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 Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 4:47 pm
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 Winter was a hard time of year to slough through the muck and slush to get to a market, but Baskaran had little choice. He did have a workshop where he sold things from directly to the customers but those were usual repeats or regulars, people that already knew of him and liked his work. To get new customers he had to travel to various markets in the area, lugging along a cart full of various wooden wares to hopefully entice someone to make a purchase.
The things he brought with him on the road were rarely large, though his cart was a good example of bigger things that he was capable of making. Furniture like tables and wardrobes had to be left behind but if someone was looking for something like that he could always set up an appointment for them to come to his shop to see what he could do for them. That's why amid all the wooden things he'd created he always kept a small stack of business cards hand printed, of course.
Currently the market was in full swing, chatter and the sound of hoofs filling the narrow walkways with almost too much noise. Bask had set up his stall nicely with small, decorative carvings in one area that slowly blended to things more useful but still decorative - an ornate knotted design that held a mirror, cuckoo clocks, twisting branches that a portrait could be situated in - to smaller pieces of furniture, like small drawers and stools. Sort of to itself but still among the wares was a single violin with a bow, both propped up to be displayed nicely but certainly not the center of attention. Bask knew there was far more demand for simple, every day things rather than instruments so he only made those for his own enjoyment and for special requests from customers.
The bright male shifted his feet as he stood to the side of his allotted space, tugging his black woolen scarf around his neck a bit more and hunching his shoulders in the equally black sweater he had donned after arriving. Pulling his cart was more than enough to keep him warm, even in the chill of winter, but standing around like this? Definitely needed some layers. |
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:32 am
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 Though it was winter, and colder than perhaps was comfortable, Kira was excited to visit the marketplace. Her winter coat had come in, and she delighted in leaping from snow bank to snow bank, although it sometimes led to interesting situations. This particular pile of snow was a bit too deep. It took some help from a passerby to extricate herself from the snow, and then she stood shivering at the edge of the market.
Well, she'd better find herself something to warm up with! In the corner, she saw a stall with a variety of capes, cloaks, and shawls. After browsing for a bit, she found a beautiful, warm shawl with gorgeous, sunny colors. The edges resembled a sunset, with purples, oranges, yellows, and pinks. She adored it instantly. The price wasn't too dear, being something locally made, but she paid it happily, and even added a half piece for the shopkeeper's troubles.
Wrapping herself up in its cozy warmth, she began to explore the market in earnest. Just down the way was a cart filled with wooden odds and ends: a cuckoo clock, a mirror, some beautifully carved decorations, what must be a portrait holder, as well as several pieces of furniture. Kira didn't have a home to put those sort of things in, as such, but she did like the look of them. Then, when she drew closer, she saw something that made her gasp. "Oh! How lovely!" she cried, spying the beautiful violin.
Immediately drawn to it, the young doe reached a wondering hand toward the violin, as if wanting to stroke it. "How does it play?" she asked the proprietor, glancing up into his face.
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 5:33 pm
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Shifting his weight from one hoof to the other and settling into a new resting position, Baskaran continued to centaur watch from the side of his stall. Most of those meandering through the market were hornless and large with a few of his own kind mingled throughout. It was nice to see the two different breeds coexisting without much fuss.
His eyes tracked a few young centaurs who were roughhousing a bit - he was larger than them and could ward them off from his wares if need be - when a bright voice caught his attention. He flicked his gaze from the group to the elaphotaur in front of his stall and immediately felt as if he'd been kicked in the gut.
Before Baskaran stood the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. Her skin and fur were both dark and the little bits of color he could make out were deep in hue as well. Her eyes were bright, quite literally, seeming to give off a gentle glow. It took the larger elaphotaur a moment to realize he'd been asked a question and it took an embarrassing amount of time for him to get his brain and mouth coordinated enough to work.
"Beautiful. Ly," he added a beat late as he tried to get his stomach from twisting around within him. Frustrated with how much of an oaf he sounded like, Bask gave himself a mental kick in the behind and shifted to move forward, his focus turning to the violin to try to force his heart to stop hammering. Yes, there was a pretty girl at his stall, but that didn't mean he had to act like a young buck seeing a doe for the first time.
He scooped the instrument up with practiced ease and settled it under his chin, the bow finding a familiar home in his right hand. He played a quick scale to demonstrate the rich sound, then a more somber lullaby-esque tune, showcasing the way the wood of the body enhanced the soulful sound the strings produced.
Bask stopped after a moment and offered the violin to his guest, once again struck by her beauty. Oh boy.
"You may try it if you wish. If you play." He didn't need an amateur destroying the bow or messing with the perfectly tuned strings no matter how pretty they were.
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 6:24 pm
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"Oh!" said Kira, both excited and alarmed at once, putting her hands before her as if to halt the progress of the violin. "No, I don't play. I sing. But I've always wanted to learn." She sucked in a breath, longing eyes on the violin. "I don't think I should try it, not without buying first. It's probably more than I can afford right now, anyway." Her readings, if they could be called that, weren't going... well. Not well enough to purchase something so glorious. Last time she'd accidentally implied that the querant's mother was now a goose. It hadn't gone over especially well, and she was a bit nervous to try again. Ah, but Kira truly longed to be good at reading cards!
"Maybe... maybe when I've gotten better with my cards, er, with my readings. Maybe then I'll be able to buy something so lovely." Her eyes were huge with admiration, both for the instrument itself and for the buck who played it. "Would you mind... could you play it just one more time?" she asked, certain it was too much of a bother, but so wanting to hear it. "It might draw some customers," she added, hoping that that might sweeten the pot. She hummed the songs he'd played, her voice clear, bright, and in perfect pitch. The effect was rather similar to lark song.
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 6:57 pm
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Bask hesitated in offering the violin to the smaller elaphotaur, unsure if she was excited to try or trying to dissuade him from handing it to her all together. When she clarified the exclamation he withdrew the offer instantly, pulling the violin back to his side. The longing gaze she gave it was impossible to ignore and Bask had to lightly kick the inside of his own hind leg to keep himself from feeling jealous over an inanimate object. He didn't even know this girl and he was already acting like a fool!
He let her babble a bit as he tried to figure out how exactly to learn more about her. Her name would be a good start, what she did - oh...perhaps she was a fortune teller? But if she wasn't very good there had to be some other way for her to earn some coin. Perhaps she busked in markets like this if she could sing? Bask desperately wanted to hear what her voice sounded like, assuming it was as beautiful as she was, but he knew better than to ask.
...though apparently she didn't know better. How was she so comfortable around a complete stranger? She was unlike any customer he'd had before and Bask was a bit at a loss for what to do or how to react, both stunned by her physical beauty and thrown way off kilter by her bubbly personality. In the end it was her humming his sad melody that did him in and he lifted the instrument once more to tuck it under his chin.
"I don't usually sell my instruments at markets like these," he admitted as he let go of the neck of the violin to grab the rosin he'd tucked behind the little stand that had held up the bow. "I doubt it will go today." But as he slid the rosin over the strings of the bow he was very glad he'd decided to bring it along. It had lured his most captivating customer yet into his stall.
"I do make violins from cheaper wood," he said as he set the rosin down and once more reached up to grab the neck of the violin, letting his shoulder rest a bit from where it had pinched the instrument against his neck. "For beginners or those that play for fun rather than as a profession." The sound was still good but certainly not as rich and powerful as the one he currently had. They were all back in his shop, of course, and he doubted this delicate doe would want to haul herself through the mud and muck he'd had to stomp through to get here. Perhaps she was a local?
"...just as with music, I'm sure practice makes perfect," he offered as he settled the bow against the strings and began to play another slow, sad tune. Bask almost kept talking but bit his tongue, telling himself to hush. She'd clearly asked to hear the violin again, not him jabbering about whatever crossed his mind. What had gotten in to him?
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:28 pm
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There was a very clear delight in Kira's eyes as she watched and listened to the buck. "That sounds marvelous," she said. "Maybe I could save for one of the student violins." Although... it would certainly take her awhile, even with the bar set lower. Kira was truly atrocious at reading card, palms, tea leaves, or any other medium. She kept trying, though, as her heart was set on it. When she was a little fawn she'd met an old fortuneteller, and oh, how she'd wanted to be just like her when she grew up! She'd been a very enthusiastic, if somewhat flighty, audience. With her fate veritably sealed, she'd ambled joyfully onward through life.
Just as she was doing right now. "You should bring them to the market," she said. "Maybe a few cheaper ones. If you played like this, you might sell the less expensive ones, anyway. And who knows? Maybe there will be a virtuoso in the crowd!" Anything was possible, after all. She'd found this wonderful musician and artisan, hadn't she? "Well, I suppose," she said doubtfully. "Maybe if I practice a lot more."
Mesmerized by the beauty of his song, she suddenly realized that she knew this one. Without missing a beat, she added her voice to the violin, singing the descant, harmonizing with the beautiful instrument's sound. As she sang, she noticed that the crowd near the stall seemed to grow, but she didn't care. She had loved to sing her entire life, and having an audience was not going to stop her. She hadn't known the first couple of songs, but she did know this one, and by the great Hunter, she was going to sing it.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 10:34 am
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When the miniature performance ended, Kira was startled to hear applause from the crowd. "Thank you," she said, doing a little half bow. Although the applause certainly wasn't all for her, it was nice that the market goers had enjoyed the music. The handsome buck was talking again, and that instantly caught her attention. She wondered where his main market was, if this beautiful selection was not his usual offering. Would there be many more instruments there?
"Where is your main market?" she asked, curious and enthusiastic. He seemed awfully nice and his work was very good. She wanted to see more of it! Even if, more than likely, she couldn't afford any of it. What she'd seen so far impressed her.
In the next moment, however, she was totally gobsmacked. "Oh! Are you sure I can have all of it? You were part of the performance." There was a note of protest in her voice, even as she cupped her hands to receive the coins. It would be worse, still, if she dropped something so kindly offered. "Really?" she asked, excitedly. Oh! She hadn't thought anyone would be interested, and while she had brought her cards and accoutrements with her, she hadn't been expecting it at all.
"Would you really?" she asked, wide, soft eyes filled with happiness. It was a very kind thought, in any case. Even if he might not mean it. In her experience, after their first encounter with her 'skills', others didn't usually want to have anything read, let alone their fortune.
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:34 pm
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The longer Baskaran spoke, the more Kira beamed. He was simply the most generous buck she had ever met, and her heart was truly touched. "Really?" she said, not quite able to believe her luck. It was... well, it was wonderful of him. Truly. "I would love to practice on you. Since you don't mind." That she coveted one of his beautiful instruments was rather obvious, but her means of acquiring one certainly was not straightforward. Even if she could afford little things like the wrap she'd found at the market today, she certainly could not afford even a practice instrument.
Ah, but they were beautiful. "Perhaps... if it's not too soon, would tomorrow be convenient?" she asked, a hopeful expression on her winsome face. "I don't live far away. Erm. In as much as I have a 'home' to live in, anyway. I have a tent that I can put up or else I've sometimes rented space." Though usually she paid in labor more than in coin. After the experience today she wondered if she might be able to busk for her supper. It seemed much more plausible than she'd ever imagined.
She smiled easily at his words, but gave a little shrug. "Instruments like that one don't seem 'niche' to me. But perhaps... they might be, since we're not in a large city." Not that she'd ever been to one, but she had heard things about cities before. There was definitely something thrilling about the idea of such a thing, but it did seem more than a little unrealistic to think that she'd go to something like that.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 6:36 pm
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Bask glanced at the market goers as they walked by, some pausing to look at his displayed wares, one stallion in particular seeming to be very taken with a set of playing blocks meant for a young foal. Perhaps he and his mate were expecting.
Turning his attention back to Kira, he gave a little nod at her request. Tomorrow would be fine, he'd be done here and generally took the day off after a market day to do inventory of what was purchased, see if he had to make anything to fill any gaps, and plan his week from there. That shouldn't take too long, and afterwards they could meet somewhere so she could practice.
"Wherever is best for you," he said. "I don't want you to spend any coin when you should be making it instead." Perhaps if she was going to read for the whole day for clients it would make sense to rent out a space, but just for him? That would be overkill in his opinion. He also didn't want to make her feel awkward inviting him to her tent where they'd just met today. He wanted to keep their budding relationship on good terms and being an oppressive presence was not what he was going for.
"Mm. Out here they're a bit harder to sell, but in the right markets in the right towns I do much better with the instruments rather than the furniture and carvings."
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 12:58 pm
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Elated at the plans they had established, Kira couldn't help but beam. "The tent would work, then, if you don't mind." Oh, she was absolutely delighted. The opportunity to practice her craft, even if she wasn't particularly good at her craft yet, was more than she had ever hoped for at this market. In fact, she'd gained ever so much today that she could only look forward to what tomorrow held. "I must be keeping you from your customers," she remarked, however, taking note of the stallion who seemed interested in a set of playing blocks.
She smiled at Baskaran, utterly thrilled to have made such a wonderful connection. Who could have guessed that something so magical would come of a whim? "I would dearly love to see you at a market where individuals wanted to buy your instruments," she added softly, for the glory of the music from before still hung so clearly in her mind. Oh, what a fantastic day it was! Kira was so happy she could hardly contain it!
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:05 pm
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Although Kira was blissfully oblivious to Bask's inner thoughts, she was very eager to see her new friend again. If 'friend' was indeed all she thought of him. In spite of all appearances, Kira could be a little shy in certain ways. She had gone outside of her comfort zone today in some respects, but then again... she'd always been a friendly creature. In a very real way this was a chance to see true art at work, and the little elaphotaur doe very much appreciated that. The buck before her was a wonderful artist and artisan.
That he had made all of these splendid pieces spoke volumes to his skill level. And he also sold them himself, too? Kira wanted to get to know him better. She couldn't help herself. So, not only was she very eager to try her fortune telling abilities on him, she was also hopeful they might get to know one another somewhat during the process.
"Oh! Yes, let's do that! That will work," she said amiably. She was familiar with this town and its layout. It wasn't particularly large, though it was larger than the place that she'd grown up, where she had spent a majority of her life. "Where in the town shall we meet? Here in this marketplace? Somewhere else?" Kira was excited, that much showing in the flare of her tail, eager to better her acquaintance with the fine artisan as well as practicing her craft. However poor she was at that particular craft. Ah well!
She smiled at his words, quite enjoying the thought of helping him to bring in customers, whenever that occasion might be. If, indeed, she was fortunate enough to be able to accompany him. "I'd like that. I think we would make a good team, yes. Perhaps sometime, then." He seemed not inclined to put a date on that possibility, but she didn't think much of it. After all, they'd only known each other for a brief period of time.
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