fandomtownies | Blackstone Foundry and Forge; Friday [11/30].

Entry tags:

Blackstone Foundry and Forge; Friday [11/30].

With the exception of an unsuccessful call out to T&C about the sound system there (Amaya suggested Summer either contact someone with more technological skill than she, or perhaps someone versed in the elimination of curses, instead, because her ultimate solution was just beating the stereo with a hammer, and she doubted it would do much good, anyway), Amaya was spending her day at the forge hammering out some of her ideas for how to implement those materia slots for Zack's sword. Which was an easy enough concept, sure, but the problem was that there were so many ideas on just how to do it that she couldn't possibly decided on just one.

So. Prototypes. A few different little pieces of metal that could easily be worked into the design of a sword, that looked great on paper, but she wouldn't know which was the right one until she'd actually had it firm and real and metal in her hands.

And, hey, bright side: if anyone else was in the market for a materia-capable weapon, by the end of the day, she'd have...lots of options for them to choose from.

The Forge is open!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

As much as, like, Nina wanted to spend all day just gushing about the weetiny puppy, she had plans for other things, too, which was why she was slipping out of work during her break to show up at the forge.

She paused, admiring the set up, and the obvious strength that the blacksmith had, before she called out a, "Hello?????????"

Even with all the noise of hammering and the forge, Amaya was well-trained in keeping an ear out for people coming in. Not that she usually had too much use for it, but she definitely heard the greeting as the girl came in before hits, and looked up from the anvil with a faint grin.

"Well, hey, there," she greeted back, inspecting the piece she was working on for a moment and figuring it would be fine if left for a little while. "You looking for a smith?"

And, though she doubted this would be the case, she couldn't help hopefully adding, "Need something crumbled?"

Nina paused, intrigued.

"Crumbled??????" she echoed. "I don't think so????? But I don't know what that means to you??????"

But it sounded pretty great, it really did.

"I am definitely looking for a smith, though??????????"

Amaya tried not to be too disappointed (she certainly wasn't surprised), and just waved a hand dismissively with a rueful smile. And then gestured toward a large machine in the corner of the shop with a large canvas sheet tossed over it, revealing some very interesting bumps and lumps. "Crumbler's just a machine I've got that doesn't seem to get a whole lot of use around these parts," she offered by way of explanation, because, hey, you never knew, maybe one day... "It lifts, it chops, it," insert required motion of pounding her fist lightly into her palm here, "crumbles. At least it used to, though my hammer's a machine just as willing, if not more, to get a little extra work, too. What can I do for you?"

While she was still pretty intrigued by the Crumbler-thing, Nina had to concede (if only to herself) that she wasn't likely to need it.

Still, she was going to remember that it existed.

She beamed at the smith. "Like, I was hoping to get my bookbelt upgraded?????? Is that something you could do?????? The smiths back home can but, really, I just don't know how it works here??????"

Well, if it was something the smiths back home could do, you'd better believe it was something that Amaya would try to make sure she could do, too, otherwise it would be fairly difficult for her to claim the sort of expertise she liked to think she had, wouldn't it? Her head tilted, though, with maybe a touch of uncertainty.

"I suppose that all depends," she admitted, hand to her chin. "I'm not entirely sure I know what a bookbelt is."

She had an idea, sure, based on knowing both what a book and a belt were, but the two of them together? Didn't sound like something a smith would be much use on. A tanner, maybe, but she did know her way around leatherworking well enough, too.

Nina would never, ever confirm to having hoped her words would have just such an impact. Good girls didn't do such things, they really didn't!

"Oh!!!!!!!!!" Nina swung her bookbelt down from her shoulder, and offered it to Amaya. It was a long leather belt, well worn, and firmly clasped around three lurid romance novels. "Here, this is it!!!!!!!!!!"

So....turns out a bookbelt...was exactly what it sounded like. A belt. With books.

"Right," said Amaya, looking it over speculatively in her hands and trying very hard not too look too judgmental about the books actually on the belt. She...didn't do a very good job at it, though she could certainly appreciate something that told you straight out front exactly what it was. She admired that kind of straightforwardness in an item. Of course, she wasn't exactly seeing where a smith might come in on the matter.

But the girl clearly had something in mind when she came in here, so she just shrugged slightly and offered it back. "So what were you thinking, in terms of upgrades?"

Could...they start with her choice of reading material? Amaya, quite the former bookworm herself, could make so, so many recommendations...

Well... er... she could try to talk about Nina's taste in books.

Try.

Nina blinked at the question. "Well, like, I don't really know??????" she said, crossing her arms as she thought about it. "Back home I'd just be like 'hey, upgrade this' and the smith would be all 'sure, like, that's such-amount of potch' and then I'd pay and they'd just make it better?????????"

Clearly not by switching out the books themselves.

"I'm afraid I'm more familiar with bladed weapons, myself," Amaya offered, almost apologetically, while gesturing toward the Wall of Weapons to hopefully give the girl a better idea of what she usually did. "But I'm more than willing to try. Better how, though? You looking just to replace the leather? It looks like it's gotten its fair share of use. Space for more books? Reinforced to last longer? Maybe a spike or two for a nice decorative touch?"

Anything was better when spikes got involved.

Excuse you, Amaya, but the power of love was the greatest power of all! The books stayed!

Nina's gaze traveled over to the... wow, that really was a wall of weapons, wasn't it? It was impressive, even though there wasn't anything there that she could use.

"Ummm, reinforced sounds good???????????" Nina was going to have to think about this. "I'm not sure about more room for books though since, like, I need to be able to beat things with it and that weight's just about perfect for me???? Same with the spikes, though they'd be cool???????"

Ugh.

Yeah, Amaya'd just like to see the power of love manage to win out to a nice morning star to the stomach. Her money was on the sharp pointy hunk of metal, any day of the week.

But there was a key word in the girl's response that caught Amaya, a very important word, a very familiar word, one that she felt would have been useful a bit earlier in the conversation, really.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but did you say 'beat things with it'?"

"Well, yes??????????"

Nina was super confused as to why this was even a question.

"Like, it's my weapon???????????? Against monsters and bandits and anything else??????????"

She wasn't quite sure if it was the reaction on the girl's part, the sheer obvious bewilderment of the fact that this was something rather novel and new, or if it was just the sheer absurdity of the notion of beating up monsters and bandits with a trio of books on a belt, but Amaya had to laugh. It was kind of brilliant, really; it made her almost a little disappointed she hadn't thought of something like this herself at that age, because it definitely seemed like it would be right in awkward little teenaged Amaya's wheelhouse.

"I have to admit," she said, winnowing the laugh into a chuckle, "that's a new one for me. Not many people going around with bookbelts for weapons where I"m from, kid, so you'll have to forgive me. But I think I can still definitely help you out."

She was way more confident once you brought the fact that it was a weapon into the picture. That changed everything.

"I might need you to do me a favor, though. How'd you feel if I were to roll out one of my practice mannequins, to get to see the weapon in action to get a better idea of how you use it and how I might better spruce it up for you?"

"Oh!!!!!!!!!" Well, Nina didn't mind so much now that Amaya had explained the problem. She simply hadn't understood; Nina could accept that, since there was so much that she, herself, didn't understand about this world. "Of course!!!! That's no problem at all!!!!!!!!!!"

In fact, Nina rather preferred that, since she did like showing off, when it wasn't really showing off and was rather totally appropriate instead.

"Great!" Amaya grinned, offering a faint nod before going to fetch one of the wood-and-straw dummies on wheels for easier transporting, moving it into the area that shop that was open enough for a good demonstration. then nodded again once she kicked the stops on the wheels into place.

"Let's see what this thing can do."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Blackstone Foundry and Forge; Friday [11/30].

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject