Fire and Steel

[killervocabulary]

Who: Open, so Ginia and you!
Where: A smithy in Virgo District.
Summary: Come bother a blacksmith at work!
Warnings: None.

This place was so terribly strange to Ginia upon her arrival, and it proved to be even stranger the longer she stayed. Strange creatures coming out at night, that mess with the scorpions, and all the strange objects. The peculiar wristband and headpiece, especially. She had initially dismissed them as something not worth figuring out, but given how much others she saw seemed to use them, she had started having second thoughts about it. For now, though, they could wait. The first order of business was...well, to get down to business.

She'd seen weapons of various kinds used here, and while those she was used to seeing were in somewhat of a minority, that didn't mean that there wasn't a use for a proper smith. Her search for a place to work her craft turned fortuitous, and after a demonstration of her skills, she was hired on. Apparently being one of the visitors made the proprietor rather excited, but she thought little of it.

Today, in that particular area of the Virgo District, among the usual hustle and bustle, there's a periodic noise ringing out - the steady clank clank of a hammer on heated metal, periodically interrupted with the hiss of steam, or the whooshing noise of bellows being used to stoke the forge's flames. The forge and various other tools of the smithy are out in an open area adjacent to the shop building, free for customers and visitors to approach.

Comments

[echo_of_a_jedi]

The city of Hinoto-Ri, after Meetra had spent a while studying it and its residents, seemed fairly advanced despite a general lack of starships and repulsorcraft. It wasn't Nar Shadaa by any means, but she was overall impressed with the technological prowess of the city.

That's why this smithy was so curious to her. She's never even seen a forge like this, using a wood-burning fire and what looked like handmade tools. The outdoor work area made it all the more fascinating, or at least easier to watch, as did the fact that the woman working now appeared to be making actual weapons, unlike the curiosities or antique replicas she'd expect from such a low-tech operation.

Not wanting to interrupt the woman's work, especially not when it was so interesting, she stood and watched for a while.

[killervocabulary]

The order of the day was a blade - though currently in the very early stages, resembling a long piece of metal, slightly rounded on one end, and with a narrow bit on the opposite end, which will eventually become the handle. Ginia is working on shaping it - heating it certain parts at a time, and hammering it out to get the shape she wants.

It's both labor and focus intensive work, so Meetra goes unnoticed for now.

[echo_of_a_jedi]

The ancient process had always fascinated Meetra. The Jedi "forged" their own lightsabers, but the process was truly more like assembly; although she'd crafted and customized as many of the physical pieces of her own as she could manage, it was still a sum of parts, rather than something forged out of a solid chunk of alloyed ore like a physical sword.

She waited a while, not wanting to interrupt the smith's work, until she reached a stopping point - or more likely cooling point.

"Impressive work there," she called out at some point when the other woman wasn't swinging a hammer.

[killervocabulary]

A cooling point was right - before she answers Meetra, the blade is dunked into a trough-like container of water, eliciting a sudden hiss and burst of steam. The comment gets a look of mild disbelief from Ginia. "Is it? I would think all the strange, intricate contraptions around this place would easily be more impressive than something wrought from a forge," she says, motioning to various other shops with her hammer, as well as roughly in the direction of the Cancer district.

[echo_of_a_jedi]

"It's a different kind of impression," she said, leaning on the wall of the smithy. "You don't see much of hand-forged anything in this world or mine, and it's easy to forget how much effort went into things like this until you see it yourself."

[killervocabulary]

That comment gets a faint laugh. "Whereas in my world, almost every sizable settlement has at least one smith," she answers. "It's rather jarring to be in a place like this."

[echo_of_a_jedi]

"They're not really discriminating with time or space here," she observed.

Stepping forward, she bowed slightly. "Meetra Surik."

[killervocabulary]

"That's good. At least I won't be the only one confused by a number of things here, then." There's a quick swing of the blade-in-progress toward the ground to remove the excess water before she lays it on her anvil, then nods to Meetra. "Ginia Rosentia."

[greyerrant]

The space marine watches her work in silence, arms folded over his chest.

[killervocabulary]

Today she has several rods in the fire - albeit metaphorically. There's a pair of incomplete blades resting on outer wall of the forge, cooling by air. While they do so, she currently works at a grinding wheel, removing the slag and waste from a more complete weapon. After a time, she notices the imposing figure, and gives him a nod.

"We meet again."

[greyerrant]

"That we do. I am always curious to see smith work, my cousins were specialists in it, however I haven't the talent myself. By your leave, I'd like to watch you work for a while, simply out of curiosity."

He folds his arms, not so much a forbidding gesture as a comfortable one.

[killervocabulary]

"I'm no stranger to onlookers, so suit yourself," she answers - and it's true, though based more in that a lot of her time spent smithing was done at forges that belonged to other people.

"I've found that while talent is useful, enough practice can be used to become good at most skills. Within reason, that is."

[greyerrant]

"So in your opinion, practice makes the master?"

He cocks his head at the various ingots being heated.

[killervocabulary]

"Aye," she answers, continuing to spin the grinding stone. "Anyone can pick up a hammer and go through the basics of forging a blade, but the person who's made more will inevitably craft one of better quality. Talent simply cuts down the amount of practice needed."

[greyerrant]

"I see."

He considers for a moment, and asks, "Could you work on plate like mine, do you think?"

[killervocabulary]

His question causes her to turn her focus upon him, and the stone to slow to a halt as she looks Garviel over. "I believe I could work on parts of it. There seems to be a fair bit of it that is beyond my knowledge," she answers. "Much like many things in this world."

[untiemyhands]

Klara's default method of movement is a careful sneak, and here she's using it to nose quietly about Ginia's forge. At first she circled the smithy from afar, but now curiosity's overtook her.

Sup, Ginia. Have a waifish girl insistently leering at your tools of the trade, and obviously pondering the idea of picking one up.

No, wait. Not just pondering. Wow this spare hammer is heavy.

[killervocabulary]

Unfortunately, Ginia needed that hammer. as it's the heavier one to get the rough work done on an initially-heated piece of metal. She scowls a bit at Klara, and holds her hand out. "I need that," she says calmly. "So please return it."

[nofairy]

Link's just wandering through the district, but the sound of someone forging something draws him in. He touches the Master Sword strapped to his back, and heads over to watch. He hasn't really seen anyone make a sword before, but it looks really complicated. He stays quiet, waiting for a free moment where she won't be startled.

[killervocabulary]

Complicated and time-consuming - as she's currently working on lengthening the metal, which given that it started life as an ingot, is taking a while. Eventually she has to pause to wipe her brow, and it affords her a moment to look up, and see the boy watching. He's...oddly Altmer-looking, but he doesn't look stuck-up enough. And he's too tall to be a Bosmer. Either way, she looks a little uneasy, and reaches up to cover the amulet hanging from her neck. Were she at home, she'd not have any issue with dealing with Thalmor agents, but here... Here people might not understand.

[nofairy]

He smiles at her. "Hey. That looks really neat! Is that how they make swords? I haven't really ever gotten to see a sword getting made - the Kokiri Sword was just there and the Master Sword is kind of special. And I didn't really get to spend that much time in the Market..."

... He realizes he's babbling a little. Whoops. "My name's Link. What's your name?"

[killervocabulary]

The reaction is very, very strange. Such enthusiasm might be expected, but it would be coated in haughty condescension - of which there is none here. In fact, Link's rambling is rather childlike in how sudden it is and the earnestness of it. That, and his name is very...not-Altmer like. Perhaps he was like the Dunmer in Riften, raised by another race...?

Her hand remains over the amulet, though she does relax just slightly. "Ginia Rosentia. And if I might say so, that's an odd name for an elf..." A risky question, but curiosity makes for a good source of courage.

[nofairy]

She's half-right, though Link has no idea. He looks really confused at the statement, though.

"Elf? I don't know what an elf is. I'm a K - a Hylian." Years of thinking of himself as a Kokiri were hard to break. "Um... I guess you don't have those where you're from?"

[killervocabulary]

There's a slow shake of her head that follows Link's question. "We do not - at least, not in the places I've been to. Lots of different types of elves, but none by the Hylian name." She looks him over, then finally outright asks. "Are you familiar with the Thalmor, or the Aldmeri Dominion? Or Talos?"

[nofairy]

He shakes his head. "None of those names are familiar. I guess you wouldn't know Hyrule, or the Kokiri Forest, or the Gerudo Desert?" He smiles a little gently, trying to put her at ease.

[killervocabulary]

When he answers, that does a measure of putting her at ease. She finally lets the pendant go, and her shoulders drop a bit visibly. A faint sigh follows, then she shakes her head. "I have not, no," she replies, resting her hand back on the metal she'd been working with before. "I do apologize for my suspicion, however."

[nofairy]

"It's okay. Are um... elves dangerous where you're from? Hylians aren't more dangerous than any other people. But I think every race probably has good and bad people..."

Ganondorf was the only outright evil person he'd seen, but he likes to think most other people are good.

[killervocabulary]

"It is as you think - there are those that are good and bad. However, the worse of the elves have no compunctions of capturing people who profess certain beliefs," she answers with a frown. "Or doing worse, so one cannot be too careful."

[nofairy]

"I'd never do that... I mean, unless you wanted to destroy the entire world, but I think most people would make an exception with that."

They sound really mean...

[killervocabulary]

That manages to stir Ginia into a chuckle - the enthusiasm and the way he just came out with that, she can't help but be amused. "Oh, no. No. I've put far too much work into protecting my world to ever consider destroying it, but you've got a point."

[nofairy]

"I have the same feeling for my own world." His smile widens. "Besides, it's just starting to recover."

[killervocabulary]

Talking like that, and with various things he'd said before - it made her a bit curious. "Recover from what?"

[nofairy]

"An evil man had control over it for seven years. I defeated him, but it'll take a while for everything to go back to normal..."

[killervocabulary]

"Seven years... Just how much can one man in do in such a short time?" Or for that matter, just what sort of world can fall to one solitary man? Is there more to this that he's not telling her, or is this man carrying some sort of terrible power? Color her a bit perplexed by what she's hearing.

There's many questions, though only one at a time should be asked.

[nofairy]

"A lot. He had a... horrible power. One he shouldn't have had." One he was stupid enough to lead him to. "All the races suffered under him. He locked some of them away, froze some of them, released monsters to destroy their homes..."

[killervocabulary]

"Still, though, he is one man. Even one with immense power can be overwhelmed by numbers or skill..." Or even more power, in some cases. However, her expression sobers a bit. "The power to subdue entire races... It's a bit difficult to imagine."

[nofairy]

"... Well. He did have the Triforce of Power." That kind of. Helped. A lot.

[killervocabulary]

There's a momentary pause before she answers.

"I'm unfamiliar with such an item, but I do assume it's a source of great power, from what you're saying."

[nofairy]

"Yeah. I have the Triforce of Courage, and Princess Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom. The Triforce is even more powerful than all of those, but if someone who doesn't have all three - Power, Courage, and Wisdom - touches it, they'll only get the piece that fits them most."

They got kind of lucky there, honestloy.

[killervocabulary]

Ginia nods, but shortly gives the boy a rather serious look. "So does that mean you wield comparable power to this man, if you have one of these 'Triforces'?"

[nofairy]

"Not in the same way. I mean... I did beat him... but I don't think power was really what did him in. He didn't expect anyone to keep standing up to him, I think. I just didn't... let being scared stop me."

Being courageous didn't mean you weren't scared, after all.

[killervocabulary]

"Mmmn." There's a faint nod from the smith. "Those in such positions typically don't, from my experience," she says. "They become drunk on their power."

[nofairy]

"Yeah. But that's why there's always heroes to stand up to fight them."

He has to believe there always will be someone. There's no way evil like that can go unchecked.

[killervocabulary]

"Always," Ginia repeats, her tone a bit weary. Her look is still serious, though a bit more distant by this point. "I suppose there is. And I hope there will continue to be."

[aworldwithoutyou]

Sora had already been here for a couple of days, and yet he still hadn't completely learned his way around - and that went just for a few parts of the city. There were some places he hadn't even been to yet! As curious as he was about seeing the rest of it, he kept finding himself going back to placing he already explored, trying to make a mental map of the area...though it had less to do with that and more with just wanting to make sure that he saw everything.

Though, to anyone else, it's probably pretty obvious why it's been taking him so long. Whenever something catches his eye he has to stop, take a look, maybe even talk to some people before he finally moves on to something else. This looked like it would be one of those times.

When he sees the woman outside working he stops, watching for a few minutes with interest. He had never actually seen someone make swords or anything before, and it looked pretty tough, even though he couldn't really figure out a lot of what was going on.

"That looks like a lot of work!" he comments, never one to stay quiet for long, especially when there was someone to talk to. Even if that someone was...you know, working.

[killervocabulary]

The question draws Ginia out of her focus, and she looks up at the boy. There's a moment of pause, almost as if she's dazed. Whether it was her being in the zone so well, or just shocked by Sora's hairstyle, that remains to be seen. After that moment passes, however, she smiles and nods. "It is indeed," she answers, holding the long piece of steel up. It was vaguely shaped, and clearly had a long way to go before becoming a sword.

"I'll likely be working on this one for a week at least before it's finished."

[aworldwithoutyou]

"Really?" he said, taking another look at the result of her work so far. "I had no idea it took that long to make a sword."

Of course, Sora had never even thought about it before, except maybe when he was little. Back then, though, his only points of reference were old stories and fairy tales, and those were never all that concerned with technical details, so it was a guessing game. Even what he and his friends knew about fighting before they learned about Keyblades and other worlds had come from trial and error, after years of sparring with wooden swords on the beach.

[killervocabulary]

"Aye," she answers with a nod, laying the piece of metal back on the anvil. "Quality work takes a great deal of time to do, and metal is a tough material to work with and shape. Of course, that's assuming I don't do any decorative work to it."