Thereza de Soigneux
Military
First Lieutenant
Second in Command to Captain de Etalon
Posts: 233
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Post by Thereza de Soigneux on May 21, 2011 15:16:43 GMT -5
Everything that had happened in the nation of late had left its own marks, some of the changes subtle and others less so, but the effect was the same. Again Terre d'Ange had an enemy from at least one source and all of the evidence so far pointed toward the rumors of more intense Skaldi raids on Camlach. Being raised in the Temple of Shemhazai I'd studied a good bit of history and I knew the stories of when the Skaldi had been unified under one leader, the damage that had been done and even the stories of the traitors who had helped them. It didn't take much thought to realize that it would have been very hard for a Skaldi to slip poison into the palace, much less into a bottle of wine, so if it had been them there would have to be a traitor involved.
As these realizations came about I'd made the decision to request a transfer to Camlach to assist them with the situation, both because I wanted to see the place and help against our country's foes and because the situation with the unit in Siovale had become more complicated. Not so much on the guarding of the borders, because those were as quiet as ever- no, it had more to do with the Captain and the recent tension that had developed between us. A change of scenery and a chance to think was what I needed and with my record and the Captain's agreement, worried though it was, it was easily granted. More, it offered the chance to stop by the City for a few days, to get more ink in my skin and let it heal before I went to the front.
The marquist's shop I stepped into was comfortably clean and I looked around calmly, wearing not my uniform but a sensible blouse and a set of breeches, things that would be easy to move in and expose my tattoo without requiring me to strip completely naked. I wasn't concerned about the condition of my body, which was as fit as ever, but neither was I inclined to expose any more of my skin than I had to at the moment. Now all there was to do was wait for my chance to see the marquist and find out whether they'd be able to work the design I wanted into the tattoo I already had.
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Post by Siobahn Esmeraude de Bouvier on May 30, 2011 19:31:58 GMT -5
I had no bookings for the day and actually thought of closing the shoppe while I smoked a little opium and painted in my back room, but decided against it. One could never know whenopportunty would come knocking. I had been in the back room for most of the morning, from the moment the sun rose to now, working on a piece I had started some days back. The canvas was large, nigh my height and over two feet wide, andsat on a large easel. It was a design of very tiny people each doing something different in different parts of the City. I had just finished the couple coupling in an alleyway when i heard the familiar jingle of the shoppe door's bells. With a grin, I lit some incense and put out the opium before grabbing a paint stained rag to wipe my fingers on. The paint would come off easy enough, but my fingertips were died a deep bluish black from the black ink I had been lymning into the backs of adepts.
I stepped from the back room through he swinging door to the front, noticing a woman dressed much as I was - in a blouse and breeches, except hers were a finer material and not sullied like my own.
"Good day my lady," I said cheerily, my voice holding a slightly husky quality, "how might I help you today? Looking for a custom painting?"
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Thereza de Soigneux
Military
First Lieutenant
Second in Command to Captain de Etalon
Posts: 233
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Post by Thereza de Soigneux on May 30, 2011 19:51:49 GMT -5
The woman who stepped in from the back had dark hair and very expressive eyes, and had the characteristic ink-stains every marquist I'd ever seen possess, as well as a certain almost whimsical air to her. From the way she walked she didn't seem drunk or completely dispossessed of her senses, all of which were good signs when you were about to let someone place ink permanently in your flesh, and I relaxed slightly as she appeared, giving her a half-smile in return for her greeting.
"Good afternoon," I said in a sedate tone, my hands resting comfortably at my sides as I continued to watch her. "I'm actually looking to have some more added to a tattoo I currently have, words that are in Caerdiccan, and I've heard that you have a skill for such things. Would you have time for such a job?" If she didn't I could always see about making an appointment, though since I was to leave in a week if she didn't have time before then I'd simply have to find a shop. "I would have made an appointment but I didn't have the time."
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Post by Siobahn Esmeraude de Bouvier on May 31, 2011 18:05:20 GMT -5
I waved my hand flippantly in the air. "Yes, I've plenty of time and you have certainly come to the right place," my eyes searched those of the woman who stood before me, who looked at me with a somewhat calculating gaze. I had been under a speculative scrutinizing gaze before, but hers did not seem judgmental...mostly inquisitive. "Please, follow me. Let us discuss your vision," I said witha short bow before I moved back to the back room, through the swinging door. "You could say my custom work tends to be very eccentric, heck I've been called the word myself," I mused with an asymmetrical smile as I called back to her over my shoulder. She would see what I had been working on and my various finished pieces hanging about the room, and hopefully it would add some meaning and liability to what I had said and to what she had heard, and not frighten her off.
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Thereza de Soigneux
Military
First Lieutenant
Second in Command to Captain de Etalon
Posts: 233
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Post by Thereza de Soigneux on Jun 4, 2011 13:00:55 GMT -5
Most artists seemed to have a certain way about them, a flippant sort of confidence in their work and demeanor but in most cases it was deserved. People generally paid for art because it was something they couldn't make themselves and represented a world they wanted to be a part of, if only vicariously. This marquist's art seemed to represent a speculative darkness and while I wasn't an art critic I did find it attractive in its own right. Drawing and painting had never been a skill of mine, which tended more toward research and organization but I could appreciate it in others.
"Eccentricity is a good trait in art, or so I've been told," I replied in a calm tone as I looked at the works we passed. "My tattoo is a tribute to the knowledge I've gained in my life and the truths I've found to be universal. I spent a good deal of my life training in the Temple of Shemhazai and once I joined the military it became almost impossible to carry memoirs or any sort of connection to that part of myself so I started having it inked into my back. Once I show you the work itself it should be easier to understand."
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Post by Siobahn Esmeraude de Bouvier on Jun 10, 2011 11:08:41 GMT -5
I listened to her speak and nodded, understanding. Though I had been raisd to do what I did now, I could understand not always being able to bring a part of you to the work you always do. Not everyone like my eccentric pieces, those boring types that wanted simple portraits or pictures, which I often turned down if I could, but she seemed to appreciate it, or at least she schooled her reactions well enough to show indifference.
"It really is," I said with a smile. "And knowledge. I believe a wise man once said all knowledge is worth having," I said with a chuckle. "And the quest for knowledge runs thick in those with Shemhazai's blood coursing through them." I walked towards the marquists table to prep it. "It sounds like you have quite the lovely tattoo, just from what you;ve said." Once we were in my working area proper, I pointed towards a little room, almost more like a closet, where she could get undressed. "If you dont mind removing your blouse, there is a sheet in that room that you can wrap about you. You may want to ermove your pantaloons as well, depending on the size of the tattoo and how far down your back it reaches. Then come back out so I can take a look and we can further discuss what you'd like. How's that sound?" I queried, rubbing my hands together anxiously. I was always excited to have new and exciting projects, and this one sounded like it would be an intriguing challenge. My calligraphy was impeccable, I knew as much, but there were not many who wanted words inked into their skin. It was a good thing I had practiced on myself in numerous locations on numerous occassions.
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Thereza de Soigneux
Military
First Lieutenant
Second in Command to Captain de Etalon
Posts: 233
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Post by Thereza de Soigneux on Jun 16, 2011 11:13:51 GMT -5
Her words showed that she at least had a passing understanding of what I meant. My tattoo wasn't a marque, it didn't signify that I'd followed the tenants of a path, but that I'd made my own and learned as I went the things that all of the books and lessons within Shemhazai's Temple kept me sheltered from. I'd learned a lot about myself on that quest and thought of the marks on my back with the same pride adepts saw in their ink though.
With a nod and words of assent I moved into the small room and shed my shirt, exposing the ink that went from the base of my back all of the way to the nape of my neck with its concentric circles and the designs therein, all surrounded by different phrases in different languages. I knew what I wanted next, in the blank spot along the top left of the outermost circle, and though I wasn't sure if the marquist knew the language I could write it out for her to copy. With a deep breath to steady myself against what was to come I held the sheet in place over my chest and stepped into the room with quiet confidence. "I'm ready," I told the lady marquist quietly.
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