Strange Magic(Amber and Night)

(Well, it would be four days before a search party reaches the edge of the forest, and perhaps another day to track him to her house. So I think we can skip a day or two have have some more interactions between them before introducing his brothers. That way, Danir might be able to get up and about some and help her with things. Or at the very least stay with her while she works and have conversations with her. Just enough to develop their friendship a bit more before throwing in some drama. XD)

(You can if you want to, or I can try and put up one.)

It was midday. With the approch of autumn upon the land, it was also rather comfortable outside. Edlyn was working in her forge and had the doors and windows opened. It was in part so the smithy wouldn't overheat and because it was nice outside. For two long days and nights, she had been within the confinds of the building working on the various orders for waiting customers. She would be done with the work soon enough and would move on to other jobs, which hopefully wouldn't give her as much to do. For now she contiuned to work with with steel creating weapons and other works of metal. No one had come back after Tia and Marsh made their visit. It allowed Danir to join her in the forge from time to time. She enjoyed the company as it made the occasional mindless work exciting.

They talked about their lives some as well as what life was like for their respective people. It was all very fascinating and rather fun. When they weren't talking, the elf was helping around her house or resting. She was grateful for the help, especially because having someone around was nice. He seemed to have gotten stronger since the fight with the wampus days before, which was good. Although she liked having the company around, she also knew the longer he hung around the more danger the two of them were in. She wasn't looking forward to saying bye to her friend, but didn't dwell on it. She would think about it when it happened and that wouldn't be for at least another few days or so. For now she could enjoy learning about elven culture and getting to know her friend better.

Edlyn heard the knock and acknowledged it with a nod. She didn't look up from her work until Danir said something. Pulling up her goggles, she turned to him with a smile and motioned for him to enter as she paused the pounding of the blade. The hunting knife was taking shape and the first part of the process was almost complete. For now she set the metal piece down and turned her attention to the elf. The scent of food wafted in among the metallic smells. She could feel her stomach growl as the man approched with a tray. Edlyn's grin widen as she moved towards the forge sink to wash up. A bit of grime stained her face and arms. Her hands were more or less clean due to thick, leather work gloves. Once she was clean enough, she gestered to an empty table to the side of the room. It was one of the few surfaces that was covered in metal shavings, papers, equipment, or any number of other objects in the smithy.

"Good morning. Or afternoon. Or whatever time it is. How'd you sleep?" The woman asked as she settled in a chair. She paused for a moment and took a quick glance around through one of the open windows. It was unlikely anyone would come upon the pair, but one could never be too careful. She wanted to be sure their secret was kept safe. After a moment, she turned back to Danir.

"So, do you have any more stories for me?" She asked curiously. They had been mostly trading tales and memories between them for the past few days. She was interested in learning more about elf soecity and mythology and knew he had similar interests. Beyond that, she liked getting to know more about him as a person.

(Ah I didn't realize you replied. I'm so sorry for that! So, finally here's my reply.)

The elf carefully walked in, avoiding the messes she left behind in her shop. It appeared he was having a bit of diffculty maneuvering about, especially as he tried to keep the tray attentively balanced. Edlyn remained close and alert in case he needed help, though he never asked for it. Danir managed to get to the only empty table with relative ease and set down the food. She joined the man and sat across from him, asking about his morning. He answered idly as she settled in.

"That's good," she chimed as she reached for some food. "You've certainly gotten more active since the attack. And yes, as you've suspected I've also had a good night's rest." She had slept less as she got busier. However the blacksmith managed to get a food rest reguardless. She paused and began to eat. As she started her meal, the elf spoke up. She smiled as he left the decision up to her. There were many possiblities she could ask about. She knew about some of his childhood misadventures and a little of his ranger training. Edlyn never found out why he went down that path. Pausing for a moment, she posed her question.

"What make you want to become a ranger in the first place?" The woman asked curiously. She knew many things about her elf friend, but not why he went down the path he did.

(Ah okay! And don't worry about your spacy replies. It happens.)

Edlyn grinned at his comment before inquiring about his job. As he began to explain his reasoning, the blacksmith nodded along in interest. During his explanation, the woman had pulled out her necklace and began to mess with it. She played with an iron pendant around her neck, rubbing her thumb over the small object. It was a simple, even crude circular piece attached to a simple leather chord around her neck. Although she didn't look at the symbol, she didn't have to. There would be a small flame with a dagger in front of it making it rather simple. She didn't look away from the elf as he spoke. She didn't even notice what she did as it had always been a habit of hers. When he finished, Edlyn offered a smile.

"That honestly makes sense. I've spent enough time around nobles, knights, guards, and the like to be...not very fond of that lifestyle. As you've mentioned, it's simply too restrictive and. Honestly, I would even argue it's dull to a degree," Edlyn remarked. Of course she had some formal training as a knight. Her mother was a captain after all. However the freedom a blacksmith granted her was unmatched. She didn't have the skill to be a woodswoman similar to Danir or the care to be a healer. That made blacksmithing the perfect job for the woman. "Anyway, the sound of child you playing monster hunter sounds cute. Were any of your brothers like that too and indulge in your dreams? What about your parents? Or are you simply the only one to dabble in the path of a ranger?"

"But aren't all children hooligans in one way or another?" Edlyn mused. The blacksmith lightly laughed along at the comment, but swiftly quieted as he continued. She smiled as he mentioned his oldest brother supporting him. It reminded her of her own siblings in a way. Only they were more active in her life. It was probably due to the smaller age gap between them compared to Danir and his siblings. When he moved onto his parents, Danir hesitated for a moment. Guilt tugged at the woman's chest as she gripped the pendant for a second. Right. Probably shouldn't have asked about them, the woman thought. She gave him a small, sympathetic look for a brief moment. Only a few second passed before the elf managed to move on, finishing his thoughts.

"Ah, so you're the only ranger in your family then." She paused for a moment, curious at what his siblings did. She hoped it would give her more insight on elf soectit and perhaps even their day to day lives. "What do your brothers do then? You've mentioned Baltore chose a path in politics, but what of the others?" She felt a bit bad asking the man so many personal questions while revealing little about herself. Of course there was some merit to that. She didn't want to freak him out by revealing just how prominate her family was within the kingdom.

The woman nodded agreement, and chuckled as the elf continued. A michevious grin formed on his face as her own troublemaking. Edlyn cracked a smile. "I may or may not have been something of a scoundrel when I was younger myself. You know, not listening to authority, getting into fights...and egging people on to make the first move so I can beat them. It's a mystery to say the least one that may never be solved." There was a clear teasing in her voice as she spoke. Edlyn looked away for a moment, a bit of a proud smile tugging at her lips.

The blacksmith contiuned to nod along as he spoke. When he finished, she lightly chuckled at his last words. "Quite the diverse set of occupations then. Well not extremely diverse I suppose. There's overlap between scholars and politicians and then with rangers and guards. There can also be arguements made, I imagine, for similarities in other fields and...and I'm rambling. Sorry about that." Edlyn reddened slightly. She had a tendency to go on random tangents and either bore or chase people away with her musings. Of course it wasn't like there were many places for the elf to go, but she didn't want to overwhelm him either.

The light-haird woman grinned and laughed. "Well I can gladly say you have nothing to worry about. I'm not that way any more." Once more she took on a teasing tone and capped off her statement with a wink. "Anyway, you're right about that. Most of the fights or troubles I got myself into- whether or not I instigated them in any way -were almost rarely not deserved. Unfortunately some people need to be put in their place from time to time. Either their head's gotten too big or they're something of a bully. Neither are good." Growing up around court, noble, and royal affairs, the young woman had dealt with far too many of those types. Sure she gained a negative reputation, but it didn't bother her too much. She was never made for that kind of life anyway.

Edlyn managed another smile, relieved to hear he wasn't daunted by her words. "That's very interesting, though I suppose we human are similar. For example, the adventurous nature of a knight was interesting, but the ridged ranks and discipline is uninteresting to me. Me becoming a blacksmith was ultimately better. That and my dad was one so I followed in his footsteps. I also did it early enough to where I didn't have to worry about wasting my time and the time of the captains when changing my path. Unfortunately that is a luxury a few of us have. Sure as we come into our personalities we may choose occupations that fit it. However it's not always easy to know what's right, so once we have our chosen path, it's near impossible to go back. I suppose we only have one shot at getting it right early in life, or having to start over almost completely, which could take upwards of thirty years for some professions. Sometimes it's easier to deal with it than to change things."

By that time, the blacksmith had finished her food. "Thank you for the meal. I really appreciated it. And thanks for all the help around the house. It's nice to have the extra hands around for the short time being. Anyway, are you going to have anything? You haven't touched any of the food yet," she inquired as she gestered to the tray.

With a slight tilt of her head, she acknowledged his point with her own smirk. "Alright, that's fair. But I suppose that either makes you brave or foolish." She paused for a moment as he continued, cocking an eyebrow but keeping her smile. She wanted to make it clear she was simply messing with him, though wasn't sure how well she managed it. "Oh, so you're saying I'm not interesting then?" She teasingly accused. "Anyway, you've got that right. I'm just glad I'm not the only one with that expierence. Not like I expected to be of course, but it's good to know there's someone else who's dealt with those types. Even if you were like that yourself. I may not know you the best yet, but I'm glad your humble enough, I suppose, to admit you've been put in your place. And on the bright side, it seems you've learned from it."

"In all fairness, thirty years is a bit of an over exaggeration on my part. But only a bit, though. It's closer between twenty to twenty-five years to truly master something, specifically some kind of craft like blacksmithing. Of course there are various other factors that count to be considered a master like skill or who well someone can learn. Luckily for me, I've been mostly surrounded by it for a majority of my life, so I'm pretty much a master at this point. But yes, thirty years for us, especially of we're talking about starting something at ten, is a long time. If someone begins lessons at around the age of ten- many even start later -they would be thirty to fourty by the time they're considered master of their craft." She paused again as the man lamented for a moment about time. She couldn't help but nod in agreement at some parts.

"Ah yes, time. Humans have so little of it to work with. In my youth, I wondered if I did have the lifespan of an elf on a few occasions. What would I do with such a thing? What would I accomplish or discover or learn? As you've pointed out, some find their passions too late in life. We do tend to only have one shot or have to start over. Few chose to do that due to, well, time, age, financial situations, and pressure of the job among other factors. For people like me who were lucky enough to discover their passions." She stopped speaking for a moment, giving herself a chance to consider his last words. "Despite all that, I wouldn't say age for us is nessecirily a bad thing. I mean, we shouldn't give up finding our passions once we reach a certain age. If someone's foty or even sixty years old, there's still a chance to do what they love. I know it may sound like I'm controditcing myself to a degree, but age should never stop someone from trying...Unless it's for something like having children, of course."

As Danir answered her, the blacksmith noticed the lose strand of hair, glad she wouldn't have to worry something like that. Unlike her elf friend, Edlyn didn't have to worry about any lose strands of hair. She tended to keep it back in a tight ponytail or braid. She rarely had it down, usually only when she was going to sleep for the night. The woman offered a warm smile. "That was very thoughtful of you. Thanks."

Edlyn let out yet another laugh. It was proving to be the most fun she had in a while, which only made the thought of her friend leaving worse. The woman sighed and pushed the thoughts from her head. Instead she chose to enjoy the time she had with him currently. "That's good. As I said, I certainly would've put you in your place if you needed it." She gave another wink, grinning as she continued to play with her necklace. The topic shifted towards human ages. She wasn't all that surprised, it would've come up eventually, especially because it was so different from elf aging. So she assumed at least.

"Yes, we do. Typically. It can be diffcult to keep patient and focused to properly learn everything. On top of that, most people also have to go through schooling. It can be a lot for a child to manage at such an age. But manage we do. It's something most people are good at, actually." Although there was a slight humorous tone to her voice, it was almost as serious. With only so much time, humans had to be good about how they managed it.

"Of course. You are quite right in that regard. The later someone finds their passion, the less time they have to do it. Of course, that's only one part of the puzzle. The physical aspect is another. I'm physcially quite strong, especially for a woman. I still have a good couple of decades before grows too sore to work. However I also can't predict the future. What if I break my back or my wrist or some other bone? My injury will heal with time, but the pain will eventually come back. Or even worse, the injury never properly heals. And then what? I'm forced to stop doing my work? That thought is truthfully scary to me. The fact is, one day I won't be able to do the things I can now. I'll lose my independence and the thing I love to do. That's not even accounting for the fact people start getting random body pains as early as their thirties. Some unlucky few may even start in their twenties. I'm sure eleves may go through the same concerns, but at least you have magic and a longer life," the woman noted. She paused for a moment and let herself catch a break from all the speaking. She was bothered by those thoughts, but didn't want to bring the jovial mood they had created down. Before she could continue, Danir inquired about the evening meal and if he could help with anything. Edlyn grinned.

"Well, there's nothing I can think of right now. I'll certainly let you know if anything needs to be done. As for dinner, I don't know. Surprise me." She offered another smile, curious to his reaction. After a few minutes, she changed the topic.

"Anyway, we've talked a lot about human aging. What about for elves? I'm twenty-four and I can imagine I'd be almost like a teenager to you, though perhaps more mature? I'm not entirely sure how it works," she admitted.

The blacksmith smirked. "Well who knows. I'm always up for a little friendly sparring if you're still going through a troublesome treak," she teased. The conversation soon turned to humans, aging, and children. It was interesting and she was having fun discussing the topic with the elf. She considered the man's words for a moment before answering.

"It depends on the child. Education is valued within the kingdom. At least a basic understanding of things like math, history, and science. Reading and writing are, of course, also quite important. Most children go through some form of basic schooling for at least a few years, a majority into their early teens at least. Most who continue after that tend to become scholars or work in similar fields. They can also certainly switch to find their path or calling. Only restraints tend to be money, location, and of course time," the woman explained. Once more the conversation shifted to the problems of age. As Edlyn lamented about human aging, she couldn't help but notice a change in Danir's mood. His smile visibly faded some and she could see him shrink down into his seat slightly. The woman frowned, a bit of guilt tugging at her chest.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down with all that talk. It's just been something on my mind recently I suppose. Anyway, I can't wait to see what you do tonight." She quieted again as he continued with the conversation. "Ah interesting. So you rapidly age and mature for the first twenty or so years before it greatly slows down for the rest of your life then. Anyway, that sounds right. The maturity thing, not the hundredth year thing. Though it makes sense. Being seen as an adult is always something to look forward to. After I turned twenty, people finally seem to respect me more and saw me as a woman and not a girl. Sure there were some occasional drawbacks, and trust me there still are, but it was nice being respected and actually having my thoughts listened to. I'm still young, so it's not like everything changed in an instant. But there was a still a chance and I noticed more of one as time goes on."

"Until then," Edlyn replied with a grin. She was curious to see how she'd fair in a friendly fight with the elf. Of course, it would depend on the parameters they would set. Would magic be involved? Or would it simply be a duel based on pure skill? The thought was interesting. The woman didn't have much time to dwell on it as the man's words caught her attention once more.

"That's interesting and certainly different from us," the woman began. "Most children don't have tutors or aren't taught by their parents. There are a few homesteads so far from any town that children have to be homeschooled, but those are few and far between. In small towns, there tends to be only one school with older students being taught in the morning and children going in the afternoons. Though, there isn't a whole lot of disparity between ages. In larger towns and the cities, there is. They can accommodate more kids and have more people to teach more groups at various times. In cities are more diverse in schooling options. Most children attend with kids around their age and stop going in their late teens. Wealthier families tend to go with private tutors, though many still attend some type of formal schooling. Also, unlike elves, there's a much shorter window to have children, so we have kids more often. That means having classes where everyone is only within a year or two in age of each other."

The blacksmith nodded. "That makes sense, even if you're guessing." She paused for a moment and let out a small chuckle. "You're not wrong. I'll admit, I'm still seen as a kid and troublemaker whenever I visit home. Not that it's entierly unearned of course. But as I said, I'm twenty-four and have been providing for myself for the past three years or so. That doesn't matter, especially to my parents. I'm still their baby girl in their eyes." She paused for a moment, and smiled fondly. Yes, it annoyed her to be babied by her family, but she also knew it came from a place of love. Her hazel eyes drifted back towards Danir, and for a moment she wondered how he dealt with losing his parents so young. Edlyn pushed the negative thoughts from her mind. She didn't need to think about that.

The woman grinned. "You're not the only one. A good blacksmith is hard to find, and one who's an excellent mentor who can focus on you is even more diffcult. I got lucky," Edlyn mused. Of course, that blacksmith was also her father. Sure he had a handful of other apprentices over the years, but Edlyn always had more time to learn with him. For a moment, memories of long days in the forge with her father flooded her mind. The warm scents of heated metal and burning fire made her smile while a memory of distant pounding of metal filled her ears. It only lasted a mere few seconds, but they were a fond few seconds. Danir began to talk about his brothers again, bringing her back to the moment. Edlyn grinned as he talked about them.

"My siblings have teased me too, though it's on a few rare occasions. Probably a maturity thing or perhaps they just don't like teasing me as much. Not sure we'll ever know," the woman joked. "Anyway, you're right about that. Youngest siblings are the babies of the family, we must deal with the teasing. But our older siblings also have to deal with the torment we bring them and the trouble we get them into. It's quite the fair trade I think."

(Do you think we should we do a time skip assuming you don't have other ideas, of course.)