[Touch of Fire] Can You Handle the Heat? (Tiorak)

[Kismet]

36th of Summer, 514 AV

The shop was bustling today, there were a lot of orders and only so many hands to fill them and Aska wanted nothing more than to be at the furnace melting metal and sweating over the flames of her business. Unfortunately there were other things that needed to be tended to, to keep the shop running smooth which was why she needed an assistant to take care of the mundane errands that she didn’t have time for. Aska was sitting in the show room, an unusual place for her, scratching a quill onto a sheet of paper outlining the week’s deadlines for Etran and his assistants.

The gruff blacksmith was almost as obsessive about their deadlines as she was and he had been bugging her all morning telling her that she couldn’t expect the others to complete their task without an iron fist. His mouth had quirked at that into a rare smirk that all but hid behind his wirey facial hair – humor in his turn of phrase was not lost on the Isurian metalsmith. It was about then that she shooed him off to get his work done, threatening to fire him as she always did even though they both knew she wouldn’t.

“Shyke!” She cursed under her breath and pushed errant strands of dark hair from her face. “Etran!” She called into the back of the shop over the sounds of the banging metal and chattering apprentices. Even if the old blacksmith didn’t hear her one of the others would and would inform him of the summons. The shop had been doing well lately and paper work was never her passion, though she was good at it, she wanted to get her hands dirty. It wasn’t long before her prized blacksmith showed up and she waved the paper at him in frustration, the ink not yet dry and running a short distance across the page before absorbing completely with her motions. “Did you see what we have to have done by the next twelve moons?” That was when the Isurian thrust the paper into the blacksmith’s hands and he barely looked at it except a flick of hard eyes.

“Yeah? What is your point Aska? We always have ridiculous deadlines and we always get them done. Hire more people. This is your business what do you want from me? I will not rush my men and they will produce the same quality of product they always do.” His voice was like gravel after countless seasons of yelling in the workshop and inhaling the fumes of the heat, or was it always like that? Aska couldn’t remember anymore, they had been working together for far too long.

He didn’t stay in the show room; instead the weathered man walked right back into the work area taking her paper with him. It was a silent way of dragging her away from public eye if she decided she wanted to yell more and follow she did. The one of the apprentices stayed in the front of the shop to wait on anyone who entered while she planned to drag the information from Etran on just exactly he planned to make these uncalled for deadlines.

[Tiorak Tioravi]

It had been one hell of a morning leading to what promised to be one hell of a day. Job hunting had proven itself a challenge in the truest sense of the words. Back where he was born, he needed but express the wish to join anything, and his father’s good name would find a way. Daddy wasn't here to help, clearly. In fact, he had not worked this hard in a long time, and even that was, comically, to get more work. As laughable as his thoughts were, they could very well lead to mizas. No, not mizas – Kina! He never really understood why Lhavit had its own currency, and even less so why it was worth the same as the more general gem. Everything was strange here though. That was one of those truths that every newcomer to the city understood at some point. Horses were okomo, miza was a kina, and the Waveguard was called Shinya. None of it sat with his Zeltivan upbringing too well, but Lhavit was still the closest he felt to home short of the actual thing. Funny enough, it was almost on the exact opposite side of the world. He disliked thinking about it, so he got back to the present, while the laic geographer in him fumed.

Sun had not yet even reached its peak, and he had already visited more than a handful of shops. Each time they were seriously interested in hiring someone who could do… well any one of the number of things Tiorak knew absolutely nothing about. It was weird how he had been a merchant’s son his whole life, and he never even found it necessary to bother with mathematics, let alone politics or economy… or well anything very useful. Whole of his talents were summed up to being pretty fast with everything he did, and even that wasn't so much a skill as a character feat.

Sighing before he went in, he’d barge past the door to the smithy. He wasn't particularly sure why would anyone hire a man without skill or muscle inside, but it was the next stop along the road. Already a bit gloomy from all his previous defeats, he might’ve even sounded a bit slower than usual when he spoke “Excuse me” even so, he was still faster than the usual dialect “Yes, here” he’d nod to the person who seemed to be in charge of the room. It was mostly to make clear it was him who wanted something, and not any number of people loitering around. Then, without waiting for the man to come to him, he’d move closer “Good day, I’m Tiorak” he’d spout quickly, extending a hand “…and am looking for some work, if you’re hiring!” his hand would extend towards the man, and even if ignored would remain hanging for quite a bit. Even as disheartened as he was, he still seemed rather cheerful. And he was, in a way. It couldn't have really been an actual defeat to the very point of coming home a failure.

[Kismet]

The apprentice looked up when the door opened letting in a burst of sunlight and the silhouette of a man that only became clear when the door fully closed. Not a man, a boy and boys didn’t buy armor or weapons. He was young, clearly, and with a quick once over he didn’t seem like he could pick up a quill never mind a sword. The apprentice dismissed him as quickly as he looked at him, going back to polishing the item in his hand. The apprentice wasn’t much older than the customer looked but he was weathered by his job, his hands rough with hard work and his arms strained with well worked muscles. “..Tiorak…hiring…” Those were really the only words the apprentice heard but he sighed and looked up, this time a smile of pure amusement pulling at his features. He was amused by the idea of such a bean stalk working in the shop. “Oye Aska!” he called over his shoulder though he didn’t shake the man’s hand rather letting it fall eventually.

In the back room Aska and Etran were locked in their same daily battle, a battle of stubbornness and sweat. Hearing her name being called from the front she looked over her shoulder and then back at the blacksmith and jabbed her finger into the center of his chest. “We’ll talk more later.” The proprietor of the shop turned on her heel and stalked off, Etran laughing behind her while rubbing the spot where she poked on his chest. Her anger amused him, they were both grumpy and both took that anger out on each other. Better to yell at each other then the apprentices though who weren’t as thick skinned as the older pair. Etran followed on Aska’s heels, he had work to do but it wasn’t often that she was called to the front so he was curious as to what was going on.

“What?!” The strong Isurian woman snapped when she came out from the back room, her eyes instantly seeking the apprentice who had interrupted her conversation. The apprentice simply nodded to Tiorak and then moved towards the door to get back to work, there was no need for him to be out in the front of the store when Aska was there. “His name is Tiorak, he wants a job.” A laugh echoed behind him only to be swallowed up by the noise of the shop when he disappeared. Aska’s eyes turned on the tall male, her eyes raking over him as if she was dissecting a frog and a frown pulled at her lips. “You know how to work a kiln? You don’t look like you know how to work a kiln.”

Aska moved forward then, her hard eyes never leaving him as she circled him like a predator scouting prey while Etran moved to lean against the wall with his thick arms crossed along his chest. “Are you a blacksmith? Your hands look awfully smooth.” Stopping in front of him again the metalsmith raised a singular eyebrow and snorted “Are you sure you’re in the right place? What kind of job are you looking for?” There was no welcome on her face but she wasn’t turning him away either, that was at least a start. “I’d answer her fast boy, or you’ll get your ass thrown back out on the street.” Etran grunted from the wall.