[Saoire Event 722] Perdita vs. Elisabeth Black

[Pig Boy]

On a certain day in Zi'da of the 722nd arc, Saoire was preparing another get together to facilitate the sharing of gifts through special doorways assigned to that purpose. It would begin a few days before the appointed hour of the gifting. They'd find a note some days earlier, tucked into the top of a doorway in their own home, detailing who their intended recipient of their gift was, with clues to what they might like.

Then a date for which the gifting would take place. So the appointed gifter would know by when they could have their intended's gift ready, however they wished to come by it. On the 42nd, the very same doorway they'd found the note in would open up into an idyllic realm of Saoire's Dream. The doorway became a portal into her realm, the birthplace of the Cadouri and the place where many of Saoire's own personal gifts were made. For this purpose, the Realm would serve as a hosting ground for the gifter and their intended, and was tailored to such a purpose as that. Especially suited to either recipient, so that the place would be appropriate to their identity and interests.

And as they were asked to have a gift prepared, they were assured they too would in turn receive a gift all their own. Through the very same doorway as they received their instructions, on the 42nd of Zi'Da, it would open up into the realm of Saoire's Dream where two would meet. One gifter, one intended.

Perdita would need only knock twice on the doorway from which she’d received her instructions, and Elisabeth the same when ready to give and receive the gift, respectively. Once this was done, the doorway would open up into what looked like a large gallery, full of special artwork gathered from around the world of Idalos. Works from places far and wide had been gathered, and were there for them to peruse.

Into the spaces between these works, if they ventured further, a small monkey cadouri greeted them, dressed in a finely tailored suit. He bowed before them, and seemed quite proud of the collection he’d gathered for Saoire around Idalos.

“Welcome! Saoire’s Greetings to you both. I’m Dexter Sinisthorpe. Perdita has a gift for you Elisabeth! Please while you acquaint yourselves and share in the gift that Perdita has on offer, there are refreshments to enjoy.” Waving a hand in the direction of a bunch of foods, mostly dried jerky and pastries, as well as some coffee, Dexter smiled at them both.

“I will be here to answer any questions you have, but for now, please enjoy the surroundings and if you wish to speak on the provenance of any of these artworks, I will be on hand to answer! Enjoy! And when you’re ready to return, I will pop you off on a portal to go your way!”

That said, the cadouri, Dexter Sinisthorpe, would be available to them to chat with and discuss most anything they wished, and to be on hand to facilitate the festivities as well as their return.

Off Topic

Welcome to your Saoire Event 722 Thread! This thread will be eligible for both skill points and knowledge, as long as the usual review requirements are met.

At the end of the thread, all pcs will be given gateways to return to where they were. Literally and exactly where they were. Feel free to start your posts with where you were and what you were doing when the first gateway appeared.

Gifters, please assume that the gift you are given has been transported and is in the vicinity as you step out of the gateway. You may play the offered cadouri as NPCs throughout this thread. If you ask specific questions, feel free to PM Peg, Avalon or Pig Boy (whomever posted this thread,) but largely the NPC(s) is/are provided for flavor.

When you have completed the thread, please place it up for review as normal. Once it’s been reviewed, post here to claim your event medal!

[Perdita Westcott]

Saoire Event 722

42nd Zi'da, 722

A

s soon as she had heard that her recipient was Elisabeth, Perdita had known exactly what she would do. So, she had first of all spoken to the person she used to make the frames for her artwork. She knew what she wanted and it was very specific. A folding multi-frame which held four paintings - two landscape and two portrait. It folded in such a way as to be able to fold down to the size of one painting, so rather like a thick book. She gave careful dimensions, and was very clear what kind of patterning she wanted on the frame, also. Once that was commissioned, she got to work on the contents of it.

And so, Perdita spent time creating four pieces of art . She first drew Storm. One of the things that Perdita had focused on was achieving depth in her artwork. She used the techniques she had developed Perdita has developed her artistic skill to the point where her artwork no longer looks to be two-dimensional. What she draws looks like it's three-dimensions to the point that it seems like you could put your hand into the pond of water or that the frog is about to jump off the page or that the person is sitting stock still. Of course, this is merely an artistic "trick" and is a technique she uses to increase the realism of her work. and she set to work. Storm, Elisabeth's cat, was the subject of this piece and Perdita concentrated on drawing Storm with a pencil in the first instance. She had a clear visual picture of him and she had decided that she was going to utilise the shades of grey from the pencil work and then have small dashes of colour throughout, just tiny amounts to show Storm's eyes and minute aspects of his coat. That way, it would add to the depth of the picture and give the impression of being more three-dimensional. She drew Storm with a background of the Haven shoreline, because she thought that Elisabeth would like that.

Then, Perdita turned her attention to the next painting. This was of Balthazar; although Perdita hadn't spoken to him she had seen him in the distance in Haven when she visited and she'd seen him at a number of events and celebrations, so she knew what he looked like. However, this was challenging still and so she drew him as though from the perspective of someone sitting on the porch of Haven House, looking at Balthazar who was standing a little way in the distance. She drew him so that he was just turning towards the viewpoint of the observer, like he was turning to look at Elisabeth as she emerged from the doorway. Again, in this one she used mainly pale greys and shading to make the majority of the piece, with flashes of colour to make it seem as realistic as possible. Those were the two landscape-oriented pieces done.

In the third frame, then, Perdita set about creating a scene at night. She had not been at Elisabeth's and Balthazar's wedding, so she had to improvise here, but the use of a scene at night allowed her to make it more detailed and more realistic. She drew Elisabeth and Balthazar, standing in the gazebo in Haven - the one created by their wedding, by all accounts - with starlight twinkling above them. Candles flickered around them and there were glowing tempest lillies in this scene. The couple were looking at each other, hand in hand with the traditional ribbons and ropes of a Scalvoris wedding. Perdita couldn't go into too much detail on the dress either of them wore, so she kept Elisabeth's dress long and flowing and delicate, and Balthazar looking dapper but she utilised the shadows to avoid having to make too much detail which she couldn't fill in, focusing instead on the details she could.

And then, finally, there was the last picture. Perdita had been unsure of that, but she went with her instinct. Elisabeth liked things which were pretty, but uncluttered and so, in the bottom left frame, which stood in a portrait orientation, she put the symbol of their wedding, the monogram she had created which was the combined E and B. She put behind it a tempest lilly in pale pale silver and a single star in the top right of the frame.

Looking at it, when she was finally done, Perdita smiled. The frame was perfect, made with the rainbow wood of the Phoenix tree, it had a very gentle and beautiful ombre colour change and the four pieces sat in their parts of the frame beautifully. She wrapped it up in a delicate lace shawl, perfect for keeping shoulders covered in the evening and then, when it was time, she knocked.

And when she saw where she arrived, Perdita's eyes widened in delight. She could spend all trial here, quite happily. Looking at Dexter, she smiled, blushed, and nodded all at once. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You're very kind." She turned then as Elisabeth arrived and she stepped forward to give the woman a hug. "It's nice to see you," she said softly. Looking at Elisabeth with affection - for the two of them were friends already - she asked her, "how are you?" with genuine interest in Elisabeth's welfare.

Once they had hugged and greeted each other, Perdita was happy to wander over to the food and nibble at a few things. She was also happy to see some coffee. But, before all of that, she handed Elisabeth the gift. "I hope you like them," she said softly and waited to see what Elisabeth thought.

[Elisabeth Black]

Cold Cycle 722 PH #2