Reunions & Engagements [Tag: Axerim]

Axerim's reaction was more shocked than her own had been. But she had had a matter of moments to come up with her plan to tell him with the tiny seed. Kae nodded shyly at him, trying to keep her face calm. She didn't want to get emotional again in front of him, but her heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. Nodding she kept her eye contact as she explained, "Ariadne says I'll be feeling this sick every morning for some weeks to come. But she says I'm carrying your child." Looking down slightly, but still keeping her in her sights she continued, "It can only be you. I've been with no one else..."

Kae's hand strayed to her stomach and settled over his on her uterus. His shock and disbelief were clear in his eyes and it almost hurt to see it. For a moment she thought he wouldn't want her, or their baby. "I can't be too far along... no more than a month... because my last women's time was right before... well... my first time with you."

Not knowing what else to say she chewed at her lip waiting for it to sink in to the man. "I remember from learning about pregnancy about how big they say a baby is right now... and it's about the size of the seed in your hand." Kae said quietly, commenting on the seed she had taken from the bread loaf. "The Healer said I should eat fibrous bread before bed to help with the morning sickness.."

So that's why the bread...

Axerim looked on Kaeul still a bit dumbfounded over her springing the news on him like that; of course it had been no less sudden for her, either. 

He watched her place both their hands over her belly but she was right, it was still sinking in for him and it all felt strange to consider.. that she was pregnant with his child. Of course, he believed her, that she'd only been sleeping with him. Most of their free time lately, they'd found some opportunity to see one another, and she visited his apartment more frequently -until he wondered whether or not they wouldn't have to tell her family. Her family would have already figured out that something like that was going on.

It changed a lot when a baby came into the picture. He'd be faced now with making some major decisions. He could continue to live his life as he had and claim the child as only an illegitimate heir, or he could marry Kaeul and when she was his wife, claim the child as legitimate blood. He certainly wouldn't marry her because of a child alone. But... did he think that he was ready to marry her for his own legitimate reasons?

Sorting through the varied thoughts and emotions that assaulted him just then, Axerim brought his hand away from her belly, staring down at that place a little vacantly. A couple of breaths later, he was sure his silence must have been making her nervous -he was nervous.

Suddenly, Axerim reached his arms around his mate and drew her in to him. As though he might smother her against him, he smiled and cuddled her close, nestling his head up against her in the most loving manner. 

"Whatever happens, don't be afraid. I'll be here for you and our child." 

Still, that was no promise of marriage in his mind, because many a Holder and his sons had had their fair share of mistresses, but he'd have to talk to his family and her family first about something like marriage. He'd also have to decide for sure that that was what would really be the best next step for them. But either way, he would not leave her alone.

Kaeul fought hard to keep her composure as she watched Axerim's reaction. They had never promised each other anything, but a baby changed things and even she knew that. As he pulled his hand away her face almost crumbled with despair. He wasn't happy. She was sure about it. The way his eyes went vacant and he stared at her stomach she was sure he was thinking of ways to get out of it. But just as her overreacting mind decided that was the case - it became clear that it wasn't and she felt guilty for the thought even crossing her mind.

In the time it took for her heart to beat once, she was wrapped tightly in his arms and held so close she could feel his pulse through various arteries and hear it in his chest. From the sound of it, he was as nervous as she was. "Whatever happens, don't be afraid. I'll be here for you and our child."

The words caught in her ears, "Our child." he had said 'our'. Kae's arms went around him and she clung to him tightly. It had made it sound as though she wasn't going to be abandoned to raise the baby without him. It was a blessing at least. She swallowed hard against tears, determined not to cry again in front of him. Kae was sure he was tired of her being overly emotional. Her mind flittered to the lack of marriage in the words, but she relaxed. Reality was, he could very well not claim the child and she could be marked as easy. He could always not marry her and the baby would be of the Hold's blood but illegitimate, or he could marry her and have an heir of his own. Or he could leave her. But he had said he wasn't going to do that. And Kaeul believed him.

Buried against his chest as she was she squeezed her eyes shut and savored the moment. After everything that morning she was exhausted and wanted a nap. Kaeul felt bad, though, because she had yet to get up an do anything but vomit, see the Healer, eat bread and hold a baby. And learn that she was carrying one too. The young woman's body shook from the force of the yawn she tried to stifle against his chest. Determined not to sleep just yet, at least not without him, she peered up at Axerim, "Can we go work clay?" She had been trying to get the man to teach her his Craft, and found that letting her hands mould the clay in abstract designs she would never fire helped sooth her. It also made her feel closer to her lover. Before she could hide her next yawn, however, it escaped and made her eyes water with sleepiness.

Axerim felt a bit of tension in the moment as he suspected that she'd be upset by his reaction. But, for the time being, he couldn't promise anything more. For a moment, he thought he could feel Kae tense a bit, but soon she was relaxing into his hold, and just feeling her soft but toned body ease against him was a comforting pleasure. 

At the sound of her voice, he paused to think, and then smiled in his gentle manner. "We should do that. You can make a ceramic of your own this time. One of your own design. I've already taught you how to spin the wheel and handle the clay."  At least for some basic ceramic shapes, anyway. He'd also seen her peeking at some of his books filled with sketches of many pieces that had been crafted there at the workshop in the past, so her head should be filled with at least a few ideas to work with.  He could help guide her through the rest of the process so that she could have her hands on her own project the entire time and then the piece would truly be her own work of art.



[Sorry I'm gonna jump it forward just a little! let me know if it's too much and i'll adjust it!]

Glad for her enthusiasm and the time they would get to spend together, Axerim got up and dressed, hoping that anymore queasiness could wait until tomorrow. Though, when they were ready, he went to the kitchen to grab some bread, breaking off a hunk of it, wrapping it in a cloth napkin to take with them in case she needed it. 

Leading them from his apartment then, he walked at Kaeul's pace on the way to his workshop, not wanting her to overexert herself. All the while he was wondering what kind of vessel she might decide to make. So, before they even reached that place, he began instructing her in his easy, conversational way.

"It's a common misconception that people make, assuming that the first thing a potter or ceramist does is to imagine what shape to make the vessel that he will create. In truth however, one must imagine the empty space within that shape. Imagine first what will go inside of it because it is the empty space of that vessel that will be used.

"After you know what you will use it for, ask yourself how the shape of the vessel you will create will suit the user. If it is a medicine bowl, then a narrower mouth is preferred. If it is a cup for winter tea, how will the shape and the properties of the clay you use enable the tea to remain warm for longer? How will you allow the piece to complement the person who is intended to use it?"

Stopping short of continuing those thoughts any further, he let her consider those things, and hoped that it might help her decide what she wanted to make.

"So.. what kind of space are you imagining?"

Axerim was eager to hear her ideas and get started.

The woman looked at Axerim thoughtfully as he spoke, listening to his words and drinking them in. Truly, they made sense to her. Nodding, Kaeul's brow furrowed in concentration as she let her mind wander to what sort of thing she really wanted. She had noticed the dark blue staining on some of his work, the glaze often paired with white and called 'dragonbone'. In her mind, she wanted that... but what sort of space he had asked. Her hand strayed to her stomach unconsciously as she thought. Remembering the meals she spent at his apartments, Kaeul decided she wanted to make a dish for her food, and a matching one for tea. "I think I'd like a slightly oval shaped space," she enunciated, "for food. Something bowl-like. I'm remembering how I wished I could put rice on one side of the bowl and other food on the opposite side when you first cooked for me. But I'd also like to make a something for tea that I can wrap my hands around when it gets cold out. What sort of 'space' is that?"

As they walked, Kaeul remembered that she was expecting a runner that day from one of the properties with runners. They had been expecting some Keroon runners to come in, bred for stamina and speed when travelling instead of while racing. It was still early enough in the morning that the day hadn't been wasted and she could still look forward to finding out if the man would meet with her. After weeks of appointments with the various properties and their animals, Kaeul was certain that she could afford one of the expensive, exceedingly well-bred runners, She had met with the man once and saved the life of his prize stallion, the one who was supposed to have sired the runner she was to look at. The runner, another stallion, was supposedly mild-mannered like the dam, and sleek and well-muscled, leggy and beautiful like his sire. Even more, he was an unusual strain that came from around the territory of Igen where the hot weather bred runners considered to be 'hot-blooded', a term used to denote a runner with an attitude. He had been brought in from the ageing runs and worked for the last Turn with the intention of being sold to Kaeul - a fact she hadn't known of until a few days before.

She only hoped that the marks she had saved would be enough. He sounded like an exceptional creature and she wanted to be worthy of him. A smile played on her face as she thought about it. Her day was eventful already - but now she got to work clay with Axerim to relax before going to see the 'hot' stallion. Now 4 turns old, he was young, but ready to be worked hard. He would become Kaeul's main transportation around the settlement. "Do you know when you were telling me about the blue and white glaze work you called 'dragonbone'? Do you have any of those materials in your shop still? I'd like the bowl and cup to match I think." She didn't let on that she wanted to use it at his apartments, thinking to let him ask if she would like to leave it there instead. The young woman didn't want Axerim to think she was trying to move in with him or seem to... pushy... about the situation they were in.

Even as they walked toward his workshop, ideas of how she wanted to paint on the glaze formed in her mind. She was going to making one long looking design with seamless edges. It had been a similar idea that her Beastcraft master had shown her to meditate with. If she followed the endless line on the stone he had painted, she could lose herself in nothing and relax. She wanted to be able to do that with her mug of tea. Kaeul had always considered herself rather artistic when it came to making designs, and she had yet to share that fact with Axerim. She was excited for the chance to show off a bit for him without letting him realize that was what she was doing. The idea that came to mind was an intricately intertwining ivy design for her project.

Her hand still rested on her stomach absently, and her gaze had unfocused as they walked the familiar path to the workshop. Kae's inattention led to her stumbling, her first instinct being to reach out and grab Axerim. As she righted herself she realized she was holding his arm crook as though he were escorting her. It took her a moment to realize and she hesitated for another moment before removing her arm. They were not a couple. He had asked her for no commitment, and it would not do for her to assume that she could leave her hand there in such a familiar manner. "I'... sorry." she mumbled, looking down. The fact of the baby was bringing so many little things to her mind and she felt as though she was over-thinking everything. Kaeul knew that she cared for him, but small things like their lack of determining where they stood together after weeks of spending time in each other's company was now weighing heavily on her mind.

Instead of bringing it up, fearful again of pressuring Axerim into something he didn't want from her, Kaeul smiled at him and kept walking. Since it was during the day, she had brought Altair with her and his lead was slack at her side as he walked slowly to keep in touch with his mistress, and the man he had come to like. Kae intended to leave him outside the shop to enjoy the weather while they worked. She didn't want him underfoot or near the kiln if it were burning. Determined to enjoy herself with Axerim, Kaeul tried to push her thoughts away.

As Kaeul began describing her ideas for what she wanted to create, Axerim found himself impressed by her idea of the oval bowl, and the simplicity of a cup that could easily fit in her small hands.

"Those are good ideas. Since you will want to hold the cup at length to absorb its heat, like you said," he grinned at that, "perhaps we could create a design for there to be some ridge around the sides of the cup so that it won't ever slip through the fingers. What do you think?

"You could always go back through the sketches of other works to get inspiration for it, or for the bowl." The suggestion was one that he himself utilized frequently.


When Kaeul went on about the Dragonbone white and blue ceramics, his attention perked with seemingly greater interest.

"We may have to make the clay from scratch, but I should have the right kind of soil on hand. I'll ask for your help since we haven't done that together yet." His smile made its way back into his eyes, thinking that she'd find the making of the clay from scratch a fun process. It was just like playing in the mud as a kid; only, with an actual purpose. Though making mud pies wasn't too far from the real thing.

As they entered the gate to the smithcrafting quarter and neared the workshop, he worried about whether or not he had the quality of soil necessary to make the particular ceramic she was asking for. The particular soil needed to create the pure white ceramic she was thinking of was of a rare and much sought after type. The soil could only be dug from certain areas nearby, but those deposits of soil were usually tainted with impurities which caused a grey-ish ashen color to show in the finished product. It was only the best quality soil of that kind, which could produce the kind of pure white finish she was looking for. The rarity of that most pure sample of soil was the reason for which the white ceramics were so expensive.

Were he not in relation to the Blood, if caught stealing such fine soils for his own personal use, he could have been punished severely and perhaps even face losing his position at the Hold because of it. Such highly valued soil, and the methods on how to work it, were well-guarded.



If nothing else, Axerim was an attentive person. Attentive in many aspects of his life, but especially toward those people he cared much about. For that reason, when he noticed Kaeul's step falter, her hand having touched at his arm, he was instantly ready to assist her to keep her from falling. Little did he know that falling could be bad for their baby.

Making sure she'd steadied herself, it was only in the next few steps that they reached his workshop. He held onto her hand the rest of the way.

Releasing her hand from his hold when they reached his workshop, he unlocked the padlock on the door there and swung it wide, leaving it left fully ajar once they entered. Axerim motioned to where there were a couple of benches surrounding the craft table, if she needed to sit, but he preferred she follow him if she wanted to play a part in the entire process.

Axerim walked across the room to where a set of boxed containers were situated one next to the other across a long, flat surface for easy access. They were uncovered and revealed that each container held a different variety of soil. To the far side of the table were two boxes containing two white soils, but where they could be seen right next to one another, one seemed slightly darker than the other. The furthest sampling was quite bright and clean looking. 

Stepping over to that particular sampling, Axerim reached a hand out to feel the soil, letting it sift through his fingers, testing its viscosity and size of the grain. Then, he took a pinch of the soil between his fingers, setting it to his tongue to taste it. 

"Here.. Try it." 

The grains of the white soil were very very fine and had a good, strong viscosity. If the soil sample was too coarse, it would never lend itself to a fine ceramic. If it was salty or had other impurities in it like metal, etc, the outcome of the final product would also be affected. And if the moisture in the soil was not to the perfect degree, then it would crack in the kiln, and the project ruined. From start to finish, everything had to be perfect. Ceramics were not a forgiving art.

Kaeul grinned, thinking about the ridges. They were a good idea, and she could even potentially groove the ridges to match exactly where her hands would fit. She made a mental note to sketch her idea for him. If nothing else, her sketch might give away some of her artistic talent, but it would be nothing compared to the finished project of the ivy vines on the set.

Her interest was peaked at the idea of creating the clay from scratch. Clearly her idea asked for clay of much higher quality than she was used to working with when she came to Ax's shop with him. It also made her wonder whether she had asked too much of the man. But, when he didn't seem too concerned with the idea, she relaxed again. He wouldn't let her do things that would get him in trouble, she assumed. Kae blushed when Ax kept her hand in his after her stumble. It relaxed some of her anxiety if he was willing to be seen familiarly with her in public. Soon, though, they reached his workshop and Ax had to release her hand to open the door.

Instead of sitting at the benches, Kaeul followed Ax toward the storage of soil he had often busied himself with while she worked at her shapes and figures. She had never been a part of this particular aspect of ceramics work. Feeling a little silly as she was told to imitate Axerim tasting the soil, and knowing she was supposed to pinch it herself, Kae bent over with a grin and licked his fingers as he had. The texture was odd in her mouth, reminding her slightly of fine salt, but the taste was nothing like it. She had no idea what she was supposed to be sensing from this odd taste test, but she smiled up at him all the same. "It's very soft. But I don't know what else to tell you about it." Her hand reached into the box, sifting gently through the sample of soil he had made her lick. It felt nice on her hands, cool to the touch and made her think about the fine bread flour she had once worked in the Kitchens of the Hold for fun when she was younger.

It was that memory that she finally put two and two together, "This is like baking. It's an art of balance and quality. Flour for baking bread and flour for other projects like thickening food is different quality. Where it doesn't matter as much for a thickening agent how dense something is, the finer grain is better for a higher quality product. It must be the same with clay, right? The finer quality pieces come from soil like this; fine and soft with nothing in it, instead of coarse and grainy with impurities." Her eyes shone with the revelation as she looked up at him, certain she had caught onto a key component of ceramics that he had wanted her to learn. Her hand came out of the soil covered in a fine powder which she tapped her wrist against the box to remove. When her hand was more or less cleaned of the messy stuff, she giggled. Reaching up she touched a finger to his nose and left a small white dot there. It was a tiny reminder of their first night in the workshop together when they had flung clay at each other and she had drawn on his face. This time, though, she hadn't wanted to waste any of the precious product they would be using.

"Can we make the clay? I've seen you do it before, but I have no idea if what you were doing were intentional and calculated instead of just random additions of ingredients and it looks very interesting." Her gaze caught Altair settling himself at the door of the workshop, laying down in a ray of sun that reached into the door and lit the workshop with natural light. He was content to lay there as long as he could, but she had given him no command to stay there. The dog could come and go as he needed, in order to use the bathroom without her release command. As if sensing her scrutiny, the dog lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at her with a doggish smile on his face. "Silly beast." she grinned. Altair gave a light 'woof' and returned to his people watching from the door. "I swear that beast sasses me, sometimes." she informed Axerim with mock severity.

The corner of Axerim's mouth pulled upward, indicating the same humour that could be seen in his eyes as Kaeul became bold enough to taste the find, almost powdery soil from the tip of his own finger. Though he didn't say anything, he was a little bashful about her doing so, since they weren't in the privacy of his apartment anymore. But, luckily no one had walked in. 

As she mused aloud at the process of his Craft, Rim found himself surprised. Pleasantly so. Thus, as she carefully put her thoughts into words, the Smithcrafter let his expression brighten. 

"That's exactly it." 

When she reached up to dab her messy finger on his nose leaving a mark, he didn't try to duck away, but continued to smile, accepting her tease. In the next couple of moments though, he reached up to rub the spot from his nose.

"First, we'll need to go out to the well to fill a bucket with water, and then purify it. No quality ceramic can be made with dirty water. After that, we can mix the soil here with just a little fine sand, which will help strengthen your finished wares. Without the sand, a thin ceramic will break easily. I'll show you how to measure the amounts of each ingredient when we get to that part, and let you do it."

For now however, he should probably be the one to hoist the water up from the well and carry it back. It wouldn't be good for her to be carrying heavy things while pregnant.

"While I bring the water, why don't you look into the boxes at the bottom of the shelf over here," he indicated nearby, "and pull out some of the oak charcoals and cheesecloth. I'll bring the rest."






A few minutes later, Rim was outside with a long rod over his shoulder, two empty buckets weighing at either end. One was soon filled with water, while the other he collected several various types and sizes of stones in, then returning to the workshop.

Just outside, he lowered the full buckets to the ground before taking one in each hand to enter the shop, leaving the rod leaned up against the wall outside.

Going to the large open workspace to one side of the room, the water he set aside for the time being, but all of the stones he emptied onto the floor, and began sorting through, placing them in each their separate piles. With all the materials in front of them, he gave the instructions, but tried to let Kaeul do the work, if she wanted, only assisting where necessary.

"Alright. The first thing you'll do is place the cheesecloth at the bottom of the bucket with the metal sieve at the bottom."  The one he'd just emptied the stones out of.

"Place the barley stones inside the bucket next. Spread them all out evenly. Then, if you have those oak charcoals, layer them on top, next."

Axerim's expression was soft, but eyes filled with the light of happy anticipation as he watched her.

Kae watched and grinned when her words were met with strident approval. It didn't bother her in the slightest when he had wiped the dust from his nose, but her gaze turned more focused as he started explaining about the final product of and how it would come to be well-made. When he determined that he would get the water and she could gather other supplies, she nodded and went to wash her own hands of dirt and impurities that could have been imparted into the clay they would be making. Going to the boxes he had indicated, she pulled out the supplies, checking them critically for their quality and when she was satisfied, she lay them out on the table in readiness for the next steps.

Finally he came back in with a bucket of water and another of stones which she watched him sort into piles before he turned to speak to her again. Nodding again, she took the cheesecloth and carefully covered the bottom of the bucket, making sure in the process that the entire sieve was covered properly. When she had finished this, he told her to line it with barley stones, which she did in an even layer, arranging them just as carefully as she had the cheesecloth. Next came the oak charcoals she had been told to gather. These she also layered. Still kneeling in front of the bucket, she sat back and slapped her hands on her thighs and looked up at the man, "What next?" she smiled, pleased with her hard work.

When she saw the soft look in his eyes, her own gaze changed but she let the flush show for a moment before looking away. If others came in when they weren't alone, they might make comments about the two of them. Preparing the bucket had been cathartic for her. Rim's Craft was one of careful beauty. Turning something as messy as soil and water into a wet clay and they clay into shapes that would be fired, glazed and presented was beautiful to her. Everything about it was forming art with the very hands on your body. It was a labor of love.

Kaeul was excited to be a part of the process from start to finish and her hands had begun to trace the edges of the bucket reverently, feeling the texture of the wood under her fingers. Woodcraft was almost the same except nature formed the wood in her hands, and the workers shaped it. But a ceramists hands made the clay, purified the water, formed the shape, started the fire, painted the glaze and displayed the end result in such a way to show off the inner beauty of the clay. Her voice was low as she whispered the end of her thoughts aloud, "Perfection is the end result..."

Kaeul's enthusiasm had easily rubbed off on him, so he continued, "Now, you can add the medium sized stones, then a layer of sand. Then add the larger stones on top of that."

Axerim was up on his feet in an instant, to collect a few scoops of sand from one of the large boxes of soils. He brought it to her to add as she would, watching her complete the entire process.

Axerim was grinning at her whispered words, "Perhaps. But more than perfection, the simplistic elegance of each piece causes authority and sophistication to become like nothing, and arrogance is diminished. And yet at the same time, the sophistication of the user rises. Simply and beautifully. Not with arrogance."



When the stones were all added, Rim picked up the bucket of stones and set it atop a third empty one, which he'd had handy in the shop. Taking it upon himself then to pick up the bucket of water from the well, he poured it slowly over the top of the stones so that the water began to filter, emptying through the sieve and into the bucket below. When the last of the water had filtered through the layers of stone and sand and coals, he set the bucket in his hands aside and removed the bucket of stones from where it sat. Beneath it was perfectly purified water. 

"Since you just washed your hands, you can try the water if you want." Indicating that she could scoop some up to taste it. It was cleaner than the water that some people drank and bathed in.

Rim too, tasted it, just as he'd tasted the soil earlier. Neither were too salty, and neither seemed to taste in excess of any metals. Though, the soil had been slightly floral, to his practiced tongue.

When they'd finished with that task, Rim carried the bucket to a slightly larger, shallower tub which they could fill, dumping the water into that. 

"Alright. Now we need to mix the soils we'll be using."

Cupping his larger hand about hers, he led them back to the boxes of soils laid out. But before measuring them out, he handed her a couple of medium sized, stacked containers which were empty. 

"So I told you earlier that to make a thinner vessel strong, to keep it from breaking if it falls, we need to add a little sand. The ratio is 7 parts white clay to 3 parts sand. So, if you'll place one of the containers on the scale over here, you can scoop white clay into it first. You'll probably need about three of these scoopers full. Then you can do the same with the sand in the other container. Only, you'll measure out a little less than half of the weight for it."

The sand they'd be using was also very fine grained, though not quite as soft to the touch as the white soil. 



As she got started, Rim watched her progress, making sure she didn't have any questions.

"I should take you out digging sometime." The thought made Axerim smile again. "I could teach you how to find soil samples like these. Depending on the wind, the trees and flowers nearby, the kind of water -if it's distilled or running, or rainwater- the same soil will have different properties. So, there is actually a lot to take into consideration when hunting for dig sites for soil suitable for ceramics. 

It might be fun just to get out of the Hold for a little while, too." Rim was certainly grinning at that. He could imagine the two of them finding some time alone together in the forest, spending an entire day out together. If she tired, they could take time to rest, or if he had to, he could carry her back. It probably wouldn't be good to ride on runner-back. That was always said to be a cause for miscarriages.

With a shake to clear her thoughts, Kae's eloquent response to Ax's words on her last sentence was simply, "Huh?" Blushing furiously she tried to explain, "I'm sorry, I was talking to myself. I was comparing the roughness of the Woodcraft to the exquisite art that it takes to create ceramics. No matter what you do, your hands eventually show off perfection in the clay that was one just a wet mess. Woodcrafters simply take something the world made and shape it. Whereas, you make everything and touch every part when you make something with ceramics. That's perfection." With a small smile she shook her head again, "Maybe it doesn't seem that way to you, but it does to me."

Finally she turned back to her work, adding layer by layer carefully and precisely as Axerim guided her work. Just the act of making sure each step was done right was calming to the young woman. When all of the layers had been added in her manner of needing thme to be perfect, Ax took the bucket of water he had fetched and carefully poured it over the layers, through the cheesecloth and into the one below. When it had drained fully, he moved her filter and told her to try the purified water. Dipping her cupped hands in and filling them just a bit, she sipped the water and looked up at him in surprise, "This is the purest water I have ever tasted! It's like drinking nothing!" It tasted even cleaner than the water that trickled from the snowy mountains in the north into the rivers. Kaeul was surprised, and quietly wished her water was like that all the time.

Once again, Kae's need for perfection rose as she scooped and measured under Ax's practised eye. Once she had the white soil measured, she took note of it's weight and moved it off the scale, replacing it's wooden container with the empty one. When she had poured enough in that it was 'slightly less than half', she looked at him for confirmation before moving it too, off the scale. She listened when he spoke, smiling at the thought of spending the day away with him. She loved to camp under the stars and briefly wondered if he would consider a small overnight camping trip, "I would love that!" she smiled, "I haven't had time to get out of the Hold in a while now. It might be a good time to take the runner I'm intending to buy out to see how he does on rough trail." she went on, turning back to her task of setting the measured soil and sand beside the tub where he had poured the water.

"I'm actually expecting a messenger today from the man who is coming from Keroon. He's bringing some of his finest stock for me today." Looking up once she had set down her burden she smiled again, "I was hoping you'd come along with me and I could show you some things about my own Craft. If you'd like." The request was innocent enough, in case someone where to be listening or come in while they were working, but to an experienced ear, she had more or less asked him to spend a great deal of time with her, in public - almost like an outing a courting couple would take.

Realizing then that Kaeul hadn't meant quite what he thought, in the exact way, the smithcrafter's expression turned bashful. Regardless of the little misunderstanding, he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl, and continued to admire the way she took in everything that he tried to teach her.

He was pleased that she took enjoyment out of the water purification. That too,was a highly important step in the whole process and it was fun to watch the process through the eyes of someone to whom all of this was new and amazing. It brought back memories of is own apprenticing days.

When it came time for them to measure out the soils, Rim watched her carefully weigh the amounts of each, and was again pleased with the progress she was making. In those few moments before taking the heavier of the boxes of soil to where their tub of clean water sat, the smithcrafter's eyes met her own with a fair measure of skepticism.

"We'll consult with the Healers first to see if it's okay for you to be riding around on a runner. Your condition right now must be delicate. And I'd not like to risk you or the baby..." He was going to be adamant about that. His words trailed off a bit though, knowing her well enough by then to know she'd probably argue the point if she was set on taking her new runner. 

"When had you planned on buying a new runner?"

There were other questions in mind which he had at the moment, that he did not voice, such as whether or not it might be a very tall breed, because what if she fell? Or perhaps one that was too energetic for her to exercise right now. He didn't want her miscarrying for any needless incident.

As she came back with her answer, he led them back to the water filled tub and pulled up a couple of short stools to perch themselves low upon. 

Now came the fun part.  Making mud. So, even as she may have started talking, he figured she would have followed suit in gradually adding hand fulls of soil to the water at a time, beginning to mix it all in gradually. The water began to cloud, becoming more and more white as the mixture was added to it, and soon Rim was rolling up his sleeves to just below the elbow so that he could dig his fingers into the bottom, where it had all settled. There, he demonstrated how to kneed the mud appropriately, turning it into the kind of clay they would need for their project.

Kaeul took a deep breath when Axerim gave her a skeptical look and almost insisted on having her see a Healer before dealing with runners or riding them, "Mothers are far less breakable than you think we are." she stopped as a small smile played on her face in the sound of his worry for her and the baby, "And I assure you that I am far more equipped to deal with my Craft than most expecting people out there." She let the point rest there, she was not going to argue her rights with him, especially when someone could come into the workshop at any moment.

Instead she swept onto the next question that came from the man's mouth, "Actually, I've been planning it for some time. Only recently I had enough marks saved up to talk to the man from Keroon. His desert runners are built for speed, stamina and comfort in the ride. If you could imagine floating on a cloud, whose back never moved beneath you even as they carried you quickly across the land... you can imagine the runner I'm going to look at." Her tone came out wistful as she remembered riding the stud runner that had sired her upcoming mount. "It was like riding a dream, Ax." she breathed, her gaze unfocused as she remembered. Coming back to reality, Kaeul shook her head and smiled at Ax, "What's next?"

In moments she was being led to the tub and perched beside Axerim on the stool he had provided. She watched him for a moment before mirroring his movements and gradually adding soil to her purified water. She was suddenly very glad that her sleeves were organically cut at her elbows when she noticed how messy the process was and saw Ax rolling up his sleeves. She fell into silence as they worked, finding comfort and pleasure in the methodical movements of kneading the mud into a clay consistency. Before too long a knock came at the open workshop door and Kaeul turned to see if it was the messenger she had been expecting.

It was. "Mistress Kaeul, I have a message for you." he said, his gaze flickering to the man at her size hesitantly.

Kaeul nodded to him to continue, her hands not stopping her movements with the clay, "You may speak in front of him, I have no secrets from him about this message." she said, her tone giving him no room to argue with her.

The message runner nodded, "Yes, ma'am. The Master has arrived and settled in. He requests that you meet with him before the seventh candlemark this evening at your earliest convenience." Again, his gaze flickered to Axerim, "Should I inform him that you will be there?"

"Tell him that I will be there when I reach a stopping point here, and I'll be bringing a guest."

"The Master's next question is if you would share a meal with him when you arrive at his property." the young man continued.

"The same message applies; I'd be happy to have dinner with him." Kaeul responded, waiting for the messenger to finish. He gave her a bow, and one to Ax as well, before turning on heel and sprinting away. Kaeul shook her head and returned to paying attention to the tub of muddy clay-water, "He was a character." she grinned. "I wonder what he was thinking when he saw us here."