Page 41 of D'Vaire or Nothing
“Don’t ask Zane; he has unnatural advantages,” Starivartrys advised.
“What are his unnatural advantages?” Jace asked.
“Dragons are tall and strong,” Tiri answered. “Stari believes if Zane were a sprite, he’d be easily beaten.”
“Well, if you need height, count me out,” Jace replied. The harpy was tiny at five-foot-two, but because he could fly by shifting his arms alone, he had great upper body strength, which Tiri pointed out.
“Doesn’t help him any if he can’t see over the table,” Zane teased.
“Aren’t you supposed to be helping Norilethi?” Jace asked.
Zane tilted his head toward Norilethi. The sprite had his next ball and his hands. Instead of rolling it up the ramp, he was staring intently at the holes, and Tiri swore Norilethi was talking to his ball.
“He’s busy. If he needs my help, he’ll ask his questions,” Zane said.
“I think my score would be higher if everyone would shut up and let me play in peace,” Caelmyron insisted.
“This entire resort could be empty and your favorite song playing softly through the speakers,” Vondaelyn told his twin. “You’d still suck.”
“I did better again,” Norilethi enthused after he finally played his next ball. “It could be improvement, but I think it is beginner’s luck, as Cael mentioned. I’m glad I came down to the arcade with everyone though. It surprised me Zephyr didn’t join us. He is an excellent friend to me, and I was hoping to spend the evening with him and Tyvalis.”
“I thought my parents were going to hang out with us too,” Jace replied, referring to the ruler of the harpies, Agrotera Tyvalis Athanasiou, and her mate, Zephyr Pagonis. “But they decided to hang out with my brother and nephew so Avinora and Salvatore could go to a show. Don’t worry, my sister and Salvatore are going to watch the kids tomorrow night instead, so we’ll have them out with us.”
Norilethi clapped. “Oh good. I know I’m with Zephyr during the week since we work on projects for Tiri’s Textiles together, but I always look forward to more time with Tyvalis. Okay, what ball number am I on?”
“Four. Don’t think so much about your score though,” Zane coached. “This is about having fun.”
“But don’t hurl them willy-nilly up the ramp like Cael either,” Vondaelyn said. “Find a happy medium. I really liked the sketch you did this week, Norilethi.”
The sprites complained often that Norilethi talked too much, but they were equally effusive with praise for his sewing skill. Many years ago, Tiri had founded a company for himself, and now he employed most of the known Sprite Grove. They refused to allow Tiri to change the name to reflect that change though, and it annoyed him. The last thing he wanted was the glory when it wasn’t deserved.
Everyone in the company was talented, including their newest addition and lone harpy, Zephyr. Each harpy male had a gift, and Zephyr’s was to never sew a crooked seam. That was a delightful gift from Fate, but what Tiri found most remarkable about Zephyr was his creativity.
Tiri didn’t think of himself as the boss of Tiri’s Textiles. No one was in charge. They were, instead, a coalition of talented artists striving to grow their skills and encourage each other as they tackled projects. Wealth was equally divided, so no one was stressed about creating a certain number of projects, and Tiri ensured everyone in the company was happy.
“Thank you, Von,” Norilethi replied after adding some points to his tally with his fourth and fifth balls, which he’d fired in rapid succession. “I thought of the idea while I was watching television. The show was about stained glass, which gave me the idea of adding some metallic fabric between different patterns to create a larger image. I’m not sure what colors I want to make it in yet. Zephyr and I are planning on a trip to the fabric store in the resort before we leave; I’m hoping to find something that inspires me there.”
“Oh, you know what you could do?” Vondaelyn asked. “I know we usually keep our cloaks open, but what if you added a chain at the front? You know how they sometimes put those on stained glass things so you can hang them?”
Norilethi hopped and clapped. “I love that idea. Will you come to the store with us? I’d love your help in finding fabrics and a chain.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Vondaelyn enthused. Before some brave sprites, including Starivartrys and Norilethi, had found them, the entire staff of Tiri’s Textiles had been Tiri and Vondaelyn. The pair still worked together on many projects and helped organize shipping and other tasks that needed to be completed for their company.
“At the end of the chain on both sides, you could add a charm or something decorative,” Tiri said as his creative brain immediately chugged out a slew of ideas. “I’m partial to dragons, but you could use anything.”
“Dragons make everything better,” Zane boasted.
Tiri grinned. “One dragon definitely makes the life of this sprite better.”
“Tiri, will you come to the store with us too?” Norilethi asked, taking another ball from Zane and clutching it to the front of his pink-and-white patchwork tunic. “I appreciate your input on all my projects and just know I will make the prettiest cloak with everyone’s help. If we like it, maybe we could arrange the fabrics into different images. Oh, what if we did a dragon in teals on a black dragonskin background? Could I make that for you, Tiri?”
“Only if you promise to sew one for yourself in pink first,” Tiri insisted. “And yes, I’d love to go to the store with you.”
“When are we going?” Zane asked.
Tiri clapped in excitement. “Would tomorrow work for everyone?”
“I’ll text my dad and see if he’s cool with it,” Jace remarked as he pulled out his phone. “My mom’s phone is probably in my sister’s pocket, and I don’t know if Evanthia is with her or not.”
