Inspiration

Writers: Eimi, Joy
Date Posted: 27th October 2005

Characters: Nyblek, Ulte
Description: Nyblek helps Ulte to exercise his creative side.
Location: Smith Hall (NPC)
Date: month 8, day 17 of Turn 3

Ulte entered the jewelry classroom and glanced around. He spotted Nyblek already sitting at his usual workstation and went to join him.
Journeyman Jarthir had instructed them to work together so they were going to work together on their project from class for this sevenday:
to design and create a bracelet.

"Hello Nyblek," he said as he sat down next to the other apprentice.

"Shhh..." Nyblek said with a slight frown as he tried to bend the delicate wire into the shape in his sketch. "Almost there," he whispered to himself. "_Shards_!" The wire snapped. _Again_! "Sorry, Ulte. I just can't seem to do this!"

"You can," Ulte encouraged right away. "You're just trying too hard,"
Ulte said, picking up one of the pieces of snapped wire. He'd spotted one problem Nyblek was having quickly. "Trying to make too big a bend at one time, it's too much pressure for the wire to handle at once.
Try making lots of little bends, close together instead of one big one."

Nyblek blushed slightly. Ulte made it sound so easy. "All right, I'll try that."

"Is that the bracelet you're making?" Ulte pointed at the drawing on the table amidst all the wire and tools. It was lovely, simple, yet elegant and Ulte wished he had a tenth of the imagination required to come up with it.

"Yes," his friend nodded. "I like the idea of the wire much better than the idea of a solid band. A solid band can look so hard sometimes.
With the wire it looks more draped across the wrist than clamped around it, I think."

Ulte pulled his own sketches out and set them on the desk. There were several. Some of them only partially done and others obviously redone repeatedly. They were all rather simple and the majority of them were band designs. "Here's what I've got... Kind of hopeless, huh?"

"Well, no. Not hopeless exactly," Nyblek said as he looked down at the drawings. "They're just a little plain is all. And we learned how to do that kind of design our first weeks as apprentices. Try some of the new techniques we've been learning, some of the new materials. You know, something to give it a little... life."

Ulte tried to imagine something that fit what Nyblek was describing.
Something more complicated. He thought about all the different techniques they'd gone over in the past few months. They'd learned some interesting ones recently. One of his favorites from a technical standpoint had been how to create chains who's links fit together in a 'herring-bone' fashion. Hesitantly, he suggested that as a possibility for his design.

"Sure, that's fine," Nyblek agreed. "But what do you want the piece to _say_? Who should it be for? Is it for a man? For a woman? For a birthday present? To show love? That's what you need most, Ulte.
Inspiration!"

Ulte stared at Nyblek for a moment, considering the other boy's words.
He had never thought about what a piece of jewelery he'd made or 'designed' had to say before. Except maybe that it said 'I was well made'.

While he was thinking about that, the inspiration that Nyblek mentioned suddenly struck him. He knew who he wanted this bracelet to be for... and what he wanted it to say. "A girl. I want it to be for a girl. For an apology."

"Perfect. A herringbone bracelet, destined for a girl to say 'I'm Sorry'... What else?"

He thought about it for a moment, imagining the girl he intended the bracelet for. "Something small I think... a thin chain. Maybe in white gold?" Ulte looked over at Nyblek to see what he thought.

Nyblek considered that for a moment. "Now, do you mean a small white gold herringbone chain? Or maybe a small white gold chain connected to a larger herringbone chain?"

Ulte considered the options. He had meant a small white gold herringbone chain originally, but the other idea was interesting.
"Maybe a short length of chain attached at each end of the herringbone, at the clasps, to complete the circle? It would hang when the bracelet is clasped... maybe with a charm attached?"

"That would work," Nyblek nodded. "You could even start it before the clasps. Maybe the herringbone could cover the top of the wrists and then morph into the white chain. Like this..." He quickly sketched it.

Ulte smiled as the drawing took shape. "Yes! That's perfect." His mind quickly made note of the techniques that would be best suited to achieve the effect Nyblek had sketched. The materials needed and how to manipulate them.

"Thank's Nyblek, you've been a great help."

His friend smiled. "Good. Now help bend this sharding wire, will ya?"

Ulte laughed and nodded, "Sure thing." He picked up a spare piece of wire to demonstrate with. "See, the thinner the wire, the further you can take it in one go, but it's never a good idea to try to push it.
Better to be too careful than risk snapping the wire." He went on to demonstrate the best techniques he'd found for the different types of wire Nyblek had gathered to work with, eager to return the favor his friend had given him.

Last updated on the October 27th 2005

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Inspiration