[PRP] Bloody Hard Work [Rawhide/Saltbloom]

[Ruriska]

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Rawhide lived up to his name and he often wondered if he would have found himself developing such a hobby without the dream he had been born with. Surely it wouldn’t have occurred to him to start preserving hides nor would he have taken the time to learn the methods involved.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant work. For one, there was a lot of blood. The animals and his own. When you had to skin something the size of a foxbun and then strip all the fat off with a sharp rock, your gums weren’t exactly in the best state afterwards.

It was also stinky and time consuming.

But he had a very comfortable bed and a lot to offer when it came to making trades. In winter especially, everyone wanted to have a fluffy animal skin over their shoulder. Which was why Rawhide was hard at work, diligently scraping fat and blood away, the muck blending into his own markings.

He had chosen a very flat rock in the shade to do his work and the nearby meaty remains of the foxbun had been partially eaten.

[Jun]

[imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgright]If Saltbloom had to be perfectly honest, she hadn't exactly been enamoured with what the buck was doing, when she'd first caught - well, smell - of it.

It really was stinky.

But it made sense, she decided, now that she'd gotten a closer look. Winter was coming, and it had always seemed a shame to let all that fur go to waste.

She wondered if he took trades.

"Excuse me," she said, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help wondering: do you take trades?"

@Ruriska (ten million years later... QAQ)

[Ruriska]

At the interruption, Rawhide paused his work and gently placed the rock he had been using down where it wouldn’t get lost.

“Yes,” he answered easily, as if he regularly entertained business opportunities from strangers while covered in gore. “I can offer premade hides or take custom orders. What did you have to trade?”

-

@Jun worth the wait <3

[Jun]

Saltbloom, much like Rawhide, was a kin who lived up to her name, and she probably wouldn't have found herself developing her own hobby without the dream she had been born with.

"Salt," she said, "I make salt to trade with Rise & Shine, but you might be able to make use of it?"

She might have glanced at the half-eaten foxbun.

@Ruriska QAQ<3<3

[Ruriska]

Yes, he could use salt. A lot. There were multiple ways to prepare a hide and salt was one of them, though it was a method he rarely got to play with due to the difficulty in procuring it in large batches.

Rawhide tried not to look too excited but he was a craftskin, not a businesskin, and some of his eagerness bled through, “I’m sure we can work something out.”

He carefully stepped away from his work. “Would you like to see what I have currently available? My den is close to here.”

@Jun

[Jun]

Saltbloom had never really thought that hard about how valuable the salt she made could be. She was an eminently practical doe - the salt of the earth, one might say - and she made it because the Motherfather had shown her so in her dream. She made more, and more efficiently, than many, but - she would be the first to admit - she did have an unfair advantage in the form of a step-by-step instructional from the Motherfather. She was grateful for what she could do, and what she could get from it, but thought little about it past that.

But the bloody buck was evidently keen on her offer, and that might have made her puff up. Just a little bit.

It was nice.

"I'd appreciate that very much," she said (boringly).

@Ruriska (im so sorry, it's been so busy waahh QAQ)

[Ruriska]

“Then if you would allow me to lead the way,” he offered (equally as boring).

Rawhide took a few more steps away from his work, knowing that leaving it behind left it free to be snatched up and ruined by a whole manner of beasts and creepy crawlies but willing to make that sacrifice for the chance at a regular supply of salt.

He was lucky that winter was approaching. It gave him a leg up in negotiating.

“Ah,” he realized out loud, having only taken a few steps towards his den. “Do you mind if I wash first?” If he was going to show off his wares, he didn’t want to get them covered in gore.

-

@Jun all good junbb <333 i too have been very busy xD

[Jun]

Saltbloom was immediately concerned that the buck's foxbun hide would be snatched up and ruined by a whole manner of beasts and creepy crawlies once he stepped away, but decided that she didn't know him well enough to express it.

She would just have to make up her mind as quickly as possible.

But not so quickly that he didn't get to wash up.

Because, again, stinky.

"Oh, of course not," she said, "please do."

@Ruriska (poor busy Ruripuri *sobbing* how did it get to a whole week...)

[Ruriska]

“There’s a pool not far from here,” he told her, and then hesitated, unsure. “You can wait here, if you prefer.”

Leaving her with the bloody remains of his work wasn’t ideal but he also wasn’t sure she would enjoy following along just to watch him wash.

So he left her with the choice and set off for the nearby pool of almost fresh water that benefited from his many frequent visits. He had begun to suspect the fish were starting to know him as they always sped to the surface at his arrival.

It was sort of nice to be welcomed.

@Jun (time seems to be doing that these days... )

[Jun]

"I'll wait," she said.

Not because she had any thoughts at all about whether or not she wanted or not to watch this buck wash off, but because she was preoccupied with the possible fates of his foxbun hide.

She moved to subtly stand a little closer to it, in case some scavenger made a play.

It just seemed like it would be such a waste.

@Ruriska QAQ<3

[Ruriska]

Her choice was the preferable one. His work was less likely to be whisked away by an opportunist with her standing nearby and he could wash quickly without concerning himself with idle chitchat.

Rawhide returned moments later; wet, dripping and still covered in splotches of red. The MotherFather had very generously provided him with not only a dream but also markings that suited the profession. At least he hadn't been dubbed Dirthide, he often said to himself.

"Thank you for waiting," he said. "It's this way."

Then with one last quick glance at the halfworked hide, he turned away and took a wellworn trail beneath the trees.

( @Jun the excitement never ends with these two!)

[Jun]

At first she'd thought he might have missed a few - more than a few - spots, but then she realised that was how he'd been made.

Of course.

Others had probably thought much the same of her coat when she'd washed the mud and silt off at the end of a workday.

His was rather nicer, she thought.

She nodded and followed at his instruction (also taking one last quick glance at the hide).

@Ruriska QAQ<3

[Ruriska]

He walked at a steady pace, following that trail through the trees until they arrived at his humble abode.

"We're here," he said, inviting her to take a look at the large hollowed out tree trunk. He had obviously gone to great lengths to make sure the insides were kept dry even during the fiercest storms with large amounts of branches with dried reeds woven through placed as extra protection.

Rawhide gripped the edge of one of his self-made walls and eased it back so he could step beyond into dark hollow and find what he needed. He carefully selected his favourite white mongoose, a very soft bunny and a nice otter skin. He laid them out before her one at a time and then stepped back.

"I have simpler, hardier, more day to day pelts but these are some of my best works." Though there was one even better pelt still inside that he had yet to reveal. "That bunny is one of the softest I've made and is such a nice shade of pink. It's lovely to sleep with. The otter skin is very warm and makes a wonderful scarf for the winter months. And the mongoose, as you can see it is pure white and was very difficult to work with without staining the pelt but it was worth it for how lovely it turned out. A good statement piece."

He was proud of his creations but couldn't help but be nervous as he waited for her judgement.

@Jun

[Jun]

Oh! The bunny fur looked so soft and cute! The mongoose pelt looked just as pretty as snow! The waterproof otter would be so helpful when she worked! Saltbloom was instantly longing. And impressed. Clearly, the buck was highly skilled, something she hadn't yet been able to ascertain with the foxbun skin in its half-finished state, but these beautiful and useful products spoke for themeselves.

This all ran in an awed and excited jumble through her mind, but what she said, because she was terrible at expressing her emotions, was:

“They're very nice. What might I be able to get for a turtleshell’s worth of salt?”

Hopefully her emotions had shown on her face.

But her offer, at least, was a measure of her esteem. A full turtleshell would take considerable work to gather: she would have to stay at the sea for this. And trade for banked embers from Rise & Shine. With something that wasn't salt. And explain why she wasn't going to be trading them salt for a while despite trading for banked embers. Anyway.

It would be worth it, if the buck was amenable.

@Ruriska (I had to do a weird amount of Googling to estimate how much salt she could make and uh let's say either it's a small turtle or I took creative liberties...)

[Ruriska]

Rawhide didn’t get to show off his work very often. It was nice when he got the chance to trade and receive compliments but most of his days were spent at work, far away from other kin. So he relished even the very simple ‘they’re very nice’, his head dipping almost bashfully. It seemed, from the look in her eyes, that she appreciated his creations and that was more than enough.

As for the offer... well, a turtleshell’s worth of salt was nothing to sneeze at.

“I would be happy to trade you all three of these pelts for such an offer,” he said, and then glanced back behind him at his den. “Or...” He trailed off and returned to his stash, disappearing within and returning with another pelt, this larger one was draped across his back.

The skin of a black wolf, shaggy and warm.

“Or I also have this.”

He approached so she could admire the craftsmanship.

“Or, as I mentioned I am happy to take a custom order instead, though it’s not a slow process, I assure you the wait would be worth it.”

((@Jun lmao. Maybe she's just reaaally good at making salt. Also I spent far too long looking up how pelts are made. ))