sure ya can make a clay ring or somethin' ta put on ya dance outfit."5r
"He probably would, wouldn't he?" Reithak chuckles, patting the witch on a shoulder before continuing to help support the shaping process. "Still, the offer is really tempting, isn't it?"
"Thanks, that's real sweet of you to say Aelwyn." The large egalrin hums. "Slix's right, you're real artistic with those dances of yours. Surely you aren't going to admit defeat before you can make something with that talent, right?"
"Oh, this is not enough for this one's dance outfit?" Aelwyn asks, gesturing at his clay covered torso. "Ribbon hurts me." He flicks his tongue out. Arms stretched outwards, he rumbles, "What else would this one do? It is the company that makes one." Flash of his teeth, as his tail coils around him.
Yet being actually challenged though, he twists his lip. Taking in a deep breath, he rolls his shoulders. "Hmmh. Fine. This one will make a ring of fire." That is probably something he can manage.
Slixvah's plate, finally, with the help, takes some kind of serviceable shape. One that she sets aside quickly as its probably the best she's going to get. A thankful nod is given towards the help, along with a wink before she turns to Aelwyn with a chuckle. "Weren't you the one jus' talkin' 'bout silks and all that?" she fires back with grin. "Fine fine, ya can be there ta help us. Anywho, a ring of fire sounds perfect fo' ya."
Standing, she rolls her shoulders and picks up her... unfired plate. It works. "Gonna strike while th' iron- err, clay- is hot, yeah? 'cause I don' think thi' is gettin' any betta. Plus, I really wanna wash off soon."
"There you go Aelwyn, I'm sure it'll turn out great." The egalrin hums, patting Aelwyn on the head. "Just be gentle with your work."
"handy thing, being able to dry out pieces with magic." Reithak muses as she picks up her egalrin-friendly mug. "Normally if you put wet clay in the kiln it has a tendency to well, explode, but if he can dry it out here, it'll be ready for pickup tonight."
"And speaking of silks, I'll need to get your measurements sometime Aelwyn, just so I have them handy. Is that alright?"
Aelwyn manages to make a sausage out of the spinning clay. One step at a time. There's a rough hiss from him and a flick of his tail as his head is patted. The draconian gives a sharp glance towards Slixvah. Not a word. "Hmmh, this one will join the others. The clay is growing on this one." He rumbles, flicking his teeth.
The Dragoon bows his head. "Naturally. Any time."
Slix meets the glance with an amused smile, her wings flicking once in response. "Yes, very useful," she coos to Reithak. "I can dry them all out and get them ready for firin'."
"Right!" she declares, holding her plate up like a prize. "Lezz do it! And then... bathhouse!"
-End Scene-