Blackstone Foundry and Forge; Tuesday [05/18].

[special_rabbit]

You wanna know what Amaya hadn't really done in a while?

Some nice good damascus steel.

So if anything was wondering what was on the menu, so to speak, at the forge that week, it was that. A very elaborate, drawn out style of constantly having to heat, reheat, beat and rebeat a single piece of steel to fold it in on itself just to make it all wavy and pretty when it was finished.

There was just something so satisfying about it, and she was starting to think maybe having a nice set of damascus forged pieces would really look nice on the weapons wall, maybe with some pearl incorperated in, some blue elements, to sort of make it almost a seafaring sort of set...

If anything, there was no doubt about it, a new damascus set would at least give her a good project and something to do for a while now.

The Forge is open!

Comments

[intraspective]

Or maybe, just maybe, she could have a customer!

Iris leaned in the entryway, watching Amaya work, and perfectly content to watch until there was either a moment for her to speak up without ruining Amaya’s concentration or until Amaya noticed her.

[special_rabbit]

A customer? In this day and age?

It was not nearly as common as Amaya would have liked!

But a shadow gracing the doorway to the shop was rare enough, much to her dismay, that it didn't take her long to notice Iris there at all, and she called all, "Be right with you!" as she finished up her current fold and considered that the next quench may as well be a cool-down moment for the progress of the blade, popped that right in the drink to let it sizzle a bit, wiped it off, and set it aside, taking a moment to swipe her forehead before turning her attention fully toward the visitor.

"Iris," she nodded. "Good to see you. What can I do you for?"

And if the answer was 'weapons,' then you'd have made Amaya's day, Iris.

[intraspective]

“Weapons!” Iris said brightly, echoing the narrative. “I’m lookin’ to upgrade and then I were thinkin’ ‘bout birthday gifts an’ there’s no better gift than the gift of shiny new weapons!”

Okay, there were other gifts that Iris loved but, being real, weapons were always a solid fav of both hers and most of the people she hung about with.

[special_rabbit]

"I can't even tell you how good it is to hear those words," said Amaya, taking a moment to just sigh and admire that fact. "Music to my ears, really. Let's start with the upgrades! What do you have in mind?"

[intraspective]

“I can be talked into new if need be,” Iris said, fishing her rather decidedly over-sized crystalline shuriken out of...

Well, it was in her hands now so did it really matter where it had come from? It glittered blue.

“This is my Crystal Cross,” she said, “and it’s gettin’ a bit worn.”

It was about seven years old at this point.

[special_rabbit]

And Amaya was immediately intrigued, naturally, because whenever anyone pulled something that shiny and pointy out of...well, it didn't matter where, the point (HA! Point!) was that it was there and Iris had Amaya's attention.

"Nothing a bit of sharpening and reinforcing couldn't fix, I'd imagine," she mused, "but I'd have to take a good look at her and see if more drastic measures aren't in order. What's this made out of, anyway?"

[intraspective]

Iris paused.

She glanced at it thoughtfully.

She and Zack had bought it in a mako-soaked and ruined Mideel.

“It started out as steel probably,” she ventured. “But there’s also a lot of... crystallized condensed energy of the planet in the making of it?”

Look, she wasn’t super sure, but since the crystal aspect of it looked a lot like her material, just in shards instead of smooth marbles...

[special_rabbit]

Amaya nodded along with that, as if crystallized condensed energy of the planet was maybe a little off the beaten path, sure, but not completely unheard of.

"Probably something that'll be a bit new for me to work with, then," she noted, "but I can't imagine it would be too difficult to work around."

As a matter of fact, she loved getting to work with and understand new materials, so there was a definite thrill in her chest over the whole idea, though she was pure professionalism on the surface.

"And if not?" She shrugged, her expression gone a little apologetic. "Well, then, maybe it's time for new after all!"

Honestly? She was already starting to picture some perhaps hybrid reinforcements going on...

[intraspective]

“You can treat it similarly to how you’d treat diamonds,” Iris offered, holding out the Crystal Cross with a faint smile as invitation for Amaya to take it. “They’re formed in similar ways. I ain’t real sure what goes into all of that though. I don’t make this kind of weapon, I just use ‘em.”

[special_rabbit]

"Because that's something we get a lot of waltzing in and out of this shop," Amaya noted with a snort, "diamonds."

But she took the weapon easily, immediately feeling out the weight and balancing before going in for a closer look at the edges.

"Oh, I can definitely work with this," she concluded. She'd have to dig around for some tools she didn't use much, but the ideas were forming even more solidly now.

"You said something about gifts, too?" she prompted, ready to get part of her brain going on that while the other part continued analysing the Crystal Cross.

[intraspective]

“Diamonds make good weapons in a pinch,” Iris noted, and yes she had experience in that. “As for gifts, you’ve made a sword for Zack before, yeah? You feel up to makin’ another?”

[special_rabbit]

"I loved making swords for Zack!" Amaya's grin went even more eager. "I was actually working on one the other day I was thinking he might appreciate."

Because the blade itself was literally longer than she was tall. It should not be difficult to spot the sword she was talking about at all.

"What'd you have in mind? Something big like the buster sword, or something a little more subtle, like the one I made based on his...what was it? Soldier sword? Or something else entirely different?"