[1:19 PM] jddaepicboss: The morning after his arrival, a rested and revitalized Bedivere steps into what appears to be a forging area in the fort, carrying with him a somewhat blunted lance.
Jeez, this thing was expensive for the condition it's in...but, eh, it's a lance, and sharpened a little by a smithy, it'll work just fine!
A bell rings as he walks in, presumably placed to notify the blacksmith of a new customer. The cavalier walks up to the counter, giving the woman behind it with her back turned a moment to notice the chime.
[1:39 PM] ColdToiletSeat: The sandy blonde blacksmith's head perked up at the chime of the bell, interrupting her focus on the set of armor she had started fixing. Wiping her hands on the dark brown apron she had on, the woman stood up before adjusting the eyepatch that held tightly to her face.
Oh good, another customer... Maybe this time they'll do more than just dump a weapon in my hands, throw some of those worthless tokens my way and say "Make it better!" She thought, completely oblivious to the cavalier that had just stepped into the building.
"Welcome to Ikkigane's Smithy!" Natanya greeted, still facing away from the man. Starting to turn around, she elaborated on that greeting.
"How may I help-" The blacksmith spoke, seeming to pause as her eye recognized Bedivere. Her mouth hung agape and her eyebrows stood raised in surprise at the sight for a minute before reality finally kicked in and a warm smile filled her expression.
"...Well, isn't this a surprise?"(edited)
[1:58 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere pauses confusedly for but a split second, a memory dancing in the recesses of his brain, before gasping as though he had just witnessed the most exciting event in the world.
"N-Natanya?! Dear gods, what--what're you doing here?!"
He stutters for a moment, realizing potential offense to her in his statement, and quickly elaborates.
"I mean--not that I'm not happy to see you, I'm just...surprised!"
His green eyes are widened like a child's, and he gives a thorough, sincere grin.
[2:11 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "I'm uh... quite surprised to see you here as well." Natanya commented, scratching at the back of her neck as she looked off to the side. Bringing a closed fist over her mouth, she cleared her throat.
"I could ask the same thing about you, Bedivere." She responded, waggling a finger at him with a smug grin before placing her hands on her hips.
"As for me... Remember what I said about wanting to travel the world?" The blacksmith asked, tilting her head somewhat with a coy expression.(edited)
[2:35 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere looks upwards for a moment, thinking, before nodding fervently.
"Oh, course I do! So you decided to head to Amia first, hmm? I suppose that makes sense, it is relatively close to Ashelande...either here or Nolore would be the best start..."
He places an arm on the counter and leans forward somewhat, trying to look more casual and less excited, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"And as for what I'm doing here...well, I suppose it's partially for the same reason as you, though a tad more complex."
He looks around the room, looking for seats, and notices a few.
"D'you have time to sit down for a chat, Nat? Talking over a counter's a little...jarring, hah."
[2:48 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Oh, of course!" She answered, giving the young man a closed eye smile before wiping her hands off on the apron once more and untying the knot behind her. Stepping around the counter, she folded the leather twice before placing it on said counter.
Pulling up a chair for herself and her surprise guest, the woman took a seat, gesturing Bedivere to do the same.
[3:03 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere strides to his seat, lifting it out and pulling it back in while sitting in one fluid motion, before clapping his hands and folding his legs tightly together.
"So, I suppose I should explain why I'm here, then, hmm? Weeell, it's...fairly simple, really. Starting from the start, I first headed out from Ashelande about a year or so after Sean and Sapphire got married--you know, the wedding where you got a little, uh..."
He tilts his head, and smirks.
"...tipsy?"
He giggles for a few moments.
[3:08 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Eheh... yeah..." Natanya responded, her face going slightly red at the memory. She toyed with the tip of her braid, pursing her lips and looking away bashfully before gulping and clearing her throat.
"So anyways, continue." She spoke, crossing her legs and placing her hands atop her knees, hoping to move on from that topic.(edited)
[3:24 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere giggles again upon seeing her embarrassed, and leans back a little.
"So, I'd fancied a holiday, and went out to Amia. It was, uh...not the most enjoyable boat trip, as I'm sure you know, but a good few books to read kept me from dying of boredom! I landed on...I think it was the southern coast of...Gallaran, or something."
He shrugs casually, signifying his uncertainty.
"I'm fairly certain we went a wrong way at some point, considering we were meant to land in the west of Freyzenwald...but it was still only a week or so of galloping through a mountain range to get to Freyzenwald anyway, and when you've got a horse, plenty of supplies and a love of the outdoors, that's more fun than inconvenient, you know?"
...wow, when I describe it in detail...this story isn't exactly a thriller, huh.
He pauses again, both to give Natanya time to get a word in edgeways should she want to, and to gather his thoughts for describing what happened next.
[3:44 PM] ColdToiletSeat: Natanya chuckled before nodding, moving a hand to give her chin a place to rest as the small bout of laughter tapered off.
"I see, I see... Well, considering the situation Freyzenwald is in with Gallaran right now, it's good to see that you're okay." She commented, giving Bedivere a smile.
"Glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks that." The woman groaned, rolling her eye and leaning back. "That whole boat ride wasn't something I'd like to do a lot of..." She added, pursing her lips at the thought for a second before giving a shrug.
"But. If it's what'll get me around this world, it's what'll get me around, y'know?"(edited)
[3:55 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere nods in understanding.
"Yeah, I get it. Six months with nothing but blue and the occasional seagull isn't the most fun experience, but one has to accept it to travel, I suppose. Anyhoo, I got to Freyzenwald, and started heading to Amaterasu, to go visit...actually, come to think of it, did I ever tell you I was friends with Luna? I can't remember..."
He furrows his brow, trying to remember for a few more moments, before giving up and looking to Natanya, wondering if she could recall this.
[3:57 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Hmm... I don't think you have." Natanya answered, shaking her head and giving a look that said 'idunno'
[4:07 PM] jddaepicboss: "Huh. Well, you remember the festival in Riverfast, right? Well, I met her in a pub there, and then several times afterwards..."
Bedivere chuckles a little, swimming in nostalgia.
"And...well, yeah, we just kind of...became...friendly, I suppose. ...gah, I've never been good at explaining this kind of stuff, you know how friendships work."
He squirms a little at the word "friendships." Referring to her as a friend without her being present felt...odd. Like he didn't have the right to declare something so important without her express permission. He shook his head subtly, trying to shake these thoughts from his head.
[4:38 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Of course." Natanya nodded once more, shifting one leg back over the other.
Ah Riverfast, that was fun... She thought, the bittersweet memories starting to come back to her.
[4:39 PM] ColdToiletSeat: The blacksmith shook her head.
"Anyways, if you're looking for her..." She looked around, confusion starting to cross her expression. "...I haven't really seen her around anywhere"(edited)
[7:01 PM] jddaepicboss: The young man seemed fairly unaffected by her statement on Luna's whereabouts, having heard it twice before.
"Eh, there's no huge hurry for me to meet her. I'm part of this group already, I'm bound to run into her after a while, right?"
[8:03 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Heh, I suppose you're right." She agreed, letting out a bit of a laugh as she perched an elbow atop the back of the chair.
"Well, regardless of that, I'm glad to see you again." Natanya added, shooting Bedivere another smile before leaning forward and palming her forehead. "...Geez, after how long again?"
[5:36 AM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere taps his fingers against his chair, before raising them and silently counting off months.
"It'd be...approaching two years by now! Wow. That's...odd to think about, honestly, considering we used to see each other potentially every day or two, you know?"
[1:26 PM] ColdToiletSeat: Natanya lets out a breath as she leans back in her chair, placing both feet on the ground and looking up at the ceiling.
"Good Gods above... Two years?" She asked, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.
"Huh. That's really strange." The blacksmith agreed, letting out a sigh and pressing a palm against her forehead. "Sure didn't feel like two years..."
[11:09 AM] jddaepicboss: The cavalier opens his mouth to say "It did to me" before realizing that...might sound a tad creepy. Instead, he nods solemnly, and replies.
"Mm hmm, I remember it like it was yesterday most of the time..."
Becoming aware of the tone of the conversation turning a little melancholic, he sits up, and speaks with a more positive tone, trying to avoid bringing up certain memories for the woman.
"But hey, no point dwelling in the past too much! So, what have you been up to lately, Nat?"
[6:09 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Oh, what have I been up to?" Natanya repeated, suddenly sitting herself up in response to Bedivere's sudden movement and shift of topic. She gave a half-hearted smile, memories of the past still dwelling on in her mind. However at the question, she pondered for a minute, tapping an index finger against her chin as her eye drifted up and towards the right in thought.
"Weeeellll..." The blacksmith answered, dragging out the word as she rolled her eye, focusing it back on the cavalier. "I've just been caught up with that Luna chick- I mean, Queen Lunarea's group. Doing what I can, forging what I can and learning whatever I can."
"Hows about you?"
[6:55 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere smiles, eager to talk about his activities in the past couple of years.
"Weeeeelll..."
He began, mimicking her elongated syllable.
"I got a job as an actor, after we all parted ways. Played a big role in a dramatization of our adventures across Ashelande, actually! Apart from that, I've mostly just been catching up with my family. Oh, and...I've been trying to...how would I put it...refocus my magical ability. Tomes are still too...dangerous, for me to use reliably, but I found a lance infused with thunder magic, and it's very useful as a more...stable outlet."
He pauses, and looks at Natanya with a somewhat bashful expression, scratching at the nape of his neck.
"...sorry, I hope this isn't all mumbo jumbo for you, eheh."
[8:36 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Oh no, it's fine!" Natanya responded, waving off Bedivere dismissively with both hands as she rapidly shook her head. She quickly stopped that as easily as it came forth, "In fact, I find it quite interesting to know just how you've been holding up these past two years."
Family... I wonder if he's okay... She thought, her mind starting to drift as it had many times before. With a brief snap back to reality, she started scratching at the back of her neck as well. Upon meeting the young man's eyes with her own, her declining expression snapped into a smile.
"...Geez, you sound like you must've been busy eh?" Natanya asked, tilting her head again before breaking out into a bit of a lighthearted chuckle. "I must've sounded so boring by comparison, didn't I?"
[8:25 AM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere furrows his brow somewhat, shaking his head.
"Not really. Sure, it's not quite as varied a story as mine, but there's nothing wrong with normality. Some people would even prefer it."
The cavalier then smirks playfully, and gives a quick chuckle.
"But of course, you know I've never been big on normal, ahah. Why, my only jobs have been mercenary work and acting. Not your everyday employment list, is it?"
[12:57 PM] ColdToiletSeat: "Haha, yes I suppose it is far from a 'normal' employment" Natanya agreed, letting out a bit of a giggle as she took note of the cavalier's quite dynamic employment situation.
Leaning back in her chair, she couldn't help but smile as the familiar memories and namesof the ephermesis cadre started coming back to her. Nora, Mevardan, Corian, Beman... and Tarquin. Her lip quivered somewhat at the name, a lump of tears starting to get caught in her throat.
The light ringing of the bell at the door brought the blacksmith back to the present. Giving her head a light shake, the woman's eye darted over to the entrance of the building.
Oh. Just another customer... She thought, watching as they walked up to the counter and started tapping their impatient fingers against the surface. Looking back at Bedivere, smile plastered her face as she scratched the back of her neck once more.
"Well, it was certainly nice catching up with you Bedivere." The blacksmith spoke, standing herself up and pushing her chair back under a table, "But, I've got my job to do around here as well, heheh... Sorry."
[1:05 PM] jddaepicboss: Bedivere stands up quickly, looking momentarily disappointed, before smiling again, realizing how many chances he might potentially have to chat to her again. He then nods, sliding his chair under a table along the ground, causing a somewhat unpleasant scraping sound.
"Ah, of course. Well, as you say, it was lovely to catch up, Natanya. I'll see you around, then!"
He gives her a final grin, and strides past the customer on his way out, still carrying the lance he...completely forgot about intending to forge.
[1:14 PM] jddaepicboss: ==END RP==
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