[Closed] Let's Make a Deal

[Talon]

2nd Day of Frost, 119th Year of the Age of Steel

Talon adjusted the pack over his shoulder. It contained a multitude of small items that he’d picked up during one of his latest excursions into the wilds. Standing atop one of the rooftops in the Plaza of Jeweled Arches, he looked over the market and couldn’t help but smile. He drew in the deep scents of the bustling area. It was filled with the smell of baking, cooking mixed with the sulfurous scent of a forge at work, combined with the smattering of exotic perfumes and spices that drifted on the winds, it was the smell of life. The smell of people and civilization. It was easy to forget that Kalzasi was such a vast place when one was confined to the upper reaches of the Cloudhaven District. To Talon, it felt as though he’d not truly been living but his father had insisted he remain by his side as trade deliberations were being debated.

Stepping off the rooftop, Talon extended his wings and lightly allowed himself to glide down to the ground. The feel of the winds rustling through the feathers made him smile. He caught a few people staring at him, mouths agape. By the way they reacted, he was almost certain that they were foreigners. Few residents of Kalzasi got particularly worked up over the sight of an Avialae in flight. With the practiced ease of a man who had been flying since he was a boy, Talon landed without difficulty not far from his shop. He was already running through the plethora of projects that he wanted to get underway before the day was out. He was certain that if he worked diligently enough he would be able to finish at least one of them.

Talon tucked his wings in close to his body so as not to bump into anyone unceremoniously. He gave a nod to some of the other merchants outside their shops. Some of the Sky Guards who recognized him bowed to which he returned with a nod of acknowledgement. It was as he was digging out the keys to his shop that he saw a rather distressed looking individual standing outside the door. This brought a frown to Talon’s face. Reaching into himself, Talon took hold of his own aether. He let it flow through the door of his Rune of Semblance allowing it to gather at his eyes. He blinked as his second sight took shape. He focused until the figure’s aura came into view. A sheet of cascading light that extended outward from the body, Talon could only quirk a brow, noting that it was uncommonly large. Pocketing that tidbit of information, the first thing that fluttered into view within the aura was a sense of weariness.

Talon could see the dull grey of tiredness plucking at the corners of the aura. This was joined by the bitter putrescent orange-yellow of annoyance. Talon let his aether enhanced vision flow back to normal as he walked up to the door of his shop.

“Can I help you?” His voice was on the deeper end of the spectrum, smooth and distinct carrying with it an air of command. He came to stand just a foot or so away from the much smaller form of the individual before him. With nearly two feet separating the both of them in height, Talon had to look down at the individual. He did his best not to look menacing so much as concerned.

[Alyssum Crow]

Frost 2nd, Year 119, Age of Steel

Alyssum didn't yelp. Mostly because her body didn't allow for that kind of vocalization. She did, however, squeak the moment the very large towering man appeared in her field of view. Her first instinct was that she was in trouble. That was usually what it meant when people approached her. More often than not, she played the role of a wanderer in a shadow. Rarely or at least barely known outside of Atinaw, those who knew her kinship when it was still strong. The people of Kalzasi didn't know her kinship, and they certainly didn't know her. Which meant if someone wanted anything to do with her, it was probably because she was in trouble. For a hot moment she couldn't help but think the one man for the last blacksmith she'd tried to get a job at had put a hit out on her! That would be ridiculous though. Right? Right???

After the initial panic find subsided slightly, she realized what the man speaking to her looked like. She didn't gawk at him because he was an Avialae since in her mind she couldn't see a difference between him and a winged Rathari like herself. At least, not on a surface level anyhow. She knew there were some substantial differences, but that didn't warrant gawking. What did was the fact she had to crane her neck all the way back to get a look at his face. This was something she had to do with quite a few people given her size, but it was still rather upsetting.

The number of squeaks she gave were barely audible. Her wings and tail noticeably fluffed up in a manner that was similar to a startled cat. No matter Talon's intentions of making himself seem friendly, it was obvious by her reaction the only thing he'd accomplished was startling the poor creature.

"Ah, uh, I um," she floundered over her words for a moment, the noises likely being quiet for him in the crowded Plaza but she was trying her best to yell and be audible. Stupid Sharvalain vocal cords. She gave another squeaky whimper, hanging her head slightly as though she'd just lost a struggle of some sort and wanted to throw in the towel. Her ears flattened against her head and she sighed. That was going well, terribly even. Was this the shopkeeper? Oh Gods, she was mortified now.

She tried to clear her throat and actually speak, but it was hard to raise her voice above the general bustle of what was going on in the plaza. "Hello," she said, only barely making herself audible enough. She did, however, immediately wince and put her hands to her throat right afterwards. She tail went from fluffed up in fear to practically lashing in frustration as she struggled to not only get her words right back make them loud enough. Maybe it would have been wise to come in her humanoid form instead of her true form, but then she'd probably just be chaotically shrieking since she didn't know the definition of volume control.

It was getting to be fairly late. She was cold, tired, and she was going to have to sleep in a tent tonight somewhere. If she couldn't get away with sleeping in what this city called its slums then she was going to have to find a place somewhere outside the city walls, and frankly, she wasn't sure which would be more dangerous for someone like herself! She could always transform into a Sharvalain, the benefit of being a Neoalt, but she wasn't sure if that would really help. The wilds around Kalzasi were probably the perfect habitat for her more beastly kin. It wouldn't be too outlandish for her to even stumble across one, or perhaps a roaming group. They might help her out like they did when she was a pup if she rolled around and looked pathetic enough... but money. She still needed more money.

Even with thoughts of money dancing in her head, she was certainly starting to contemplate giving up.

[Talon]

Talon didn’t need to have the aid of Semblance to see that his woman, for up close he could indeed tell it was a female he was speaking with, was distressed.

“Hey, why don’t we go inside?” He kept his voice gentle adding a kind smile to help set the Rathari woman at ease. Talon retrieved his key and inserted it into the lock. He opened the door gesturing for the woman to step inside. Once she was through the door he closed it. With a sigh, Talon removed his cloak and stretched his wings a little. The interior of the Skyforge was spacious enough to accomodate people both his size and slightly larger if need be. He had more than one Jastai customer walk through the door from time to time.

The first thing that Talon did as he deposited his satchel of materials onto the shop counter was go to a small cabinet that contained some dry goods. They weren’t much more than travel rations that he kept on hand for when he got particularly consumed with a project and didn’t want to leave the shop. He unfurled a loaf of bread and some dried meat. Turning around he walked up to the Rathari woman and extended it to her.

“I’m Talon. This is my shop. You look like you could use a bit of kindness.” He offered her a gentle smile.

“Now then, what can I do for you? It’s a bit late, I wasn’t expecting any customers at this hour. So you must be here for a specific reason.” Talon’s was the only magical item shop that sold to the public. Aside from Jacun’s alchemy shop that was. His services were usually in demand throughout most hours of the day and it rarely had to do with his skills as an enchanter specifically. It was merely the fact that he was a blacksmith who was capable of reinforcing the tools or items brought to him that made his work particularly valuable. On the off chance he got approached to actually make something magical it was either a personal project or a direct commission from a customer.

[Alyssum Crow]

It was nothing short of a relief when he offered the idea that they go inside. That also meant there was no going back and returning when she was a bit more put together, so if she wanted a chance at a job it was either now or never! While she hadn't gotten the chance to check the Alchemy shop, this was her last shot at getting a job which required the capabilities of a smith. She could practice alchemy on her own, if need be there was even a Tower in the area she could flee to and hopefully find some labs to practice in till her stay in Kalzasi ended. But smithing? That required specific tools and she by no means wanted her skills getting rusty just because she didn't have the time or place to practice. She needed to get a job working under a smith. She was a Crow, after all, smithing was what her kinship did!

The door very easily came open with a click as the stranger retrieved the key and inserted it. The build they walked into was large, a blessing as far as Alyssum was concerned. As a winged creature herself, she didn't much enjoy tight or crowded places. While she didn't stretch her wings, she did seem noticeably more at ease once the door was closed. The pulled two little balls of cotton from her ears and stuck them back into her satchel, her ears perking up slightly. It was still noisy, the sounds of the plaza hammering at the door, but at least it was a little quieter and this man had a better chance of hearing her actually speak.

While she was still trying to get her bearing, he disappeared and quickly reappeared, carrying what seemed to be food! Her eyes lit up for a moment while it was offered to her. In particular, her gaze rested on the dried meat and she visibly swallowed. She'd forgotten just how hungry she was. Living mostly on the road as she did, it was often she went a couple days without eating. It was simply the way of things considering the majority of her meals came from hunting. The bread worried her slightly. Bread was made from wheat, and wheat was a plant product. Sharvalain were mostly carnivorous, they could eat plant products but only in small amounts. She wasn't going to kill herself in her true form trying to eat a piece of bread, and she'd done what other Sharvalain might considering overindulging when she was hungry on the side of the road and couldn't kill enough to feed herself.

Maybe if she finished this up quickly and ate the bread slowly, she'd be able to leave before her body started trying to digest the bread and she could take her humanoid form for a couple hours while she waited. It'd been a while since she'd had bread of any kind to be honest. And she was so very, very hungry... In the end she took both, scarfing down the dried meat a lot faster and slowly nibbling on the bread afterwards.

Talon's gentle smile and the offer of food did a lot to visibly calm down the Rathari. Just out of curiosity, just to double check she was actually safe in here and not getting conned (she probably should have checked before she ate the food if she was being honest), she used her own access to Semblance to check his aura. Much as she'd been expecting, it was large. It was also noticeably gentle, tinged with kindness and warmth. She felt herself fully relax, the muscles in her back going slack slightly and her wings slowly untensing to curl around her in a more gentle fashion.

"Hello, I apologize for the fact I can't talk very loudly. As you can tell I'm a Rathari, a Sharvalain specifically. We can't vocalize very loudly, so if it sounds like I'm whispering, I'm not trying to. I'm actually yelling right now just to keep this volume," she said, flinching slightly as her throat started to stress over the effort of talking at such a volume. She eventually gave up and hoped he would just be okay trying to listen to her talking at her normal volume. "I'm actually not here as a customer, instead, I was wondering if you were looking for another set of hands. I'm a traveler by trade and I wander between cities, when I stop in one I look for local smiths and alchemist who might need my specific skill set. You can't really tell because my hood mostly covers me, but the robe I'm wearing is actually a Scholia Arcana robe. I'm initiated and semblance and exceptionally familiar with Alchemy and Scrivening, though I know a couple other magics as well. If you're willing to let me work here until I leave come next season, then I'd even be willing to teach you some of what I know if you so desire. I'm also a smith by trade, even if I don't look it, trained by one of the finest smiths in all of Atinaw."

She hoped beyond hope he'd take her offer.

[Talon]

Talon watched as the Rathari woman visibly relaxed. He flexed his wings and got more comfortable within the warmth of the shop as he leaned against one of the workbenches. When she began speaking however, Talon opened himself up to the power of the aether once more. He affixed his own aether to his aura and focused on her for a moment using the proxy provided by this extension to hone in on her words. As the information passed from her lips and into the residual aether in the air around her, his aura received it and delivered the words more clearly to his mind to be processed.

He was quiet as she spoke but his face noticeably reflected his inner thoughts. A member of the Scholia Arcana on the doorstep of his place of business asking for a job? It took a moment for him to process the request that was being made of him. From what little he’d seen of the woman’s aura given his prior perusal, he’d seen the tinge of magic present in it. The faint smell of ozone and the twinge of exotic spices that always flitted across Talon’s senses had definitely been present. He zeroed in on her aura and sifted through the surface layers as best he could to search for any indication that she was being dishonest. Mostly he found only a weariness. Anxiety and the ever present note of curiosity. Talon released his hold on his own aether allowing his Semblance enhanced perception to return to normal.

“I would be lying if I said that the chance to learn alchemy or scrivening didn’t interest me. Both of those things could be put to good use around here.” Talon inclined his head in a vague gesture toward his shop. He’d been searching for a method of expanding what he was capable of doing. Runeforging opening many doors for him but it was limited by the resources one had to put into it. He’d heard of alchemy due to working in close proximity to the alchemist Jacun who, while competent, was not particularly well known for sharing his secrets. Scrivening was something he was only familiar with due to his study of pictography in practicing Runeforging. To say he knew anything about the details of it was more than a stretch.

“But, I don’t expect you to share such things with me as strangers. You say you’re familiar with the forge? Can you tell me a little about your experiences?” Talon was more than welcoming of another pair of hands. There were days when his duties at Court required him to close his shop for a short period of time and then his work seemed to pile up. A second set of hands would enable him to get ahead on some of the orders that were sitting on his desk that he’d have to spend extra long hours catching up on.

Fortunately, his customers were well acquainted with the fact that an order placed with him was one worth waiting for. Due to the fact that Talon reinforced everything brought to him it meant the quality of the tools he produced was far above what one could get at the average blacksmith shop.

“I didn’t catch your name, ma’am.” He extended a hand with a smile.

[Alyssum Crow]

She shook her head at the implication of not sharing such things, nose wrinkling up slightly. "I'm a red robe, sir, I don't believe in hiding knowledge. Least of all magic. While I do occasionally pedal my skills as a teacher, usually I don't charge for knowledge regarding magic. I can't necessarily provide you resources for alchemy, not some of the greater specifics of family recipes, but I wouldn't actually mind helping you get acquainted with the basics." She paused, ears twitching slightly. She tilted her head to the side, humming. "Regarding my experience smithing, I'm decent. In fact, I'd say I'm fairly good even. My adopted uncle was a smith over in Raellon territory. Raellon because our kinship also focused on mixing magic and smithing. On great occasion, we'd take trips to Hopsfel and he'd teach me everything he knew. For weapons, to armor, to the creation process for Atvalthal Steel. If there's one thing I'm not willing to share, it's probably the recipe for that. Not like it would matter since I don't think Kalzasi has the proper components. That aside, my uncle wasn't well acquainted with Runeforging because he favored alchemy, but he had the forge in his house from when his own father used to use it. I was able to find some of the old books and while I'm probably not as skilled as you are I know enough of the basics that I can reinforce anything I forge."

She paused for another moment, ears twitching again. She twisted her head towards the door, neck-craning slightly, before shaking her head and turning back towards Talon. While she didn't turn away from Talon, her ears did continue to twist this way and that, her head occasionally tilting. She began to play with a ring on her left forefinger, a ring that probably would have gone unnoticed before due to the fact she'd mostly had her hands woven behind her back and intermittently tucked into her cloak. Now that she was actually playing with it, the sparkling ring caught in the light and sharply contrasted her skin, the insignia on it being very clearly that of the Scholia Arcana. Even if she was good at controlling her emotions enough to the point of tricking Talon (which someone like Alyssum very much wasn't) it would be near impossible to fake the ring.

"I won't stay more than a season unless I managed to get citizenship. Even then I'll probably leave when the weather gets warm, but I really, really need a job. I have things I need to do, and I'm willing to break my back to help you around here. I don't have much, not even an inn room if I'm being honest. It's miserable, especially during Frost, but I don't mind that. I just... need to save up a lot of money. Badly. If you say no then I can probably still go ask the alchemist shop if they're willing to take me, but I'd prefer to be somewhere I'm comfortable with. I- please, I won't even ask for much in terms of pay," she said, flattening her ears against her head. She was just so tired and worn. She wanted a bed and somewhere warm to sleep, but at this point, her tent would even be preferable. As long as it was still there. No telling what kind of people lived in this city.

Was anyone desperate enough to steal a tent? She hoped not. She still didn't have the money to spend on an inn room so she'd either be sleeping on the street or trying to find herself a suitable cave to live in.

"Alyssum, my name's Alyssum," she took the offered hand, giving him a tired but friendly smile.

[Talon]

Talon listened to what Alyssum had to say regarding her skills. If she was willing to teach him things regarding alchemy then he would most definitely take her up on the offer. It was a craft that he could see endless benefits to, especially when woven with his runeforging techniques. He blinked at her admission of knowing how to make the fabled steel of Atinaw. If there were any techniques coveted by smiths the world over, it was the secrets to making the incredible metal. While it was not eberrite, it was the best there was out there after it. He could understand her hesitation in wanting to share such knowledge. More than that, he could respect her refusal to share it with someone she didn’t know on a personal level.

The more Alyssum spoke, the more Talon’s concern sky rocketed. Did not the Scholia Arcana have a chapterhouse somewhere in the city? Were there no rooms they could offer her? Talon wasn’t sure. He was not overly familiar with the intricacies of the order of wizards other than he’d seen some from time to time working alongside mages of the Circle of Spells.

“You are in luck, Alyssum, I happen to need an extra pair of hands around the shop.” Talon gestured to the shop. “Some of my other duties take me away from the Skyforge from time to time. It makes the workload pile up, especially when those duties can take a day or two to finish.”

“Do you have a visa?” Talon went behind his shop counter retrieving one of the books he kept on hand to account for some of the administrative tasks that went into running the shop. As soon as Alyssum presented her visa he looked over it, familiar enough with state papers to at least recognize an official looking one.

“I can send a missive to the office of registry and notify them of your employment here.” He took up a piece of paper and an inkwell with pen before smiling at her.

“As for accommodations, well…” He thought for a moment. He didn’t want this woman to be out on the streets. It baffled him that one of her caliber would be forced to such lengths at all. He supposed everyone had their ups and downs though.

“I have an office here. It’s not exactly spacious but you’re welcome to use it if you need a place to sleep. The forge is usually pretty warm. You can stay here until you are able to get on your feet.” He supposed he should not be so generous but nothing that he’d been able to read from the Rathari woman told him she was lying. There were those who could certainly fool his sight, especially given he wasn’t particularly powerful in the use of Semblance but he would go out on a limb. Besides, with an extra pair of hands around the shop he would certainly be able to get ahead on many of the things that had been occupying his time. It might even afford him the opportunity to get ahead on some of his more personal projects.

“What do you say? Are those agreeable terms?”

[Alyssum Crow]

Alyssum had had a rough couple of days if she was being honest. To hear Talon's words was a massive relief and her shoulders very visibly sagged. She'd traveled nonstop for the last couple days because she couldn't find an airship that would actually allow her horse. She would sell the thing, but she needed it if she was being honest. As for the chapterhouse, that was mostly just a stroke of bad luck. It was currently under renovations to account for the larger amount of mages who'd been there the last season, even though that, in turn, had only been a fluke. She wasn't made aware of this fact prior to coming to Kalzasi. So she'd been struggling while she waited for that to be over.

She positively lit up listening to him. A job, he could offer her a job! "I do," she said, searching through her belt satchels for the paperwork. She'd been careful about putting in one of the pockets that faced inwards so it couldn't be snagged off of her even if someone managed to get through the heavy layer of cloak with concealed this particular satchel. In her fumbling a couple of dried plants, rocks, and what looked to be teeth ended up tumbling out of it, to which she quickly quicked up the fallen regents. She managed to hand it over to Talon, the papers absolutely reeking fo the scent of herbs, as was the life of Alyssum. The only reason she didn't today was because she'd been careful to wash the scent out in her preparation to beg for a job. By the same time tomorrow, the entire Skyforging would probably have the lingering scents of mint and lavender thanks to Alyssum, twinged with hot steel.

She turned a certain shade of crimson when he offered her the place to sleep in his office. "Oh, no, that'll be fine. The chapterhouse for the Arcana should be finished with its renovations soon. They told me it would just be a couple more days the last time I checked in," she said with a nervous laugh. She really must have been coming off as pathetic. "Though..." her ears flattened to her head as she glanced outside. "Depending on how the weather turns, I might have to take the offer for a night or two until they're done..." Even though it was only early Frost there was already snow starting to fall. What had been a sunny morning had quickly turned into a blustery evening. "I still need to find a safe place for my stuff and my horse," she muttered mostly to herself, the sounds completely unintelligible without the specific use of something to hear her, like Talon's Semblance.

It wasn't like she'd take up much room, she reasoned with herself. If she was going to sleep in the office it would probably be in faunis form. That was how she'd slept ever since she'd had to start traveling without an actual companion.

"Yes! That sounds like a perfectly agreeable deal," she said, her face alight with joy. A job, a job! She'd finally managed to snag one!

[Talon]

“Then congratulations and welcome to the Skyforge.” Talon smiled as he finished penning the missive he would be sending to the Office of Registry. He folded up the letter sealing it in an envelope setting it aside to be delivered with the morning courier.

“Right then.” Talon stepped from behind the counter so that he could more easily show Alyssum around the shop. He flexed his wings a little, the feather ruffling slightly as he grew excited about showing someone something he was passionate about.

“This is obviously the front part of the shop. It’s where all the completed items and tools are put on display. The ledger for pricing is kept on the shelf behind the counter.” He gestured to the counter that he had just stepped from behind. “You’ll find it’s the red book. The blue book is for specific commissioned items.”

Talon opened a wooden door that had an ornate carving on its surface. The symbol of the shop itself which doubled as Talon’s personal seal. It was a mark that he placed upon all of the items he made and was something that the people who frequented his shop were able to recognize. Stepping through the door lead to an open air forge workshop where it was obvious the crafting of mundane objects took place.

“Here is the blacksmith’s forge. Deliveries from the mines are brought around back to here.” He gestured to an area where it was clear that a cart could be brought up to make a delivery. He then pointed out a workbench as well as a rack of various tools. “I assume you know what all of that is for.”

Smiling he turned around and went back inside where he lead Alyssum to an open staircase that lead down to a lower floor. As he descended the stairs a full view of the lower portion of the shop was visible. It displayed a large array of tools all neatly assembled not far from a forge of a very different kind. There was no smokestack to lead ash or smoke out of this part of the shop because it was not needed. The forge that was visible did not work with materials in the same way.

“And this, is the runeforge.” Talon strode up to the anvil touching his fingers to the aetherite surface with a smile. This was where he felt he was at the heart of himself. This was where he felt as though he was able to do anything he put his imagination to. He turned to Alyssum.

“Again, welcome to the Skyforge. I’m certain we’ll learn much from each other.”

[Taelian]

Alyssum

Lores
Biology: Plant Matter Can Be Unhealthy For Certain Animals
Business: Learning a New Workplace
Business: Finding a Place That Needs You
Business: Job = Money
Negotiation: Trading Magical Knowledge for Employment
Persuasion: Looking Pathetic
Survival: Finding A Place To Stay
Survival: Sleeping Outside During Frost is Unhealthy and Miserable

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 8

Talon

Lores
Semblance: Detecting Weariness in an Aura
Semblance: Recognizing Anxiety in an Aura
Semblance: Recognizing the presence of Magic
Negotiation: Managing Terms of Employment
Negotiation: Knowledge of Magic is Highly Valuable
Persuasion: Using gentle voice inflection to provoke calmness
Business: The Importance of Distinguishing Different Accounts
Business: Orienting a New Employee to the Workplace

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 8 - 5 can be used for Semblance.

Comments: Talon is too nice! Alyssum is too broke! Also, I swear I reviewed this thread before. I must've not pressed Submit, lol.

Alyssum is very excitable. Also, Talon doesn't vet his employees very much. Hope she doesn't burn the place down.