2023.08.25 Crafty Wolves

2023.08.25 Crafty Wolves
Theurges and sept spirit crafters have a crafting day in the Caern.
IC Date	08.25.2023
IC Time	Day
Players	Abril, Stephen, Jackie, Irsa, Mercy, Branton,
Location	Ritual Clearing - Deep Forest; Sept of the Enduring Spirit
Spheres	Garou

Stephen might have brought a backpack with him to the ritual clearing, anticipating needing various things when and if people start asking questions that others might not know the answer to, so he's here a LOT earlier than he called for everyone else to show up, and wasnt really anticipating a crowd just yet, humming under his breath as he sits down and rummages through his pack.

Branton comes along with a hiking backpack on his back and a duffle bag in hand, he grins at Stephen "Hey there! You needed some work done right?"

Stephen perks up at the sound of an approach and flashes Branton a warm smile, "Hey. Yeah, I did. I just sent a message up not sure who would be interested, but this is clearly beyond any skill /I/ have at making an item. I need something that's going to make a King spirit happy. So like a torc or circlet that's perhaps gracefully adorned with a couple of natural stones. Obviously, can't be silver, though I imagine the better the materials, the more impressive it would be...."

Branton nods and sets his packs down "That sounds like its right in my wheel house then. The right metals and stones depends on what kind of spirit. Gold's pretty common, maybe platinum. Or I could do my custom alloy, its a mix of meteoric iron and other elements. I call it starmetal. There's some weapons made of it in the bag if you want to see."

Stephen nods slowly, "Well, since you're as or more experienced with the spirits than I am, this is specifically for one of Zarok's choir, so if you know specific details about their personality that would help, I trust you to run with whatever ideas you might have that will help." he pauses, "And sure, I'd be happy to see...I've never heard of starmetal before."

Rhapsody has arrived.

Branton grins at Stephen "I actually made some knives for a pack that followed him as a totem. So yeah, I've got that imagery on lock." Rummaging through his bag he takes out a knife engraved with storm and lightning imagry that he offers it hilt first "This was a version I kept for myself. Its got a lightning spell inside it that gives it extra bite."

Stephen takes the offered hilt gingerly and regards the blade with a very light touch of his fingers, examining the work, "See, I do not understand how you can get this much detail into such a thing, but then you have obviously spent a large amount of time getting better and better over the years. This is an impressive blade. I would be honored to carry something like this...and I am known to prefer my fangs and claws over damned near everything."

Mercy's Messenger has arrived.

Abril has arrived.

Irsa has arrived.

Branton grins at Stephen "I've got some ideas for that sort of thing if you want but powering up for warfare hasn't really seemed your jam, I do have some ritual jewelry that might help you out. I've made a couple of sets for people. Just need an elder to endorse you a set."

Stephen nods slowly at Branton, "This really isnt supposed to be a 'war' item, more of a diplomacy thing, even if it is more than a little, hrm, underhanded in its tactics? Underhanded seems a bad way to put it. Sneaky. Sneaky is better." Branton and Stephen are simply parked more or less in the middle of the ritual clearing, with the Wendigo having respectfully requested it for a couple of hours to have this little meeting of the spiritcrafty minded. So when faces do start appearing, Stephen looks up and around and waves invitationally, "Come in? Come in. We were just talking about a favor I am asking Branton."

Sneak, sneak, sneak. A certain shadowy black lupus isn't exactly the spirit-y sort and yet Strikes-Twice can't help but stick her nose ever so tentatively into the clearing around meeting time. Her ears perk forward at the invitation to come in and she takes a few steps in before pausing, a paw in the air ask if really double checking her non-crafty butt is allowed.

Bones snap and break, elongating and warping into a new form. Irsa becomes an enormous wolf.

Enormous Wolf couldn't be stealthy if she wanted to. A large, bristly-looking rat wearing a hat is clinging to her back as the dire wolf pads along. The creature's head is thrown back as she warbles, singing a little tune about moons and cheese and tea. The wolf's ear flicks, she's obviously used to this.

Enormous Wolf dropped Beanie.

Mercy arrives not too long after Irsa, though in the form of a fuckoff large white mare, quite possibly of the clydesdale variety. Her bigass stompy cloppy's make a fair amount of noise as she trudges through the forest, loaded down with several dressers that have had their drawers taped shut and their bulk run through with leather straps so that she can wear them like enormous saddle bags. Mercy's voice comes from the hugeass, totally not panicking herbavore, "Someone get this crap off me, I have an ITCH ON MY FACE and I need thumbs SO BAD right now!" She tosses her huge head with frustration and starts trying to make one of those super ungainly maneuvers to get her self on the ground with her legs folded under her.

Rhapsody is not too far behind others coming in. She heard about this gathering and brought a bag of fresh herbs as she does often to leave for ritual use. It's not nearly as interesting as the rat, but it is useful.

Branton has a sturdy framed hiking backpack and a duffle bag on the ground next to him. Stephen has been handed an ornate fighting knife crafted from a silvery grey metal as Branton nods "Oh I get it, want me to work up some concept sketches and get back to you?"

Enormous Wolf stops in her tracks and just staaaaaaaares at her mentor. First a cat, now a horse. A horse wearing dressers. This is new. The rat scampers to peer over the top of the dire wolf's head. "Whoa, a talking horse!" she pipes out, and leaps right onto Mercy's back. "Where's it itch?" she asks the horse, clambering up to peer in one big eye. The dire wolf snorts and begins to shift up to Crinos, all the better to unload an Elder.

Bones snap and break, shifting and warping into a new form, as the creature before you becomes a figure out of nightmare.

Branton will also jump to start unloading his mate's burdens

Stephen arches a brow at Mercy's appearance but doesn't speak to her right away. Instead he makes sure the blade Branton was showing him is CAREFULLY handed back to the man, then slowly nodding, "If you can do that? That would be wonderful - to be honest, I have seen enough of your work and your praises sung within my earshot loudly enough that I have no doubt whatever you come up with, will be an excellent idea."

With this answer given, he lumbers to his feet and bowing his head in acknowledgement at the folks on four legs, before starting for Mercy to help unpack the giant horse, "Come, sit and be comfortable. I said this was a meeting of those that can craft things with spirits but that does not mean you have to be able to do that to come join us. It does not hurt us at all for other auspices and types to hear some of the troubles we run into, and sometimes the suggestion that saves you time and trouble could come from someone who has not dealt with your difficulty before." He pauses there for a moment, "I intended to suggest that everyone here introduce themselves, in case we have faces that do not know everyone already, and if you like, mention an item you have made or assisted with that you found challenging or...unique. So everyone else here gains the knwoledge of that perspective.

"Beyond that, this is a time to ask questions or advice, and if you have possible answers, give them. It doesnt have to be complete, and if you aren't sure, just say so. Do not let the presence of Elders keep you silent. Speak with respect and it does not matter who the voice is, here."

With that long explanation given, he smiles a little, "So I will follow my own advice. I am Broken Fang, Theurge of the Wendigo, and three years ago I was still working on the concept that 'homids do not walk around naked', so I dont care that I am now Adren, I know I still have much to learn.

Abril has no hands currently, but the lupus does have a tongue. Much like Beanie she leaves the unloading to the others and moves to help Mercy not by unloading but with a bit of wolf-style grooming and a big lick-lick-lick of Mercy's horse-face if there's no objections. << Strikes-Twice. Still cliath. No make. >>

>> Hammer-Tooth. Bone Gnawer knife-moon. A year ago, I came to this place with another voice. I was afraid if I sounded like my true self, I would be harried and bullied. I am an artist, I make many things. The hardest was a figure head I made for Mercy's Messenger'rhya. << The Crinos sets down the first dresser as her rat decides to groom Strikes-Twice. Hey, the horse is already covered, so this black wolf needs to look extra nice.

"My nose! The WHOLE THING!" Mercy wails, and neighs, "I stopped to sniff floooooweeeeeeers!" And now she's regretting all her life's choices. THe dressers are those kind with a whole bunch of small drawers rather than a few big drawers. For items, not clothes, and they rattle with all sorts of stuff inside. And though the rat and wolf surely help, once the dressers are safe from just falling over when she shape shifts, she ditches that one out of a Thousand Forms and gets back into homid so she can furiously rub and itch at her face.

"I'm Iris 'Mercy's Messenger' Tiganites, elder Black Fury Theurge, homid by birth, follower of Hades and priestess of the Temple of Artemis, and wife of Branton here. I brought as much of my fetish, talen and vessel crafting stuff as I could possibly carry, in case anyone needs *anything* for their crafting tasks or... whatever. I've got material-corrospondances out the wazoo over here. The most challenging thing I tend to make are my golden healing apples, it's such an odd recipe and trees are super willful as it is, you've got to be on your game when you're trying to triple bind three trees into a single vessel."

Rhapsody will help out with the unloading as she does have thumbs! As she does, she offers, "May Gaia bless you, I am Rhapsody Teresi, Rited Protector of Hope, born with two legs under the crescent moon, Adren of the Black Furies. Daughter of Feeds the Weak, Adren Galliard, Granddaughter of Accepts-No-Excuses, Elder Ahroun, GreatGranddaughter of Follows-the-Light, Elder Theurge. Packed with Mistseekers, children of Aelous."

Branton grins at Abril's introduction "So when someone says they're not a maker what I hear is a potential customer." Then he adds "Branton Kholer, kinfolk to the Black Fury tribe, Spouse of Elder Theurge Iris 'Mercy's Messenger' Tiganites, Klaive-smith, Pyrokinetic, and Sorcerer-Shaman in the service of Hecate, the Mother of Spells and Lady of the Crossroads."

Abril's ears flicker a little in surprise as Beanie decides to 'help out' by grooming her. Sure, the fur might have been a little mussed from running through the forests, but otherwise good. The shadow lord steps back as Mercy transforms to get to the rest of the face itching herself. And there's a moment of concentration before she answers Branton, in English for the kin's benefit. "Or potential student!"

Stephen listens to all the introductions and bows his head as he gets the dressers situated with the others, smiling just a little more at Mercy's moment of relief rubbing her face. He grins brightly at Branton and chuckles softly, "Branton has been very helpful on too many times to count since I have been here and is a very good person to talk to if you have questions about spirits. Sometimes the smallest of annoyances can become the biggest distraction, of course."

He makes his way back over to where he was sitting with Branton and his backpack, and eases his butt back onto the ground, "To help with the discussion, one of the first details I learned about appeasing a spirit with creating a fetish was know it well enough to cater to its ego. Offering chiminage is one thing, but if you offer to give it a home it LIKES, you have immediately made your work much easier. Sergei a couple of years ago handed me most of the facial carapace from a sand demon Rein had slain on his Elder challenge. Cleaned up and polished, it looked to be a very frightening thing...perfect for a Fear spirit. Along with a few promises that he would not be hung on a wall as a trophy, and would see actual combat, it was...much easier to get it to agree to become part of the fetish. Just do not make promises you do not know will be kept, or some poor wolf is going to suddenly find out that the spirit in the fetish they are trying to use is HIGHLY PISSED OFF and will take it out on them."

Mercy nods her total agreement to what Stephen says, "Heck yeah, and spirits can have SUCH egos, seriously. Or really super hard convictions, if not egos. I'm working on one right now whose spirit denies the services of healing. While I carry it, I wont be able to heal, or HELP heal, anyone else because of the spirit's strong opinions about avoiding death. Which is *really* going to suck because that's literally all I do, heal people."

Hammer-Tooth sets the dressers in a semi-circle around the group once they're unloaded. All the better to check them out without getting in each others' way!! Beanie leaps atop one to rummage through the drawers like a proper Rat should. The Bone Gnawer squats down near the group, balancing neatly on those digigrade legs. >> I think that is why Journey was pushing me to make fetishes. He knew I crafted things and cared about my work, so I would make good homes for the spirits. But making is on thing: knowing what the spirit likes is another. Appeal to their nature and purpose, and it is easier to strike bargains.<< She tilts her head at Mercy's words. >> That is a strange design. Is it one to open a Gate? <<

Branton did seem to understand at least a bit what Abril said before she adjusted her vocal cords but does find it easier to not have to translate in his head "True enough!". Then he nods in agreement with his mate and adds "And if you're not sure what you need we can work it out. Like Stephen said, research and development is kind of my thing. The whole design process starts for me with a question. What problem is the Item supposed to solve."

Strikes-Twice nods her wolf-y head, taking notes just as well as if she had a pen and paper. Probably better, since nobody wants to try to decipher what passes for her penmanship. "So don't try to defy spirits purpose, but use it. Smoother for everybody. Spirit, Crafter, User?"

Stephen nods slowly as he listens, pausing for another moment before he offers, "And even if you are not going to be making fetishes or talens or the like, the process does better if there are others present to help with the rituals. So you will be a benefit just for being well-versed in how Rites are handled, because assistants to the maker will always, always be beneficial. If another in the sept needs assistants for the final crafting, let them know you are capable of helping. The experience may give you a peek into something you had not seen before." He smiles a little at that and takes in a deep breath, "Most of the people in this circle have been doing this for longer than I have. Do any of you have any odd problems or even just odd requests for fetishes you think the rest might like to hear?"

Mercy's drawers (the dresser drawers, not her underoos) are filled with shit tons of precious and semi precious stones, cloth swatches of all sorts of blends and colors, leather laces and empty jewelry settings, feathers from a wide variety of birds, different kinds of wood bits, just... all sorts of shit for the crafting and creation of vessels, collected from all over the world and solar system. If ya got a space boat, you use that shit.

"That's how I start my thinking too. Crap, I have a problem, what can I make as the most appropriate tool for the problem." She says with a sage nod at Branton, and shakes her head at Irsa. "A dagger, for murdering the crap out of things in the Dark Umbra." And there's a quick, agreeing nod at Stephen's advice, "Yeah, assistants are SO necessary."

Rhapsody has left.

Strikes-Twice looks left, looks right, looks up at Beanie as well for good measure, but look as she might seems like she is the lowest ranking about and so she offers, "Met with one of my kin, in her shop. She probably still in shop tonight. Giselle gave many supplies. No need here. No need yet."

"You know, I am not at all sure what the kids need, these days." Mercy says with a crinkle of her brows while she shoves her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She grins at Abril and says, "Well you know you've got us around if you ever need a thing made. You know what though," she says to the assembled every-bodys, "We should work up some talens for the lower ranks. Abril here, Memo, Kaz... Irsa you and Rhapsody probably have Evan covered, I imagine... And we have some kinfolk that could stand to have a few life savers in their pockets."

Stephen lowers his voice a bit to nod at Hammer-Tooth then adds to Strikes-Twice, "I am currently working on the item we have already agreed to, which is taking, well, I dont want to say longer than expected...it IS taking a while but the spirit involved demands the time and effort by nature of what he is. It will make more sense when I am finished. REGARDLESS, we are here to assist, and when I am finished, I am available to discuss something that might help you or the others. The Nation is stronger when we make all of the wolves stronger."

Branton grins at Abril "Do you use knives? Or...one of your shadow lords is an Ahroun right? I've got a knife that you can call lightning out of if you or he would get some milage out of it."

Beanie pipes excitedly as she digs through the drawer bounty. She's found a skein of fine crimson silk yarn and a number of small, brights bits and bobs, mostly jewelry fasteners and settings. The Rat is completely shameless, but hey, she's a Rat. A few small peacock feathers are tucked into the brim of her hat as she raids another drawer. >> Evan and Kaz, yes. Rhapsody and I can work together easily on those. But I think it is time to make something for Whispers Best Forgotten. He has done very well. I have some ideas, but I would like to hear yours. Especially yours, << she adds for Strikes-Twice.

Strikes-Twice nods her head towards Branton. "I know how to use knives. Poke-poke-slash-slash. But normally fight like this..." A wiggle in her handless birthform. "Throatcrusher is Ahroun. Also in city more, with Hammer-tooth and pack, where can't wolf." A nod. And then a head tilt as she considers Irsa's question. "Giselle gave me fetish, handed down from her mate. Helps talk to Ancestors. Something like good for Galliard, for whispers not want forgotten?"

Branton grins at Strikes-Twice "Well you're the one here if you want it you can have it. Or if you think it would be better Irsa could probably take delivery for Kaz. And those Ancestor focusing tokens, If its the same design I can make those if you want to keep that one I can make another."

"That's a good one," Mercy says with a sage nod at the fetish Abril mentions. "I wish I knew him a bit better, coming up with good ideas that aren't too extra is gonna take me a minute. I need to make more talens, but I'm feeling pretty tapped. I'll have to wait till the month turns, I think. Hey, does everyone here know the Rite of the Spirit Brew?"

Stephen thinks about it for a moment then offers to the group, "I have several warpaint talens made for elemental camouflage that we were going to use for Quicksilver's ancestor quest. Since it is, uh, painfully obvious we will NOT be doing that now, if someone knows they are going to be fighting elemental spirits or banes in the near future, you are welcome to them, just let me know and I will hand them over." When Mercy mentions Spirit Brew, he slowly nods in the affirmative, "After the last Fianna party, I think I learned it from you, didnt I?"

Strikes-Twice just freezes in place as Irsa drapes those copper chains around her. Lupus-statue though copper on solid black fur does look pretty striking indeed! But then there's a question to answer and she nods in agreement with the Gnawer. "Good reason for him not switch to wolf when fight in city, when have lightning knife. Even if not use lightning at moment."

Branton loses one Willpower

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Branton rolls Manipulation + Occult vs 7 for 4 successes. 1 2 5 6 6 +7 +7 +8 +8 9 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Jackie has arrived.

"Oh hell with that, I'm still going." Mercy tells Stephen with a grin, "And you're still welcome to come with. Oh, probably that was me, yeah. I dunno who I teach things to any more! But you, Irsa, we'll get that learned asap, for sure. Everyone should have some extra gnosis in the bag.

Branton takes the knife back out and concentrates for a moment, activating it. The lightning crackles over the surface "It wraps around it and burns your enemies with magic lightning." Then he grins at the spirit brew conversation and takes out a hip flask in the hand the knife isn't "Mana infused Kykeon. For when I absolutely positively gotta burn down the whole goddamn building. Not exactly the same but for me it serves the same purpose."

Jackie meanders into the clearing, a bit hesitantly as she looks around at the gathered folks. She raises a hand in a small wave as she leans against a tree near the entrance path, then sticks her hands into her pockets while she watches the goings on.

Stephen turns slightly to look at the sound of movement and offers Jackie a smile and a wave of one hand, but Branton's little activation almost immediately draws his attention over to watch the crackling for a moment or three, chuckling under his breath. Only then does he offer, "Welcome. We are mostly talking about what others in the Sept might need at this point, but if you are here to ask about crafting, you are still in the right place."

Beanie lets out a string of excited chirps and bounds over to Jackie, leaping up onto her shoulders. The Rat spirit has a few small peacock feathers stuck in the brim of yet another fantastical hat. She begins to braid one into Jackie's hair as she sings. "I'm beautiful in my way 'cause Gaia makes no mistakes! I'm on the right track, baby, I was boooorn this way!" The spirit has left a small trail of bits and bobs behind her, obviously stolen from a bunch of dressers placed in a semi-circle around the group. Nope, Crinos-Irsa still pretends to see nothing. She's totally focused on Branton's cool lightning display. >> You make the wildest things, << she compliments him. >> Thank you, Flat-Thing. If you have time in the next couple of days, do you want to come over for lunch? << she asks the Elder.

"Oh! Claw fetishes! They're great for everybody!" Mercy says, waving at Jackie with a grin and telling all and sundry, "Lupus, homid, whatever, as long as you can whip out some claws, then you're good. They're not hard to make, and there's so many different kinds! A pack with everyone sporting a claw fetish would be a good thing, you could have everything from rending the Gauntlet, to hot and cold running death, to grappling for pack maneuvers! Granted. Totally useless in homid, in which case..." She gestures at Branton's knife, and then finger guns at Irsa and says, "Yes I do want to come over for lunch!"

Strikes-Twice is now FREEEEED from Beanie's affections by Jackie's arrival and the lupus shoots the kin a grateful look even as she ducks her head to free herself of the copper chains the rat-spirit had draped around her and gives a big ol' shake to get her fur all settled back right. And her amber eyes widen a bit as Branton demonstrates the power of his lightning knife.

Branton lets the lightning fade grins as he digs out the sheath and stowes it properly before offering it to Irsa for transit "This has just been sitting in inventory for ages so if Kaz can make good use of it he's welcome. And if anyone else wants one they are fairly easy to make. Its still a long while yet before I have to find a willworker to wrangle me another asteroid to make into starmetal. The original one still isn't close to running out." Then he gestures at Jackie and adds "Her armor is a titanium star metal alloy."

Jackie chuckles up at Beanie, keeping her hands in her pockets as she accepts the peacock feather gift. Her eyes then travel around the rest of the group as she lets the rat spirit do her hair up a bit better than she's used to worrying about. "So, what did I wander into here? Arts and crafts night?"

Stephen murmurs at Branton, "The next time you need to hunt down another asteroid, will you let me know? That is a search I would like to be on just to see it work out." With that said, however, he watches Beanie for a moment with some amusement before answering Jackie, "I had asked those that make spirit items to come and talk about their work and ask questions, and Mercy-Rhya I think brought her entire supply of crafting items to help with the discussion. I think the phrase is, some of us are going to leave here looking, ah, fabulous?"

Bones snap and break, shrinking and shaping into a new form. The creature before you becomes a dark, scarred woman.

Irsa shifts back to homid, sliding off her pack to stash that kewl dagger away. "Thanks, this'll suit him down to th' ground. Easy to hide, kinda like claws for homid, an' shoots lightning? Shadow Lord wolf all th' way." She leaves her pack sitting and wanders over to check out the drawers of the chest, offering Jackie a fist-bump on the way. "So, Strikes-Twice! Wanna learn how t' make somethin' simple?"

At the question of if she wants to make something, Strikes-Twice snap, crackle and pops her way into homid form before then giving a nod and wiggle of her fingers towards Irsa. "Simple, Can do simple!"

Jackie returns Irsa's fist bump, looking up at Beanie then around at the rest. "Well, that's easy for me, I always look fabulous."

Mercy smiles at the exchange of gifts from Branton to Kaz via Irsa, "Right on, that'll make things pretty interestingfor your next fomori dance!" she tells the Mistseekers. She also nods her agreement to Jackie, that she has indeed brought all of the stuff. "Speaking of which, Stephen, there's some stones you might be interested in for your project." Mercy gets up to go dig around in one of the dressers. They're the kind with a bunch of tiny drawers, not like a clothes dresser.

Irsa finds what she's looking for: a small selection of vibrant silk floss and a pair of fastening clasps. There's also a small selection of polished stone beads. "D'ya know how t' braid?" she asks the lupus, as her familiar chirrs laughter and high-fives Jackie. The creature hops down from Jackie's shoulders and waddles over to Irsa's pack, stuffing herself inside and vanishing from sight.

Beanie has left.

Stephen perks up a little when Mercy says she has something and nods towards Branton, "Branton and I were discussing it and he was going to get back to me with some design ideas, so...I would love to see, but make sure he sees them as well? I dont think something blatantly glitzy will work, but some overstated elegance would pander to the Eagle's ego, spectacularly..."

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Abril rolls Wits vs 6 for 2 successes. 2 +6 +7 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Abril uhhhhs for a minute when presented with the question on if she knows how to braid. "Twist-twist?" She even mimes holding some invisible cords and over undering them in some sort of probably braidy motion.

Jackie laughs in Abril's direction. "Yeah, that's how it works, basically. I'm not an expert, but I have braided my own hair to keep it out of the way on occasion."

Branton nods as Iris starts rummaging and he adds to Stephen's explanation "I haven't done concept sketches yet but maybe what stones you have will inspire me? Never can tell what will get things rolling."

Mercy brings back a few different stone selections, and lays them out on Stephen's hand. "This one's called Tempest Stone, cause it looks like a storm caught in a rock. And this one's known over here mostly as Tiger's Eye, but in other places it's known as Eagle's Eye, or Hawk's Eye. There's a buncha colors of it, as well. See, the shine moves with the light, like it's keeping an eye on you. "I dunno if they're quite what you're lookin for, but they came to mind! And of course you can just paw through what I have, see if you find something that feels more right to you."

Irsa grins at the lupus. "Just like that, yeah. Hold up, let me grab us a couple a' things." She finds a couple of longish pegs and drives them into the ground: one for her, and one for Abril. "Here, watch me. Gonna go slow, copy me whe ya think you got it." She choose three different colors of floss and makes a loop, sliding it over the peg. She begins to demonstrate how to make a simple braid, stopping to show where to add beads on hers. "But ya don't need t' do this part, if you just wanna show off colors. Practice enough, and you can do patterns." She adds to Mercy's suggestions, "How 'bout lapis lazuli? That gives ya th' blue of the sky, and clouds."

Stephen nods slowly as he steps over and settles down to look at the stones Mercy is mentioning, lingering on the blueness more than the others, "I am personally liking blues and the natural look of the white veins in this, but I am also biased. I don't know that the eagle has a color preference, but the style might use those colors as a contrast to the metal to make it stand out more?" He shoots a curious look at Branton, "Especially if it makes it stand out more on someone's brow when worn. Most wolves are not blue, so it would be very apparent against most pelts."

Abril sighs in a little exasperation not at Jackie, but just the mention of hair getting in the way. "So much hair! Don't grow elsewhere so put all at top of head! and just grow and

Abril sighs in a little exasperation not at Jackie, but just the mention of hair getting in the way. "So much hair! Don't grow elsewhere so put all at top of head! and just grow and grow." Sad headshake. Her own hair has just been roughly pulled into two loose pigtails. She doesn't weigh in on gemstones (probably cause she doesn't know most names or what the project might be for) but she does have another project to focus on and focus she does on Irsa's demonstration. She makes sure she lines up her own colors exactly the same, tongue sticking out to aid with the concentration as she copies. Just colors, no stones yet.

Mercy points at Irsa for her good idea, and, since that's the desired color scheme, she tkes the tiger's eye back and does a bit more digging, handing Stephen a few lapis options, some blue goldstone, some apatite, even some blue-white agate slices. Stuff that sorta blends stormy skies and majesty. "Here, give some of these a turn in the light see if they float your boat."

Branton nods at Stephen "And a white gold or platinum setting would set off the white highlights. So our key concepts for the design are Majesty and Eagles. With a tip into Jupiter's brood for extra reference. Sound correct?"

Irsa is patient and takes her time showing the easiest way to do this -- time is never wasted when you're learning to make things! "Pull this a little bit against th' peg so it evens up and don't bunch up on you," she suggests, tugging the braid towards her. "Th' peg makes it easier. Best part of this way? Any thing that shape works, just make sure it's at least this strong," she says, nodding her head at the peg. Once the braids are at the right length, she show Abril how to tie them off and attach the last clasp. "And you're done! No just use this t' fasten it 'round your wrist. It'll stay and won't come off. Just remember t' take it off before ya go dire wolf or war form, or you'll snap it. But Dedication will fix that."

Stephen palms the new stones that Mercy digs out, looking back over at Branton to nod at his summary, then leans his way to show him the new stones, "Yes. This will give the wearer irresistable power befitting a ruler. A ruler who should not be questioned, so very flattering to one of his brood...."

Abril bobbleheads her way along as Irsa explains about tying off and clasping. And when it's all said and done? She proudly shows off her handiwork. It might be a bit wonky here and there, but it definitely is a bracelet!

Branton grins at Abril's making "Excellent. Those can be a lot of fun to make out of all sorts of string. Or even use the skill to make rope out of strips of bed sheet you cut up when you need to escape out the window of the room you locked yourself in."