Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"I-I'm sorry for hurting you, Ihra." Tenebrae says, disappointed.


"Tch, don't push your luck, ashflame." The shopkeeper says, motioning for Ruby to follow her into the back of the shop as Tirra turns to leave.

 

"It's okay... you're okay now, right? Isn't that better for everyone...?"


Ruby follows the shopkeeper.
"Sorry, just had to act confident in front of her. I'm just a few hundred out of practice."

 

"I hope." Tenebrae says, distant.


The shopkeeper leads Ruby into the back of the shop, where the main smithing area seems to be. A wall of magma runs by at the end of the room, metal pipes running in, and then back out of it with slots for casts below them. There appears to be an extremely sturdy anvil, a workbench with a multitude of tools and a grindstone that looks mostly new. One of the corners of the room appears to be iced over, a large pool of icy water in it. Large chests appear to be filled with ore and ingots, as well as a lot of fresh looking logs, animal skins and casts.

"I assume you know what to do?" The shopkeeper asks.

 

Ihra hugs her tighter.


"No... I've never worked this kind of forge."

"Abigail?" Ruby thinks. "You ever worked as a blacksmith?"

 

Tenebrae hugs Ihra tighter back.


"I...I don't remember much. I-I remember creating and customizing armour and weapons, s-sort of, as well as repairing it." Abigail says nervously.

"Never worked- Ugh, jesus. Alright, just play around a bit and don't burn yourself, I'll be back in a bit, I have something important to do." The shopkeeper says, frustrated as she heads out of the back room.

 

"It'll be okay... that's what mother always told me..."


"Alright. If you remember anything, pipe up. I can't stop you from communicating with me."

Ruby checks the amount of energy in her staff's pure mage crystal.

 

"I know it will be." Tenebrae says.


There's not much charge left in it, only about 6 and a half charges left.

 

"Maybe she can, but I don't know if I want too."

 

Ihra keeps quiet, finally loosening up a bit.


Ruby sighs.
"I'm letting your sight instincts come through, Abigail. Just be careful not to burn this place down." She says, granting Abigail senses of sight and touch.

She starts melting down a few ingots.

________________________________

"Still... don't you think you should at least give her a chance? I mean, it might work out great! We're lovers now, right?"

 

"Yeah we're lovers. What does that have to do with it?"
He thinks for a bit...
"You know. Maybe now that we're on the island, maybe it's better to talk to her now then later."

 

Tenebrae eventually lets go, the hands disappearing.


"I-I can't do much though. I can just see and feel what you're doing." Abigail says.

The ingots melt quite quickly in the magma, a valve on the pipes allowing Ruby to control how much molten ingot flows through, if any.

 

"I used to be a tresspasser, and now I'm not just prey. Maybe she'll go from a witch to a good family member."

Ihra sighs, sitting down and waiting before heading to the palace walls.


"React. You can influence my movements."

Ruby melts down a few more ingots, putting a hand on the valve and waiting to see how Abigail reacts.

 

"Oh, like that. Well.. that's how most relationships work. The more time you spend together, the better the bond between the two people get."

 

The guards smile at Ihra.

"Hello, Ihra. How are you today?" One of the guards asks from atop the wall.


Abigail doesn't react, though she shifts Ruby's vision to the casts in the chest.

 

"Been better. Almost died twice today." She sighs. "Did Aj come home yet?"


"Oh, right... thanks."
Ruby checks to see if the casts are for parts or entire weapons.

"So... maybe she'll turn out to be really nice if you visit her. You had good luck with me, and being family with a dragon is probably a really good thing."

 

"The king returned not long ago with the queen's form, miss Artemis and miss Katie." The guard says.


The casts appear to be for parts only, allowing variation in the materials used for a weapon. There appears to be smaller slabs to go with the casts to help separate some of the casts up too. Abigail moves Ruby's hand toward a cast for what seems to be a claw piece.

 

"Guess you're right."
He looks at the sky.
"Shall we tell Leviathan the news first or head straight for Rema?"

 

"Oh, good. Can I go talk to them?"


Ruby chuckles.
"Gauntlets, eh? You know we're just making these for other people, right?"

Pause.
"I'd tell the Leviathan first. We could maybe spend the night with Siln or Rema, so telling the Leviathan would free him up for the night."

 

"Sure, you're always welcome here." The guard says happily.


"I'm just going by instinct." Abigail says, seeming to have cheered up a little as she moves Ruby's other hand to a small separator slab.

 

Ihra smiles, blinking into the palace and heading to the throne room.


Ruby goes with Abigail's movements.
"I suppose we have to start somewhere, eh?"