Blackstone Foundry and Forge; Tuesday [12/19].

[special_rabbit]

With most of her special projects for the holiday all finished and the rest of the online ones ready to be shipped out, Amaya's focus around the shop today was going to be just sort of putting together a few last minute gift suggestions for anyone still needing fine metalwork, weaponry, or armor for their loved ones this holiday season. That meant prominently displaying the little boxed sets to throwing stars or quivers of fetching arrows, dagger pairs, rings and things, and adjusting the lighting a little bit to really shine on some of the more interesting weapons on the weapons wall.

Never hurt to try and push some of those last minute sales! Especially since, well....a Snuggie wasn't exactly conducive to effective blacksmithing work. In fact, she was digging out the sandwich board again to set outside in the street to let everyone know that they had less than a week left, but lucky them, if they bought certain items today, they'd get themselves a sweet deal for the holiday! And if that didn't bring some people in, then, well, it wasn't her fault they apparently hated good deals and saving money on fine merchandice!

The Forge is open!

Comments

[begmetwice]

"Is that safe to work in?"

Irene was, shockingly, actually out and about, even though she was sporting a Snuggie and trying to ignore that fact. It was probably better than her initial approach of finding it wildly offensive she as being forced into a Snuggie and acting as though she were alone in her plight. (It still felt targeted, to her!)

Besides. She was on a mission. Even a Snuggie would not have kept her at home today. Though now the mission seemed mildly compromised, given that it seemed more possible than usual that Amaya might drag a sleeve through a flame or something and go up in a blaze of synthetic fabric.

[special_rabbit]

"For most of my work?" asked Amaya, with scoff, and another futile attempt to push her snuggie sleeves up, before tossing up her hands in surrender yet again. "Probably! Although I did have Ignis in here earlier,throwing around his fire daggers," she gestured toward the practice dummies in the corner, each seemingly in a different state of having been scorched and otherwise damaged, "and we made it out okay, so I'm sure with the right amount of caution..."

She gave a wistful glance back toward the forge.

"Probably not worth the risk, though, unless something important or pricey comes up. Thankfully, my hard work for the holiday orders is already mostly done anyway. Get a chance to focus on moving some of the stuff we already got."

[begmetwice]

"Good. It'd put a bit of a damper on my prospective holiday plans if you caught fire or hammered your own thumb because you can't see it through that absurd sleeve, or similar," Irene commented, deliberately mild as she plucked up a little throwing-star set to examine (after shuffling her own absurd sleeve out of the way with an irritated puff of breath.)

It was partially a little show, yes, but also -- goddamn, Amaya, you were so bloody talented. She might have to take these home.

[special_rabbit]

"Pretty sure you're not the only one who might be a bit put out if that were to happen," Amaya pointed out, blinked, and then seemed to catch up with the rest of that conversation.

"Wait, now, what perspective plans are these?"

[begmetwice]

Yes, yes, sure, Amaya also might object to being on fire, as the person it was theoretically happening to -- but it was entirely possible Irene would still make a bigger deal of it.

"I'm going to London for Christmas," Irene replied, having finally nerved up and secured accommodations so this was actually happening, now. "Not my own version of the city, but close enough. And -- "

And, in an echo of a moment a few months ago, Irene actually faltered just slightly on what should have, by all rights, been a very easy invitation. It was tempting to play it off, to pretend she just had an extra spot -- you know, like one might if one received free holidays through one's employment and got a plus-one every time -- but at the same time, she kind of didn't want to play it off. This was important to her. Maybe it was all right for Amaya to not be totally ignorant of that.

"And I wondered if you might come with me," she concluded, clearing her throat a little to cover for any faltering or obvious nerves. "If you're not busy, that is."

[special_rabbit]

When Irene said she was going to be heading back to London for the holiday, Amaya felt some tight, undefinable thing in her chest (she certainly wasn't going to name it) plummet awkwardly, heavily, dreadfully into her stomach, and she desperately began to buoy it back up with logic and reasoning. After all, why wouldn't she want to go home to London for the holiday? It made sense, didn't it? It was a big part of Christmas; some of the songs just wouldn't even shut up about it! And it was nice, too, wasn't it, that her imminent immolation would at least be considered a bit of a hitch in the plans? And just because she was going didn't mean she wouldn't want to just stay once she was there, although, clearly, it would be fine if she did, who would blame her, and it was pretty much what Amaya expect--

Again, she blinked, and zards, she really needed to stop just leaping way ahead of all these conversations right now, didn't she?

"Oh," said Amaya, eyes now a little wide from the self-inflicted mental whiplash. And then, just to make sure she wasn't getting ahead of that: "...really?

"I mean!" she added quickly, hastily. "Yes! I would! I mean...I'm not! Busy, that is. To go. I just finished up with...although even if I hadn't, I'd still...erm.."

Brilliant, Amaya, well done, A+ recovery there.

"...like to go."

Maybe she'd at least kind of stuck the landing?

[begmetwice]

For someone who was, as a rule, so very, very perceptive -- Irene was also all too happy to immediately read exactly the wrong thing into that really?

In an instant, a rush of protests about how this wasn't anything, how they wouldn't be meeting Irene's family or anything insane like that, flooded through her head in a torrent, all while her expression strove for, like, the most unaffected. (And, of course, this was both the truth and the boldest of lies; they would not be seeing the Adlers, of course -- but this was a place that Irene held so, so close to her heart that she hadn't even dared to go back alone in the interim years.)

But then -- oh, that hastiness. And with every utterance of that impeccably stuck landing on Amaya's part, Irene felt herself exhale a drawn breath she hadn't realized she was holding tight, and by the time that sentence reached its conclusion, Irene had found her way back through her nerves to a soft, hesitant smile.

"I can help if you need," she offered, shrugging a Snuggie'd shoulder. "Any loose ends before we take off, you know? I was thinking we might go the weekend through Boxing Day? It's a bigger deal over there, that."

'A bigger deal' meaning, you know, an actual holiday.

[special_rabbit]

"I don't think I even know what that is!" Amaya admitted, a little overly cheerful from the rush of relief that her response hadn't just wound up making Irene rethink the whole invitation. "But it sounds like something I wouldn't want to miss."

She was likely going to be very disappointed in Boxing Day, in a very oh, that kind of box sort of way.

"When were you thinking of going, then? I've still got my class on Friday, but I'm sure Rosa can handle it all on her own just fine..."

Not that she was excited, or anything, perish the thought! Or that the whole 'changing her mind' thing was going to be hanging over her head for just about every second of every day until they landed in London now...

[begmetwice]

"We could go Friday," Irene offered, her smile curving a little at Amaya's...excitement? It was excitement, right? This whole undertaking had thrown all of Irene's normally-fine-tuned receptors out of whack, and her traitorous mind had traded most of her natural confidence in for stomach-churning anxiety, but since Amaya hadn't laughed in her face or run away at the idea, her footing was a little surer. Amaya seemed excited. That was a good thing! "After your class, if you'd like. Isn't it the final? That seems important."

But the fact that Amaya had offered to just stick Rosa with it solo? You know, Irene was liable to read into that sort of thing, in her delicate and keyed-up state. And she would, happily.

"And Boxing Day is the 26th," she added helpfully, though not so helpfully as to shed any light on the fact that there would likely be very little combative boxing involved. (Probably. Irene did love gambling and sporty violence! Maybe they could go find a fight to bet on! Surely someone in the largest city in the United Kingdom would have gotten on that low-hanging fruit, right?) "If that doesn't put you out of the -- office for too long? Or, well, the forge, I suppose."

[special_rabbit]

"Eh," Amaya waved a dismissive hand, shrugged her shoulders a little, "the final's mostly just shoving a bunch of weapons at the students and having them go at it with whatever were their favorites. Which is always a good time, and I suppose it's early enough that it shouldn't delay us too much...and the forge survives just fine when I'm off for the school trips, I'm sure it'll be the same for a long weekend. Just have to make some arrangement to kennel up the lobsters, but other than that..."

[doesdoctorstuff]

The lurker was once again at it, hiding behind a rickshaw while peering into the forge. Hmmmm...Obviously this was a terrible time to go poking about, but there were some interesting looking implements in there.

Also the big scary fire forge, which was To Be Avoided^TM, obviously, but the rest of them...

Aww, they kinda made the lurker nostalgic for days gone by.