Forge post

[ostro_goth]

Teja has thirteen swords to make.

One for the captain he spoke to the other week, and a dozen for her crew.

Thirteen swords for fights on ships, light end flexible, holding an edge well, but robust enough to cut rope. Thirteen swords of folded steel that she cannot get in her world, because Byzantium -- Byzantium!! -- has fallen, and a people called the Turks control Damascus, where such steel was made, and worked into blades.

The door to the forge stands open, and Teja is folding steel. The cats are there, and watching him work -- Kitty, the tabby, from the door, and Ferdinand, white with grey spots, from close to the forge fire.

Whoever has seen Teja's notice on the board will know that he accepts commissions; but the open forge doors suggest even to the casual passer by that he is open for business -- to speak to a friend, to answer questions, to accept work, or just to satisfy a stranger's curiosity.-


[[OOC: Open until it scrolls off the front page! I didn't have a forge post in far too long.]]

Comments

[mogget_cat]

Teja's open door policy may mean he is open to approach.

But are the cats?

Evening, all. It's polite to announce one's presence, at least. Yrael is taking a break from surveillance.

[ostro_goth]

Kitty looks at him, and the approaches, to rub her cheek on him in welcome.

"Greetings, Yrael," Teja says.

[mogget_cat]

He returns the gesture.

"Greetings, Teja," Yrael replies. "A special order?"

[ostro_goth]

"Indeed," Teja says. "For a woman captain named Catalina Erantzo. She comes from a time when swords were still treasured."

[mogget_cat]

"A captain? She foresees that her ship will be in battle?" Weird people, seagoing folk.

Ferdinand gets his forehead bumped in greeting.

[ostro_goth]

Ferdinand moves up so Yrael can have a warm spot by the fire if he wants to. He is a placid cat, and likes the white creature that is sometimes cat, sometimes not, but always himself.-

"They fight their enemies in a regular manner," Teja says. "They are at war with a people called the Turks, who in turn vanquished Byzantium!"

[mogget_cat]

Yrael, who knows a little of Earth music (and learns more all the time), grins. "Istanbul not Constantinople, not Byzantium?"

[ostro_goth]

"Huh?" Teja says.

[mogget_cat]

"There is a song, in late twentieth-century earth, about the changing name of Byzantium," he says, rubbing his chin across his forelegs. "It is terribly catchy."

[ostro_goth]

"Can you sing it?" Teja asks, despite the threat of catchy music.

[mogget_cat]

"Mmmmmm," ponders the cat. "Is your guitar handy? Mine is upstairs."

[ostro_goth]

"Outside, behind the open door," Teja says.

[mogget_cat]

The white not'cat slinks through the door and disappears around the edge of the frame.

There is a moment of light, followed by Yrael walking back in, in human shape, carrying the guitar. "All right. Let's see if I can remember it all."

[candied-rabbit.livejournal.com]

Momiji has never been to the forge, before! Actually, he didn't even know the Bar had one, and he's only happening across it now by sheer accident. Still, nosy creature that he is, that's not going to stop him from wandering right in, looking all around in awe and surprise.

He even seems to have forgotten about the water balloons that he holds in each hand. He was in mid-hunt for unsuspecting targets, when he spotted the place.

"Woww...."

[ostro_goth]

The forge is by the lake, somewhat apart from the main buildings.-

"Greetings," Teja says, and keeps hammering on a large piece of metal.

[candied-rabbit.livejournal.com]

"Teja!"

Hey, it's a semi-familiar face! That gets a smile, in between ponderous glances at the hammer and the metal and everything else. It's kind of hot in here!

"What're you doing?"

In his defense, he'd probably figure it out if he stopped to think.

[ostro_goth]

"Folding metal," Teja says.

[candied-rabbit.livejournal.com]

"What?" Momiji replies, boggle-eyed. Forge-work just isn't something he's familiar with.

"It looks like you're hitting stuff with a hammer."

[ostro_goth]

"Indeed," Teja says. "It is two kinds of steel, and I am folding them over and over."

[candied-rabbit.livejournal.com]

"Ohh."

The boy wanders into the forge a little further, eyes darting around. He is, at least, careful to keep a safe distance from anything that looks potentially dangerous, including Teja and his big hammer.

"Why would you want to do that?"

[ostro_goth]

"Because I fold flexible steel with harder steel, so it will make a blade both hard and flexible," Teja says, "and holding a much sharper edge, much longer, then if the blade were made of simple steel."

[candied-rabbit.livejournal.com]

"Ohhh." Momiji repaats himself a tad, suddenly looking very thoughtfuly.

After a moment, he brightens with the look of someone (a not very mature someone) hoping to wheedle something out of someone else.

"Can you stop for a second, so I can throw a water balloon at you?"

Normally he wouldn't ask, but he doesn't want him to drop the hammer on his foot or something.

[ostro_goth]

"Huh?" Teja says.

He puts his hammer down and stares at the child. Throw a what??

[candied-rabbit.livejournal.com]

That's almost better than a yes!

And leads, of course, to a big, wobbly, green balloon being tossed towards Teja's chest.

"A water balloon!"

[ostro_goth]

It breaks open, and splashes all over Teja's leather forge apron, the anvil, the glowing red billet of steel which darkens rapidly in a great cloud of steam, the hammer, and even the forge fire, that spits almost as badly at Ferdinand the cat, who gets wet also.

Teja stares, grimly.

"Have you lost your mind?" he demands.