Tim melts from the shadows into the blacksmith show in true Bat-fashion, leaning against one of the walls to watch curiously while Murphy works. He hasn't done much of his own smithwork--just some welding and other kinds of assembly, so this is... really interesting and potentially very useful.
He waves his fingers a little to try to get her attention--the last thing he wants to do is startle her when she's working with hot metal.
Murphy glances up at him, flickering an absent smile in his direction as she prods at the third kind of coal-substitute she's trying to bring up to temperature. She really wishes she had some precise way to determine the sulfur content of these things. "Hey. No more crutches?"
He makes a face. "I lost them, actually. In the Wood. I have to make do without them." He gives her the most solemn look he can manage. "It's been difficult, of course, but I've been managing."
Any amusement she might entertain at the last bit is quashed by the first. "You lost them in the Wood," she repeats, with the air of someone who's fairly certain they heard wrong. "How?"
Dante leans against the door frame at the front of the old smithy and watches her work. He had been on his way out to the woods, but this was much more interesting. And yes, he's using the b-word entirely (and obviously) on purpose now. Deliberate good-natured bullying of friends, if you will. Or; he's just a brat.
He's dressed as usual in leather pants and coat, but both garments have seen better days. It wouldn't be a stretch to say it looks like he's wrestled a bit with a lawnmower. And he could use a hair-cut and a shave (the feathery white five-o'clock is pretty laughable to be honest).
After a moment's pause, he pushes off the doorway and saunters over to her slowly to get a closer look at what she's doing.
"Seems like it, asshole," she says, putting equal weight on the last word. There might be the tiniest smirk on her face but it vanishes in a breath. "Good to see you're still alive."
And then Murphy gets a closer look at him as he draws near to her first attempt at melting down some scrap. "...More or less. What happened to you?"
An amused grin splits his face at that retort, seemingly taking it as good as anyone would a warm welcome.
"You too. Was almost afraid we'd be missing you keeping an angry eye on us! I'm so glad I was wrong~" He leans his head to the side and smiles in an overly sweet way, clearly putting on some friendly over-dramatics to go with the round-about possible compliments. He's a tough guy okay and tough guys with trust issues can't be running about making honest and/or straight-forward compliments about such things, after all. It's just not how it works.
As for the state of himself... Dante scratches his chin absent-mindedly and offers his clothes a frown. "Nuthin' much. Hunting. Things around here likes having claws. An' people always did say I don't think about collateral enough, but eh... never cared. Around here I guess they'd have a point tho' huh? No clothing stores or places to mend shit." He shrugs. Stuff happens.
Quorra is taking an early morning walk, because what else can a program do when they don't need to sleep like everyone else? She's rather quiet, although not entirely incognito--glowing suit and all. But she spots what looks like a User sleeping at the base of a tree, and she hurries over to make sure nothing is wrong.
And then she recognizes said User as Kat, slowing her pace to approach more slowly. She knows better now than to surprise the girl. But why is she sleeping outside?
"Kat?" It's quiet and friendly, a bit hesitant because she's not sure if Kat wants to get woken up. And Quorra knows Users need their sleep.
She blinks awake, squinting up at Quorra with none of her usual tension or anger. She's too tired for either, and it's Quorra. "Mmph," she says, and sits up a little more. "What're you doing out he- Is Sam with you?"
Kat jerks to attention at the thought that Quorra's sheepdog might be ambling after her, and grabs her underwear from the pile of clothes to wrestle them on under the blanket.
Since Kat doesn't sound annoyed, Quorra trots a bit closer, squatting down about two or three feet away. She shakes her head at the question, eyes briefly flashing to the pile of clothes before turning back to the User. "No, he's still sleeping. I'm just walking around. Were you sleeping out here?"
Probably inevitably, Molly eventually wound up at the forge. It made her homesick in a way that she found distinctly uncomfortable; Molly and Charity had never gotten along well, but she'd be lying if she said a small part of her didn't want her mother to come and bring her home again. It was a lie she would tell without hesitation every time, which made it not a bit more truthful. At least she wasn't alone here, and she felt more like a pawn than a prisoner. It was just as galling but not quite as scary.
Belying any shred of homesickness with a grin, she offered, "Hey, do you need a hand with that?" Molly shrugged. "I never really worked with metal, but I saw Mom's setup often enough."
Murphy blinks, then shrugs. "Sure. I'm still making sure it all works the way it should - you could work the bellows if you want? Just keep it pumping regularly, or the heat of the coals won't be even."
She pokes through a few of her found items and ramshackle tools, coming back with a little stone cup and a few bits of metal. "How're you holding up?"
Molly nods. "Can do." She frowns in confusion for a moment at the items with which Karrin returns but quickly realizes their purpose.
Allowing herself a small snort of something resembling laughter before answering, Molly replies, "Okay, I guess. At least the fairies didn't kidnap me directly this time. Plus Harry's here." She screws up her face in something between a grin and a grimace, giving the bellows a pump.
"And I haven't been here that long." That being Molly's sort of subtle opening for Karrin to vent. It is an opening she does not expect to see used, but she offers it anyway.
Molly's right not to expect it - the opening flies by with Murphy focusing instead on settling the stone cup on the coals and sprinkling the metal into its basin. "How... I haven't really had a chance to ask how everyone is, or how they were before you came."
To whit she means Has Chicago fallen apart without Harry, but if anyone would get the implications of the question, it would be Molly.
Hearing noises from inside, Cissie wandered into the blacksmith shop and watched Murphy working for a few minutes, not wanting to interrupt. She just gave her a smile and stayed out of the way, looking around at the improvised equipment and being impressed.
"I had help," Murphy says, returning the smile. "Those redhead twins who look like they would enjoy blowing themselves up by accident... magicked some of it. I'm experimenting to make sure the magic doesn't mess with the tools themselves."
Cissie gives a small snort under her breath, moving further into the shop to check the equipment out. "You realize that experimenting with magic tools is kind of inviting disaster, right?"
"I made them promise not to booby-trap anything or leave any magic laying around." She examines one of the tools before setting it down and picking up a pair of plier. "I need bullets. And while I might let them magic me some tools, I'm sure as hell not going to trust magical bullets - particularly not from two people who marvel at the concept of a gun."
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He waves his fingers a little to try to get her attention--the last thing he wants to do is startle her when she's working with hot metal.
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Dante leans against the door frame at the front of the old smithy and watches her work. He had been on his way out to the woods, but this was much more interesting. And yes, he's using the b-word entirely (and obviously) on purpose now. Deliberate good-natured bullying of friends, if you will. Or; he's just a brat.
He's dressed as usual in leather pants and coat, but both garments have seen better days. It wouldn't be a stretch to say it looks like he's wrestled a bit with a lawnmower. And he could use a hair-cut and a shave (the feathery white five-o'clock is pretty laughable to be honest).
After a moment's pause, he pushes off the doorway and saunters over to her slowly to get a closer look at what she's doing.
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And then Murphy gets a closer look at him as he draws near to her first attempt at melting down some scrap. "...More or less. What happened to you?"
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"You too. Was almost afraid we'd be missing you keeping an angry eye on us! I'm so glad I was wrong~" He leans his head to the side and smiles in an overly sweet way, clearly putting on some friendly over-dramatics to go with the round-about possible compliments. He's a tough guy okay and tough guys with trust issues can't be running about making honest and/or straight-forward compliments about such things, after all. It's just not how it works.
As for the state of himself... Dante scratches his chin absent-mindedly and offers his clothes a frown. "Nuthin' much. Hunting. Things around here likes having claws. An' people always did say I don't think about collateral enough, but eh... never cared. Around here I guess they'd have a point tho' huh? No clothing stores or places to mend shit." He shrugs. Stuff happens.
"So what are you up to?"
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And then she recognizes said User as Kat, slowing her pace to approach more slowly. She knows better now than to surprise the girl. But why is she sleeping outside?
"Kat?" It's quiet and friendly, a bit hesitant because she's not sure if Kat wants to get woken up. And Quorra knows Users need their sleep.
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Kat jerks to attention at the thought that Quorra's sheepdog might be ambling after her, and grabs her underwear from the pile of clothes to wrestle them on under the blanket.
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Chances are she doesn't. There's a lot Quorra doesn't know.
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Belying any shred of homesickness with a grin, she offered, "Hey, do you need a hand with that?" Molly shrugged. "I never really worked with metal, but I saw Mom's setup often enough."
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She pokes through a few of her found items and ramshackle tools, coming back with a little stone cup and a few bits of metal. "How're you holding up?"
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Allowing herself a small snort of something resembling laughter before answering, Molly replies, "Okay, I guess. At least the fairies didn't kidnap me directly this time. Plus Harry's here." She screws up her face in something between a grin and a grimace, giving the bellows a pump.
"And I haven't been here that long." That being Molly's sort of subtle opening for Karrin to vent. It is an opening she does not expect to see used, but she offers it anyway.
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To whit she means Has Chicago fallen apart without Harry, but if anyone would get the implications of the question, it would be Molly.
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"Did you do all of this?
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Unfair, maybe. Still true.
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