soft clay hands

It was a beautiful afternoon in early spring, and Raikal was spending it standing outside the pottery shop, anxiously wringing their hands together. "I don't know about this, Seki. I've never done something like this before."

"That's why we signed you up for a beginner's class!" Their long-haird, limber friend teased, patting them lightly on the shoulder. "They're going to tell you everything you need to know. And no one's going to judge you for being inexperienced."

"I know…" Raikal sighed. This entire excursion had been Seki's idea, but Raikal knew they needed it. They'd spent half a year now wallowing in grief, misery, and self-hate after a bad breakup that followed an even worse, six-year relationship. They needed to get out of that headspace- but every little step felt like they were taking it for the first time. "I'm just… nervous. I haven't ever done anything like this before, and-" They repeated, and twirled a curl around their finger. It was a nervous tick they hadn't been able to break. "- and I'm still not really used to being in public without Nai-"

"Hey-" Seki cut them off, putting a hand on Raikal's shoulder. "You don't have to justify yourself. If you really don't want to do this, we can go home and say you got sick, or something. But I really think you should. Maybe you'll make some new friends, maybe you won't- but you'll never know until you try."

Raikal looked up to their friend, an awkward smile forming over their features. They were lucky to have a friend like Seki. Even in Raikal's darkest days, they had been there, with food and water and a shoulder to cry on. "Thank you, Seki. I think… I'll try. Might as well, since we already paid for the class."

Seki broke into a bright smile that mirrored Raikal's own. "That's the spirit! Now, come on- we're going to be late!"

The pottery studio was already busy by the time Raikal and Seki entered. It wasn't crowded- a weekday class in the middle of the day garnered a small crowd of stay-at-home parents, retired couples, and the odd college student- but Raikal and Seki were hardly the only attendees, as Raikal had secretly feared might happen (if they were the only ones, then all the attention would be on them, and there was very little Raikal wanted than attention placed on them at this moment).

As Seki got them checked in for their class, Raikal scanned the crowd. No one they recognized- good. While the people they knew with Naiyta weren't exactly the pottery-class type (it was the entire reason Seki had chosen this outing for them), they could never be certain, and it would've been mortifying to run into someone who had known them when they were under Naiyta's thumb.

Among the moms with strollers and sweet-looking old ladies with knitted cardigans, someone caught Raikal's eye. She was a woman about Raikal's age, they guessed, with acorn-brown skin and a sweet, heart-shaped face. She wore a yellow apron stained with clay, and her hair was tied up in a multi-colored, patterned scarf. When she caught Raikal's attention on her, she smiled- and they smiled back. It was contagious.

After saying a quick goodbye to the person she was talking to, the woman approached Raikal, her smile never falling from her face. "I don't think I've seen you in the studio before," She greeted.

"Oh, no," Raikal awkwardly laughed. "It's my first time here. I'm Raikal."

"Well, Raikal," She held out a hand. "Let me be the first to welcome you to our little class. My name's Odalia."

"Odalia," They repeated, shaking her hand gently. "That's a beautiful name. Are you here for the class, too?"

"Thank you!" She squeezed their hand a little, then let it go. "And no- I actually work here. I'm one of the instructors- though, my coworker Miranda is teaching this particular class, so I'll just be walking around helping anyone who needs it."

"Oh, that's nice." Raikal nodded. They had fallen into some kind of rythm of conversation- it was almost easy, which was more than they had expected. "Well, I can't promise that you won't need to come help me. I've never done anything like this before."

That made Odalia laugh. "Oh, don't worry- it's much easier than you think. And if you really need me, I'll be right here."

At that moment, a redhead with a cropped haircut signalled for their attention- Odalia's coworker Miranda, Raikal assumed- to begin the class. Raikal, Seki, and all the other students were ushered over to long tables, where small stations had been set up with clay, water and some simple pottery tools.

"Okay, everyone," Miranda said from her larger workstation at the front of the room. She held out a finished example bowl that looked far fancier than anything Raikal thought they could make. "Today, we're going to make some bowls using the coil method. It's a bit tricky at first, but my coworkers and I will coach you through all the steps to make something amazing. And remember- everyone's bowl is going to look different, and they're all going to be beautiful no matter what. Now, start with partitioning out some clay to roll into a little snake shape…"

Raikal attempted to follow Miranda's instructions as best they could, but it wasn't long before they got overwhelmed. The texture of they clay was unfamiliar in their hands- less malleable than they had envisioned, and far more sticky. When they attempted to roll out snake shapes as Miranda had instructed, the stretched-out clay fell apart in their hands.

Odalia was milling about the classroom, occassionally offering tips to anyone who needed it. When Raikal saw her approaching, they hastily tried to make it look like they were doing better, but they were too late.

Though, instead of berating or making fun of them, Odalia simply gave them a kind, knowing look.

"I guess.." Raikal fumbled. "… I did tell you I might need help."

"It's alright," Odalia laughed. "That's what my job is, after all. It looks like you're rolling out the clay with a bit too much force- you have to be very, very gentle. May I?"

She was hovering her hands over Raikal's, asking to touch them. To guide them. "Oh- of course." Raikal stammered, and nodded.

Odalia gently took their hands into hers, placing her thumbs under their palms and guiding them back to the clay. "There's no reason to be nervous." She said, as she slowly helped Raikal roll out the clay. "In fact, the slower you go, the more control you have over it. That's really the trick, I've discovered. Just be gentle, and take your time."

"Yeah…" Raikal couldn't help but smile, as Odalia took her hands away and they were left with a perfect clay coil, ready to be shaped into a bowl. "Thank you."

After their bowls were rightly coiled and placed in the kiln to bake and hopefully not shatter, Seki approached Raikal again at the handwashing station. "So, did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I did." Raikal nodded, washing the clay off their hands. To their own surprise, it was the honest truth. They cast a glance back to Odalia. "I think I'd like to come back soon."