Crackle
Oct. 28th, 2025 05:53 amSarah walked into the studio, placing a basket on a free surface before donning her work apron. “I brought dinner.”
Bishop set his work aside and took a still warm pastry from the basket. “You already ate with Jareth?”
Sarah shook her head. “I grabbed something while the kitchen prepared the basket.” Jareth was working on a commission with Rook. When she’d asked if he had time to join her for a meal he’d flashed her a mad grin with his arms wide and made grabby hands in her direction. As said hands were covered in paint, she took that as a negative and had to agree with whatever obscenity that Rook had growled at him. “Jareth is otherwise occupied.”
“How goes his current project?” Bishop helped himself to another pastry and opened the bottle of cider that had been tucked in with the baked goods.
“I think it’s nearly done.” Sarah picked up a piece from a tray of vases. It had a round body, with a small mouth and a white glaze. “You’d think having two people working on the same artwork would be problematic. Their style is almost identical, but I can tell it apart now. This work has a violence to it and Jareth’s side is like he snuck up and slit someone’s throat.” She shuddered at how the work had impacted her.
Bishop foraged in the basket and happily found a muffin. “Where Rook’s side leans more towards bludgeoning someone?”
Sarah nodded. “Exactly. Their victim is still dead, there’s just a different mess to clean up. I really don’t think they have a high opinion of the commissioner, but those who can afford their work Above always seem to be unpleasant.” She picked up a brush and glanced at Bishop. “You really want me to cover this in ink?”
Bishop’s eyes lit with mischief. “Trust the process. Paint it black, then wipe it off. Just the top half.” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “You’ll see the demarcation line once you start to clean it.”
With a shrug, Sarah pulled on her gloves, dipped a brush in the ink and steadily painted around the vase from the lip to midway down. Setting aside her brush, she used a damp cloth to carefully remove the ink. She chuckled in delight at the now darkened spiderweb of fine cracks that covered the top of the vase. “It’s almost magical seeing the effect appear.”
“It is fun the way the ink brings out the crackle glaze,” Bishop agreed. “We’ll ink this batch and then give them a clear glaze to seal it. The morning crew will fire them.”
Sarah reached for another vase. “It’s definitely more elegant than Jareth’s commission.”
“Alas, refined homewares do not make the kind of prices that his work does,” Bishop snorted.
“The obscenely wealthy do seem more prepared to be parted from their money for violence rather than beauty.” Which, Sarah conceded, likely had a lot to do with the contempt Jareth held for them.
labyfic — drabble #233: expensive
Part of the Balance!verse
Bishop set his work aside and took a still warm pastry from the basket. “You already ate with Jareth?”
Sarah shook her head. “I grabbed something while the kitchen prepared the basket.” Jareth was working on a commission with Rook. When she’d asked if he had time to join her for a meal he’d flashed her a mad grin with his arms wide and made grabby hands in her direction. As said hands were covered in paint, she took that as a negative and had to agree with whatever obscenity that Rook had growled at him. “Jareth is otherwise occupied.”
“How goes his current project?” Bishop helped himself to another pastry and opened the bottle of cider that had been tucked in with the baked goods.
“I think it’s nearly done.” Sarah picked up a piece from a tray of vases. It had a round body, with a small mouth and a white glaze. “You’d think having two people working on the same artwork would be problematic. Their style is almost identical, but I can tell it apart now. This work has a violence to it and Jareth’s side is like he snuck up and slit someone’s throat.” She shuddered at how the work had impacted her.
Bishop foraged in the basket and happily found a muffin. “Where Rook’s side leans more towards bludgeoning someone?”
Sarah nodded. “Exactly. Their victim is still dead, there’s just a different mess to clean up. I really don’t think they have a high opinion of the commissioner, but those who can afford their work Above always seem to be unpleasant.” She picked up a brush and glanced at Bishop. “You really want me to cover this in ink?”
Bishop’s eyes lit with mischief. “Trust the process. Paint it black, then wipe it off. Just the top half.” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “You’ll see the demarcation line once you start to clean it.”
With a shrug, Sarah pulled on her gloves, dipped a brush in the ink and steadily painted around the vase from the lip to midway down. Setting aside her brush, she used a damp cloth to carefully remove the ink. She chuckled in delight at the now darkened spiderweb of fine cracks that covered the top of the vase. “It’s almost magical seeing the effect appear.”
“It is fun the way the ink brings out the crackle glaze,” Bishop agreed. “We’ll ink this batch and then give them a clear glaze to seal it. The morning crew will fire them.”
Sarah reached for another vase. “It’s definitely more elegant than Jareth’s commission.”
“Alas, refined homewares do not make the kind of prices that his work does,” Bishop snorted.
“The obscenely wealthy do seem more prepared to be parted from their money for violence rather than beauty.” Which, Sarah conceded, likely had a lot to do with the contempt Jareth held for them.
Part of the Balance!verse