Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Blacksmith and The Bookworm (1x1)

In Valebright, it always seemed to be permanently spring unless winter came by, and snow covered the land. The village was known to be the most friendly and welcoming village there. They have a population of around six hundred, mainly humans and a few non-humans. The villagers are close-knit and know a lot about each other. They know from the local farmer's bloodline to the historical land they settled in. However, there was one person they couldn't get much information about. Someone who lived in a forest nearby. A forest that seemed stuck in fall, with leaves being golden-yellow. Golden Forest.

A female dwarf lives in Golden Forest. She wasn't fond of the village's close-knit community, not because she was introverted, but because she was afraid of developing a deep connection. A distance for her safety, but harsh isolation in their eyes. That wasn't the worst; what came was rumors of her past. Not all of her past, but the bloodshed she caused in a now lost town of woodland elves. Roisin the Barbarian. They would say call her. The female dwarf didn't care; she didn't blame them either. Yet, she still comes by and helps whenever she can. From gardening to inventing a new tool for their daily lives. They appreciated it, but still feared her.

Roisin was sitting on a tree stump, craving a piece of wood. She had finished a few projects that the villagers requested of her. With nothing else to do, she turned to craving. Roisin had no clue what she was craving, but found his activity soothing. It was an activity that helped her wind down, besides watching wild animals nearby. She pondered about what her next inventions would be or what items would need forging. She never knew rest, and rest ever knew her unless it was at night. Soon her thoughts shifted into deciding whether she would go into the village for a drink or not. The thought of one made her mouth dry as she continued to crave away. She was carving a bird.

Jude walked slowly through the trees, pausing now and then to take a deep breath. Not a fast walker by any means, he was talking his time even more today. Even though Valebright was not far from his tiny hometown of Berk, there was a lot of different plants here. The climate was a little bit different, and the soil and growing conditions were very different, meaning flowers he'd never seen flourished. There were bushes, trees, and even animals he'd never seen before. Actually, thanks to the constant activity around Berk, not many animals found their way close enough to be readily viewed by the people who worked there. He'd been in Valebright for three days, but this was his first day out in the woods. He loved books, but after three days of having his head buried in ledger books that were at least ten years older than he was, it was nice to breathe fresh air!

After walking for about an hour, he spotted a nice little spot with a log under a tree. He wasn't certain exactly how far he'd made it into the forest, but it was likely not as deep as it felt. The log poked a bit when he sat down, and he wished he'd brought something to sit on, like maybe a towel, but that seemed a little silly. He shifted to get as comfortable as he could and pulled a sketchbook and a pencil case from his satchel. A small bird flew by, twittering loudly as it did. It was likely scolding him, telling the stranger to get out of its territory! He just smiled and quickly sketched the outline of the bird as it flew by. He pushed a stray strand of nut brown hair out of his light eyes and settled back, not minding a bit that his dark yellow jacket made him stand out in the browns and greens of the forest. At least his pants were grown. He smiled to himself as he caught the swoop of the bird in a series of fast sketches.

Roisin had stopped for a bit when she heard a bird twittering. Her ear twitched a bit once she did. She got up, placing the unfinished carved bird where she sat, and grabbed her hatchets. Roisin decided to follow the noise, as no one really comes into the forest. Not even her supposed best friend. Roisin was quiet and stealthy, as if whatever was causing the bird to twitter was dangerous. The sound wasn't that far from her, which was impressive, as she was nearly deep in the forest. Soon, she was near where Jude was. Roisin couldn't see him, but guessed he was around there as she clipped one of her hatchets on her belt.

She steadied herself as she took her hatchet with both hands and aimed at the tree in front, where Jude was. Roisin than throw it with a lot of force, hitting the tree. Once it did, she stepped out from the other trees. She had already swiftly unclipped her hatchet, as it was in her hand. She then faced him, pointing her hatchet in his direction.

Jude yelped when a hatchet struck the tree in front of him, scaring the bird. He stared at the hatchet, frozen in bewilderment, until a small person stepped into view, a second hatchet in hand.

"I must say, was it really necessary to throw an ax like that?" he demanded irritably - justifiably, he thought. "If I am trespassing or otherwise infringing upon your property, could you not call out first? Striking down a stranger hardly seems like a wise idea. A bit of a call and challenge would have done the trick to roust me far better than a hatchet to the face."

He did not hurry as he closed his book and slid it into the satchel, but he was not dawdling, either. He moved with deliberate care as he placed his book and his pencil case into the satchel, but he did not stand yet. He looked at the woman glaring at him and waited for an answer.

"Yes. If you lived in a isolated area and know it like the back of your hand, you would act the same." Roisin said as she lowered her hatchet and turned her attention to the other one. With her shifting her attention, she noticed Jude's prosthetic leg.

It seemed fine for daily use but not comfort. It looked as if it could break or malfunction at any given moment. She decided this would keep her occupied and her next project. Roisin walked over to the other hatchet as she clipped the other to her belt.

"You're not trespassing and I'm assuming you're new here based on your clothes and being here. Normally no one would enter this forest or even go this deep. So, it caught me off guard," Roisin said as she grabbed the hatchet from the tree. "Speaking of your clothes, it would explain why none of the villagers warned you about the forest or mentioned me. You can continue doing whatever it was you were doing, I'm leaving." She announced as she started to go back.

"I highly doubt I would act quite the same as you, Miss Roisin," Jude chuckled, knowing her name even though she had not yet said it. "For starters, it would require that I should know how to wield a hatchet so deftly!" He pushed himself to his feet and tugged on his jacket, looking down at it. "My clothes? I know they might not be the height of fashion in Valebright, but I hadn't thought they were that bad!" He shot her a cheeky grin and pulled his satchel over his head once more. "There is no need to go, Miss Roisin. I will be on my way, then. It is probably time I start back, anyway."

Roisin stopped walking. She turned half her body towards his direction. This caught her off guard, completely. Jude was aware of her yet he still came into the forest. Even after throwing her hatchet, he wasn’t scared. "Call me Red or my name. Don't add miss, I'm much older than you think." She said, thinking a couple of drinks sounded good after this encounter. "They're not bad, considering how you seem to be someone who stays inside. I didn't come to stay, I came because I wasn't aware who entered the forest." Roisin added before walking away. She begun to rub her ear slightly with her free hand.

"Very well, ma'am. Red," Jude said with a smile. "A pleasure to meet you. I've heard good things about the quality of your work. Maybe some other day we can talk." And she was gone. Or leaving, at least. Jude smiled at the spot where she'd left and turned to retrace his steps. Odd woman.

He walked back to town, moving slowly and carefully as he went. It took him less time to reach town than it had to walk into the woods since he wasn't pausing continually to enjoy the surroundings. Once he arrived back in town, it was back to work, back to reality, and back to the daily grind. All thoughts of the woman in the woods disappeared as he looked through numbers, compared figures, and talked business with men much older than himself.

Two days passed before he returned to the woods. He went to a slightly different area, again to sit and enjoy. He pulled out a small book this time and settled down with his back to the trunk of a tree to read.

Roisin didn't hear much as she was far away and her hearing wasn't as good before. Her encounter with the young man truly puzzled her all the way to her cozy cabin. True to her thought, Roisin went to the villagers' tavern and got a couple of drinks. It was there she learned a bit about Jude and the business he had with Valebright.

When she came back from the tavern, she began making a blueprint for the new prosthetic leg for Jude. Would this be her way to apologize? Maybe? Would this new project keep her hands busy? For sure. Roisin had begun putting thoughts together and eliminating them for the blueprint. Soon after nine hours, she completed the blueprint and was ready to invent the prosthetic leg.

Two days passed since Roisin's encounter with the young man, and she was coming from the village. She had bought scraps of metal for the prosthetic leg. She hasn't started it yet and was busy gathering the items for it. Thankfully, the scraps of metal were all she needed. However, she also came with a few requests from the villagers. She wasn't aware Jude was nearby as she was analyzing the blueprints.

Jude heard movement and looked up from his reading. "Hello, Miss Roisin! My apologies, Madam Red." He smiled brightly at her. "Those look quite interesting. Are they blueprints for a new creation?"

He hadn't moved from his spot. His prosthetic leg, as Roisin had guessed, was not the most comfortable creation. It was mostly wood carved to look like the bottom half of a leg, and a bit of sheepskin to give him padding between his stump and the harsh wood. Leath streps held it all in place. Most of it was not visible thanks to his pant leg, but there was enough revealed between the bottom of his pant leg and his sock to show that it was not a leg of flesh and bone.

Roisin perked up at her name being called twice. She wasn't expecting to see Jude again based on how she greeted him. "They are. It's what the village wants." Roisin said. She wasn't expecting him to be interested in what she did, despite his claiming he did two days earlier. Still, Roisin did appreciate that he corrected himself from calling her 'Miss'.

The prosthetic leg Jude had made her want to go home faster. She understood if it was a temporary holder for a better one, but since it looked aged and worn, it upset her. Than again, she doesn't know much about him or his background. Roisin wasn't planning to ask now or any time soon. All she wants is to replace his with a better one. One that's comfortable and more relatable. Maybe one that had a camouflage spell on it, so it didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, she still had potions of sorts.

"Really?" Jude marked his place in his book with his finger and adjusted to turn more toward her. "Is it something I'm allowed to know about? Or is it something secret I'm not allowed to know about?"

"If you consider a new set of shovels, a metal frame, 50 sets of horseshoes, and 5 sets of child-size armor, a secret, then yes." She said, reading off the blueprints in her hands. Roisin purposely didn't mention the prosthetic leg. Why should she, as that was actually something she didn't want him to know? Afterall, these requests wouldn't take long for her. They were common and easy to make.

"Child-sized armour?" Jude asked in amusement. He found his bookmark and put it in his book. "Why are we armouring the children? Will you show me? I am very curious!" He did not offer to get up and come to her, though he would if she indicated she wanted him to come to her rather than she to him.

"It's not to send them to fight. It's more decorative attire for them." She said as she stepped closer to him, but still left enough space between them. She looked for the blueprint for the child-sized armor and handed it to Jude. Roisin considered him odd for taking an interest in her work, but didn't mind it. This felt tolerable compared to her hanging out with anyone else from the village or outside of the village.

The paper should have a sketch of a child wearing armor and wielding a sword. It was more of a knight's attire with notes on what kind of metal to use and a number referring to portions. Some number referring to size and how many was needed.

Jude looked over the blueprints with interest. He didn't build things, but he was around blueprints enough with his work that he was able to read them with relative ease. "These are very cute," he chuckled. He handed it back to her. "Thank you for sharing. I hope you might be willing to show me the finished product when you are done. I have heard you are excellent at what you do, and I would love to see what you can do."

"That is, if you're okay with getting your hands dirty and burned." Was all Roisin said. It was unclear if she was inviting him to see her work or warning him what happens when she works. She wasn't sure either. Jude, himself, was someone she never met. It reminded her of someone she once knew but refused to say his name. Strangely, this thought didn't make her feel uncomfortable or angry. She sighed heavily before reaching for her earring and fiddling with it. "It was nice talking to you," Roisin paused a bit before speaking a bit. "Jude. Enjoy the rest of your day." She said before leaving.

Jude waved farewell. "You as well, ma'am. Good luck, and may you be safe!" He opened his book once more and started to read again. It was nice in this forest. He didn't know why everyone said he should stay out of it. It was no scarier than the one near his hometown. Possibly more dangerous with more wild animals, but not too terrible. It was peaceful out here. Maybe a little dangerous with a hatchet-throwing dwarf, but she wasn't so bad.

It was a few days before Jude returned to the forest. He'd been working almost nonstop the entire time, and he was looking forward to spending a little time out in nature, resting and relaxing! He intended to spend the day reading and sketching. It was going to be a lovely day! He'd even packed a picnic lunch. It slowed him down a little, but was worth it as he walked deeper into the woods than he ever had before, his hitching stride taking him farther and farther in until he found a quiet glade near a small stream. Perfect! He spread out a blanket and a pillow and settled down, the basket sitting in a cool, shady spot.

Once she made it home, she began working on the blueprint, but the child-sized armor. Besides shovels and a metal frame, that was the easiest and fastest to do. Roisin wasn't sure why she didn't do it first, but assumed there was no meaning in hiding it. There was one, a quiet one she refuses to announce out loud. Still, she worked on the blueprints and the prosthetic leg until the sky was dark.

During the few days, she had already finished all the blueprints but one, and she refused to announce the reasoning behind it. Roisin had started the prosthetic leg as well; it wasn't nearly done, but in progress. The child-sized armors were only half done as she kept her eye out. For who? It was obvious who, but it came off as being wary. Roisin would leave the armor pieces outside for easier transportation and not clutter inside her home. It was fine until nature had other plans for her.

Roisin was in an undershirt stained with ash and her overalls, while her straps weren't on her shoulders but her sides. She was eating walnuts until she heard a noise outside her cabin. Roisin rushed outside to see a bear cub playing with a helmet. Before she could think of shooing the animal, it took the helmet in its mouth and ran. Roisin cursed under her breath before chasing after it. She had grabbed one of her hatchets. Ironically, the chase was making its way to Jude's location.