At Arms Length [Rayne/Private]

The tedious need to tidy up after a mining trip was more of a drag than she had ever let on, but the fact she didn't appear as though she slept in her own furnace at the end of the night and covered in charcoal ash and unrefined ores was something some customers had seemed to appreciate. Humans were weird --but at least their money was good. What mattered more to her on her own was that she make sure she considered alternatives aside from just simple weapons and some armors in order for her to pay her bills. Instead, she took the time to learn and master a myriad of things from magical instruments, runes, and etching works to whole limbs and base "joint" sockets that could connect from the body to ensure it wasn't flimsy in any way. It was important to make sure in any of these that one has ample flexibility along with the ability to be impacted with force to which could exceed hundreds of pounds of force and still function. It was a tough and arduous task, but the fun was in the true challenge to craft it. It helped to learn these when more combat hungry Oni's and other races of beings would lose their limbs and need replacements, coming to them for the replacements. Of course, that was to stem to the fact they made money for sure, but never the less the fun was in the challenge rather than the funds asked.

Once fitted into a more casual attire, Seraphim had begun to move her way to the front of the shop before she got to her morning routines. She knew she had yet to set up her normal couple signs of fake courtesy, but new customers liked to feel welcome, so why not impress them a little bit? The Blacksmith rounded the corner, one hand grasping her long locks of hair up to back of her head while the other had pulled it out from the inside of her clothes. Her lips pressed on the red ribbon that she'd use around the pulled back hair to keep it out of her face until she lost her interest in keeping it back. She hadn't really taken much notice at first to a person having already entered as her washing up distracted her from the noise she made in coming in, but once she got up enough to be seen, she paused. Her eyes leered over in a casual fashion for the Oni, but one could perceive it to be a mild bit of intimidation considering her height as well.

With her free hand, she took her ribbon from the lips pinching it in place and then began to tie it around her hair tightly while still not one word ushered from her lips. Her eyes took their time to look over the teenage human whom sat in her chair, quietly awaiting a turn or perhaps to offer something to her? It was hard to tell, but she was sure most species of beings were asleep this early in the morning... then again a good chunk of Oni's would be passed out drunk still at this time, so there wasn't really much room to talk. "Morning, kiddo." She greeted... in her own special way. Unaware she was a potential customer, she seemed to think she was someone just here to either "spread the good word of the lord" or a little girl scout. Though... the former won't ever happen again. She taught them a thing or two the last time they showed up on her only day off. "If you're offering to sell me some treats for a fund raiser or some shit, the door's right there. But if you need something made or repaired, I'm all ears." Leaning against the counter, she had both forearms pressed onto the counter, hunched slightly over while she waited patiently to hear from the quiet girl. She had the time since the furnace would take some time to fully heat up.

made by Wolf of GS

The prim snd proper appearance to the blonde guest whom snuck into her place of business rather quietly seemed to be very patient, even through the way she had acted. It was nothing towards her directly, but she wasn’t a charity and how she was raised fought against a side of her that should at least throw a couple just to get them out. But she knew how that would end. Like feeding a flock of birds or a stray animal. Feed it once, and it comes back again and again, eventually wanting more than just a small bit. Still, when she first had answered her, Sera seemed to be a little surprised by the way she was comprising herself despite the things that were going on. Just looking at the girl showed something had been worrying her at least a little, no matter how hard her composure and stature tried to hide it. Nodding lightly, the Oni sighed and leaned her body against her counter, looking onto the girl.

So if she hadn’t been here for charity or whatever, she had to be a customer. What caught her off guard and kept her from answering was the mention that the basket was for her as a mere gesture of kindness. The look of surprise on the Blacksmith’s face was as obvious as the lack of proper manners she had. ”O-Oh, thanks.” Words jumbled around in her mind, unable to come out the right way. She wasn’t used to this ease of kindness or generosity, so her cheeks could only show it off for her as they were flushed a light shade of pink. ”Sorry about before. I ted to get people who think I’m interested in their religious stories and that I can afford to throw to charities I don’t know are even real ones, but I digress.”

With the basket placed on the counter now, the blonde girl had come to reveal the true nature to her coming over to the shop so early. As her gloved hand was removed, it revealed a metallic shaped hand, which caused the Oni to yet again be surprised, but not as much as before. Her eyes looked it over intently and with a huge intrigue even as she demonstrated the issue with it. The sound made her smirk a little as her head nodded slowly. ”What it sounds like to me is that there’s something in the mechanical joints that’s either loose or broken, which is causing it to malefaction like this.” She deduced, taking her hand gently and guiding it over to be closer to her face for a moment. ”My oh my. The detail in this is enough to make any auto mail worker orgasm. It’s very very well made.” Looking up after her comment, she blinked and then chuckled a little. ”Sorry, couple hundred years around the same personalities tends to cloud proper business sometimes. Anyway, why don’t you come around the counter and take a seat on that bench by the furnace. Keep yourself warm and I’ll be right over. I may need you to take your shirt off, but that’s only if your entire arm is the same. I won’t just fix that, I have to make sure if any more is displaced because of any and all use of your hand in this state.” As the blonde girl would make her way around, Sera would lock the door to keep strangers from making their way in. This required patience and focus and being so early, it wouldn’t be so bad for her to just keep locked for a little while. ”By the way, my name is Seraphim Koyoko. Mind if I got your name and if you happened to attend the academy?” She yelled over from the door, giving the girl a moment before she realized that her hand might complicate things. ”Also, if you need help, lemme know!”

made by Wolf of GS

The silver haired Oni took her time to move back to the girl. She deserved a bit of privacy in having to get her clothes off, not to mention the handicap of the inefficient arm she had to use. There was no doubt her pride felt a bit hurt, but she met many people over her lifetime that told her stories and gave her wisdom that she could spread to this fragile blonde that sat in her shop. Her composure was beyond human though. The way she held herself was a little more emotionless, but the lack of faith she held in herself was apparent as well. Few soldiers she’d mended equipment for were worse than her, a couple with ptsd included, but it showed absent from this girl thankfully. Though her goal was not to judge her, her mind could only think to do so. She reminded the Blacksmith of herself when she was a small apprentice; astute, aware, in line. Warrior properties for sure, but nothing that she had seemed to see this girl to be the same for yet.

As she stepped back behind her counter, her eyes laid on the girl’s condition. Of course, it didn’t phase her on an outer level to what it looked like, but inside she was in a slight of awe. It was when she got closer that she noticed that the girls scarred arms connected to the metallic limbs were heavily scarred and nearly ragged in appearance. A hand reached over and she placed her hand gently onto the shoulder, slowly moving down until the tips of her digits gingerly went over the scarring. She spoke not one word, hoping it caused her no pain to do so, but should she flinch or make a noise, her hand would yank back from her. ”Were these from your surgery to have the bases added? Or leftover scarring from how you lost them?” She asked curiously. It wasn’t much like her to make too much small talk, but she seemed like a good person beneath the mask she wore over her face. With her free hand, she placed a muffin into the still fully functional hand and then pulled a stool over with a foot before taking a seat. ”Eat. It IS going to take a little time, and a young girl like yourself needs the nutrition.”

Seraphim took her hand and pulled it up, moving over a small counter roughly 8 inches wide, able to hold the weight and girth of many different arms and then setting the arm to work on, on it. ”I’ve always been more used to the idea men had these on them, but whomever made this for you really fit it well to your figure.” She noted, her digits again slowly making their touch up the arm, this time stopping at the base of the connection and then moving down. She took her time to feel about every little point in every direction on Rose’s arm before she looked into the source of her reason to come by. ”Good news is the only thing that needs looking into is the hand itself. I’m not about to rip the arm apart to search for an issue, but you’re more than welcome to come by again if an issue comes up with this arm as a result of the joints themselves.” Advising her customer of the possible issues, she moved the counter to get her focus onto the hand she came for.

”If you don’t mind me asking...” She started off abruptly as she began to gather a few screws and a couple replacement joint pieces. ”Do you find it shameful to have these? Men are prideful in these, but- And please correct me if I’m wrong, but women tend to think it takes away from their beauty. But your need to study makes me think you carry yourself differently than before.” She removed the first piece and began to lightly jostle the tools around to pry the piece loose. ”You seem to me like a former soldier of some kind from how you sit and respond naturally, but it’s just us right now. If you want to have someone to talk to, a person with scars of their own is always the greatest support to lean on.” Her attention never turned to the blonde, keeping her work to the hand before her, but she paid her attention to any reply she might have given.

made by Wolf of GS

There was a small conflicting sense of surprise and expectation when it came to the reaction that the Oni’s customer had given to her. Sure, the girl had been through a lot, so the idea of a faint touch wouldn’t be too much, but her presumptions of how long ago and how tender the scars or the mentality of the girl at the time was had been very bleak. She didn’t really think it over before she went in, so when it had come time to expect a freak reaction, she was a bit surprised how calm she was. In the same moment, to have her this calm only made her job that much easier that she wouldn’t be freaking out over the littlest thing either.

As her current customer explained to the best of her comfort on the details of her scarring, Sera’s head only nodded slightly as her tools worked their magic inside to fix up her hand, not wanting to seem like she wasn’t paying attention, but she didn’t want to take her eyes away from her work and end up forgetting somehow where she left off. She knew the blonde student would know why she didn’t give an answer right away to her starting, but it didn’t take too much time before she finished up the work on the replacement joints and patched up the rest. Taking a small cloth, she wrapped it around her index finger and slowly rubbed around the newly placed joint and around it, trying to make sure nothing was left inside that could ruin the replaced work. ”Usually, I believe that could take a couple months in order to get there, but I suppose that depends on the surroundings and those replacing and working on it. Still, the work done to yours is among the best I’ve ever seen. I feel honored to be able to work on one of these.” The Blacksmith commented, placing the cloth used aside and then brushing the tiny crumbs from the lap of the customer seated in front of her. ”Go ahead and give it a try. If it feels any more awkward or if it’s even better than before, I’ll be happy to tune up the other arm for you without any issues.”

Giving a big grin of joy as she would watch the girl trying it out, her questions from before would start to unravel the kind of girl that Rose really was. She couldn’t be blamed for feeling this way, but to Seraphim, she was beating herself up way too much and the cheerful grin slowly came to a grinding halt. ”Beauty isn’t just how you look as if you’re trying to impress someone else. To me, personally, beauty is just how you feel comfortable in. Like I get dirty every single day from working in here, but you’ll never see me on my day off not dressed up in some way that I like, ya know?” She tilted her head, smiling lightly before her hands took the newly repaired hand between them.

She waited just a moment before she continued. She wanted her words to sink in so that it was clear that she was being serious about what she had told her. ”Listen. What happened to you and these arms has nothing to do with being defeated. You’re never defeated until you’re dead.” Her grip would tighten, her eyes locked in on Rose’s to keep her from trying to keep her from finishing her little speech. ”You’re braver than most people I have met. Not only have you fought for what you believe in, you want to go back no matter what gets in you’re way. That’s honor and respect that true soldiers like yourself could never deny you. If your family and your army were truly honorable, they’d welcome you back and work with you to get you ready for combat, for whatever it was you left for. Your ambitions I can tell are both commendable and probably the most influential among newer and older soldiers.” Finally, the Oni released her grip on the artificial limb and then stood up from her seat, walking herself over and taking a muffin in hand. ”Let me tell you how I know you’re not going down a far- Umm.. fuck, I can’t remember the word I was looking for, so hopeless I guess will work. Anyway, I’m not the sharpest top on the shed, I’ll admit. I’m an Oni, and frankly if you think I’m young, you’d be mistaken.”

Seraphim bit into her muffin, making sudden near moaning sounds from the taste of the breakfast she was munching on. ”Thesh are sho fuckin’ good.” She commented with food still stuffed in her mouth, swallowing it and laughing aloud for a moment. ”Anyway, I’m over 300 years old, and I spent half of that learning the BASICS of being a Blacksmith. I’ve suffered through an equivalency of being beaten like a slave to learn, working nearly days to a week on end until it was right for over a century and a half so I could do what I loved. If anyone could tell you that you’re dream of returning to the service was supported, take a look around you. I can’t guarantee that works out for everyone, but as long as you don’t give up, I believe you’ll make it.” With a great smile, she opened her mouth again, but this time to consume the muffin in hand and giggling like a small child at how much she seemed to be enjoying the taste.

made by Wolf of GS