The Future is Near

Ralla · 03-19-2011, 12:43 PM

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I know I use this table all the time, but I love it and the song so much <3

Ralla mulled over the idea of carving such things for the children, but her expression turned to one as if she were sucking on sour lemons. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a craftsman to make such intricate things," she commented. "That sort of skill would be more suited to Claudius." The only one besides their own Gatlvskas she could think of with such skill was Shawchert from Cercatori D'Arte, but she would not bother him with such a thing, especially since she was the one who wanted to complete the task in the first place. And Claudius she could rarely find; the two had never officially met, but she had heard of him through her other tribemates and seen his work scattered about the village. "The idea is nice, but I can't make such delicate things. I was thinking more of..." she trailed off, recalling a memory of a revel in her native home. "A grand welcome to spring. A thanks for surviving the storm and a rebirth of the fire. Oh! That's right; did anyone tell you? The Great Fire went out during the snowstorm," she said with a tinge of sadness, the fire dancing in her eyes, the color looking as if there were an inferno in a forest.

"Oh! I remembered something!" she said, nearly popping from her seat. "Where I come from, we would decorate our fires for our ceremonies with...oh, how to describe it... We would take bones and antlers and lean them up against one another over the fire, and the flames would dance around them into beautiful patterns. I also learned a little trick," she said with a wink of her own, "on how to treat feathers and leather to make them heat resistant for a time. The tallow that I make--which I should probably teach to you one day as well--can be watered down with the oils of the wapitee, and whatever you put it on will not burn for a very short time." She let her mind continue its trek to almost forgotten memories; a dark night, a black sky, and the flames of the hearth spiraling towards heaven. It had been for the winter solstice ceremony; the longest and darkest night of the year, where the moon slept and rested longer than usual. "We used to take the bones and antlers and paint them, hanging the rope from some of the edges with other bits of ours. I remember...an arrowhead, a tooth, a treated feather, and some tanned hide stretched across one or two spaces of antler." She could smell the heady scent of animal fat even then; the charring of leather had been strong, and the burnt bits of bone would slowly crumble into the fire the longer it would remain. To her it was a beautiful memory of spring, because the tinder would be laden with new twigs and the tribe members would throw fresh grass over the fire, which would take longer to catch because each blade would be so full of water. But it would always smell sharp.

Ralla returned her attention to J'adore after the respite, embarassed for once more wandering off in her own mind. "But all the materials to make such a thing we have; I'm sure we could find some antlers, and there are always a few bones stored in the Town Hall for material." She smiled brightly, the idea then planted firmly in her head. J'adore then offered her the rabbit her had slung over his shoulder and she grinned up at him. "That is very kind, thank you. But let us eat later; I'm much too excited to cook anything now!" she sounded so much like a young child again that Ralla wondered if perhaps she would ever grow out of that brand of enthusiasm. Although it's not entirely bad. I just wish it wouldn't run away with me all the time.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

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