How Green Becomes Wood

"Yeah, that'd be great," Claire nodded, the bobbles in her hair bouncing as she did, "Maybe also there, too. It might be okay, but I think it's better safe than sorry. Just don't press too hard, you don't want to gouge out too much."
 
"Roger! I definitely don't want to be the cause for the destruction of the entire class' pottery bits," Alec said. He set about doing as she suggested, glancing at her just a little more than necessary. "How long have you been working here?" he asked as he carefully shaved away bit after bit.
 
"Awhile, actually!" Claire answered, watching his work carefully, "Until recently they just had me behind the counter though. But I've been a student here forever, so they're finally letting me do this part. After Sloan goes elite, because she totally will, I'll just do this, I think."
 
"You think she will?" Xander asked. "I think she definitely could, but will is the question."

"I think she will, too. I think she'll be amazing there! You're really good, too, though. Are you sure you want to leave?" Alec asked curiosly.
 
"I've got no doubts," Claire said solidly. There was no question in her mind, "And yeah, I think so. Like, I've enjoyed it, and I'm pretty sure I could probably go further, but it's one of those things, right? I was put into it as a toddler, so it wasn't even really something I chose originally. I think I've stuck with it so long mostly because I liked my team, but a lot of the ones I was closest to left already, Sloan's going elite, and for everyone left, we're all pretty near to leaving high school and wouldn't be a team together anyway. I'd rather just focus in on something I chose myself now, I think. Plus, I think my body will appreciate it."
 
"Makes sense to me," Xander said, trying to make a little wave pattern on his pot.

Alec smiled. "I hope I get to see you perform at past one more time, but I understand. It's so cool you've found a passion already!"
 
"You probably will, because I'm certain Sloan will invite you to the meet where she'll end up qualifying for Elite." Claire grinned, "But pottery is awesome, and weirdly gymnastics gave me the arms for it, which definitely helped, because pottery is a workout in its own right!"
 
"Yeah, it is!" Xander grunted. He dabbed away part of a line before making it again. "This thing is intense."

"And beautiful," Alec nodded. "I don't know why, but I feel like it suits you right down to the ground! Or whatever the saying is. Maybe because it's unique every day? Like you?"
 
Alec eyed the clay pitcher as the handle he'd just fixed delicately drooped again. "Maybe that's why mine's like this and his," he pointed at Xander's, which looked good, "is like that."
 
"It's really the attachment that will give it strength," Claire explained, taking a thick bit of clay and shaping it in her hands. It didn't look at all long enough to form a handle, "What I like to do is attach this, then I let it sit for like... fifteen minutes, and then I gently pull it down between my thumb and pointer finger," She held up the unattached clay and with her other hand began to first pull it upwards before shaping it downwards, elongating it and gently pressing to pull it wider, "Once I get it to the length I want, I attach it back onto the vessel. That way it's not too heavy in any one area."
 
Alec watched her hands in fascination. She made it look so effortless. Graceful, even! It was beautiful. The way her hands-

He suddenly realized what he was doing and looked away briefly. Looking back at her, he smiled and said, "Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks! I don't think anyone wants a droopy handle."
 
"They're kind of cute, in their own way," Claire said, squishing her demonstration handle into a ball and setting it back on the table, "I like imperfect pieces. I'm working on a set of tea cups that are all just a little wrong, but I can only add to them when I'm making a tea cup and I make a mistake which isn't so bad that it's not usable, I can't just intentionally make them look a bit funky."
 
"Really?" Alec asked, looking up at her. "That's a great idea! It's really cool that you do that. I get kind of frustrated when things don't come easily to me, and I don't give myself a lot of chances to get things wrong. I've been working on it in my art, at least. I love the fact that you embrace it."
 
"I like doing pottery because it's not made by a machine, so I like things to look handmade. Handmade things aren't going to look perfect," Claire replied cheerfully, "What about you, Xander? Do you think your vase is smelling fear?"
 
"If I gave it a nose, it might smell it from that side of the table," Xander said with a lopsided smirk, not taking his eyes from the slow, careful lines he was drawing in a wave pattern at one-inch distances all the way up the vase. He was a little over halfway done.

Alec worked with the clay to remake the handle and fought not to blush while doing the rather interesting movements required to create the right shape. Even more than that, he absolutely did not think of Claire showing him. The handle went on a little crooked, but it was on, and he was happy! He was not repeating that step now that his brain was in hyperdrive.
 
"We'll see what happens when you glaze it. It's looking good, though! I'll leave you be, since, well, you look like you've finally got a handle on it," Claire winked before going off to check on other tables.
 
"See you around, Claire!" Alec called cheerfully, giving a tiny wave with his clayed hands.

Xander glanced at him sidelong. "That was interesting."

"What was?" Alec asked, focusing on his pitcher. He glanced at one of the tools, which looked like a tiny version of a flathead screwdriver. What if instead of carving the design... He picked it up and used the flat side of the tip to gently press into the clay, creating a rectangular indentation in the clay. He moved the tool over the same width and did it again. That was fantastic! It looked almost woven. He started going around the pot, trying not to rush but not go too slow since there was a lot to cover and not a lot of time left.

"I might be oblivious sometimes, but I'm not completely blind," Xander said, continuing his line. "I saw how you were looking at her."

Alec blushed bright red. "Shh!" He warned. "She might hear you!"

"I doubt it from way over there," Xander remarked.

Alec glanced toward her and then down at his work. "It doesn't matter. I'm with Emma."

"And if you weren't?"

"Well, I am."

"And if you weren't?"

Alec sighed. "You heard her. She's not going to be sticking around much longer, and even if she stays in the area for college, it's creepy for a high schooler to be stalking her, isn't it? Never mind. She'll be off with Sloan soon, and that's that. It's not even worth a what-if question."

"Fair," Xander agreed. He sighed. "I'm going to miss Sloan. Oh well. Better me missing her than her missing out on college life and all that comes with it."

Alec smiled. "Yeah. I bet she's going to have a blast! Claire, too."
 
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