If asked, Forge actually hadn't taken any time to sort out the rubble she had brought him, of course he had let his eyes gather at a glance what was which. It wasn't that bad of of a haul. Admittedly it was a little impressive, especially for one that had only done it once-and he didn't really take time to explain what was what.
Forge let his dark ear turn back as he made sure that Yahui's gentle paw steps were to follow him. His relax, yet heavy gate lead them further from the core of the volcano of the fire tribe, and more along one can assume the outer rim, though a series of naturally made tunnels. It wasn't long before Forge stopped at an opening not far from the forge, what the opening held was a natural spring of heated water. Water wasn't really a friend of fire b'alam, however it was necessary for life-and the fact it was heated water was a lot more inciting to a fire tribe.
"This is a clean, natural flowing spring heated from our great volcano. " Forge went on to explain, "My hovel is over there." The black smith spoke with a tilt of his horns down another flow of tunnels. "The waters are warm, and you are welcome to clean yourself." He offered, they would talk, however-if she wanted to take a moment to get the soot and labor off her pelt she was welcomed to do so. Forge didn't mind either way, Yahui in the time he had met her just seemed to prefer to be clean....and he wanted her to be comfortable.
Word count this post: 273 words
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 11:27 pm
Seruta
She followed quietly, her thoughts still mingled in what all she needed to bring up and say. She blinked a bit as he paused in front of a hovel and turned her attention to his words, listening to all he offered. She was a bit taken aback by his generousity of thought - offering to give her time to regain her natural cleanliness - but bowed her head softly in response. "This is greatly appreciated, Tah Forge." she smiled softly with a bit of a purr. "Thank you."
Red orbs followed the gesture of his horns for a brief moment before she nodded. "I'll find you momentarily." she promised then slowly stepped into the room. Telekinetic thoughts unwrapped her horn tassles and her golden chain necklace from her neck and settled them carefully to the side. Paw reached forward tentatively as she stood at the rim and batted at the water, testing the heat with her paw pad before stepping in. She bathed quickly, emerging as pristine as always and purred at the feeling. Her body was quick to dry, the heat of the water evaporating relatively fast and she used her thoughts to wring out her hair, coiling it tightly before letting it fall to dry. She picked up the tassles and the chain, returning them to their places carefully and turned back to the hallways.
Red orbs shifted to look down both ways of the hall before turning to find Forge's hovel. She'd walked many tunnels in in the mountain, but this one was new to her. Her paw steps were light and her eyes peered into each room as she passed it, looking for any sign of Forge before moving to the next to do the same.
Forge offered a answering nod as Yahui spoke her gratitude. He let his ember eyes rest on her for a moment as she turned to remove the decorations on her horns, it took the Tah a moment to realize he was still standing there and...staring.
Blinking, Forge turned himself away.
"You're welcome." Forge spoke over his shoulder before his rough paws lead him away to his own hovel. Ember eyes studied the smoothed out ground under him as he walked over to his area of the volcano. For the first time in a long time, the Tah started to question his strange behavior. Never had he been so...comfortable with another, or even consider a time to listen to a Nan talk-to try and sort things out. It wasn't that he minded conversation, he just wasn't one to converse with really anyb'alam. Most didn't understand or he didn't respect enough to give them the time of day. Dark clean ears turned back as he realized he was only more confused about his own actions, yet there was something about this Nan...something special about Yahui.....
Entering his hovel, Forge took a sit next to a open port in the side of one of the natural formed 'walls'. The hole in the wall let to a open steam of magma, and made a nice little 'fire place'. The room was rather cozy, yet open. There was a corner where a rather comfortable looking 'bed' was where obviously the Tah had slept. It surprisingly lacked soot or any evidence of his work. Nearby was a chest, and a cloth that rested in front of that. Near the entrance of the hovel hung his apron and belt. Next to the fire pit where he sat was a what looked like a table, with a pipe-but it was different from the one he had more commonly seen with-this one was different, and next to a few jars that had strange dried leaves in them. The hovel was surprisingly well furnished with comforts and Asiatics...that one might be surprised the blacksmith took care to keep clean and orderly.
Word count this post: 351 words
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 11:29 pm
Seruta
She turned into the hovel and paused in the doorway. It almost didn't look right. It was almost too clean to belong to the strong, soot-covered Tah who worked in the molten core of the mountain. Yet at the same time, it fit the larger B'alam. Everything had its place... just like the forge itself had been arranged when she was walking through it before...
Crimson eyes shifted to his form nearby and she held her pause for another moment before moving in a bit more. He'd basically already invited her in and welcomed her presence to talk, so waiting for an invitation in just seemed rude. She allowed her eyes to glance around another moment as she moved to the center of the room and sat down. Black tipped tail whipped around to settle over her claws.
"You have a nice place." She started, hoping to start the conversation on a little bit of a quieter note. "I dare to say it might be a little bit bigger - and possibly neater - than mine." She smiled softly.
A dark ear shifted as Yahui entered the hovel. Forge shifted his eyes from the 'fireplace' of motenlava. Ember eyes took in her sight as she looked about his place of rest. He remained still as she did, he had never let anyone in his 'home' before... The strange behavior put a unease on his stomach, and caused him to be still-and welcomed a anxious thought of approval from the Nan. a breath heaved softly from his nostils as the sudden strange-unfamilar filling left a bad taste in his law. His paws shifted a little under him as if he tried to made the shift as natural as possible. Why did he want her approval? He had never desired anybalam's approval before! Let alone cared what they thought about him and how he did things... "The room comes with the territory, " Forge answered turning his gaze back to the fire hole. He has been in the fire tribe since the beginning.... "And well," the dark balam paused, and his clean tail shifted a little in thought. "the work demands order....even if it is dirty"
Word count this post: 184 words
Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:16 am
Seruta
She nodded. 'Just like our paws...' she mused in her thoughts, pulling from their conversation days before. She then took a deep breath. "Well, it oddly enough suits you..." she offered with a half-purr. "And it further proves that there are more to others than one will initially gather from just a simple glance or a brief conversation..." She glanced at him, wondering how he'd process those words. Her tail soon gave a quick flick at the tip and she inhaled with some uncertainty. She didn't want to delay the conversation any more than necessary, but at the same time she still didn't know how to go about it. Her lips came together as she formulated the words, holding her breath for a few seconds before her body stood and shifted. She moved only a few steps closer to the Tah before sitting down again, tail returning to cover her paws. Seemed she did that as a comfort motion.
"Tah Forge..." she started then looked about at the ground, ears rolling back softly as her eyes narrowed. She felt odd seeking council like this. Usually others sought council from her. Not the other way around... And why Forge? She didn't know him all that well. She merely knew that his loyalty was split. He didn't follow Shen and his ways. Didn't like him and the position of power he now held. But at the same time, he was devoted to his craft and the work he accomplished through it. Why was he the first she turned to? She could have easily turned to Jing Lung for council. Yahui had started to believe the two might be friends... But she was never a thought in Yahui's mind on the matter. And that alone somewhat bothered her... Then again, perhaps in going to Jing Lung with her own confusions she feared her own seat at Shen's side would be compromised? Perhaps that was the reason. She shook her head to quickly return her to the present and tip her crimson gaze up to Forge's. Her voice was low and quiet, yet still as smooth as silk. "First, may I have your promise that anything we discuss tonight stays in this room and completely between us." She lifted her chin slightly. "I'd rather not run the risk of either of us dirtying our paws more and find ourselves falling into the flames of Shen's wrath should our words be taken in unfavorable ways..."
Forge look back at Yahui wordlessly, as a dark ear tipped back slightly. Yes, he recalled their first meeting quiet well, and his harsh words and mostly misplaced claims. His maw shifted a little as his teeth clinched together a bit tighter, as his dark tail tip twitched slightly. Perhaps, even in his age and experience, it was proven he still had a lot to learn about assumptions and what one only saw on the surface. A heavier breath slowly passed through his nostrils.
"Agreed." The word left the blacksmith in a stubborn rumbled grumble....
Brow raised a little as Yahui shifted a bit closer, his front paw shifted a little as the pad of his paw shifted from the earth a little. Hearing his name, Forge's ears twitched slightly at the more serious tone she used. Ember eyes focused on her own. She had his attention.
Slowly his larger head shifted in a nod. She used a lot of words, but every one of them used was understood and taken seriously. His paws were just as 'dirty' as his own, but just in a different way. His head shifted a little closer to her own as she lowered her silky voice. His ears turned forward to take in every luring word that left her maw. Though the back of his thoughts still wondered why she was confiding in him, and even more-why did he enjoy and take pride in it.
It must have been important....
Especially if it concerned her questioning her 'Weaver' as he so outlandishly claimed.
"You have my Promise, Yahui." Forge spoke, and perhaps for the first time-and in a long time, his tone was sincere. The tone was so strange to even Forge, it took him a little by surprise...
Word count this post: 295 words
Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 5:32 pm
Seruta
She felt herself relax a bit and even give a soft exhale of relief at those words. Perhaps it was the tone in which he gave them that settled her spirits and made her believe his sincerity, but she didn't stare deeper into his eyes for further confirmation. She believed him. Plain and simple. An ear flicked back as she began to question why it was so easy to do so, but she just as quickly shoved that concern aside for now. There were bigger things to consider in the moment. And even bigger things to discuss.
She nodded softly, and a nearly hushed "Thank you.." murmured from her black lined lips before she withdrew air back into her lungs. Claws teased at the stone beneath her paws. "Since our first..." Well... how would one call their first conversation? "... encounter... " ... that will do... "I've found myself thinking and questioning things more. Then, everything was very much black and white. Now..." Her fur ruffled and then settled visibly. "I'm starting to see more colors in the flames. I'm not sure of most things. Which, given my position, is not a good mindset to be in." She stood and started a casual pace in the room. She was fidgeting and uncertain. She needed to move or her paws would simply walk away with her. "I came to you because I know of your standing here in the capital. I know where you heart and your mind lies on the line of loyalty. And as such, you are perhaps the only candidate I could go to with such things to help me understand both sides of the blade, as it were." Yes. Clearly that was the true and most obvious reason.
She paused back in front of him and tilted her head. "How long ago did you awaken, Tah Forge?" she asked, trying to get a better understanding of what all he might be able to answer for her.
The larger b’alam listened to Yahui’s words patiently as she seemed to work through them. His own gray ears remained eagerly perked, and his tough strong maw still. He was wise enough to only answer a Nan, when he directly asked to do so. That, and she seemed to be questioning more then how to describe her thoughts and feelings. Dark soot-free tail shifted a little in thought as he found his own shifting to how strange she seemed to be acting as well. His gaze flickered a little in an alarming thought. Did she notice the same of him?
His tail tip flicked.
“Hm?” The grunt left the Tah as he was directly spoken to.
How long ago did he first awake?
A rumble left the the Tah in a soft muse as he tried to recall a timeframe she could understand.
“It was shortly after the first fire magi set their paws on this mountain.” The Forge spoke, his eyes turned and shifted to the open flame of his hovel.
He was the first to have been ‘blessed’ by the weaver with the special knowledge of crafting. At first it hadn’t been weapons, but just normal den-hold items to help their woven lives become easier. It was a different time then, even if it wasn’t long ago....
Word count this post: 219 words
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:18 am
Seruta
Yahui's ears perked forward as he spoke and she paused to process it... since the beginning? Really?! Well... ok. So. That really widened the perspective a bit. She was honestly not expecting such an answer...
She glanced around them slowly a moment before parting her ebony lips to speak, some slight twinge of awe to her words. "So... you've been here for..." she trailed a bit and turned, pacing a bit again. "...long enough to help make the city, the throne room, this hovel, all of it?" She flicked her tail then quickly shook her head. As impressive as it was, that was not where her thoughts were to go for the moment. Her brow furrowed. She had to stay focused....
"Alright... so... then you must know what it was like before all this. Before Shen's uprising. Before the Magus.... disappeared..." she paced a bit more, seeming to allow certain pieces to fall to solidify these ideals into her thoughts.
She then flicked her tail again, paws whipping her around and bringing her to a sit before him, nearly like a cub thirsting for knowledge. "What was it like? How was it for someone to wake in that time?"
Forge’s ember eyes watch Yahui carefully as the weight of his answer seemed to rest on her.
“Aye,” The Tah spoke softly, “The Weaver’s paws did not create this kingdom alone.” He added with a bit of a sigh. In the elder’s mind it had been a better time-and he a better Tah. His ember gaze dropped to rest on his tattered and tuffed chest, the uneven patches of fur that had worked to grow over the scars of the past.
Forge’s gaze shifted from his thought and his memory of the past as Yahui sat closer. Blinking the Tah’s head straightened and his neck raised a little bit at the closeness. His front paws shifted a little, but didnt move from their resting place. The nub of his tail and bum fur puffed just a little at her eagerness.
Looking back at the Nan, Forge released a soft huff and let himself slowly relax once more. She seemed so cub like at that moment....
It was....interesting, and unexpected. Nothing was wrong with it-it was just something new he had seen from the Nan...
Gray tip tail shifted in a subtle raise causing his fur to relax and flatten out once more.
He answered with a slow nod.
However, the Forge had returned from a pilgrimage-broken...only to find the Magus gone.
“There was no animosity, only unity and a eagerness to grow together. Everything was new-and exciting-the unknown thrilled us!” The Tah showed a little bit of a smile, as his voice seemed to roar a bit of excitement and just for a second a spark of a flame seemed to flicker to life in his usually jaded gaze. Though as quickly as the flicker of life shown, his maw dropped in its normal resting frown
He paused and a sigh left his maw. Closing his eyes his voice lowered and sombered on...
“All were woven and none carved-we all held a cub like wonder of b’alam. Anything and everything was possible. Our Magus-Violcanus and his Yoliliztli were there to lead us and we trusted them as blind helpless babes. They where a symbol of the unity that the tribe had....” Forge brought his gaze back up to the eager Nan that sat before him.”...and with whisper of cubs that the Weaver could give-was our hope for growth and prosperity. “ Forge’s maw tightened and his gaze narrowed a little. How could they leave them....
However-he wasnt guiltless...nor was Volga.
Perhaps, if he hadn’t left, there would have been at least someone to keep them on the path.
“We were cubs that did not know the icy stab of betrayal and frozen touch of death. Until that day, the Empress went missing and her beloved fallowed after her.” Forge answered.
“Or so I am told, Is what is last known of our magi...and only a few of us remain, that knows what being woven without strife was.” The Tah sighed, “and perhaps that is for the best....”
The Weaver only knows...
Word count this post: 501 words
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:20 am
Seruta
Yahui listened intently as he spoke. Her eyes followed his and her ears perked fully forward on him. She glanced at his chest when he did, noting the uneven fur before forcing herself to focus more on his words and the way he told his story.
She caught sight of his smile - a fleeting glance of it, but it was something she oddly treasured to see - and let her lip curl in response as well. And the spark in his eyes as he spoke... It was like he was reliving a much more vibrant and happy time. She frowned faintly at the idea... were things really so terrible now? Granted, things were being fueled by a new flame at the pit of it all, but... perhaps everyone was more or less cubs in nature than what was to be expected of them now?
Of course... that had to be it... to wake in a child-like state... to learn everything together... innocently... without anyone roaring and demanding that they stand a certain way.... To be alive in that time... to see what Forge had seen, what he had live, she wanted some of that... Being able to understand it was as close as she would get, it would seem. She was still very much enthralled with his words and how he spoke so passionately...
Even when his story turned to darkness... A missing Empress... the Emperor following after. Maybe he went to look for her? Maybe they had intended to come back? She furrowed her brow a bit and tilted her head, looking off to the side. The way he spoke of it seemed like long, long ago. So perhaps they weren't coming back after all.
"The Emperor and Empress..." she started, brow lifting in curiosity with her query. "... were they expecting cubs before they disappeared?"
Forge's head slowly nodded before his sight turned to the natural 'stove' and the lava glow.
"...That was the rumor." The Blacksmith rumbled softly. "...I was away from the capital, when they both went missing." Forge admitted with a low rumble. Taking in a slow breath he released it in a faint huff.
The BlackSmith heard rumors of the royal carved, but they never where given the Weaver's woven blessing. It was thought because one of the parents had went missing, and their carved went with out life.
"Volga would know more then I..." Forge spoke softly. "When I was able to return, everything was different. The throne had been abandon." All that he had worked for was neglected...
Word count this post: 119 words
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:23 am
Seruta
Yahui blinked. So there'd been murmurs of carvings made... but nothing became of it? Maybe they took the idols with them? She shook her head softly, nose scrunching as if internally scolding herself of such fantasies. She sighed after a moment then nodded.
"Volga..." she let the name roll off her tongue a bit... "I've heard of the name... whispers among some of those living in the city. But unfortunately I'm not familiar with the pelt..." She tilted her head a bit. "Are they a friend of yours? Do you meet with them often?" She was asking purely in innocence of the current conversation. She honestly had no idea that the Tah he spoke of was of the opposing side in this... war they'd basically begun.
Forge's ears twitched back as he retraced his thoughts and the words that slipped his maw. Clearing his maw, he slowly shook his head.
"Forgive me, I miss spoke." The b'alam spoke, as his dark tail shifted and move more closely around his rough paws.
"It was a long time ago...and I am..." The forge spoke with a sigh. "-I do not call any one a 'traitor' to the throne a 'friend'." The b'alam spoke in a rehearsed tone.
His paws shifted a bit uncomfortably as if they rested on sharp obsidian, he wobbled a little bit in his sit till he was comfortable again. gray ears sat back a little as he recalled that they would keep everything private between them...
But what they where speaking about was treason....
And even though his work was that of fire-and important to the war. If it were ever to get out-he could be punished. Punished in a manner that would still make it possible for him to work. It has happened to him once before, but not by Shen's paw....though he didn't doubt it would happen. He knew Shen's type and what they would do to accomplish their ambitions...
And it was evil and not of the Weaver.
Forge released a sigh, and let his ears perk forward once more. "As the Shen concealer and adviser, you should know Volga's name. " Forge spoke gently, and strangely removed any mocking tone he had the first time they had met. He was only kindly reminding her and informing her, if she didn't know or simply didn't recall.
"He is apart of the opposing army, if not the leader of the rebellion."
