1st Vhalar, 718
Just before dawn.
Just before dawn.
Pulling her shawl around herself more tightly, Vega gave herself a little shake to wake herself up. It was very early and she'd much rather be fast asleep than awake and tromping off to set things up, but it was Arlo's birthtrial and she had things to do. One of the issues with living with someone, Vega had decided, was that keeping secrets was hard - and making things for him was very tricky. He was everywhere all at once and there was no pulling any wool over his eyes - her Arlo was curious about the world, and everyone in it. Especially her. Vega grinned to herself as she moved over to the box they kept of her woodworking things.
Because, over the last few weeks, she'd been hiding in plain sight.
Vega loved working with wood, it was a physical skill and she was good at those. She had told him, during Saun, that she wanted to try and learn to make musical instruments. It made sense, after all - she had discovered a love of playing them - and a very genuine talent for doing so. Therefore, she'd started to practice. Whilst this was completely true, she wasn't in the habit of lying to Arlo nor was she about to start, alongside learning the intricacies of making instruments - a task which would end up taking her a long time, she was sure - she'd also been making something else. But fundamentally, she was carving bits of wood and muttering about things measuring up and so on. Mostly, he left her to it, cooking or doing his own thing and them chatting as they both did.
And so, under his nose, she'd worked on this. Vega had known, immediately she thought about it, what it was she wanted to make him for his birthtrial. Something that would be useful on any given trial and which wouldn't get in the way or just gathering dust. Something that would give him the kind of pleasure that her bracelet gave her - his gift to her on her birthday last arc. It meant more to her than she easily had words for and the fact that it, too, had burned up in the fire on Scalvoris docks. There was still a tiny mark on the stone and that made it more precious to her.
What she made came in pieces, relatively small and manageable ones. That had been necessary or he'd have seen what she was doing immediately. Also, it was part of what she wanted to do. Each piece was part of a much more intricate whole and the challenge with that had been the way to make the pattern flow, from top to bottom, without assembling the whole thing because then, he'd see and know. But Vega was pleased with how she'd managed it and she was sure that it was going to look how she wanted it to look.
The proof of that would come when she got to where she was going, of course. Once there, she'd construct it and make sure that it was exactly what she wanted it to be. So, Vega put together the pieces of carved wood she needed and brought with her the tools that she might need should there be any touch ups to do or such, and she made her way. Arlo was still fast asleep and Iris, Vega's familiar, was staying in the camp that was theirs for this night and throughout the trial, to let her know should he wake up. She'd know anyway, of course and she glanced down at the tiny scar where he'd cut her arm and their blood had mingled. His Cassion mark, part of which he'd passed on and shared with her. It meant a lot of things, that, many of which she was only just coming to think about; like the fact that, while he lived, she did, that he could take injuries from her, that kind of thing.
Mostly, to now, she'd been focused on dealing with feeling his emotions, hearing his thoughts. Putting them, together with her own and not being deafened by the noise. But now that things were getting calmer on that front, they were both thinking about what the mark meant for them as a couple. Vega knew, without a doubt, that it was more meaningful, more personal and more of a commitment than any wedding would ever be, and she grinned as she considered that, sitting half way up a cliff with goats making weird noises beneath them had been a perfect place, therefore, for it to happen.
Not ones for fuss or ceremony, either of them, yet that had been a moment she would cherish all her life, she knew that. Her father had been less than impressed, teasing her that he was never going to get to see his daughter get married. Vega, though, had laughed and told him, simply and clearly that while that was almost certainly true, he would see her happy every trial. He had wandered off, grumbling good naturedly.
Because, over the last few weeks, she'd been hiding in plain sight.
Vega loved working with wood, it was a physical skill and she was good at those. She had told him, during Saun, that she wanted to try and learn to make musical instruments. It made sense, after all - she had discovered a love of playing them - and a very genuine talent for doing so. Therefore, she'd started to practice. Whilst this was completely true, she wasn't in the habit of lying to Arlo nor was she about to start, alongside learning the intricacies of making instruments - a task which would end up taking her a long time, she was sure - she'd also been making something else. But fundamentally, she was carving bits of wood and muttering about things measuring up and so on. Mostly, he left her to it, cooking or doing his own thing and them chatting as they both did.
And so, under his nose, she'd worked on this. Vega had known, immediately she thought about it, what it was she wanted to make him for his birthtrial. Something that would be useful on any given trial and which wouldn't get in the way or just gathering dust. Something that would give him the kind of pleasure that her bracelet gave her - his gift to her on her birthday last arc. It meant more to her than she easily had words for and the fact that it, too, had burned up in the fire on Scalvoris docks. There was still a tiny mark on the stone and that made it more precious to her.
What she made came in pieces, relatively small and manageable ones. That had been necessary or he'd have seen what she was doing immediately. Also, it was part of what she wanted to do. Each piece was part of a much more intricate whole and the challenge with that had been the way to make the pattern flow, from top to bottom, without assembling the whole thing because then, he'd see and know. But Vega was pleased with how she'd managed it and she was sure that it was going to look how she wanted it to look.
The proof of that would come when she got to where she was going, of course. Once there, she'd construct it and make sure that it was exactly what she wanted it to be. So, Vega put together the pieces of carved wood she needed and brought with her the tools that she might need should there be any touch ups to do or such, and she made her way. Arlo was still fast asleep and Iris, Vega's familiar, was staying in the camp that was theirs for this night and throughout the trial, to let her know should he wake up. She'd know anyway, of course and she glanced down at the tiny scar where he'd cut her arm and their blood had mingled. His Cassion mark, part of which he'd passed on and shared with her. It meant a lot of things, that, many of which she was only just coming to think about; like the fact that, while he lived, she did, that he could take injuries from her, that kind of thing.
Mostly, to now, she'd been focused on dealing with feeling his emotions, hearing his thoughts. Putting them, together with her own and not being deafened by the noise. But now that things were getting calmer on that front, they were both thinking about what the mark meant for them as a couple. Vega knew, without a doubt, that it was more meaningful, more personal and more of a commitment than any wedding would ever be, and she grinned as she considered that, sitting half way up a cliff with goats making weird noises beneath them had been a perfect place, therefore, for it to happen.
Not ones for fuss or ceremony, either of them, yet that had been a moment she would cherish all her life, she knew that. Her father had been less than impressed, teasing her that he was never going to get to see his daughter get married. Vega, though, had laughed and told him, simply and clearly that while that was almost certainly true, he would see her happy every trial. He had wandered off, grumbling good naturedly.
