Hey everyone! This is my first Fanfic, and I
have no beta, so let me know if you see any mistakes that'll keep you
up at night. Oh yeah! That disclaimer thingy lets give it a shot!
DISCLAIMER:
I don't own Star Wars, Luke, any of the locations therein, etc. I DO
OWN Claria, the flashback, any locations/characters I'll make up later,
and obviously the plot. I ALSO OWN the goblet/chalice described later
on, seeing as it is a real existing object that I created, so hands
off, but maybe if you ask really nice…
ENJOY! And take pity on me and leave a contribution in the little box. makes big puppy dog eyes Puh-weese?
Begin>
Calria Minowne sat at her potters wheel and sighed as her newly fashioned bowl collapsed. "Why has this been happening lately? Why cant I seem to create anything ?" For some reason she felt like crying
' Come on now Ria, you never used to cry when you pots collapsed, come off it!' but she couldn't seem to let it go, she slowly bent her head down to rest on her hands, tears streaming down her face, her body convulsing in silent sobs.
As she finally got a hold of her runaway emotions she realized she had gotten clay all over her face and clothes. " Sithspit! I better go change before anyone comes into the shop"
She closed up her studio, and left in search of the 'fresher' in her apartment off the back of the studio, connected by a plain door. She later emerged dripping and sparkly clean. As she pulled one of her shapeless shifts over her head, she leaned into her mirror on top of her dresser " you disgust me, you ugly Sithspawn, I hate you, go die you worthless, fat, untalented imposter" she had no idea why she always talked to herself in the mirror like that, but as she felt another breakdown coming on, she heard someone in her studio, yes, the unmistakable chink of her works on her shelf being disturbed. Her dark mood dispelled, anger was a comforting fizz under her skin.
"HEY!"
Luke's P.O.V>
Luke Skywalker had had just about enough of Chalrey Eddonus. The simpleton had lost his order! Calm, anger leads to nothing but evil.
He sighed, he'd tried almost all of the large printing services, all were booked solid, apparently it was the height of Corusant's social season and the companies were overloaded with orders for invitations, place cards, and all the things needed for tedious and frivolous parties, a chance to parade sickeningly abundant wealth.
He remembered the words of a salesman he had befriended on a mission. . . .
FLASHBACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"You see? I figure that these people who come to my shop demanding the finest jewels have got just too much money, and its my job to separate them from as much of it as I can, so it can benefit me and mine. Matching pieces, maintenance packages, warranties, and the like."
As a prominent looking man came in and started haughtily l examining the cases his friend Gliboe had slipped him a slow wink, and scurried off to help the gentleman.
END FLASHBACK
He decided that he would try the first small shop he saw, after all, what harm could come now, he needed these books finished, who cares where he got it done?
As he surveyed the streets, a small and slightly shabby storefront caught his eye Fine vintage style printing; Calria Minowne, proprietor.
'Worth a shot' he sighed to himself.
As he entered the dimly lit shop he noticed immediately the giant antique printing press near a corresponding work area, on the other side of the long narrow room he saw a larger area with all the latest printing technology and a desk with neat piles of incoming and completed orders.
He also didn't miss the paintings and sculptures placed around the room, they didn't match, but seemed to fit. And they worked well with both drastically different work stations.
"Hello?" He tried calling out again, but there was no answer. At the end of the room there was a door, which, he assumed, led to the woman's office.
'I don't suppose it would be out of place if I checked there too, she could be doing paperwork or something.' He gently eased the door open, revealing another room, shorter than the initial one, but just as wide.
Since there was no glass storefront, there were dozens of paper lanterns with glow balls suspended inside of differing sizes and colors and ending on different plains. They covered every space in the ceiling except the tiny skylight.
As he gazed like a little boy, wonder written all over his face, he regained his senses and looked around him for the first time. What he saw was a bright and well stocked artist's studio with works lining every available surface and shelf not occupied by supplies.
Then his eye fell on a potters wheel, not yet cleaned off, but holding a lovely bowl that had somehow collapsed. And then another door caught his eye at the back of the studio. It was open and the faint sounds of a 'fresher could be heard. His cheeks flaming he turned to exit discreetly and return in a few minutes or find a new place when a glint of pure green caught his eye.
He became dazed and walked towards a shelf that held ceramic creations. Positioned proudly front and center was an amazing pure green chalice.
With a chink he gently lifted it down. Although delicately fashioned, its weight certainly matched its size. The cup part was the size of his fist and sloping body was near 5 inches at its largest, where it met the base, which was the size of his palm.
From the base it had these vines no thicker than a writing cylinder. They twisted up the body, overlapping each other and twisting on themselves and blended gently into the cup which, inside, was colored the deepest royal blue he had ever seen. If you held it up, it looked like a tree cupping the sky.
"HEY!"
Luke was startled out of his reverie so suddenly, he nearly dropped the amazing piece he held lovingly.
He had been so enraptured he had forgotten about the person he had heard in the shower. The person turned out to be a woman around 20 years old with snapping hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair plastered nearly to her waist with water. She was very tall, almost as tall as him, if he had to guess, he would've put her at 5'11 or six foot. She stood in the doorway, arms akimbo, hands on her hips.
'Her voluptuous hips'
Whoa, where did that come from? She was very beautiful, but not what he usually went for. He preferred svelte and athletic women. But her soft form almost invited him to sink into it, to walk those peaks and valleys with his fingers.
'What's wrong with me? She's not my type, she has to much extra'
But still he was drawn to her, even if she was not lacking in 'presence' though mostly in height and attitude. Although the shapeless brown cotton dress she wore to obviously disguise her enticing curves wasn't exactly suited to her.
But he still wanted her.
"Didn't you hear me? I asked what are you doing in my private studio touching my work?"
Jolted, he said "Well, I came here with an order, all the other printing companies are booked solid. When I came in there was no one here, and I thought your studio was an office. Once I realized I was trespassing, I hurried to leave, but this amazing chalice caught my eye. I . . . what you wrought, it is the most amazing piece I've ever seen. I am willing to offer a considerable amount for it."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
Raising an eyebrow to suggest that he was sure to have heard her "I said 'no'."
Now he was getting slightly agitated, most artists didn't turn down money. "No, really, name your price"
"
This piece is not for sale, that means N-O, so bugger off about my
goblet. If I can help you with your printing needs, I am more than
happy to assist you."
He couldn't help but admire the fiery glint that came to her eyes, making them more green, it quickly changed back to the snappy hazel when her little automated, lifeless, salesman script kicked in.
'I wonder if her eyes change color only when she's mad, or when other emotions take over.'
Clearing his throat " Well I do have a rather hefty printing order to place, if you can handle it."
'Smooth move Skywalker, insult her business.'
Her eyes flashed " We pride ourselves on the quality of our work Mr. … uhh"
"Skywalker, Luke Skywalker"
"Oh, well, a-hem, we pride ourselves, I'm sure the job will be beyond satisfactory"
Calria's P.O.V>
' SKYWALKER! LUKE SKYWALKER! Oh shit, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!'
'I cannot believe that LUKE SKYWALKER is seeing me looking like this, well, I'm not much better when I try, but still! Breath Ria, just breathe. Get through this, take care of his order and it'll be fine'
"Okay then, I need fifty copies of this training book, printed and bound, and I'll need them sometime mid to late next week."
'WHOA, well, I guess it can be any worse than the order for two hundred invitations in three days, on the antique press.'
"That'll be fine, don't worry, they'll be done on time."
"Great, send me a 'link when they're done, and I'll be by to pick 'em up."
And with that he took his leave, something that made her heart skip flickered behind his eyes. He turned swiftly, cloak swirling and one last longing look to her piece and left, bell jingling after him atop her door. She mentally shook herself out of her reverie.
"Time to work."
And humming she set the machine to the rhythmic soothing work.
Luke's P.O.V>
He had messengers to run errands for him, but as he exited the shop, he thought of changeling snappy eyes, and a slow grin spread across his face that didn't stray the whole trek. He couldn't wait to pick that order up.
END>
Well? Let me know. AH! I'm so excited my first chappie! Schools' starting soon, so Its gonna be hard to update, I'm gonna have sooo much work, around three hours a night, judging by last year. But if you plead and inspire me, it might be a tad faster ! ;-)p
HUGS Y'ALL!
(also, I had to dump this into notepad, so my format got messed up. Sorry for the inconvinece, I'll get my Dad to look at it and see if there is a better way to do it, sorry again!)