Beginning of the end (Doc)

[Ycharley]

Lilly had been hard at work for most of the day. Dirt smeared her face as she hammered away at the sheet of metal that would eventually become a breast plate. She could hear the comforting purr of her blood tiger Axel, which brought a smile to her face.

Her brother had been gone for most of the day, out riding his dragon and training she assumed. It was rare that he left her alone like this. He didn't like to leave her alone considering she was blind, but she disliked the way he sheltered her. She would have to experience the world, he couldn't protect her forever. He knew he couldn't protect her forever either, this fact he hated. His parents  had died he wouldn't be able to bare it if Lilly was to die as well.

Devin was flying high in the sky on the back of his large fierce dragon, its cool blue scales glimmering in the sun light. He could hear the dragons voice in his mind, they were forever connected, it was comforting. The dragon quickly pulled up, flying straight into the sun that hung above them before nose diving, its wings tucked in. Devin loved the feel of the wind through his air, the freedom, the fresh air.

The dragon let out a call, a loud, fierce cry. She was having just as much fun as him, he would tell, they could feel each other, as if they shared there heart and soul. Just before hitting the canopy she leveled out, spreading her sky blue wings.

[Doc]

Cauwyn hopped off the back of the small wagon loaded down with supplies as it rolled into the town. The wagon driver had seemed like a nice enough guy that Cauwyn had invited himself to a ride in the back. Covered in dirt and dust from the road he shifted his pack to get it settled comfortably on his back, brushed off a good cloud of the dust from his simple clothes, and started off into the town.

There was a whole list of things he needed to get done, not the least of which was find a new job, but also he needed to get the bindings on his shield repaired, a new pair of boots as his were pretty worn threw, and something to eat. What he really wanted though, was a drink, and the weight of coin in the pouch on his belt was enough that he was pretty confident he could accomplish all of his goals.

With a broad smile on his face he sauntered aimlessly down the street, taking in the sights and sounds as he searched for any of the things he might need. A vendor cart on the side of the street provided him with an apple that he took a healthy bite of. It'd been a long time since he'd had any fruit, and the sweet taste was delightful. Humming pleasantly to himself he continued his search for the local ale house when he heard the familiar clang of a blacksmiths hammer. A little disappointed he'd found the blacksmith first, Cauwyn shrugged it off and changed course.

As he approached the sound of a dragon's roar somewhere in the sky sent a cold spike of fear through him with a visible start, of which he noticed none of the other Adelans shared.

"Fuckin' dragons.." Cauwyn grumbled, shaking it off and approached the shop to a rather curious sight. A young girl pounding away on a forge. It caused him to smirk.

"Uh, 'ello.." He started in a somewhat bemused voice, obviously the blacksmiths daughter, "I'm lookin' for the blac..." Cauwyns words trailed off as he noticed the monster of a beast purring contentedly at the girls feet.

[Ycharley]

Lilly looked up and Axel stood, the large felines tail swishing back and forth. She looked in the voices general direction, she could tell that it was a mans voice. A man that she had never heard before, so she knew that he had to be new. She set the hammer down with a sigh, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm the blacksmith, what do you need done?" She said shortly. She played no games when it came down to her craft. She knew most people especially men looked at like a joke, but she had never found that could do her quality of work any faster. She heard the tone in the mans voice, she frowned slightly.

"Why do you come to Adela and curse dragons, that is the most ignorant thing I have heard in a while, this is the land of the dragon riders. That dragon you heard, that was my brothers dragon, so unless you want a hammer thrown at your head, I'd suggest you not," She warned harshly. She turned back to the breast plate, not waiting for him to answer her original question.

Now if he was going to answer he would have to answer between the beats of her hammer. The breast plate had already started to form, the quality was already clear as it was beginning to form. She didn't looked down at her work, something that for the people who did know she was blind, was very odd. 

[Doc]

The feistiness of her tone only made the amused smirk grow, though he was taken off guard by the fact that the girl was the blacksmith. He eyed her over and though she was certainly pleasant to look at, he found it hard to believe she'd been blacksmithing long. Her work, however, seemed to tell a different story.

"Ah," He made a slightly embarrassed noise and his cheeks reddened slightly when she mentioned he'd heard what he had said. The Adelan's sure did love their sky-lizards. Cauwyn cleared his throat, raising his voice slightly as she started working again, "yeah, sorry about that. I've had a few.." he paused briefly, "bad experiences with dragons.. No offense to your brother.."

She didn't seem to be stopping her work and Cauwyn gave a frustrated sigh. Not even in town a night and he'd already managed to piss someone off. And to make it worse, it was someone who's help he needed! Cauwyn unsoldered his pack, which was really just a large bundle of cloth fixed to his shield with the pommel of his sword sticking out of one end and the tip of the blade coming from the opposite.

"Uh, anyways.." He tried to sound cheerful as he spoke between the hammer falls, "I, uh.. Need... a... my, shield... repaired.." He frowned with a bit of frustration, deciding to just try yelling rather than stumbling between the loud clangs, "I need my shield repaired!"

It was just after he yelled that he noticed the girl wasn't watching what she was doing. Cauwyn's brows furrowed with confusion and he looked around quickly to see if anyone else near by noticed the fact as well.

[Ycharley]

Lilly, laid the hammer down quickly turned, holding her hand out. "Give me your shield," She said sharply, her bright blue eyes looking in his general direction but not directly at his face. No one around even seemed to notice or care about anything she was doing.

With a rush of wind behind them Devin and his dragon landed behind her small blacksmith shop. Axel walked outside to rub against and play with Devin's dragon as Devin walked into the shop. He flashed the customer a bright smile, running a hand through his hair. He then turned and walked through a door that led into the house that was connected to the shop.

She used her sleeve to wipe her face slightly, knowing her brother would tell her to do so. Devin walked into the house and pulled off his gloves. He smiled with a sigh of contentment. This day was going well. He had been out doing a little training with his dragon and his sister was getting some business.

[Doc]

Something was off about the way the girl looked at him. His face twisted slightly in confusion, his eyes never leaving hers as he bent to unstrap his equipment from his shield. The large bundle, consisting of little more than his sword and sheath, baldric, leather armor, and a bearded axe all wrapped in his bedroll were pulled free and then slung back over his shoulder by a wide leather band made by his baldric.

He had heard the dragon land and straitened in time to see another kid walk by. He returned the smile with a broad and genuine one, watching the new man as he moved through the building with familiarity before disappearing into the house connected. A suitor or sibling? Cauwyn blinked and then returned his attention to the girl, still smiling. Something was off about her, or more precisely the way she stared near him but not at him.

"Not a problem.." Cauwyn said slowly as he started to look back over his shoulder, but stopped. A sudden idea hit him and he lifted his simple iron shield in both hands and held it out with the strike face facing her instead of an edge or even the torn bindings inside, "here you go.."

[Ycharley]

Lillyed reached out, she instantly recognized that it was the striking surface of the shield. She let her hand follow the round surface up to the edge where she grabbed it with an iron grip. She took the should from his grip, rubbing her hands over it, findings its faults. Over all it was a decent quality shield.

"So you need the bindings fixed?" She asked as she ran her hands over the slowly, feeling every rip  in the binding. "It will be five bronze," She stated simply, setting the shield on a table. She could hear the purr of Axel returning to inspect the new customer.

Devin walked back out, petting Axel as he passed by. He looked at the shield. He didn't know how Lilly did it. Even with his sight he doubted that he would be a even half decent blacksmith, and there she was, doing incredible work with out sight.

Devin patted Lilly on her back, his show of affection. "Brother go away, I have work to do," She said, her voice harsh yet holding a playful tone to it. It was clear she wasn't being hateful to him, and it was clear he knew this too. Devin laughed and walked to her forge, throwing in some dragon coal to keep it hot.

[Doc]

Cauwyn studied the girl as she studied the shield. It took a few moments before he realized what he was beginning to suspect. Her hands were out of sink with her eyes, as though she was feeling more than looking at the shield. The shield its self held quite a few dings, dents and cracks a long with a few puckmarks from burns, though her hand glided over all of it without a care. Really he wanted to be done with the thing, as sturdy as it was, but much like his sword and armor Cauwyn just wasn't ready to part with it yet.

"Yeah.." He agreed with a still slightly confused tone. When the other man came out, her brother it seemed, Cauwyns eyes instantly snapped to the man. He glanced between the two with a curious look even as he dug in the pouch that hung from the simple belt at his waist.

Pulling out a few coins he shifted throug them with his finger, picking out five bronze, and then returned the rest back. When he placed coins on the counter, his attention still drawn to the two siblings, he couldn't hold his tongue anymore.

"So... what's with your eyes?" He asked the girl directly. Some might consider it a rude question, but Cauwyn was a straightforward kind of guy and didn't consider it rude in the least, at least not since he was asking her, "Are they messed up or something?"

[Ycharley]

Devin was the only one that even remotely appeared offended by that abrupt question. He turned to Lilly, once he realized she wasn't offended his face softened slightly. If she had appeared offended there was no doubt that he would have challenged the man with out a second thought or hesitation.

A small smile spread across her face, "Took you long enough to ask, and yes they are, as you put it, messed up or something, I'm blind," she spoke with a smirk. She liked to brag. Once someone had seen her work most couldn't believe that she was blind, thinking that someone who was such a good blacksmith couldn't be able to work with it if they didn't have the ability to see.

She turned to her brother, she could just sense he didn't know how to react in the situation. This was in the awkward zone for him, the place between completely serious and completely care free.

"Brother go fetch me some ale," She spoke softly, giving him the okay to leave for a moment. Devin noted to thank her for that too. He quickly walked into the kitchen but took his time in getting the ale and returning outside.

[Doc]

"What?"  Cauwyn exclaimed rather incredulously at the statement. Her brothers awkwardness and obvious discomfort at his question was a rather moot point, by his standards. He hadn't just laid down five bronze for a service provided by a blind girl.

He forced himself then to remember the work she had been doing with the breast plate. It wasn't the worst he'd seen, in fact she had quite a talent. Though after a moment of thought he considered it and rearranged it as quite a whole lot of talent, considering she couldn't see what she was doing. He swallowed back some of his confused anger.

"So wait," He cleared his throat again, though this time it was less out of a need to break silence in an awkward situation and more along the lines he had just sacrificed his prized battle scared shield to a blind girl, before continuing, "you're blind? Like you can't see nothin'? How do I know you're not going to mess this up?"

He was glad her brother had disappeared inside to get the girl some ale. The boy had seemed offended, and rightly so had he considered to think about it which he didn't, and he would have hated to have to fight him. Cauwyn was through with fighting. He wanted a new life, one that didn't revolve around death. Still, he loved his shield. The blood red wolfs paw had all but been scoured away beneath he blows of axes and swords, but the sentimental value was still there.

[Ycharley]

"Trust my friend, just like you have to give every other blacksmith you allow to fix your equipment," She spoke looking back down. She ran her hand over the curved surfaces, letting her fingers fall over every dent and scratch.

"For a silver coin I'll restore what I can on this side, it will take a lot more work then just a simple binding," she said, running her hand over the surface once again, letting the feeling on it to set in. Memorizing the surface of the shield. She could tell that the shield meant a lot to him, she could just sense it.

Finally she looked up, answering the question about the level of vision she had. "Yes, like I can't see anything, nothing at all. I use sound in a way that give me information. Like from the direction of your voice I can tell your around six feet tall. Your accent sounds Connloathian... Well maybe not, no, no, you do sound connloathian, its the way you say your ohs," She said with a hand on her hip.

[Doc]

"Another silver?" He asked, though this time Cauwyn's voice was less incredulous and more... amused. Could this girl do it? Her work before was wonderful for someone so young, and to be blind? Who knew what sort of gifts the gods had bestowed upon this one, not that Cauwyn was a believer or anything. Still, she had done a pretty good job...

"Deal struck," He said with a hint of finality and a warm grin that, he realized, was lost on the girl, "I'll pay another silver if you can mend some of that damage... without ruinin' my shield."

He'd lost more money on worse bets than a blind girl blacksmith fixing his shield, which as he considered it didn't say much for him or his betting practices. Cauwyn frowned at the though, but forced a smile to return when the girl put her hand on her hip. It was a reflex..

"Really?" He said with slight exageration, adjusting his tone in what he though a Adelan sounded like. It was really more stereotypical than authentic and his tone adjusted back to normal, "Well, to be honest, I ain't so sure. Never knew my parents, born in the tundra.." He mentioned it casually, though he really had no idea. He didn't remember any of that whole experience afterall, "or so I was told.. Though, been told by plenty of people that I look pretty Connlothian.. Well, more handsome obviously," His grin spread wider, "but Connlothian the same.."

[Ycharley]

A small smile flashed across her face but quickly disappeared. "Well, as you have discovered, I can't tell if you are attractive or not. For all I know, you are some old wrinkly forty year old with liver spots and missing and arm, half a foot and your nose," She replied, a joking tone hinting its way into her tone.

"You must have been one heck of a fighter," She spoke as her fingers brushed over a deep scratch.

"You and my brother would probably get along as long as I wasn't the subject, as you could probably tell he's a bit protective," She said simply, trying to plan on how she was going to start to mend the shield.

"Is there any color on here that I should know about?" She asked looking up at him. It had been a long time since she had had a good conversation with someone, and she was finding that she liked it. Most of the locals just dropped off there stuff, they rarely stayed to talk.

Soon Devin walked back out, grabbing Lilly's wrist gently and guiding her hand to the cup he held in his. Once her fingers wrapped around the cup she took it from him, drinking slowly. She just hoped that her brother wouldn't run off the customer too soon. She was enjoying there conversation.

[Doc]

Cauwyn grinned at her good natured description of him. He was more than prepared to belt out a retort when her question changed to fighting. The smile faltered briefly, though he couldn't say why, before it was replaced with a broad grin as he leaned forward on the counter. He shrugged casually, his answer starting out nonchalant, "Guess I was good 'nough, still alive right?" It then turned to mimic her jesting earlier, "Not to mention I still got both feet an arms, plus my nose.. And not a liver spot on me.."

He had started to hold up his hands for her to see, but suddenly stopped as though it would be rude. For a brief moment he considered whether or not it would be, considering her condition, but in the end decided to keep his hands folded on the counter.

"Protective, eh?" He shrugged slightly, though maybe he didn't fully understand the bond between siblings, "I guess I could see that. Most brothers are pretty protective of their li'l sisters, ain't they? 'sides, for a girl like you? All blind and shit? Be a rough place without someone lookin' out for ya.." Cauwyn of course meant that as a compliment, though it wasn't until after he'd said it that it started to sink in how it sounded..

He cleared his throat, a noise heavy with embarrassment, and then shrugged, "Color?" He considered it, considered the option of having the paw removed. It wasn't like he was still the Wolf anymore, he'd given it up. And he certainly didn't want anyone to know that's who he was, maybe it was best he let it fade away. Still though, Aldarius had liked it enough to have it commissioned...

"Nah," He said with some finality, "nah there ain't no color on it.... Just an' old shield, nothin' more.."

[Ycharley]

Devin looked between the two, he started to stay but figured that Lilly could take care of her own, plus, if anything did happen there was always Axel. Most people wouldn't even think about attacking simply because of Axel's presences. So he turned and walked to his dragon.

Axel purred deeply and walked around the counter between Lilly and Cauwyn. He started to rub against Cauwyn like you would expect a small house cat to do.

"He's not bad looking, and he's lying there is a insignia on the shield," The large cat informed Lilly. She heard him in her head, he had a rather deep voice, rough voice. His voice almost sounded like a purr.

Axel's comment made Lilly blush slightly, but it quickly faded. She ran her hand over the shield once again, she felt it, she ran both hands over the shield, to give her an idea of what was there. "Are you sure there isn't like a... dog paw or something?" She asked, feeling something there.

"There is more to him being protective then just me being female or blind," She stated simply, not wanting to go in the full detail of why he was so protective. She sighed sharply, her mind returning to the job ahead.

"Hold out your shield are, I have to know how big your arm and hand is so I know how tight to make the binding."

[Doc]

"Aah!" Cauwyn exclaimed the most masculine way a man can exclaim anything when nearly knocked over by a large red purring cat that juts its self unexpectedly into his legs. For his part, he recently recovered quickly enough with a quick if not nervous smile, reaching down to gently scratch the large cat behind the ears.

Scratching the cat distracted him enough that, when she asked, he answered without thinking, "Wolf paw actua..." Cauwyn caught himself, shaking it off, "It, uh, doesn't matter... really. And wait, how the hell did you even know?"

Cauwyn held out his left arm just as he was asked, still trying to figure out how she saw the wolf paw without eyes, "Course there's more too it.. Your 'is sister right? That's what brothers do, or so I'm told 'least.."

[Ycharley]

Lilly started her hands at his elbow. Her hands were surprisingly softly for being a blacksmith. She slowly pulled her hands over his arm towards his wrist, her fingers taking in every dip and curve of his muscled arm. "If it isn't important to you," She stated simply, chuckling slightly to herself.

"My secrets are for me to know and for you to never find out," She spoke, finally pulling her gentle hands away from his scared muscled arm.

"I am his sister, but there is more to it, but lets get off me and my brother's relationship, lets get back on the job at hand though," She said taking another big sip of ale.

[Doc]

"It's, uh.." Cauwyn watched curiously as she ran her hands over his arm. He wondered briefly if she was using magic, but then figured that it was impossible. Could she really be seeing with touch? He was mesmerized for a second, and it sounded in the distracted nature of his voice, "it is important. I just... it's, uh... complicated. I guess if you can fix it...then why not?"

When she quipped about her secrets Cauwyn blurted out with a quick strong chuckle, "Oh really? Well, guess I can't blame a a girl for keepin' her secrets..."

"Uh, yeah..." Cauwyn said with a bit of hesitation and confusion at her statement about the relationship between the siblings. It wasn't unheard of or anything, royalty did it didn't they? So why shouldn't some commoners? Not his business really, "lets..." Then he spied the girls ale and his tongue instantly darted out to moisten dry, weather cracked lips, "Say, there a good ale house around 'ere?"

[Ycharley]

Lilly chuckled, sounded like a soldier to her, her brother was the same way though he knew better to come home drunk, she would beat him with the first thing she got her hands on, which was usually something that was a blacksmith tool.

"Yeah there is a tavern just down the way," She said with a chuckle carrying the shield closer to her forge. She figured he would be off to the tavern. Devin hearing the word tavern came coming around the corner, a bright smile on his face. He slapped his sister on the back slightly, "See ya," She said before jogging around the corner.

Devin decided that he was going to have himself something a little stronger then his sisters ale. He always enjoyed having a nice drink and taking the edge off of things. Axel walked back to Lilly, starting to rub up against her. Lilly use to it, didn't seem fazed at all. She started to heat the metal, starting to fix scratches and dents first.

[Doc]

"Ah, sounds good. Maybe I'll wander on over n'see what they got.." Cauwyn watched the girls brother dart off at the mention of the tavern. It made him grin slightly. He was ready to head out and in mid turn when something popped into his mind.

"Huh," He frowned, contemplating it over for a moment to see if there was a way he could figure it out without asking. He wasn't exactly afraid to ask a dumb question, but it was usually better to keep your mouth shut and figure it out on your own. When you couldn't, well, then you just had to ask, "Hey, uh, girl.. How do you dress yourself in the mornin's?"