abraxaslogs | [semi-open] Early Feb catch all

You enjoy delegating and overseeing the execution of larger works, don't you?

[The question is polite enough as Alucard turns a corner. There's just two blocks to go until he's at the office, and the crowds have already thinned as they've entered a residential area.]

I'll draw when I have the inclination, but architecture is the thing I'm best at. Jaskier dabbles much more than I do.

I'd rather leave the work to the experts and provide moral support. I couldn't hold a hammer and stand in front of a hot fire to save my life! [ She wiggles her arms as if to prove a point. Clothed in fabric, it's difficult to tell that she does, in fact, have plenty of muscles underneath her clothing and probably could do both things if she was pressed. ]

These noodle arms can barely hold stuffed shopping bags.

[ And yet they can and have held up more than just a days worth of shopping. ]

Did you go to school to lean that sort of thing? Architecture I mean.

Edited 2023-02-10 07:17 (UTC)

If you choose to pursue this on a larger scale, I think you're bound to have good business. [Alucard himself is terrible at delegating, preferring to do the work himself in many cases. With the redesigns for Libertas, he's learning to trust others. Slowly. But that's what the Old Public Hall project is for - his own work and needs entirely.]

I'll trust your own assessment regarding noodle arms. I can't say I have that problem.

[Like, obviously.]

No. It was a family...not trade, but interest, and I found that I enjoyed it. Nothing more exciting than that. What about yourself and your work?

Oh, I don't know about that. I haven't even made anything yet!

[ And then she'd have to take into account people liking the things she makes. The thought of opening up her designs like that to others sends a prickle of nervousness down her spine that she quashes as soon the office comes into sight. ]

I'd say. You seem plenty capable of swinging a hammer if you wanted to. But I'm glad that you followed your interests. [ There's another hum. ] Just a hobby. I liked designing jewelry and making pretty things for myself and my friends.

Instinct.

[The truth is Hilda probably could do a lot with delegation skills. But the dhampir lets the thought go, and instead focuses on the office building. He goes for the door off to the right that leads to the stairs, and murmurs something in his own native tongue that prompts the door to open.

He steps aside, letting Hilda pass first.]

Well, this also counts as a hobby for me. A practical one.

[ The quiet confidence Alucard has in her earns an embarrassed little flush of her cheeks but the way her hair is arranged shields it from him -- at least she hopes so.

She gives him a little nod as she passes by him into the quiet of the office. It's hard for her not to admire the colour palette and the thought that's clearly gone into how they've decorated and arranged everything. She'll wait for him to pass through the threshold before helping him close the door behind him. ]

What made you decide to start a business here then? I can't imagine it's a easy to run something like this.

[ And she doesn't have the faintest inkling of what would go into it either. ]

[It is a lucky thing that Alucard is too focused on balancing the stairs and the paper roll. He misses the flush on Hilda's cheeks, and just makes sure to speak the password that prompts the office door open.

The office, at the end of the day, is a series of debates and opinions between Alucard and Jaskier. Too many right angles versus so wait, how many plants? It works though, the whole place is lush and comfortable, with hooks for Jaskier's instruments on one of the walls.

Alucard leans the paper roll against one of the doors off to the right of the entrance, where he does all his drafting and stores things. The main space is for meetings and for receiving clients.]

I like having multiple projects, and to have a business is to ensure that would always be the case. Please, take a seat.

[The armchairs and the sofa are clustered around the coffee table, and Alucard is not so rude as to sit down before a guest.

He is also smart enough not to admit the reason he needs projects all the time is to keep outrunning his depression and the fact he hasn't dealt with any of his trauma. Minor things, really.]

[ The office decoration has its desired effect; the plants give it a cozy, lush setting, a nice contrast to the desert landscape that Hilda has been used to seeing. It makes her miss the verdant, rolling hills of Fodlan and the greenhouse at Garreg Mach. She didn't enjoy gardening but she loved being surrounded by it.

She hums at his answer, a teasing light in her eyes as she does a quick walk around the room to admire the plants. ]

Everyone I've met so far is a workaholic. I didn't take you for the type!

[ Quietly, she knows that work for the sake of work isn't simply the case for everyone here. At least when it comes to Claude, work is a distraction from other things. She can't say the same for Alucard -- can't even begin to guess -- but at least it's something for her to keep in mind.

At his offer she chooses a comfy arm chair before pulling out the sketchbook she's taken to carrying around with her. ]

Do you have other appointments today? I don't want to take up too much of your time.

No? What did you take me for?

[The question is genuine. Alucard doesn't know what impression he gives off these days, and he's always curious to understand this much. Back home, he knew the reputation he had earned. These days, it is...curious. And in flux.

He is quick to move the other armchair over so it is beside Hilda's, settling in quickly.]

I do not. Most of today was for organizing and supply inventory, so that tomorrow I can dig into theater design for Libertas.

[ It doesn't sound like she's hit a nerve, which gives her the bravery to be a little bit more cheeky than she might normally otherwise be with someone she's only recently made acquaintance with. Her expression settles into something slightly more serious, although her lips twitch into a smile that gives her away. ]

A very handsome, aloof somebody that is very invested in keeping himself busy, that's all.

[ The mention of the theatre brings up a glean in her eyes. ] Oh right! Would it be too much trouble to sit and watch while you do that? I've always been interested in that sort of thing.

[ Is this her stalling? No. Not really. (Okay kind of.) ]

Well, I can live with that perception. [The response is gentle. Accepting, because aloof and busy is a good aura to project.]

...I can't say I would find the idea comfortable. Would you want someone to do that while you were working in your sketchbook?

[Nice try.]

[ Being caught in her stalling tactic is enough to make her pout slightly. ]

Depends if the person watching was helping me brainstorm.

[ Boo you, Alucard.

Still, it prompts her into flipping directly to the page where some of the design sketches begin. Some of them look like what someone might expect of jewelry. There's a number of necklaces, bracelets, an intricate looking earring, and even a decorative crown that's meant to be a little more showy if the various jewels she's listed there are any indication. ]

The designs start here.

[ But the ones that seem to have the most work done to them are a set of what look like bracers. She fiddles a little nervously as he leafs through them but then pipes up when he gets to that page. ]

I was thinking that the braces could be enchanted to project some sort of shield. [ As if to demonstrate it, there are several stick figures -- one drawing a bow, another with a sword draw, another astride a horse -- with glowing half domes following them. ] They don't have to be bracers, I think a belt buckle or a ring might work too, but the idea is that they leave someone's hands free to do other things.

[He's not that foolish.

Alucard is quiet, considering. There's a lot of fine and particular details in Hilda's designs, which works nicely with the overall trends in the Free Cities. Metal, yes, but finely worked metals that align with a sense of modernism. The embellishments allow for a skilled smith to show off, although the necklace with the bones and gilded teeth does have his attention.

At the bracers, Alucard considers the idea. Nods.]

There's a few things you could do with the bracers to add magic and an air of practicality to them, depending on your own taste and what you want the end goal to be. There should be a pencil on the coffee table, could you please pass it over? And may I draw on the next page?

[ As Alucard regards her designs, she's watching him, trying to gauge any changes to his facial expression or if there are any particular designs that he lingers on longer other than the ones that she specifically points out.

A quick peek confirms that he's looking at the bone necklace (the thought of working with bone sent a little shiver up her spine, but according to Petra it's a surprisingly easy material to work with) and she quietly notes it before nodding and hurrying to retrieve the pencil.

She leans in as far as he'll allow or is comfortable with to watch him work intent on absorbing as much as she can. ]

It's not so much for me as it is for my friends. Some of them might have to look a little more like traditional bracers [ And here she motions to the figure on the horse -- ] but maybe they could fit over them?

[Alucard doesn't respond immediately. He's focused on the page, and in drawing the underside of a set of bracers on half the page, and then putting an elaborate pair on the bottom half.]

Maybe. What I've found in the magic used to amplify sound at Old Public Hall is that you can impart certain conditions onto an object, and then interacting with the sigils create the desired effect. So if you wanted a bracer to help steady one's hand, you can put the sigils in two places. Either under, like I've done up here-- [He taps the underside drawing gently with the point of his pencil.]

Or you can incorporate them into the design and have them face outward. If you wanted, you could work the metal to create the correct shapes, or add filigree to do the same. Does that make sense?

[ She knows that Alucard isn't employing magic now, but it may as well feel like it from where she's sitting. Alucard's steady hands pulls lines from the pencil, blooming her design onto paper before her very eyes. Hilda is no stranger to magic and she's well aware of what it looks like both at home and here but it still manages to fill her with a sense of wonder.

Hilda clings onto every word that he says nodding and trying to commit it to memory for when she decides to revisit this later. Her eyes light up at the suggestion. ]

It would be so pretty if I could find a blacksmith to work the metal into the correct shape! Maybe Jayce could do it? Would I have to be enchanting it at the same time?

I don't know how fine Jayce's work would be for the second option I described, but he might be able to direct you correctly if you ask.

[He offers the sketchbook back, the page of his notes done and fairly sure that he has described everything appropriately and without there being too much confusion.]

You'd want to practice the combination of sigils on metal as well before you commit to making the thing, just to ensure that there's no errors or unforeseen issues.

He does tend to make more weapons and bigger things, at least as far as I've seen but [ Her voice trails as she takes the sketchbook back, eyes flitting over Alucard's immaculate notes. ] I'm not sure that I'd be any good at metal smithing myself.

[ She loves the design process, loves the putting together of things, but she hardly want to become a blacksmith. Her lips purse in thought, running through some of the artisans that she met in during their trip to Aquila. ] I've met a couple of people in Aquila who might do more of that type of work. Maybe I could ask them to help me -- although I trust Jayce more.

[ But then her self-made conundrum is pushed aside when she realizes a little belatedly that ah, she'll have to practice. And she has no clue where to start. Why couldn't she just throw money at the problem like she would at home? ~~Ah, rich girl problems.~~ ]

You wouldn't happen to know any sigils that I could start with, would you? I was never very good at magic back home.

[ Whether that's because she's lazy or because she was more of a martial fighter remains to be seen. ]

He has connections though, that's what I would rely on.

[Alucard considers the others Hilda has met. Weighs what he actually wants to say, and then gestures gently to the room they're sitting in.]

Finding a creative partner takes time. You have to know you can work well together. It took me over a year to figure out that Jaskier and I are a good match, and it started because of smaller projects. There's no harm in trying to work with a few people and seeing what works best for you.

[The sigils, at least, are easier.]

I can recommend a few books. Everything I've worked out is about sound amplification, which isn't what you need here.

[ Hilda knows that Alucard is right. He's offering up advice that comes built on experience, and she's already garnered enough respect for him to listen. But there's still a part of her that balks at the prospect of work and figuring out relationships that could turn into something more business related. It's clear from the look on her face that there's a hint of reluctance to that aspect of it. ]

I guess it's a little like figuring out what your mediums are.

[ The reluctance continues at the mention of books, the beginnings of anxiety appearing. But, as she reminds herself, if she could learn a healing spell, she could learn enchantments. ]

I'd appreciate that. Did you use magic back home?

That's a good way to frame it. [Alucard knows that the path towards actual business in the arts isn't for everyone. It is another reason why he and Jaskier work well together - Alucard doesn't schmooze like the bard can for one. And it is still work, at the end of the day.]

I did, yes, but not in the manner that's done here. But I had a large library at my disposal, and don't mind doing research. I take it that for you, it isn't a preference?

[He's not going to be as bold as to bring up the obvious reluctance head on, but it isn't subtle either.]

[ The laugh that leaves Hilda’s lips is bell-like and clear, and even though she’s unashamed to admit it, there’s a hint of sheepishness there. ]

What gave it away?

[ The reality of the matter was that even though she wasn’t dumb by any stretch of the word, she was lazy and pouring over spells simply for the sake of self-preservation hadn’t been her cup of tea back at the academy. And since arriving here, there hadn’t been anything else to prompt her to pick up a spell book either. ]

I didn’t really enjoy research back in school. It never really applied to anything I was interested in so it made it difficult. I learned some spells to get by but I haven’t really used them in a while if I’m being honest…[ She perks up. ] But I do remember my healing spell. My best friend at home is amazing at those sorts of spells. Any magic really.

I'm afraid you're not subtle.

[Alucard's observation is light, shrugging it all off easily. He's the least subtle person he knows aside from one bard, and he can accept having to be the pot calling the kettle black.

He won't ever be used to hearing about formal education. The concept makes sense, it is just too wholly outside of his own experience.]

Here, magic is more useful than simply getting by. It can help build something stable, in my experience. [Moreover, his preference. Alucard has found the need for stability an essential part of keeping himself well and grounded.] You could try the healing spell etched in metal, just as a proof of concept.

Me? Not subtle?

[ Her offended act is clearly put on — everything from the hand on her chest, to the arch of her eyebrows is exaggerated. Hilda doesn't even bother to hide the mischievous sparkle in her eyes. Somehow Alucard reading her like that makes it feels easier to lean into it.

Alucard's suggestion, whether or not it's encouragement seems to bolster her a little somehow. ]

I'll give it a try and let you know. Claude gave me some tools recently — those might help. [ A grateful smile flickers to her face. ] Thank you for all of your help Alucard. I really appreciate all your advice.

It takes one to know one, admittedly.

[Alucard is not as dramatic as some people he's met, but...he's never met a vampire that wasn't dramatic one way or the other. He's his father's son as well, which doesn't help any of it.]

I can give you a few book titles tomorrow, if you don't mind leaving a forwarding address. [Easier to compile without the rush of time.]

You're welcome. And please let me know how you progress. There's a lot of potential in the concept.

And fin!

theidlemaiden - 2023-02-19 17:12 (UTC) - Expand

[semi-open] Early Feb catch all

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Do you want to wrap it with your next tag so we can focus on event things next?

And fin!