Checking Progress (Flora)

[Zero]

Tatsu had been conducting business in Essyrn for days now, although there wasn't much business he was truly interested. Mostly he lounged around and enjoyed the heat, while spending his nights hiding from the chill of the desert nights. Remarkable how hot it could be in the day only to have the temperatures drop so drastically as the sun faded from the day. It would not be much longer before he would feel compelled to move on once more. His stays in Essyrn were pleasant, but brief.

However, he still had one measure of business with Essyrn that was unfinished and he knew would take more time before it could be completed. It had been three days since Tatsu had met the carver, Aliyah, when he had stopped to admire her art. He had eventually ordered a commission and he'd promised to check on her progress after three days; so early that morning he rose from his bed and dressed much as he had that first day. Between his silk scarf and dark woolen hood, only his glacier blue eyes could be seen, from head to toe the rest of him was covered meticulously.

The sun had not yet risen, and it was not as warm yet as he would have liked it, but he made do. After all, Tatsu spent most of his time in much colder regions. It was not difficult for him to retrace his steps from that day and soon he found himself walking down an alley, which led to a small basement room. As he recalled, this was where the woman was currently residing. Cautiously he poked his head inside, eyes moving about the room, alert for danger and for the presence of the artist he was seeking.

[Passifloraceae]

The one-room hidey-hole was alive with buzzing movement. A boy child flitted all over the place naked while the large, grimy man that had been passed out three days ago upon Tatsu's visit was lumbering after him as well as he could, his words slurred as he called out frustrated commands for the child to stop and obey. The frustrated commands quickly devolved into angry curses, words that made the child laugh and run faster.

The noise was not the only chaos in the dingy hideout. Fruits were scattered about everywhere, and squashed pieces with the insides leaking anxiously out stained the stone beneath clumsy feet that destroyed them when trying to carry a half-drunken man after the child. It was a scene that might have been humorous to an outsider, but if given further caution to detail enough to recognize the woman who worked quietly in the corner on a piece of work unseeable from the door, her back turned to them, that same outsider would most likely quickly come to realize that this was clearly a common sort of early morning.

And it was true. Aliyah was a patient enough woman, if for no other reason than simply because of this morning ritual, and the way she continued her work unfazed with all of the chaos about was likely nothing short of absurd. The two, though, made careful stride not to disturb her, and it seemed that the understanding of this ritual extended to all three members of that hideout. One of the pieces of abandoned fruit lay next to her with a bite taken out of it, her veil spread out on the floor on the other side of where she sat to dry from what one could imagine had been a cleaning.

The visitor, it should seem, would go unnoticed.

[Zero]

Tatsu hadn't been sure exactly what to expect upon arriving, but what he found certainly wasn't one of the things he'd imagined. To arrive and find her already gone for the day, that would have been expected, or to find her preparing to venture out to one of the vendor stalls at the market. Normal things. What he got instead was a drunken man chasing a naked little boy. Was this a human thing? Something his dragon mind couldn't imagine, for certain. He almost left, but there in a corner was Aliyah, apparently working despite the commotion going on around her.

Entering remarkably silently, for a man of his stature, he picked his way carefully across the room, avoiding the mess on the floor as much as inhumanly possible, which was to say, with his boots still pristinely clean. His keen eyes noticed the veil on the floor beside the woman. It felt almost like sneaking, to approach her so quietly without announcing himself. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what she looked like beneath the veil. She had not removed it, even momentarily, on his previous visit. It was a mystery to him, and he did love mysteries and puzzles. What was she hiding?

Still, it felt like cheating, and so he stopped short of her, a few feet away before clearing his throat softly. Hopefully he would not startle her too badly. Humans were quite excitable he knew, perhaps a trait formed by their incredibly short lives. "A bright good morning to you, Madame Aliyah, I came to inquire about my commission."

[Passifloraceae]

At first she didn't seem to answer him or even really acknowledge his presence. Aliyah instead bent at the waist with ease to be face to face with the humble beginnings of the carving she was working on, giggling and speaking as if to it. "You're speaking to me, boy, am I that tired?" And straightened back up to continue working.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds...

The chisel and mallet slowly came to rest at her sides as she stilled her work, and it was almost as if you could literally pinpoint the moment she clicked it all in her head that someone was there! She sat there a moment longer before her lithe little hand shot out to grab the veil beside her, fastened it securely to her head, and she spun around to face her visitor.

"Oh! Good morning, good Sir!" She smiled to try to make up for her lack of tact a few seconds ago and ended up giggling awkward in spite of herself. "Forgive me; I didn't think to imagine a visitor would dare step into the terror zone while the two boys were after each other. A...brave soul you are!"

DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN TEN THOUSAND MORE DAMNS.

[Zero]

Tatsu waited patiently for a response, his pales eyes gleamed every so faintly. Because of his extensive coverage, his expression was as carefully masked as his face had been. Even if the happenings on the other side of the small room disturbed him he would not have shown it. His only thought was that humans were so very, very strange.

As Aliyah finally noticed that she was no longer alone, Tatsu almost felt a twinge of disappointment as she fixed her veil to cover her face once more before turning to greet him. He truly was curious what the woman really looked like. She was young and seemed pretty enough, certainly a beautiful young woman by Essyrni standards. Why did she hide herself so? There were plenty of reasons she could have. He would have to discover the root of her self-consciousness.

"There is nothing to forgive, Madame Aliyah. I am the one who came without invitation at this hour." He spared a glance in the direction of the most interesting pair that also occupied the room. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, putting them out of his mind. "I think, perhaps, I have faced worse terrors. Enough about that, I came about the Sky Dragon. I would love to see how he progresses, and to answer any further questions you may have."

[Passifloraceae]

"Yes, of course!" Aliyah shifted carefully to the side, unveiling what she had been working with. It was large enough in that it would likely come out to be about three or so feet long and about two feet tall at it's highest point. There was a distinctive mountain-like structure carved from the bottom to gradually rise up the right third of the statue, and snaking its way around towards the top appeared to be what would eventually become something more serpentine in its body when the details were more fleshed out.

The left side was still a majority of rough marble stone yet to be carved, but Tatsu would be able to see the carefully light chalking of a standard outline along the walls of that stone. She was going for a fluid sort of look, but at the same time, she wanted it to appear proud and noble. Aliyah hoped that she would be able to convey that when the time came to finish. The stone itself appeared very pure, and there was very little natural staining to it. Clearly she had brought this stone straight from quarry and had spent a good deal of time finding a piece she felt would be suitable.

"I did have a question for you, so it is very good that you have come by." One of her small hands reached up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear, leaving behind a smudge of dust-like residue along her forehead. She either ignored it or didn't realize, however, and gently started to peel the torn cloth from the fingertips on her left hand. Her right hand was littered with calluses and spots that seemed roughened to risk of bleeding, but again, she took no notice, or at least seemed not to. "I needed to ask what you were wishing this to look like as a finished project, Sir." She pulled from a small belt of tools laid beside her two chisels and laid them between Tatsu and herself.

Pointing to the flat-bladed one, "If you wish for the marble to be very smooth with very little texture, I can carve it with this blade. It would be very smooth, and its translucency would be most effectively optimized. I, of course, will be using the claw chisel for the mountain for detail, but if you wish for the dragon to be smooth, I will use this one." She then pointed to the one next to it, with the harsher tip, the claw chisel. "This will give the sky dragon a more...realistic texture and ability to carve more specific details into it, but it will not quite have the same effect of standing out dramatically from the mountain. Whichever you prefer, I can promise you that it will look marvelous, but ultimately it is your choice."

[Zero]

As Tatsu had already spoken with Aliyah, he was not surprised when she got right to business, unlike so many other humans he had encountered, she did not seem so eager as other to dawdle on frivolous conversation. He could admire such a trait. Hard-workers were certainly admirable. Good artist were even more so. Still, he found the lack of polite exchanges slightly disorienting. Had he really been among humans so long? Perhaps he was becoming hasty and excitable in his dealings with them.

Bringing his thoughts back to the task at hand, he allowed himself several moments to admire the beginnings of the statue. It would be quite magnificent when finished, wouldn't it? The marble fixture would certainly burdensome to transport, but well worth the effort.  The mountainous background she was carving to compliment the dragon would be quite appropriate, he thought wryly. All in all he was pleased with how it was shaping. His confidence in Aliyah had not been misplaced.

Blue eyes moved from the art to the artist as she spoke. He'd hoped that she would have questions for him. Frankly, he found her intriguing and wished to speak of more than just the commission. The pale orbs flickered briefly to her calloused hand, taking note of how badly worked it seemed. He could imagine that some of the spots must be quite sore, and yet she worked on without complaint; a most interesting woman, indeed.

Tatsu listened attentively to the question posed; paying particular attention to the instruments she could use to accomplish either a smoother or more textured finish. Carefully considering both option, he moved his eyes back to her own, looking intently at her with his piercing gaze. "I agree that both techniques would result in an exquisite piece, alas, I am not an artist, and will leave the matter to your skilled hands and artistic eye. I am confident I will be most pleased with the finished product either way."

He gestured with one hand idly to a spot nearby. "Would you care if I stayed a while? I would love to watch your technique. I am a great lover of many forms of art, but I fear my hands are not skilled in creation."

[Passifloraceae]

Aliyah kept her eyes on his when he looked to her, and an artist's eye gave her the idea that maybe she had a strong figure here with her, as well. Not the first time since she had received the commission, she wondered again why Tatsu was willing to pay so much for such a figure. Not to be confusing, she certainly understood what was left to be awe-inspiring through the creature she had in her mind, but to pay such coin to a stranger to conduct a statue of something that, hadn't he said was gone or myth-like or...?

She snapped her mind out of her zone-out and gave him a smile, nodding her head. Artistic freedom. Wonderful. Though now she had the hardship of figuring which way to best do it! She imagined it in her mind both ways, and the results were plenty stunning. She'd give it thought, but for now...

"It would be an honor to have your presence here, though..." She looked around to catch the man's attention. Clearly it was his decision, but he, in their brief time talking, had cleared out with the child, leaving the two of them alone. Aliyah looked back to Tatsu again, smile widening as she dipped her head in a careful bow. "An honor, as I said. Please do stay."

[Zero]

Some humans went about their lives completely oblivious to the powers that surrounded them. Most could not tell when a creature of a different make was wandering in disguise right under their noses. Tatsu rarely found people that thought of him as more than simply very odd. Even fewer that had an inkling to his true nature. Fewer still that could outright name him. Aliyah, he decided, was suspicious. Perhaps it was in her nature to be suspicious of all people, not a bad trait for a single woman living in questionable conditions.

With no hint of being in a hurry, Tatsu waited for permission before moving to sit a few short feet away from Aliyah. Close enough to converse comfortably, but far enough to be polite and to not invade her space. As before he sat comfortably with his legs crossed beneath him, not seeming to care about being on the floor even with his finely made clothing or armor. He pushed his hood back and unwound his scarf from about his face so that he could be heard clearly, even when not very close and without having to raise his voice.

As he pulled his gloves off and laid them in his lap he gave the room a closer inspection. The gentleman and boy that had left had caused quite a mess before they departed, hadn't the? His expression was less neutral than it had been before, looking a mingle of weariness and interest. "You keep curious company, Madame Aliyah. I have often wondered since our last meeting, why an artist of your caliber would be living and working in such...disagreeable conditions."

[Passifloraceae]

"Oh, it is more that I am the company they keep, really." Aliyah spoke to him while she carefully scrutinized the marble, brushing dust off of it here and there and touching up chalkings with a very delicate touch. "This place was found by the old man, and he brought his son here, and I kind of stumbled in and he didn't kick me out..."

She looked up to him, rubbing her nose through the veil that covered her darkest secret. She watched him closely, the brush working as she carefully dusted off the marble. The woman was warmed by the level this fellow seemed to hold her work to, and she smiled in spite of herself. "Unfortunately, Sir, my talents are not well suited to the desires of those with much coin around here, and they would much rather go somewhere with a more...elevated name." It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a complete lie... Aliyah had had her fair share of being rejected for jobs because of what she had been tagged as, and time or words to give her side of the story was typically not something anyone would entertain. People of the local area knew her through the public shaming that came with the condemnation, and if they didn't, they were quickly warned away from those who did.

Some days were worse than others. Some days things would get 'broken.' People would 'accidentally' break something, or something might go missing. She could try to speak up about it, try to confront those who had wronged her, but the past quickly came back to the present, and she would lose something else to have to bribe them to keep quiet as they had most likely already destroyed her ability to conduct business for that day. In the end, they always won, and it angered her.

Aliyah's greatest business would come from outsiders with little knowledge of the customs or superstitions or even simple beliefs of her people, the people who wouldn't find it to be quite as big a deal that she had made some sort of mistake in the past. More often than not, though, her business with them would be ruined if the native people here pushed them hard enough. Sometimes she was more than just an 'adulteress' to the foreigners when others got to their minds first. Sometimes she hurt children. Other times she was simply a shady business woman. Her stones were never real. They fell apart quickly. Sometimes she was simply 'rude.' She'd try to steal husbands if the customers were women. She was a homewrecker to men.

Lies. Lies. Lies. Always lies. Why did they lie? Why wouldn't they leave her alone?

Her attention returned to the task at hand, and she smiled again to him, though this one was very half-hearted, not reaching her eyes, the only thing she would let people see of her face. The only thing she had to hope to convince people that she was business, not what people said of her. "No, this is much better than what I would have otherwise. Besides, they are fun people."

[Zero]

Tatsu listened attentively, his expression displaying interest, but only a polite amount of curiosity. It would be terribly rude to pry into her private affairs, no matter that he found her curious or not. Also, he did not wish to convey his disapproval of her lifestyle, but he was familiar enough with Essyani customs to know that this was not a typical arrangement.

It was not Aliyah he disapproved of in anyway, far from it; it was the fact that she seemed to be left completely forgotten in this tiny hole in the ground. Did the women not tend to marry young? Shouldn't she be well-cared for? Tatsu always found it disconcerting to find a woman in distress or in unfavorable circumstances. Perhaps it was chauvinistic of him, but as far as he was concerned, women and children were to be taken care of by the men in their lives. Fathers and husbands were responsible for the well-being of their daughters and wives.

Humans of such thoughts often viewed their women as little more than property or inferior, but for him it was so much more complicated than that. Females were to be cherished and protected.  Ah, but he clung to his old ways, even as the world evolved around him and with his own kind long gone. It was hard to change, he'd found, and he honestly wasn't sure he ever wanted to. Again he found himself missing and longing for the company of his own clan; those that he did not have to hide from, those that would understand the inner-most workings of his thoughts.

"A more elevated name." He said the words slowly, almost as if he couldn't quite grasp the concept. "Well it is their loss, then. To judge someone solely by the fame of their name is short-sighted. I find your work to be more than adequate, what else should be considered?" Nothing but her skill in carving could possibly affect her artwork. Tatsu was not one to gossip, and so he had not heard anything untoward about Aliyah. The thought that she said she could be in a worse position troubled him, though.

"Fun people...Well, I would not know about all that."

[Passifloraceae]

She didn't vocally respond to his opinions about the making of a successful artist; she simply nodded. Did she agree with him? Of course Aliyah felt it should come down to skill, but in the real world it simply didn't. Her name, her past...at the end of the day, all of this mattered much more than whether or not she could bring to life a piece of work that she felt proud of. To imagine success coming from just that hard work, just the time and skill she'd devoted to what she did...a fantasy. In her past few years, the one thing Aliyah had learned was that fantasies weren't things she could just conjure up for herself.

Aliyah let out a small laugh as she returned her hands to working on the statue, carefully beating the chisel with the mallet and filling the room with the monotonous pounding of metal on stone. It was soothing for her. "You are a very peculiar traveler, Sir, so forgive me for sounding surprised that you don't keep interesting company. I was imagining you to have some grand troupe of merry adventurers, or at least some exotic pet." The woman glanced up at him, her eyes reflecting a grin. "Surely so, right?"

[Zero]

Tatsu's expression became a bit withdrawn, pensive. His thoughts consuming him once again. Clearing his throat he spoke softly, almost sadly. "I fear I find myself with no company at all these days, Madame Aliyah. For many years I traveled only with my daughter, but she is grown now and starting to develop roots. I suspect it will not be a great deal longer before I receive a wedding invitation. Hard for a father to think of his daughter grown and no longer needing him."

Slowly a geniune smile, ever so faint, curved his lips. "Ah, but listen to an old fool. I am so very proud of her. One thing I will always be grateful for, I have never had to worry about my Nellie. She will find a good man and I will give my blessing freely." Tatsu did not like thinking about being alone. His thoughts tended to turn dark and ominous when he did so. "My apologies for rambling on, I would not wish to bore you."

[Passifloraceae]

"Very much opposite, Sir, it does not bore me to listen. I like to listen, really." She stole a glance upwards at him, trying to gauge how he was feeling. His voice had dropped. He must have been sad. It surprisingly tugged at her heart strings, his lamentations. But at the same time, he was proud of his kiddo, and he was clearly a decent enough dad to put the faith and trust in her to know that she would not lead her life astray without him.

"I imagine she'll always need you, Sir, as long as you're willing to go to her." Aliyah returned her gaze to the statue, pausing her work momentarily. "Do you wander frequently, then? I imagine that would be lonely if it were only you, but do you not make friends along the way?" The carver didn't know much about the outside world, nor did she really grasp what traveling really meant for someone. She held very romantic ideals about it considering she had never really left the desert, and she found it very hard to believe he wouldn't have been able to pick up half a dozen or more companions along the way!

She frowned then suddenly, pensive. "Traveling with this statue is going to be difficult for you, Sir." Oh no, perhaps he wanted it smaller! She hadn't really asked. Bother! Why didn't she ask? "Do you need it scaled down? Marble can be quite...burdensome, and it easily tarnishes and wears if handled constantly..."

[Zero]

Tatsu did not ask for, need, or want pity, all father's eventually had to part with their daughters. Eventually they grew up and found husbands; it was just the cycle of life. At least he could look forward to grandchildren. When Nellie began having children, would he really be able to continue traveling? Would he feel the need to stay near to her and them? It was an interesting thought. Years ago he'd never even given children a thought, and now he worried himself with grandchildren! Well, there was still time yet, his daughter hadn't even married.

He found himself looking coolly, perhaps appraisingly, at Aliyah as she spoke. Her words did comfort him, somewhat. Tatsu knew that she was right, of course. Nellie would always need him, just in different ways throughout her life. "I am always going from place to place. My daughter called me restless. I would suppose that was not untrue. I do not fancy remaining in one place for too long. Because of my short stays, friends are not something I find myself collecting. I have contacts and acquaintances."

He found her company pleasant. There was no other reason for him to be there, except to curb his loneliness. She need not know that, though. "The statue will be fine. I will arrange for transportation. Once it arrives at my daughter's home, it will not likely be moved again."

[Passifloraceae]

"I will make sure I properly scold and inform this transporter of the care a statue made of marble needs." She said this stubbornly and firmly with a nod of her head, and though her eyes remained on her work while her hands busily crafted, her head remained quite coherently on the conversation at hand. It was nice being able to talk to someone about more than business or, well, defending her business.

"What about the kiddo's mom? Is she still...around? I mean, as a companion of sorts?" There was no real way of asking that question without it being awkward. There was no real way of asking that question by being polite. Honestly, she probably shouldn't have breached the topic. But she had, and there was no real way to take a question back! Besides, she was curious anyways...

[Zero]

A hint of amusement entered Tatsu's eyes as Aliyah said, matter of factly, that she would inform the transporter of the care the statue would need during its journey. He thought he might rather like to see that, actually. Despite the fact that women were considered beneath men in Essyrni society, he could tell that the carver was no meek woman to be trifled with. An admirable woman indeed.

Tatsu's expression changed immediately as Nellie's mother was brought up. What had happened to Nellie's mother had been tragic, but he had not known her and did not feel the pain of her loss keenly. Had she not died so unfairly, he would never have had the joy of raising Nellie as his daughter though. His demeanor became somewhat remorseful. "Nellie's mother died when she was only six. It was most...unfortunate."

[Passifloraceae]

Damn damn damn. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. It's not my place to ask such questions." With a few more poundings of the mallet, Aliyah smiled victoriously, turning the statue around carefully with a hand she carefully wrapped in cloth. "I think we have the tail carved out on the mountain! Does it look alright to you? Of course I still have to sand it out to make it nice and smooth, but I'll do that when the entire thing is done. But shapewise and everything, is it about what you were wanting?"

It was wrapped twice around the mountain and looked as if it were ready to spring forth from it at any moment, like it had climbed up it or even through it and was ready to taste the sky. "Try to imagine it perfectly smooth against the rough mountain. That's what it should look like when I'm done, unless you prefer the rough look."

[Zero]

Tatsu waved a hand dismissively at her apology. "You did not know. There is nothing to apologize for, it was a long time ago and life goes on." He did not miss the woman, since he had not known her, his remorse was only for the fact that his daughter had lost so much. Nellie certainly had not had a mother-figure in her life after that, as Tatsu could not provide her with one. Well, he could have. However, that would have required being dishonorable, which was something he could not bring himself to be.

He let the gloomier mood wash quickly away as he looked over the statue, admiring her progress. Aliyah truly was quite talented. Perhaps not the greatest carver to have ever lived, but certainly she was gifted. "It looks perfectly suited to a Sky Dragon." Really, he could have given her far more than just a simple description, had he taken the notion he could have shown her a Sky Dragon on which to truly base her creation, but that would require a large degree of trust and an understanding they did not yet possess.

"As I said before, I trust your judgment. Rough or smooth, it will be glorious when completed." His eyes closed as he relaxed, hands lightly resting upon his knees as he enjoyed a moment of stillness. Having Aliyah's company was more pleasant than he had even anticipated. Tatsu tended to avoid most people, those he did deal with most were tolerated, some were agreeable, and a rare few were pleasant company. Even he could often not predict which of these a person would be.

"You seemed rather interested in travel, Madame. Have you ever been beyond the borders of Essyrn?" His eyes remained lightly closed, but it was obvious he was still paying keen attention to everything around him.

[Passifloraceae]

Aliyah was most pleased by his acceptance of the statue, and she quickly got back to work, more eager than ever to keep going with it. She had the idea in her mind very firmly of what it would look like, but she was still worried it would come out incorrectly. With any luck, he'd catch any discrepancies early on in the process and correct her before she made an irrevocable error.

A shake of the head. "I've been out into the desert, but I've never gone further than that. I typically find as many of my necessary supplies for work out there as I can to avoid having to pay some absurd fee for things I could just as easily retrieve myself. I know parts of it really well, but I've never even seen its very borders." She found herself surprised that she was embarrassed admitting this. To someone as traveled as this fellow was, she was certain she came off as some sort of sheltered ninny. Her embarrassment just as quickly turned into a sort of stubborn pride, though, and she harumphed. "There is plenty around here to see, though, now isn't there!"