There was news, and plenty of it. Not only that, the pups were a year old now, and needed her less and less. Growing into themselves, and Halo could be proud of them for it. Proud of them, even if it made her a bit sadder than she cared to admit. Then, it was pups that were as good as hers, taking over the Aramda as their own. Enough to make the melancholy event feel a bit more comfortable, a bit brighter. Halo's thoughts turned to Dread, who should probably hear the news from a friendly source rather than anywhere else. Though his departure from the pack had been tumultuous, Halo still needed him to know. That, and probably a fair few other things, too. Loaded down with gifts and all manner of things, Halo had made her way to the archipelago. They'd welcomed her heartily the day before, and today? Well, it wouldn't be a Halo visit without lessons. Having brought some of her bead making supplies down for Jael, she was happy to go over the lesson again. Halo called, bringing everyone together so they could begin. "Speech"

Halo had come, with news of his father and gifts from the north. She'd come with more solemn conversations, too. Dread had been followed around for so long by the notion that he'd somehow let Halo down, true or not. It just... felt that way. Didn't matter if it was true. They'd talked. It had been nice. Somehow it left Dread feeling... better. Time with Halo often did.

Leave it to her to bring lessons, as well. Calling them all in for something, looking pleased with her lumps of colorful clay. Dread is quickly shuffled off to fill her pitcher with water, and help finish setting up. Some things never change. He's glad she came to visit.

Kenway found it odd that Sakana was shuffling him along to attend a lesson being held by a stranger. A stranger from the Armada no less. He threw a suspicious look over his shoulder at the lanky bastard. Kenway could remember being taller than the guy when he had been younger, so where the hell did that come from huh? He rolled his eyes as teenagers tended to do and stomped towards where Dread was already helping to get set up for the day.

Taking in the sight before him though, well Kenway's tail started to wave at his back. The white wolf who seemed familiar with his big sister's boyfriend (never mind he had once been in Armada too, Ken had forgotten that part), had bought along what looked like colourful balls of mud! Maybe this was something he could get behind after all.

Moving to take a seat, he held his tongue, tail tapping the ground in friendly greeting. He was ready when she was!

"speech"

-Participated in training unrelated to other skills, with 3+ other characters, led by a Professor 1/3-

He hadn't quite let himself believe she was really here. It must be a figment of his imagination, right? But when the call went out about a lesson, well, the nearest youngster to wrangle was Kenway, so off they set, whether the kid liked it or not. As they made their way to the Archipelago, he made a point to lift his head and smile, his tail waving easily at his back as he spotted her, just as ethereal as last time. “Fancy running into you here,” he greeted, only slightly nervous due to present company. He settled in next to Kenway, allowing the boy to take center position. “So what do you have for us today?” His blue eyes peered curiously towards the blocks of clay.

“Speech”

Halo is quick to put Dread to work, as if nothing has ever changed. The woman regards him with a fond smile, watching as he takes off to fill her pitcher. While he's gone, a familiar face, and a teenage boy by his side. Well, he'd be about the same age as her own children, and Halo could only guess what they'd be in store for. It's with grace that she greets them both, with a particularly soft smile to Sakana. "It's nice to see you again," with a twitch of her tail, the corners of her lips. "I'm Halo, nice to meet you." Her smile is kind, gracious, on the boys. All three of them. "I brought some clay, I thought we could do a lesson on beadmaking. If you need help after I leave, Jael did the same lesson with me in the markets not long ago." She smiles at the group gathered, tail wagging happily. "So, when we work on bigger projects, we often need a lot of clay. We don't always get to appreciate the natural colors and things that come through. When we're working on beads, they're nice and small, so we can go through and dig, and pick out the colors we'd like." Halo explained. "The first thing I'd like you to do is go through the clay in front of you and start making piles of each color you'd like to use. You can also mix them to get new colors, please play and experiment." Halo is gentle, genuine, as she moves among her students. "Speech"

Ah, a typical Halo lesson. It was something arts and crafts related, though it seemed that Jael had been to visit her in the markets again. Dread pours the little bowls of water until Halo gives a nod, before taking a seat in front of a lump of clay. It's only a breath before Halo launches into one of her lessons, and Dread feels much the same as he did when he was a young boy.

Taking care with his claws, Dread begins to slice away some of the palest colors. Reds, very light greys. Being careful with his work, and then blending together the very lightest. In the end, Dread is left with a careful gradient-- red to pink, pink to white.

Kenway watched as Dread poured out bowls of water and listened as the lady introduced herself and explained what they would be doing today. He had picked a block with a deep earthy reddish-brown on one end and a lighter colour on the other so he worked on separating the two out as instructed. It had a sticky texture and was satisfying to cut. This was something Ken could find himself enjoying if he managed to get his hands on the raw material. He looked to the healer sitting alongside him and was struck with inspiration, "Does it hold colour wi' dyes?" He questioned with interest, "Like if yer processed lavender or rose petals, could yer make it purple or pink?" He intended to experiment after the lesson was over regardless, but if she already knew, at least he would have some confirmation if his own technique was off.

"speech"

-Participated in training unrelated to other skills, with 3+ other characters, led by a Professor 2/3-

While the lesson itself was on bead making, Sakana's mind was already turning over the other ways he could make used of the clay, bowls, canisters, all sorts of useful items for healing too (especially if he could get Blondie on board). He did as directed and began to separate out his clay (his was predominantly white with a big streak of darker grey running through it), when Kenway's question caught him off guard. You could have knocked Sakana over with a feather, and it was evident in the way he started at the boy like he was a stranger. Was there really a brain between those ears of his? He could have sworn he'd seen daylight once or twice when looking at the kid side on...

He looked around for his bird, and with a tip of his muzzle it was off to the herb stores. “If it's alright with Halo, I'm happy to supply some plants to experiment with?”

“Speech”

As all of her students picked apart their clay, sectioning the different colors they'd like to work with, mixing and melding, Halo finds herself pleased. She works away at a sample piece of her own, a little token to leave behind for Modesty when she was finished. The colors are pleasant, earthy, a gradient that comes together tidily. While Halo doesn't know her well, she does know how to create pretty things. Kenway's question brings a smile to her face, warm. "Any plant-based colorant that's added now will burn off in the firing process. I can get them fired tonight, and we can paint them tomorrow afternoon if you'd like." Halo smiled. She's warm, perhaps happy to have a reason to stick around a bit longer. A little vacation, though Halo was spending it taking care of Dread and helping him set up his life here. Well, a change of scenery, then. She'd be careful not to overstay her welcome, but it had been a long walk after all. Making her rounds to each student, Halo finally sees Sakana up close. Her eyes go wide, realizing at once. "You... are taller, now. I-- your joints, are you okay? I brought herbs, and seeds, and all sorts of things. For you, and the Raiders, and your friend with the cough." Concern in her gaze as she looks, carefully over the man. Well, Basilisk had a similar growth spurt after maturity, it wasn't impossible. No, just uncommon. "We can make some paints, too." A little smile, before reminding herself there's a lesson at hand. Right, yes. Sidetracked? Halo? Always. "Alright my friends, the next step is going to be forming our beads. We want to make tubes that are as even as possible, so we can slice it evenly too. The more even they are, the better they'll bake. If your clay is cracking, dab a little water-- not too much though, it's hard to take away if you add too much." Halo carefully looks among them, demonstrating mostly by feel. Looking down to check at the little rolls of clay. Not too bad, but she'd make sure they were perfect, a really nice example. Then, carefully demonstrating the slicing process, lined up against a stick with perfectly even markings. Made things easier, with a guide. "We're going to poke a hole through them, so we want shapes that start off as round. You can play and form your beads, but I'd recommend keeping them all similar, again to keep the baking time even across the lot." A kind smile, and a wag of her tail, to her students. Halo began making her rounds again, as Mr. Raccoon began dutifully assisting in slicing her example set. "Speech"

Ken listened to Halo's explanation, and he nodded in understanding. He wondered to himself if airdrying would have a different outcome and tucked it away to give a go when he isn't getting a lesson from the visiting artisan. he rolled his clay out into tubes, trying to make them even as best he could, pushing the clay back together when it got too noodly in the middle and starting again. When he was finally happy with the shape they held, he asked Mr Racoon if he could borrow the measuring stick to cut them into equal lengths. To his surprise, the racoon came over and cleanly sliced through the clay with such precision it left the boy stunned. "Thanks bud, I show yer where th' best bugs are after this, ey?"

His tail happily swept the sand as he rolled the little cut pieces into perfect spheres and set them aside. The colours blended and swirled together beautifully, he almost thought it would be a shame to cover them over, but if she was giving a lesson on making paint? Well, he'd come along to that one for sure!

"speech"

Dread works away at the beads, listening to Halo happily dump information about the beads, about the processes. It's nice to hear her again, even if she's just visiting for a little while. She's always been a comforting presence, and it felt like she was blessing this treehouse, for him, too. Warmed by it, working away at his beads. Rolling the long, thin snakes of clay out carefully. The precision work is something that he usually lacks patience for, but it's... it's not so bad. Dread allows his tail to thump a bit behind him as he works.

Whatever passed between Halo and Sakana... he wouldn't ask questions about. He wasn't sure he'd seen the little healer so flustered, but he'd write it off on her being confused about the late-breaking growth spurt. Kenway's reaction to Mr. Raccoon is enough to bright a chuckle to Dread's throat. "He likes katydids, and I've seen him do some sketchy shit for fresh mangos. They're hard to get in the north." Ah yes, because teaching Kenway how to effectively bribe a creature hired predominantly for his intellect and dexterity was a good choice.