Iolanthe and The Smith

[iolanthe]

The Black Smith, Bolverk: The last of the large chunk of ham he had brought from the market earlier that day, was shoved into his wide mouth, making his lips part to take all of the meat in before he closed his lips around it and teeth went to work in feeding it's owner. Bolverk was normally a quiet man as he moved down the cobblestone path and headed to his shop. Snow fell lightly around the town, gathering like dust on top of everything. Late evening, the sun had yet to really set, but it would soon enough. Bolverk did not normally open his shop until this time in the summer and spring, but winter brought new hours, able to work in the heat as the cool air moved through the shop much better this time of the season. Entering his shop, he left the door unlocked after turning the sign that said he was open around. Already his boy had made the fire and kept it well feed, making the large area warm and a nice welcoming against the cold. Leather hat was pulled from his head as he went for his office- a private room that was closed to customers- along with his leather cloak. Standing with his back to the door, he removed his vest and placed it across the chair before larger fingers reached for his tunic to pull it off as well. Wearing that kind of clothing while working with fire was never a good idea. Scars flexed along his back and chest as he reached for the leather apron and pulled it on to protect his stomach and chest from ambers that went flying. It was easier to remove should it catch fire and gave some sense of protection. Moving back out, he got on with his day, finishing up some orders and giving them to the lad who would be delivering them to those who were waiting. Two hours into his shift, the sweat already gathered on his body from being near the heat so much, making it glisten while muscles tensed at the pounding one hand exchanged to the other as he worked swords into their designs.

Iolanthe Courtalain: Iolanthe was out and about the area, seeking a specific shop to see about putting in a special order. She was so picky that she could never, ever purchase something off a rack to do so was below her. She moved along the street with with all the shops, having chose the left side and should she not find what she was seeking then she would be forced to try the other side. Steps were taken carefully, avoiding slush and any other such things that could possibly cause even a drop of water to fly up and dirty her sapphire blue gown, it was of simple make because she was walking outside so there was little in the way of decor to it but that the hem was covered in a design made from lace, the patter the lace followed looked Celtic for all the swirls of it. Black gloves were worn as well to protect her hands. Her dirty -the color, not actual dirt- was drawn back from her face but otherwise left to fall in a mass of loose curls along her back. Just when she was close to crossing to the other side of the road she saw the shop and fortunately it was open. She pulled her cloak about herself tighter, this of a indigo blue, and grasped then turned the handle to allow herself entrance into the shop.

The Black Smith, Bolverk: Dark eyes watched as sparks flew from the pounding of the current sword along the large iron made mallet. Pulling the red hot sword from it's flat surface, he moved the glowing object towards a bucket that so it pressed into the still water, making it sizzle up. Steam rose before the glow went out, making the item dark once more. Shifting it from the bucket, he placed it along a slab of stone to cool completely before dark eyes turned towards the door as another customer walked in. It was not so often that a woman as well dressed as she came into the shop for things, so his attention lingered, wondering what it could be that brought the woman into his shop. Part of him waited for her to back out, having made a mistake, but when she came fully inside he removed his gloves from his hands and tucked them into the straps of his apron as he moved to the small stone counter - which looked more like rocks- that separated himself from the customers so they did not get close to the flames. ``Evening. How can I help you my lady?``

Iolanthe Courtalain: A warm smile was offered to the man as she stepped to the counter, her gaze about the shop took only a moment, it was a smiths shop and she had seen them before. "Good evening. I am in need of two things I am hoping you might be able to create for me." That said she reached into one of the deep pockets of her cloak and withdrew some papers that were creased a few times from being folded. She went to unfolding the paper that while folded had looked to be just one sheet but was in reality two pieces, both with crude drawings done on them. They were both pictures of daggers. One that fit into a bodice and the other was a hair dagger that disguised itself as a bit of hair decor. "I would need these made for me, if you could do such work." Money was no object, but she did not say that of course, she was far used to haggling over costs with people about things from fruits, to wine, to weaponry. "But also if you are able to do such, I would like to know a time estimate as well. I would like quality work, but not if it will take months to do it." Her new employment would require such weapons, perhaps not for everyone, but for her it was necessary. She would not go into the Lily under the intent to work without the ability to protect herself if need be as well.

The Black Smith, Bolverk: The smith was not the type of man that would turn down business if it was presented to him in the shop. Many smiths would not service a woman, for these were times when women fighters where not fully accepted without reproach. His face stayed neutral as he waited for her to pull out the parchment and hand it over to him. Bolverk had been able to read since he was the age of 12, thanking the Church for one of the few good things they provided for him. He could read many different languages and it came in handy. Rough hands reached for the parchment, taking it carefully from the woman. The daggers were small in design, smaller then he normally made which could make the work challenging. It was not something he was about to turn down though. His mind began to turn, trying to give a realistic time frame for such items. They were small, but the design would need more attention. ``Possibly two weeks give or take. Maybe a weeks time.`` His head stayed low so his dark hair fell around his face as he leaned closer over the counter and used his pinky to point out things in her design as he spoke. That baritone rumbled over the sound of the fire and steel. ``This here might be slightly more difficult, as I have never made a hair piece for a woman. If you could perhaps bring me one of your own that works well on your hair, it will give me a better idea of that design and then I can add on that of the dagger.`` Self protection was down right fine in his mind. The woman was a beauty to say the least and sadly, a beauty got more attention then was craved at times. Bolverk, however, was very professional and solid about his reactions

Iolanthe Courtalain: She hadn't considered the hair piece part might give him trouble, though it made sense for he was a smith, one who worked in metals and not the hair of women. She did not want to put anymore delay on the blades, a week was how long she would need go without a weapon already for even though in thought she did not want to, she also knew she'd have to, coin was running low, she would need to earn more and as it was, just getting enough patronage could take a week or much longer. She removed the clip from her hair, it was no different than any other one she could have gone to get, the only difference being it was right here, the others were not. She laid it on the counter in front of him. "Though the clip will need be stronger, I assume, for the weight of the blade." Stating the obvious for a person who worked creating weapons, though she did not mean it as a smart ass, just an observation. "Can you engrave into the blades as well, or would I need to take them when finished elsewhere?" Hoping if she would have to go elsewhere he could tell her where, she was new here and had no clue where anything was located yet. Blowing some hair out of her face, without something it pulled back her hair could be, at times, extremely unruly.

The Black Smith, Bolverk: Bolverk rose his dark eyes to watch as she removed the clip from her hair, sending the long strands down about her shoulders and cloak. For only a moment, he noticed how she smelled, how her hair moved before his attention was on the clip as she set it down. One hand removed itself from the parchment to reach out and take the small item in it. It was smaller then his palm, which would change as it would need to be bigger in order to hold the blade she wanted. ``What did you want engraved on it?`` He asked as his dark eyes rose up to look to her oval face. It was not such a strange request

Iolanthe Courtalain: His examination of the clip seemed to take only moments, that could prove to be either a good sign that he knew what he was looking at, or a bad sign that would prove he didn't care much and would just slap the weapons together, but that she would have to wait and see to find out. She spoke again in response to his question, her words came forth slowly, practiced even, in a manner of hiding her true lack of complete grasp of the English language. Though she did a grand job of keeping any accent from the words, mostly because of the slowness of her speech. "My name, which I can write down should you need me to." Most people couldn't spell her name properly if she paid them. But it was important to have her name on the blades for once they were paid for, most all coin she had would be gone and should the blades be stolen she wanted them able to be identified for easier recovery.

The Black Smith, Bolverk: ``I will need you to write it down. I am not a seer nor can I read your mind, though it could be enchanting all the same.`` Only a hint of charm moved out before it was quickly placed away again as he handed her the parchment back and looked around for a quill in ink. He finally found one, placing it on top for her to write her name on. He waited with patience as she wrote it down and took the parchment as soon as she was done. Placing the ink and quill back under the stone counter, he took carefully blew on the parchment so the ink dried and looked back to the lady. ``Come back in three days time and see how the progress is going.``

Iolanthe Courtalain: Writing her name was a simple task, even if her speech was rough with the language, writing was easier. And after she was done and he took the parchment with her writing she nodded to the time frame. "I shall then." She lingered a moment, debating on asking him of something, unsure if he was a good choice but then she figured later would be better, he was here to work, not to chatter away with a newcomer. "I shall, and I thank you." She spoke of the cost already and since he hadn't told her she would assume he would tell her once he figured in the cost for his time and work spent in the project, that which was perfectly fine with her. She stepped from the counter and back to the door, opening it once more to let herself out of the warmth of the shop and back to the walkway once more.

[BlackSmith]

Four days had passed since the woman had come to him with her request. A work that Bolverk had not really done before but had heard of and seen a few times. The design that gad been drawn on a parchment, along with her own hair clip had helped a good deal, though when she first came to check on the item, Bolverk had told her he had to start all over because the design was too weak and if she tried to stab someone with it, she would more ten likely break the metal before it truly was able to dig into the flesh.

During the next five days, Bolverk had gone into the market place to look at other hair clips and see if someone had similar designs. He had even ventured to the gypsy's camp to see if they had their own favored designs, for they were known for craftiness and creativity. With the help of a smithy and a woman who designed hair pieces in order to place together two items. Every day before he opened his own shop, he wondered down to the two and together, they designed pieces that fit as a whole. The first design, was made almost completely from the smith. Only the gem at the top was added by the woman. A twist in the blade, made it look more decorated as a hair pin to be placed within the bun of a woman. It was short enough to not stab her neck, yet long enough to hold her hair and create a good deal of damage to the attacker. Thick and sturdy, it was tested on hides to see if it could go through clothing without fail. It did so, however, armor would not work well on the item, as it only made a small dent in most and blunt the tip, which Bolverk sharpened.

The second item, was more of a hair clip as well, easily used to pull back bits of the hair while the more forceful dagger was hidden within a shealth. It was not as well hiding of it's shape, but easier to pull from the hair at a moment's notice. The blade was also much sharper, better used for slicing quickly then anything else. He had hopes that the woman would know how to use such items, since she requested it.

When the woman came in over a week and a half later from her requesting day, he would have the items ready for her to look over. Covered in sweat and filth from a hard night's work, he moved towards her with the cloth covered items, laid it on top of the stone counter and pulled the cloth back to show them to her. ``The first, is not of a design you had chosen, but one I created myself. How it works, is like when you place a stem into your hair to hold a bun. It takes the place of it, but you must be careful when you pull it from your head, or press it into your hair. The tip is very sharp, least you want to stab yourself.`` His hand moved to the second item, picking it up, he allowed her to feel the weight. Both were heavy, though not too heavy to fall from the hair. Yet not so light that they would break when handled. ``This is more of the design you wanted. It may be more noticeable though when you walk about.`` He waited, to see how she would take the designs before a price would be made.

[iolanthe]

Iolanthe did eventually return to the shop of the smith, though it was some days after she spoke with him about the crafting of the blades. She carried hope that the crude drawings that worked as just an idea of what she would like had helped him somewhat with the work. She memorized the area, where the shop was located, it would be in rather poor taste to place an order with the man for a more complicated design of blades and never show up at his shop again to collect the order and pay him for his labor upon creation of the small daggers, most especially if he put a lot of time and effort into the project.

The door was pressed open, allowing her entrance into the shop. She glanced around for the man, though nearly doubting she would go unrecognized since last time she was here her way of dressing was vastly different that today. This day she wore a long skirt and blouse that resembled peasant dress, all of it the hue of light tan color. Even her hair was different, all of it loose about her shoulders, no clips to draw it back from her face were even used.

Finding the smith was indeed in the shop and a conversation began. Her gaze doing a once over examination of the weapons, then picking up each and testing the weight, they looked heavier than they were, finding and surprised but pleasantly so, that both were not so heavy they would end up a struggle to wear in that thick mass of hair she posessed, it may even help to hold the dagger in place. She decided to test the theory now, pulling strands back and trying the clip, which held easily. The other was checked as throughly as the first and she was pleased with the work that had been done to create both blades. She laid them both aside and looked to him."An impressive job." As always, her speech was still somewhat drawn out, that bad grasp on English still evident when she spoke to people. Now while Iolanthe did not know all weapons, no, far from it, but she knew enough about daggers to know what would work and what she wanted and he combined it all together perfectly. "I figure I won't have a need to cut anyone at the Lily from what I hear of it, but it never hurts to be safe and not sorry."

This was the point when she paused, thinking a moment, then turning her gaze to him once again. "And for all your work, what is to be the cost?" Now he could either rob her blind, were she that unaware, or give her a fair cost. She didn't know which it would be, couldn't even guess, but no matter which it was she knew she had enough to pay what he would asked, these were important weapons, and unless he went insanely over cost, she could pay to have them.

And on a last memory of the other request she'd made, she picked up one of the small blades, looking to see if he'd engraved into it or if she would need to still ask him to direct her to someone that would be able to do such work.[/font]

[BlackSmith]

Dark eyes watched as she looked over the items, always staying on her face though when she had walked through the door, he did note that her attire was much different then it had been last time. Sure it was odd, but then again, perhaps she was learning how to blend in as he once had. It was much different here then in Rome, for here he wore breeches, where in Rome the attire was more favored with skirts. Eyes followed her hands as she rose the clip up and placed it within her hair. He waited, watching her fingers move to pull the strands back and pin them, making sure his design, had indeed been made well for the general use. ``Thank you my Lady`` That husky tone spoke out as she placed it down and out of her hair.

The lily? Not a hint of change happened in his face or stance as the sweat rolled down his chest and under the leather apron. He was not nervous, or ashamed of going to such a place, for the women there were high class and not like common whores on the street. They were worth the money they made. The mind wondered, looking better at her features. She would gain good coin and contracts there, surely. Still, not a lust filled though passed his mind about the woman before him. Even now, he was all business and would not compromise that even in the privacy of his own mind. ``The Lily takes good care of their women, I think you do not need to worry, but I agree it is better to be safe then sorry. Even men with vast amounts of money can turn cruel in the privacy of a bed chamber.`` Not that he needed to tell her such, but money did not make people calmer. In fact, it made people believe they could get away with nearly anything, or at least some.

The matter of price came up and Bolverk reached under the stone counter to find a bit of parchment. Placing it along a smooth area on the top, he grabbed the ink and quill and moved it to the top as well to settle it down beside him before he started to write and drawl strange numbers and a language on the paper. Rome is what he knew best and it was better for his own records since most could not read it. Once he was finished, he got another smaller piece and wrote in the language here in Skye, doing the same for her own copy so she could see. When he stood tall, the quill was placed into the ink before he handed her the one made for her. ``Can you read my Lady? It is not meant as an insult, but many have not been able to receive that education yet. If you can, it explains what the prices are and how I added them up so you know and can see for yourself. The price all together will be 30 griffon coins. Most of the cost was in the design, because it is tedious and I did have to ask outside help for the more feminine design, so I have another I must share half my earnings with. Can you afford this price now or will you be coming back for the items at another time? I will also let you pay half and take one of them, then you may come get the other when you can afford it.``

The smith liked showing people the ins and outs of his charging, because that way, they could not come back in a rage and say he over priced them. The evidence was there plain as day. He kept a copy for himself and gave one to them, so they could keep it. It protected them both, for the first time he sold a sword, the male came back in a rage days later, saying he was robbed blindly and tried to fight not only the smith, but his son and another worker. Indeed, she would find the engraves where she had requested. They were also more fancy written, as if a noble woman had done them herself.

[iolanthe]

Io nodded in response to his words, she did wonder if he had perhaps paid a visit to the Lily at one point but that was not her business for they were not within the Lily. She did have hope no weapons of any sort would be needed but as she told him, she would simply much rather be on the safe side, the security of knowing she had a small way to protect herself would put her mind at ease. "My cousin stays there. She has lived here for some time and wrote to me singing praises of this land. Though since I have come here, I have had yet to see her. Perhaps you know her? Her name is Moira MacArran."

The words said, they were very near to being bitter, but she kept her thoughts on her cousin to herself. The fact that Moira had even written her said much, even if her missives did not touch on the problems between the two of them. Mayhaps she wished to speak in person and privately but how Iolanthe could find this out was unknown to her since she had not yet seen her relative. But on to other things.

Another nod was given the man when he asked if she could read, she could and did, in several languages even. His question was not taken as any sort of insult, she knew very well that many people could neither read or write. But she gazed over the parchment he had written on and truth be told she had little idea if the price was fair or not. She didn't care either. She wanted what she had ordered from him and she would not refuse to pay. Nor would she cause him to have wasted his time by not paying. She did have some money, she was down to her last of it and it would just cover the cost of the weapons. "I will pay in full now." Assuming that would not cause or be a problem, she removed the coins from a pocket in her cloak, a small pouch actually, and set it down in front of him. He could count it now and she really expected he would, only a fool would not check to make sure she wouldn't try to rip him off. And in the end she was near thankful to have spent the last of her coins. Money was nothing but trouble even if having it did ensure one's future, it was still a cause of problems in the end. Not once had she questioned the price, the work put into the weapons, nothing, the purchase was something she much rather wanted to have done and over with.