isleofavalon | May Catch-All and Quests

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May Catch-All and Quests | Forge Grand Opening

🧙 WHO: Darin Altway and You
⚔️️ WHAT: Grand Opening of his forge and May Quests
🕒 WHEN: Throughout May
🗺️ WHERE: All over
⚠️ WARNINGS: None

A -Announcement- Network

[Darin is excitedly fiddling with his device. When he thinks he's got a good frame, he steps back.]

So, it's been a few months since I dropped in here but after a lot of work, I've finally done it!

[He steps aside to show a store-front constructed into the side of a very pictureesque hillock. The sign on the side of the road leading up to the front door reads "Forge Ahead."]

Today marks the grand opening of 'Forge Ahead' my dream made reality! And speaking of dreams, I'm putting out this call to make some of yours come true! Need equipment? Has your gear seen better days? Looking for a gift for a special someone? How about some expertly crafted tools? Well, Forge Ahead is here for you! And if there's any aspiring craftsmen, mana researchers, or engineers that are looking for employment, I've got more than enough space to accommodate! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone who comes out!

B -At The Forge-

[Just like the announcement said, Forge Ahead is located just outside of Camelot, built into a picturesque hillock so as not to take away from the beauty of Avalon. Already the sound of hammer on anvil can be heard ringing out from within, and when you walk through the large, oaken door a magical chime rings throughout the shop. Darin happily looks up from his work and hurries over to greet you.]

Welcome to Forge Ahead where we always look forward to your ideas! I'm Darin Altway, Master Blacksmith. What can I do for you today?

C -No Buccaing Out-

[Honestly, monster exterminating quests were beginning to be Darin's jam. They paid well, they gave him valuable experience and training, and more often than not he'd find some interesting raw materials he could use for his smithy. Besides, it was his motto that the more people he helped, the more he got his name out there. When looking to secure supplies, being known as dependable was just as good as being rich.]

[So, he's out on the edge of the Silent Shore in swim trunks; his dao strapped to his back and a bottle of underwater breathing potion in-hand.]

Before we decide on drinks this, maybe we should determine who can hold their breath longer. I've done some diving in the past but...who knows how far down these things are. Thoughts?

D -Holo, Goodbye-

[Darin was not one to deny someone their dying wish. Back home, he'd done so much for the elderly in his town that they'd actually come to rely on him. He was determined to make this trip along with anyone who would walk with him.]

Let's see...according to the map we should be coming up on the...

...Oh wow.

[He stops overlooking the river. The sight is unlike anything he's ever seen; rainbows arcing all over and stones glittering along the shores and in the river itself. It almost looks like there's gems literally springing to the surface, enriching the water with glitter and treasure.]

...This is beautiful...

-Wildcard-

[Got something else you want to do? Go ahead and start a prompt! Or, if you want, hit me up with a DM, on discord, or on plurk at

bitterbearface

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Really. That's the truth? Because I find it hard to believe that you can claim your own uselessness when I wouldn't still be alive right now without your help.

[She stops, picking up a stone off the ground. Are they starting to shimmer? Or is that just the mineral's natural iridescence? It would make a nice skipping stone, but apparently she doesn't know the trick for it, because she tosses it towards the water without trying to spin it.]

Even if we've had our conflicts, it's never been anything so unforgivable, you know.

But we fight. And we fight. And...I'm tired of fighting.

Yeah, fine, I saved you but...just because I saved you doesn't mean you have to like me or enjoy my company.

[He shakes his head.]

Look...arguing over this is...it's moot. We're here for someone else.

Let's get the stone, I'll give it to you and you can deliver it...

Are we arguing? I thought we were doing well enough at not fighting, for once...

[Or they can't even agree on that, perhaps.]

You're not going to deliver your own? We could bring two, you know.

I...

[He shifts uncomfortably.]

I'm just...trying to stay out of your way.

You're the paladin. I'm just...

[I'm just 'me.' And I don't really know what that means anymore.]

[He just shrugs though, not sure how to finish that statement.]

My teammates told you about that, didn't they?

Did they happen to mention that I was the last one out of all them to become a paladin?

[It's a bit of a change of subject, but maybe he'll appreciate what she's trying to do here.]

No. Timelines never came up just...

How staunchly they defended you.

S'what made me think that maybe I was the jerk to start. It's why I wanted to...

...You know. Try.

That doesn't surprise me. I'm not even certain if they saw much difference between before and after...

But I haven't forgotten it. How it felt to see them out on the battlefield, vanquishing evil... while I was stuck on the ship. Even when Shiro vanished and the team was desperate for another member, two of the lions didn't believe I would be... adequate.

[More hunting around, looking at the different stones on the ground.]

Maybe you're right. Maybe I do try too hard to help others... but it's not because I can't stand the thought of anyone else helping me.

[Darin listens to Allura continue on and, though he has questions, he keeps them to himself.]

[He doesn't want to get too close to her, after all.]

[But finally, he does ask one.]

...Why are you telling me this? Honestly?

So that you actually believe me when I tell you that the last thing I want is for you to 'stay out of my way'.

[Of course, there's more to it than that. Perhaps understanding where she's coming from will make him less inclined to do things like throw candy apples at her. But that is the primary reason.]

I didn't insist that you join along just to witness me on the quest. I'm sure you're invested in seeing this quest through, aren't you? [Given how he was with the old man, previously...]

Yeah, of course I am. But at the end of the day, I'm not the one who matters.

[He sighs.]

Look. Fine. It's..whatever you want.

[He's not going to pretend like he understands it.]

Why do you keep saying things like that? Of course you matter...

[They're getting fairly close to the river's edge now, with stones aplenty but none illuminated quite so clearly as the ones in the water. She's still picking them up to see for herself, though, to see if it's picked up a little shine from the water splashing ashore... and she tosses one in with a plunk, and a small splash of water that sends illuminated droplets flying around it.]

I don't think I've been nearly so hard on you as you've been on yourself.

I'm always hard on myself. It's just who I am.

... ... ...

Are you trying to skip the stones or something?

To what the stones? No, I'm just looking to see what I can find without wading into the river proper.

[Hey, Alteans lived on a far more arid planet.]

...You've never skipped stones before?

[Darin looks down and roots around for a stone. When he finds one suitable enough, he stands, winds up, and sends the stone skipping downstream. Each skip produces a mini rainbow behind it.]

[She looks awestruck as she watches the solid rock bounce across the surface of the water, and the trail of light it leaves behind. Even when it does drop into the water with a faint plunk, her eyes remain fixated on the ripples spreading across the water's surface and fading into the shimmering waves.]

... how did you...?

[Wait. Wait, she saw how he threw it. Perhaps she can emulate it. She picks up another stone, and tries to throw it the same way — but it doesn't bounce once. It hits the water, and it splashes, and it sinks.]

Heh...there's a trick.

There's actually a few things you should look for. But...first and foremost, you want the right stone.

[Darin fishes around and comes up with one. It's flatter than most and perfectly smooth due to erosion.]

You want something smooth and flat. It's more aerodynamic and it'll create less friction when it skips across the surface.

[Come on, Allura. You're a pilot, you should know this!]

Then...it's all about the angle of entry. ~~[Phrasing.]~~ Come in too steep and you just hit and sink. You gotta come in low so that the resistance of the water makes the stone skip.

[He does it again, this time getting a few more skips before it finally plunks into the water. Each skip a little burst of prismatic color.]

Use your hips and flick your wrist. Put some torque on it.

[In her defense, it's not like the ship that she pilots is a UFO.]

[And while space is not known for its friction, she can relate the concept to experience, particularly that of entering a planet's atmosphere. So she nods, following along with his explanation easily enough.]

All right. That doesn't sound too difficult... [She hunts around for a good rock, scrutinizing a few before rejecting each one. Aren't they all smooth and flat? Does it matter how round and thin they are? Eventually, she settles on her choice.] Let me give it a try.

[More than that, Allura's going to give it her best effort. She adjusts her starting stance like a pitcher on the mound, and throws with her whole body, throwing it like a discus. It flies an impressive distance over the water, but only skips twice. And the second skip is barely a skip.]

[Still, she's a natural!]

Hey, good job. A little more practice and you'll be skipping with the best of 'em.

[He smiles a bit, but immediately backs off, both physically and socially.]

I'm sure the other paladins will be impressed when you show them.

[For a moment, she had felt pretty and excited and proud about it herself... and then, her enthusiasm deflates.]

[Is it wrong that, just for a moment, she had hoped he would sound more impressed by it? Not for the sake of being praised, of course. Just to see if he's starting to shake that melancholy mood at all.]

[With a small huff, she starts looking for another stone. After all, why not get a little more practice right now?]

Will they? It didn't go nearly as far as yours. Besides, we don't normally do these sorts of things together.

I've been doing it for a lot longer.

...So? Can't you just...invite them?

You don't think that would be a little odd?

Inviting them out just to throw rocks at the water...?

...It doesn't have to be just that. Invite them out for a little trip. You guys are all on the same team, aren't you?

Just...go spend a relaxing day together.

We might be on the same team, but I think we all have different ideas of what relaxing is.

Pidge would probably rather be working on something. Keith... I could not tell you.

And despite the fact that he likely needs to relax more than any of us, I doubt Shiro grasps the concept.

...What about you?

What do you like to do to relax?

... ... ...

[The fact that she takes so long to reply is probably answer enough.]

I'm still figuring that out, I suppose. I... didn't have much time for it before I came here. Not unless you count rest and recovery.

Oh — I did have pets that I would play with. Unfortunately, they didn't arrive with me here in Avalon.

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