Crows feathers and Carts (Tyr, Jorkahn, Open)

[Allyria Allenmorde]

It was hot. The ride back in the cart was hot. The sun had beat down on them. Allyria had pointed Jorkahn in the right directions to her house, which wasn't far from her warehouse. Once she had gathered a change of clothes and food for the afternoon she'd lead them back to the warehouse with the forge.

Tyr had things to work on, as did Allyria. Jorkahn was expected to stick around. When she arrived she found Vekkia sitting at the long table on a chair. The two children were sitting there as well. Aside from the glow of the forge and the lit braziers around the front of the warehouse the building was dark.

"We're back, Vekkia, kids. This is Duke Tyr Mardok and Jorkahn, the champion of jewels."

She had said this in Cruic for thexample men's benefits having pointed at them both for Vekkia's benefit.

"Make yourselves at home. If you'd like to sit and eat first that's fine. If you want me to look at that amulet now I can do that Jorkahn. If your wounds need checking Tyr I'd be glad to help."

She started changing out of her bloody clothes, standing behind Vekkia mostly though making no effort to hide herself. She changed into a pair of leather shorts and a tight v-cut vest dyed red.

[Jorkahn Wealddir]

Jorkahn had been rather quiet during the trip back. He had suddenly become more like himself again, recluse and fidgety, only speaking when spoken to. It was unlike his demeanor during and shortly after the fight with those crow-like creatures. He had been more confident, a bit cold even. It was a fact of his life that he never really dwelled on, treated as a matter of fact, really. Maybe it was, subconsciously, one of the reasons he enjoyed the martial arts? It gave him an excuse to fight. But that was neither here nor there.

When they arrived at their destination the boy guided the cart to the right destination and hitched the horses up in the correct areas as well. He gave each of the horses a solid pat and thanked them for their work before heading in with the other two. When the Champion was introduced he gave an awkward bow. "N-nice to meet everyone." The lad fidgeted around a bit, like he always did, and listened as Allyria spoke. He looked down at his own clothes. "I-is there a place I can change? I would l-like to clean out my wound and wash up a bit before e-eating. And y-yes. I would love it if you could look at it."

The half-breed turned away as Allyria started changing. He wasn't as embarrassed as one may think given his skittish nature. He wasn't really raised to believe that nudity was taboo or something you were supposed to get embarrassed about. He did, however, believe it polite to look away while one was changing in order to respect their privacy. When the Countess was done changing he would look back and await her answer, not before pulling out the amulet and placing it on the table, of course.

[Tyr]

Tyr strolled in with all the awkward, painful staggering of a man now fully feeling a deep injury to the nethers. He waved to those introduced as he searched for something to lean up against, hissing a little as he took weight off the injured side. Even with some significant medical attention already from his adventuring companions it was going to leave him with a bit of a limp.

”Pleased to meet you all.” He gave a half-wave, other hand firmly planted on what was he leaning against…oh a work table. That would do nicely. His attention slid away from the people around him and to taking care of himself. All of the war plate came off, as did the leathers sitting right underneath. It took a bit, having to hold himself up with one hand and strip pieces of armor off wasn’t the easiest of tasks, but got simpler once all the metal was in a heap on the table. The lack of weight eased the pain enough he could stand. With the leathers off there was only a small burning pain left unless he agitated it.

Standing in only the basic cloth garments that sat under the leather, and his Second Skin, Tyr inspected the damage to his armor and deemed it easily fixable. That could be handled with basic tools though, more important was the skin and the wound itself. Pulling the clothes off Tyr cared looked like a man covered in thin grey mud, censored perfectly by the Skin. Everywhere of course, except for the wonderful gash a crow demon had made. Facing the table though he didn’t worry too much about modesty as he inspected everything. The cordite covering offered no resistance to the blow and had shredded easily. The only good part was the fact that nothing had been lost, all the material remained even if in tatters. It would require some significant effort to mend, but could be done.

Carefully pulling the Skin away from his neck, Tyr peeled it away down to waist level and gathered it there. The Duke inclined his head over his shoulder and called out. ”A moment of medical attention would be much appreciated when someone gets the chance.” The wound still looked like hell and the bandages applied mid-fight needed to be changed if he wanted this healed any time soon. He would likely have an impressive scar for most of his life, but hopefully that limp wouldn’t be permanent.

[Allyria Allenmorde]

On her way to look at Tyr and his wounds she picked up the amulet, glanced it over, and determined it was the same as the one she had. She shrugged and put it back down on the work table. It was nothing special. Apparently they were a mass market item. She had bought one in a shop.

"I have one of these. It lets you know when enemies are near by glowing."

Allyria sat on her haunches in front of Tyr, getting a closer look at the wound. It seemed like there was some muscular damage from the cut. It didn't look like it was bleeding too badly. She started to work her magic over the wound, stitching the skin and muscles back together the way they were supposed to be with the power. It would be an uncomfortable process, she assumed. She never had to stitch anything but her skin back together.

"You should be ok. Maybe a little sore for a day or two. But I put everything back together down there."

She then strode over to Jorkahn and performed the same magic work on him. It didn't look so bad, his wound wasn't nearly as bad as Jorkahn.

"I don't think you need to clean that out, your wound wasn't all that bad. I'm going to the kitchen. I'll be back in a bit. Don't break anything. Feel free to use the forge, and workbench."

Allyria left, and as soon as she did the children's faces were beaming. Vekkia looked somber, she was getting used to visitors in the workshop and in their home. Allyria was a charitable sort of person, constantly inviting people into her home, giving out completed armor and weapons to her friends and employees for free. She felt like she should charge for use of the forge. But Vekkia wasn't in charge of that, only in making sure that Allyria's businesses and land didn't fall apart.

"So, how'd you get those wounds?" Grayson asked.

"Did you get into a fight?" Lily asked.

---

Thaumaturgy, Healing, First Aid, K: 40+20+5+5 = 70
xUB84oRl -Checking Over Tyr
-Checking Over Jor

Thaumaturgy, Artificing, K: 40+20+15 = 75
- Checking Jor's Amulet··

[Jorkahn Wealddir]

Everyone was getting naked! Well, at least his two companions had to some extent. Jorkahn was being a poor sport, however, and decided to keep his clothes where they were on his person. Allyria then began to walk all around the warehouse doing some quick work. She quickly divined the nature of his amulet, nothing more than a detection spell, and then looked over and mended both of the men's wounds. It all happened so fast the boy didn't know what to say or how to react, he just stood there watching, rather impressed. His eyes followed the woman until she disappeared from sight and only the children, the other Drokagr, and Tyr remained. The Countess was awfully hospitable, The Champion was happy he could find more people so kind.

Jorkahn was moving over towards his friend when the children began asking them both questions. He gave one last look at Tyr before smiling down at the pair. "W-why yes, we did. Some strange creatures in Skaraptica I have n-never seen before." After answering the lad looked back up at Tyr. If the man was talking he would wait until he wasn't before asking him a question. "How are you feeling? Can I do anything to help?" The look of worry on his face was genuine.

[Tyr]

Allyria's ministrations proved useful but...odd. Feeling your flesh twist back into place was strange, especially when you weren't normally consciously aware of what that position was. It wasn't at all painful, if anything it relieved some of the discomfort of having to favor that leg all the time, it just felt a little like rubbing a muscle ache from the inside of his body. When the magess was completed Tyr nodded to the advice and started peeling the rest of the Skin off. Repairs needed to be made.

Still a bit modest he did it in a hurry, replacing the skin with his small pile of clothes the moment he was able to. Able to walk with relative ease now the Duke retrieved an apron, hammer, and tongs. Jorkahn came up around then and Tyr quickly adjusted his mental plan to include help.

"Feeling much better, and yes that would be wonderful." Laying the tools down Tyr picked up the Skin by the shoulders and held it out for Jorkahn to take. "I need you to hold this up right about...there for me." He'd move Jorkahn's hands above the lad's head, lifting the Skin high enough that the waist area was barely draped over the table. Setting to work quickly there was a careful mixture of drawing the material out with tongs, rolling and molding it with his hands, then some light tapping with the hammer. It was a relatively easy repair, the mesh-like material reattached easily, remolding it was just a touch and go processes.

"Thank you Jorkahn." Tyr put the tools down and took the Skin back. Turning away from the Champion Tyr once again dropped trou in order to put the Skin back on. With his back turned the Duke made what was probably really awkward conversation with his friend. "You handled yourself well out there today. I'm glad you showed up when you did, things might have gone a lot worse otherwise."

[Allyria Allenmorde]

The children did not enjoy being given a one sentence answer and then being expected to be satisfied with it. Their curiosity was much too great for that. They followed the Duke and Jorkahn. Vekkia ignored them as they did this. The bombardment of questions began.

"So are you half-elf?"

"I think Allyria said you're a duke. So does that mean you're rich and you've got lots of land and troops and castles and stuff?"

"What's it like being an elf?"

"What's it like being a duke? Do you get to order people around?"

"Is that as tall as you're going to get?"

"Are you what's considered a good duke, or a bad duke?"

Despite the bombardment, Vekkia was not interested in disciplining them. She did not believe in stifling curiosity. Allyria would have none of that either. She would only care about it if Allyria said something to her about it. She was busy scribbling away at some piece of paper for one reason or another. Grayson was fixated on Jorkahn. Lily was developing a crush on Tyr.

Allyria had just reached her home and was putting together some food to bring over to the warehouse. She could cook it over the forge. Some baked potatoes would be good. Just as a start to lunch.

[Jorkahn Wealddir]

After offering his help to the Duke, Jorkahn was bombarded with conversation, questions, and things to do. He did as Tyr had asked and what he showed him before turning his head to look at the young boy who was flooding his ears with questions. It caused the young man to chuckle despite himself and he smiled down at the child. "Y-yes. T-though I would say less than that. I am more h-human than elkagr." It seemed Grayson's curiosity was stronger than his patience as the boy seemed to talk over a bit of what he had to say. So, instead of being interrupted Jorkahn looked back at Tyr as he worked and let the boy finish asking questions. It always amazed him how skilled the man was at what he did. He never thought he could do the same given a hundred years.

When the child had stopped talking the older boy in front of him answered his remaining questions in order. Though it was easier to talk to children, they still made him nervous like any other person would. "It is no d-different to being a human, I f-feel. It can be hard t-though. Some people do h-hate me for it." A look of sadness formed on the Champion's face as he thought about a few of the times in Viktoria and on the road he had been harassed for his ears. It was one of the reasons he always kept his face hidden. "I-I may grow just a b-b-bit..." He paused and cleared his throat in an attempt to regain control of his lips to form coherent sentences. "B-but I am still young. I may grow a few more inches. My b-brother had a growth spurt around my age, he suddenly g-grew about half a foot in one season!" The half-breed chuckled awkwardly. At one point he was taller than his older brother but no longer.

Tyr pulled the skin away then and the makeshift assistant let him. When he looked back in the man's direction he realized he was pretty much naked again. The lad turned his gaze away so as not to stare before reacting to what the Duke said. "Thank you! I wish I had gotten there sooner, maybe you would not have been h-hurt then." The boy patted his stomach where his wound used to be. "However I have much room for improvement, I feel like the creatures underestimated us. If they had not I doubt I would be standing here." He always had to find some way to put himself down, even if this particular case wasn't as bad as normal. Tyr's praise did boost his confidence, however, and put him in a rather good mood.

[Tyr]

After the skin was back in place Tyr put his clothes back on to at least try and maintain some propriety in front of children, not that it really mattered after essentially stripping in front of them twice. The rest of the armor still sat in a pile and Tyr sifted through it for the leather chaps, absentmindedly answering the girl as he went. His voice was colored by the joy an innocent child's questions could provoke.

"I am indeed a Duke. Duke Mardok, head of the great northern house. I have some money and land, but no castles. Not yet at least." There were some ideas there. Great fortifications castles, with plenty of space to build in secret passages and hidden rooms. Finding the chaps Tyr looked for a needle and thread before sitting down to sew them up.

"It's a heavy responsibility. I need to take care of all the people in my land, and that's not easy. In order to do that I can order people around if I have to," The Duke looked up at the girl and gave a wide smile, "But I find asking them is nicer." The chaps were easy to fix, quite like the skin they were just torn and no material was lost. Unlike the skin fixing the damage just involved stitching it up nice and tight.

"I don't know, what would make me good or bad?" He presented his best 'curious face', hoping to get Lily to answer a question. As far as he knew that sort of attention made children happy. It'd made him happy at least.

[Allyria Allenmorde]

"How in the screaming hells does that work?"

"Huh."

"I don't believe this, you're making that up."

"Hmmm, I'm pretty sure you're a good duke. We should get married."

Allyria walked in just as Lily was suggesting marriage to Tyr. She shook her head, and wandered past the men working at the tanner's station. The children were busy bugging them, and Vekkia was working still. That was fine, she needed to put the potatoes on a heat source for a few minutes. She grabbed a pair of tongues and shoved a few coals into a crucible, then placed a thin piece of iron over it, and punched some holes through it. The heat wafted up, but nothing as intense as the forge itself. She placed the whole contraption on the stone floor of the warehouse, and put the potatoes onto the plate.

"So, Tyr. That skin you were wearing, what was that made from?"

She was curious, it seemed to be made out of one of the cystals. Like Cordite, or Aquate. She wasn't quite sure, she had never worked with the material herself. She did know it could hold magic like almost nothing else. That's what interested her.

[Jorkahn Wealddir]

Jorkahn laughed at Grayson's reaction and smiled at him. "The rest of my family had a similar, but more positive reaction! They thought Drathir would be short his entire life, turns out I was to be the short one. W-well, the way things are going anyway. Perhaps it is the human side of my genes!" The Champion was in a much better mood than before, and he had mostly refrained from stuttering despite himself. Not that he noticed. He gave Tyr a glance when Lily asked the man to marry her before responding to Grayson's last comment.

"Believe it or not, it happens to most children from what I know! They grow slowly over time and have a few growth spurts every now and again. U-usually around relatively similar ages. At least, that's what I read in a book o-once. Also witnessed it first hand! You will grow like that, too!" Jorkahn knelt down to pat the child's head, a broad smile on his face. When the glorified babysitter was done he walked over to the Duke and gave him a playful punch on the arm before crossing his own arms and leaning against the tanner's station. The bunch was a bit awkward and uncharacteristic of the boy, but he was having too much fun to care at the moment.

Jorkahn watched Allyria as she worked. "Lady Killer over here is extremely talented. I suppose I should commission one of those skins for myself!" The Champion's eyes suddenly widened when he realized how friendly he was being. He always had a tendency to get caught up in the moment, it was quite remarkable how easy it was to talk to people when you were having fun. The lad cleared his throat and glanced back at the Duke of Mardok. "Of... Of course, if he wouldn't m-mind!" Boy was this half-breed all over the place emotionally today.

[Tyr]

It took almost everything he had in him not to break out laughing, the rest came up with a quick response as he continued the rough patch job on his leathers.

"Well I'm glad you think I'm a good duke, but you seem a bit young to marry. Don't worry, one day you'll get there. No need to rush it." The smell of something cooking caught his stomach's attention, prodding a few growls loose. Good thing the food was cooking, he could satiate that hunger soon enough.

"It's pure Cordite. Painfully tricky to make it with, and so far it doesn't seem to be very useful to me." He shrugged, to him it was nothing special except a crafting challenge. "I'm not very knowledgeable about the material though. Do you know much about it?" Working with the hydrilliums was something he needed to pick up, the regular material was stronger than anything else he'd worked with, but it was difficult to get your hands on some and he knew little about it.

Jorkahn's light punch was unexpected, Tyr played it off with a smile. In other company it might be seen as a grievous offense, here they were two people acting as friends. It was good though, the lad seemed to be opening up a lot more.

"You say that, but the process is very...'touch and go'. It needs to be matched to your body perfectly, and that means I have to know your body. Completely." Making one for himself wasn't an issue. Making one for someone else would be an intimate lesson in contours.

[Allyria Allenmorde]

"Lady killer?"

Allyria was confused by the statement. She hadn't heard the idiom before. Grayson wasn't having any more of Jorkahn's lies. He flung his arms up in the air and stormed off. He started shifting some of the materials around the warehouse. Chores that had no real point but were more or less there to keep his hands busy. Grayson didn't have a creative bone in his body.

"You're crazy!"

Lily looked considerate for a moment, thinking over what the Duke had said. She returned to the desk where Vekkia was working on something, and they started mumbling back and forth to each other in Drokagr. Allyria finally felt the dust settle over a moment that could have gone down a much weirder path. She was excited to lend her expertise to Tyr on the material and participate in a conversation of the academic sense.

"Cordite is a crystal configuration of hydrillium found around the ore deposits. Like the other hydrillium based crystals it holds magical enchantments extremely efficiently. I wouldn't mind having such a suit, it wouldn't stop a blade, but the other benefits I could impart on it would be well worth it."

She watched the potatoes carefully after saying her piece.

After a moment of silence Lily spoke up.

"Duke Mardok, I accept the terms of our engagement. We won't rush it."

Allyria rolled her eyes and focused back on what she was doing.

[Jorkahn Wealddir]

The warrior's hand shot back as Grayson's own were raised into the air. The half-breed looked a little scared then sad, a frown forming on his face. He looked to everyone else around the room. "Was it something I said?" He was confused and disheartened, it was plain to see. The boy stood up and tried not to let it get to him, instead turning to Allyria. "It m-means a man who can easily capture the hearts and admiration of women. Most often said in j-jest." He glanced back over at Grayson before frowning at Tyr.

"O-o-o-Oh!" The Champion was a bit red in the face. It was easy to see when you take his pale complexion into account. Jorkahn scratched the back of his head for a moment, lost in thought. "W-well, I suppose if it could save my life it would be w-worth it?" The emotional lad finally took the time to notice the food and how delicious it smelled. He couldn't help his stomach growling, he was hungrier than he realized.

[Tyr]

Tyr cocked an eyebrow and tugged slightly at the skin he was wearing. Good at holding magical enchantments? That explained a lot about why he'd never been taught about it, none of his masters had the ability to use magic. Why would they care about a material with what seemed like no physical benefit to it? Good thing he'd just happened to meet a sorceress who, by her own admission, could impart magic onto things. That seemed like a trade in the making. His near-response was cut off by Lily and Jorkahn though, each saying their piece. Holding such a disjointed conversation could be disorienting sometimes. He addressed the girl first with an over-acted frown.

"I'm sorry little one, I don't think I can accept the terms." He shrugged and that was that. There was no real explanation he could give, for him it wasn't entirely a serious matter and with how she'd taken his earlier statement it was likely she'd find a way to twist it again anyway. Next Jorkahn. The smile returned.

"If it ever proves live saving I'll be sure to let you know." That would be an awkward day for two reasons then. Coming close to death wasn't something Tyr wanted to actively search out. Then again he could skip the trouble and make Jorkahn an iron or steel skin, that would definitely be able to save his life. Now Allyria.

"I think, perhaps, we can work out a trade. If you can impart some magical benefit upon this skin I can craft you one as well. Or a similar one of almost any material you choose."