Work Text:
"If I have to go over one more book of accounts from the soap-makers, I'll ban the use of it in the city," Sandry announced as she entered the common workroom of Number 6 Cheeseman Street. Rubbing her temples, she dropped into the chair next to where Daja was frowning over a sketchbook. "Please tell me you're not working on a soap dish or soap-making implements or anything to do in the least with soap."
Daja scribbled a line through one of her tentative designs, dismissing it as useless. "No, nothing soap related. And if you ban its use in the city, I'll ban you from this house. Only clean people are allowed in here, heir to the Duke or no." She turned to Sandry, but rather than meet her saati's eyes, she looked at the top of the other girl's head. "How do you do your hair?" she asked abruptly.
Sandry blinked twice before answering. "Well, I wash it once every few days. Pin it up and keep it covered during the day and put it in a braid when I sleep." She twitched her veil into place self-consciously, smoothing a stray strand back towards the simple bun she'd twisted her hair into that morning. "Why, is something wrong with it?"
Sighing impatiently, Daja flapped a hand at Sandry's head. "No, no, I mean what do you put in your hair to pin it up? I want to make Lysha something for Longnight and she's mad for shiny things to put in her hair." She pushed the book over so Sandry could see how many discarded drawings she'd come up with so far. "I just have no idea how to make one."
Sandry eagerly grabbed the pencil and sketchbook from Daja. This was a perfect way to take a break from her bookkeeping. "You're probably going to want to make either a hair stick or a fork. Have you decided on what metal you're going to be using? How will you be decorating it, with stones? I bet Evvy could help you there. You told us Lysha's blonde, right? Of course she is, all those Lairanen are. You'll probably want to use brass or gold, and then go with stones in the blue or green family. Or maybe..."
*~*
It had taken some doing but once she'd gotten Sandry to narrow her ideas down to one piece, the design had come fairly quickly. Daja had started with a flat fan-shaped piece of gold, first using a small jeweler's saw to cut away metal, revealing a delicate filigree-style design of swirls and curlicues. Kirel would laugh himself sick if he saw me making something so frilly and useless, she thought with a pang. Even after three years of having her own forge, Daja still missed the company of other smiths sharing her space.
Shaking her head, Daja squinted at the metal she was heating, waiting for the solder to melt. Once it turned to a shimmering liquid, she gently laid a small ring of flat wire edge-first against a blank spot amongst the whorls she'd carved out earlier. "This whole thing is going to melt if I'm not careful," she murmured. Fashioning a trickle of her magic into a protective net, Daja wrapped it around the gold in front of her, leaving gaps only around the places where she was soldering.
She repeated the process at each corner of her work, attaching a ring to each. Running a critical eye over the piece, she nodded, satisfied that the rings were aligned properly, and moved the piece over to an anvil to cool. "All right, next order of business. Wire for the prongs." Fortunately Daja had excess wire that she'd drawn for a previous project so all she had to do was cut three lengths from her stock.
A stray breeze shifted Daja's braids as she sat filing the lengths of wire into shape. "Hello Tris," she called without looking up. "Did I miss lunch again?"
Tris walked over to the anvil where the soon-to-be-hairpiece lay, eyebrows rising as she mentally calculated the cost. "Not really. No one else is home so I brought you those lamb rolls you like in case you didn't want to interrupt your work. This is going to cost some noble a pretty crescent," she added, nodding at the gold.
Daja felt her face get warm. "No, it's not - well, it's my Longnight present for Lysha. A hair ornament." She held the wires up to the piece to show Tris how they would be attached to create a kind of fork that could be tucked into an updo. "What do you think of the design? I'm going to set lapis lazuli stones in the bezels there," Daja said, indicating the rings.
"For me?" Tris snorted. "Even if I were to wear something that fancy - which I wouldn't, mind you - it would melt the first time I needed to use my lightning. Even the steel pins I use have to be specially treated to last more than a week." She picked up the piece to examine it more closely. "But for someone who actually cares about how her hair looks? I'm sure she'll like it. Once it's cleaned up, of course," she concluded as she turned to leave. "I'm off to meet with a visiting weather mage. Don't forget your lunch."
"Once it's cleaned up," Daja grumbled at the slamming door. "Does she think I'm going to give it to Lysha straight from the forge? Crazy merchant girl." She flicked her fingers at the buns Tris had left on her side table, setting a tiny web of fire above them to keep them warm as she returned to her work.
*~*
"Briar does know we're together, right?" Lysha asked as she walked hand-in-hand with Daja away from Cheeseman Street. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she continued, "He was being a little too friendly at dinner. I'd hate to have to teach him manners." She squeezed Daja's hand to reassure the Trader that she was only joking.
Daja laughed and ran her thumb over Lysha's. "Briar's like that with every female he encounters. He usually doesn't mean anything by it, but when he does he makes certain the woman's interested. He knows Sandry, Tris, and I would burn down his garden if he misbehaved, and that's to say nothing of what Rosethorn - his mentor - would do."
"Sounds like you've got him well-trained!" Lysha replied with a smile. "Thank you again for letting me join you guys for Longnight. It's my first year being away from my family on the holiday and I don't think I would have enjoyed spending it alone. Even if," she added with a frown, "Tris did almost hit us with lightning."
"She really should leave the candle-lighting to me," Daja agreed. "And anyway, it was no trouble to have you with us. It was my pleasure, really. The more, the merrier. Sharing is caring." Daja realized she was starting to babble and shut her mouth firmly. Lysha gave her a sidelong glance but said nothing, leaving the pair to continue on in comfortable silence until they reached the boarding house where Lysha lived.
Lysha leaned against the wall next to the door and pulled Daja towards her, sliding an arm around her waist. "I'll see you for lunch tomorrow, right?" she asked, looking up at the Trader. "At home, we always had a big lunch the day after Longnight, with venison steaks and sun cookies. I doubt I'll be able to find venison, but there's a baker from Lairan in Market Square who'll be selling sun cookies tomorrow - you have to try them!"
Daja hadn't actually made any plans for the following day, having always celebrated the evening before the longest night, first with the Traders and then with her foster-siblings. Maybe this could be the start of a new tradition for her. "Sure, why not? Oh, I almost forgot!" She pulled back far enough to dig in her pocket for the small muslin pouch. "My Longnight gift for you."
A flickering torch at the corner of the building highlighted the flush of Lysha's cheeks. "I didn't realize we were doing gifts tonight. I was going to give you yours tomorrow." She offered the pouch back to Daja, but Daja had crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to accept it.
"Keep it. Maybe you can use it tomorrow. Besides, I can't have it said that I take gifts back. I've got my reputation to uphold, and my caravan's. Really, you'd be doing me a favor by opening it now." She was babbling again, she realized. Grimacing mentally, she made a note to work on that. A Trader who tripped over her tongue would soon become a wirok, or worse.
While Daja was woolgathering, Lysha had opened the pouch and taken out the hair fork inside. "Oh Daja, it's gorgeous! Did you - no, of course you made it, what a silly question. Oh, it's perfect." She reached up and pulled Daja down for a quick kiss. "Thank you, Daj'. I love it. And I'll certainly wear it to lunch tomorrow. This has been a wonderful Longnight, thanks to you."
Daja could only blush and whisper, "I'm glad you enjoyed it," before leaning down for a good night kiss.