ORIGIN

Azure had seen the sign--the literal sign, hung in the ruins of the ancient city where she made her home. She'd decided to set up shop--and to that end, was preparing a few things for trade, herself.

Her first order of business were flowers. She knew the garden near the throne--and though she rarely trespassed there, she'd requested just a single flowering plant for her work. It was a pink-white pansy sort of flower, with small and ragged but beautiful petals. Now, back at her workshop and home, she pushed it to the rock with her beak, carefully smoothing the entire plant out.

"Okay," she murmured; "first things first." One clawed foot was gently set over it--just touching--as Azure pulled at her magicka.

...There. Satisfied--feeling the magicka take--she stepped back. Then--carefully--she split each flower head from the plant. These she spread out a little, and then she turned, pulling her little dye-bottles from the shelf.

She had two left, along with some colors to mix more: the Starlight dye that she'd invented, and some 'Creator's Glare' (and who'd come up with that name?! The stuff was cool, but creepy).

Her usual method was to form new, clear gemstones around the Preserved flowers--all the while trickling in a little dye. Then, she'd bauble them to glow forever. Surely, someone would love to wear such a thing around? Really, she didn't make things to sell them, exactly. She just enjoyed creating--and adding some beauty into the world.

Making people happy.

First, she took the Starlight dye--and, taking one flower, did her best to form a gemstone around the blossom and a trickle of the dye.

Cool.

Next--the Creator's Glare. She wasn't using a lot of the dyes, but she'd not have a ton left, either: this one would be a bit odd, giving it an eerie green glow. She wouldn't need to bauble this one, at least.

Gently, she pushed the first new stone aside--admiring, as she always did, the little clear stone with its loop at the top, the flower within, the spark of starlight against a dark backdrop.

This new one, then, she nudged beak-first into place--and trickled down, with one forelimb, a little bit of green-glowing dye as she tried the same spell again.

This one--cracked, shattering, and ruining the little flower. Azure jerked back, blinking down. It wasn't... unheard of, but it still sucked, and she sighed with disappointment as she looked down at it. Then she gently brushed this one aside. Preserve or not, the flower was shredded--ruined--and already falling apart.

Azure took a breath. Okay: take two. Which--admittedly she didn't exactly know what that meant. But it sounded right.

Clawed forelimb pressed gently down on the second flower--and this time she added only a few drops of the Glare dye as she worked, more cautiously, slowly attempting a second stone.

As chaotic things tended to, this one swung toward wild success instead of failure: a flash and a gleam, and a similarly eerie green but translucent stone formed in sparking beauty around the flower. Azure snorted softly, pleased and amused, and nudged this one aside. That was two--both with their own glow, so she wouldn't bauble them.

"I'll make a couple shiny ones, and leave it at that," she decided.

Her beak nudged another flower into place--she only had two left, for now.

Each of these had to be carefully made: a gemstone formed around the flower, keeping it neatly flat, and with a little loop for a cord. So she focused again, deeply, her full attention and cobalt eyes fixed in silent concentration.

This one--a light, amethyst purple but less saturated, almost clear--formed well, and with an exhale (this was growing rather draining already), Azure set it just to the side of the other two. She'd bauble this one, along with the next--assuming she managed another. But first, she'd make one more.

Talons gently held the last flower in place--then moved, as she concentrated one more time.

"Right. Don't move," she told the flower, good-naturedly.

This one formed perfectly: a perfectly clear diamond, shimmering brightly. "-Nice!" she exclaimed, aloud--then looked around, blinking, wondering if that ringing exclamation had been overheard by anyone.

Ahh, well.

She settled in, taking a breath--but quickly realized how weary the casting had made her. Forming the stones was always draining. I'll take a break, she reasoned; cord these up without magic, for once. Then see if I've got the energy to make them glow, after.

Azure quietly slid to the rocky floor of the workshop, down on her chest, hind legs splayed to one side and talons and beak carefully working one of her old cords. It was never easy, particularly without using magic--her talons and beak were fairly large, with the cords and pendants relatively small. It required precise movements, and it usually took a few attempts to get them tied.

Her first attempt had the cord slide and fall away--but that was normal, expected, and rather than grow frustrated Azure settled into a contented sense of work.

Claws pressed the bauble to the floor, and beak gently nudged at it. She made a second attempt, looping the end of the cord just at the tip of her beak, and holding it tightly. It took effort to nudge it through the loop, like threading a needle, without accidentally dropping it back free again before being able to grasp the other end to pull it through.

Tying it in the knot was a whole other problem, too. But Azure had practice, at least, with both of these.

She took a brief break, resting and catching her breath--then set about tying the second. Four of these... would likely take some time, but it was nothing she wasn't used to.

The second was soon neatly tied, though it took quite a few attempts to get quite right.

"Two down, two to go," Azure murmured to herself, and stretched back a bit, flexing her neck and shoulders. This was painstaking work, and she sort of wished Dip were here today so she could ask for a quick damn neck massage--she could feel the muscles cramping.

After awhile, she decided to give the baubling a go. The first of the two non-dyed pendants--now tied--she pulled between her talons, nudging it with her beak.

"Shit," she breathed, finding it... too draining. Nah, she'd have to leave that until later; for now, she would focus on the cords.

Azure took a breath, leaning back, and closed her eyes for a moment--dizziness stirring, then fading. She'd need a good, long sleep, after this.