~o// Rahujo's Forge //o~

[Rahujo]

(reserved?)  

[Rahujo]

Rahujo sat in the mostly silent forge, looking somewhat the worse for wear. Her wings looked dusty and slightly tattered, and she had several plasters and bandages scattered over her body. Beside her, on the workbench, lay a jar of burn salve, most of it gone.

She nursed a cup of sweet tea, thoughtfully, while she stared at her bandaged hand. The sensation she had felt back on the island ... After some minutes of contemplation, she put the chipped mug down on the workbench and stood up, ruffling her wings back into some semblence of neatness. This wasn't the time to contemplate strange feelings and hunches at the expense of practicality - her forge had been neglected for weeks, and she needed to concentrate on getting well if she were ever to continue her research.

Over the next few hours, the forge was a small flurry of activity - unpacking and putting away the tools she had taken to the island, fetching firewood for the hearth, re-lighting the fire, and clearing off the dust and leaves that had accumulated on the floor and the workbenches. Halfway through her work, the forge's resident frog returned, and Rahujo smiled and tossed it a tid-bit of fish. Things were slowly getting back to normal.

Once she had finished, she sat with another mug of tea, and began grooming her battered wings. They had not been well served by the explosion, nor by her heavy landing on the ground afterwards - she had been incredibly lucky not to break anything. Rahujo plucked out several feathers which were scorched beyond repair, wincing with the pain of each one.

The feathers that she tossed onto the wooden bench were tattered and torn, with small holes punched in them from droplets of flying molten metal, although there were a few that were almost whole. A couple glinted dully in the dusty firelight, tiny beads of metal clinging to the vanes and embedded in the quill.

Afterwards, her wings felt incomplete, awkward - but she hardly used them anyway, she reminded herself. Still... Rahujo sighed, picked up a soft brush and began to brush the downy feathers that covered the inside of her wings. She really should be more careful in the future.



Quietly, Kiro wandered up the path he had figured out led towards the forge. He was nervous to be honest. He was always intimidated by people older than himself, and the only older Aerandir he had ever met had been Acia all that time ago. And she, in truth, had been more nervous than he had been. But he felt kind of rude wandering up and asking someone who he'd never met, and who intimidated him before he'd even met them, for a feather.

It was just... rude...

But then there was Tsukai to consider. The little wisp was currently bobbing alongside him, murbling distractedly. Ever since they'd received the cloth, Tsu had been... hyperactive. Kiro figured he knew they were nearly done, and Kiro felt a little bad that his own nervousness was the only thing standing between Tsu and he final object.

He saw the forge long before they reached it, and timidly peered in one of the doors. Tsu also floated, as though also peering but hovering in plain sight. Kiro's ears twitched back a little as he called out hopefully. "Hello...?"



Rahujo turned, hearing a voice from outside the forge over the crackle of the newly-laid fire. Silhouetted against the bright sunlight of the forge yard, she could see a small head peeking out from the side of the wide barn-doors. After a few seconds of staring door-wards, she realised the silhouette and raised one eyebrow. Another Aerandir...? Neither Osero nor Acia had ears that large and fluffy, and as far as she knew, none of the other Aerandir children were that tall yet...

Puzzled, she stood up and walked towards the door. "What can I do for you?"



Kiro hesitated for a second, before stepping inside the door, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the relative darkness inside the building.

Tsukai, however, zoomed straight inside at the sound of Rahujo's voice, zipping around her in his wispy excitement. Phwar!! He remembered her!! She was the woman-thing with the fish and the kitty-Keeo and and and!! Yeah!! Her!!

Kiro blinked at Tsu's enthusiam. It was true the wisp had become a lot more comfortable with his wisp state, but he hadn't seen him be quite so enthusiastic straight off the bat. I mean, neither he or Tsu had met the Aerandir yet.. had they?

"Hi... I... uhh..." He paused for a second before untangling his tongue. "I'm Kiro... I'm looking for... Rahujo?"



Rahujo blinked at the sudden flash of blue that shot into the forge. An Aerandir wisp? Then who was the figure at the doorway?

Her question was answered a second later. Kiro? She vaguely remembered Acia or Alyosha mentioning the name. Was he a guardian, then? She blinked, and suddenly realised how obsessive she had become with her research - over the last month or so, she had hardly seen anyone.

Rahujo smiled at the youth's nervousness. "I'm she." She stepped out into the stream of sunlight falling through the wide doors, shading her eyes, and something clicked - Aerandir wisp, guardian, forge... "What might you be after for your charge?" She gestured to the small wisp, who by now was orbiting her, causing occasional blue flashes of motion in her peripheral vision.



Kiro was glad she had guessed the reason was here. It meant he didn't have to impose the question on her himself. He smiled a little as she spoke, watching as Tsu continued to float round and round her. "We've got everything on the list apart from one of your feathers," he said, his tone a little apologetic.



A feather? Unusual... She thought for a moment, then a twinge of pain from one of her wings gave her a sudden reminder of the feathers she had plucked earlier. "Actually ... I may have something for you, if you'll give me a second..."

She wandered back into the forge, to the small workbench at the back, and picked up one of the more intact feathers. It was coated in a fine layer of dust and pulverised rock, so she dipped it in her quenching trough, shook the moisture off and smoothed it between her fingers while she walked back to the waiting Kiro.

As she brought the feather into the sunlight, the tiny spray of metal droplets glittered and twinkled, the feather buoyed and moved by the warm air. Below the metal, highlights glimmered on the black feather, a subdued rainbow of colours in the tropical sun.



Rahujo held it up for inspection by the bobbing wisp, with a quiet smile. "Here." She turned to Kiro and offered him the feather. "How many have you still to collect?"



Tsu twirled around the feather gleefully. Yay!! The lady was giving them the feather thingy!! Tsu then started floating around Kiro. Take it!! Take it!!

His face splitting into a grin, Kiro reached out to take the feather from her, holding it up to look at it for a moment, his gaze then catching Tsu and following the small wisp as he twirled around first Kiro, then the feather, and then around and around Rahujo again. Issuing a small sound that sounded smiliar to a squee, Tsu then raced around the both of them.

Kiro's voice was quiet as he glanced up to answer Rahujo's question. "This is the last one..."



Rahujo nodded, then grinned at the wisp's reaction. "My congratulations. It's always nice to see another Aerandir on the island. Would you like a cup of tea - or would you be off to see Alyosha?"



"I, uhh..." Kiro glanced up as Tsu squeed again, unable to help himself smiling at the little wisp. "I think we're going to get going..." He hesitated before adding, "It's cruel to make the little guy wait... But thank you so much!"

With another brief smile to Rahujo, Kiro turned to follow Tsu, who was by now waiting impatiently by the door, and murbling excitedly.

Now they had everything!