The Perfect 'Cameo' Appearance

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Beowoof"]

For a short time at least, Kay found herself on the planet Commenor. It was the planet that she represented in the Galactic Senate for the Republic. Heavy in trade, this planet was home to various inhabitants with wonderful skills in a variety of trade.

But one trade in particular had her interest today and that was jewelry making. Or to be more specific...cameos. It wasn't entirely good to have so little to honour her husband with. And how better to have him next to her heart than a necklace?

Kay had asked around amongst the small amount of staff that she had kept upon her new appointment, and was told of where to find such a jeweler. So it wasn't long after hearing the information that Kay found herself at the shop and stepping inside the open door.

 

[Beowoof]

Loulou was busy at her little molding mill in the backroom when the hushed buzz of her door alarm sounded. It was her first month out of apprenticeship so every new customer was exciting. Of course, there were a lot of disappointments when shoppers assumed that just because she was a new shop owner meant that she was cheap. Perhaps she was comparatively inexpensive to the more 'veteran' jewelers out there, but there was no way she was some ten-credit gemstone skank. She respected this job and she was smarter and more careful than deserved such expectations.

But every new customer held at least a hope of promise, and Loulou did not hesitate to head out to the front and greet her visitor. "Hello," she said, hands clasped in front of her in a [hopefully] charmingly shy manner. Though she was a rather quiet individual, Snuffboxer was by no means an overly timid one. But it definitely was a nervous endeavor to try to hold the attention of a customer long enough to see results at this point in her career. She was experimenting with body language to see what would work best. 'Cute' was what she was aiming for this time.

"What brings you in today?" she asked the woman--brunette and not much older than herself, though perhaps of a more illustrious occupation. Not that jewelers were low on the chart. Loulou canted her head and smiled. Maybe a little too much 'cute'?

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Loulou Genet Snuffboxer"]

((Love the name! ))

Kay smiled as she was greeted and bowed her head a little. She was a bit surprised to see one young, but perhaps she was extremely talented, a little known secret. That wouldn't be all that surprising.

"I am looking for something in the way of cameos. Do you have any that you might have made or something similar?" Cameos weren't all that common, but she wanted something special, something beautiful that will not make her feel sad when she looked at it.

 

[Beowoof]

She maintained her 'cute' and welcoming demeanor since it seemed to thus far be working, though internally she suddenly felt timid and uncertain. She had carved cameos before, but that did not mean it was an easy task by any standard. And it was not something the mill could necessarily handle on its own. "Okay," she replied, more reserved this time. "Can I see the image you want to reproduce? Or is it to be an original piece?

"And what kind of backing are you looking for? Is there a particular gemstone?" This could get complicated very fast depending on her guest's responses.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Loulou Genet Snuffboxer"]

The young woman seemed a little unsure about it, but maybe she just wasn't confident in her own skills. Kay took out her datapad and brought up a holo-picture of her late husband, Shaw. It was in three dimensions and she rotated it to reveal the profile that she wanted. "Just the outline, please. I don't require the features. I'd like him to be white or creamy in colour. And as for the backing...." At first Kay was thinking about a light green, but then she changed her mind. Her husband was a a Dark Lord, so black would be more fitting. They balanced eachother and this cameo was to honour his memory.

"...I'd like the backing to be in black, in whichever stone would be easier for you to work with." This was a bit more difficult than she had thought it would be. But not in the part of getting the cameo made, it was more so with the memories it invoked. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop missing him.

 

[Beowoof]

Loulou drew in closer to the datapad to dissect the image a bit, and she swept her blond hair about her neck to keep it from falling in front of her eyes. The angle of the image revealed to her was not quite a silhouette profile, but it was more from the side of the face and expressed the man's nose somewhat. The represented figure seemed to be an interesting sort of man. She assumed he was her lover. That made the job even more delicate.

"For black, I could work with onyx. It has a bit of a sheen and attracts attention." Of course, there were always options, and Loulou made sure to provide them. "Naboo night pearl is also applicable. It's rare and more expensive--and a little more difficult for me to engrave. But it has less of a glare and more of a glow to it, so it won't ever distract from the cameo."

The jeweler raised her head and shook her hair back, smiling pleasantly. "I know you said you wanted whatever was easier for me to work with, but it's all about what matters most to you." Naturally, choosing the Naboo night pearl would be a more profitable sale for Loulou. But it would also cost her a lot more time and possibly some patience.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay chewed the inside of her cheek. Decisions, decisions. So she decided to think out loud to help her to better make a decision. "Well....this cameo is to honour my late husband. I'm not sure if many will see it, so I wouldn't need it to be too flashy. I think that I'd like both parts to compliment eachother, however."

She glanced around to the other jewelry in the room and took note of their quality. "It just needs to be special to me. However much it costs or how long it will take doesn't really matter just so long as it is created beautifully."

 

[Beowoof]

"Well, I try to make everything special," Loulou stated, a little self-promotion not being an awful thing to instill confidence in the consumer. People liked confidence--especially from artisans. But there always was that thin line between confidence and arrogance. "Honoring our loved ones is not to be taken lightly. I personally think the night pearl would be ideal. It won't make his cameo have too much of a pop star look."

She brought out a datapad of her own from a drawer and brought it out of hibernation. "Could you send my the file of your husband's image? I'll need my own copy to study, of course."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled as she nodded. "Thank you. And you're quite right. He doesn't need a pop star look."

She tapped on the screen of her datapad and sent Loulou the holo-picture. To say that she had high expectations for what it would look like would be wrong. She had no idea what it would be like. There was just a hope that it would suit him well. And hopefully it wouldn't make her cry. If only she was able to keep something of his, his cloak or a shirt so that she could smell him on it and wear it so that he would still feel a part of her. But she had nothing but a lightsaber that he had given her, and metal doesn't hold scents very well.

"Would you like to have a deposit before you start?"

 

[Beowoof]

A deposit before she began? That was not unusual, but it seemed quite forward in faith of her customer. "Yes, though only enough to cover the material. The service fee is, of course, on delivery." That sounded confident enough. And it would help motivate her if she earned no initial profit.

"I never did catch your name, madam. For whom am I providing this service?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Oh, my apologies. I am Lady Kay." Whether the young lady recognized her as the Senator of her planet or not, it didn't quite matter to her. She wasn't one for having the red carpet rolled out or anything. "And you are?...Also how much for the materials?" She was starting to get a bit excited about the prospect of this piece of jewelry.

 

[Beowoof]

Lady Kay... Yes, she did appear familiar. Loulou did not circulate the political groups of Commenor, but she had a general awareness of people of the lady's stature. She smiled, knowing it was never unfortunate to have good connections such as these. To serve a Senator of the Republic was a high honor and very prestigious addition to anyone's resume. She would not take this for granted in the least.

"My name is Loulou," she answered. "My father was Matsjek Snuffboxer." She doubted Lady Kay would know who that was, but it was a point of dignity for her. Her father was influential in his area, even if he was not a politician.

"For the purest of quality--and by my estimation--I would say the material cost would amount to roughly seventy-five credits."

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Pleasure to meet you, Loulou. I have heard of your father through some of my staff. They told me that your talent will soon grow to be as great as his, perhaps even greater if you are given the chance."

Kay smiled and pulled out one hundred credits from her satchel, holding it out for her. "Here's a bit extra, just in case. Now I'm not going to ask how long it will take as I don't want you to feel that you have to rush. I'd rather it be done well. Is that all right with you?"

 

[Beowoof]

"That's perfect--" Loulou stuttered, unsure of the money she had just been given nonchalantly and unsure of what might be known of her through her father. Sometimes her parents had big mouths, and she did not want this Lady Kay to have expectations higher than what she could actually offer. "That's perfectly fine, Lady Kay.

"How should I contact you when it's ready?" Surely there was some sort of secret politician protocol. Perhaps this would help her on her way up in the galaxy.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Oh if only there was some secret political channels to go by, but it was nothing that exciting. She just gave her the number to her office. "If I'm not there, just leave them a message and I'll be over here as quick as I can." Kay gave her a warm smile as she was hoping to be around as soon as it was ready. "Any other questions?"