[PRP] Curled Wire and Stars [Brenley/Aryale]

[demon_pachabel]

It was almost disgusting how little Aryale had adapted to the void in her life. Where her brother had likely adapted overnight to the new dragon, and perhaps longer to adjust to a new home. The pieces of a new life while she tried to find what she did with a hole of responsibility that no longer needed her to cater to it. It should have been liberating, but instead it was endlessly frustrating.

That was the same frustration she put into all of her chores, her brow always set a little too seriously. Of course, many already had considered big-sister-to-all-who-would-have-her a touch too serious, but it had come with a certain withdrawal now that she had nowhere else to put it. But her grousing stayed to herself.

But that day she had some time to herself, tinkering away with wire and pliers, twisting it upon itself to fashion fine curls. A skill she'd learned on a rare visit to her grandfather turns and turns ago, and occasionally refined. Aryale had made quite a few of those curled wire shapes, setting them off on the table she'd perched herself at in the common hall while she avoided her parents.

Their sappiness over the whole thing had just been one step too much.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Time had passed swiftly since most of Western's hopefuls had returned from High Reaches disappointed, though not half as fast as the span between now and when Bren had arrived at the weyr. It hardly felt like he'd been here a month, let alone a year, but he remembered stumbling to safety all too clearly for someone so numb, and the slight bite he felt in the air now matched the one he'd experienced on that day.

Brenley liked to think he had grown friendlier in recent months, but no matter how much progress he had made, he was not at all ready for a dragon. Grateful hadn't been a strong enough word to describe how he felt when no one forced him to go beg for one. In an effort to make polite conversation, he had learned the names of a handful of those who had Impressed, thinking that he could hardly go wrong discussing Pern's future heroes. Seeing Aryale sitting by herself as he entered the common hall, he realized he could in fact go wrong after all.

He certainly didn't know her well, but he wasn't so far in his own head that he hadn't noticed she'd been irritated since the hatching. Bren thought about just passing her by, but she was making the most interesting... squiggles. They seemed relaxing, like he imagined woodcarving or painting might be. And... he was staring. Whoops. He had pondered for just a little too long again.

"Hello. Sorry. I was just wondering what you were making, if you don't mind me asking."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

It was easy to let her mind get wrapped up in her task and she actually hadn't noticed Brenley's approach until he spoke up. Jerking slightly with surprise, Aryale looked up at the young man, looking a touch more like a spooked herdbeast than she normally would have liked. It wasn't as though she'd been doing something bad.

For a moment she studied his face - he wasn't a stranger. He'd shown up not that long ago. At least, it didn't feel[ like that long ago. But his name didn't come easily.

Hoping that perhaps that little tidbit wouldn't come back to bite her, she looked back down to her wire wrapping. "Not sure. I kind of just feel things out as I go," she admitted. "I think most people who do wire jewelry think it out a little harder than I do." Nothing she made was much more impressive than someone actually trained would have been able to do. "Do you like it?"

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He almost took a step back when she jumped, tempted to apologize again and retreat entirely. Bren did not do the latter, but he managed another muttered sorry before she spoke.

Jewelry. That made sense, even if these pieces weren't quite his style. There had been a time when he had worn a number of rings and baubles every day, but they weren't practical for him here, and anyway, he had sold most of his more frivolous possessions long ago.

"I do. They're quite striking and making them seems calming. Or at least distracting. That would certainly be helpful around here."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Both. Definitely both," Aryale replied, "it's easy enough to learn, too. Wrap the wire by itself, find a stone of some sort to wrap it around. I learned from my grandfather," she explained, as though Bren would actually care about that little tidbit of trivia.

She patted the bench next to her with invitation, "Would you like to try? I can show you...." Of course, he could have always been completely uninterested now that she'd spoken up on it and answered his question.

Smerdle

A small tag.

 

[Smerdle]

"I..." Well, it wasn't like he was doing anything more important right now. And he liked the idea of hoarding more solitary but productive hobbies. They made life interesting.

"Yes. Sure. If you wouldn't mind." Bren approached slowly enough to give her plenty of time to tell him to get lost if she suddenly had a mind to, eventually taking a seat beside her when it seemed she would not.

"I'm ready." Not that that wasn't obvious, but he felt like announcing it anyway.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

There was no expectant staring as Bren evaluated the offer. Aryale visibly brightened when he took her up on it, however. "Of course," she said, taking a moment to fuss with the length of wire she had, first clipping her own project (with some extra length) off of her small spool, then another piece which she offered to him.

"What's nice is some of the really basic stuff doesn't need a tool. You can just use your fingers cause the bends aren't real tight," she explained. "I'll show you something bigger, just cause there's more room to work," Aryale loosely twisted the wire as she spoke, measuring it against her wrist, though she didn't finish off the ends, instead curling them forward to make a bracelet like shape with an open back.

"This shape is easy, and you can either take the loose ends and curl them around something, or loop them back," again, her hands moved as she spoke, finger drawing along the designs that came to mind as she considered both options.

Smerdle