no cracks, no breaks

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

In one of the back rooms of the Art-isan's Guild, Amun had laid his hands on the many piles of iron ore and scrap iron. It rippled and shimmered as he activated his manipulation upgrade. Commanding it to flow together, he had it slide across the room towards the front of the building.

Continuing to shepherd it through the door, he eventually deposited it just to one side of the entrance. The sky was overcast overhead, only the moon visible through the light cloud cover. Taking his hands off for a moment, he rolled his neck before touching the iron once more. It transformed again, beginning to crawl into a more definite shape, though what exactly he was forming wasn't clear just yet.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin Achlys

what is death —

Hemin sauntered towards the outline of the Art-isan's guild, the overcast sky a gentle roof above his head. The last time he'd visited the guild, he was half-a-head shorter, with receding acne and sun-burns. He was told to wait outside then, as his mother floated in an out before the moon lost a sliver. A guild she had visited for a favor, a guild she'd broken ties with but Hemin had not forgotten about. When he had visited last, he could not remember, but he held a splintered arrow in his one hand and a fistful of hope in the other.

The Hollowed Ground. He called this place home, but other than the few streets between his home and the family shop, he was a stranger to the rest. His resolve grew to change this fact, even if it happened ever so slowly. The front, looming doors of the guild grew larger as he moved in closer, drawn by curiosity.

A man waving iron in the air caught his attention, and he scratched the back of his ears. He was nervous? Excited? Self-questioning was more like it, as he wasn't quite sure how to get this man's attention.

"Hey. Heyy! Cool night, ain't it?" He waved his hope filled fist at the man. He also shined the arrowhead in his other hand against his badger-fur lined scarf.

— but life's flattering shadow?

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

Amun paused in his work as the voice called out to him. Glancing up, he gave the man before a once over. The arrival wasn't familiar to the potter, which in and of itself was unusual. Straightening up, Amun kept one hand resting on the metal he'd brought out. His upgrade continued to work as he schooled his features into a neutral, if polite expression. The iron now had a more definite shape: there was a table at the base, but metal tendrils continued to climb upwards from its surface.

"It's a bit nippy, yes," the potter acknowledged. He inclined his head towards the stranger. "I'm Amun, I don't think we've met." Introduction given, the potter held out his hand for a shake. "Can I help you with something?"

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin Achlys

what is death —

Hemin sported a smirk as he readied a jest. “I’d like to purchase this fine establishment for triple the asking price. And, for a limited time only, I’ll even throw in one of my kidneys.”

His gaze held onto Amun’s analyzing gaze, tight enough to elicit some discomfort if his proposal wasn’t startling enough.

“Just get me to the boss and we’ll shake hands to make the deal. No questions asked. No questions necessary.”

Hemin reached his hand out and took a peek at metal table growing seemingly on its own. He hadn’t seen anything like that before, but then again, compared to the tales he heard about the world he probably hadn’t seen much.

“If you throw in that fancy table, I’ll even give my second kidney.” He pauses. “But, seriously, how are you doing that?”

If this man, Amun, alone was capable of this, what else were the members of this guild able to do? The allure of possibly gaining friendships of utility sparked a satisfying sizzle in Hemin’s heart. All the things he could create and all the people he could reach as a result of networking- was he ready to take this venture?

— but life's flattering shadow?

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

As the other man started chattering, Amun raised an eyebrow. For a moment, a ghost of the potter's old smile graced his lips before it bled away. "It's priceless. Or, as some might interpret, worthless. As for kidneys, you might have better luck pawning yours at the Infirmary." He pointed at the Temple, which was the largest building in the Hollowed Ground. Well, apart from the Spire.

"The boss, hm? And what will you say to him when you see him? I'd suggest you start with a name." Taking the other man's hand, Amun gave it a firm shake. As the stranger brought up the table, the potter glanced down at it. His hand was still resting on it and his upgrade was still running. The metal tendrils kept moving, beginning to form what looked like cages or frames of various shapes and sizes. "How do you know it's the table that is fancy?" He wiggled the fingers of his free hand at the other man.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin

If you forget to breathe...

"Oh so this place is sentimental. That's like making the argument, 'You can't buy her! She's my mother.' Mother or not, everything has a price." Hemin sighed in deep relief, seeing as this man had his head squarely on his shoulders and diffused his little ruse with a couple of matter-of-fact remarks. Too bad, though. He would've pushed a little more if all he was going to get from the interaction was a half-a-second smile.

"Hmm, if I were to see the boss, I'd probably avoid his attention as I snooped around the place to see if it really were as priceless as you described it to me. Hemin's the name. Rhymes with lemon." After letting go of Amun's hand, he traced the edge of the table with his fingers. The steel was wondrously smooth to the touch, almost like ice, and the metal continued to shift. He considered the man's question, and wondered if this was what he could do with his attention divided, then undivided this man was probably a genius.

"It can't be you that's fancy, is it? What are you doing in the Grounds with magic like that?" To his knowledge, most magic wielders would rather choke than be found in the Grounds. He tensed up a little as well, for he had a working theory that it was magic that killed his mother. He didn't know whether to be scared, angry, or wary. All of the above seemed an option, but he tapped on the metal table and looked up at Amun, hoping to suspend judgement til he got more information.

I may not be there to remind you.

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

Continuing to arch an eyebrow, Amun put his free hand on his hip. "In your case, it's less can't buy her, and more couldn't afford her. Mother is classy." The metal continued to creep around: at the back of the table, boxes began for form even as the wiring became more and more elaborate at the front.

"Mmm, so you're a snoop and a charlatan then, lemon drop." Snorting, the potter tilted his head to one side. He eyed Hemin as the other man inspected the table, but didn't comment on it. Instead, his lips twitched as Hemin complimented the workmanship and the upgrade. "Who said anything about magic?"

Shrugging, Amun gestured between himself and Hemin. "I'd have thought the fangs were a dead giveaway, but seeing as we're both Ascended I suppose it's no harm to tell you it's an upgrade from the Voice." The potter patted the surface of the metal, though he was careful to keep at least one finger on it at all times.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin

If you forget to breathe...

The creeping metal hypnotized Hemin, as he began to notice Amun and the metal never once separated, as if the two of them were conjoined. Almost like the metal were an extension of the man.

"Well, let's forget about her then.  Worthless, classy. Whatever you want to call her, I've changed my mind." He felt flushed for being so intrigued, but my, oh my, the different pedestals he could have made for his pieces using that non magic. If the Voice could give this guy an upgrade, then he surely could obtain one for himself, could he not?

"My apologies, good brother, Ascended. I was too busy charlatanizing to realize you've been blessed by the Voice herself. How fantastic! My mother and father were both so devout, though you could say I'm a rather sheltered follower. My parents was graced with upgrades themselves, no doubt about it, but they kept their methods quiet with a deep reverence." His hands creeped down the table, closer and closer to Amun's magic finger.

"Well, my mother was reverent, and my father... closed off. You see, it's been a while since I've interacted with my own kind. If ever, outside my own family." The upgrade was seamless, almost truly an extension of the man. How couldn't it be considered a magic in itself?

"Amun, was it? I... Where are my manners. Oh, yes. I have quite few... You can take a bite out of me if you want. I am so sorry." Hemin then began to blush as he realized how that could be taken the wrong way.

"Of course, I wasn't asking you to... I just meant..." Hemin began to scoot behind the table, using it as a barrier for his awkwardness.

I may not be there to remind you.

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

Amun glanced at the sign that said Art-isan's Guild before his gaze crept back to Hemin. Arching an eyebrow, the potter put his free hand on his hip. "Is she still the Guild in this metaphor?" He shook his head at his fellow Ascended.

Frowning a bit, the potter tilted his head to one side. He examined Hemin again, this time taking in the whole of the other man's appearance. As the other Ascended's fingers crept closer, Amun had his upgrade elongate that section of the table. It rippled and slid, keeping their hands the same distance apart. At the same time, he looked over the wire frames, making sure they all had a small cup or circle at their base.

"Let me get this straight, lemon drop. Your parents had you, at some point converted to Ascended, and you followed in their footsteps? But you haven't gotten much exposure to the world outside your home?" He narrowed his eyes. "That about sums it up?"

Letting out a laugh at Hemin's discomfort, the potter shrugged a single shoulder. "Occupational hazard of being an Ascended, you'll find." He winked at the other man, though Amun's smile slid away quickly. "Maybe some other time."

Lifting his hand from the table, he crossed his arms. "Did you actually need help with something?" He gestured for Hemin to speak.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin

If you forget to breathe...

Hemin's attempts at closing any gaps between the two remained at a table-length. The discoveries that this man was both an Ascended and blessed by the voice were enough to have kept him distracted from his main goal, which was still the arrowhead he had almost forgotten was in his hand. The arrowhead vibrated in his hand as it clinked against the metal table, and Hemin wondered how intimately Amun could feel metal-against-metal.

"I wouldn't blame them for that. It was my choice to remain closed off. Heck, the fact that they coaxed me out to hear the Voice was a milestone in itself. You see, childhood trauma and stuff-- those kind of excuses kept me at bay from the world. But I'm trying to change that."

Amun's wink and subtle enthusiasm that waned triggered an intrigue in Hemin that transformed into a vague compassion. Had this guy gone through something recently? Maybe something traumatic? Hemin had no clue what the bottom iceberg to his problem was, but he was sure that the custom was not to pry. Then again, maybe that wasn't the custom?

"Yes! I did need help with something." Hemin leaned in closer to Amun, hand still on the metal table.

"You need to tell me what's bothering you. Like, on the inside." He said in the most serious tone he could muster. Then he let silence build up, his gaze remain focused, and a gust of wind sweep by before he changed his question.

"Just kidding! You see this arrowhead here? I happened to find it-- and the arrow it was part of-- in the prey I was stalking the other day. Someone disturbed my hunt. So, I'm investigating. You wouldn't happen to be able to figure out who crafted it for me, would you?" He dangled the arrowhead in the air in front of Amun, a goofy smile on his lips meant to diffuse tension.

I may not be there to remind you.

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

Eying the arrowhead as Hemin bumped it against the table, Amun frowned again. Still, he ignored it as he finished constructing the wire frames. It eventually became clear they were the base for lanterns; he made sure they were separated from the table by running his hand over them before deactivating his upgrade.

"Plenty of childhood trauma to go around in these parts. And adult trauma too. Don't worry, you'll fit right in lemon drop." Although he snorted, it wasn't actually a joke. "And if you need help navigating anything, feel free to stop by."

As his fellow Ascended leaned forward, the potter remained exactly where he was. In fact, he didn't move at all except for a slight inclination of his head when the other man mentioned he needed help. However, Amun's lips parted when Hemin insisted on hearing about the potter's own trauma.

Except it turned out to be a joke and he barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Peering at the arrowhead, he held his hand out for it. "I can try, but it's an arrowhead. Short of finding a mark of some kind, I'm afraid you're out of luck." Glancing up from his inspection, he hummed a few notes. "What were you hunting? Seems to me you'd be better off checking to see if anyone's been selling meat or furs from that animal recently." His gaze returned to the arrowhead, brow furrowed as he looked for any distinguishing mark.

At the discussion of a hunt, the earth bubbled up at Amun's feet. Zhanshi practically erupted from the ground, but the potter was already moving; he snatched the landshark out of the air before the potter's companion could reach Hemin. "Play nice. You know the rules," Amun admonished. Zhanshi responded by twisting in the potter's hands and nibbling on a knuckle.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin

If you forget to breathe...

Hemin let Amun examine the arrowhead, only to hear him question his methodology. Unhelpful. But of course, Amun hadn't heard the full of his story.

"You see, that's the thing. I was tracking a stray ROUS to find their pack, but when I made it to the den, all I found were bodies. A whole ROUS pack, killed and left to rot. It was the strangest thing. Whoever slaughtered them left no trace but lethal blows and one broken arrow. As I followed their trail, which wasn't difficult, I kept finding bodies that littered the ground. Landsharks, vampire gourds, squirrels. Dead. All clean kills. Then, nothing. The trail led me back to the Settlement though, and that's when I decided to ask around."

Hemin leaned down to watch the intricate metal shifting slow down as Amun's attention shifted to the arrowhead. If Hemin hadn't been so distracted, the ripple in the ground signifying the arrival of the landshark would definitely have caught his attention. Instead, Hemin turned with awe at the display of affectionate knuckle-biting between the shark and Amun.

"It's a pup! You don't see much of those until they're at least shed adolescence. Did you get him from an egg or something? Ohhhh, a pup would be great to add to my collection! Just keep holding him like that..." Hemin said as he reached behind his back to pull out a dagger and stepped closer to Amun.

I may not be there to remind you.

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

Frowning at Hemin's explanation, Amun flipped the arrowhead around a few times. However, there weren't any distinguishing marks that he could spot. Arching an eyebrow, he went to lean against the doorway. "If it's someone who can kill a full sized landshark, it's best you steer clear of them lemon drop. I can only think of a few people that could do that singlehandedly, and none of them are the type of person you want to antagonize." Those creatures regularly wiped out full sized hunting parties. "I can ask around, see if anyone sold a bunch of equipment recently or if anyone put in a request for a monster hunter."

As the other man drew a knife, the potter's eyes widened. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded. Stepping back, he shoved Zhanshi behind him with one hand as he raised the other. Electricity crackled from his palm as he tried to blast the weapon out of the other Ascended's hand.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid

Hemin

If you forget to breathe...

As the electricity leaped from Amun’s hands, Hemin’s Father’s voice echoed in his conscience. “Sloppy as always!Nothing but a twig on a rotten log.” The mini-lightning shot toward Hemin’s extended hand and smacked into his dagger, tossing it from Hemin’s hands and onto the floor. He recoiled, clutching his wrist, dazed for a second. Hemin had spent so much time sizing up prey that he had’t paid attention to how dangerous humans could be as well. It was his folly to underestimate a gifted Ascended at that, and he would be the most grateful if the tingling in his arm were the least of his battle scars.

Hemin put up a defensive stance, sliding his right foot back and placing his arms in front of him. Now that he was sufficiently alerted to Amun being a sizable threat, he scanned his surroundings and put distance between him and Amun.

Was he going to diffuse the situation? Stand his ground? Flee? Hemin watched as the electricity continued to spark from Amun’s hand. His eyes also observed the land sharks movements, to see how the creature would react. Seeing as he had no more weapons, Hemin placed his hands in the air and looked at the table, then back to Amun and back to the shark.

”Whoa. So that just happened. You know, if I really, truly meant to injure your friend, I would have waited for when you were’t looking. As far as jokes go, that wasn’t the best I’ve given today. Maybe I should stick to ‘Your Momma’ jokes, huh?” Hemin put up an apologetic grin, using his pearly whites to wave a flag of surrender.

”This lemon is gonna drop to the ground and beg for your forgiveness now.” Hemin got on his knees and bent his back until his nose reached the dusty earth.

I may not be there to remind you.