Court of the Fallen
[SE] Red on black - Printable Version

+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: [SE] Red on black (/showthread.php?tid=8230)

Pages: 1 2


[SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-16-2023

So rumor had it that there was going to be a shindig at the Climb come midsummer. Tal had never cared for parties much in his younger years (nor had the scowling, prickly boy been invited to them), but something about having friends these days made the idea of getting together with a group of people somewhat more tolerable. He might see Melita or Fiadh there, for one thing. And Fox being an Ancient and all, he wouldn't mind seeing the monster hunter again if the guy ever left the Grounds.

Which was all a roundabout way of saying that Tal had gone to see a silversmith about getting the rubies he'd mined from the Climb put into something sturdy. It was a small smithy and with the Longheat warmth in the Citadel - which was to say, almost above freezing - the doors were wide open to let in the sunlight and let out the heat of the small forge within. The courier was leaning on the counter, sketching another batch of designs for what he wanted in his clear, neat hand as the smith looked on, rubbing her chin and nodding grudgingly as the item began to take shape on paper.

He'd let Alys know that he was going to be in town that day, home between deliveries for a change, and asked her to meet him in the market for lunch, but the commissioning of the smith was taking longer than he'd anticipated.

Good thing he was visible from the street, at least?


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-16-2023

As it happened, Alys had heard the very same rumors as Tal, and she'd been intending to commission the very same silversmith for herself. She had warred with herself over whether she wanted to go to this rumored party or not, but ever since her conversation with Tal, she'd given the gods a lot of thought. Besides, she knew people now, people who she'd very much like to see in a social setting. It might be fun to go to a party.

So when she received Tal's message, she had been more than happy to accept. The restaurant he'd identified for lunch was close to the smith's shop, and she planned to stop by after they'd finished eating. She arrived at the restaurant, but there was no sign of Tal; she looked around idly as she waited, only to catch sight of her friend at the smith's shop. With a grin, she wandered over to look over his shoulder.

[say]"Who knew you were such an artist?"[/say] she teased. In truth, the drawings weren't bad; she could see what he wanted beginning to take shape on the paper. [say]"Standing me up for lunch, are you?"[/say]


RE: [SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-16-2023

Tal jumped a little as Alys's voice appeared from over his shoulder under his arm and a draconic snicker sounded from the roof. "Hey! Oh, shit, what time is--" He looked around and then glanced up to check the position of the sun before giving his friend a sheepish grin. "Uh... I guess I am? Just for a little longer, I swear! We're almost done here... yeah?" The last was said to the smith who raised a black brow at him. She was taller than Tal, with broad shoulders and long, graceful fingers. Her black hair was cropped short and peppered lightly with grey above dark blue eyes.

"Not quite. Where do you want the pin?"

Tal leaned back over the counter and sketched a few more quick lines. "What about here?"

"Hm. Vertical, then?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. And what about you?" The smith turned her attention to Alys coolly, waiting to see if the woman was a potential customer.


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-17-2023

Alys giggled as Tal jumped, surprising even herself. It seemed that her friend drew out her inner child; she always found herself laughing and smiling around him, where others only ever saw a straight face. [say]"I see how it is,"[/say] she teased, leaning on the counter beside him to watch with curiosity as he put the finishing touches on his design.

The smith - a tall woman with dark hair and blue eyes - turned her gaze to Alys next. [say]"Actually, I was planning to come by after lunch, but since I'm here..."[/say] The young woman fished in her bag for her journal, which she pulled out and opened to a marked page. She showed a design for a ring to the smith. [say]"This in silver, with obsidian as the center stone,"[/say] she murmured, tracing along the drawn lines with a finger. [say]"What do you think?"[/say] she asked, her question open to the smith and to Tal alike.


RE: [SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-18-2023

Tal wrinkled his nose at Alys's giggle, but though he clearly wanted to stick his tongue out at her he refrained while under the impatient scrutiny of the smith, who didn't seem like the type to appreciate antics or shenanigans. Instead he shifted over a bit to make room for Alys to join him and leaned companionably against her shoulder as she pulled out her journal. He shamelessly peered over her petite shoulder, but he didn't need to bother - she was willing to show him the design she'd come up with and he whistled in appreciation.

"Not bad," he admitted. "Simple, but pretty!" His own design for a wrought iron brooch with rubies winking from the black metal setting; a heavy piece with the rubies adding a blunt, almost pugnacious ornamental flash.

The smith leaned over to examine the picture and grunted something that might have been approval. "I'll need a measurement for the finger you want it on." Which was as good as an agreement to take the commission on.


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-18-2023

Tal leaned against her shoulder as she pulled out her journal, and Alys was again surprised by how natural it was to be around her friend. She wasn't a particularly cuddly person by nature, after all, but the steady presence at her side was somehow comfortable. She grinned up at him when he praised her drawing: a simple, elegant ring that made the obsidian she'd mined the shining star of the piece.

She briefly considered which finger she'd want to wear the ring on and, after a moment's contemplation, selected her right ring finger. Holding out her hand, she said, [say]"I think the ring finger."[/say] She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. Yes, that seemed right. As the smith took the measurement, Alys glanced over Tal's drawing again. [say]"Yours will be nice, with the black and red. I didn't even think about using a darker metal."[/say]


RE: [SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-18-2023

Tal visibly puffed up with pride at Alys's praise, flashing her a pleased grin. "Right? I mean, the rubies'd probably look good on gold, too, but it's such a soft metal, y'know? I wanted somethin' sturdy enough t'travel with." Even if he didn't wear much jewelry, and certainly not often. He was learning that it was at least nice to have the option... and he had enough friends now that showing up to some of these fancy parties wasn't the painfully uncomfortable torture it had once been.

"Hey, is there anythin' we can do t'help?" he asked the smith, canny mind already calculating ways to lower the bartering price.

She tied off the piece of leather cord that she'd measured Alys's finger with and appraised them both for a moment before nodding. "You can work the bellows ," she granted Tal. "And you can add coal to the forge when I tell you to." She lifted the latch and pushed the half-door that separated the forge from her customers open for the two to enter and showed them to their places and what she needed of them. Luckily they were standing near each other, so though the fire was loud and hot they could still talk.

"Sorry for draggin' you into this," he apologized, though not very sincerely as he snuck Alys a grin. "Figured tradin' some manual labor t'lower the price'd help us both out, though. So what'd y'think of the Climb?" Or at least that's where he assumed her obsidian center stone had come from.


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-18-2023

Alys thought that his choice was very practical, and she nodded with approval. Gold would have been pretty, but easily dinged or scratched, especially with someone as active as Tal. Who knew what he'd be doing in the days to come, or what cargo he'd be transporting, or what shenanigans he would get up to? No, the darker metal he'd chosen would be more well-suited to his lifestyle.

When Tal volunteered them to help, Alys shrugged, unbothered by the notion. She'd been shopping with Hotaru, after all, who was the queen of bargaining. Even if Tal went about it a different way - offering menial labor rather than bartering in the traditional sense - the end result would be the same. They would get more for less, and that was something Alys could live with. So Alys walked into the forge without looking back, thankful that she had decided to wear a short-sleeved, dark shirt that would be cool without showing any stains from the coal.

[say]"The Climb was hot,"[/say] she said, making a face as she picked up a shovel and waited for the smith's command. [say]"It's strange: when I first came to Halo, it was so cold. But now, with the Academy blessing and the right clothes... it's almost too hot to go anywhere else, especially during Longheat."[/say]


RE: [SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-19-2023

The smith bustled about, getting the ingots and crucible ready for the silver to begin its heating, and setting out the bar of iron to be worked and folded. "Now you're soundin' like a real Halovian," Tal praised Alys with a grin. He caught the smith's curt motion and began to work the bellows, heating up the fire where the iron had been placed. "When I first started deliverin' outside of Halo I hated goin' to Torchline or the Climb in Longheat." He paused, then added: "An' the Feverlands. An' the Oerwoud. Uh... so... most other places, I guess. At least King's End wasn't so bad?" And Stormbreak, but he'd learned not to mention the Abandoned-unfriendly capital around his magic-using friends.

"At least the party'll be at night." He grimaced, thinking of the upcoming bloody moon that they were going to 'celebrate.' "Maybe it'll be a little less hot then? How fancy are y'thinkin' of dressin' for it, anyways?"


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-19-2023

The smith paced here and there about the forge, gathering ingredients for their respective pieces. Alys watched, leaning on the shovel, until the woman gestured at her; then, she added coal to the fire. It was hot near the flames, and she quickly began to sweat. She wasn't sure how the silversmith could stand it. [say]"Halo feels more like home than the Grounds ever did,"[/say] she admitted. She hadn't exactly been popular back home, but here she'd felt... accepted.

Alys snorted as Tal listed off most other places in Caido as those he would rather avoid in Longheat. [say]"King's End seems nice,"'[/say] she agreed, although she had admittedly seen very little of it. [say]"I visited recently for a change of scenery."[/say] It had been a nice trip to sketch, and gather some inspiration for new tarot cards and the like.

She pondered Tal's question, keeping an eye on the working smith in case more coal was needed for the fire. [say]"Not as fancy as the Flowerbirth Ball,"[/say] she mused. [say]"It's supposed to be a festival, right? I think those are more casual, aren't they? Probably something cool."[/say] She grinned, pleased to share this newfound love of the cold with her friend. [say]"But other than that... I've only ever been to the Ball, so I'm not exactly what you'd call experienced at parties."[/say]


RE: [SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-19-2023

Tal grinned, pleased at how easily Alys had fit in to his home - now her home too! - and gave an emphatic nod of agreement before going off on his own list of places that were definitely not very home-like. Especially in Longheat!

"Haven't spent a lot o' time there," the courier admitted about King's End. "But it's not so bad. There's this freaky maze made out o' roses--" He cut himself off as the smith gestured to him with her tongs and he dutifully began working the bellows as she turned the slender iron rod until it glowed a cherry red. Then she motioned him to stop while she shifted the metal to the anvil and began to work it with a small hammer. Alys was spared further coal-shoveling for the moment, though her silver ingot in the crucible at the edge of the forge was beginning to show signs of softening.

Tal's mind skipped to the party and he listened as his friend mused on her own ideas for the gathering. There was open relief on his face as she mentioned dressing less fancy and then gave her a sheepish grin of solidarity. "I used t'avoid the things like th'plague," he admitted conspiratorially. "That Ball was th'fanciest shindig I've ever been to. But the one Ancient I met seemed pretty down t'earth, so hopefully this won't be as stuffy."


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-19-2023

Tal was interrupted by a gesture from the smith, and Alys took a moment to look around the forge, leaning on her shovel idly. The smith turned the iron rod in the fire until it glowed red, then began to work the metal on an anvil. Alys watched with a vague interest. She'd never been particularly interested in smithing, but she could appreciate a skill. It took them plenty of time and effort to learn their craft, just as it had taken her time and effort to learn hers.

[say]"I haven't met any Ancients,"[/say] she admitted. She didn't even know much about them, really. Just that theirs was an old race, and one that supposedly ate a lot of raw meat. [say]"What about Dygra? Do you know anything about her?"[/say]


RE: [SE] Red on black - Talyson - 05-20-2023

Tal watched with a little more focus than Alys did. He didn't have the muscle memory to hammer and fold the iron himself, but he'd watched it done often enough to know good metal from bad. This iron was of good quality; not some cheap scrap that was being foisted off on an idiot customer, and he relaxed a little.

The smith nodded for Alys to add more coal as she flattened and folded the slender rod three more times before returning it to the fire to heat up once again. While it was regaining its cherry glow she peered into the crucible, measuring the progress of the slowly melting ingot.

"I've only met th'one," Tal admitted easily. "In the Hollowed Grounds. Calls himself 'Fox.' Seems like a nice guy, 'cept with horns an' a tail." Tal shrugged and then got to work on the bellows at a gesture from the smith. "Dygra, though... not much. I know she's old, an' there's rumors that she's overly fond o' fire 'n blood. But I dunno for sure." After several strong pulls to fan the flames of Alys's coal he was allowed to rest again and flash Alys a crooked grin.

"How's business been for you lately? Can't be too bad if you're commissionin' a pretty ring like that, yeah?"


RE: [SE] Red on black - Alys - 05-22-2023

Alys waited for the smith to motion to her to add more coal, then easily shoveled some into the fire. She smiled to think that such an activity would have tired her not so very long ago, but she'd been working hard to strengthen her body and mind in an effort to gain better control over her magic. And it was working - she had seen great strides in her illusions ever since she had started the work. In any case, it came in handy for more mundane events, like this.

[say]"Business is good,"[/say] said Alys as the discussion veered away from Ancients and Dygra. [say]"I've got a few steady clients now, for my divination work, and I've been picking up some work as a scribe part-time."[/say] It was an improvement on their last conversation, to be sure, and she was pleased that she'd been able to start saving some money again. She didn't want to live on others' charity forever, after all. [say]"What about you? Any luck finding an assistant?"[/say]