Formal Aprenticship Begins...

[Viskyia Crow]

TS: Early Evening, Brightening 35 of Kalendryas, Winter, Era XIII (pf)

Clutching the new Jewelers Guild Membership Card in her hand along with the receipt for the apprenticeship, Viskyia smiled. She walked carefully back through the streets tracing the path from the City Hall to the shop Titus ran. As she walked within the stillness of the early evening, she had a great deal of time to wonder what the new position would entail. She considered if it would be like her duties from the time before. Her steps carried her assuredly, so her mind had free time to roam backwards, remembering.

She remembered another beginning. She was five and it was time for her to leave the inner sanctum where she had been quietly educated in the finer arts of reading, writing, numbers, manners, and a whole spectrum of other things. The memory flooded her. It wasn’t very chronological or organized. No one of five Eras remembers in such manners. Instead the sights and sounds of the past flood them. Viskyia remembered the cold of the black marble beneath her bare feet, and how whisper-quiet her steps were. She remembers the newly gifted robe of white silk wrapped tightly about her form. The hushed tone of the memory floods her mind as her thoughts travel back to her childhood and that incredibly long walk down the hallway.

She followed another of the family she served. This person, no doubt, was a young blooded Esh'lahier noble of her Master’s House. Not that she knew what it meant at the time. Back then she saw the deep blue robe the man wore as an absolute sign of authority. She was not alone either. Three other youngsters she barely knew trailed behind her. They were lead down a wide dark hallway and into an open-air round courtyard that was walled its entire circumference. The only way in and the only way out of it was through the doorway in which stood at her back now.. The courtyard opened up to a star-filled sky which flooded the scene below with bright light.

Candles were lit, blazing forth on tall black pillars of iron in a full circle around the length of the courtyard. The wicks blazed with numerous deep rich jewel-tone colors: purple, dark blue, dark green, dark red. They cast an eerie glow around the area, illuminating the long black ebony slab of marble that served as resting place for the alter. He stood before it, his deep robe glittering in the dim light. Viskyia had only vague memories of his appearance then. She paid little attention in fact. She only knew he was male by how broad his robe spread across his shoulders and the fact that when he spoke this voice was a soft deep Esh’lahier tone. A ritual took place, one she vaguely could recall.

One by one they were lead forward, Viskyia first, and bade to kneel behind and to one side of him. He turned slowly, examining her carefully. He walked formally up to her, reaching down to grasp her chin in his hands and force her head up to stare into her eyes. She met him with deep clear blue ones. Inside she quaked with fear. Outside she met his gaze calmly and could almost feel the coiled tension around him. He drew something from his belt; which was a long intricately braided silver affair that graced his hips like a girdle, and caught an even firmer grip on her chin. He lifted what she now saw was a long slender rod of metal, a wand, and leaned closer to her.

“You are mine, little one. You are nothing and no one without My Will. You are now and always will continue to be a valuable tool: Nothing more, nothing less. A Tool! You will bend. You will twist. You will strive always to fulfill My Will. Do you understand?” Of course she didn’t. No one could, especially of mixed elven blood, being only five eras along in their life. But like a sheep, she inclined her head gracefully as she had been taught repeatedly. His voice was too stern, too compelling. There was power in it, the same power the room reeked off.

He lifted the rod and inserted it into the cartilage part of her upper ear, right where the high curve of it creates a thin narrow spot. The instant the rod touched her, fire licked up and down her spine and it felt like every aspect of her body was protesting in pain. The rods’ touch filled the room with the scent of burning flesh as its physical duty was completed. Her ear was very noticeably branded with the sign of his house. The magical device’s secondary duty also affected her, further adding to the searing influx of pain. Being young and for the most part gently raised, she could not withstand the assault within herself. Her eyes widened as she to loosen another scream, then rolled back up into her head, as her mind was easily persuaded to release her consciousness and give into the dark protective nothingness.

She wasn’t aware of it at the time, but the instant that rod touched her ear and released its stored up energy, her skin was branded visibly with his House’s sign, and her eyes went from blue, to green and finally settled on a deep citrine yellow as they rolled up into her head. It was thus with his entire household, to the last man woman and child over the age of five. The servants whispered it was vanity, but the slaves knew differently. He used them and thus as they reached five, each and every one of them are unbound and opened to His Will. The eyes marked the flesh as his even more so than the inner ear brand did. And she was never allowed, from that point onward, to forget it.

She lifted her head and snapped back to the present. It was getting really late now. Perhaps far later than need be, and Titus would be gone home to wherever it was he dwelt. She mounted the steps outside the Shop and quietly slipped inside, just before, she noted, the closing time listed on the wooden sign on the door stated.

She waited quietly just inside the doorway, then glanced around for the Brownie. She knew the little guy had to be here somewhere. Titus was back in the workroom as usual, so she simply stood there, Guild Card and Receipt in her hand.

“I’m back, Master Titus.” She said quietly, waiting just inside the doorway with her little bundle of possessions and her important papers. The shop was almost silent. There were no customers at this late hour. She lifted the receipt and the newly acquired Guild Card so they were in plain sight of the new Master or the brownie, whichever should appear first.

As she waited, she thought quietly. She remembered Meg’s advice whenever The Master had set forth a new challenge to her. Her challenges were often difficult and involved long hours of backbreaking study. Meg would gently remind her to clear all prior knowledge and pre-conceptions from her mind and open herself to the possibility that the learning could hold. She did that now. She was quite good at it. One of the things routinely stressed back under that other households rule was the need for meditation and a clearing of ones thoughts. She would face Titus and his style of training with quiet enthusiasm and soak in as much of his knowledge as he would impart. And besides… he would let her cut stone. Her fingers ached with the need, and somewhere in the back of her mind, a hunger burned for the need to hold stone and clear away the imperfections until something so lovely, so incredibly valuable was left. She smiled slightly, and waited for him.

[Shorty]

Furloin indeed appeared rather quickly, jumping onto the counter and began to stomp towards Viskyia.

"Oh No, no, no!" His shrill voice echoed through the shop. "You again! Haven't we had a discussion before about you!" The brownie turned flush with righteous anger and waved aside Viskyia's credentials. "If you ain't going to buy something- no loitering! I'm going to make a sign that says just that!"

Once again Titus' attention was grabbed by Furloin's voice. He shuffled out of his workshop with an amused look on his face. That was the reason Titus kept the Brownie in the shop- amusement and hard bargaining. However, being a much kinder soul than Furloin, he walked up to Viskyia and took her receipt and new card in his hands.

Furloin once again tried to put a spin on the tale.

"Beware Master!" He warned gravely. "Most likely she is looking for a hand out or a cup of soup or something..."
"Ah, I see that you that you met Mister Longshacks. Excellent. It looks all in order. I apologize Furloin, but it seems that we'll be having a new member to our family." Titus laughed at the sour expression of the brownie. "First tell me of your experience. What stones have you cut before and what equipment have you used? Or shall I be teaching you the basics before we get to the real fun stuff?"

[Viskyia Crow]

Viskyia studied the browine with interest. Though she said nothing, she knew first on the agenda would be to figure out the little guy’s soft spots and work on them. He was sure tenatious. She’d watch. Perhaps he had a sweet tooth, loved strong spirits, collected something or rather, or maybe perhaps he just warmed up over time. She’d make sure she was extra nice to him. If nothing else, she’d learned long ago that kindness and courtesy had its place. It definitely merited a trip to the library. She knew almost nothing about his kind, and her ignorance could cost her even more animosity if she made the wrong move.

Her train of thought was abruptly cut off as The Master stepped from his workroom. She handed over her papers and watched as the man countered the brownie’s arguments in a gentle yet firm manner. She wondered how long the two of them had been working together, and how that relationship happened to come about. Perhaps an evening tale sometime would reveal it. She looked forward to hearing it.

She suddenly realized he called her a new member of their family. She froze and momentarily forgot what he asked of her. She forced a smile on her face, reviewed, and took a deep breath.

“Master, first I was required to learn basic stone identification starting with the most common of gravels and working my way up through semi-precious to precious. I can identify almost all of them either by skid, in the rough, or already cut.” She took a deep breath. Her tone was factual, without a hint of pride. Viskyia had been taught that nothing was learned before its time, and that without proper foundations, any and all advanced knowledge would topple to worthlessness eventually if the cornerstones of a craft were ignored.

She truly wanted him to want her help and to want to teach her. She took a long slow steadying breath, shifting from one foot to the other, and straightened her spine. She continued. “From there, I was allowed to learn the basics of tumbling stones and gems. After I learned the proper way to handle these things, from rough all the way to polish, I was allowed to move on to cabbing. That included making slices from all sorts of materials, including insetting different substances to form patterns inside the cabs. I’ve also done a great deal of decorative Intarsia. You know, cobbling colorful pieces of gem material together, and then finishing them like a cabochon.” The Master of the time before was a stickler for decoration. Please, by all the stars, don’t let him think she was bragging. She lowered her voice slightly and kept her eyes down. She continued.

“From there, several years ago I was allowed to start actually faceting stones, Master Titus. I was only allowed to start doing that when my mathematical ability reached the level it could support the art. I started small, doing emerald ovals and rounds in both brilliant and step cuts. I have never cut marquis or other odd combinations like hearts. Mostly this was because my Master kept me on spellstone production for amulets so I was allowed mainly rounds and this work ate up a great deal of my time.” She wondered if she was volunteering too much. Spellstones were common enough, and usually made of precious gemstone. She wondered all over again how valuable she had actually been to her Master. She shivered under her cloak, taking a breath and pretending to think on what she would say next.

“I’ve worked with most of the major tools” she went on to list a few. Then she continued with “and even completed my own set of tools though I no longer have them.” Her heart tightened. The last minute flight was too rushed to go back to the workshop for her tools. She spent years fashioning those tools. Even now her hands itched for them. They were the only things in her world she could call her own for a long time. And they were fine. She squashed the thought down like butcher would a maggot on bad meat and glanced up at him. What else should she say?

“I.. I never had the opportunity to learn carving. I would really enjoy helping you out with your backlog, and many of those requests are simple enough to demonstrate my skill level to you. But I need to finish my faceting training, and move on to carving. I know you need special tools for that, and most lapidaries make them their selves. And also, your jewelry settings are some of the finest I’ve ever seen. I’ve only worked with gold, or silver in simple settings and gem wraps, and never made pieces as delicate as you do. I’d enjoy learning something of that skill as well.” Alright, she pulled herself in check. She’d said enough. She looked back up at him, this time lifting her head, and studied his face through her lashes to judge his reaction. Was he pleased? Perhaps he’d be angry that she was so painfully ignorant of all the aspects of faceting, combined with the total lack of training in carving and fancy settings. She knew those particular arts where a jewelers mainstay.

She swallowed, shifted again, and realized she was sweating. She glanced at the brownie and saw that he saw her discomfort. She inhaled deeply and thought to herself, “Okay, what else would sweeten the pie? What else could she say that would make them glad to have her here?” She glanced around. “Master Titus, I’m a fair hand at cooking and cleaning as well. Much of your woodwork in here, if I might be so bold, needs a good polishing and some of the embroidery on the chairs is starting to wear badly. I can help a great deal with that, and stay out of both of your way.” She stammered that last part out badly. She glanced at the door and back at the Master. Her eyes danced between Titus and Furloin. It was definitely getting harder for her to breathe. So she paused to take a deep breath and give them a chance to respond.

[Shorty]

Titus listened gravely to Viskyia as she talked. He felt that threre was much more beneath this new apprentice. Something painful, but he politely decided not to pry.

"It seems that you know your basics, and for that I am glad- if only because it saves both of us time! And if you're going to polish, so much the better!" Titus laughed again and patted Furloin in the back. Furloin glared and sat to the side glowering. "Remember that part of your apprenticeship is not only in cutting and polishing, but running a business. That is also something that you need to keep in mind. After all, we may have the most magnificent piece in our shop- but we need a buyer for that piece. And to make enough of a profit to eat and pay annoying brownies way too much money..." Titus looked at Furloin.

"What?" The brownie asked innocently. "You'd have nothing if I wasn't out here selling them!"

"You want things to look good above all else, but you need to keep in mind markets, margins, all those silly things that get in the way of what we enjoy." Titus smiled again. "To start your apprenticeship, let us begin with a test. I want you to design and produce a piece of Jewelry, from paper to workshop. But here's the rub, it will not be any masterpiece, but a moderately priced one. No more than a 100 crowns for purchase. These are the things that sell, little trinkets that people buy after getting over the sticker shock of seeing a tiara or necklace of diamonds. But it will be the tasteful Onyx brooch that will sell better...Does that make sense? First," He grabbed a piece of parchment and quill, "Let's sketch this out before we see to getting it made."

[Viskyia Crow]

Viskyia listened carefully to Master Titus. Her confidences at knowing her trade waned a bit as she listened to him speak of business. She stared. It simply never occurred to her that she needed to think of being a Jeweler as running a business. Her world had been so narrow in her past that all she simply thought of was doing the work that she loved. She was a tool. Her purpose for existence was to cut and shape for the desires of others. She blinked sharply and shook her head slightly. No. No! She used to be a tool. Now she would make her skills her tools and let them cut a life out of the stonework of life for herself.

She continued listening. Markets? Margins? What in the world was he speaking of? Did she mean to sell her work in a market? Viskyia was smart. She knew that she was. But that didn’t mean, she realized in this instant, that her education was complete or particularly thorough. Her naivety about the ‘real world’ that was Nexus Prime was painfully evident. In his few simple statements, Master Titus had reaffirmed to her why this apprenticeship was needed. Not only was the training needed, but desperately needed. She had a sharp understanding suddenly that this man could teach her a great deal more about society than she had previous access too. She smiled slightly. Those one hundred crowns were well spent.

He was speaking again, she realized. She watched him take out the parchment and begin to lay out a simple project. He instructed her carefully, giving her a budget and an idea of what the purpose of the item was to be. When he mentioned the example of the onyx brooch, she automatically nodded as he asked her if it made sense. She felt the past encroaching though. The word ‘purpose’ had done it. She tried to fight off the memory as Master Titus began to sketch, but it caught her fully off guard and swept her up into its grasp.

She had been hammering out a lovely flange for a enormous piece of cabochon onyx. Hammering might have been too strong of a word for it actually. The thin silver band was meant to wrap the stone and completely cradle it in a thick edging of silver with only a loop showing at the top end. She’d cut the stone three brightenings ago, and as per her Master’s wishes had sent it up to his workroom. She’d had it back now, though she was loathed to look at it or even touch it. She knew what the Master sometimes did to such things. The stone rested on her workspace in a tiny wooden box.

Viskyia had wait for the very last minute to flange it, and that minute had finally come. She had a carefully scribed bit of notes from Master stating the runes he wanted engraved into the flange surrounding the stone. She’d etched the runes into the silver first, before wrapping the stone as per his instructions. The moment she’d pulled the onyx cabo with her tongs from the box and had began to wrap the flange around it, she had began to shake. She could feel the power within it. The onyx practically vibrated in her hand, greedy, hungry, almost sentient in its desperation for whatever it was keyed in to seek. She managed to get the silver strip wrapped up and around it before the whole stone itself started glowing with a deep darkness that made her gasp. If it had been anything else but this item, Viskyia would have dropped it immediately. But she knew the Master. She knew his ways, and suspect this was yet another one of his tests for his amusement. He had specifically requested the item be done by tonight. There were guests expected.

It took her most of the rest of the evening to finish the piece, and by the time she was done handling it, most of her strength was gone. Her skin had lost its usual healthy glow and had turned ashen. The bottom of her waste bin beneath her workbench was heavy with the thick substance that was the remaining contents of her stomach from breakfast. In fact, she was so far spent when the task was done, Meg had come to fetch her for a late dinner and found her curled up on her work stool, head down on her table space, completely oblivious to those around her. She’d taken to her bed for the rest of the brightening, and for the remainder of the cycle. What Viskyia had never told Meg, was that the Master had already been there, studied her reaction to the stone, and then made a disgusted sound, collected the finished brooch, and retreated upstairs, leaving Viskyia where she slumped. Viskyia had never even looked up when the Master had walked in. she felt his presence keenly enough though. His message was clear. She was displaying weakness and vulnerability, so he refused to acknowledge her presence.

The worst thing was, she never knew where the foul stone had been sent. She didn’t know who it was intended for. To this very day, onyx or the very mention of it seemed to bother her.

She pulled her attention back to Master Titus, who was busy sketching and speaking of the project that was to be her test. She listened carefully, nodded, and watched him sketch over his shoulder. She was keen on the idea of how he went about the actual process of design verses just the actual creation of a piece. She was enchanted. It was like a whole new aspect of a beloved concept opened up to her. These new topics were far more than enough to make her forget the Onyx brooch for a moment. A new world, in fact, was coming to light. As he drew, he discussed his various clients, which frequented, which were high end and which were commoners. The numbers and statistics he rattled off about who bought what when and how often slowly started to make a bit of sense. Yes. She did understand. No, she didn’t understand who bought for why yet, but as he said, she would learn.

She turned and glanced at the shop in a whole new light. Yes. He was right. The cases were full of the stuff everyday people would purchase. These things weren’t expensive, but were beautiful in their own right. Viskyia turned back to his sketching, nodding slightly. “I understand. I think I really do understand.” She smiled now. The challenge of making the brooch for him appealed to her. There would be no arcane involved. No one was going to die or suffer because of her art. The true test would be some commoner coming in and purchasing her work. It was as simple as that.

Viskyia remained quiet, letting him finish his sketching and listened a bit more to his explanation. As he talked, she took a moment to light a few lanterns as it was growing fairly dark. He hadn’t seemed to notice. Then, when he paused to take a breather , an appropriate pause fell, she asked a few quiet questions. “What stone do you recommend, what setting? Or is this all up to me as long as I stay under budget”

She paused to let him respond, then added after he’d done so…

“I think this is enough to get me started, so long as you are here to answer my questions”, Viskyia added but then had an additional thought. “Master Titus, which workspace can I use? And are there spare tools enough for me to use until I can afford materials to create my own set?" She was eager to get on with the project, and glad that the Master was going to watch over her step-by-step until she was truly proved herself to be outstanding. She stifled a yawn, gave him her best smile, and said “I really want to get started.” And then she tilted her head and looked thoughtful, giving both men a bright smile.

[Shorty]

Titus looked up from his doodlings and smiled. Furloin stuck his tounge and stomped off, to help a customer who just had recently walked into the store.

"No, no, no! I know just the piece for you!" He instantly brightened up before a customer, the surly brownie now turned quite jovial.

Titus smiled and looked up at Viskyia.

"Always keep in mind the cost going into an object, remember that you always need to be adequately compensated for your time. A rule of thumb- charge double your cost. So, if we're making a hundred-crown piece we need to keep the cost of material to about 50 crowns. Now actually this isn't all that cheap, but people are willing to invest siginificant amounts of their money into jewelry. Why? Because it lasts. Because it's an heirloom. Because it's something to pass down..." The jewler became animated. "People track relatives through a necklace or a bracelet. You say 'this is great-grandma's' and you at least remember her. Without that piece of jewelry you hardly remember her name, but a piece of jewelry is a piece of immortality- you'll see..." Titus grinned. He nodded towards his workshop. "Let's go see the office..." He joked.

"I have spare hammers, drills, files, clamps... you are welcome to anything in my workshop." He led her back behind the counter and into the back workshop, which was visible through the large bay window. It was small and contained a couple tables, a single chair, a small forge, raw material, half-finished pieces gathered in a box. He pointed to the forge.

"How experienced are you at Metalsmithing?" He asked.

[Viskyia Crow]

Viskyia met Master Titus’ gaze when he looked up. She listened intently when he pointed out his rule of thumb, and described just why jewelry was so important. She could tell he was passionate about his work. She wondered as she watched him animate if he ever wondered where his pieces ended up, and who wore them. She wondered how many times things he made were passed from one generation to the next. She smiled. It was a genuine smile. He put pieces of himself into his work, and thus gave out pieces of himself to everyone who wore his creations. She was glad.

“I’ve never thought of jewelry that way, Master Titus.. I didn’t realize people gifted their family with jewelry that belonged to another of their family who’d passed on or otherwise didn’t need it.” Of course she hadn’t. She’d spent most of her adult life cutting stones that housed monstrous spells that would kill, sicken, drain, or spy if the right conditions applied. She knew jewelry as symbols of ownership: wedding bands, slave collars, faction affiliations, signs of office. The jewelry she knew involved no love, only designation or pure unadulterated evil.

As she followed him back behind the counter and through a narrow doorway, she wondered if anyone wore her work. She hoped not. Maybe this new way of thinking, this new group of creations would somehow make up for a long line of things that weren’t so positive.

She glanced around, examining the workshop carefully. She indeed saw numerous tools, far more than one man needed. She saw the various stages of handles and angles of blades, and sharpening stones worn over long periods of time. She realized she was looking at one man’s body of work throughout his lifetime. The tools had changed as he did, some cast aside in favor of something that worked better. She smiled again. It was small, but far larger and more complex than her little workshop had been.

She looked at the forge as he pointed at it and absently noted that it would be warm throughout the night, warm enough for someone to sleep on a small pallet on the floor in front of it. She stifled a yawn, heard his question, and looked up at the Master.

“I’ve almost no experience with it. I can tack and all the very basic stuff, but most of what I did was just flanged stones. I bought my flanging already made in various widths just rolled up on big rolls of silver, gold, bronze, copper. All I really had to do was etch, cut, and tack.” She wondered if this would be a problem. She could tell by the definite absence of purchased flange rolls lying around, that he probably did all his own flanging work by hand. She mentally groaned. The source of her flanging had claimed the more you did it, the easier it got. She hadn’t believed him. “Can you teach me as part of the apprenticeship? I’d love to learn. It seems to me a jeweler would be handicapped without those sorts of skills.” She responded.

She wandered around the little workshop a bit more. It really needed a good cleaning. It was painfully obvious that two men worked here. There were cobwebs in the ceiling beams, and a fine bit of dust on everything that wasn’t what she would consider a ‘current’ work surface. She made herself somewhat at home, picking up random objects, mostly tools, and examining them. Some of the tools had obvious functions, some of them looked bizarre. There was actually more than enough room for two to work here without getting too much in each others way.

She glanced up at Titus and asked him curiously “Where do you and Furloin live when you’re not in the shop?” The question was a bit off topic, but she was curious when the man called his day at an end, and just where he and the brownie took themselves. It wasn’t that she was tired; it was more that she was wondering about the ‘routine’ of the days to come.

She gave him a chance to respond then added "I hope you don’t mind if I simply leave my things here. I don’t have much, just a small satchel of possessions. I could sleep at night in front of the forge.” She glanced pointedly at the space on the floor, and then smiled up at him.

The more she stayed in this place, the more she smiled, she noted with some alarm. She rarely smiled before. It was a whole new experience. She looked at Master Titus again, then glanced out at the brownie who was collecting money on not just one purchase, but two. The little guy must have talked the customer into buying more than they actually came in for. She laughed slightly, inside her mind, and turned back to Master Titus. She hovered, waiting for his response.

[Shorty]

"Furloin happens to have his own place, he insisted on moving to his own apartment as soon as he could afford it. I found Furloin while walking the streets and I saw this brownie selling rubbish from the alley. Not that what he was doing, the fact that he succeeded is the hilarious part!" Titus guffawed. "So I offered him a job in running my counter, for all his quirks he is a marvelous salesgnome." Titus smiled while looking at the brownie, than turned his attention to Viskyia. "I myself live in a house not far away, small, but it fits my needs.

"You may sleep here if you have no where else to go, I can fetch you a pillow and blanket from my house later. However, I believe it is now time to begin your apprenticeship." Titus walked to the back of the small workshop and opened a window- bringing cold air rushing in. Titus grabbed two breathing masks, gave one to Viskyia and smiled. "What brings people to my shop is the workmanship, in every aspect. Do you understand? I sense you are very experienced in gemstones, but the Jewler's Guild encompasses much more than gems."

From a shelf Titus grabbed a container full of ore. "Let us begin by purifying Silver." Titus fiddled with the forge, added fuel, and the room began to warm. "I'm sure you notice the lack of prerefined precious metal- that's because I prefer to get the best, sometimes you have to an extra step to ensure superior quality." The man smiled and added several scoops of the sooty oar into the smelting pan. From a barrel he added equal part rock salt into the pan and stuck it in the forge. "Silver melts at 1762 degrees..." He added as he narrated his steps. He prepared a vat of cool water and lye soap. Soon the rocks glowed red. "Put on your mask, do not breathe in the fumes..."

He added the rocks to the vat and billows of steam rose to the ceiling and snaked towards the open window. He waited for the rocks to cool before taking the vat and emptying it into a sluice. From the sluice Viskyia could see silver chips amongst the other chips, gleaming in the daylight. Titus smiled, bent down and began to pick out silver flakes. He beckoned Viskyia to follow suit.

"So, what have we learned so far?" He asked and smiled. "Care to explain the steps we have undertaken so far?"

[Viskyia Crow]

Viskyia followed Master Titus’ gaze out to where the brownie was graciously escorting the customer with his new purchases out the front door of the shop like an elegant doorman. She shook her head with a laugh. Furloin managed to make everyone, well every _customer_ that is, feel like the most important person in his world while they had his attention. She knew salesmanship like that wasn’t learned, it was a gift.

Master Titus was speaking again, so she turned her attention back to what he was saying. Relief flooded her as he agreed to let her sleep in front of the furnace. She probably had enough funds to rent a room somewhere, but the precious few coins she had she felt she needed to save to keep training or for emergencies. It seemed there would be no opportunity for a paying job during the apprenticeship.

He pulled masks out and Viskyia took one. She’d used them before for the small soldering job for clasps and hangers. She hung it around her neck, ready to pull it into place for whatever he hand planned.

“Yes Master Titus, I do understand.” Viskyia answered confidently. She was definitely starting to get a grasp on what he was saying about the ‘business’ and the ‘quality’ not just about the stones. For her, it had always been about cutting stones. But here things were different. Here life broadened and far more aspects were present. She smiled as he continued, speaking more about the customers, about quality, and about doing everything himself so he was absolutely sure of what he was selling and working with. It made a great deal of sense. Handle all aspects, very one of them. That way, she could be more than sure her profit was her own, and the customers got what they wanted.

Viskyia watched him work, and had to stop him politely a few times as he spoke. When he started working with refining the ore, she slipped her mask on. She had no idea what ‘sluice’ was and why lye soap was added, so she asked him and listened carefully to his answer. She was starting to relax and feel like she COULD ask and that Master Titus wouldn’t mind the questions in the middle of his lectures. Then when he asked, she slipped off her mask, and began picking out slivers after the fumes cleared and the ore cooled. She was fascinated. “This is seriously where silver comes from?” As soon as she said it she was slightly embarrassed. She had no idea how silver became what it was. She flushed and continued eagerly picking out the slivers until they had a good pile from their efforts.

“This must be incredibly tedious.” She commented. But in truth she could see herself purifying the silver for hours. There was something almost meditative about coaxing the metal from the ore, like releasing a hidden treasure from a crusty old chest. She laughed slightly and shared the analogy with Master Titus. She continued liberating the shiny metal from the cooled sluice and after a while said…

“But I can see how much it keeps you in control of every aspect of your production.” She added as well. She was starting to see how critical that was to the business. There were so many skills she lacked. The realization was hard on her. She needed to know business, salesmanship, and now metal smithing. Her confidence waned dramatically. She glanced sideways at Master Titus, and wondered absently what he must think of her being skilled in such a narrow aspect of the art, and so lacking in the rest.

As if he sensed her doubts, he suddenly asked her to recap all the things he’d said so far this day. She answered immediately. “There is so much! I should have taken notes. I can’t believe how unprepared I am.” She said apologetically. “But lets see…."

She took a deep breath and reflected back to what he had said so far. “To be a jeweler is to be a little bit of a lot of things; salesman, designer, visionary, gem cutter, metal smith, and free thinker.” Yes. All those things were aspects of the business.

“Before you should attempt to do any work, you need to know what you’re doing it for. Who are your customers? What are your materials at hand? What is your cost going to be? Are the people in your area willing and able to make such costs? And are the pieces practical for their lifestyles.” That last bit she added for herself. Furloin had reminded her of that by something he said earlier.

She continued. “From there, you need to sit down and actually put your design to a sketch and build it in your mind to make sure what translates from your head to your paper will translate to your workshop and into reality?” She was excited about this aspect. She hoped someday she would have the enormous bound sketchbooks Master Titus had of all the designs he’d crafted over the years. They were like a testament to what his life had been filled with. She smiled. “Doing that also gives you a chance to review your raw materials and your inventory and make sure you have what you need and what you have will cost you roughly half the price, including your time, of what you will charge for the piece.” Yes. The ratio, she remembered it well.

“Then, when all that is done, and everything is gathered, you sit down and start… gathering your metals first and smelting the ore…” She watched him as she came to the end of her statements. Had she missed anything? She thought back over what she said. Yes, indeed. That’s what he had said. “Is it proper that when you have no work or your in a lull that you smelt ahead so you have finished metal ready to be smithed in your stores?” Looking around she saw very little of that in his shop. She was curious why he didn’t stockpile or if it was just out of sight.

She waited for him to digest what she’d said. Even though she stood quietly side-by-side to him, she itched to sit down and cut. An Onyx brooch. She looked back over at his sketch he'd already made for her test. Was that what he was going to have her do or was this just the example? She half hoped he'd let her do her own project. She'd seen a little pendant mirror that was absolutely ingenous once that she felt would be something inexpensive but very very serviceable. She didn't mention it though. She didn't want him to think her mind was elsewere.

[Shorty]

"Remember that you can not put a price on good taste. You might have the most magnificent diamonds and blood red rubies, but if it's ugly, it's ugly." Titus nodded. "Think right now in terms in what you can sell. You don't have a recognized name, so people aren't going to buy expensive jewelry right away from you. Here's what I say- make one spectacular piece, expensive, dripping with diamonds if needs be. This would be mostly for show, it shows your skill...plus it could be your first big sale. But I stress the singularity of this, do not throw everything into the luxury market. Be broad- make rings, pins, earrings, pendants- items that everyone could buy. So yes, know your practical customer base but always strive for quality." He took off his mask, smiled, and placed a fatherly hand on Viskyia's shoulder.

"Yes, you are learning fast, I can tell that you have the passion for the work. You need to enjoy yourself at all times, being blissful when smelting and cutting- labors of love show. Always love each of your pieces. And yes, it is a good idea to smelt ahead...I chose to do this myself because it keeps costs down and I guarantee the quality of my metal. And...." Suddenly Titus stopped, Furloin had suddenly appeared behind the master and cleared his throat.

"Master.... someone from the Hammer Guild is here..." He said quietly, weirdly without any humor. It was all business now.

"Really? Is it time already?" Titus stood up. "Forgive me, I forgot I had a meeting with some brothers and sisters of the Hammer Guild. Which I might remind you we owe allegiance to." He began to walk out before turning around. "Please, use the workshop during the time I am away." He smiled, "Surprise me with the assignment that I assigned you..." and he was out the door.

[Viskyia Crow]

Viskyia nodded at Master Titus’ words. However, when he talked about the fancy pieces dripping with diamonds, she frowned. She knew she would never be that sort of jeweler. Her tastes ran far more to the understated elegance, than overstated wealth. She understood what he meant about taking business, and if her commissions went that way, then so be it. But until then, she wanted to make a name for herself with the simplicity of her designs. She was glad though, that he emphasized a variety of work. She loved the idea of matching sets, and always wanted to do them. It would take time though. And first, must come her test.

She riffled through his workshop, politely snooping at his supplies and the tools available. She walked into the small storage closet that acted as a vault and began looking through the drawers that lined t