Forging on ahead (continued)

[Beastie]

He listened to her, watched her movements and the pieces she brought out, and chuckled. She had fire and spunk that was sure. Maybe not a ton of common sense, but fire and spunk.

If she knew who he was though; he was surprised she carried on as she did. He thought to himself for a moment that it should be no surprise that she knew who he was. For as much as he fought keeping it quiet, seemed more people knew who he was as far as the Dance. But if she did know him, why would she poke a dragon with a stick.

He shrugged and decided since she liked her lists he would give her one.

"First, lass, I do kiss my mother with this snout. As well as my Da when he was walking this plane of existence, and those few I call family. So iffen ye nae like my tongue......Vith Off."

He watched her closely as his hands roamed the armor, hilt, and shield. "Secondly, iffen ye won a Dance then rejoice a bit. Nae be such a vithing staunch arse Venture. 'Specially iffen it seems you have gotten the favor of a few of those on High."

He reached for the hit. Wrapping his hand around it. "Third, ye definitely need to make offerings iffen ye went to a Dance with such junk." He threw the hilt away and pushed off the armor. Leaving the shield there as it might be a crest.

"Fourth, those fires burn for one reason. Atonement. That tis all ye need to know. Now iffen ye wish to do business, so mote it be. Yer armor tis junk. Fit for a girl that nae knows the way 'round the Dance. Yer blade was made of inferior metals and I shall nae place a new blade anywhere near the rubbish of that hilt. Tis worth nae more then a servin knife now. Shield," he pushed it back at her. "Iffen I just repaired it then it shalt be weakened in those areas. More likely to fail ye when ye need it most and I shalt nae have my family's name on anything that will fail when needed.

"So ye hast two options lass. Put up with my mouth, get yerself healed, make yer offerings, and pay me to make all these anew. Or..." he pointed beyond her to the door.....

[Alicia "Ali" Masterson]

Well, he was sure in a mood.  Luckily, so was she.  "Alright then, I'll rephrase my question.  You've kissed my sister with that snout?"  She snickered and then made sure that she was looking away as she winced.

She watched as he went over her armor and weapons tossing them aside.  She listened to all the crap he had to say about it and wasn't phased a bit.  "Yea, I told that jackass that the armor and weapons would fail.  But he refused to let me use my own.  He insisted I use what he gave me so I could match his army of little boys."  Figuratively, not literally.  The king she had been under contract to was an idiot, but he wasn't that bad that he would endanger children.  Ali just didn't have a very high opinion of the crybabies that she had just fought beside.

She arched an eyebrow at the pile of metal before her.  "You know what?  I was just going to take the repaired pieces back to him to knock him upside the head with.  But, now that I've had a nice ride to calm myself, I don't think I want to risk that punishment.  I'll keep the shield as my trophy for a job well done.  After all, I survived.  And this was my last campaign for that jackass, so the rest of this crap can be melted down for scrap."  She began to unbuckle the armor she was still wearing.  

Once she had all the armor off and set on the counter, she removed the rest of the chainmail she was wearing as well.  That left her standing there in a pair of little purple panties that matched the purple tank top she was wearing.  "Now, the chainmail is mine.  And the bottoms are still fine, but the top ..."  She pulled the top of her chainmail from her saddle bag.  "I don't know what kind of blade he ran me through with, but it punctured my chainmail and then me.  So, if you could repair this for me?"  She set the very heavy chainmail separate from the armor she had just given up to be melted down.

She pulled her saddle bags off the counter and gently slung them over her shoulder once more.  "I would also like a new Claymore if you don't mind.  Hilt and all.  That jackass had mine confiscated.  Nothing too ornate, just battle worthy.  I have my ornate weaponry safe at home."  She knew that her side was bleeding again.  It was time to get moving with the next task on her list.

She touched the bandage on her side as she finished her conversation.  "Now that that's settled.  As for my offerings, they'll be made.  As for payment, I'll settle up without an issue.  As for your mouth, I'm a knight, it's nothing new.  I just have one of my own as well.  And as for getting healed ..."  She pulled her hand away from the bandage to find blood on her fingers.  "The name on the order is Alicia Masterson, you can call me Ali.  And do you happen to know where I can find a healer other than Tash or Casie?"  Knight or not, she was only human, and she needed to get healed soon or she was going to pass clean out.

[Beastie]

He listened to her say something about a sister and cocked his scaly head to one side. Then shook it and listened to her go on about some jackass and such.

"There was your first mistake lass," he said in a calmer tone. "Nae e'er let someone else dictate what ye bring to a Dance. Ye only take those items ye know and trust. Be like me tellin my Mother how to use fire.This ye SHOULD know since ye are a Knight and all"

He continued on listening and examined the chain mail top, not really paying attention to her stripping sown there in front of him. Not that he was use to it mind you; it was more like he had a job and his second love was metal working.

"Epee, rapier short sword, dagger, battle spear....," he mumbled to himself then tossed it as well as the bottoms to scrap. "Will be made new. Not to bad craftsmanship, but same reason as the armour. In this case you do not want the balance to be off in what you wear; so will remake them.

"Why a claymore? They are unruly to weild and many that are quicker then ye can get inside yer reach. Iffen ye are horse back..," he paused to think of a nice way of saying it but there was not. "Well iffen on horse back, ye look like the dumb ass of a lancer that forgets ye are suppose to lower a lance. Iffen ye are Dancin with sword and board, then ye want things that compliment that. Just a lowly Smiths opinion Lady Knight."

He listened once more, not really paying attention to much as his mind was already getting designs. "Fine Fine. Ali it tis. When ye make yer offerings, save some of the blood ye are leaking on my floors. When healed, let them know ye are having work done here so they can preserve the bandages. Ye will need the blood to...well will explain when done.

"Be back here in three days, unless healer overrules, for measuring and metal choices. Bring bandages with you. As for where healers are, am sure there are some at the Inn or here in town. Just returned myself and I nae go out much. "

With that he started humming an old tune he knew as he gathered items to melt down. "Three days or word sent to me otherwise by a Healer." Was the last he said before he began to head back down into the pit, effectively dismissing her.

[Alicia "Ali" Masterson]

Dre's calmer tone lead to a calmer tone from Ali as well.  "I do know it.  I think that his theory was that since this was my last campaign for him, it would be my last campaign at all.  A case of 'if I can't have you no one will'.  But he underestimated me."  In fact, he had greatly underestimated her.  He was completely shocked when she showed up at the end of the battle with a pulse still filling her veins.

She watched him tossing aside her things and arched both eyebrows.  "Good point.  I didn't think about the balance.  Thank you.  I will be happy to pay for new." She had honestly never thought about repairs to her chainmail before.  It had never been punctured before.

Ali couldn't help but snicker at the lancer comment.  It was entirely too funny.  "Simple reason.  I'm a lady, made obvious by the chest I carry.  When I step onto the battle field I look like a target.  Then I pull my Claymore and they think twice.  I slice a few people open, maybe run a few through, and suddenly I'm a force to be reckoned with, not some girl.  Then I sheath my Claymore and draw a different weapon to complete my path of destruction."  It was all about the intimidation factor.  Besides, his mother carried a Claymore as well.

When he mentioned her leaking blood on his floors, she looked down.  Indeed, she had bled through the bandages enough to have left a couple of drops on the floor.  That was not good.  Not good at all.  And she was about to ask why he wanted the blood, but he said he would explain later.  So she didn't ask. She simply picked up the shield with her empty hand and let part of her mind try to figure out how she was going to secure it to her saddle bags for the trip.

So he wanted her back in three days.  She could do that.  She hoped anyway.  "Three days, got it.  I'll see you then."  And she turned to leave.  If she wasn't to be back in time, she needed a 'note' from the Healer to dismiss her.  It was like missing school for a doctors appointment.  It made her giggle.

She left the forge in her panties and tank top.  She had been unable to retrieve some of her belongings when she had gone to collect her pay at the end of the battle.  She was realizing how chilly it was.  Nevertheless, she threw her saddle bags up on the back of her horse, found a way to secure the shield, mounted, and rode off toward the Inn.  He said she might find a Healer there.  She didn't think she could make it to town at this point.

[Beastie]

Down below he began the work of smelting metals and combining them. He thought back to what she said about the claymore and shook his head. In his mind it was the claymore that made her the target, not the fact that she was a lass. He would never understand Dancers these days.

He continued to smelt and combine metal. Then he began the rhythmic work of hammering out the the right metal. Folding it onto itself over and over. He knew she asked for a claymore, but in his mind he had something better. So he began the work to create a falchion. He knew that the sweeping blade would be better for horse back warfare and still make her intimidating.

It was this project that he worked on for three days, knowing the last part of it would be on her.

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