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MillionNovel > Soul Painting > Felspar Clay

Felspar Clay

    As I’m sure you’ll be overjoyed to hear I was put on a punishment detail for Cutting through the catacombs Things are fine here, I’m practicing painting through my angel, as well as without, as it seems limited and making headway painting both one of the clergy as well as one of my classmates.


    In the morning, Vaterin woke from her slumber and trudged to the storage room which was doubling as a detention hall.  There, she took breakfast, which at least was a blessed break from turtleweed and barley soup, then set aside her dish and utensil to clean after services.  It would have been an opportunity to see Marble, but she was taking her breakfast in the dormitory.  After breakfast was time for services, and it was firmly enforced by the Brothers and Sisters that Marble and Vaterin sat in opposite pews.


    It was about that time in the day when Vaterin began to really, really miss Marble.


    She fidgeted as the sermon went on, thinking to herself, I understand punishment detail.  I can live with the extra chores and the added structure.  But seeing as we truly had chaste intentions, I feel like it’s just a little bit cruel to separate two people who care deeply for one another and keep us from one another’s company.  It’s not like we’re nuns taking vows of chastity, and even if we were, our intentions were chaste.  Vaterin shook her head, and got her mind off the track of kissing Marble and back to the no-more-productive but less-painful line of thought which was complaining.  I guess it’s the “added structure” to keep us from socializing with one another.  And when we do contrive to pass ways, they don’t add to our punishment when we steal a quick kiss… you know, I would have sworn I tried to get off the topic of kisses.  Vaterin sighed and gave up on an unproductive mental diatribe.


    Father Sauer was speaking at the head of the chapel, as he had been for the last… I have no idea how many sandglasses have passed.  “—as can be plainly seen, the dangers of a lowered water table were known to the monks who inhabited the island before—” Nope.  Don’t care.  Sigh.  I wish the morning sermon didn’t have the feel of a news bulletin.  I could use some reminders of the One God’s love but I either fretted my way past them or he’s yet to get to them.  The One God is a benevolent… you know, there’s really not a better time to pray than while in a church.


    Father Supreme, pour out your Holy Spirit on me, giving me the strength to endure this time of separation from a woman I care deeply for.  Then too, Christ Savior, forgive me for endangering us when we are in service to the One God as representers of His Creation.  Father Supreme, in addition to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, would you please grant me your peace, so that I can with good humor and grace accept this time of separation and stricture?


    Not the neatest prayer, but it’s beginning to wear thin being run ragged like this.  And ragged she and Marble were run.  In addition to the traditional chores they had grown accustomed to, scrubbing floors and painting the adobe building of the College, they were given replacement tasks where the other students were free to relax or work on art in place of tending crops.  They were charged with mucking the oxen stables and—of all the useless, pointless tasks!—uprooting some of the wildflowers and brush which were encroaching on the northeast side of the Chapel.  They each were given half of these tasks, keeping them from one another''s company.  If a sarxing cave-in didn’t collapse the Chapel of the Power of Ariel, I don’t think that some plants are going to be able to do it much harm.  I should suggest to Marble a fire “accidentally” start and just burn it all.  Except then we’d probably just be thrown wholesale out of the College.


    Pursuit of art was their one break, although conversations were limited.  Marble was not permitted to pursue her night painting, a loss Vaterin thought she could hear in Marble’s restless tossing and turning.  Vaterin herself felt it acutely, for while she had the references she needed for her painting during the day, she had taken to using that time to practice sketches without her angel, of the same still life Marble was working from.  It was amateurish, nothing she could ever attract a patron with, but she thought she was improving.  Vaterin progressed with her paintings of both Father Sauer and of Marble, but had entirely lost her nerve to ask the Mother Superior to sit for her.


    After a month, which felt so much longer than it was, things began to relax.  They were freed from the chores normally assigned the Brothers and Sisters of the College.  They were still painting much of the day, but it felt more natural, because they were once again exchanging the odd sentence and the occasional kiss.  Vaterin thought she might cry the first time she caught the smell of Marble’s tulip perfume.  One thing she did with her liberty was to approach Felspar in conversation.  “Clay.”


    “Lime, if that’s how we’re addressing each other.  What can I do for you?”


    “Thank you for saving our lives.”


    “You’re welcome!  It was the only thing to do!”


    “How was it the only thing to do?  It takes a strong sense of the Savior’s values to save the life of someone you hate.”


    “I don’t hate you!”


    “What?”


    “I don’t hate you!  Where on Orth would you get the idea that I did?”


    “‘Cause you’re a total jerk!”


    “Oh.  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be.”


    “You didn’t mean to be?!  You endlessly go on about the inferiority of our mediums and how your ‘mathematical studies’ will let you truly represent the foundational glory of the One God!”


    “I mean, I’m excited about it.  Did you know that more Paxite treatises on algebra and calculus survived than those of Wholists in Fief?”


    “Truth be told, I am not entirely certain what ‘calculus’ is.”


    “I’d be happy to explain…”


    “Please don’t.  I came to the College to get away from ciphers.”


    “Fair deal.  So what were you two doing down in the catacombs anyway?”


    “Praying.”


    “Praying?  Why would you want to pray amongst a bunch of dead bodies?  The only reason anyone goes down there is to make out.  I don’t believe you two were going down there to pray.”


    “Firstly, that is none of your business.  Secondly, I was going to the catacombs all the time to pray because I sincerely find it the most meditative and peaceful place on the island.  And thirdly, I cut through the catacombs every day when we were still watering plants.  I hate those switchbacks and I’d suggest adding railings at the very least except they’d say ‘Great idea, Vaterin, how about you do it’!”This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    “Hey, no judgment from me.  The only reason I haven’t gone down there myself is I have a boyfriend.  Slate tried to get me to go with them.”  That sounds… “It was kinda awkward.”  Yeah, exactly that.


    Wait, someone this insufferable has a boyfriend?  Which student puts up with him disdaining their art?  He’s the only sculptor.  I guess he’s not that insufferable, I’ve been talking to him for five minutes and he’s been pleasant enough.  “Would you care to tell me about your boyfriend?”


    “I mean, I can’t reciprocate because I already know a fair bit about Marble.”  Is he… did he just imply that Marble is my girlfriend?  Is she?!  Vaterin felt a flush creep across her face.  I mean, we do kiss, and talk, and paint together a lot.  But we never put that into so many words.  I’d like her to… I’d like to… Clay was talking.  “—a wizard, working with the earth.  That’s where we met, was at a sorcerous retreat.  Both of us were in the same element, though he’s making a career out of it—” While Clay talked, Vaterin took account of him as she hadn’t before.  He had been a blur on the way to looking from an authority figure to Marble, or an auditory annoyance in the hall.  Now, open to viewing him on friendlier terms, she paid some attention to his appearance.  He wore a smock covered in clay like his name, but it clearly did only so much good, as the dark, coarse hair of his forearms was covered in clay.  You could only see the olive hue of his skin when you looked at his neck and head.  The same thick, dark hair was meticulously groomed on his head in a long braid and a beard and mustache.  He was a little taller than Vaterin, and wore a robe the color of red potter’s clay.  “—it’s a little rough being so far off the ‘Loon route, it takes letters forever to get to each other, but this seemed like the best college to focus on my art.  Once I find a patron, Tiller is going to look for work in the region.  A good sorcerer can get work anywhere.”


    “Lucky duck.”


    “Hey, at least you have a shot with Marble.  And the now.  Never discount the ‘now’ too much.  The One God has a way of working things out.”  I suppose that’s true, but I don’t think I’m awarding him the point.


    “So did they ever figure out what caused the cave-in to begin with?”


    “Tired of hearing me talk about my boyfriend already?” I mean, yes, but…


    “You did conversationally deny me the chance to talk about Marble.”


    Clay shrugged.  “Fair deal.  The rumor mill is going wild, but I talked to the sorcerer the College brought in.  In my robe I look a little more like a Brother than a student, the sleeves cover up the clay, so I did some snooping.  It was a sinkhole, like Father Sauer said.”


    That’s… odd.  “A sinkhole?”


    “Yeah, like when the water table gets too low because of drainage and the ground can’t support—”


    “I know what a sinkhole is, I just don’t get why there would be a sinkhole.”


    Clay learned forward and whispered, “Well, the water table was lower, because the spring ran dry, because Tourmaline is angry that, with the death of the crops, the College is asking to pay less tribute because they don’t need her to bring up water for the crops.”


    “Another draconic tantrum?  I thought water humors were generally placid, relaxed.”  The phlegmatic humor.  Calm, unemotional, introspective.  Everyone knows that.


    Clay shrugged again.  “Yeah, well, she wants things her way.  I think she was attached to the treasure she normally gets, dragons are like nobles in that capacity.  They’re all about the treasure.”


    “Marble isn’t all about treasure, and she’s a noblewoman.”  Then again, her family is impoverished by predatory terms given by a water sorcerer.  But still, I’m defending her on principle.  She defended me when Clay was on my case about the storm.  “Hey, if you don’t hate us, why were you running your mouth about my causing the storm?”


    “Consider it withdrawn. I don’t want you thinking I hate the two of you again.”


    “Consider both withdrawn?”


    “Yes.  I just meant it in jest and I have nothing against either of you.  Getting back on topic, dragons, at least, are all about treasure.”


    ”Well, look at you two getting along!”  Marble came by and set her bowl down on the table.


    “Marble, why didn’t you tell me that he’s just abrasive?  I thought he hated us!”


    “I assumed you didn’t like abrasive people.  What’re you talking about?”


    Clay laughed.  “Vaterin is putting me through my theological paces with questions about the virtue of dragons.”


    “Felspar’s not great for that, Vaterin.  If you want to ask about dragons, talk to Father Sauer while you paint him.”


    “You know, that’s actually a great idea.  The question being whether I want to talk about dragons.”


    “They keep coming up in our conversations.”


    “In fairness to me, they keep coming up because they keep massively impacting our lives.  Or at least, one in particular does.”  I think I will ask Father Sauer if he can tell me about dragons.  I want to know why someone just a little lower than the angels would be so ill-tempered.  I want to understand why, when the Catechism of the Church goes on about their mercy and virtue, I’m realizing from talking to Clay and from being outside my orderly little life, they’re incredibly covetous and don’t live as good, honest Wholists.  And hey, I just thought of this!  Dragons live one to a region, so clearly they’re not attending some kind of draconic congregation, but Tourmaline is decidedly not present at any of the Masses.  Are they just so holy as to not need communion or a pastor to minister to them or… I have so many questions.  “Dragons are the heroes of Scripture… but here a dragon has thrown two tantrums over money.  For such paragons of virtue, doesn’t it seem odd that she’d be so covetous?”


    “That’s an interesting point.  She’s a young dragon, maybe she’s just immature?  But again, not a dragon expert.”


    “You’d think, if she was still so immature as to throw tantrums, that she’d still be inhabiting an island on the Belt under the tutelage of the dragon of the Buckle.”


    “Treasure is important to dragons.” Marble said.  “It’s the thing that lasts as long as they do.  In the very system you mentioned, dragons patronize merchant and noble families for treasure.”


    Vaterin’s brow furrowed.  Her own family had a draconic patron, but they’d never had issues with him.  Then again, they’d never missed a payment.  “The kind of treasure my family pays for Tzur’s advice and assistance is the kind that Scripture says thieves break in and steal.  Surely pious creatures like dragons know that they’re only weighing themselves down for the return of the Savior and attracting opportunists who would take what isn’t their own?  Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”


    “Doesn’t what strike me as odd?  That Marble’s a noble?”


    Marble’s tone was chiding.  “Felspar, you weren’t paying attention!”


    ”Sorry, it stuck in my brain and I got distracted.  I didn’t know that you were a noble and it’s kinda blowing my mind.”  It’s not that staggering… I guess I was surprised by it too.  She dresses simply and she’s not arrogant like a lot of nobles.  I guess penury can do that to you.  But so much of the White Queen’s penal system is based in the cost of things, they must have to work very hard to stay on the right side of the law…


    ”You didn’t know that she’s a noble?”


    “I couldn’t tell.”


    “You couldn’t tell?” Marble asked.  “How would you ‘tell’?!”


    Vaterin replied before Clay could.  “What?  It’s a compliment!”


    “It’s a compliment?!” Oh no.  I’ve gone and said something fooli—I should not call my neighbor foolish, and I should love my neighbor as myself, and therefore should not call myself foolish.  But I done put my foot in my mouth again.
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