Stagnant Optimism

Caprica D'Angelo · 01-30-2012, 05:33 PM

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Was it bad that she had a favourite chair by the kitchen fireplace? Probably. Caprica spent a good deal of her evenings down here, and was most often to be found poring over a book lately, legs tucked neatly beneath her in the wide wooden seat. She was an incredibly slow reader, and it had taken her long enough to go through the library and pick out all the best wood-related books - by best, she meant the ones with most pictures. Some were more about building, though, but anything would do to feed her latest craze. This was more than a simple craze though, she was positive. This was going to be her calling - her skill. When she figured out how to get started.

She'd got the wood ready for her new shelves, stacked in the corridor outside her room, and allowing plenty of shameless amusement whenever she heard a passer-by forget they were there and knock into them, especially whenever a firelighter had been lazy or just forgotten to light the torches. It didn't look like the stack of space-encroaching wood was going to move any time soon, as she couldn't even figure out what was the best tools to use to knock the framework she had planned together. Caprica had decided to start small, just trying to get a feel for the material - when it would split, what pressure it could take without warping; the texture and density of it. She'd oiled up a saw and cut herself a small sackful of square blocks. If she couldn't carve or at least shape these, there was no hope. Currently, the blocks lay where she'd dumped them in front of the chair, craft knife abandoned on top of the sack. Caprica was looking into the flames, trying not to gaze in despair at the foundations of her project which was going nowhere fast. To take her mind off it, she'd uncorked the last bottle of wine and poured a drink, telling herself she'd get started after just one glass. If that didn't break down her inhibitions and uncertainty around the wood, nothing would.

Image courtesy of Ant Jackson@Flickr; Table by the Mentors!

Ayasha · 02-10-2012, 06:41 PM

Ayasha had been in Anathema for a little less than a month and felt a lot better about finding her way around the caves. She still got lost but not nearly as often as she had at first. So what if she had when she got here tripped over uneven patches and gotten scraps. And who cared if she had ran into this pile of wood outside someone’s caves? She figured that the canines of Anathema understood, since most if not all of them had been there at some point.

She was generally wandering around, making sure she paid attention to where she was going. Her mental map of this place was getting better. Her gaze took in where she was and where she was going. She passed by the wood that she had nearly tripped on when she had first come here. It seemed that whoever owned it, if anyone in fact did, had forgotten it was there. Ayasha let her gaze look over the wood and she could tell that it was pretty good wood. Some sort of construction project? Perhaps.

She decided to see if whoever owned it knew that they still had wood outside their home that people kept tripping over. So she approached the cave and saw that there was no one there. So she made note of the scent and went searching for the canine that lived there. Her search led her to the communal kitchen and she cleared her throat gently to get her attention. ”Hey, did you realize that there is bunch of wood outside your cave?” Her tone was polite and she tried not to sound rude and nosy.

Caprica D'Angelo · 02-19-2012, 06:02 PM

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It's chemical the way we love. The way we hate it's quite inhuman

This was turning into a real mess. First the abandoned cherry-tree planks in the tunnel, proving nothing but a nuisance, and now Caprica had covered the kitchen floor with blocks of wood. A strange feeling of despair had risen up in her: loneliness perhaps, fear of never succeeding in the tasks she set herself. More wine chased the previous swallows down her throat: somebody would happen by soon, and then she would need to provide a bold front. Her jet-black hair swung curtain-like in front of her face as she stared down at the wood on the floor, reading pictures into the knots and whorls but not daring to pick up her knife and try to make a mark. When she heard the soft sounds of approach, she did scoop one up, but only to peer at it more intently, as if deciding what to do. The scent which filled the room was that of a stranger. Caprica tilted her head up from her fireside seat, her face turning into shadow so that only the edges of her green eyes caught the firelight as she looked the slight white-pelted wolf up and down, before flashing her a curving and faintly supercilious smile. "Well hey. Sure I do, I put it there. What's it to ya?" she answered. "I'm Caprica D'Angelo, and you are?"

Image courtesy of fabiogis50

Ayasha · 02-25-2012, 05:38 PM

Ayasha took a moment to look around her at the kitchen of Anathema. The floor was currently covered with blocks of wood. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity as she surveyed the mess that was the kitchen floor. And then her eyes took in the bottle of wine that seemed rather empty. That might explain part of the reason the place was a mess.

The dark female spoke and asked her what it mattered that there were planks in the pathway for anyone to step on. ”Well, I’ve repeatedly nearly tripped over them and they seemed to have been there a long time. Do you need help moving them or doing something with them? I can carve with wood.” She offered helpfully.

She introduced herself as Caprica and Ayasha gave her a friendly grin. ”Its nice to meet you Caprica. I’m Ayasha and I joined Anathema not too long ago. Have you been here long?” She would talk about who she came here with and why if asked. But she realized that people got mad when you said that you brought a murderer into their pack. But Anathema did seem to be a bit different.

Caprica D'Angelo · 02-25-2012, 07:16 PM

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It's chemical the way we love. The way we hate it's quite inhuman

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She noted the newly-recruited Anatheman checking out the floor, and her eyes filled with insolence. So what if it was a mess? Being a mess was the floor's job. It was also, incidentally, the best place for her so-called handiwork: tossed in the dirt like worthless lumps of wood. And probably to be soon joined by herself. Caprica was in that kind of mood. She had a feeling she might easily end up on the floor before the day was out. Her own eyebrows curved, mirroring Ayasha's, as the smaller woman went on to explain how she'd been a victim of the low-lying trip hazard. Caprica felt a little bit sorry, of course. But selfishly, her emotions ran more towards the oh I'm so terribly sorry if my failure as a person and a pack member got under your feet, it must be so hard for you. She was, of course far too mannerly to spout this sarcasm out loud: she also deep down knew what an ass she was being just to think it.

But then, miracle of miracles, the girl explained that she was a carver. Perhaps this was the inspiration or kick in the hind that Caprica had needed. She could get some lessons and everything would stop seeming so damn difficult. "You are a carver? I'm tryin'a learn the ropes of woodwork myself. I wanna be able to build stuff. It's harder than it looks," she sighed, leaning back in the chair and prodding a block with a toe. Her despondency showed in every line. "If you could just show me how to get started that would be real sweet. Here, you want use my knife?" She held out the sharp little blade, a rather more cheery - and cheeky - smile appearing on her face. She'd cut straight to the chase by asking Ayasha to show her something right away: hopefully the girl wouldn't mind. As she started to look over the blocks for a good one to offer Ayasha she thought back a few moments and then belatedly answered the question posed. "A few months." She didn't ask what Ayasha's reasons for coming were. It was obvious to Caprica that there was no better home than these caves, for a myriad of reasons. Additionally she trusted her leaders who had accepted the girl, that her story would have been found satisfactory. And now she was here, they were family. "How d'you like the underground life, then? she wondered idly, with her glinting green eyes parked unerringly on the eyes of the other.

Image courtesy of fabiogis50

Ayasha · 03-06-2012, 02:34 PM

OOC: Sorry about the slowness of me posting.

IC: Ayasha saw Caprica’s noticing of her incredulous look about the state of the floor and wondered why she wouldn’t clean it up. Others used this kitchen as well for rather important things like cooking food. So why was this female camping out with her woodwork when the shavings and splinters could easily get into someone’s food.

But she nodded at her being a carver. She never did it as her profession path but she did do it as a hobby and knew that she did it fairly well. But Ayasha didn’t really know how to build stuff. ”I can show you how to make the wood look pretty but not how to construct things out of wood. But I can show you how I carve.” She carefully took the knife but paused. ”what sort of thing would you like me to teach you to carve?”

She nodded again at Caprica being here a few months. Thankfully she wasn’t asked what brought her here so she did the same and didn’t ask what brought the other female here. The question of how she liked being underground caused her to cock her head to the side slightly as she considered things. ”I’m still trying to get used to the paths so I don’t get lost. But it is very different from AniWaya, where I lived in a treehouse with my mother and three siblings.”

Caprica D'Angelo · 03-09-2012, 05:43 AM

Me tooo sorryy!

Thankfully Caprica hadn't started carving yet, or realised that she'd send dust and shavings flying through the air. As a chef herself, she'd be the first to direct her operations elsewhere. The kitchen was like a security blanket of a room for her. She knew what she was doing in there, mostly, so she went there when she needed to feel calm and in control. She was beginning to once more now, when Ayasha took the knife and confirmed her offer to carve the wood. Caprica heaved a sigh of relief and sat back to watch. "Oh, anything - it don't matter." Her body language was more friendly now, her legs under her in the chair, posture leaning forwards slightly to watch carefully how the other wolf started her carving off.

"A treehouse? That sounds neat," she exclaimed. "Made of wood? That's like… the polar opposite of Anathema, living up in the treetops like a bird." Caprica knew she'd feel fear, clambering up high like Merlin had done, dancing along the branches. Her size meant such things would be hard for her, at seven-and-a-quarter feet tall it would be a little like a bear trying to climb a tree. And most branches probably would groan under her weight, too. Ayasha was far more lightly built and nimble-looking.

Ayasha · 03-15-2012, 03:08 PM

OOC: Sorry yet again for the wait. And pretend that Ayasha explains step-by-step how she carves. I felt lazy Smile

IC: Ayasha regarded the dark furred female as she settled in, apparently becoming more relaxed and friendly. It seemed that Caprica was not very open to begin with but soon became friendly, much like Aeron. But Ayasha was fairly open all the time so it was a little odd for her to see so many people closed off. Though considering the type of canines in the pack, it was hardly surprising that they were closed up until they could trust you.

But for carving, the woman had no particular object in mind that she wanted done. So Ayasha would be left to whatever she felt like carving. And what did she feel like carving? She considered it for a moment and realized that she missed her mom. So she closed her eyes and thought of Nootau, her mother’s spirit guide that was an owl, and opened her eyes. She started to carve the wood, explaining how she did.

Caprica talked about Ayasha’s old home and she nodded at her observations. ”It is a bit like living like a bird. Maybe that’s why my mom liked it so much, that and it allowed her to be closer to the stars.” Ayasha fingered the figure of an owl that she made to show how she carved. ”But it was really odd to go from living in the trees to several feet under ground. Were you born here or did you come from another place?” Her question also had the unspoken question of what was it like.

Caprica D'Angelo · 03-21-2012, 06:45 PM

Caprica gazed entranced at the quick-fingered woman's work, and then realised how rude she was being: leaped up and pulled up a stool for the white lady, before sitting down again. It was true: she could be a little spiky in personality, not just at first, but at any time she felt threatened or challenged. She was easy-going enough to relax almost straight away though, and always ready to be friendly so long as the consideration went both ways.

Living like a bird was a beautifully poetic image. Perhaps Ayasha would turn out to be a wolf of more than one creative talent. It sounded like she'd had a similarly poetic mother. Well, the apple rarely fell far from the tree. "Your mom was a bird?" Caprica could never resist attempting to be funny. "Oh… no, I only came here last year. I was born in Phoenix Valley… which doesn't exist any more," she explained. "So I guess I'm Anatheman through and through now. So were you born up in there, AniWaya I mean?" Perhaps she had been laid in an egg, in a nest, Caprica thought, but it was one of those thoughts better not spoken out loud. Her sense of humour wasn't always the most easy for others to follow.

Ayasha · 03-24-2012, 11:18 PM

Ayasha hadn’t really minded that she hadn’t been sitting down until Caprica stood up and pulled out a stool. She looked up from her carving in surprise and grinned gratefully. ”Thank you, Caprica.” She gave her another grin as she sat down, continuing to carve. She gave out instructions if she felt they were needed.

The dark colored female made a comment about her mother being a bird and Ayasha gave a girlish giggle. ”No, my mom’s not a bird. But her Spirit Guide is an owl. So that would be why she loves being aboveground, I guess.” She gave a slight shrug. She wasn’t really sure the reason why Ralla wanted to be in the treetops.

She nodded at being here in the last year but perked up slightly at hearing the name Phoenix Valley. ”I know of that place. Dawali, our leader, was good friends with Jefferson Soul and my first crush, back when I was about six months old, was from there too.” She didn’t feel bad about talking about Roran since Liam knew about him. At being born in AniWaya, she shook her head. ”No, I was born in a place called Newfoundland and came to AniWaya when I was two months old. My birth mother died protecting me from a bear and Ralla eventually adopted me.” She wasn’t too upset since she barely remembered her mother or her old home, or more what her birth mother had said about her old home.

Caprica D'Angelo · 03-25-2012, 05:06 PM

Suddenly the room felt a lot more companionable, with the both of them sitting down at a similar level - off the floor, which was still chaotically strewn with Caprica's wood samples. She'd pick those up, of course. But for now, it was as messy as a playroom. She noticed wood shavings drifting down from Ayasha's knife to join the mess, but didn't pay too much heed. If she was going to have to sweep anyway, what difference did a few shavings make.

Caprica joined in the giggle with a few low chuckles of her own on learning that the woman in question wasn't a bird, though she was mostly laughing at her own absurdity: then her expression became rather intense and she leant forward with bright curiosity shining in her green eyes, pushing back her swinging curtain of short hair. "Wait. What. Spirit guide? What's that?" Oh, how matters of the spirit fascinated the dark D'Angelo.

Caprica smiled vaguely at the talk of names and places she did not know, until the name of Jefferson sent her chin dropping in a small nod of recognition, and then she grinned hugely at the mention of Ayasha's half-year-old affair of the heart. There was some pain in her eyes, though. When she'd been six months, she'd been looking forward to all that stuff. And then some utter loser of a coyote had come along and destroyed all her high expectations. She liked to think she was over that now, though. Shit happened. It was in the past now. "Oh? That's sweet. I've, uh, never had a crush." Not true, but she couldn't admit to those now long-gone feelings. "Who was yours?" Probably no one she knew. This girl was at least a year younger than she, and Caprica had not lingered many months in the Valley.

Ayasha · 04-01-2012, 09:30 PM

OOC: Want to wrap this up soon?

IC: Ayasha gave a grin at their shared amusement, though she had the feeling that Caprica wasn’t necessarily laughing because of the image of Ralla being a bird brought up. It was rather funny to think of her mother as a bird. Though it also made her miss her family a lot. She didn’t regret moving here to be with Liam but she did miss her mother and siblings.

At what a spirit guide was, Ayasha titled her head to the side slightly. ”Well, they’re spirits that guide AniWayans in their walk in AniWayan life. They are timeless. They also are able to take physical forms and talk to people. But they can also be quiet if they so which.” She wasn’t sure how helpful her explanation was.

It seemed the dark furred female recognized Jefferson Soul. Then she asked what his name was and Ayasha gave a fond grin. She loved Liam but she had a special place in heart for her first love. ”His name was Roran Wolfe.” Of course, she had told Liam this so she didn’t have to worry about him hearing a rumor about her and her old flame, if you wanted to call him that when she was only six months old.

Caprica D'Angelo · 04-02-2012, 05:10 AM

Maybe one more post from you to show off the carving, and then wrap up? Big Grin

Caprica began to feel inspired, and picked up a piece of wood - she wasn't thinking about what she was making, though. Just, with a sharp kitchen knife, whittling at it, trying to mimic Ayasha's technique, but not even looking at what her own knife was doing. Her eyes remained fixed on the hand movements of the carving Ayasha was slowly creating, so her intent attention to her words was not immediately apparent, although Caprica was fascinated to hear about the spirit guides. She imagined having a creature with her at all times, that would give her guidance and instruction. The thought was fascinating. It sounded so much less hard work than having a horse. With a horse, you had to do all the guiding yourself. "And you have one of these now?" She realised the subject was drifting a little, so nodded at the piece of wood in Ayasha's hand. "That looks beautiful, I think I can see what it is. An owl, right? Like your mom's guide?" She bit her lip. Ayasha must be thinking about her mother a lot. She probably missed her. Caprica had been separated from Naniko at a young age, so now that she'd found her again, she was terrified of losing her once more - although she was perfectly capable of living independently, she felt she needed that comforting mother presence around, even if there was no actual mothering going on any more. Naniko would have her work cut out if she ever wanted to leave her dark daughter again, for Caprica was becoming more and more dependent on her presence by the month, not that it was noticeable, for she had no need to act upon the feelings - her mom wasn't going anywhere: she was the leader and the pack needed her. There was no feasible scenario where she would leave, especially as her children were almost all here now too. She looked down at her block of wood, and was surprised to see the face of a wolf looking back at her. She wasn't sure if it really looked like anyone she knew, but it had ears and eyes and a nose. She beamed suddenly, glad she'd managed to achieve something, even if it was only a rough piece. "Look like anyone you know?" she giggled, holding it up. The eyes were slightly crossed and the muzzle had a notch in it. Caprica had never seen a person like that in her life, but maybe Ayasha would know some scarred person it would fit.

Ayasha · 04-13-2012, 04:31 PM

This carving might not be her best but it was special to her yet painful all the same. It reminded her of Ralla and that was what made the carving special and also painful. She smoothed her fingers over the carving absently as she thought of her mother. Ralla wasn’t her birth mother but she might as well have been. They even liked enough a like to be blood related. She glanced up in surprise at Caprica and shook her head gently in response to her question. ”Not anymore. I did, a blue jay named Dichali, but we never connected totally so when I left AniWaya, he left.” She really wasn’t bothered by it but it was a little sad.

With the topic of both spirit guides and carvings the dark furred female asked if it was an owl like her mother’s spirit guide. ”Yeah. Her’s was named Nootau.” But she then watched her carving student carve and she nodded in approval. ”That’s good for your first carving. It takes practice to get it but you’ll get it soon.” She giggled at Caprica’s question and shook her head. ”Nope. Not anyone I know.” It was good to have someone to talk to like she could with Shiloh. But she couldn’t really wrestle with Carpica, or at least she didn’t think so.

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