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The Crystalline Mean had been a place that had caught Hazel’s attention rather quickly within the Crystarium. The city itself was beautiful, but there was something to be said for the atmosphere at the Mean. Even if they were short of hands for everything they would like and need to get done, every individual present had an extremely strong dedication to not only their craft but to the people of the Crystarium. Passion as to a burning flame roared within the people of the Crystarium, but those who strived to keep the city running and the people in good spirits and health were the beating heart of it all.
These factors in addition to Hazel’s own interest in aspects of craftsmanship had led to a conversation with Katliss about how short-handed the Mean was and her request for help should he have the time. Each of the different Facets all sounded interesting, but what caught his eye the most was the Allagan node hovering by what Katliss called the Facet of Crafting. While the woman didn’t seem phased by the buzzing node, it certainly stood out as odd.
Whirring and beeping sounds only increased the curiosity and concern that Hazel felt as he approached. Some nodes had been known to…give quite a shock, both intentionally on their part and due to malfunction so it wouldn’t do to have a broken node hovering around in the Mean in case of injury. Before he could fully close the distance and try to see if he could touch the node, a mechanical voice sounded from it and also seemed to be slightly affected by whatever error the node was experiencing.
“Firm blow required. <buzz> Hit me. Hit me.”
“...Huh?” Hazel blinked as he stared at the node as it beeped and whirled in place. “You want me to–?”
“Seek Thiuna. Must seek Thiuna. <buzz>” The node spun in the air one more time before it took off away from the Mean and back towards the rest of the city.
“Wha– hey!” Hazel exclaimed, startled by the sudden movement of the node right past him before he was able to follow. Biting back a sigh, he trailed after in the direction the node had gone. He silently thanked his hearing as the noises the glitching node was making made it easy to follow and track it down. It had covered a fair amount of distance in a very short time, almost all the way back to the aetheryte.
Rounding the corner, Hazel caught sight of the node once more as it whirred and glitched, shifting in the air in front of another individual who was presumably the aforementioned Thiuna – or a potential innocent bystander about to get zapped by a malfunctioning node. As the node moved slightly, he caught sight of the individual in question and his ears perked up slightly as he caught sight of the lop-eared individual that the node was harassing.
One of the first people he had met here had been Viis and he had caught sight of several others across the Crystarium as he had been exploring. Small though their numbers were among the other races of the city, it was still more than Hazel had seen in one place since leaving the Golmore Jungle.
Rather perplexedly, instead of being concerned by the node, the woman turned her gaze to him as he approached. “Y-yes! Greetings! Do you require something restored?” The plain confused look on his face must have been obvious as the woman shook her head and shrugged. “...Apparently not,” the viis sighed heavily, before glancing to the node. “At any rate, could you give me a moment? Noddy here is clamouring for my attention.”
“Help me, Thiuna. Firm blow required. Hit me. Hit me.”
So this was Thiuna after all. The node’s name was ‘Noddy’? And was she really going to…? “Are you sure that’s wise?” Hazel asked, concern written across his expression.
A sweet smile graced Thiuna’s face as she regarded him and waved off the concern. “I appreciate the concern, but rest assured I have the situation well in hand. This happens all the time.”
It may have requested it be struck with a firm blow, but there was a surprising amount of power behind the swing as Thiuna whacked the node. Blinking, Hazel watched as the node went through its restart protocol and it seemed that hitting the thing really had worked.
“<blip> <bloop> Node restart complete. Logging in as Thiuna. <buzzzzzz> More, Thiuna. Hit me more.”
Between the strange events and now this, Hazel couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him at the node’s words. At the glance from Thiuna, he cleared his throat but kept the amused look on his face as he heard her say something to the effect of “I still have no idea where you learned to speak like that…”
Purple eyes turned in his direction once more as Thiuna regarded him for a moment. “...Hmmm, I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. I take it you’re new to the Crystarium?” At his nod, she smiled brighter as something came to her. “Ah, I remember now! You’re one of the master artisans who hails from the same land as the Exarch! Er…what was your name again?”
Master artisan? Truly it seemed like his skills had been overplayed after his initial visit to the Mean when he had first arrived in the city and was looking around with his twin. “Hazel. The other uh… ‘master artisan’ you’re thinking of is Lily, my sister.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet a fellow crafter from a faraway place.” Floppy pink ears bobbed slightly as Thiuna gestured to herself. “I’m Thiuna, a restorer of the Facet of Crafting and the proprietor of Cherished Memories. While there are restorers aside from me, my workshop specialises in artworks and traditional handicrafts. Items with sentimental rather than practical value, in other words.” There was a pause as she seemed to mull over her words before speaking once more. “Now, I realise we’ve scarcely met… But I’d like to propose a little business arrangement.”
Hazel arched an eyebrow, interest caught by the bold move. “I’m intrigued. What did you have in mind?”
“Since you’re interested, how about you join me back at the Mean? I can explain along the way,” Thiuna replied, gesturing back the way that Hazel had just arrived from.
As they walked, the pink-haired viis went on to explain her work with Cherished Memories in a little more detail and Hazel found himself listening intently. While he could understand the viewpoint of those who would criticise her, he also placed a lot of value on the memories and feelings attached to material things, even those with no practical value. The main point of her asking for his assistance, however, was as a learning opportunity. It was a relief that she did not expect a typical teaching dynamic, but rather she would learn from example as she would incorporate his work into the restorations.
Upon their arrival back at the Mean, Thiuna gestured to the Facet of Crafting station as she explained how she worked from there as she lacked both the coin and the reputation required to a place of her own. She circled the desk and stood on the opposite side of it as Hazel took a seat on the edge while they conversed.
With the details now shared, Thiuna regarded Hazel hopefully as she asked, “So, what say you? Can I rely on your help?”
In theory, the idea was doable, particularly since proper compensation had been mentioned during the discussion. Ordinarily it might take a little more persuasion for him to expend effort where he didn’t need to – his sister would have likened it to pulling teeth, he was sure. But for this…
“When I was alone for a time…one of the few things I had to remind me of home or of family was my father’s dagger. He gifted it to me before we parted ways, and my sister also got a token from him as well – the ribbon she wears in her hair, lest you wonder, should you happen to see her.” Reaching to the small sheath on his belt, Hazel pulled the dagger free and held it flat across his palms, looking down at it as he continued to speak.
“He said the blade had been passed down and I can only assume how old it may be, given the lifespan of our race,” he continued, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips as he looked down at the blade in his hand. Flipping it over, he held it out for Thiuna to inspect the detailing on the hilt and the condition of the blade. “Maintaining it and keeping it free of rust and wear and tear is something I do religiously. This may be a more practical item, but I try to not use it unless I have to.”
Reaching to put the dagger back in its sheath, he glanced up at Thiuna and his breath almost caught in his throat. The expression she wore was one of empathy, and of appreciation as Hazel explained his understanding and similar sentiments to her own. There was a flicker of something else in her eyes but it was gone before he could have any sense of what it was, although he could swear that her smile faded for just a moment. Nevertheless, he continued.
“There are a lot of memories that people wish to hold onto, and there is nothing wrong with being sentimental. Without things like this, many would struggle to push forward. I’d be willing to bet that even those who claim to disagree with you have belongings of import that they would not wish to simply replace, even if they don’t realise it currently.” Looking a little sheepish at how long he had been talking, Hazel raised a hand to rub at the back of his head and let out a soft laugh. “Look at me rambling on. All that is to say… I see what you’re doing here and I think it’s important.”
“I’m glad you think so.” The beaming smile from Thiuna was worth the slight awkwardness he felt after his blabbering. “Thank you so much, Hazel. May our collaboration bear much fruit!” she exclaimed. “And also…thank you for understanding.”
Hazel adamantly refused to acknowledge how his heart skipped a beat at being the target for that genuine, blinding smile. And thankfully, his sister wasn’t present to call him out on how readily he agreed to go along with what Thiuna suggested.