Closed [The Ironworks] Long, Stabby Thing

[Tanna]

34 SPRING 515 AV
• around the 11th bell •

Thirty four days in and Tanna was still going strong with her New Year's resolution. She had yet to lack inspiration for her daily challenges thus far, no doubt due to her vivid imagination, but today's was made for an entirely different reason. Today her focus was on safety.

Perhaps it might seem odd to someone that she had managed so long without a weapon or the skillset to use it but, in the end, it all came down to how she lived.

Having grown up a member of the horse clans, she had never needed such skills since she had never ventured anywhere alone. Trips had always been done as a group of at least three members and at least one had the skillset to defend the others. Even after she had left the Drykas behind, she had continued to stick to groups, seeking out merchant convoys and fellow travellers during her journey to Sylira. To the Drykas-born, she had simply never needed to develop such skills, especially when her expertise lied elsewhere, so sticking to this pattern had seemed the most logical thing to do to better her chance of survival – the added bonus of company never hurt either.

However, this season was different. Instead of favouring a busy inn, she had chosen a private apartment within the Traveler's Row, doing so to meet her ultimate challenge of trying something completely opposite of what she was used to. It had been an odd experience thus far and the half-Drykas had taken to leaving her door open whenever she happened to be in or around her dwelling in the off chance that someone might pop their head in to say hello.

She did know this was not the wisest course of action, though, and, despite how safe the city was with the amount of knights patrolling the streets, she still found herself missing the security that came from numbers. It was because of this she took it upon herself to seek out something to make up for the personal security she felt she lacked.

Since she hadn't thought too deeply into what she planned on procuring this day, her intention had been to head down to the Bazaar to seek out a weapon merchant. Instead, the Drykas' attention was diverted, along with her direction of travel from the docks, when she heard the distinct 'Dink! Dink!' of a hammer strike on metal. Following the sound, her boots carried her into the behemoth that was The Ironworks and she suddenly found herself contemplating having something made. How exhilarating it would be to own something uniquely her own!

With a fresh sense of purpose, the half-Drykas picked up her skirt and sought out the first person to cross her sight – a short, toe-headed man who appeared wrapped up in whatever task he was doing. Ever uncouth, she sidled right up to him to the point of bumping shoulders before she spoke, her voice having little issue rising above the din of the forge, Pavi accent thick as molten iron, “Hello.” She waited until she had his attention – even if it was for but a beat, “I am interested in having something crafted. Are you a smith?”

inspiration (watch for a giggle)

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tiath Othos]

Tiath's day was still just beginning in its earnest as the 11th bell rung in the distance, pulling his attention away from his work for a moment to glance towards the outsides of the IronWorks, Has this much time passed already?[i] Glancing back at his work he felt his stomach drop slightly, in the hours that had passed since he had arrived at the forge, the tasks he had been given for the day hadn't been too complicated, just a few simple joints, building parts that someone had ordered for building something. It didn't really matter to him, he had been given a task by Baldemar so that was all the push he needed to do it to the best he could. He felt bad however because of the fact he had been taking so long in doing a simple task, watching the other smiths and how easily the metals seemed to flow under their strikes made him often jealous yet awe inspired, he still only could dream of being half as good as them.

[i]Well one of my problems is that I am sitting around thinking of these things , his brow became furrowed in slight annoyance as he went back to the task, he had left a heated ingot resting against the anvil, half flattened out into a rectangular piece of iron. Raising his hammer and beginning to continue to hammer at the metal, trying to make it flatten out into the shape he wanted, each hit only making its for move slightly or not at all with some, his progress slowing as he tried harder and harder to make it move. Sighing he gave in, he had let the iron settle for too long and it had to place it back into the forge and wait for it to reheat so he could continue the work, hoping that Baldemar wouldn't see him standing around waiting.

He jumped as he felt someone brush against him, his heart jumping into his mouth in panic, picturing that Baldemar had found him out and prepared for the look of disappointment that he had grown use to whenever he failed him. Flinching in anticipation as he turned to face the other, a look of surprise showing as he saw the woman standing very close to him, causing him to suddenly to become very self-conscious and red in the face. "Uh um hi" He said quietly "I am a smith! Well um I mean I only recently only started smithing and I am trying hard to learn the craft." Shut up! Stop talking! His face went an even brighter red as he lowered his head slightly in embarrassment "Sorry, I mean I could help with finding someone how would be able to help you." His voice even quieter now, only barely audible over the forges sounds, "My names Tiath, how can I help?" He bowed slightly as he introduced himself.

[Tanna]

The Drykas' brows flew up as she saw the man start at her touch and she raised a hand, palm forward, in a gesture of good faith whilst she drew back and took a small step to the side for good measure. She truly hadn't meant to startle him and she hoped this was obvious after she put distance between them, apologising profusely, lips pulled into a grimace that quickly became a broad, hopeful smile as she sought forgiveness for her err, “My mistake! I did not mean to give you fright! I just-”

She stalled mid sentence after she had his attention, unable to keep her smile from growing as he grew red in the face. It was a warm smile, one that seemed to come more from her eyes, and it remained as he spoke. He was flustered, that much was apparent, and Tanna found it oddly charming even though it made his words tumble off his lips in a rush that made it difficult for her to catch them all but the meaning was still clear.

With that warm smile still present, she took time with her own words, keeping them gentle, “No need for sorry, Tiath. It is good you have passion for your trade, yes?” Her eyes teased him gently yet the meaning was genuine. Tanna had a deep admiration for those who loved their craft and never tired from hearing – and seeing – someone speak of it. She swore it was so similar to someone speaking of a lover and, being the sucker for stories and tales that she was, she did not think there was anything more beautiful than seeing someone speak with that sort of passion and love in their eyes.

Body language was practically a language in and of itself amongst the Drykas and she picked up on his discomfort immediately. Fearing he would shrink away, she did her best to coax him back out, choosing to stick with the subject of his passion, “No, no, do not go yet. I am Tanna.” With her rather informal introduction, she mirrored the slight bow he had given her, “I see you were working on something. What is it?” Her hands motioned the word out of habit but, in doing so, kept her own body relaxed and open. Her question was as much for her benefit as his own, for it was unlike her to pass up an opportunity to sate her curiosity – and this place was a mecca for new things to investigate.

She playfully craned her neck, exaggerating her movements to try and lighten the mood as she took a step towards the anvil he had been using, peering down at its surface and the forge just beyond before she glanced back towards him, her eyes aglow and eager.

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tiath Othos]

Tiath glanced up from under his fringe to meet the girls gaze as she asked him about his passion for what he did, unsure if she was teasing him or generally curious, finding her smiling warmly at him he slightly raised his head speaking a little louder this time, "I think it’s a good thing?" He said slightly confused by the question, "I mean, I love trying to do my job, changing something from a simple rock or a ingot into something that will be of benefit to others" He said with a little more energy than before, glancing over his shoulder into the depths of the IronWorks for a moment, seemingly nervous about something. "I owe it to my teacher tho, he at least gave me a chance at this, otherwise I might have joined the order..." He seemingly blanked out for a moment as he became lost in thought as he wondered how different things would have been if he had just done what he had been told.

He shook his head as he snapped out of it, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious about the scar on his chin as he tilted his slightly to try and hide it as the girl again spoke to him. She doesn’t want me to find someone to help her? She dose understand what I had said... Right? He really couldn't understand why she didn't want someone else's help but that also didn't really much to him either, it was nice to him that she was actually staying around to talk to him, causing him to smile shyly at it. The smile only grew as she copied his bow, giving him a moment to actually take in some of her features which he may have stared at for slightly too long, not that Tiath would notice, not being the most tactful of people.

He blinked with surprise as she reminded him of his work, That you should be doing before Baldemar fines you wasting time and yells at you again! He turned around and grabbed the tongs that he had used to quickly pull the white hot iron out of the forge and onto the anvil, right into her gaze. "Sorry, I really should be working, not that i don't want to talk to you or anything" He said nervously, hoping that he didn't insult her by becoming distracted by the work. Taking the hammer he had been using and running his gaze over the half flattened slab before starting to strike at it, feeling the metal move into place a lot more easily compared to when he had let it cooled. "Um... I am trying to make some simple joints for... Something?" He paused for a moment and grinned to himself "It really doesn’t matter what they are for, I was asked to make it and that’s what I will try and do, even if it isn't perfect." Slowly the Iron had become a flat sheet as he hammered it against the anvil, moving it around with the tongs to reach the parts that hung over the edges.

He realised a mistake that he had made before turning his head to look at Tanna for a moment "Um, sorry to ask this but could I have a hand?" He said sheepishly, a look of embarrassment coming over his face that he couldn’t afford to hide at that moment, "Uhh... There is some metal... Wedges? Triangles?" He couldn't figure out really how to explain what he needed "Um... They are over on the bench across from me" gesturing with his head to a small box of tools that had been placed on the bench that connected to the forge, "Think you can get them for me? I just need them placed along the iron" He pointed at 3 places on each side of the flat surface. He paused for a moment, "Actually, I don't want you to burn yourself or anything so just pass them to me if you rather" He said in a worried tone.

OOCSorry if this wasn't too good!

[Tanna]

Tanna merely nodded cheerfully as he spoke of his work, dark eyes watching him with the same rapt interest as they took in everything from the look in his eye to his posturing. Although he seemed hesitant at first, as if speaking was not one of his favourite past-times, she was pleased that he became more and more expansive as she pried. However, there was one word that was unfamiliar to her and her face changed immediately once she heard it, as if hearing a minstrel hit a horribly wrong note, and her brows knitted. Without even a second thought, she interrupted him as she tested the word on her own tongue both in question and to get a better grasp of it, “En-gat? Ing-ot.” Perplexed, she added, “I do not know this word.”

Her eyes widened as they remained fixed on his face, willing him to explain that foreign word to her and, once he had, that expression melted away, softening into the sunny warmth it had earlier held. Without missing a beat, she resumed the conversation, “Oh, aye, I imagine there is no better feeling. You are favoured, then. By the Gods. Lucky.” Her smile grew wide and she nodded knowingly. It was not every day that They intervened and changed a person's path.

She noticed him start to shy away and she stammered, groping for something, anything, that could keep the conversation going, “I- uh, Do you make many thing a day?” Her Common was hardly the best but she was trying and, oh, how she longed for good conversation. She was finding it absolutely dreadful living on her own. However, it appeared that he was set on returning to whatever task she had previously interrupted and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

The Drykas jerked out of the way as the hot tongs swung her way, wide eyes following them with sudden interest before they flicked back to his face once he spoke, “No need for sorry. I stopped you from work.” To her delight, he picked the conversation back up as he hammered at the hot iron. Joints? She understood that word from dealing with horses. But a metal joint? Her mind worked to figure out the context by which he meant since he had been vague about their usage.

His grin only made hers return, full as ever.

“Metal joint? Like a-”Oh, what was the word. She knew it as hinge in Pavi, but Common? Her hands began to move energetically, fingertips meeting at a right angle before she lifted wrist and arm in unison to move one hand from perpendicular to parallel, a full ninety degree shift, before lowering the hand back to the previous angle. “A..” her lips pursed. With growing frustration, she supinated her palms, showing them to him as she moved her hands so the pinky sides rested against one another and then began to open and close her hands, as if her palms were the inside of a book. She gave up at last, one hand moving to rub at her brow as the other sought out a hip, “I do not know Common word. Still new.”

For all she knew, she could have missed the mark completely, but her smile did return as her other hand dropped to rest of her other hip and she leaned forward to watch what he was doing. “The practice is what is best. More practice, better...” the Drykas paused briefly before her lips shot into a broader, toothier smile as she quipped, “joints.” Her eyes caught his then and she felt quite pleased with herself.

Hearing his request, she nodded emphatically as she began to move. She glanced behind herself to the bench he spoke of, eying the unfamiliar parts that lay upon its surface and then swept her dark eyes back to him. Just as he instructed, she dutifully stepped to the bench and gathered an armful of triangular pieces before shooting him one last look. She carried them back to him and grinned to diffuse the situation, “No worry. I learned to avoid hot thing when I was young.” She paused, then, to hand him one of the items she had grabbed, hoping it was the right implement. Seeing it safely into his hand, she added light-heartedly, “Is why I am bad cook.”

OOCSo sorry for the delay!!! Hope this works for you c:

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tiath Othos]

He smiled as she brought over the metallic wedges to him, they were exactly what he would need in order to build the part that he had been tasked with, quickly placing the hammer on the ground he took a wedge from her. He was pondering her questions from earlier as he tried to also focus on the task that he had at hand, mentally picturing where he would need the metal to bend. He gave a small smile at the comment she had made, "Well at least you have that much sense then, I still have managed to nick myself against the iron every now and then when I am not concentrating enough. Or maybe I just focus too hard on what I am doing to be paying attention to my surroundings?" He paused for a moment, biting the side of his lip for a moment in thought as he tried to figure out how to say what he meant "That doesn’t make sense dose it?" He asked looking over at her for a moment to gage her reaction.

He then quickly glanced back towards the girl as he thought back over his own words, making himself go over them in his head, trying to guess what which ones she might not understand fully. He bit the inner part of his lip as he quickly pondered it and decided on what he might need to clear up. "Um.. Ingots being just a bar of metal that's been melted down in smaller shapes." He said, it sounding slightly off to even him but that was how he pictured it.

He looked back to his work as he placed down the first one of the wedges, he judged that he would need three wedges per side in order to get each side to bend in the way he wanted, he placed the first of the wedges about a quarter of the plates width away from the edge, before turning to take another one from Tanna "And about your question before, do I make things everyday wasn't it?" He had hoped that was what she meant, but he would try to cover all the bases just in case, "Well whatever days I do work I am always making something new or repeating a task until I get it right, basically I am trying to learn how to do the basics of everything better so that I can become of more use to everyone" He paused for a moment before just speaking his mind "Tho I am unsure of whether or not what I am making will end up just being melted back in to ingots for someone else to use again another day or if they actually are used for their tasks" He didn't really want to know either, he would be happy if they were being used somewhere but the previous felt like it was more likely than the later.

He began to focus more on his task at hand as he placed the final of the wedges down onto the hot metal, moving the sheet with his tongs so the wedges lined with the edge of the anvil before he reached down and picked up his hammer. Carefully he hit them with the hammer on the ends, forcing them into the metal and causing the side that was hanging over to bend slightly under the pressure. He hit it a few more times so that the metal began to bend a slight bit more before he began to hit it from the underside, slowly forcing it to bend into the shape that he wanted, the wedges acting as the point where the metal bent around.Ok this should work, I just need to make sure I don't screw this up and get it to bend correctly without bending one side too far before the other. It took some effort to do so and he had to remove the wedges as it neared a right angle that he needed. He couldn't help but give himself as smile as it neared the perfect angel and he moved to place the wedges again at the next quarter’s length.

He blinked as he remembered Tanna's gestures from before about what he was making and went red slightly, "Oh, I am not making a hinge for a door, that... I don’t really know how I would do that just yet" He said slightly embarrassed "I am not sure even how to do that just yet... Now that I think of it I should really look into that... Anyways, no I am making a joint for wooden beams." He paused and moved the bent sheet into the middle of the anvil and placed his tools down as he tried to describe what he meant. "It’s... Like a hollow square" He said making the actions with his hands as he spoke "Its supposedly so that two different beams of wood can be put together and have nails put through each" He realised that he might be acting slightly patronising with the gestures and turned bright red again "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to .. Um" He just dropped his hands and head again "Sorry, I am bad at this.. Talking I mean" He said before turning to take his tools again to start on the next side of his work.

oocAgain, sorry for the wait and I hope this ok, I had to really rush it out, so sorry if I didn't leave anything for you to go off or the likes. -Tiath

[Tanna]

Ingot. She pictured the metal brick he spoke of and mentally attached this new word to the image, repeating the word over in her head as she muttered it softly to herself, willing herself to remember the term. She immediately understood what he meant, having knowledge of the Pavi term, but she had never been in a situation that required the Common equivalent. At last, she shot him a grateful look and nodded her head in thanks.

“I once knew a man who worked with this ingot. He was a-” she paused briefly as a furrow formed between her brow. What was that word again? “A.. a- ” Her gaze dropped as she tried to focus on the word she wanted, willing it to come to her tongue when suddenly it did, her eyes alight as they flicked back up to his form, broad lips drawn wide in personal triumph, “A farrier.. but also do some metal working. He was like you, still learning. But he had same passion, too. Same focus.” Her smile softened as her head tilted, embracing the nostalgia she felt as she reflected on her past, “And also shy,” she added with a playful wink.

The Drykas only grinned as she watched him engross himself in his task once more. She had little doubt any injury he sustained while on the job was purely due to how wrapped up he became and stated as much, “I think because you focus hard. Forget you work with hot thing.” Chuckling in her good-natured way, she finally stepped back enough to remain out of his way as he went about his work, arms crossing loosely as she leaned her shoulder into a wooden support beam. “It is not bad. Not always good for body, but never bad. Maybe practice make you able to do both?” Her chin tilted up as she offered another encouraging – if not somewhat teasing – grin, “I would not trust blacksmith that does not have burns, just as much as I would not trust Sylirian knight with shiny armor. Might mean person is lucky, but usually mean person not tested... not true.”

Pushing away from the beam, she approached with the same casual and candid air in which she had first entered, swaggering back towards him as she leaned forward so she could peer over his shoulder to the hot metal he was working, “Practice is good. Is that not how one 'earn their stripe'?” She had overheard some knights in The Herald's Arms speaking of such things, being there for what she had gathered to be celebratory purposes rather than those of duty, although she likely got the saying wrong.

“And if you like it, doing practice over and over is not bad. Can be fun – like game or hobby.” Her warm smile returned before she added, “It is always best to do what you enjoy. That is what I think, anyways. Enjoy what you do and do what you love, what makes heart sing. I wonder, what would your life be like if you had done other thing.. Joined Order?” She was prying again, her brown eyes set intently on his face, waiting to read the reaching this question might cause. “I sense you did not want that life. So it is good you stick to this,” she waved a hand towards the anvil he was working on and the forge before them, ever-present smile offered once more.

It faded briefly as he corrected her and she nodded in earnest, acknowledging her mistake, “Ah, not hinge.” She filed that word away before inquiring, brows perking, “But like in tavern? On.. ” Gesticulating, she pointed to the ceiling but, again, she struggled before managing with another proud look, “on ceiling.”

Her gaze returned to his work, head cocking as she appraised it before she turned her head to view him full on, her warm smile present once more, “It is good, Tiath. I like our talk.” Her hands made a gesture to emphasise her gratitude then, moving fluidly in front of her body. Her lips drew wide, creasing her eyes. “It does not help that I interrupt you when you do work,” she sympathised, knowing how she could be. Poor young man was just trying to get his project finished and here she was, bothering him like some annoying fly. She suddenly felt very appreciative of his patience and that he even bothered to continue to placate her queries with answers.. especially as thorough as his had been thus far. “You are very kind to me, saying what you do. If I am pest, you can tell me to leave.” Her words were warm if not playful, yet humble and sincere.

It was then she finally remembered why she had even come here in the first place and it was her turn to look a bit embarrassed, “My turn for sorry! You - you do not do weapon, right? Make weapon, I mean. Only... joints and things? Not that this is bad thing!” She was quick to add this correction, finding the ability to create something - especially out of metal - was no small feat, “I am being distraction, talking all this time. I hope you not much mind.” Her eyes sought his own, seeking forgiveness. She hoped he did not view it all as time wasted - she had rather liked their chat.

OOCUg, so sorry for the delay and this feels shoddy. Let me know if you need me to edit or add.. I'll likely clean things up in the morning anyways :\

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tiath Othos]

Tiath had begun working onto the next side of the metal joint, still keeping the mental design clear in his head as he again went through the steps of what he would need to do in order to get the next bend to happen correctly. I have to remember that the metal is now behind my hand as well when I swing, mentally he kept repeated that to himself as he begun to place the metal wedges along the line that would become the next bend in his work. He had raised his hammer to begin to swing down into the first wedge when Tanna had spoken up, causing him to pause and look at her as she spoke to him again, placing his tools down for a moment so he could give her his full attention as she begun to speak of someone from her past, surprised that she was comparing him to someone from her past.. Or is it the other way around? He didn't exactly know what she had meant tho by them begin a farrier, it begin a word or job that he had never heard of. He couldn't help but try and hide a smile at the slight irony that even tho she seemed to be struggling with the language, she still knew words or job titles that he didn't.

He felt his cheeks blaze up as she winked at him, finding himself at a loss on how he should react and why he felt so embarrassed by it and trying to hide it by pretending to suddenly very interested in his work. He attempted to pick up his tools again fumbling as he did before he managed to get himself back in order enough to continue to work, beginning to hit the wedges into the metal, watching as they begun to bite into the hot iron again. It was the exact same procedure as before it was more that for each time he did this process the amount of space he would have to swing the hammer and the room for error would become smaller, he already could feel the heat from the metal beating against his skin. He had finished hitting the two edge wedges but was beginning to feel uncomfortable about the middle one and decided against risking it and instead began to hammer it from the outside. He took a slight step back and glanced at progress, the metal now in a U shape with the right arm being twice as long as the left for when it needed to be bent over to finish the square. He gave a slight grin as he picked up the metal with the tongs and placed it back within the forge to allow it to reheat slightly.

He turned to Julia as she had started speaking to him as he had been placing the iron back into the forge and had been a slight bit too distracted to respond to her, he felt the redness slightly return to his checks for a moment as he turned to her and lowered his head. "I hope it’s that... I rather not be clumsy and burn myself out of stupidity" Glancing up only to see her grin he couldn't help but smile back in return still trying to keep his head down to hide the smile, the smile only growing as she continued to talk about how she wouldn't trust someone without burns if they were a blacksmith. His smile froze on his face for an instant, his features hardening at the mention of the knights. He forced himself to thaw as he just forced himself to continue smiling and pay attention to her. "Yeah... I can understand that" He said in a much more dulled out tone before he shook his head slightly and met her gaze "Knights generally should be taken with some distrust anyways" he said with a slight shrug before he turned away from her to pull the iron back out from the forge.

He pulled it out slowly and placed in onto the anvil, taking a moment to look over it and decide on his next step. He already knew what he should do and he was just stalling himself as his thoughts battered at him, topics about knights always got him worked up slightly. Absentmindedly he rubbed the scar on his chin with the back of his hand, the pummel of the hammer grazing against his skin slightly as he did. He sighed to himself and lowered his head before moving to grab a steel spike. He had to make holes for bolts to pass into the wood when the product was done, otherwise it would just be supporting the wood and not holding it in place. He could feel that Tanna had moved closer to him and could feel her watching his work, he glanced over at her and was surprised to see that she was so close to him, he gave her a quick half smile before he placed the spike onto the hot metal and begun to hammer it through, the point slowly piercing through it before forcing the hole to expand to meet the needed width for the bolts. "I guess that’s right?" He said unsure of what she meant.

He had moved onto the moved onto the second hole, having being told that in order to be able to hold each beam in place and lower the chance of moving that two bolts would be used for each end of the pieces of wood. He was slowly hammering the spike through the metal for the second hole as he listened to her speak of how practice wasn't always a bad thing, another slight smile coming to his face as she calmed a few of the slight fears he had about his job. He was about to say something when she asked about what his life could have been like if he had joined the knights, if he just joined the order instead of becoming a blacksmith. He had asked himself the same question often, wondering what his life would be like today if he hadn't betrayed his father’s wishes and done what he had done. His hands were slightly shaking as he placed down his tools besides his work and rested his hands on the anvil, "I... I choose this life for myself...” He choked out, his voice shaking slightly "My father... He had wanted me to join the order" He shuddered slightly as he drew in another breath, his gaze staring into the hot metal in front of him.

"At the last moment tho I changed my mind, I had enjoyed blacksmithing and how I actually made things...” He shook his head and pushed away from the table for walked away from a moments, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before turning to Tanna. And now you look like a complete twat, nice work can even hold yourself together properly and all she was doing was trying to be friendly. His eyes were slightly red now as he looked at her, "Sorry...” He said quietly, lowering his gaze "I was having fun talking to you, it was nice to have someone talk to while I was working... I don't want you to leave but... You can if you want I would understand, sorry." He glanced up at her for a second to try and gage her reaction and what she might be thinking.

He glanced around past her and looked for another smith that he knew would be better suited for the making of weapons before he turned around and picked up his tools again and hammered the spike through the two last holes rather, hitting it harder than it was needed making the holes become slightly wider on one side then the other as the holes were roughly done. He placed down the tools and looked over it, all that was left to do was to fold over the top over then place it into the vat of water to cool off. Not too many steps left but it would be crucial either way. He placed down the tools and gave his full attention to Tanna again, his outlook and tone now being that of defeated person, "I'ma sorry but your right, I don’t know how to craft weapons just yet, I plan on learning how to do so as soon as they let me" He sounded slightly hopeful at the end there for a moment before he met her gaze with his own which had steadied for the time, "You weren't a distraction and I didn't mind, thank you for actually talking to a novice like me, it helped." He finished giving a slight sad smile to her.

oocYeah sorry I had to ignore a few parts of your post otherwise I would have just gone on and on.. If thats a problem please yell and I will rework the post! PM me anyways with any thoughts?

[Tanna]

She smiled as she chuckled lightly to what he said, shaking her head playfully, “Perhaps a little clumsy.” Grinning more as she teased him gently, she finally added as an offer of goodwill, “But no, not stupid. I do not think, anyway.” With that, her smile grew more heartfelt. Such a shy boy with so much humility and yet so kind, she hoped he did not think such thoughts of himself – or, at the very least, not often. He deserved to think better of himself.

However, a look of concern and confusion touched her face as his tone changed. She sensed something was bothering him and a furrow formed between her brows. 'Knights shouldn't be trusted?' Well, that didn't make much sense to her. From what she had seen thus far while living in the fortress city, the knights seemed fine enough, and just. She had had little to do with them so she mightn't be the best when it came to making assumptions about them but, as a whole, she could not fault them for what they were or for doing their duty.

Still wrapped up in her thoughts, he words were candid and forward, “Why not trust the knights? They protect city, no? Watch over it; keep it safe.” She hadn't meant them to be so abrupt and she hoped he didn't think she was attacking him, she was merely curious as to why he felt differently. Perhaps it was her naivety, but Tanna generally always found the good in others and had a terrible habit for thinking everyone was good until they proved her otherwise.

She eyed him, intrigued, and stepped around to his other side where she had spotted a crate she could seat herself on. Likely not the wisest move, Tanna was simply too engrossed in the conversation to think that doing so might draw undue attention to the apprentice blacksmith. It was then he spoke of his father and, cocking her head gently to one side, she suddenly had a feeling she might be getting to the root cause of his distrust.

Nodding gently as she gripped the sides of the crate, she leaned forward to express her interest and, hopefully, encourage him to continue his train of thought, all the while slumping somewhat to the side in a lackadaisical manner. She did not like how his body had reacted when he spoke of the man and she tried to diffuse whatever tension might be there by relaxing her posture, hoping to keep things light. With her shoulders slightly shrugged due to how she was sitting, she let her head fall back and slightly to the side so she could look up at him, legs swaying, causing her toe of her boots to scuff the ground, “So you did what you wanted to do. That is good, Tiath”

If he turned to look at her, he'd see she was smiling broadly, warmly, her words encouraging as she tried to coax him away from whatever dark place he had gone to. She wanted to venture further, question him more about the Order and why he seemed so averse to it but she did not want to cause him any more trouble and simply left that hanging; if he wished to speak further, she'd welcome it.

Her head swayed to the opposite side as he thanked her, not expecting it and it was her turn to look a bit pink in the cheek. Waving that away before offering a simply shrug, she remained dismissive, “Oh, no. It is you who need thanks – listening to me carry on.” She complimented this self-depreciating statement with a playful shake of her head. “You keep at your practice. Maybe make me something some day.”

Sticking to this topic, she paused, mouth agape as she mulled over how to word her question. Jutting her chin out in a manner that effectively shut her mouth again, she straightened, “Even so, you could still help me. Help find what I need – what will be good for me. I never use weapon before..” She laughed a bit at this, the pacifist that she was, “Just need for.. protection. Defend myself. Do you know such thing? Something small.. good for,” she paused and smiled, “novice like me?”

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tiath Othos]

Quietly he placed the wedges in the position before he begun the hammer them for the final time on that particular task, taking care to make sure he didn't touch the surrounding hot steel. It took longer as his hits weren't as strong to push the wedges but slowly he gained some ground and the final bend starting to show. He paused for a minute as he found that if he hammered the top down now he would send it flying across the room, quickly he decided on what he needed to do and moved towards the bench, searching through the tools until he found a clamp that he would need. He moved back and picked up the joint with the pair of tongs and brought it to the bench, placing it against the edge so that it would be easier to screw to keep in place. Once it had been securely fastened into place he begun on finishing the final bend, quickly able to force the metal into its final resting place now that he wasn't restricted on how far he could move his hands about.

He then untightened the clamp before placing it back under the bench in the spot that he had found it, making a note that he really should learn where every tool was kept, he had been here long enough that he should have done so by now. Picking up the tongs as well as the joint again he moved past Tanna and over to a large tank that was full of water, he glanced over towards her to make sure that she was far enough that none of the hissing water would splash on her before he plunged the metal into the tank. The water hissed and bubbled as the metal was rapidly cooled, he watched it and held it in place with the tongs, waiting until the bubbling had started to die down before he left it go and moved back to the bench, lifting himself to use it as a seat as he gave Tanna his attention again, placing the tongs down beside him.

"It’s their job to keep the city, they have chosen that life for themselves. It doesn’t mean that they all have good intentions behind it" He said sternly, a slight anger leaking into his tone ”They can still abuse their power and trust as much as the next person." His stare was at the ground but it flickered up to her as to try and catch her reactions, he also knew that his distrust may not be completely justified but he wasn't ready to overcome the childish grudge just yet. "Don't get me wrong, I am glad that they do their job and the city is generally safe... It’s just that..." He struggled to put it to words and shook his head in defeat, giving up on trying to explain it and forced a smile. "This is really not the time to be thinking such things and I am sure that you don't need to hear such from a stranger" He said in attempt to drop the subject.

Seeming to perk up as she offhandedly suggested that he should make her something someday, "One day I shall" he said before a grin came to his face, "I plan on becoming a great smith someday so don't think I won’t be able to" A cheeky tone had entered his voice by this point as he pushed himself off the bench and moved back to the tank, lifting the joint out and placing it down on top of the anvil and looked over for a moment. He glanced at her as she asked for a hand in deciding on a weapon before he took on a more serious outlook, placing the tongs back in their correct place and looked over her, going over it in his head and talking to himself aloud, "Small and for a novice, I think that it could be either..." He let it drop off there and moved hurriedly towards the exit from the workstation, "Give me a moment, I will be right back" He called of his shoulder.

He quickly rushed throughout the works heading towards where they kept all the finished products, his mind going over the requirements and hat would be the best option. He paused mid step and changed path and went off to talk to his mentor Baldemar, I really should get permission before I do anything else, he explained the situation to the man which got him a strange look in return that he had no idea how to take it. The ironworks however was a business and he was encouraged to show her some wares and was told to send her to the front desk if she chose something. He quickly moved to his original destination and took his time as he looked over a few different blades and judged them for their worth.

It took him a little loner then he would have liked but he returned to the workstation where he had left Tanna, two short scabbards in his arms and a number of smaller ones on top of them. "Sorry that took longer than I thought" He said as he placed them along the bench, unsheathing them and laying them out along beside their respected scabbard, he had brought out two short swords one of iron and one of steel alongside 5 daggers, 2 of them being iron and 3 steel as he had been unsure of her price range. "I wasn't sure if by short you meant like a dagger or a short sword so I brought both, tho if you want to be able to hide it and its just for protection I would recommend a dagger as it will deter someone just as much as a sword as deterrence in general" he said as he ran his eyes over the collection before he stepped back to allow her to browse.