#and Nian doesn’t make promises lightly

[kc5rings]

Kazdel is a place of myths and legends, from the tales of its many destructions and final, lasting restoration in the wake of the War of the Shard, to the countless superstitions and urban legends that had developed over the centuries since its rebuilding.

The story of the “Blacksmith of Souls” is one such urban legend.

Sightings of a woman with hair like ash and horns like bright embers may turn up annually for a time, only for a decade or two to go by before she’s seen again. But always in the first days of a new summer, always right after the solstice.

Over the years there have been many tellings and retellings of what she does when she arrives, but the central idea is always the same.

She’s looking for something.

She makes her way through the city, tracing a path that leads from one of the ever burning soul furnaces to another until she finds what she’s searching for, signaled by lingering touch of the ring of silver adorning her neck.

Her quarry found, the Smith draws a knife and approaches the furnace. Heedless of the heat and onlookers alike she plunges the dagger along with her hand into the roaring fire of the myriad souls.

She doesn’t flinch, stranger still she smiles after a time and draws the knife out, it’s blade now wreathed in a single flame plucked from the raging inferno.

The Smith wastes no time, a forge and tools answer her call and appear wherever she stands, the fire on the blade jumping to light the forge into white hot blaze in seconds. As if the fire itself is impatient to begin.

The Smith works in tandem with her tools and the flame, melting down the blade to forge it anew. Everything that knife had done, everywhere it had traveled, every memory it carried, the Smith offered to the Flame.

She works tirelessly, fire dancing over clawed hands, guiding them like a second pair of hands placed over her own working together to draw out a new blade from molten steel.

Soon, too soon, her work is done and the flame begins to burn low. The Smith cups it in her hand and speaks softly before returning the fire to the myriad souls within the furnace

Carefully the new knife slides home in its sheathe, close to the Smiths heart, as she turns to walk the world once more. Until the day comes again, some summer in the future, that the Smith returns to find her Flame once more.

[johannstutt413]

(for nic611; continuing from this)

Not quite twenty-four hours later, and Greyy was looking at himself in his bathroom mirror, double- and triple-checking himself for any unwanted lint or other messiness. This was the first time he’d been on a date, and he wanted to look his absolute best for his shimmering star...Not that he’d call her that out loud, of course.

After deciding he’d done the best he could, the Perro clipped on the bow-tie he’d bought for the occasion and left for the Ursus dorms, tickets in his pocket and a light in his eyes. ‘Where should we eat tonight?’ He wondered as he expertly navigated the maze of corridors to his destination. ‘Siracusan food’s too messy, but it’s by far the most appropriate...Then again, maybe she wants something that reminds her of home? Or maybe...Oh! I almost passed it. Okay, Greyy, deep breath, deep breath...You get one chance to see her like this for the first time. Make it count!’

“Coming!” The chef’s voice rang out from behind the closed door after Greyy worked up the courage to knock. “No, Anna, tell her I’m on my way-”

“Hey.” Zima opened the door, a smile on her face.

Greyy froze for a moment before bowing. It just felt like the right thing to do. “G-good evening, General.”

“Evening.” She walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. “Before she gets out here, I just wanna make something absolutely clear.”

“Y-yes?” He shook a little more than usual, but held firm. This was his night with Gummy, after all.

The General simply smiled at him. “First, make sure you ask her for her actual name; Gummy’s just a codename. Second, I know you didn’t pick a scary movie, but hold her hand when it starts getting gory, even if it hurts a little when she grips your wrist like a vice. Third...Treat her to something nice, alright?” She handed him a thick stack of LMD.

“Th-thank you, General!” The Perro nodded, pocketing the money before saluting. “I p-promise to give her the b-best date of her life.”

“I believe it.”

At that moment, Gummy burst through the door, the picture of Ursan beauty despite being clearly bothered. “Sonyaaaa! Leave him alone!”

“Just making sure he knows his place.” Just before being pulled away by the chef, she whispered, “Don’t forget to kiss her when you bring her back.”

“Go away! You already have a date for tonight!” She literally flung Zima back towards the door, huffing a little as she did.

Sonya just laughed as Anna poked her head out the door. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” The General gave one last chuckle. “You two have a good night.”

“Finally! I thought she’d never leave. So, um, you said we’re going to dinner first, right?” Gummy fluffed one of her hair-meatballs, making sure she hadn’t knocked it out of place with that toss.

Greyy snapped back to reality. “Y-yeah, I think we sh-should. Um...You look amazing.”

“Oh! Thank you!” She giggled. “And you’re especially adorable tonight. I like the bow-tie.”

“Th-thanks. Um, I didn’t know where you’d want to eat, so...” He had a nervous grin glued to his face. It was hard not to at least try to smile when she was standing right there.

The chef shrugged. “Anywhere’s fine, really. I’m not high-maintenance or anything...Actually, a burger would be pretty good right about now.”

“Burgers? Okay, I know a place, then.” The Perro took her hand just like he had before. “Shall we?”

“That sounds great.” Her response was enthusiastic, but somewhat muted by the fact he’d taken her breath away. To think her timid date had no trouble holding her hand like that...It was amazing.

The joint he had in mind was close to the theatre, so they took their time there waiting for their showing to start seating. Greyy got something small - he wanted to enjoy the popcorn, after all - while Gummy got a burger the size of her head and dug in with gusto, somehow managing to keep her clothes clean despite the river of burger grease that collected. It was a bit difficult to hold a conversation with that happening, but that just gave the Perro the time he needed to work up the courage to complete the first task the General had given him.

The Ursus sighed contentedly after finishing her not-quite pound of beef, now washing it down with a cola and fries. “It’s been so long since I had a burger I didn’t cook! Thanks for taking me here, Greyy!”

“Of c-course.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, c-can I ask you something?”

“Sure, anything.” She turned her attention from the fry pile to him, albeit still chewing on an extra long one.

Watching her redoubled Greyy’s smile. “Um, I know we usually g-go by c-codenames, but Greyy really is my name, so I was w-wondering...What’s your real name?”

“I haven’t told you yet! Silly me.” The chef lightly slapped her forehead. “It’s Rada.”

“Rada...” The Perro tried it out in his head a few times after saying it the once.

She giggled. “You okay?”

“Oh, y-yeah, I’m fine! B-better than fine, really.” His face was going to be sore from all the smiling by the end of the night. “I’m j-just really happy to b-be here with you.”

“Me too! I mean, to be here with you, not to be here with me. It’s kind of hard for me not to be with me, after all. He-heh.”

Greyy nodded. “Y-yeah, I know the feeling...Um, should we go see about popcorn now?”

“Oh, yeah, the popcorn!” Another burst of energy as she stepped off her chair and wheeled around to him before stopping. “Hang on, I need to check my wallet real quick.”

“D-don’t worry, I’m p-paying tonight.” The Perro left a chunk of the money Zima’d given him on the table.

Rada’s brow furrowed. “For everything? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“N-no, it’s fine,” he assured her. “The Engineering Department p-pays me really well for my e-experience level.”

“Hmm...Alright, but next time, I’m paying, okay?” She slipped his hand into his as they headed for the exit.

He nodded. “I-if you really want to.”

“I do.” The Ursus blushed. ‘He already agreed to a next time~’

“G-good evening, ma’am. Two t-tickets for the 1840 showing of Mercy on a Razor’s Edge?”

Waai Fu, who’d volunteered to run the ticket stand on her night off, nodded as she took them from him. “You helped with the production, right? Miss Nian told me to tell you something.”

“Ooh,” Gummy gasped. “A behind-the-scenes extra?”

“Something like that. ‘A silent sky brings a show of thunder, so ready yourself before your greatest wonder.’ She says you’ll know what she means when the time comes. Enjoy the film, Mister Greyy, Miss Gummy.” And with that, she looked past them to the next pair in line.

Rada’s free hand went to her chin as they walked over to the snack stand. “What on earth did that mean?”

“I-I don’t know.” Actually, he did, but he realized the Nian was setting him up for a perfect moment, so he didn’t say anything. “D-do you want your own p-popcorn”

“Huh? Oh, no, we can share. Oooh, extra butter, though.”

The Perro nodded. “I was th-thinking the s-same thing. Excuse me, Mister Matterhorn?”

“Good evening, Mister Greyy.” The Forte winked at Gummy. “So this is the date you mentioned at lunch today. Good choice.”

“Matt!” She pouted at him.

He laughed. “You know I had to tease you a little, Gumdrop. It’s nice to see you out and about, I mean it. One extra-large with double spray?”

“Y-yes, please.” How many people were rooting for him on this date? Greyy wasn’t sure if he should be happy or scared. “Here you go.”

“And here’s your popcorn. Enjoy the movie.” Matterhorn gave the pair another wink.

Rada sighed as she steered them towards the theatre. “Sorry about that.”

“S-sorry? No, I don’t mind at all.” Greyy squeezed her hand. “It’s nice that everyone’s almost happy f-for us as I am to b-be here with you.”

“Oh, Greyy, you are such a sweetheart~ Hey, look, two seats in the central row!”

They watched the previews - several of them being films Greyy had helped on, actually, being Rhodes Island’s premier lighting specialist - and throughout most of the film, Gummy was clearly engrossed in the plot. Thanks to Click, the fight scenes looked real enough to worry the Ursus at times, but having the Perro with her kept her from flipping out. It was a compelling story of espionage, romance, and a war of ideals between two factions, neither of which were completely wrong, just missing information, while the protagonist (played by FEater, naturally) tried to rectify that knowledge gap. It was really good for an independent film, and Gummy was focused in on it from start to finish.

Unlike her date, who was anxiously waiting for the moment Nian had mentioned in her cryptic poem. See, it’d been his job to help film the fireworks festival scene, and in Click’s words, he’d “totally fucking killed it” - meaning that was his greatest wonder. There was a long enough stretch of silence ahead of it that he would have enough time to get Rada’s attention, say something cool and dramatic, and kiss her just as the fireworks went off, but only if he got it exactly-

The theatre fell quiet, and Greyy knew his moment had come. “Rada?”

“Hmm?” She turned to look at him, the light of a silent single firework reflected in her eye. “Yes, Greyy?”

“I love you.” Surprising himself by getting it right the first time, the Perro did as movies had taught him - closed his eyes, tilted his head slightly to the side, hoping she’d meet him in the middle-

-As if there was any doubt. The light from the screen and the roar of the fireworks’ exploding wowed the crowd, but a much more powerful display was going on in the theatre itself. As the movie resumed, beginning the final arc it had in store for its audience, Gummy held her forehead to Greyy’s with a warm smile on her face. “I love you, too.”

Leaving the theatre in silence looked a lot more awkward to an outsider than it was for the pair; honestly, after that, what more was there left to say? Once they were at Rada’s doorstep, however, Greyy did find some words to use.

“I, um...” Okay, it wasn’t immediate, but close enough. “I had a really g-good time tonight.”

“I did, too. You want to do this again sometime?” The chef was holding both his hands in hers, looking at him expectantly.

He grinned nervously with a sudden extra helping of blush. “Y-yeah…I would do this every d-day if I could.”

“Me, too.” She giggled. “Sorry, I just- I don’t know. I guess I’m kind of surprised, is all. I thought something would go wrong, but tonight’s been more than perfect. Does it feel that way to you?”

“I-i guess so? It’s k-kind of hard for me to tell.”

Rada cocked her head. “Really?”

“Yeah.” His eyes shone in the light above the apartment door. “Any evening with you is perfect to me.”

“Oh, Greyy~” And with that perfect opportunity, they had their second kiss of the evening-

-Captured on Istina’s phone from inside. “Oh crap, I left the flash on.”

“...Um, I need to go have a talk with them now,” Gummy explained, blushing wildly, “but are you free sometime this week for dinner here? I wanna make something special for you.”

“J-just say the word, and I’ll c-come running.” As evidenced by his tail swishing steadily back and forth behind him.

She nodded before pulling him into a great big hug. “Good. I’ll see you soon~”

“Mmhmm.” ...How long had it been since he’d gotten a hug that felt like this? “Good night, Rada.”

“Good night, Greyy. Keep on shining for me, ‘kay?” She let him go and turned to go inside.

The Perro stood there for a moment before replying, “Until I see your light again.” With that, feeling somewhat embarrassed but also proud he’d managed to say it, he dashed off to go home and cheer without disturbing the rest of Rhodes Island.

“Wow.” The General and the advisor, both in somewhat ruffled pajamas, were still by the window when the chef came in. “So, how was it?”

“Awesome, but why the hell did you take a picture of us just now?” She was a little angry, but that last line had left her beaming like a spotlight, so at this point she was more pretending to be mad than anything.

Istina shrugged. “It’s rare to catch these memories on film, and Sonya wanted to have your first kiss saved somewhere.”

“Well, joke’s on you, because that was our second kiss.” Gummy mimed flipping her hair (instead jiggling a meatball) before turning to go to her room. “I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

“You’re going to leave us hanging, just like that?” Zima didn’t get a response.

Anna shook her head as she squeezed the General’s hand. “It was rude of us to spy like that. The movie was good, though, don’t you agree?”

“When did she have her first kiss, though? We were with them from the burger shop on...” Sonya shook her head. “Whatever. Let’s go to bed; all this espionage has made me tired.”

“Agreed...They do make a cute couple.”

She nodded. “Yeah...almost as cute as us.”