Write in the Eels

Log Info

• Title: Write in the Eels
• Emitter: Jay
• Characters: Jay, Nemori, Slixvah, Robert
• Place: A02: Lower Trades District
• Time: Friday, September 23, 2022, 9:33 PM
• Summary: It's raining. Jay is hanging out at Robert's forge, staring at the sky and discussing what he sees there, with Nemori and Robert ignoring him. Slixvah arrives, to get some shelter. Nemori's work isn't going as planned, neither is Robert's. The artifice he is attempting to put in his titan fists isn't cooperating, and he's shocked badly. Everyone attends to him, and then Slix explains their latest caper: liberating a box while a band played on. It involved subterfuge, and Jay performing a burlesque. This ends in discussions regarding the egalrin's families, and the two birds decide to write them.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A02: Lower Trades District *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The Lower Trades District is the home of the working man of Alexandria. The Lower Trades is divided, unofficially, into two parts: that controlled by the gobbers, and that controlled by the khazad. The two areas stand in contrast, one with a strong, almost formal architecture and a predilection for blacksmiths, the other a mixture of propped-up rubble and gunpowder. The latter's started to grow however, and take form with the aid of the more structured Arvek Nar. Still, the two stand as uneasy neighbors, though the oruch more easily work both sides, often in the spirit of a friendly, if competitive, warriors' competition that's unique to Alexandria, itself.

Here, the "khazad section" boasts a number of blacksmiths, glass smiths, artifice shops, and basic taverns, as well as any number of trades shops and eateries. The sweet tinge of oil, iron, and spiced BBQ is everywhere. Shrines to Reos, or marks of the same, are found over most doorways, in homage to the khazad Mountain Father and World Smith.

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A raw wind blows from the east. Cold rain falls from a grey-black sky without moon or stars. A white, black and blue jay egalrin sits just inside the forge, staring upwards out of the open window. "The heat patterns are intriguing tonight."

Nemori pulls a steaming horseshoe out of the bucket of quenching oil, then drops it into a pail to join others of its kind before she uses the same tongs to pick out another ingot to repeat the process, starting with shoving it into the forge. Her free hand starts turning a crank, making use of a series of gears and pulleys to operate the bellows and provide a steady source of oxygen to the coals. As usual, she listens to Jay pratter on in the background, though like usual she has little to offer comment upon.. even though tonight's mundane task requires little in the way of concentration, letting her own thoughts wander. Perhaps on the very thing Jay is taking note on.

Still raining? Bleh. Rain never mixes well with feathers. Refuge, need refuge.

A sopping wet figure in a multihued robe slips into the forge, her throwing off the protective layer to flare her wings out. "Aha, figured tha fires be goin'!" she sighs in relief.

Look. Look. "Oh heeeey!" she coos warmly. Grinning so hard it actually shows on her face.

"Mm?" Bob wonders back at Integrity, more than a little distracted by the open ancient tome and the delicate pieces of freshly-forged artifice he's struggling to assemble. The large Cerenzan always looks more than a little out of place playing an arcane version of watchmaker. The tinted googles pushed up on his forehead help a bit at making him look the part.

"... from the forge?" The addition comes without looking up and back. A pair of tweezers holding an unstable, unevenly cut blue crystal lift in a sort of wave at Slixvsh's arrival.

"They resemble the northern lights, but not as bright, of course. I don't know if humans can see them. Or Elves, it might be on the verge of what you can see, although you're good with the dark." Jay rambles on.

Then, "Slix! Hi! Hi! Come in, you'll get your feathers wet. Nemori, look who's here!"

Having a few moments while the ingot heats, Nemori sets the tongs down on the forge. She continues to turn the crank, though. "Perhaps a pedal of some sort may work better for this," she notes to Robert. "This is certainly making it easier to maintain an even heat however." Being only required to maintain a steady turn rate upon the forge's air supply, Nemori is able to turn and regard the now two egalrin. Her free hand reaches up first to wipe the sweat from her brow with a bare arm, then she flickers her fingers in a sort-of-wave to Slixvah. "Come inside and warm up, if you would like, Slixvah," she invites. "Perhaps you can help explain what Integrity is speaking about."

Slixvah giggles at Bob's sight, her returning the wave with one of the feathers on her wing. Some minor magics cleanse the sopping waters.

She slips in, plopping herself beside the forge with a relaxed sigh. They watch Nemori work for a beat before she idly comments, "Tha forge looks pretty!"

A quirk of the head. "Huh? What's Blueberry on about?"

Lost to his work before the responses come, Robert hunches further forward and scoots his cheek back. Eyebrows raise causing the goggles to pop down into place over his eyes as he breathes a steadying chant in half-formed Kulthian.

There's a quiet *tink* as the stone falls into its socket. The next piece is a fantastically thin bit of golden wiring bent to play jumper. The tweezers clack almost inaudibly when their grip slips and the thread falls into the mechanism.

Blue-white light flares through the smithy along with an angry staccato buzz. Bits of the gadget fly harmlessly in every direction and the artificer is left gripping his left forearm as the fingers of that hand clench and shake.

"Fffff--" he hisses through gritted teeth-- "fidgets and shimmers..!"

"Bob! Bob! Are you okay?" Integrity leaps off his perch, approaching his friend, then halting because the forge is dangerous. Doublely so when Nemori is around, quadrupel when there's already been an accident. He looks at the dark elf, back at the cezaran, "Do you need healing?"

A quick whip of his head towards Slixvah, "I was talking about the infrared thermals in the sky. I don't think mammals can see those."

He returns to fluttering around Robert.

Nemori's head jerks; the crank stops turning as her eyes seek out the scene of the mishap even as her hand reaches for the tongs. She watches the blue feathered avian flutter about Robert, notes the older man hasn't fallen over, studies his face as she pulls the ingot out of the coals and sets the glowing piece of forged metal upon the anvil. "Are you alright?" she does venture to ask, betraying some concern.

Slixvah flinches as the device explodes, her half getting up in a crouch as a glowing white hand raises as she glances to Nemori, then back to Bob. "Yeah, you good? We can get ya arm spruced up all quick like."

She blinks at Integrity. Then- "Oh! Yeah! I noticed that bein' human. Can't see heat drafts an' stuff."

"... fine." Robert manages to nod deliberately, the muscles up his arm and through his neck a spasming knot. His enchanted gloves smolder mildly around a tight fist. He tucks his chin down and closes his eyes while his heart works to find its normal rhythm.

"Are you sure?" The bluejay says, hovering nearby and observing the muscle spasms. He starts massaging Robert's neck, his thin feather fingers no match for the corded muscles there. Blacksmiths. "Wow you're solid."

"You should still have a sit down, do you want some water? I'll get some water." He's off to grab a ladle, and not one from the quenching bucket.

Slixvah gives a groan as she gets to her feet, her gliding over and holding the glowing hand out. "Yeah yeah, that's what they all say. You help us lots, it's alright ta get a lil' help in return."

"Thank you," Bob adds as his jaw starts to relax a bit. His breath catches and he gives a little shudder. "... just a shock." The clench fist trembles as he works to force it open.

"Back to the drafting board." He manages with a strained smile.

"Okay. Okay, here's some water." Integrity offers, moving around the man, clearing a path for what he presumes is the drawing board, "What were you working on? Was that a magical charge or an alchemical one?"

Slix shrugs, her letting the energy go as she leans against the wall, surveying what the artificer was working on. "Blue stole the question right outta my beak. Ya makin' ya gloves fancier or somethin'?"

"Artifice," is the one-word answer. "Charged lightning," begins further explanation. "Aetherite is aligned to air and lightning. Harvested with the proper mechanism it can manifest a bolt similar to the arcanist's spells." Bob sighs the last bit, leaning back and closing his eyes.

The fingers of his hand finally relax enough to open and he lowers the gloved digits down to the table stiffly.

"I'm trying to alter the black formulae and eliminate banned substances the Kulthian source employs."The blue and silver dragons are quite attached to their glands, I imagine, and appreciate my sacrifice." His smile comes a little easier this time.

"I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a blue or silver dragon." The bluejay opines, peering at the device, "Would something like an electric eel work?"

He clacks his beak, "If it did, it would be eely good."

"Here, let me." He moves to massaging Robert's forearm.

Slix tilts her head to the side. "Interesting... I wonder.... do ya think usin' somethin' mo' like a couple of lodestones and tha' weird electric thing they induce instead?"

She just snorts at Jay's puns. "Yeah. Though I think shovin' eels in ya gauntlets would certainly make people think twice about messin' with ya!"

The bluejay waves his arms like rubber hoses, clacking his beak again. "We would have to foray for a moray. I do like the lodestone idea." He returns to massaging Robert's arms, "the lodestones sound good."

"Both good ideas," Bob responds with a thoughtful smile. "... but I am trying to stay away from living things in general." The admission turns his friendly look apologetic as he considers the egalrin attending to his arms.

"The Taint of Kulthus is real and one minor compromise of ethos makes the next easier; the formulae have a corrupting power of their own. So we must maintain the Armor of Contempt." The Cerenzan recites the last bit like a schoolboy repeating a rote lesson.

"I think the components of the mechanism are sound but the assembly needs adjusting. Finishing the device after adding the power source is too dangerous." He nods at his hand then glances up to Slixvah. "But I will consider your suggestion, too, miss Slix."

Slix laughs quietly against at Blue. "Bobby's rubbin' off on ya," she snickers. Her attention slips to Robert, her bobbing her head. "Yeah, gotta get a good frame befo' ya pump power into it. Same things wit' mojo. Need ta know the basics before ya start blabberin' incantations."

Her eyes crinkle in a smile. "Glad ya like the idea!"

then her gaze turns into a playful smirk. "Oh, Robby, this job Blue and I did. You shoulda seen him. He pretended ta be a dancer, oh my gods it was soo cute!"

Integrity squaks, his crest flipping up, and he curls a wing around, embarrassed. Feigning it, finally laughing as he spreads his wings wide and knocks a set of tongs off a peg, "Oops. Ah! Ah? I was cute? You liked it? I had no idea what I was doing, no idea!"

A few nervous tics and a twitching of tailfeathers suggests otherwise, or something on the bluebird's mind.

"It was all very last instant, and I panicked, and they seemed to like me. I... uh... I got invited back."

"It sounds like a good time," Bob nods with a continued smile. "If only more of our jobs could involve dancing... I imagine the gold rewards wouldn't be quite so high in those instances.

"But what's money next to happiness and a dance that frees your heart? Muse' grace." An eyebrow quirks as he considers Slixvah. "And were you dancing with IC? Or up to other mischief?"

"Ha! I'll let her explain." Jay chirps.

Slixvah snickers. "I wish they involved more dancing. That'd be more fun than coin. Yeah, I liked it Blue," the witch hums

"I uh," she rubs her neck. "Was up to no good. Didn't join in. Might've, he was doing good. Ya gonna go back Blue?"

Slixvah says, "Basically, we had to get a thing, pretend to be dancers at a concert with Eztli and Blue here. Ended up last minute shoving Blue my disguise ribbon and he put on a belly dancer get up, got on stage and busted a move while we made our nab. All above board, don't worry!"

"I'm sorry I missed it," admits the Cerenzan through a bit of laughter. "You can offer your services at legal counsel and light entertainment, now. 'Integrity C. Truefeather, the C is for cavorting.'" He reaches across and pats the back of Jay's hand before giving it a light squeeze.

"... are you maintaining your alter ego for your return trip of debuting the real IC beneath the spotlight?"

"Well... I'd need a disguise ribbon, or something. Or maybe not." Jay refolds his wings, wobbling his head, "I picked my sister as a disguise. That's kind of wrong, right? I don't think she'd mind. She got me in trouble often enough. Usually not by pretending to be me."

The bird tilts his head, looking at Robert with a critical eye< "Can you tell the difference between a male and female egalrin?"

"It might get back to her if I did it more. I could write her. Maybe she'd want to come."

It is exactly the sort of thing Reluctance would want to witness, and mock.

Slixvah snickers. "No worries, maybe he can give you a reshowing?" she teases, elbowing Blue in the side. "I figured it was ya sister. Nothing wrong with that, it worked in the moment. Should write her."

She ponders. "... I should write my fam."

"I'm sure they'd love to hear from both of you," opines the artificer. "Being away from family can be difficult... and kids most of all. You're always in our thoughts; the things you'd love and the comments you'd make at the things you dislike." He puts on a sour expression and wags a finger in pantomime.

"When they're not there and you see a new thing, you dream of the chance to share it with them." Ice-blue eyes go a little cloudy and Bob's smile dips. He clears his throat and nods his head in private thought.

"You make us proud. Every day. And our hearts are whole to know you think of us, too." He reinforces his grin and reaches up, squeezing the arms of both his friendly visitors.

Integrity looks around, "I can't dance in the forge." He glances outside, "I can't go singing in the rain. Oh! You're Ceinaran, right? They have places to perform, right?"

Sacrilege. Actually, no. The green goddess of the muse loves to be a-mused.

"I should write mine too. I wonder if they'd visit. I think you'd like them."

The embrace is unexpected, the sentiment strong. Jay folds himself into a hug, surrounding Robert and Slixvah with arms and wings. "Wow. Okay. I'll write for sure and tell them about all the things we're doing."

He's not sniffling, there's forge dust up his nostrils.

Slixvah opens her beak like so many times when she's got the next thing figured out. But nothing comes out, it instead closing with a near silent >clack<. Robert's words struck a chord, it seems, a curled finger resting on the down sloop of her beak.

"Yeah... I'll... I'll do that," promises quietly before-

Oh! There's hugging? Jay's mostly doing it, Robert's just holding an arm. Eh, screw it. Hugs for everyone! Beribboned wings flare out and wrap around both, as well as arm. "... bah, gettin' me all sentimental, Robby Bobby. Yeah. I'll give 'em a scribble. And maybe they'll swing by Blue? Who knows? Yours and mine."