The Smith of Sharance

Raguna/Gaius

*takes the two and looks them over* Huh… They look just like two broadswords. *swings them a bit confused* How do they work, is it like…. Uh…. *tries to think of the word*

Swimming! Is it like swimming where one arm moves first?

Hm, well, it could be. The idea behind the dual blades is that they're fast. Er, here, let me demonstrate... *He goes back to the rack and takes out a second pair, these ones more fancy-looking than the pair he had given to Raguna to try.*

Alright, so when you swing a short sword, there's a recovery time, right? After you swing, you need to recover and prepare it again for another attack. With dual blades, the idea is that while one blade is done swinging, the other attacks, like this. *He demonstrates nicely what he had said on the air in front of him, envisioning an opponent for himself.*

Of course, there are other things you can do with them, as well. They could strike at the same time to different parts of your opponent, say, one to the back of the knees and one to the chest. If your opponent tries to move out of the way, it's way more likely you'll catch him with at least one of your blades than if you only had one sword.

*He swings the two around in his hands for a moment, a faraway look in his eye, before he stops suddenly and turns back to Raguna, looking apologetic* I'm sorry, does that make any more sense? These are sort of advanced, so if you want, we can go back to the short sword, maybe try it with a shield?

#ragunaoftherunes

Inspiration | Gaius & Evelyn

"Are you sure? I can go if you have something to work on," she offered, not wishing to disrupt his work. Even if she did wish to speak with him.

Evelyn smiled, listening to Gaius talk about the thing he was so passionate about. That was one of her favorite things about him - his ability to get lost in the work he so clearly loved. “Knowing you, the sword will be perfect.”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure - I was going to walk around town for a while, see if something caught my eye. Would you like to come with me?” she invited.

"I'm positive," he sounded much more confident this time, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "It'll still be there later, I can work on it then!" With almost anyone else this would be painful for the dwarf to say, as he would almost always rather be working. But with Evelyn, well, things were different, and he certainly meant it when he said he didn't mind pausing in order to be with her.

His face heated up again at the compliment, though this time it was paired by a large grin, and a nervous hand running itself through his thick hair. "Ah, th-thanks, that means a lot!"

"Yes!"

Instantly realizing he had said that way too quickly, he made a feeble attempt at backtracking-- "I mean, yeah, sure, that sounds nice! Er, I'll just need to let Raven know I'm leaving, I think she's upstairs..."

#misguideddesigner

Winter Cleaning! [Gaius&Raven]

raven-reborn

As Raven entered Gaius’ room, she took a brief look around, quickly noticing the piles of junk everywhere, and simply letting out a sigh. “And I thought my room was bad…” She paused, crossing her arms in front of her before speaking up again. ”Did you want me to just help you in here? Then we can work on my stuff.”

Remaining standing up, the woman looked down at Gaius, shaking her head and letting out a light laugh as he fell backwards to lay on the floor. ”Just start narrowing it down… even if we can get rid of a quarter of the stuff here we’d be making some progress…” She lightly nudged his arm with her foot, rolling her eyes as he smiled at her. ”No we can’t take a break yet… it’ll never get done. Come on, I’ll help you,” she replied, eventually crouching down to get a closer look at the various items on the floor. ”Where do you want to start?”

Knowing she was right, Gaius let his eye shut for a moment and he let out a sigh. "Yeah, alright," he said, coming up back into a sitting position, knees drawn into his chest.

He let his eye scan the piles, darting from the ones laid out on the floor to the ones in the closet, trying to make a decision. "Uh..." he started, brow furrowed. He knew without a doubt the hardest part would be sorting through Evelyn's countless gifts to him over the years, some of which he figured had probably gone bad by now, so he decided to leave those for later. Then the logical place to start... "Those boxes there," he gestured to two old cardboard boxes on his bed, "are full of old forging tools and materials. I guess we could start there..."

He pushed himself up off the ground and took a few steps over to them, opening the flaps of the first box and peering inside. Glancing over his shoulder to Raven, he threw her a small smile. "Like you said, even if I can part with a quarter of them, it'll be better than nothing!"

#raven reborn

Inspiration | Gaius & Evelyn

Evelyn blushed slightly as she saw Gaius enter from his workshop. ”Sorry, did I interrupt your work?” she asked, not sound very apologetic.

She took a few steps towards him, smiling. “What are you working on today? Anything new?” She glanced around the shop, taking in the familiar clutter of the swords and tools Gaius had forged over the years.

Huffing out a sigh, she crossed her arms. “I’ve not been able to come up with anything new for a while…”

#ahh that's awesome!#happy belated birthday!!#misguideddesigner

"No, no, not at all!" he hurried through an answer, the words falling from his mouth unceremoniously. "I-I'm glad you stopped by, I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Uhh..." this time the words refused to come, and he tore his gaze away from those eyes he loved to look at, looking back in the direction of the forge as he searched for an answer. "No, same old same old... I, er, got a custom order for a broadsword, so I'm working on that." Talking about his work made him feel a bit more at ease, and he let himself look back at her and offer a more genuine smile this time. "I only just started, but I think it's going to be a good one."

His smile faded at her sigh, and he furrowed his brow, tints of sadness showing in his eye. "Oh, really? I'm sorry, is there anything I can do?"

Winter Cleaning! [Gaius&Raven]

raven-reborn

Kneeling on the floor of her bedroom. Raven was peering underneath her bed, trying to see what various items had collected there over the years. She had never intended to store anything there, but at some point she had run out of places to put things, and there were some items that had been difficult to part with.

Pulling out a long box, Raven discovered some of the clothing that she had worn when she was even smaller than she currently was. Most of it had been donated by the other girls in the town who were bigger than her and had outgrown the clothes, since buying a whole wardrobe was obviously something that she once did not have the money for.

Caught up in her memories, it took a moment before Raven snapped out of her thoughts. ”Oh… !” She sat up straight once more, before eventually calling out a response. ”It’s alright! A lot more stuff than I thought… !”

Standing up from her spot on the floor, Raven decided to visit Gaius in his room, curious to see how things were going. ”You make any progress?”

#good!#god i love them so much #raven reborn

When she appeared in the doorway, he offered her a sheepish grin. That, along with the piles of junk both in the closet and in front of him, seemed to speak for themselves. He answered anyways. "Not much, actually."

He sighed and looked back at the piles helplessly, sitting back on his heels. "Honestly, I don't know what to do with most of this! Half of it is stuff from work, half are things Evelyn has made... I can't get rid of any of it!" As if to emphasize his annoyance with the situation, he fell backwards onto his back, arms spread out to either side of him, like a pouting child who had just been told to clean a room whose floor hasn't been seen for years. He tilted his chin up, glanced behind him at Raven towering over him, and threw her a crooked grin. "Is it too early to take a break?"

Raguna/Gaius

Too light, huh? *Nods, walking back to the same display rack and looking the other swords over* Alright, let’s get you something heavier…

*After a moment of consideration, he picks out a long sword and carries it with ease back to Raguna, switching the short sword out for this new one* This is a longsword, so it’s two-handed. It’s got a longer reach, but it’s heavier than the short sword. How does this one feel?

*shifts the sword and tests it out* …… Yeah, it’s a lot heavier…

*attempts to swing it carefully but nearly falls backwards* Crap…!

#ragunaoftherunes #gaius won't give up until they find him something #he'll work for weeks straight until he makes the perfect one

*Good eye widens at the customer's lost balance, and he reaches a hand out just in case he actually falls over* Ah, be careful...!

Okay, er, I guess that one was a bit too heavy, huh? Alright, I can take it... *He takes the long sword back, placing it back in its spot on the display rack then turning to look back at the customer* Well, the short sword was too light, the long sword too heavy. I could forge you a custom blade of the right weight, maybe a heavier short sword or a lighter long sword, or we could try... *Turns back to the blades on display, looking them over before nodding* Yes, let's try that!

*This time he pulls out two, identical swords, each one-handed and slightly longer and more curved than the short sword. He brings them to Raguna and holds them out for him to try* These are dual blades. They're all about speed, and though they're light, they've got a nice, balanced feel to them.

Winter Cleaning! [Gaius&Raven]

Neither Gaius nor Raven were hoarders in any sense of the word. Sure, Gaius was messy, but he didn't own enough things for it to be a problem. He'd arrived at Sharance with his hammer, his sword, and a backpack of essentials, and the only things he bothered acquiring since then were things essential to his trade. And Raven was the same, to Gaius' knowledge; she came here with nothing and had certainly not become a collector of useless objets since then.

But, after eleven years of living here and very few large-scale clean-outs, a build-up of junk was apparently inevitable. So the two had closed the shop for the rest of the day after a less-than-enthusiastic agreement that something had to be done about the clutter upstairs.

Currently, the dwarf was attempting to clean out his closet, though the key word in there is undoubtedly attempting. Gaius' usually one-tracked mind was easily distracted when it happened that his gaze fell upon something work related. Broken tools, worn old gloves-- he would linger on them for a while, grinning at a flood of memories, before having to make the decision: to throw out or to keep?

Needless to say it was a long process, and Gaius wasn't getting much done at this rate. Wondering if Raven was having more luck, he turned to look over his shoulder, from his kneeling position on the floor in front of the closet. Raven's room was right next door, and since both their doors were open, he figured she could here him and called out, "How's it going on your side?"

#raven reborn #hope this is alright!

raven-reborn

Overdue Introductions - Raven/Phillip/Gaius

"Come on…" Raven tugged on Phillip’s arm, pulling him inside the blacksmith as the two of them stepped inside. They had spent the day together, but now it was time for the real reason that the man had come to visit that day. Although they had been dating for months, Raven never had the chance to properly introduce Phillip to Gaius, so after some planning, she had finally managed to find a date that worked well for everyone.

Looking around the main room of the shop, the woman quickly noticed that Gaius was not actually working at the forge. Frowning, she turned to look at Phillip, who was evidently still showing signs of the nervousness that she had been trying to calm all day. "I keep telling you it’s fine… I don’t know what you’re so worried about," Raven said as she continued to hold onto his arm, hoping that the gesture would be of at least some comfort for both herself and for Phillip.

After only a few seconds of trying to ease the man’s worries, Raven moved to the bottom of the stairs and called out.

"Gaius… we’re home!"

thetaleofphillip

"I’m just sort of—!" His voice caught and skipped the final word of his complaints as the fiery young woman tugged him into the shop after her. After stumbling slightly, the farmer stood taller, fixing his posture as as he felt himself become a bit more self conscious. Alright sure this introduction was slightly over due, but frankly Phillip had justified that the longer it was put off, the less nervous he’d end up being once the time came. He was very sadly mistaken.

The entire day that they’d spent together was as wonderful as always, but for some (rather apparent) reason he just couldn’t shake the slightly skittish feelings that were creeping in on him the entire date. Phillip’s lips pursed, before looking down to the girl and presented a grin that seemed almost anxious.

"Come on," He cooed back, although with a wavering tone. "you can’t really blame me for being at least sort of nervous can you?" Though the arm that held so securely onto his helped cool his nerves to some degree, when Raven made the announcement of their arrival— well he couldn’t help but feel his entire body tense.

#ooohhhh I'm so excited ahhhh!!!#dude they met like 2 and a half years ago but there's no way in hell gaius remembers that right off the back haha #but anyways I'm so happy this is finally happening my goodness #raven reborn #thetaleofphillip

Yes, much to his own surprise, Gaius wasn't working at his usual spot in front of the forge. Even more of a surprise, the dwarf found himself in front of a mirror-- who would have thought! With the original intention of trying to flatten out his mess of black hair, he soon gave up this impossible task and instead let his mind wander, staring at his reflection with a slightly furrowed brow. Today was the day, the day he was finally going to meet the man dating the person he was closest to in the world, whom he knew surprisingly little about. Phillip... Gaius had no doubt in his mind that he must be a kind person to win Raven's heart, yet the dwarf couldn't help feel the tiniest bit nervous. He was never one to involve himself in Raven's personal life unless she needed him to, but this felt different.

When he heard Raven call up the steps, he blinked in surprise at his own reflection. How much time had he been up here? With a quick exhale of breath and a confidence-bringing nod to his reflection, he started towards the steps, calling back "Coming!"

As he came around the corner and began descended the steps, hands in pockets, he saw them standing at the bottom, arm and arm, and the dwarf let a wide smile appear on his face right away. Feeling his nervousness slip away as quickly as it came, he gave a short wave, almost done the steps at this point. "Hey!" he exclaimed, and when he reached the bottom he grinned and nodded hello to Raven before he turned his attention to Phillip, holding out a worn, gloved hand for him to shake. "You must be Phillip! It's nice to finally meet you!"

Raguna/Gaius

Well, you’re in luck, we’ve got lots of those here! Lemme see… *Squints his eye at the customer, looking him over before nodding to himself after a few moments* Alright, let’s try this…

*Walks over to one of the display racks and picks up a short, iron sword with a leather hilt. He weighs it in his hand, nods to himself once more, and walks back to Raguna, holding the sword out for him to take, blade-down.* Try this one out, tell me how it feels.

*takes the sword and tests it out* Huh…

It’s pretty damn easy to swing, though… Maybe it’s too light…? I don’t really know.

#hahaha that's okay #that's what gaius is here for! X)#ragunaoftherunes

Too light, huh? *Nods, walking back to the same display rack and looking the other swords over* Alright, let's get you something heavier...

*After a moment of consideration, he picks out a long sword and carries it with ease back to Raguna, switching the short sword out for this new one* This is a longsword, so it's two-handed. It's got a longer reach, but it's heavier than the short sword. How does this one feel?

truedwarffacts

#too short #can't reach #dwarf things

Inspiration | Gaius & Evelyn

It was a dreary day in Sharance. Well, to Evelyn it was at least. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping, but she felt cooped up. Typically, when she got this way, she’d design something new, but every time she sat down to work, nothing would come to her. Fed up, she paced her work space before deciding to walk around town for a while.

She exited the house, intending to go to the lake when it occurred to her that she hadn’t seen Gaius for awhile. Quickly changing direction, Evelyn headed towards the blacksmith’s.

She entered the shop, knowing it would be open that day. ”Gaius?” she called out, “Are you here?”

#misguideddesigner #hello!#I'm great!#How are you??#haha don't worry about it #it's great C:

If the sun was shining and the birds were chirping, Gaius certainly wasn't aware of it. Just like every other day, the dwarf was completely absorbed in his work, from the moment he had woken up to now. He would have stayed that way, completely out of tune with everything but the forge's flame, the hammer in hand, and the project laid out in front of him, if it hadn't been for the familiar voice that echoed from the shop and into his workroom.

"Y-yeah, be right there!" he stuttered before he even had time to think. He could already feel his face turning red, but he willed his nervousness away as he set down his tools and ascended the few steps into the shop.

When he saw her he only felt more nervous, but he swallowed it down and offered her a sheepish wave and grin. "Hey, Ev!"

Raguna/Gaius

dwarven-smithy

*His face lights up at the customer’s inquiry, and he grins, answering enthusiastically* Well, it depends on your fighting style! There are swords that will give you more distance from your enemy, heavier ones, lighter ones, two handed, one handed… Just depends on what you’re looking for, I s’ppose! Are you looking for anything specific, or…?

*shrugs and smiles* Not too picky, as long as it’s sharp and easy to handle and carry.