Bellavarn tossed another batch in the bucket, having messed up the shape; it would need to be redone from scratch. His initial experiments proved that Bellavarn had gotten ahead of himself. The design needed reworking to fit the new medium, and Bellavarn's skill were nowhere near where he thought it was. Half the time, he made the frame too heavy and thick, causing it to crack when being fired. Then he forgot to remove the air pockets from the clay, so they exploded in the kiln.
The next batch turned out too thin and brittle to work with.
"Taking a break?"
Kerv called over from his game of cards with Henry. The two of them accompanied him to the workshop each day.
It was chillier than the house, so Bellavarn finally got a chance to use real magic in a practical setting. It was the first spell he ever learned: Heat.
Not Fire. Not Light. Heat.
Mother and Father both spent the time to help him learn the spell back when he was six years old. The young Bellavarn was so enamored with magic that his parents relented and taught him a simple spell. His interest waned after writing the spell shape and corresponding symbols hundreds of times on a chalkboard. When he finally cast his first spell, it only made his tea lukewarm. That was the extent of his mana pool at the time. Bellavarn had quickly given up the passion just as any impatient child would.
Now, though, he recalled the usefulness of the spell and added several of them interspersed throughout the workshop. He even learned the improved version by adding a longevity component. It would store the mana inserted into it and expel it over a more extended period of time rather than all at once.
Bellavarn didn't have enough magic to power all the spell shapes in the workshop, but the frequent drain on his mana pool was good practice until his invention was usable. It wasn't a good idea to power so many heat runes all at once anyway; it would dry out all the clay.
Kerv and Henry kept their card corner considerably comfy since they had quite more mana as trained knights. Only one of them was needed to power the enchantment for the entire day.
Bellavarn answered Kerv's rhetorical question as he sat back down at the wheel.
"Spinning the clay is more fun than carving."
"You should try it, Kerv."
"I'll do it if you do, Henry."
Bellavarn smirked. The duo was bored out of their minds after several days watching him fail. Bellavarn created over a hundred prototypes, but they all proved to be ineffective after the firing. Now, he was trying three different designs to get at least one he could work with and finally start drawing runes. The others were trying to tell him to slow down, that these kinds of inventions took time to get right, but Bellavarn was too excited to slow down. The potential was too astounding, and if he stopped before he finished, he would struggle to start back up again.
"There are two extra wheels. Roll up your sleeves and grab a spot."
"Master Bellavarn, I don't think my hands were made for something like this."
"I feel the same, Bell. We're rougher around the edges than you are."
Henry hit Kerv.
"Ow. What?"
Bellavarn didn't seem to be bothered by the statement. He viewed it as different people being better at some things than others.
"Don't worry about that and come over here. Don't force me to make it an order."
Henry smirked. Kerv stretched and got up, speaking in the same teasing tone.
"Yes, sir."
The two threw down their cards and took seats at the extra wheels. Kerv sat on Bellavarn's right while Henry sat on the left.
"You two would be surprised at how natural this comes to you. Those with good hand-eye coordination are often naturals in the art department. Not all of them, of course, but let's see if I can get you two to create something worthwhile."
"Bell, I've never worked with clay in my life. You expect me to be as astute as you?"
Bellavarn rolled a shoulder, working out a kink. Looking down at his inactive wheel and supplies, he explained.
"I don't expect you to get it naturally, only to be a good student. There are things I can't do that only you two can. Have either of you seen me use a sword before?"
They heard stories about the Bellavarn's sword instructor breaking down and crying. Braster realized a piece of the Sallow curse had been passed down and left Bellavarn unable to wield a sword.
"I can't wield a sword or use mana to strengthen my body. And I can't do whatever top-secret things Henry does."
Henry exchanged a look with Kerv.
"Unless Henry is out attending confidential dance lessons days at a time, there is no way someone who moves so gracefully is a normal guard."
It was unfortunate that Henry's most recent mission lasted a few weeks.
"I can't protect my family the way you two can. So, I'll lean on you when I need to."
Kerv blanched. How could Bellavarn make something so sweet sound scary at the same time?
"For now… I could make something for both of you, but I imagine you will be more appreciative if you make it using your own hands."
The line would have worked with anyone else, but Henry and Kerv were guards of the Sallow House, in service to Bellavarn. If he gave them a gift, they would treasure it even more than if they made it themselves. Neither of them mentioned this fact, though.
Kerv rolled up his sleeves.
"Alright, I can do this. What do I do first?"
"Unless you want your clothes soiled, grab an apron."
Kerv clicked his tongue as Henry exhaled a laugh. Why not tell them that before they sat down?
Kerv threw on an apron while Henry decided against wearing one, saying it wasn't an issue to clean his clothes.
"There's already clay set aside for you, so first things first. Gather about half a pound of clay and throw it onto the wheel."
Bellavarn took a little less than a pound of prepared clay and slammed it down on the wheel. It made a meaty smack. Kerv laughed. If that was how it was, he could do this just fine. They both followed suit.
"You need to make sure it's centered on the wheel. Kerv, yours is too far off point; take it off and try again."
"Aw."
He did so, easily getting it close to the center the next time.
Bellavarn used the foot pedal to start the wheel.
"Next, gradually start pedaling. We need to keep a smooth pace. Not too fast. Not too slow. My speed is around the sweet spot."
The two didn't have any problems. Pacing was a key element in training as a knight.
"Alright, dip your hand in your bucket and spread some water; it needs to be wet enough to mold. If at any point you begin to feel resistance, add a bit more water."
Turner didn't have any sponges in his supplies, so Bellavarn simply cupped water in his palm instead.
"Rest your elbows on the inside of your thighs. You are using your right foot to pedal, so it shouldn't affect the process. Don't look at me like that; you will understand soon. Place both hands to either side of the clay like you're trying to scoop a handful of water. You want to be using the curve of your palm to push the clay inward and upward."
Bellavarn demonstrated. The clay moved.
"When you feel no resistance in the spinning, it is centered. This is the most important part. It needs to be perfect. If it keeps bumping against your hand, you need to stop and recenter. You will encounter all sorts of problems later if it isn't."
Henry was too gentle in handling the clay and needed encouragement to push harder. Kerv was the opposite; he pushed too hard and ended up either severely deforming the clay or pushing it off entirely. After three separate tries, he finally got the hang of it and nodded his head in a cocky fashion.
"Yeeeeaah~ This is easy."
"The first form that creates the basis for all others is a tray. Make a guide with your left hand in the shape of an L, like this. Slide your right middle finger along that groove. Find the center, push down as the wheel spins, and pull in towards yourself."
Kerv watched the piece of clay transform like magic. It somehow became a wide, thick-rimmed tray.
"Make sure to keep your hands steady and fluid. Do it all in one go, and don't stop. You can always try again if you mess up."
Henry was enjoying this side of master Bellavarn. He hadn't seen him for a while, but the budding artist had a knack for teaching.
They both nailed the tray form on the first try. Kerv was smug that it came so easily. It wasn't solely Bellavarn's teaching; it was because the two had talent for this sort of dexterity work.
"Great. You have a tray. Now, do either of you own pets?"
They looked at him sideways.
"That is basically what this form is. It's called a 'dog dish' and is the basis for every form after it. I think you both would like something different, so we'll make it more usable. Make sure to wet your clay again and watch my hands."
Bellavarn made sure the wheel was spinning properly and placed his hands; he pushed the edge of the tray back in towards the center while stretching it upwards using a palm and two fingers. It became taller and taller—about 10 inches in height.
"There. See? Oh… It's a little short to be a flaggon and too tall to use a mug. I should have used more clay.."
Kerv stared blankly at him. Bellavarn made it look so easy. Even Henry was looking at him oddly.
Bellavarn chuckled. He could explain it in more detail, but it would be similar to mansplaining. Clay was something you had to feel. Words always fell short. The more they practiced, the more they could fully appreciate the work that went into that 'simple' movement. It took Bellavarn six months of education to 'master' that form, and he had to relearn a lot in the past few days.
"Alright. It can't be much harder than the tray, right?"
=
Kerv messed up eighteen times. He had to restart from scratch and do the tray again and again. Luckily, there was enough clay on hand to keep going. Henry had similar trouble. He found himself slowing down the wheel when he became too focused.
Kerv looked down at his 19th tray and wondered if he should just keep this one instead of ruining it.
"Don't look so down. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. It takes a moment of practice. Try feeling the clay move between the points of your fingers as you build it up. The bottom will be thickest. You need to evenly distribute the clay as you mold it taller. Maintain a thicker rim; don't thin it into a blade unless you want to cut yourself when drinking from it."
Bellavarn didn't know if that would be the case. He never got the chance to drink from one of the mugs he made in high school.
"Your last two attempts failed because the clay wasn't centered. This one looks better! Take it slow and try not to think about anything else."
Kerv glowered at Bellavarn's wheel and the four mugs drying on the board next to him. Bellavarn restarted every time Kerv failed, building his clay in sync with Kerv. It was reassuring that Bellavarn didn't get it right every time either. Or maybe he was protecting Kerv's pride by messing up on purpose.
The thought was ludicrous. Bellavarn wasn't the type to destroy his art to make anyone feel better. Kerv banished the jealous thoughts.
"Henry, make sure to keep your foot pedaling at a constant pace; lumps will begin to form. Kerv, you know what to do; you just need to feel it. One more time. We can call it quits for today after this one."
They both took a deep breath.
The three of them started at the same time. Henry slowed for a slight moment behind the others while Kerv was a slight moment ahead. They brought the edges out.
A tray.
Readjusting, they brought the rim back inward. Pinching. They stretched the clay upward and steadily.
Removing their hands.
Done.
Kerv beamed. He did it!
Henry too.
On the wheel were three nearly identical cups. Kerv's was slightly wider while Henry's was somewhat shorter. Bellavarn outdid himself and created a perfect cylindrical mug.
"Awesome! I told you guys you had talent."
"You're too kind, master Bellavarn."
"Haha! No, bring on the praise! How awesome am I?"
Kerv had his chest puffed out. Henry rolled his eyes. Bellavarn shook his head.
"I wasn't lying when I said you two would catch on quick. Let's get these off and set them to dry. Take a piece of string and let's remove them carefully."
It was done. They all had semi-matching cups that could be fired later. They could add handles to make proper cups, but they weren't needed. Bellavarn would ask how they wanted to decorate them later.
"There are many other things you can make if you decide you want to continue. Although…"
Bellavarn peeked through a set of drying shelves.
"Would it be better if one of you were on guard?"
Kerv waved his hand in dismissal, washing his hands off in a warmed bucket of water.
"We only need to be alert if we are patrolling outside. Henry set up some silent alarms to notify us if someone is coming. Besides, we are more than enough to handle any inconveniences, even covered in mud like we are."
"Speak for yourself."
Henry smirked as he sat back down at their cards table. Not a speck of stray clay was on him. Looking at Kerv, his entire apron was splattered.
"Cheater."
"I did nothing of the sort. I am more careful than you."
"Trickster."
"Brute."
"Children, please."
They both winced at being called that by Bellavarn, the youngest of the trio by a handful of years. Bellavarn placed a hand on the Heating circle and reactivated it. The finished pieces nearby would dry faster now.
"I will fire the mugs in the next load; they should be ready in two days. You can both decide if you want to paint them by then. In the meantime, here."
Bellavarn walked over with a dusty book. It contained illustrations of famous pottery.
"Look through that for inspiration. I'll make whatever you prefer."
Bellavarn picked up on the fact that they both would rather have Bellavarn make something for them. He'd do it too. It was Bellavarn's selfish desire to teach them and create matching cups.
Henry turned the pages and saw vases, bowls, pots, urns, containers, pitchers, plates, bottles, trays, and more. There was indeed a lot that could be made.
Kerv leaned over Henry's shoulder as he dried his hands with a towel.
"I am starting to wonder which one of us is most mature."
Henry covertly nodded. They both peaked at Bellavarn's back as he attended the kilns. Both of them saw a shadow of the back they would follow in the future.