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

Archer keep flirting until the lady left. He had a smirk on his face before coming by. Archer began collecting the empty shot glasses. "Huh, she didn't drink much but was hella tipsy. Want another glass of wine?" He asked. Archer didn't question where she was.

"No, but thank you, it was very good," Jude said politely. "She did mention something about asking you to give me something, though. I do not know what she meant by it. Do you?"

Archer stopped and frowned, then his eyes widened. "Oh! Yeah, I'll get you that. Hold on." He said as he quickly left. It wasn't long before he came back with a box that was wrapped nicely. It had three small yellow marigolds tied with it. Archer handed it to Jude. "She said if it wasn't to your liking or it needed an improvement, just give it back to her. Red also said that she hoped it was better than what you have." He frowned as he thought before continuing. "There is also camouflage magic with it, so it can blend in. Oh, and it's metal, but the lighter one alongside cushioning."

Axa came back with her son. Roisin wasn't with them or insight. Her expression was worried and slightly scared. Her son had a toy in his hand, playing with it. She made her way towards the front, keeping him close.

What did any of that mean? Jude stared at the long package in genuine confusion and befuddlement. He tried thinking of what it might possibly and got nowhere with that before deciding that perhaps it was best to take it home and open it up. He stood and lifted the package with care before seeing Axa walking toward the front. He paused, watching her, curious. Roisin was not with her. That was interesting. Well, it wasn't like he could go prying into strangers' businesses, so he turned, despite his concern and curiosity, and made his way toward the door of the tavern.

"Excuse me, Roisin said she already paid for a room and room service?" Axa spoke softly once she was in front of Archer. Archer nodded before waving goodbye to Jude. "That would explain the two pouches of gold. Follow me, ma'am." He hummed as he led the way. She followed him as did her son, but he looked over to Jude and giggled. It was unclear why he giggled or what made him giggle.

When Jude went outside the tavern, Roisin wasn't out there either. There was no trace of where she could have gone or if she was still nearby.

Jude looked down at the child, amused, but didn't think much of it. He went out and looked around, trying to find Roisin, but she was nowhere in sight. He turned and walked toward home, keeping an eye out for her as she went just in case she popped up randomly. She was nowhere in sight. So, he went home.

Once home at the small place he'd been staying at while working, he sat down on the bed and placed the package down next to him. First, he took off the flower crown and set it on the tiny side table next to the bed. Carefully, he opened the package.

Inside the package was a prosthetic leg made out of metal with visible cushioning. There was also a small note inside it as well. It read: I hope this is a huge improvement compared to the one you have. Please come to me if anything isn't to your liking or uncomfortable. With her nickname signed at the end. When he put it on, it appeared to have changed right away and mimicked the appearance of his other leg, from skin tone to any other smaller detail on his body.

While Jude was opening the package, Roisin was walking in Golden Forest, upset. She was told the unfortunate news of being unable to go to Starmeadow because her uncle would confront her in a duel. One that had unfair prizes, despite her winning or lost. Roisin wasn't thinking straight and felt the urgency of using her hands. Whether it be for good or worse, she needed a distraction from repeating a mistake she made long ago.

Jude stared at the prosthesis in shock. What was this? He knew what it was, but why? Why would she make something like this? He ran his hands tentatively along the leg, feeling every line. This was insane! And beautiful. He picked it up and turned it over again, examining the foot and where his leg would sit in the little rounded slot for his stump. It was padded so nicely and securely. The sheepskin in his current one tended to shift on him.

"Thank you, Roisin," he said softly. He couldn't try it right away as his leg was already exhausted and aggravated from a day of use, but first thing tomorrow, he'd try it on and test it out.

Roisin had finally made it home and was quick to grab her hatches. She began throwing them at a tree that already endured markings from these hatches. She had thrown them hard enough that they were stuck, upsetting her more. Roisin had walked into her cabin and took her battle axe. She then threw it and kept doing it until finally it got stuck to. She kept doing anything that kept her hands busy to the point that she caused an injury when she forged something. It didn't make her stop, not fully, until she sliced her hand when she started to carve wood. Roisin attended to her hand quickly, slowly calming down but still upset. Jude was right not to drink before speaking with her sister-in-law. She knew she would have a bad hangover and an injury. Roisin hoped her anger would die soon and not take long; hopefully, a week instead of the typical three months.

Jude rose very early the next morning, eager to try out the new prosthetic. Instead of putting on his old one, he used a crutch to get around long enough to get breakfast, get dressed, and take care of the assorted morning things that needed to be done. It gave his leg a break from having anything rubbing on his sensitive stump and irritating it before he gave the new prosthesis a proper chance.

When he was ready, he sat on the edge of his bed and worked out how to properly attach the new leg to his stump. He fiddled with the straps, eventually stealing a couple from the old prosthesis in order to get them to fit properly. His stump fit perfectly in the padded saddle of the prosthetic, and the straps went up and around above his knee, holding everything securely in place. He lifted his leg and cautiously moved his knee. He had to set it back down and make a few tiny adjustments here and there before he was finally satisfied. It felt good. It didn't wiggle or flop or twist no matter how he moved or waved his leg.

Grabbing his crutch, he lifted himself up until he was standing. Slowly, carefully, holding onto his crutch just in case, he eased his body weight onto the new prosthetic. It felt reasonably comfortable. That was a shock. It was far more comfortable than his other leg. He still didn't trust it, not yet, but as he carefully walked around the tiny room, he could find no failt in it. It was so light! It was fantastic! The camouflage, thing, though, that weirded him out. Looking down and seeing two legs was... it was wrong. He didn't like it. He hated to seem ungrateful, but he did not like the camouflage. She had said to come talk to her if he had anything he needed her to change. He needed to thank her for this, too, though he had no idea how.

He checked the time and smiled. He did not have to be in to work for a while, and no one would likely notice even if he was late. He could go see her this morning! carrying his crutch with him in case he needed it, he headed out toward the forest and Roisin's house.

Roisin had fallen asleep late and was still asleep, in what she had worn yesterday. The front of her home seemed fine except for the tree that was now decorated with hatches and a battle axe. Not only that, there was a huge unfinished carved log. It had slight blood on it. The inside of the cabin was slightly messy with tools out and the fire still burning slightly. There was also medical wrapping and a green bottle out.

Her ear twitched slightly when it picked up the sound of Jade's walking. Still, it didn't wake her up. It instead prompted her to move slightly on her opposite side, which made no sense as she was in her hammock.

Jude was already moving slow and cautiously when he was walking through the woods, but he slowed even more when he approached Roisin's house. What on earth had happened here? Had there been some sort of fight? It looked wrong for a fight, but it looked like something violent had happened. That poor, innocent tree! It was probably going to die after everything it had been put through. He walked slowly and carefully around the exterior, looking for traps, trouble, or injured people. He saw no one. He ducked inside. Roisin lay in her hammock. At least she wasn't spread out on the ground broken and bleeding.

"Roisin?" Jude called, stepping inside cautiously, keeping a safe distance in case she came up swinging. "Roisin? It's Jude."

Roisin's ears began to twitch more and more when Jude was close. Soon, she started waking up slowly as she shifted towards Jude. "Jude?" She mumbled as she tried to get out of the hammock but fell out. Roisin cursed once she hit the floor. "Ow." She groaned as she got up and dusted herself. Her hand was wrapped in medical wrapping and needed a new one as it was now stained with her blood. "What are you doing here?" Roisin asked, slowly as she was trying to wake up and ignore her hangover.

"I think the better question is, what on earth happened here?" Jude asked, walking toward her carefully. "It looks like you had an intense battle with an invisible foe. And you are - or were - bleeding. Are you alright?"

Roisin laughed bitterly before groaning again, placing her uninjured hand on her head and looking down. "That's a better way of saying I got mad and expressed it." She said, her ear twitching when he began to walk towards her. Without putting too much thought, Roisin put her hand out to show she didn't want him too close. Without realizing, her hand was touching him. Roisin noticed the prosthetic leg. "Oh, does it work well? No discomfort or unwanted movement?" She asked before looking up, but stopped when she noticed where her injured hand was and quickly withdrew her hand.

"Sorry. Uh, oh. My hand is fine, just sliced it open." Roisin answered his question about whether she was alright before looking away. Her face flushed red alongside her ears.

Jude stopped when the hand came out, though not quickly enough, and it landed on his stomach/lower chest. It quickly dropped, and it did not phase him much. He raised his brows at her. "I should hardly think 'sliced open' qualifies as being fine," he said dryly, ignoring her questions about his leg for the moment. "Have you had it properly seen to? Cleaned? Sanatized?"

Roisin looked at him, annoyed, before cracking her knuckles. It was unclear if it was to prove she was fine or get a reaction. "Yes, I was tipsy but not stupid." She said, as she walked past him and unwrapped the medical wrapping before finding a new one. Once she did, she began wrapping her hand. "I'm only going to ask again, how's the leg? Does it need a bit more tweaking?" She asked before she hissed in pain when she tied the medical wrap securely. Roisin then went outside.

Once outside, she went to the tree that held her axes. She began trying to remove them. She managed to free the battleaxe.

"Hmm," Jude said, watching her wrap her injured hand one-handed without doing anything to clean it off, apply any ointment, or any other medical attention beyond changing the bandaging, and then stomp out to go use the injured hand to yank on axes. The jury was clearly still out on her statement. He followed her and leaned on the wall to watch her.

"I would not mind a bit of tweaking, but it can wait while you finish slowly killing that poor tree. What did it do? Drop a limb on your head?" he asked, calm but prompting.

Roisin didn't say anything, but it was clear she was getting upset. She could feel her body getting hot from anger. It wasn't long before she managed remove one of the hatches. Roisin now only has one left. This one was much deeper compared to the last two. "What kind of tweaking?" She asked between grunts and huffs.

"The camouflage. It is incredibly clever, and I am grateful for the amazing work you did - truly, I have never seen its equal - but I would like to remove the camouflage? Or find a way to turn it on and off at will?" he asked. He indicated the tree and the hatches. "What did the tree do to you that you felt the need to attack it with so many blades? Or this stump?"