A Royal Commission, ii.

[Sivan]

7th of Searing, Year 125 of Steel
Tavárinoikos, Silfanore

As good as his word, Sivan had sent appropriate updates to the princess at Eilranoikos and made replies where necessary. The day had finally come for an actual demonstration of his progress.

The princess was led to the same room. It was impeccably clean; he had stopped tinkering in order to clean the workshop so everything looked tidy and professional. It was rare that he got so caught up in a process that his workspace became a mess, but it had been known to happen when he started chasing an idea that wouldn't hold still long enough for him to put to paper, at least.

On the table were sample swatches of various materials from Kinryn Len'Aldris' workshop. Most were for future projects that they had discussed, but there were also light and strong gossamer fabrics that he was considering for the firebird automaton. The thing would be able to fly without them, but they could be added if she wanted to dress it up as some highborn ladies did with their pets. He didn't think the spirit would mind, really.

Several fire sprites were fluttering about above the table where delicate bits of clockwork were laid out for her to see. The chassis of the thing was constructed so she could see the general shape it would take, and there was at least one wing that could already articulate its fine metal feathers, each etched with the patterns real feathers bore.

He had already let the spirits try inhabiting parts of his creation to get a sense for it. Some were curious and game to try; some others had already been dismissed when the metal structures felt confining or in any other way wrong to them. The few gathered were having fun with it so far, and so he thought it safe to introduce them to her. If Akantha bonded with one, he could spend more time teaching it and it would likely have more mind than it did now by the time he had completed the automaton.

One of the sprites seemed to be focusing on the chassis, flickering in the shape of the metallic skeleton almost like a match lit to a trail of smokeless powder seeking an explosion. Another was floating around with the shape of a bird's wing, though it wasn't flapping, just trying it on for size. Another, quieter, landed on Sivan's shoulder. The young maker smiled softly to it, then pursed his lips and carefully whistled something quite akin to bird song.

[Akantha SolEilran]

She had enjoyed his letters of progress, and she had kept them. Each was put away and organized - Akantha always had so much going on, and sometimes it was needed to go back to something and refresh her memory of a subject before dealing with it, and that had been instilled as a good habit growing up that would serve her well. It served her well to be organized. Now that the wedding was over, there was some breathing room, and she could get back to her usual schedules of socializing and networking.

Akantha wore a fairly traditional dress today, though it was cut and shaped well for her - she didn't need to wear one of her elaborate gowns to run an errand in, nor into a functioning workshop where it might catch or get into something. It had plenty of pleats and drapes as it was shaped around her, with a faint lavender hue depending on the way the light hit the fabric. It was accentuated with some gemstone brooches made to resemble lavender flowers near her bust and waist. Her blonde hair was left flowing, but there were some purple highlights Masqueraded into it, giving a little pop of colour that matched the amethysts in her jewellery.

She thanked the Master that had seen her in to Sivan's workshop, smiling brightly at the Maker on the other side of his table. Ice blue eyes that had all of the strength of an osprey's were drinking in the details that were laid out for her to see. "Good afternoon, Master Sivan, how are you doing today?" The princess was all smiles as she stepped up to the work table, fingers lightly brushing the fabrics. Oh, yes. There would be collaborations with Maker Len'Aldris - if there were little accessories to be made for the spirit's automaton body, there would be, though the details that she could see so far, from the barbs and barbules that made up the vane of the feathers of the wing, were immaculate. She also didn't intend to hide Sivan's work. "Do you utilize metalsingers to help you, or do you do most of this by hand?" she wanted to know, clearly pleased with what was on the table.

No matter how many bespoke outfits and accessories and treasures and artifacts she had accumulated, Akantha was always thrilled by the process. Every one of them was different, and she would get to see the beginnings of Sivan's here. Certainly, she had seen some of it when she had stopped in in Glade, but that was not for her project. This was.

"And we have spirits with us, don't we? Hello, little ones." She could see them, though she studied them through Semblance as well to get a fuller picture of the fire spirits. It was fascinating to see Sivan interact with them, and she could hope that they would like her too. It wouldn't be easy to communicate with them at first; she was no Summoner nor Dratori; but she knew that Kalor had learned the rudiments of communication, and surely whichever little one was best suited would too.

"There is no rose without a thorn."

[Sivan]

Sivan didn't quite whirl about. Unless one was quite a bit more skilled a sembler than he, it was difficult to sneak up on him. Of course, he was distracted by the spirits, but Tavárinoikos was better warded than the Royal Treasuries by some standards; accidents were nigh nonexistent, but it only took one to take out a city block. The shame of that would mar many a reputation.

"Your Royal Highness," he greeted with a low bow. Her guide dropped a bow and departed as well. There would be such refreshments as the Princess had previously enjoyed in due course if her meeting with the maker lasted long enough.

Some great makers swanned about like lords; Tavári'nar Val'Gwairil had embraced humility, however, even as Val'Hytori, and his apprentices showed a similar humility. If their works were great, then they were fulfilling their purpose as makers. If they were honored for their work, then honor was accepted with proper humility. One could be proud of the work, proud of one's accomplishments, but that didn't make one better than another person, nor did it give one the right to rise above one's station.

He was quiet as she perused what was laid out for her eyes and hands and senses arcane.

At the direct question, "No, ma'am. Master Tavári'nar required that I learn clockwork skills separately before I was allowed to synthesize the various requisite skills for greater works. In Kalzasi, I am spoiled for having a master smith as a partner. Here, I merely design molds, cast the feathers, and then clean and finish them by hand. I do tend to confer with spirits of air and metal and winged things when creating anything that will fly like a bird. The better to truly understand the structure and spirit of what I am to create. And while I could certainly bypass that step now, I like to refine the design for each new creation. Your firebird will be unlike any other winged automaton I have created before, from feathers to fire spirits to everything else. I build upon what I learn, but unless you require a flock of them, they will not be created by mass production."

The spirit on his shoulder seemed shy, the sparkling spirit distracted, and so he held his hand up under the winged spirit to catch its attention, and it glided close to him so he could whisper something to it. Then it turned toward Akantha, peering at her without eyes or a proper face, but the wing bent just so, dipped just so, and she might imagine that the summoner had taught it how to bow to a Princess.

"They are a bit simple," he admitted, matter-of-factly rather than negatively. "But I can teach them, and other, more complex spirits, would require some... unlearning in order to teach them how to inhabit the automaton comfortably. So, these three show the most promise. I believe all three are capable of what you require, so it is more a matter of temperament. Whichever one delights you most, like choosing a kitten or a pup from a litter to take home."

[Akantha SolEilran]

She nodded when Sivan bowed, and nodded to the Maker who had guided her in, thanking them as they left before turning her full attention on the young Elf who had caught her eye seasons ago, along with the little pixies he had in here with him. She had noticed when they had first met that spirits were attracted to him, and stayed close, and he clearly had an easy way with them... no doubt in part to his Dratori heritage, but she had come to realize it was also him. He treated them kindly, not as tools, and with a great deal of respect. And they reacted to that. She still didn't really know how he managed to teach them the way he did, she understood most spirits took a great deal of time to 'grow' in that manner... but this was different, and she looked forward to seeing what would become of these sprites.

"That was wise of your late Master. Master one, and then build on the others," she nodded. It made sense to utilize specialists in a shop like this - the quality was only raised as a result of the teamwork. Someone who had dedicated their time to the shaping and treatment of metal was almost always going to have an edge over someone who worked on multiple aspects. There were exceptions, of course, prodigies that popped up sometimes out of nowhere, but statistically, the specialist would outdo the jack-of-all-trades most of the time. "I would imagine that they are very helpful," Akantha was smiling at the spirits. It did take Semblance to see them properly, but she could see them now. "Do you find that your Animus rune assists you with the understanding of flight when designing the feathers and wings for an automaton?"

Well, perhaps should she get married some day, she would need a flock of them, but considering the effort that went into making them... And of course the fact that she very much liked that this phoenix automaton was not going to be mass-produced, it was best that it was kept to something that was one-of-a-kind. If she should need a flock of them, someone would simply have to utilize Masquerade to produce the effect... Of course, when hers accompanied her around, it might well get attention and its Maker and Summoner may find himself inundated with requests. That really did tend to happen when Akantha wore something, but where was art without imagination?

"There is nothing wrong with simple. Everything starts at the beginning, even threads that become a bolt of fabric, and that fabric can be transformed," the princess was not put out. She did follow the reasoning: it was sound, it made sense, and furthermore, Sivan was the expert at this. Part of being a leader was understanding delegation, and trusting those who had the knowledge and skills that she lacked to come through. And he did. Akantha had a feeling that they wouldn't quite understand words such as they were now, but when the little wing bent just so, she inclined her head with a smile to it. "Hello, little one." Animals tended to react to tone, and since she did not have Mesmer, she would just have to do it through a soft voice. One at time, it seemed - one of them was at least paying attention, perhaps the other one that was distracted would. The shy one could warm up to her in time.

Maybe.

"There is no rose without a thorn."

[Sivan]

"Understand the parts, understand the whole," he agreed. Sivan could have worked as a clockmaker if magic ever failed. Thankfully, though, he doubted magic would ever fail.

"Oh, certainly," he said. "I thought I had mastered feathers until I had to grow my own for flight. And even then, flight was difficult. My first foray had been with dragonfly wings so I could accompany a fae'ethalan friend of mine into the air. The mechanics of flight were totally different going from dragonfly wings to feathered wings..."

And dragonflies, he had found, were some of the fastest, most powerful fliers in the insect world. No wonder Destynrael favored them.

Form determines function was another adage he had kept from his Master, and that was true from feathers to the more complex structure of mind that an artificer had to build. Sometimes Sivan side-stepped that creation by inviting spirits into the forms his built, but those forms did tend to shape the way creatures thought about themselves and the world around them. Little Kalor was already changed by his experience in a humanoid, albeit small, body. He was quite different from Khalcifer now.

But he remained quiet while she communed with the little fire sprite.

True to its nature, it seemed almost as thoughtless as a butterfly, just fluttering there with its wing, one moment interested in Akantha; the next, barely aware of her.

[Akantha SolEilran]

"Oh, that they are. Osprey to butterfly... still, two wings compared to four with a dragonfly, and those ones move so much faster. That is a considerable challenge," the Princess was commiserating at his explanation. She did in many ways enjoy the difference of the forms, even if her full transformation into a butterfly was somewhat limited and had been in the gardens of Eilranoikos enjoying the flowers, and more involved with the way she could make outfits for herself out of those wings. Still, being in such a fragile form wasa n odd reminder of mortality that the long-lived elves were doubtless concerned about.

When the first sprite lost interest in her, the young Hytori turned her attention to the other one that was on the table, sparkling as it was. She used the overhead light with her bracelet, casting some refracted light on the table to see if that would catch its attention and see what it did with it if she was successful. Sprites and pixies did tend to love their fun, and if she could make something of a game to interest them, that might well draw them in. Sprites tended towards being helpful and friendly, and pixies could be playful and mischievous, but were largely benevolent... If the one on his shoulder saw the sparkling one having fun, then perhaps it would want to join in, or at least warm up a bit.

It was important to feel out all three. If she couldn't pick one today, then perhaps she would let Sivan continue to work with them and see who improved and how over time. It might very well be that when the Summoner worked and taught them, one might show a better aptitude than the others. Something that sparkled might like sparklies of its own to play with, hopefully. and if her bracelet didn't do the trick, then she would try one of the metal pieces on the table.

"There is no rose without a thorn."

[Sivan]

"Mhm," he murmured.

Perhaps it was the refracting light on the table that made him think it, but as she played with the sparkling sprite, he continued with information he thought she might appreciate as an animist.

"Even more miraculous than the flight is the vision. In a fully realized dragonfly form, I can see in almost every direction at once. I can see more variation in color, I can see sunlight itself, not just a gleam on the water, but the actual beams. And everything seems to move more slowly, or I am able to react more quickly. I believe that is a matter of form dictating function, though. The majority of their little brains are focused on processing what they see. Between that and their instinct, they can avoid predators and be predators with much greater efficiency. We are lucky they are so small!"

He chuckled at that, and then made a conscious effort to connect his little monologue with something to connect it more closely to her own interests.

"More often, I adjust my eyes to include their sensitivity to light and color. You might enjoy that... being able to see more color, more interesting patterns in clothes. Or perhaps you already do." He laughed softly. "Many animists seem to eschew the insects, but they have many things to teach us if we are willing to learn."

Eventually, he held his hand down by the table and the third sprite floated carefully down the length of his arm to investigate the little rainbow. He thought perhaps this last sprite was too quiet, to cautious to suit her, or less suited to be a firebird. But they would see.

[Akantha SolEilran]

"My teacher says that those who underestimate insects do it at their own peril," Akantha was agreeable, adjusting the dragonshards on the bracelet to change the colour that reflected on the table. If the little one seemed keen, she would keep going. "The butterfly totem I have does allow for nearly full vision as well, but it lacks the detail that we have... it's a mosaic of information, and it's beautiful, especially with the colours, but it is nothing like our own sense of sight."

When he talked of enhancing her eyes, her lips quirked. "That they can see more colours than we do has been decidedly helpful when it comes to textiles," she admitted. "My first totem was the osprey, and I was fortunate enough to retain that sense of sight in terms of distance and detail when I returned to my own form." He had shared the story of his initiation with her, she could share something of herself with him. "So combining that with some of the colour perception of the butterfly has been a learning experience for sure. My second totem that I took was that of the mountain lion, and their senses, especially at night, are quite keen. I did consider an owl to stay within the avian family, but I wanted something that could allow for a stronger sense of smell as well."

And birds, aside from vultures, didn't really pick up odours...

With the third sprite carefully coming down to investigate the little rainbow that she had made, she offered the extra shy one a little thread of her aether. One that was too shy would likely be uncomfortable in many of the social situations in which she often was, which meant they would likely stay home more... and while Eilranoikos was pleasant and quite comfortable, she did hope that they would be able to accompany her around, to the Palace if not to parties and events.

"There is no rose without a thorn."

[Sivan]

If Sivan could be called good at conversation, it was more because he was a good listener and sometimes remembered that every question didn't require a five-minute monologue of explanation. After considering what the Princess shared of her own journey with shapeshifting, he spent most of his attention on the spirits and the subtle cues they gave in their interactions with the Princess and the rainbow.

"Ser Tyrann, the envoy from Caerulia, invited me to visit someday. I don't know if he was in earnest or merely being polite, but of course, the question of submarine survival has been niggling at me ever since. My first thought was a dolphin as they are quite intelligent, powerful swimmers, and even sharks fear them. But, of course, they aren't truly fish, and can't survive forever underwater.

"If he ever makes a more clear offer and plans for a journey ensue, I might ask which fish I might encounter along the way as they would give me the best examples of shapes that would serve me there. Of course, the easiest would be to take the form of a Neptori, although of course I cannot ask for a strand of hair... He would have to offer."

The Princess might ask with impunity, given she was of a much higher rank, but he supposed even she was too polite to do so. But raised in proximity to the Royal Palace, no doubt she would be able to talk the envoy around such that he offered her a hair from his head and would think it his own idea.

Then, as if intuiting some of her thoughts, he said, "The shy one might prefer your shoulder interacting with others, though no doubt it would perform tasks that you asked of it. Regardless, the talons will be retractable, and I can enchant the feet such that they can perch without ruining your clothes or injuring your shoulder or wrist or wherever they perch."

[Akantha SolEilran]

"There are many fascinating fish in the sea, but it would be helpful to know what he would recommend," Akantha agreed. "A dolphin does have to surface at some point, so I would hesitate to think that that would be a wise choice for an underwater city." The best choice really was a Neptori for inside Caerulia, though they could likely use another form to get there... Oh, it was worth thinking about. Lionfish were lovely, but on the small side and that did make them vulnerable to predators that could eat them suddenly. Swordfish were a fun option, as were sharks. Privately, Akantha sort of liked the sea turtles...

Still, getting some sort of sample from Tyrann would be the ideal, and she would need to think about that. There would be a way, and if he wasn't interested in doing so openly, then she would find another way. Of course, the stakes were high in such a scenario - she had to make sure that she didn't cause an international incident with Caerulia's scion. Her father wouldn't appreciate it, and it would not be a good look for her or for her house. Still, it was something to think about and make plans for. She already knew what Ionsо̄ra would recommend doing...

And it was an option.

She nodded at his offered explanation when it came to the little spirit, offering it her hand instead, palm up, to see if it might float over. Maybe it would sit on her shoulder as it was Sivan's, where it might have felt safer. There were little birds that often preferred heights for that reason, after all... "Do you think that in time they would outgrow this shyness, or it is likely to remain a key aspect of their personality?" the Princess wanted to know. It wasn't a bad thing, and she wasn't going to force the spirit to try to change away. But she also wouldn't want them to be uncomfortable or lonely - this may have been about her choice, but it was also very much about the little spirit and making sure that they would not be uncomfortable or unhappy in this.

It would, hopefully, be a friendship.

"There is no rose without a thorn."