Setting the Stage

Writers: Chelle
Date Posted: 15th August 2016

Characters: Nokala
Description: The harper practices her craft.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 16 of Turn 8

Pulling the piece of wood towards her, she traced the lines she wanted. When the shape was there, she carefully cut out the frame. Then she cut out another just like it. Her hands were sure, from turns of experience. With the two identical pieces, she just needed the middle. That was a little more tricky. Making the measurements and working with the wood, she finally had a frame. Gluing the pieces together, she had to wait for them to dry. Then she carved out bits from the neck of the instrument. There were even grooves now. Nokala hummed while she worked. Placing the pegs at the end of the neck, she knew the staining would take time. So the squares on the neck received a treatment of dark stain. Then the pieces on the middle also were stained darker.

"Hmmm...." Putting down the stain, she went for the whitewash. A small brush made small circles on the neck, spaced evenly to mark the right places for fingers to measure by. She also painted outlines on the frame. Putting that down, the harper looked around her worktable. "Where did I put that blue piece?" Her eyes spied it then. It was a thin piece of blue stained wood. She had cut it into a shape that would fit with the hole in the frame. She glued it underneath, to curve around the hole.

The instrument was starting to take shape. The frame was there. The neck was there. Everything was drying. She'd already picked out a set of strings and cut them to the right measure. They would have to be strung and tightened, then tuned. Before that, though, she had to put pegs on the frame. Grabbing a few, she whittled them down to the right size. "There we go." It took time, but one-by-one they were made to be small enough for her purpose. Those were glued on very carefully. She had to work fast since the adhesive was very strong and made to last. It also dried quickly. Satisfied, tested the heft and weight of the wooden creation. It was the right size, able to rest on her knees without problems and it wasn't too tall for her shoulders. She didn't have to lean over it too much. Nodding to herself, she set it aside. There was an artist who had promised to paint it for her. When it was finished, it was going to boast a dragon with wings open and tail curling around the front of the frame.

She hadn't decided yet whether or not to make a gift of it or to put it in the pile of things going to the next gather for sale. The harpers needed to earn enough to justify their board and keep as well as to continue their work. Nokala didn't mind. "Oh wings so high/Fly me to the moons/Fly me to the stars!" Her hums started up again as she moved over to another half finished project. Hands stroked the flute. It was a larger one, not made for carrying around and doing light tunes. This would be louder and work on the woodwinds lines of ballads and longer works that required more instruments. The tube was carved out, as well as the holes. There was the reed and the mouthpiece to consider. Picking up a very special piece of wood, she began to form the reed. They were very important and without them, the instrument was practically useless. It didn't take a lot of time, though, before she had managed the thin piece of wood she wanted. Now, she had to form the mouthpiece so it would fit.

"Funny how I'm a harper, but I could likely rival most woodcarvers for their trade, eh?" she spoke out into thin air. Laughing for a few moments, she tried to fit the mouthpiece once. "Too thick." Fussing, she shaved a bit off of the wood. Trying again, she still had it too thick. One more time, she finally had it right. Fitting the mouthpiece, she grabbed the adhesive again, and attached it carefully. **Don't get your fingers in the adhesive, Nokala. You won't be able to get them out.** The stuff could be taken off with a solvent made from turpentine, but she hated to resort to that. It smelled so bad. Wrinkling her nose at the memory of when she'd last had to do it, she finished up her work with the flute and set it down again to dry.

"Okay so those are done..." Peeking down at her list, she perused it to see the next item she needed to do. "Oh right." The stack of hides over on her desk reminded her of the lessons she'd finished that morning. The students had turned in their essays. Now she had to read them and make comments. It was a switch of gears, but it was easy to get comfortable. Pulling her stylus up and the right ink pot, she got into her very large chair and stretched. Reading the first one, she made notations as she went along. These were from the older children, a response to the history lesson. It was fun to see what they thought about the Charter Holders who had first settled the southern continent. It was hard to imagine what they had gone through or what they had thought of Pern. Nokala found herself smiling at some of the written opinions.

Candlemarks later, she put down the last of the essays and recorded the grades in her grading record. Rubbing her palms, she leaned back and looked over her work area. She hadn't scheduled any more lessons for the day. Shifting in the seat, she felt her stomach tighten. "Yeah I know..." Rooting around in her desk, she came up with a small sak of dried fruit. Popping some of them into her mouth, Nokala's stomach subsided. The waterskin on the corner of her desk was pulled closer and she took a few pulls. "Should I keep on or just wait? Might be good to go and do some writing...."

Standing up, she brushed off her skirts and walked over to the flute. Bending down, she could still smell the strong adhesive. It wasn't dry yet. Straightening, she made a humph noise with her mouth. Then she headed for the door. Grabbing the small wooden lap desk hanging from a peg, she kept walking. Inside it were clean hides, and writing utensils. Her boots made soft noises as she continued down the tunnel. It was still cold outside so she was planning on setting herself up in a corner of the Dining Cavern unless she could catch a ride with someone. It was always good to escape for a few candlemarks.

Last updated on the August 19th 2016

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Setting the Stage