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

The bear cub's attention shifted from running away and to the apple. It had dropped the helmet before chasing after the apple. Roisin noticed this and was quick to grab the helmet. It was slimy and has a few dents in it. She sighed, before going over to the stream.

Roisin was aware the mother may be close but it didn't scare her. She handle bear attacks, plus an animal attack was nothing compared to the battles she endured. Roisin began to clean the helmet but stopped as her ear twitched. She quickly moved as the mother bear had tried swiping at her.

Jude stared down at the unbelievable scene below him. She was practically ignoring the bears? Why? Was she insane? And now she was just casually dodging a full-grown mother bear! What was happening? He stayed put in the tree, being as quiet as he could. There was nothing he could do to help, and, since bears could climb trees, he did not want to draw attention to himself and get eaten, either.

The mother bear roared at Roisin as she kept dodging it's attacks. She had threw the helmet far from where she was. Roisin was trying to think of a plan. She didn't want to hurt the mother bear nor kill it, the bear was just protecting its kin. Roisin had slipped at the slightest before reaching in her overalls pocket. She took out a pouch of gunpowder before grabbing some and throwing it at bear, causing it to roar and attack at random. Roisin took the moment to flee, grabbing the helmet and putting the pouch away. Thankfully she had clipped her hatchet on the strap of the overalls.

Jude stayed where he was in the tree, feeling utterly helpless. What could he do? Throw his wooden leg at the bear? That did not seem like it would do much good other than to maybe give the bear something to bite. And who carried gunpowder with them randomly?! This woman was a different breed, that was for certain. One who apparently had no fear to the point of insanity, be it bear or fire.

Roisin knew she couldn't go home, the bear and its cub would've follow her. So she had another plan brewing as she grabbed a stone nearby. Ironically, she climbed a tree across of Jude. She didn't see him when she climbed the tree. The mother bear hasn't reclaimed it's vision and now dependent of its hearing. It charged towards any sound.

Meanwhile, Roisin had put helmet near her as she used her hatchet and the stone for a spark to start a fire on string of gunpowder pouch. Once it was lit, she waited but the burning string didn't. It burned continuously. Soon, the bear began to charged towards the tree Roisin was at and the string was half gone. She threw it once the mother bear tried climbing the tree.

BOOM! The gunpowder pouch had exploded, scaring the bear. It ran away from the noise blindly with the cub following behind. Roisin let out a relieved sigh as she clipped her hatchet back and held the helmet. "All for a damn helmet." She mumbled to herself.

Jude had jerked his arm up to hide his face when the gunpowder exploded, and now he lowered it to see the blackened stains on the tree and the bear and her cub running. He really hoped that small bomb hadn't actually hit the bear, because if it had, she would be badly burned and possibly lose an eye or an ear. It was better than he or Roisin dying, but it would still be very sad if that was the case. He couldn't tell what had actually happened to the bear, but Roisin was safe, he was safe, everyone was safe!

"That was certainly quite a panic-filled few minutes," Jude called over to Roisin. He looked around. He'd gotten up this tree in a moment of adrenaline-fueled survival instinct, but how was he going to get down? Without taking the fast route. He started edging down carefully. "Did you get your helmet back?"

She quickly looked over. Roisin got off the tree she was on with the helmet. "Yes. Was it you who threw the apple?" She asked as she quickly went to the tree Jude was at. Roisin had placed the helmet on the rock.

"I'm wasn't aware you were here at all. Do you drink? Anything drink from the tavern is on me." She offered before trying to assist Jude down. "You didn't get hurt right?" Roisin asked.

"I could do with a drink, thank you," Jude said in relief. "I did throw the apple. It was not exactly effective, but it was that or a book. I didn't think the bear would appreciate the deep complexities of The Emperor's Dilemma ." He willingly accepted Roisin's help and half fell, half climbed out of the tree. "Thank you," he sighed in relief, brushing off his pale blue shirt. "Is it normally this adventurous around here? You weren't injured, were you?"

Now that the danger had passed, his body told him it was time to sit down. He did so on his picnic blanket, which was remarkably undisturbed. Apparently, bears were not interested in red and blue-checked cloths spread out on the ground. He indicated for Roisin to join him.

"The apple was a great distraction. If it wasn't for that, I would have to tackle the cub. It would probably worsen the situation." Roisin said as she went to get the helmet once Jude was down from the tree. "Not to this extent. Today was the first." She said coming back to him. Roisin wasn't even aware she did as she still kept the distance between them.

"No, I'm fine." She said, unaware she had burned her hand a bit. Roisin didn't sit on the picnic blanket but stayed. She didn't really have a reason to. "Since I own you for the disruption, would you like to see the armory for the children and what time will you be free go to the tavern?" Roisin as she reach for her ear and rubbing it.

"That's a lot of effort and risk you went through for one helmet," Jude remarked. "I would love to see the children's armory!" He chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. "My, but that was a strange sentence. I am free every day after six, so whenever works for you then. Oh! I packed a picnic lunch." He indicated the basket under the bush. "Once we have seen this children's armory, would you care to join me for lunch?"

She turned her body slightly away when he stated the obvious. It was true but she didn't even know why she did. Was it cause of tiredness? Maybe. She nodded about Jude's availability. Roisin would have to check her own schedule after six. She hoped it wouldn't be long when she did have availability. Roisin turned back around and looked at the basket. "Sure." She said, shocked of the invitation but didn't express it. Roisin fiddled with her earring before motioning him to follow her as she started to walk. Now, she was worried about hiding the prosthetic leg project feom him. Thankfully some of the armor was outside.

Jude smiled and quickly gathered his blanket and basket. He still intended to have a picnic lunch, but maybe not here. He indicated for Roisin to lead the way and limped carefully after her. He was slow, but steady as he walked with her. "So, this armory, is it only armour? Or are you arming them with little swords and spears?"

Roisin tried her best to walk a comfortable pace for Jude. "Mainly swords. The parents of the children aren't too comfortable with spears yet. They barely manage to agree with this creation." She said as she looked at the helmet. Roisin smiled slightly than disappeared. "I heard you came here for business. What kind are you doing?"

"Boring stuff, severely boring stuff," Jude said cheerfully. "I help with the finances for the rail line, and your town and my town are discussing possible funding for upgrades and repairs to the line. I mostly have the numbers and tell people things they don't want to hear, like, 'this will cost more than what you want it to cost.' It is not much fun, but it is fulfilling." He shifted the basket to his other hand and then back again. "By the way, I am not certain I quite understand this arming of the children. Will you explain it to me?"

Roisin nodded as she listen to Jude explain. She was aware of rail line repair and funding. It was nice to hear different perspective of a completely different job. "It's just child's play. Nothing serious but I fo know it's strange enough for them to wear actually armor. I made them as I would for a knight but the difference was lays. Rubber metal on the inside and rubber metal swords." Roisin explained. "Admiration to the fullest, I guess." She continues as she examine the helmet in her hands. It was a easy fix for her.

"Sounds like they'll have a lot of fun, then, especially with such a skilled blacksmith," Jude said, looking at the helmet in her hand. "What is your favorite thing to make?"

Roisin was caught off guard by the question. She never really gave thought to what her favorite creation was. She wasn't sure if she even had one. However, she had a favorite creation, but it just wasn't hers. He didn't need to know, though. "A rose that released poisonous gas. Not really easy to make, but the first." Roisin became flustered as the tips of her ears turned red. Soon, they made it to her home.

It was a cozy cabin with three tree stumps. One of the stumps had a wooden bird. There were piles of child-sized armor organized by parts. Surprisingly, the area was clean and organized despite her always being busy. "Stay here, I don't think you would want your clothes to be dirty." She said as she quickly went inside the cabin and hid the prosthetic leg along with its blueprint. Pretty much anything that can hint towards it.

Jude waited until Roisin couldn't hear him before murmuring, "A gas-spewing rose?" to himself in bewilderment. Why and how would a blacksmith make something like that? Baffling and intriguing. He didn't mind getting his clothes dirty, but she didn't seem to want him inside. That was alright. It was a lovely day outside. He didn't mind waiting. He wandered around, looking curiously at everything but touching nothing.

Besides two complete child-size armors and one uncompleted, tree stumps, and a wooden bird, there were also two types of garden. Small but well-taken care of. One was typical plants like a poppy and lavender, and the other had vegetables and fruits. A tree nearby had many axe marks on it, some deeper than others. On the opposite was either discarded creations that seemed helpful or inventions that seemed in great condition. One was a small figure that had a bag full of odd-looking seeds. Some seeds looked similar to a common one, and the others were either differently shaped or colored.

"Jude, you can come in now. I had to clean up and find extra clothing." Roisin said, mixing the truth and a lie once she successfully hid her project and the blueprint. He wanted to see the armory; he might as well see how they are made. She had on the typical wear of a blacksmith and was holding some identical items, but in a different size than hers. "I'll hold you to it if it becomes a hassle."