A Forge-side Chat

[Unknown Eldritch]

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The echoing sound of metal striking against metal echoed out through the small workshop. As the small hammer came down again and again on the cherry-red length of metal held pressed against the anvil by the pair of forge tongs, small sparks burst out with each hit, fizzling out quickly against the cool stone floor. The few sparks that did spray towards the smith were intercepted by the specially-crafted thick white mantle over his shoulders. Noticing that the metal was beginning to cool, the smith placed it once more back into the furnace, momentarily standing up to stretch his legs while keeping his eyes on the metal. With a sigh of exertion, Muramasa Fudo took a few steps away from the forge, picking up a cloth and wiping the sweat from his forehead. After all, while Fudo has always thrived in the heavy heat of the workshop, it wouldn't do to make a preventable error due to his vision being impaired by his body's reaction to exertion.

'Well,' Fudo thought to himself, taking the chance to stretch out his joints, 'still nowhere near the point where I'd be satisfied, but this blade is... actually turning out fairly well, considering the quality of the metal I had to settle for.' While he watched the metal heating, Fudo dunked the cloth in his hands into the nearby bucket of now-warm water, wiping down his face and neck. It wasn't the first time that he needed to purchase low-grade materials due to lack of funds, but it always made him feel worthless, as though he had decided to settle for being subpar. Still, whether it was due to Fudo gaining more experience with forging these type of blades with poor materials, or whether it was because the metal was better than it seemed at first, it was actually turning out to be a decent blade. Nothing amazing, but certainly good enough for him to sell without feeling as though he would get the buyer killed.

There wasn't much left to do with the sword, having already sharpened it and treated the spine of the blade, but now that he was in the home stretch he couldn't afford to make a mistake now, lest he ruin his progress so far. Even so, as Fudo leaned back against the wall, relishing in the small amount of cold air flowing through the small window in the workshop despite the blazing heat within, he felt a small grin come over his face.

[Willoria]

Traveling with Hiraku Suzume had left Airi Rina with a few perks these last few weeks, but one of the negatives was missing out on some of the benefits of home. Rina missed the places she had called home, the small communities, the life she still felt robbed of by not knowing her mother, and the taste she had even had of it during her time wounded after first meeting and being saved by Suzume. As the pair had begun walking through this village in Iron Country she was quickly reminded of it as she heard the ringing sound of hammer and anvil, the sounds of the working of steel. She hadn't even had a chance to look at Suzume before she heard the other woman's voice. "Go ahead, Rina."

Rina had to stifle her excitement honestly as she made her way to the forge, following the sounds and even the heat. She reached up a hand to pull back the crimson hood that had covered her head and hidden her face, allowing her blonde hair to fall loose and free about her shoulders as she stepped into the doorway and leaned against the frame to simply watch. She wore her usual clothing, the crimson form-fitting pants that tied up either hip, the matching top that left her abdomen exposed and of course her shoulder pauldrons and gauntlets along with her hooded cloak. Her dark green eyes were focused however on the flames and the metal as the smith before her seemed to lean against the wall and smiled at his own work. "It's been a long time since I witnessed someone at their work." she admitted, her eyes flitting from the sparks to the man with a smile on her own face. "You seem proud of your work, that's good." she said.

Behind her in the street Suzume remained, quiet with her arms folded and her face hidden in the shadows of her takegasa hat, the little bells ringing in the light breeze, though of course she kept up a minor transformation jutsu to keep her appearance as normal as possible in such a place. A small smile on her lips as she watched Rina's joy at the sight of the forge, she hadn't seen the other woman so happy in some time.

[Unknown Eldritch]

Fudo blinks a little bit, his grin falling as he turns his attention toward the woman who chose to approach him. Not many people lived in the area (which was one of the main reasons why Fudo was able to purchase the location for so cheap), and he had thought that he knew all of his neighbors... Maybe she was just passing through? His eyes scanned the woman in front of him, taking in her appearance.

She appeared to be a bit older than him, though he was around an inch or so taller than her from his best guess. Her long blonde hair was loose, something that definitely pointed towards the idea that she was just passing through, since most people nearby had some form of craft that would necessitate that they keep their hair tied back out of the way, and her eyes were a pretty shade of dark green. As his eyes trailed down, Fudo caught sight of her clothing, the various pieces of metallic armor indicating that she had some type of combat training, and while Fudo was not particularly skilled at reading body language, there was something about her that made him certain that she was much stronger than he was... not that that was particularly hard.

Still, the main feature that caught Fudo's attention was the bright smile on her face as she talked about his work, which banished the confusion off of his own features as a relaxed, genuine smile made its way onto his lips. "Ah, well there isn't too much for me to be proud of just yet, I have a long way to go and a lot more to learn before I can make something I'm really proud of, but if nothing else it's definitely turning out better than I had hoped." Pushing himself off of the wall, Fudo straightened up and wiped his hands down with the damps cloth before tossing it into the water bucket, drying his hands on his pants. "Anyways, I haven't seen you around here before, you a traveler or something? The name's Fudo, Muramasa Fudo, pleasure to meetcha." Holding out his hand for a handshake, Fudo glanced around the area.

"You seem like a real interesting person, but this isn't really the best place to chat. If you'd be willing to wait until I'm finished with the blade, I'd be happy to make some tea so we can get to know one another. It isn't every day that you meet someone who seems as interesting as you after all, and it'd be a shame to pass up the opportunity."

[Willoria]

Rina felt as if she could watch his mind work like watching the pages of a book flip from one to the next and was glad to see him finally land on a smile as he spoke to her in response. "A long way to go has to have a place to start." she remarked. "And it sounds as if you're already down the path, so you should be proud already." she added. As he reached out his hand to shake, she accepted and nodded as he asked about her. "Airi Rina. Just traveling through with a friend. She came from this country originally, we make it a point to travel through parts of it from time to time. It's my first time through here though myself." She motioned towards the doorway just as Suzume stepped in.

The raven-haired woman removed her takegasa as she stepped inside, the bells ringing softly though the sound was hardly heard due to the natural sounds of the forge. She too smiled at the sight of Fudo but her smile hardly reached her eyes. She truly looked wary, stress lining the corners of her eyes from the events of recent weeks. "And I am Hiraku Suzume." she said, introducing herself as she clearly had heard parts of the conversation between the pair, though she didn't seem eager to interrupt the two. As he invited Rina to tea, the blonde-haired woman turned towards Suzume as if to ask a question and Suzume was already nodding. "I'll find my way back to you later, Rina. I need to meet with a contact." she said simply.

Rina blushed fiercely and gave Suzume a worried look. "You shouldn't go alone, Suz." For a moment her voice sounded a tone deeper than a moment ago, more serious.

Suzume put a hand on her shoulder, and for a brief moment a tendril seemed to snake out of the woman's sleeve and touch her shoulder as well. "Nothing I can't handle on my own, a simple messenger, nothing more. I won't even be leaving town, I'll just be milling about the street."

Rina frowned visibly as Suzume give a slight inclination of the head as a substitute for a boy towards both Fudo and Rina in turn before stepping out again and Rina looked towards Fudo again. "Seems I'm free then if you are."

[Unknown Eldritch]

Fudo smiled softly at Rina's words, a few stray sparks of pride welling up inside of him for a few moments before dying down. Regardless of how Fudo himself thought about his work, it was... nice to hear somebody complimenting it. "Well, I appreciate your support Miss Rina, it means a lot considering the lack of it that I've had so far." As the woman continued to speak, Fudo turned to look at the woman who just stepped into the workshop and removed her takegasa, quickly scanning her appearance and figuring that she seemed to be in roughly the same age range as Rina. As she introduced herself, Fudo was tempted to offer a handshake to her as well, but before he had the chance she continued speaking, directing her attention to her companion, and he smiled warmly at the obvious bond that the two shared.

As Suzume explained her intention to leave and share a brief conversation with Rina, Fudo nodded, taking the chance to respond to her earlier introduction. "It's a pleasure to meet you too Miss Suzume, I hope your meeting goes well." Carefully turning his attention back to the forge to allow the women to give their goodbyes in privacy, Fudo judged the temperature of the blade, figuring that it would probably be ready for the last steps in the process. As Rina spoke to him, Fudo glanced over, smiling at her words. "That's great to hear. I should be done soon enough, then I can get started on some tea for the two of us. Unless you think your... companion? Miss Suzume may want some tea set aside for her as well." After listening to Rina's response, Fudo turned back to the forge, expression becoming quite a bit more intense as he turned his focus toward his craft, stepping forward to pick up his tools once more.

[Willoria]

Rina sighed quietly and shook her head as Fudo spoke to Suzume, and Suzume herself didn't seem to register his words before leaving. "Don't mind her she's... a bit complicated." she remarked as a sort of apology on the other woman's behalf. "She doesn't mean to be as rude as she comes off, it's simply a side effect of a recent shift in her nature I'm afraid." she admitted. She couldn't really find any other way to vaguely explain the other woman's situation, 'complicated' was really the best way to sum it up. After all, anything else simply made her sound more than a little insane. The woman she had sworn a life-debt to was quite literally a monster made of tendrils and living thread after all it seemed.

He mentioned tea for Suzume as well and Rina glanced towards the doorway before wrinkling up her nose and shaking her head. "Her business will probably keep her occupied honestly." she said, silently hoping she was right. Drinking tea was not a farce that Suzume had mastered as of yet. Faking drinking sake was simple, so was faking the effects of alcohol. But faking heat and temperature changes when one couldn't feel them to judge them was much more difficult. Rina watched Fudo return to his work for a moment before moving for the door, pausing to offer a smile before inclining her head for the door again, an indication that she would step just outside and wait until he was done.

[Unknown Eldritch]

Fudo turns his attention back to the forge, making sure that everything was going as anticipated despite his lack of attention the past couple minutes. Satisfied with the current heat of the metal, he lifts a pair of forging tongs and uses them to pull the blade from the heat of the forge, laying it upon the anvil while still maintaining the grip with the tongs, using his other hand to heft the smithing hammer. Bringing down the blunt tool on the blade, Fudo's heart beat to the rhythm of his hammering, a steady, thorough pace that was perfect for the last bit of work he was putting into it. As he brought the hammer down for the last time, Fudo lifted the blade with the tongs before plunging it into the shallow trough of oil on the other side of the small room, prompting a wonderful display of fire to erupt for a brief moment, before dying down.

Pulling the blade from the oil, Fudo placed the blade into the forge, spending a couple minutes tempering it before pulling it back out and setting it on the iron-topped workbench to allow it to cool to room temperature. Fudo set down his tools, placing his hands on his back as he stretched out, feeling a satisfying pop echo out before he straightened back up, turning to head out of the workshop as it would take a while for the blade to cool to room temperature.

As he stepped outside, Fudo shuddered from the gust of cold air that he was hit with, before glancing over at Rina. "Alright, I finished what I needed to for the time being, what kind of tea would your prefer? I don't have anything too fancy, but I like to think that I'm pretty decent at making the most of subpar materials." As Fudo asked this, he began to lead the way to the door of the small home attached to the worshop. Opening the door revealed a rather small but clean studio that was sparsely decorated. The walls were mostly bare, and aside from a bed, a couch, and a kotatsu in the center of the living space with a small seating pillow, there was not much furniture to be seen. "Make yourself at home, go ahead and take a seat wherever you'd like, I'll get started on some tea."

Making his way around the living space, Fudo pulled out a small lighter before lighting a lantern hanging from the sealing, followed by a few candles to provide light. As he made his way into the small kitchen area, Fudo rummaged through his cabinet and pulled out a kettle and filling it with water before setting it to boil and making his way to the kotatsu, taking a seat as he took the chance to relax, pulling his mantle from his shoulders as he did so.

[Willoria]

Rina gave Fudo a smile when he stepped out of the forge and followed him as he lead the way to his home. Naturally it wasn't far away, and was literally around the corner from his workshop. "My favorites are any kind of green or matcha tea but anything that's warm will do really." she replied as she followed him along. Stepping into the humble home put a smile on her face, honestly reminding her of her own upbringing before she began traveling with Suzume. Considering she had no home save for whatever tent or inn-room she could scramble for now, it was more than she had. He offered for her to make herself at home and she simply sat down at the kotatsu and began to relax.

As she relaxed she even removed her cloak and set it aside, gently folded to set on the ground next to her. She also took off her gauntlets and set them on top, showing the light tattoos on her hands, fingers, and that ran up her forearms in the process. She leaned forward with her arms and hands on the table and watched Fudo begin to relax as well and the woman simply smiled at him again. "So you run the forge, you drink tea, how else do you fill your time out here?" she asked curiously.

[Unknown Eldritch]

Fudo couldn't keep his eyes from tracing along the tattoos on Rina's arms as she leaned forward, finding the designs to be interesting. "Ah, well, not much to be honest. Smithing isn't just my occupation like so many would-be swordsmiths out there, it's practically my life. It's already hard enough justifying taking even just a short break away from the forge to myself, and I can't help but feel like every minute that goes by where I'm not trying to improve is just another minute that has gone to waste... But I also know that just forging nonstop would eventually lead to stagnation. By taking the occasional break and chatting with new and interesting folks," Fudo nodded in Rina's direction with a grin, obviously showing that she would fall into that category, "I can make sure that the creative juices keep flowing."

Fudo couldn't keep the tinge of pink from staining his cheeks as he continued speaking. "Though, it doesn't help that I don't really got the kind of funds that I'd need to work nonstop on improving, metal just costs too much to justify it. Can't really say for sure if I'd be able to force myself to take breaks as easily as I do now if I did have the money to do it though." Fudo drummed his fingers lightly against the table as he leaned back slightly, glancing up at the ceiling in a subconscious attempt to ward off his embarrassment before continuing to speak. "But yeah, long story short I don't really do much else aside from this. I go on walks sometimes, but that's usually just to go shopping or to pick up a shipment of metal, not much else to do aside from that."

[Willoria]

Rina could honestly understand completely. Though his embarrassment brought a light smile to her face, her for a moment mistaking it for a possible attraction to herself before she realized he was more embarrassed at his perceived lack of talent due to a lack of funds, she could understand. She had seen smiths at a couple of the conclaves her own mother had founded and then left behind. She had seen the dedication in those men and the way they worked and shaped the metal, the hours they spent. She had also seen those same men, when the darkness left them too little light to work, take the time to learn the stances of their chosen sword styles. "Well I'm no smith, so I couldn't help you there." she remarked, chuckling a bit to herself. "And unless you wanted to learn Yoshin, I couldn't help you train with a blade either." she admitted as well with a light shrug.

She looked down at her own hands for a moment as her mind sought a subject matter to speak of that didn't involve her current oath to follow Suzume around as a result of the other woman saving her life. It seemed like a dull subject to her really, though she wasn't sure Fudo would agree per se. "My mother used to start these self sustaining communes." she started to say suddenly. "They were such odd places, some would say a dream. Funds were pooled to support them, to grow food for everyone there, to buy medicine, and even fund the work done by others. The smiths had plenty of materials, as did the farmers, the medics, even the samurai that worked to protect the place." She looked at Fudo a moment a moment as she realized she had rambled and a blush of her own came to her cheeks before she cleared her throat to try and hide it. "I'm not sure how she managed to start such a thing each time though. I never actually knew the woman myself."