blacksmith meanderer

;; BADO ;; Master Blacksmith and Craftsman ------------------- "Welcooooome." ------------------- A lazy, lazy blacksmith. Always tries to get rich quick, but always fails hard. He claims to enjoy the attempt, however. Despite all this-- --his skills are second to none. ------------------- [[ part of HMML ]] ------------------- art credit: [[ icon ]] [[sb1]] [[sb2]] [[bg by me]]

[barabado-blog]

Blacksmith's (Temporary) Assistant || Dolce & Bado

[adolcemorte-blog]

[As the final goblin disappears, Dolce turns her face from the light and takes a moment to catch her breath. A bead of sweat drips from her hairline down her right cheek. She wipes it away with the back of her glove, her eyes dropping to the cut on her upper arm. 

It’s about two inches long, and there’s not that much blood, all things considered. She should apply pressure to the wound to staunch the blood flow, then at the earliest convenience disinfect it before bandaging it up. It’ll likely leave a scar, but it’ll be very thin, white, unnoticeable unless she wears short sleeves and the like…] 

[Pulls the rest of her sleeve up and bunching the fabric, she presses it against the cut. At Bado’s approach, she looks up.] —Bado. I’m alright. It’s nothing. [Furrowing her brows.] Are you alright? 

[barabado-blog]

[sees her applying pressure to her arm and lets out a knowing sigh]  It seems like you are most certainly not alright.  You wouldn't be doing that if it was nothing.  [lets out a long sigh and runs his free hand through his hair]  I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you come with me.  I shouldn't be putting you in danger over some stupid bet.

[straps his zweihander back onto his back and stretches, apparently not at all noticing the bloody cut in his left bicep]  Y'know, you should get back to Selphia and mind the shop while I get that claw.  No need to be puttin' you in danger.

But first, prove to me that whatever you're hiding is really nothing.

[barabado-blog]

Wisdom of the Crow || Mistel & Bado

[pechvogeltje-blog]

Mistel stared in a slowly budding wonder. The word “guardians” stuck to his memory, tickling something he’s heard before and didn’t quite understand— though he was not sure the two were entirely related. More strikingly, however, Bado was describing another thing he’d definitely heard tell of - that actual dragons lived on Adonea, and that they were divine. After a moment Mistel let go of his held breath— not having realized before just now that he’d even been holding it.

"…I’m not sure," he answered honestly. Did the story make sense to him? Mistel supposed it did, and that it was his own brain holding him back from really taking it all in. Though to hear the older man express some semblance of disbelief in the reality of his own continent, Mistel felt a bit more at ease. Just a bit. "It sounds— truly fantastic. In every sense of the word. Where is the god now? You said it was a she— does she live— with your people?”

He paused for a moment, before tentatively asking. “And— … and is it possible— is it possible that people, too, can be guardians..? Like the gods..? Because I think— I think perhaps I’ve met someone from Selphia who claimed to be a guardian—”

[barabado-blog]

It wasn’t strange at all that Mistel might think his home strange— most did.  It was hard for others to believe that a deity existed, let alone having s said deity live alongside mortals.  However, having Ventuswill come back from the dead, or something much like it, was something sometimes even he had trouble fathoming.  And so Bado was not at all surprised at Mistel’s reaction, and waited patiently for the information to sink in.

"Yes.  She stays in the castle with our prince and princess.  She’s always in a grand, open-air throne room.  And yes, us townsfolk can visit her from time to time, pay our respects and such."

His last question, however, was something of a curveball.  Not many people from outside of Selphia knew about the Guardian monsters, and to be perfectly honest, he wasn’t sure if the four Guardians wanted others to know what they had once been, or if that information was quite ready to be divulged at all.  The dwarf replied carefully.

"… perhaps. All the townsfolk guard and protect Ventuswill in our own ways, big or small.  In a way, we’re all her guardians."

[barabado-blog]

The Grand Bazaar || Marian & Bado

[self-made-marian]

"Well, I don’t have more than one restaurant.”  Okay, she did have her name on the lease, and did help to pay the bills, but she still had trouble thinking of it as not solely her grandmother’s.   “Maybe…someday I’ll have one, maybe even more, but right now, no.  It’s the same cafe, really, just we’re open here on bazaar days, and the rest of the week in town.”  

"No, it’s only a butter-based sauce.  It’s my favorite dish, actually.  I’d have some myself but I always end up eating too much and wanting to take a nap - not a good thing today, since I’d like to go check out Lloyd’s stand if I get a chance.  I heard he’s gotten new gems in."   Wow, what a great thing to say as a waitress and just a respectable human being (not). Talking about eating herself into a food coma and then just randomly spouting off about someone Bado probably didn’t know from a hole in the ground.   She cleared her throat, staring down at her note pad and flipping through it as though she were looking for something on it.  ”Anyway, we’ve got some delicious summer wine to go with it, too.”  She pretended she was reading it off the notepad so she wouldn’t have to look at Bado.  ”Half price with any entree.”  

[barabado-blog]

"Ah, alright.  That makes sense."  Bado nodded in understanding at her words.  So there were two cafes, but at the same time there wasn't.  It was a location thing, following where the customers were and whatnot.  Unfortunately that was something he couldn't do even if he wanted, as one can't just pick up a forge and haul it around.

"That sounds great, then.  I think I'll take that."  He couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her words.  He could couldn't count on one hand the amount of times he had done the same thing with his favorite Tempura Udon, only to fall asleep in front of the forge and hours later be found and subsequently reprimanded by Forte.  However, this merchant sounded interesting.  Raven had been coming to Selphia less and less frequently, and he was trying to sniff out merchants to sell him ores and gems.  If there was one here, that would be a lifesaver.  "Gems?  Does this Lloyd person sell ores too?"  He'd have to ask Marian where to find him after his meal.

He wasn't a big fan of wine, but Marian seemed to know what she was talking about.  Perhaps he'd try it.  And hey, half price wasn't bad.  Not bad at all.  "I think I'll take the Herb Spaghetti with the summer wine, then, Miss Marian.  Thanks much for the suggestion."  He gave her an easy, lazy smile as he handed her his menu.

[barabado-blog]

A Wonderful Misunderstanding || Gill & Bado

[barabado-blog]

Did the poor boy not realize just how injured he was?  Just by looking at the state of his sleeve, he must be bleeding profusely.  Or, perhaps, was he in shock?  He had seen worse injuries, but still, such a wound required immediate attention.

"Alright, son, stay calm and don’t panic.  It’s on your sleeve, and there’s a lot of it.  Do you have a first-aid kit or medicine anywhere?  I know basic first aid, I can help you."

[grumpy-gilligan]

He couldn’t bear to look; if he had, though, the two men would have been in a much easier place at that moment.

"Don’t panic!?" It was too late, he already was. He knew he’s regret appearing unprofessional later on in the back of his mind. "T-There’s a kit in the bathroom… down the hall from the office here!"

[barabado-blog]

When he learned where the kit was, he immediately retrieved it and upon his return, looked at the boy's sleeve.  He touched a finger to it experimentally, and found it wet, but curiously, cold.  As if he had just ran it under the tap instead of bleeding all over it.  But judging by the look on the young man's face, well, that was evidently not the case.  When the dwarf found he couldn't just push the sleeve up his arm, he forcefully tore off the 'bloodied' sleeve to get to the wound beneath.

And found nothing.  He turned the boy's arm over, eyes searching for what might have caused the bleeding.

"Um..."

[barabado-blog]

*lets out a loud snore in his sleep and rolls over in his bed, evidently not going to the festival*

[barabado-blog]

Blacksmith's (Temporary) Assistant || Dolce & Bado

[adolcemorte-blog]

[Perhaps she’s secretly as masochistic as Pico is, but Dolce can’t help but feel something close to excitement—enjoyment, even—at that thrilling pump of adrenaline coursing through her veins. As another knife whizzes past her ear and embeds itself in the wall behind her, she looks to the side and notices a gang of three advancing goblins. 

Raising her staff, she attacks them with streams of light. They stop moving temporarily, which allows her to strike again, this time with orbs of dark magic. Two goblins dissipate and explode into flashes of white. Dolce spares a glance back in Bado’s direction, her line of vision suddenly blocked by a sneering goblin rushing right at her—

Until it’s not. Something shatters over its ugly head, and the goblin changes course, charging toward Bado instead. The dwarf looks by all means prepared to cut the thing down, but there’s a pair of monsters behind him, raising their gleaming knives—

So Dolce acts on instinct. She throws several fireballs, compact but deadly, which hit the goblins square in their faces. A smirk curls her lips as she watches them disappear, returning home to the First Forest. Her aim’s always been good.

Her celebration is short-lived, however, when the remaining goblin, untouched and unimpeded, flings a knife at her upper body. She’s barely able to turn in time, to raise her staff and send a series of fireballs at the beast, when that knife and its pesky blade grazes her left arm and cuts right through the sleeve, leaving with her with a thin, shallow, but bleeding wound.] 

[barabado-blog]

[An explosion of heat behind him startles him, causing his stance to falter as he stumbles forward and away from the flaming goblins.  Also startled by his fellows' violent returns to the First Forest, the charging goblin missteps and is also hit by a fireball, and before it can even burn dissolves into white light and returns to the First Forest.

As the bright light fades and Bado's eyes refocus, he sees one final goblin launch a knife at Dolce.  The dwarf is helpless to watch as the projectile meets its target, as it slices into her arm and lodges itself in the stone wall behind her.  Before he can reach the monster and send it back to the First Forest, it is consumed in a ball of flame and returns to the First Forest.  After taking a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his brow, he walks over to Dolce.]

Hey... you alright, Dolce?  It looked like that knife might've nicked you.

[barabado-blog]

Wisdom of the Crow || Mistel & Bado

[pechvogeltje-blog]

He drew closer as Bado began speaking again, nodding along - folding his arms across his stomach as listened. Five or six years ago was such a shockingly recent amount of time for a nation to have faced a war like the one Bado is describing - and even to Mistel, who had only been alive perhaps four times as long as that, the weight of the event hadn’t been lost on him.

It’s the word “god” that caught in his attention, however - and he watches Bado’s face curiously as he continues, though this word continues to bounce around in his head.

"…I’m not sure whether I’m sorry to hear that or glad— glad for the continued peace, at least, though I’m sorry to hear sales have dipped." He paused to knock on the wood of a nearby shelf, before continuing. "Well— I’m still very interested in working out a trade agreement, certainly.. and I may even have a more personal favor to ask you, actually. But if you don’t mind my coming back to that in just a moment, I’d very much like to ask you, first—"

He frowned for a moment, thinking through his words, before continuing. “What do you mean— you got your god back..?”

[barabado-blog]

Bado nodded somewhat noncommittally, as the invasion had been short and Frey and Lest had taken care of it surprisingly quickly.  The only real casualty, besides his sales, was Ventuswill.  But that had struck Selphia hard, and the prince and princess had not rested until she had returned.  He guessed such a thing might be strange and otherworldly to these people, and so he guessed he would have to explain.

But then the young man began to talk about trade agreements and favors, which piqued the dwarf's interest.  The mention of a personal favor threw him off a bit, but he was glad to have a potential business deal in the works.

But he guessed he'd have to explain himself before there was any talk of that.  "Our god is the Native Dragon Ventuswill, the Divine Wind.  She watches over Selphia.  The Native Dragons are sort of the creators of everything that is.  The guardians of what are and whatever will be-- that sort of thing.  And one of them lives in our castle.  After her dea-- ... her return to the Forest of Beginnings after the Imperial invasion, our prince and princess risked everything to bring her back-- and through what had to be a miracle, really-- they did."

"Does that make any sense to you?"  He laughed somewhat, shaking his head.  "Sometimes I even have trouble believing it."

[barabado-blog]

Blacksmith's (Temporary) Assistant || Dolce & Bado

[adolcemorte-blog]

Knives? I don’t remember knives. [Sets her hat back on her head.] But I haven’t dealt with goblins in a while, so…we’ll see what happens. [Manages to offer Bado a genuine, almost bemused smile despite (and to counteract) the bundle of nerves unfurling in her lower belly region. She forbids this fear, however, from showing on her face.

After all, the first rule of combat is to pretend everything’s a-okay, even when it’s not.

Especially in front of comrades.

And Bado’s plan sounds…promising. Placing her hands on either side of the ladder to steady it for him, she nods to his suggestions and quips, quietly:] Good luck. 

[Once he’s climbed some distance above her, she follows after. It’s not the easiest task in the world to move up a ladder while wearing a dress, but she does it because, well, she has to.

She continues upward, palms sweaty against the creaky wood, until she reaches the top. Peeking her head over the edge of the temple, she spies a line of goblins chuckling at them from a high ledge. Dolce’s about to take the final steps up the ladder, onto the cloud-like floor, when Bado unsheathes his sword and just—charges at the suckers.With abandon.

And honestly, it’s quite a sight to behold. Knowing five-on-one isn’t the fairest fight in the world, and taking advantage of Bado’s unrestrained machismo, she steps onto the clouds and makes her way toward the temple’s walls. Once against them she ducks her head, narrowly dodging a knife to her right cheek, and fires off several jets of light. They hit three of the five goblins, temporarily freezing their expressions from smiling glee into eerie blankness.] 

[barabado-blog]

[has already reached his first goblin by the time Dolce has reached the wall; with a grunt he swings his huge sword in a powerful arc, cleaving the monster in two as easily as if it hadn't been there at all, causing it to burst into a blinding flash of white as it returned to the First Forest.  Bado takes a moment to recover from the exertion of the swing and feels a knife fly past his arm, slashing open the sleeve of his shirt and leaving a thin cut on the skin beneath.

He turns to face his opponent and sees that Dolce has already done it for him, as the goblin is struck with an extremely powerful light spell, stunning and probably blinding it.  Two of its fellows, also struck by the spell, also stand stupidly, dazed and very close to death from Dolce's magic.  Unable to let such a perfect opportunity pass them by, the dwarf ignores the searing pain in his shoulder and leaps at the stunned goblin, running it through from the point halfway to the hilt before, it too, returned to where it belonged.

However, one goblin remained, and was quickly closing in on Dolce.  He is too tired to run over and kill it himself, but he can distract it.  He looks around for something he could use, and found what appeared to be-- cooking oil(?) a goblin had dropped upon its passing.  Using his uninjured right arm, he hurls the bottle at the goblin.  It shatters gloriously on the thing's head, and the now enraged goblin turns and charges the dwarf, too angry to do the smart thing an attack from a distance.  Bado readies his sword and stares down the angry goblin, preparing himself to cut it down.

However, he does not seem to realize that the two wounded goblins that had been stunned by the light spell have come back to their senses and are approaching him from behind, their knives at the ready.]

[barabado-blog]

Wisdom of the Crow || Mistel & Bado

[pechvogeltje-blog]

Mistel nodded as Bado talked through the realization - falling especially quiet as the taller man explained the ways of his own nation; or rather— the ways of their neighboring nation, and the effects these interactions had had on Norad. 

He’d never been one to be particularly drawn to the history of war, though he’d always had a healthy respect for the significance of war on history— but this was something else entirely. To imagine a war caught up between two nations, one industrialised and one— magic? —seemed almost sensational. Mistel glanced down to the photo in his hands, feeling a little silly— like a child who’s just learned that a universal truth was exactly the opposite in reality.

"I see," he said quietly - before moving to put the photo away. He thought for a moment, before looking back to Bado.

"You said this was only a few years ago at the most recent? How are things, now?"

[barabado-blog]

War should have been the last thing Bado talked about; war was something that effectively killed both brave men and women as well as potential conversations.  After he had finished his spontaneous little lesson on Noradian and Imperial relations, the dwarf let out a regretful sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

It was easy to see the atmosphere had quickly become an awkward one, judging by Mistel's relative silence.  Bado was just about to break the silence when the young shopkeeper did it for him.

"Ah... yes.  Five or six years ago it happened.  Luckily our prince and princess defeated the Emperor, and a few years after that, got our god back.  So things in Selphia are running smoothly, though we're careful to watch the border, as the Empire-- even without their Emperor-- is still dangerous.  But, eh, life goes on."  He shoved his hands into his pockets and let out another sigh.  "... Demand for weapons, though, has kind of plummeted.  Any orders I might get now are for kitchen knives and garden hoes."

[barabado-blog]

The Grand Bazaar || Marian & Bado

[self-made-marian]

Marian knew she couldn’t stand around and chat too much, not with the hustle and bustle of the bazaar, but a glance in the direction of the kitchen wing of the stall told her that her grandmother had only one other customer to deal with.   So maybe, maybe she could sneak in a quick conversation.

"Oh…I guess I never told you this was was where I worked.  But yes, this is the cafe…the bazaar version of it at least, our actual building is in town.” She was always so proud of the cafe when she discussed it with others,  but she didn’t want to seem too much like she was bragging about it. Not when it wasn’t really hers, like she’d had too much to do with its’ success.  ”It’s um…well, it’s probably one of the most successful stands here but that’s mostly thanks to my grandmother, and our local farmer, that customers even come to town.” She moved her hand to point her pencil slightly toward the menu at the table.  ”Do you need any recommendations?”   It was automatic for her to be so…so waitress-y, speaking to her customers politely and with respect, but also as a saleswoman of sorts - ever ready to help the cafe’s income.  And truthfully, as she stood there, she was growing increasingly torn between wanting to talk more to Bado on a more friend-to-friend level, and wanting to stay away from anything like that, to remain professional, afraid of what he thought of her (even with having apologized) after seeing her a crying tomato-y mess only a week ago.

[barabado-blog]

As a moment of silence passed between them, Bado couldn't help but wonder what she might think of him, having serenaded her on a dare and seeing her and rather thoughtlessly contributing to that mess she had been at the tomato festival.  Whatever she thought of him by this point, it probably wasn't good.  Though a bit of his uneasiness had faded away, there was still plenty more where it came from.

"The bazaar version?  So you have more than one restaurant?" Bado raised his brow, impressed.  Her grandmother's restaurant must be successful if it had more than one location.  Even Porcoline only had one restaurant, to his knowledge.  As Marian spoke, he could see and hear the pride she took in being a part of her grandmother's evidently booming business.

When she asked if he needed a recommendation, he looked back at the menu.  "Hmmm... maybe.  This, ah-- Herb Spaghetti... it doesn't have cheese on it, does it?"

[barabado-blog]

Blacksmith's (Temporary) Assistant || Dolce & Bado

[adolcemorte-blog]

[The walk to Leon Karnak is awkward indeed. Clearing her mind of any unnecessary and unhelpful thoughts, Dolce tries to come up with some sort of game plan to face the Malm Tigers. She’s accustomed to fighting, yes, but even the best fighters need to have some idea what they’re doing. And Malm Tigers—they’re aggressive. She’ll have to be quick.] 

[Removes her hat and tilts her head back, staring up at the enormous site. Looks at Bado and nods.] I’m ready. [Adjusts her grip on her staff.] If you are. 

[barabado-blog]

Alright, good to hear.  [nods and approaches the right ladder, but stops just before it]  To be perfectly honest, I'm not so much worried about hte tigers as much as the goblins between us and them.  The tigers may hit hard, but they're slow.  Predictable.  The goblins are the real trouble.  They like throwin' knives and stuff from a ways away, and they tend to run off when you get too close.  Best thing to do is rush 'em while they're throwing, but seeing as you're here, it'll make things a whole lot easier. [laughs]  Not to mention you use magic.  Even easier.

And, you know what-- [grabs the ladder and sets his foot on the first rung] -- I'll go up first and draw their attention.  I'm a big target and I probably look tough, so they'll want to take me down first.  While I distract them, you'll be free to take down the ones I can't, but I'm mostly going to be trying to take their attention off of you.  [pauses, then nods] And you're ready?  Great.  Here goes nothin'.

[begins climbing the ladder and after quite a climb reaches the top, where the ground seems to be made of clouds.  He takes an experimental step onto them and feels a rush of air as a throwing knife whizzes past his ear and slices through a stray lock of his unruly bedhead.  Bado looks up to see five goblins arranged on the ledges, each staring him down with large, devilish grins on their impish faces.  Bado removes his gigantic sword from his back and rushes the goblins at a speed grossly disproportionate to his size, expertly dodging and weaving through a hail of knives as he lets out a fearsome roar... and prays that Dolce is behind him to cover him]

[barabado-blog]

The Grand Bazaar || Marian & Bado

[self-made-marian]

It was a busy day at the bazaar.  Not crazy but steady enough that Marian hadn’t been able to take too long of a break, usually only a minute or two to wipe down tables, scrub a few dishes clean as was needed.  It was just warm enough that at times, it was uncomfortable hurrying around, but she really couldn’t complain, as everyone had been friendly so far, which was a rarity.  There were always one or two customers who were overly demanding or picky, as well as ungrateful.

She hadn’t taken immediate notice of the new patron off at the set-up of tables that were beside the cafe stall, but did a double-take when she did see him.  What the..? She was almost certain she had never told of where particularly she waitressed.  Well, the bazaar was world-renowned, thanks to the success of Gretel and the other stall owners, so it wasn’t too unbelievable to think that word of it had reached Selphia. With her notepad in one hand, pencil in the other, she neared the table, where Bado was studying the menu that had been put out.  ”Hello, Mr. Bado~”  She gave him the smile she always wore, for every single person that stopped by. Though she observed that he didn’t have any purchases with him - either he just arrived or today just wasn’t successful - she instead decided to go with some friendly teasing. “I almost didn’t recognize you, since you weren’t covered head to toe in tomato.♪ “

[barabado-blog]

It seemed that the Joan Cafe sold largely soups and salads in the summer, as well as a few teas and a small selection of white wines.  Nothing in particular quite caught his attention, at least until he heard someone speak his name beside him.  He didn't know anyone from Zephyr Town, so what the...?

He looked up from the menu and saw, of all people, Marian standing before him in what appeared to be the cafe's uniform.  The dwarf had known that she was a waitress, but she had never specified where.  Seeing her face, he couldn't help but remember that awful serenade and pelting her with a tomato during the Tomato Festival.  Every time he had seen this woman after dancing with her at the masquerade had been terribly embarrassing, and he couldn't help but feel like a complete fool in front of her now.

At her words, however, he couldn't help but chuckle.  And with that small laugh, a bit of his initial uneasiness fell away. "Hello to you too, Miss Marian," he said with a small smile.  "I didn't expect to see you here.  Is this your, ah, grandmother's restaurant, then?"

[forteissimo]

/walks out of the dance hall, a small box under his arm. Sees the knight and walks up to her, tapping her lightly on the shoulder/ Hey, Forte. Got something for you.

/Stands around, keeping a close eye on her surroundings… except for behind/ …?!

/Feeling a sudden tap on her shoulder, she reaches for her sword and swings it/ HYAAhwha?

/Stopping her sword immediately just inches away from his arm, she blinks several times before retracting her sword and straightening her pose/ Oh goodness, I-I’m so sorry, Bado! I didn’t mean to nearly strike you down…! Er, huh? You… have something for me?

[forteissimo]

       A… father-daughter dance..? /goes quiet as she thinks about it, frowning a little at the fact she never had one with her own father/ …Yes, yes of course. It’s only a father-daughter dance. /nods in acceptance/

       /tenses a bit as she feels Bado holds her hand back, realizing what was about to come and silently wonders if she has enough time to take it back/ I, erm, I-I… yes? Er, wait, I mean— /immediately flushes as Bado begins to led them into a waltz and, having never properly danced before, stumbles a bit with her footing at first/ … /goes silent as they waltz, unsure of what to think exactly, however the armor she was still wearing was anything but quiet as it clanked around/ …Perhaps I should have taken off the armor before doing this. I hope it’s not too much of a bo- Ah, sorry! /as she tries to follow Bado, she accidentally steps on his foot/

[barabado-blog]

/is somewhat worried by her pensive frown, wondering if he had unintentionally reopened an old wound— and monetarily confused by her mention of it ‘only’ being a father-daughter dance— but is quickly reassured when she nods her acceptance/

/notes her embarrassment and struggles not to laugh at the loud and rather humorous clanking of her armor/ No, the armor’s great, reall— ah! /winces as Forte steps on his foot with an armored boot and stops dancing for a moment to give his smarting toes a rest.  After a moment he starts laughing/  Hahaha, don’t worry about it, Forte.  I’m fine, really.  /begins dancing again, but this time more slowly and with smaller, easier movements— and struggles with what to say next/  So, uh, how was that cake?

[barabado-blog]

Wisdom of the Crow || Mistel & Bado

[pechvogeltje-blog]

Mistel watched the taller man’s face curiously. He wasn’t sure what to expect to introduce a concept like this to someone who’d lived years and years in a world without its existence, but he certainly did not expect the reaction Bado gave him - the stiff, almost angry look in his features confusing Mistel. The blond turned the picture back around as Bado looked away, blinking at it in curious confusion.

"Hm?" He looked up again, still blinking - before giving a soft gasp of recognition. So Bado was familiar with tanks! "Oh, no! No, not at all, no— our tanks look very different. This is, ah." He paused to scratch his temple and collect his thoughts, looking the picture over, before flipping it back around for Bado to continue to see, if he wished. Normally he’d smile, but a quiet respect kept his features carefully blank as he worked out a response. Instead, he leaned over the top of the frame to see what Bado had pointed to. 

"This is— it’s a vehicle for civilian use. Most people use them to go between where they work and where they live— especially in areas where the two are more likely to be great distances apart. You don’t see them much in small towns like these, though. That—" He pointed to the steering wheel, as well. "That’s what steers the car. It’s got the front wheels on an axle, sort of." He mimics driving a car by turning the photo in his hands like a steering wheel."

He paused— looking back to the photo. “Though I’m surprised there are tanks on your continent but not cars? How did that come about?”

[barabado-blog]

It was evident by Mistel's face that Bado had guessed wrong. In retrospect, perhaps he shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion.  He certainly hoped he hadn't offended the young man.

"They aren't tanks?"  Bado squinted at the painting again, scratching his head in confusion.  Well, if it wasn't a tank what was it?  As Mistel began to explain what it was, it only seemed to deepen the dwarf's confusion.  "So people... use these to get around."  He supposed walking a great distance would tire someone out, but remembering how fast tanks moved, he couldn't imagine it was much faster than getting there by foot.

"Well-- in Adonea there are two large nations: one favoring magic and peace, Norad, where I am from, and the Sechs Empire, which favors industrialization and war.  The Empire has invaded Norad twice in the past few decades, one of bein' an invasion of Selphia just a few years ago."  He involuntarily shuddered, remembering seeing the Floating Empire looming above them and the stories Frey and Lest had brought back about the atrocities the Emperor had committed.  "So, uh, yeah.  Perhaps there are cars in the Empire, but we Selphians have only ever seen the tanks."

[forteissimo]

Just The Usual [Forte-Bado]

[forteissimo]

       Forte watched as Bado took a moment to admire his own work. Though she had no idea what was going through his mind, she could tell he was happy with it. Quite frankly, so was she. Honestly, she was a bit envious of the one who would be able to wield such a beautiful weapon as that.

       Facing back at Bado when he did to her, Forte gave him an honest smile in return. "Mmhmm. I can tell you put a lot of love and care into it," she told him. At his word of gratitude, she felt her cheeks heat up a tiny bit and looked away, giving him a single nod in response. She wasn’t used to being thanked this much by him… It was a little embarrassing.

       "…Eh?"

       At his next words, Forte just merely stared at Bado, blinking a couple times. Oh he didn’t just… Pushing some of her bangs away from her eyes, she let out a huff. "Well, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I came in, but I suppose it’ll do," she muttered, pulling up a chair next to him.  Before sitting down, she looked at him and told him, "Oh hush," then situated herself on the chair. A small silence soon overtook them, and Forte crossed her arms.

       "…How long have you been working on that sword anyway?" she asked to make conversation.

[barabado-blog]

Bado couldn't help but smile, finding some amusement in having turned the tables, and mostly he was just happy he had managed to get Forte to take a short break.  She worked herself much too hard, and not a day went by without him worrying about her.

When she asked him about the sword, he leaned back in his chair and wondered after the answer himself.  "Uh, probably for... three or four weeks now?"  After this idiot had realized he had missed your birthday.  "I wish I could have gotten it done sooner... but to be perfectly honest, forging is hard, exhausting work.  It's actually, ah, incredibly late.  I hope the woman getting it won't be too angry with me."

He thought back on how few and far between his work sessions on the sword had been, how he had had to cut all of them short because his weary, broken body could take no more.  He was downright ashamed of himself.  The sooner he got rich, the sooner he could stop missing birthdays.  The sooner he could give Forte and Kiel the lives they deserved.

Bado smiled sadly and glanced back over at the blade.  He had done his best on the thing, for whatever that was worth, but the endeavor in making it had proven he would never again be able to forge a sword quite like the one he had made for Forte's father.  It was a beautiful and well-crafted sword, but compared to that masterpiece, it was nothing short of sub par.

He turned back to Forte.  "So, yeah.  How's your day been, Forte?  Anything interesting on patrol?"

[barabado-blog]

... hot air balloon rides?

Ah, naw.  I think I'll stay here on the ground.

[barabado-blog]

A Noble Proposition || Will & Bado

[noblexxe-blog]

As Bado pointed accordingly to the rapier, describing each and every detail with blacksmith terms he tried to understand. It was fairly straightforward, and easy to comprehend with Bado’s smooth explanations. As he concluded his description of the rapier, Will couldn’t help but smile and eye with admiration the rapier in his hand, twisting and twirling within his wrist. What a fine weapon indeed…

  "Colour me impressed, Sir. Bado! I’m more than pleased for you to have come by and showed me such a beautiful rapier. It’s… caught my eye, in fact." Will wasn’t a big fan of weaponry really, more of a nature and art— but this rapier was both of those. He was really considering buying it… But… 

  "I pray you not find me rude by asking this, but might I inquire where your blacksmith is located, and how long have you been doing so?" It was always good to be safe, right?

[barabado-blog]

Bado hadn't meant to go into such great detail, but this sword had taken him a great deal of time, and to be perfectly honest, he was proud of it.  Each and every exquisite detail had been crafted with careful precision, and his hard work had resulted in a thing of true beauty.  However, he had had trouble parting with it, and the thing had been sitting in his shop gathering dust for years.  But as beautiful a weapon as it was, he had no need for it, and he was sure that someone else would be able to put it to good use.  Perhaps this Will character might be that someone.

The dwarf felt himself smile at the young man's words.  "Well, I'm pleased to hear that.  Thank you, Will."

At his last question, Bado was thrown off slightly, confused as to why the question had had to be asked.  Then he remembered he was no longer on Adonea, and it was likely not common knowledge that the best smiths were almost always dwarves... and that Bado happened to be one.  "Ah, no, not at all.  My forge is in the kingdom of Selphia.  I started learning how to smith almost 30 years ago, and I trained under dwarven masters."  It was the truth he had spoken, but he couldn't help but wonder what such a statement might sound to someone not from Adonea.