House Without Walls [Yuuto, Nao]

The thought of visiting Nao's workshop for lessons on the practical and actual art of kintsugi had been on his mind ever since she had agreed to the proposition. He was a notable amateur at the art form, so learning something that held such significance to him, philosophically and in personal ethos was not something he would be averse to.

So, dressed casually, Yuuto sped out of his quarters and across the Soul Society in a silent flash, not even the sounds of his steps carrying him being heard by those who happened to be nearby. Despite how large the Seireitei and Soul Society was, it still took little time for him to make his way to Nao's workshop and give a firm knock as he approached.

He was honestly surprised that it was disconnected from the Sawachika's household. But, he figured that everyone needed something away from it all. Not like it bothered him any, though -- it was part of why he was able to appreciate the often dread quiet that permeated his quarters. If nothing else, such a place being isolated would provide a distraction-free environment, something he could also appreciate.

The door opened for the casually dressed woman of the Sawachika. Her hands were dirty with clay that had been deep in the delicate work of ceramics all morning, she might've cleaned them before answering the door but they were a mark of pride to her. More importantly, the work was just beginning even if she'd been at it already for so long.

"Aha, you came. I knew you couldn't stay away, Yuuto. Your passionate and creative spirit yearns to be refined and beaten into shape with hard work."

She declared to him in the same motion as she welcomed him into the beatdown old workshop. Not a place that a noble lady might call her domain but Nao wasn't like the other noble ladies. She made the vase that flowers were arranged in and her arrangements were made of stone and mortar. She would have it no other way!

He was hardly surprised to see her dressed so casually, hands caked with clay, ready to work -- even more, by the looks of it. The profession of her family and her blazingly headstrong attitude gave that much away in nothing less than a moment. It was endearing, really.

"Well, I certainly couldn't say no to someone with such unbridled, genuine passion for the craft, now could I?"

As she made such a bold declaration, Yuuto took a few muted steps into the old workshop, taking a look around, before turning to face her again. A warm smile came to his lips as his eyes went to her clay-clad hands again, his head canting slightly. He wondered...

"How long have you been working, anyways? "

He was hardly concerned, merely curiosity seizing his tongue.

"A few hours by now, time sure flies though."

She was an early riser. Never one to waste the day twiddling her thumbs idle when she could be kneading another piece of work to exercise her spirit and body towards her aesthetic ideal.

"Come come. I've got you a spot set-up over here. I keep just enough for the odd guest."

Nao assured that she was the prepared type even if she was a bit too much for a lot of people to stomach an extended stay with for cooperative ceramics. Sure enough they got into the spacious workshop area with two workstations. Naturally, Nao's station already had a plethora of shards from a broken vase and it in a state of assembly already.

It was good to see her still having such energy after a long period of working. He, too, was an early riser, but much of his day wasn't holistically dedicated to any one such task. Some days, he just preferred to fill the early morning silence with music, rather than the harsh slashes of a blade cutting through the air, or the sound of metal connecting and scraping against one another.

He took a look at the partially assembled vase and the assorted pieces at Nao's station. The physical, actual art of kintsugi was one that never ceased to capture his interest. What would normally be something so erroneously out of place and odd-looking managed to stand out in its own beautiful way.

Beyond philosophy, that was part of why he wanted to refine himself in this -- it was an excellent way to perfect a nimble touch. Refinement, both of objects through his touch, and of his own skill, was something that he did find exciting and fulfilling.

"Did you wish for us to do two individual pieces, or, would you like to work together on this one?"

"Huh? Oh. Individually. I'm happy to weigh in and help you with your technique but I believe an art like this is a reflection of the creator so I would not want to obscure your own nuances by having them conflict with my own."

Each artist had their own way of doing things; habits, techniques, and quirks. All of these created different results in the final product that made the piece. While collaboration was good and all, Nao felt it was more appropriate for him to work on his piece so that she could better evaluate it.

"Unless you'd like me to watch and help you with the process?"

He did mention he had dabbled in it though so she trusted that Yuuto had the basics down at the very least. It wasn't as though he were a total novice.

"I can understand and, to some extent, agree with that notion. No, that won't be necessary. Just wanted to make sure, that's all."

The logic was certainly sound -- so, with a soft nod of his head, Yuuto made his way over to the other workstation, taking out a tiny container of powdered platinum, and a slightly larger contained of powdered silver. To some, if not most, the colors were largely the same, just one being vastly more expensive than the other -- even with such a tiny amount. But, he knew what he wanted to do with the broken ceramic in front of him.

Picking up one of the pieces carefully, he looked at the edges, taking up a piece of sandpaper and gently sanding the edge to smoothen it out and create a groove in the seam. While someone could very well just throw together the pieces and put some lacquer in, but, he had made that mistake the first time -- ending up with a mess of adhesive as a result.

But, even in the few times he'd done it, he was getting better. He had attempted a more traditional method of kintsugi before, but had ended up gouging the groove when scraping off remnants of the lacquer. It was a tricky thing to balance at times, but, he continued at both a traditional version, as well as a more modern, less time-consuming one out of curiosity.

Both had their strengths, and it was only with failure and time that he'd continue to refine himself, to show the flaws and imperfections with pride in how far he'd come.