Flashback [Rearing stallion] I need a weapon {Marcus}

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan swished the wine around and watched the trail of alcohol stick to the glass. Even without his eyes on the young man before him he could hear his mental wheels turning as the young man was deciding. Would he risk waiting and hope the knife would be back before his father? Or would he find a different solution. Ronan enjoyed this position of power he was sitting in. The man had one of two options explain to his father what happened or work through Ronan to get the knife fixed in time. The second option would be somewhat more expensive than the first one. It was always nice to see people go for the second option. "Although... You could always help... grease the wheels, as they say. I'm sure I can get him to put more time in your knife and less in his other work. If you could compensate him for that time. You know how it is." The young man in front of him had no idea how it was. Brought up with the riches of his father the man hadn't worked a day in his life, except when his father had asked him to spend time in one of the shops he owned. Ronan smiled softly. "How much?" Ronan smiled. So easily manipulated. "I'm not sure. The break was bad so it wouldn't surprise me if the smith has to make an entirely new one. I'm sure a few Gold Mizas in his pocket would speed up his work. But it's up to you, of course." Ronan leaned back in the chair and let his wine swish about. "So how long have you known this smith?" Personal details? Ronan cursed mentally. It wouldn't sound so good if he mentioned he'd only met the guy earlier today. Ronan looked at the floor, pretending to think while buying himself some time. "About... a little more than a year or so? We met in a bar. Pretty cliché but hey... Ronan shrugged. "...I needed a smith and he needed a job. He overheard me asking the bartender about a smith and one thing led to another." Ronan smiled as he looked up from the floor. Just a little detail changed, the rest was all truth. He hoped it would satisfy the young man in front of him. He hadn't expected him to start asking all these questions. "Hmm... I'd like to talk to your smith in person first." Ronan held his breath for a moment, before releasing it. Almost. He almost had it. Although inwardly slightly upset, Ronan projected the same confidence outwardly. His smile broadened for a moment. "Of course. Pack your coat, it's cold outside. I have a carriage waiting outside. He can take us to the Ironworks." If Ronan was lucky, the smith wouldn't be there. Knowing his luck however, Ronan was more hoping that the man was able to go along with whatever tale Ronan could spin up at the last minute. Ronan put his wine down on the table, untouched apart from the small sip he had consumed earlier.

[Marcus Braeden]

After many rounds of heating and cooling the metal and attempting to weld the dagger back together, he had finally managed to get the damn thing to hold. If he wanted he could go harden and temper the blade and be done with it. He doubted whoever the customer was would even notice a thing. But Marcus wasn't about to just let the poor craftsmanship of this dagger stand. Once the dagger was whole again, Marcus let it sit on his anvil for a time to let it cool naturally. During this time Marcus also fetched some excess steel he would use to modify the dagger's blade. After half a bell, Marcus returned to his project, and was ready for the next step. The smith brought the dagger and the steel to the fire and placed them among the flames, still keeping the hilt away from the heat. With his arms crossed he leaned against the wall and waited for the metal to warm, to become bendable. He would need to let the metal get hotter than he normally would in order to add metal to the already crafted blade. When it was time, Marcus grabbed the metal and dagger with the large pair of tongs again, and returned to the anvil. Next was the reforging. He placed his extra steel along the full length of the blade, and began striking it into the metal with his hammer. More repetition. When the metal became too cool to bend, he would reheat it again, and then he would press on with his hammer.

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan held open the door of the carriage and let the young man step in first. It was after all his carriage, considering he was paying for it. Ronan stepped on the small on the side of the carriage and leaned towards the front, speaking to the driver. "The Ironworks, please. No need to hurry." Ronan smiled at the driver as the man tipped his hat towards him. As the carriage jumped into motion, Ronan ducked inside and sat himself opposite of his client. "It shouldn't take too long, I think." Both men were silent during the trip, both men were thinking about their own problems. Only one of the two was actually nervous about his problems and scared of the consequences in case things went wrong. The carriage took them slowly through the city and finally stopped near the ironworks, just a few moments away from it. Ronan opened the door and stepped out first, holding the door open for his co-passenger. The cold breeze outside cut right through Ronan's skin as the two men made their way to the ironworks. Ronan had never been here before and from the looks of it, neither had his client. Both men were a little uncomfortable in the new place. As Ronan stepped near the building that housed Syliras' greatest forge he could feel the heat emanate from it. From inside the loud banging of hammer on metal sounded rhythmically as both men stepped inside, out of the cutting wind. The first person he could see and that looked sort of smith like Ronan grabbed hold of. "Excuse me, ser. I'm looking for a Marcus. He works here." The heat from the forges was pushing hard on Ronan as the coat that protected him not moments ago was now causing him to sweat and melt. As he walked in the direction pointed out by the man he took of his coat. He didn't check if his client was following him or not. With his coat hanging loosely over his left shoulder, one finger hooked into the neck to hold it in place, Ronan walked past the many forges, making sure to stay out of the way from the people working there. He approached a man bent over a fire, hammering away at a piece of metal but noticed it was the wrong smith just before he opened his mouth to greet him. Instead he continued to walk on until he finally found Marcus. A quick glance back told him he had a few paces on the young man behind him and he would use them. "Marcus. Good to see you again." Ronan did not stretch out his hand for a handshake as he usually would have, noticing how Marcus was busy hammering away at a piece of heated metal. Loud enough to be heard over the roaring fires and banging hammers but not loud enough to be heard by the young man behind him, Ronan added a few words. "We've known each other for a year now." He nodded and waited for some acknowledgement from Marcus before stepping aside. "This is the client. He wanted to see you in person. He's very excited to see your final work." The young man stepped forward and reached out with his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Smith. I've already heard much about you." He smiled at Marcus. oocI apologize for the long wait, Marcus.

[Marcus Braeden]

Ever so slowly, Marcus was undoing the mistakes of the original smith, adding his own touch to the metal. With each strike of the hammer, he was a step closer to having a dagger that might actually last in a fight. It was slow and monotonous work though. Marcus glanced around the Ironworks, seeing what else was being made. It was a habit of his, comparing what he was doing to the projects others had undertaken. He could still remember his first day at the forge. They didn't quite trust Marcus yet, and had him crafting spearheads. He remembered seeing other smiths crating swords and axes. But still, he was sure that those spearheads were the best damn spearheads this forge had seen. Whether it be a simple arrowhead or a magnificent weapon suited for a knight, Marcus would pour his soul into it, and it make it the best possible. This dagger would be no different. As he hammered away, a voice interrupted him. The smith, while keeping his rhythm turned to see Ronan, followed by another man behind him. Marcus paused, setting his hammer beside the dagger on the anvil. "Ronan, good to see you as well" Marcus smiled as he met the merchant's hand with his leather bound hand. Ronan added a few words, saying that they had known each other year. It was more like a day, but Marcus assumed there was some reason he wanted Marcus to say they had known each other a year. As long as the smith was payed, he would go along with it. He nodded at Ronan, acknowledging that they had indeed known each other for a year. "It's a pleasure" Marcus said politely to the client who stood behind Ronan. "You really did a number on this thing didn't ya? I'm curious how the blade got snapped." Marcus wanted to hear about this little brawl.

oocNo worries!

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan was glad to see the smith acknowledge his information. At least the man was smart enough to go with whatever Ronan threw at him. Ronan stepped aside slightly, leaving his client some time to talk with Marcus, without Ronan interrupting. He couldn't help but smirk as Marcus asked about how the dagger had gotten into the state it was in at the moment. Ronan hadn't heard the whole story yet but the fragments he had gathered so far had proven to be far different from the story his client had told everyone who wanted to listen. "Well, I got into a fight with another guy over the honor of a lady. The argument heated up and we got in a fight. He drew his weapon and I drew mine and we fenced a little, ending with my missing my mark and hitting the wall, snapping my dagger. As I backed away from him, I brought my free hand up in an uppercut that knocked the living daylights out of him. So, even though I lost the fencing fight, I won in the end. Pretty impressive, hmm?" The young man puffed up his chest as finished his little story. Ronan stood, half behind the young man, smiling at Marcus as he shook his head. The smiling and shaking stopped as the young man turned around to look at Ronan. "Right, Ronan?" Ronan smiled once more. "It's true, Marcus. This young man here is lion when it comes to combat." Ronan wondered if the young man knew that almost everyone already knew the truth. Most of it had been right, except he hadn't mentioned that when his knife had broken, his opponent had been courteous enough to put his own weapon away and challenge the young man to fisticuffs. Of course, he didn't mention that it been him who had been knocked out in the end. Not that it mattered to Marcus. "So, Ronan tells me you've known each other for quite some time. He says you're the best around here." The implied critique and inquiry were barely masked. "I didn't say he was the best around here. I said he was the best in Syliras." Ronan smiled at his client as he stepped forward slightly.

[Orion Michaels]

Ronan +2 Socialization +2 Observation +1 Subterfuge +2 Rhetoric lore : Marcus, weaponsmith of over a decade Honesty isn’t ALWAYS the best policy, especially relating to gold Rhetoric: Choosing words with Caution Markus Let me know if you come back and I'll add your grade Notes Sorry to see this thread not conclude. A quick note. When you put threads in the grade queue, try to make sure you link the first post in the thread. Thanks! PM me with questions/comments/concerns. Please edit your request in the queue to say this has been graded.