Oloth -- Logs

The Silvertree: Workshop
Two stone-topped tables and a stove dominate the fair-sized workshop, and an amazing variety of tools hang on wall-pegs. There are enough hammers and chisels and saws and clamps and drill-bits and rawhide mallets and odd-nosed pliers to perform surgery on a dragon. A large locked chest under one table is labeled "sheet & wire" and a smaller chest with an equally impressive lock reads "pretty rocks." A torch and casting equipment lurk under the other table. A black metal stove and oven squats in the corner with a rather incongruous whistling-style teakettle atop it, with a small sink and water taps beside it. One high hardwood table with two tall stools and a cupboard under it flanks the stove-- apparently this place doubles as a kitchen. Plain copper lanterns provide lighting. Stairs in the corner lead to the upper floor, and a door beside them leads to the public shop.

Dakini and Hati have come to visit Safix' shop and chat with her. Safix has invited them in for tea, since sales hours are over.

Safix hops off her tabletop seat as the tea is ready, having left the high stool for Dakini should she prefer. She pours a neat bowl of tea for Hati, a cup each for Dakini and herself, and cocks her head. "Sugar? Cream?"

Safix stands a shade under 5 feet tall. Her clean skin is deep golden, against which her arched white eyebrows and thick lashes stand in sharp contrast. Her shaggy white hair falls mane-like around her face to touch her shoulders at the longest points, and the sides are tucked behind her delicately pointed ears, revealing three small, slim silver rings piercing the lower part of each, and a fourth ring at each tip. Green eyes with a narrow circle of red around each pupil look back at you from her triangular, sharp-featured face. She's wearing a dark red tunic today, loosely belted with black cloth, over tight black pants tucked into black leather boots laced to the knee. A simple band of silver chainmail circles her throat.

Dakini grins, "He loves sugar and cream... and as a lycanthrope the sugar, which is bad for canines, isn't a problem for him. Layer it on! He'll adore it." Hati wags his tail happily and encouragingly at Dakini's words.

This is a huge, heavily furred dire wolf. From black nose to silvered tail-tip he is easily 8 ft long, and stands about 4 and a half feet at his powerful shoulders. His thick, silvery coat is glossy with health, and strong, curving claws tip his large paws. Long legs are built for running, and his green eyes are bright with intelligence. Half-hidden by his shaggy ruff, a wide leather collar can be seen, inscribed with colorful protective runes. In the center an elegant script can be barely discerned. In basic elvish it spells out "Dakini's Hati."

Dakini grins at Hati, then looks around with interest at the workshop while Safix prepares tea.

Dakini grins lazily at you from behind the reflective blue-green shades which hide her eyes. Her hair is long and tousled, a bright, red-gold mane that occasionally hides her small pointed ears. She's a tall, slender, strong woman, with small but callused hands, and well-muscled forearms. She wears a soft, comfortably loose, ivory silk shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Over that is a sturdy, quilted, sleeveless tunic of dark indigo blue embroidered with intertwined silvery stars and ivory-gold unicorns. It is belted off snugly with a wide, well-worn leather belt. On her right hip, tied down about the right thigh, rides a holstered flechette pistol. On her left hangs a decorated and runically embossed scabbard with the plain, worn-leather-and-wire wrapped pommel of a short sword protruding from it. Sturdy, worn dueling gloves are tucked into the back of the belt, mostly hiding a cross-holstered dagger.
Slung over one shoulder is her battered, padded leather airwoman's jacket, heavily decorated on the back with a rabidly snarling, eight-limbed, winged beast, and numerous other colorful decorations on shoulders, arms, and front. Her long legs are fitted with snug breeches, and her knee-high, well-used black leather boots and jacket smell pleasingly of years of quality leather care.

Hati also watches what Safix does, what she uses, where things go. Safix rummages a bit, bent over in the cupboard, and straightens cheerfully up with a plate of gingersnaps and sugar cookies, which she sets on the table. She grins, adding judicious cream and mounds of sugar to Hati's bowl of mint tea, then places it daintily on the floor in front of him. Dakini oohs, in soft appreciation, "Mmm... and I love cookies!" She grins at Hati affectionately, "Haven't forgotten you, silly!" and slips a sugar cookie to him while she snags a gingersnap for herself. Hati happily crunches up the cookie, and settles down, lapping neatly at the bowl of tea. He looks up to Safix and wags his tail pleasantly. She must have gotten the sugar and cream right.

Safix sets out sugar and cream-bowls with spoons so Dakini can adjust her own tea as she likes, adds cream to her own, and hops back on the workbench, feet dangling. "So... have any particular reason for dropping in, or just miss my company?" She smiles.

Dakini inhales with appreciation when Safix hands her the teacup... then slowly sips. "Mm... and I do love a nice mint tea." She drinks a bit, then looks over to Safix sitting cross-legged on the table. Quietly she says, "So... how are you doing, Safix'ya? Feeling any better?"

Safix looks at Dakini and blushes slightly. "Yes, thank you... I was being stupid with the whiskey. Feeling useless, unwanted..."

Dakini looks curious, "Why, silly girl? You do beautiful work. You have friends. Your family may not be here, but they still love you." Hati obviously sits and listens. Some dogs can look like they're listening, but they don't understand. Hati understands. It's either reassuring or quite discomfiting.

Safix shrugs and stares into her tea a little bit, then answers, sounding sheepish. "Dred affected me more than I should've let him. I started fearing A- everybody felt that way." She adds a touch bitterly, "After all, I am just a little ring-seller. He got that right. I have no... place, here. I'm the newcomer, intruding."

Dakini grins, although her demeanor is sympathetic, not mocking, "From what I heard, Alois was aghast at what his brother did. That doesn't sound like he feels like Dred did. And as Keesha herself put it the other day, don't trust Dred to start a party in a vineyard..." she grins wryly, "-or something like that. Weird euphemism." Hati has a careful lap or two of his bowl of tea.

Safix blushes a bit harder at Dakini's first words, and smiles again. "Well, like I said, I do feel better now."

Dakini gently rubs Hati's ears, smiling at Safix' blush, "Glad to hear it." Hati leans a bit into the ear rubbing, and continues to watch their host.

Safix nods. "And I really do appreciate you guys caring... more than I can get across. I... I really, really do. Thank you."

Dakini watches quietly for a bit, still rubbing Hati's ears... then says softly, "...but...?"

Safix says "But...?" and sighs. "But. Yeah..." She fidgets. "It's just that, well..."

Dakini looks down at Hati's calm face as she rubs his ears, to hide the small smile... she just listens quietly. Hati sits very still, not wanting to be a distraction, not staring at Safix. Safix says quietly, looking into her teacup, "I don't want you guys to get hurt. You've become friends, and those are precious. I worry that you might be affected by what I'm doing, and so I'm alone in doing it..." She finishes, "...and so I'm alone. Again. I hate being alone. It's... well, for lack of a better word, it gets lonely."

Dakini gives Safix a frankly disbelieving glance, but just politely says, "Umm... I assume you didn't mean that to be insulting, yes?" Hati looks curiously at Safix. He doesn't seem as confused or perturbed as his mistress, but he does look curious.

Safix blinks at Dakini, taken aback. "What?"

Hati quietly laps at his tea while his mistress explains. Dakini says, "You are, in essence, deciding for your friends what they're allowed to do or risk. How would you feel if I decided it wasn't safe for you to hang out with me in the Path, mm?" Her gaze is sardonically amused, "Bet you'd pitch quite the fit, ja?"

Safix blinks again and looks at Dakini instead of her teacup. "I... hadn't thought of it that way." Dakini sips her tea quietly, letting Safix think of it that way. Hati looks back up at Safix. Safix says in complete earnest, "But it would be so wasteful for you to get hurt because of me. I'm not important."

Dakini grins lazily, "Who're you to tell me that, Safix? Me or Hati?"

Hati says, "Wuff," in agreement with Dakini. Dakini grins at Hati, ruffling his ears.

Safix says, "Someone who cares about you." She honestly seems to believe what she's saying.

Dakini looks back at Safix, nodding, "Excellent reasoning. By that reasoning, as your friends we are entirely in the right in telling you that you may not do whatever it is you're doing... without us." She smiles, "Fair's fair, after all... and turn about is fair play." Hati looks as if he has no trouble following his mistress' convoluted thread of logic. Perhaps he's heard it before.

Safix says, "I'm nothing... you're wonderful people. You have each other. Nobody would miss me much if I weren't there tomorrow, or the days after that. My family would get over it eventually too... they have each other, and blood-kin."

Dakini puts her teacup down and says calmly, "If you say you're nothing one more time... I shall scream in sheer exasperation! That is utter nonsense... and if you'd just think clearly for a moment you'd see that yourself!"

Safix says, "I'm more of an inconvenience than anything else -- I don't do much but make pretty things. There are others with similar skills... why should I be special? I cherish the time I spend with you, truly, all my friends. I would never forgive myself if you should come to harm because of me."

Hati denies the fact that nobody would miss her by standing up and walking over to her. He puts his forefeet up on the bench, leans over, and cheerfully licks the girl. Dakini gestures at Hati, "You could say the same about him... he doesn't do much but make pretty things. Much like you, that's a gross under-exaggeration of the facts." She grins as Safix gets messily slurped, then giggles, "Mint breath!"

Safix sputters slightly but comes up grinning. Hati stops licking and backs off, looking Safix in the eye for a moment. Safix says, "But Hati's... Hati. Irreplaceable. He simply is."

Hati nudges Safix with his nose. Dakini nods, "Indubitably. And so are you..." she grins, "Little former-skunk-top."

Safix's eyes look suspiciously bright. She sniffs once, then brings her hands up to scrub self-consciously at nose and eyes, muttering, "Think I'm getting a cold... just a moment."

Hati gets down from the workbench and returns to his mistress' side, turning about and looking at Safix again. Dakini smiles quietly, and slides another hankie over the table towards Safix. Politely she adds, "He can be a bit, er... drool-y sometimes..." Hati hrrfs indignantly. Dakini grins down at Hati, rubbing his ears gently again. They're both too polite to point out the real reason Safix might be sniffling. Safix nods gratefully and makes good use of the hankie for a bit.

Safix finishes mopping and smiles a bit tremulously. Her voice isn't quite steady, but her eyes are smiling too. "Th-thank you..."

Dakini smiles, "You're welcome, Safix... but I will note, that's what friends are for... to cover your back when you need it. Why do you think Hati and I get along so well? We both understand that we're less without the other."

Hati wags his tail a couple of times at Safix' words. After Dakini speaks, he says, "Wuff!" again, agreeing.

Safix grins sheepishly. "I guess I was being kind of an idiot, then. Sorry. You have a right to decide what you do, or how you feel, as much as I do... of course." Dakini nods quietly, still smiling at Safix as she rubs the huge wolf's ears. Safix chuckles, then makes a small face, grinning still. "I'm so glad I didn't take my tea with sugar, this is all entirely too sweet."

Hati is reminded, and happily laps up the rest of his tea. Dakini shakes her head gravely, "No, Safix'ya... it's not 'sweet' at all. It's simple survival... especially in a place like this."

Safix says, "Not quite sure what to do with it. You, A-... ah, my friends are so much nicer here than I had any right to expect, moving into a strange city. Thank you."

Dakini smiles ruefully, "It is true, you were lucky in who you met initially. I've been to cities where the scum waits at the transportation terminals for the young and unwary." Hati rrfs softly.

Safix shrugs. "I'll be at your back any time you have need. I'm not a lot of good up front against the swords, but I have some small skills that could help you even if it should come to a fight. You deserve it, whether you choose to call it survival or friendship." She smiles a bit oddly. "Scum is so relative, speaking as an ex-noncitizen."

Dakini smiles, "I'm glad to hear it, Safix... but I cannot accept that offer unless you realize it is a two-way responsibility... that you'll call on us for the same, should you wish to try something dangerous." Hati rrfs! again.

Safix sighs, but looks almost relieved-- not that she would admit it. "All right. You have my word as a... er, silversmith." She grins.

Hati wags his tail again, and looks pleased with Safix. Dakini grins, looking a bit relieved, "Excellent. In that case, Hati and I are quite glad to accept your offer." She holds out her hand to Safix.

Safix grins and clasps Dakini's hand firmly. "Sealed." She tilts her head and adds, "I have sealing wax upstairs, if you'd like, even." She looks much cheerier.

Dakini shakes hands with Safix. She laughs, "No, I don't think we want to be stuck together. It'd make it awkward for you in the Path, eh?" She grins mischievously... then looks down at Hati inquiringly.

Safix holds out her other hand to Hati, pretending very hard that she doesn't know she's blushing again. She actually manages to look Dakini back in the eyes, though. "It's not the in-the-Path part I'd be particularly concerned about." She winks. Dakini chuckles quietly, but politely doesn't embarrass the poor woman again... tempting though it is...

Hati reaches out and puts his paw in Safix' extended hand, watching her carefully. He manages to remain dignified, despite the cliche. Safix grins and clasps Hati's paw firmly. "No disrespect was intended, my large friend. Quite the opposite, I assure you!" Hati wuffs softly to Safix, who lets go quickly, so Hati isn't stuck too long in a domesticated pose. She smiles warmly at both her friends, then leans back against the wall to finish her tea and happily demolish a sugar cookie, watching her companions with a fond gleam in her eye. Hati sees the moment has passed, and amuses himself by sniffing around all the forge-smells in the workshop while the two others talk.

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Last modified: 2001-Mar-24 21:20:14

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