Vadimas Lugosi (hammerfall) wrote in olympian_rewind, @ 2011-01-16 00:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | alana kellings, hephaestus, npc, vadimas lugosi |
Who: Hephaestus/Vadimas Lugosi (with Jarella) and Alana Kellings
What: The first day of school.
Where: Stately Lugosi Maor
When: Recently
Warnings:
A chance to learn a new craft... The phrasing of the thought made Alana smirk to herself. Right, a craft. But there was hardly a better way to phrase it. And the idea did appeal to her. She'd tried to look for things that she would be interested in creating, things that could be sold, but also that she wanted to make. Hopefully it be enough to not look like a complete idiot.
Stepping up to the front door of Vadimas' address, Alana rang bell, and rested her hands in her back pockets. No matter what happened, she expected it to be an interesting experience.
It was Jarella, one of Hephaestus’ female robotic creations, that opened the door.
“Hello,” She said serenely. “Mr. Lugosi bids you welcome to his home. Please, come in.”
Alana arched her eyebrows at the greeting, then nodded and stepped within, looking about her briefly. “Thanks,” she said as she entered, then turned to the woman to see what she was expected to do.
“Would you like something to drink? Are you hungry?” Offered Jarella with the same serene expression.
The mortal considered this for a moment, then shrugged. “Just water would be fine,” she remarked.
Jarella nodded and glided out of the foyer. She returned a short while later with a bottled water and a glass containing ice cubes.
“Here you are,” Jarella said with a smile as she handed the items to Alana. “Is there anything else you require?”
Alana smiled as she took the glass and water, shifting her hold so she could pop the top. She hadn’t needed it to be bottled... She shook her head. “Naw, this is good. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Jarella said with a nod. “Are you sure you aren’t hungry? We’ve had some lovely pastries delivered, but Hephaestus refuses to eat them.” A bit of Jarella’s serenity slipped as she continued. “He’s been couped up in his workshop doing...” She paused, flustered with irritation. “...Just whatever pleases him, and he--”
“That’s enough, Jarella,” Hephaestus interrupted via unseen intercom. “I said I was sorry about before, and I have eaten some of the pastries. They were very nice, thank you.” There was a delay long enough for a sigh before Hephaestus spoke again. “Would you please show Alana to the workshop?”
“Of course, master,” Jarella responded. Calm once more, she turned to Alana. “Please, follow me. The master is waiting.”
Jarella turned and lead Alana down the stairs into Hephaestus’ main workshop. As nothing had exploded nor had any Titans recently escaped, Hephaestus workshop was once again whole, if cluttered. Hephaestus sat before his main console, apparently absorbed watching its various monitors.
Alana gained a slightly amused look at the exchange that she heard, and chuckled to herself as she poured water into her glass. She felt like the teen who’d just witnessed their friend get in trouble with their parents. She followed along easily though and sipped from her glass as they arrived at the workshop. She glanced about her again, and decided not to give out the low whistle that commonly went with impressive sights. Somehow, the clutter actually made her feel more comfortable. Who could trust a clean work room? Spotting the ‘master’, she started to walk toward him, giving a nod to Jarella in thanks.
Jarella nodded in return before moving to a corner of the workshop and busying herself straightening things up. Hephaestus tarried at his console for a few moments before finally turning to face his guest.
“Alana,” he said brightly, “Welcome to my workshop.”
Alana grinned at him as she came closer, until she could actually try to peek at what he was working on. “Hey. Looks like the way I’d do things,” she mentioned, then looked up to him. “Keepin’ busy?” she asked.
“Always,” came Hephaestus’ stock response. “I’m monitoring my Bastions of Futures in Technology, trying to put a robot on the moon, designing grapheme circuits, and, uh,” Hephaestus paused, his eyes darting briefly over to Jarella, “working on applications for metallic glass. And that’s just the most important projects.” Also, they were the ones Hephaestus felt comfortable discussing with a human. Part of his duties as a god had been concerned with judging what technologies humanity was ready for.
“But right now,” Hephaestus continued, “I am putting it aside for you. I’m glad you feel comfortable in my laboratory.” Hephaestus pronounced the word like a mad scientist from an old horror film and spread his arms to indicate the fullness of his work area. If it looked cluttered and lived in, that was only because it was. Hephaestus spent most of his time down in his workshop. The mansion above was simply a contrivance, a facade necessitated by his human identity.
She chuckled slightly at how he said the word, and turned to take in all that he was gesturing to. Well, at least as best she could. She sipped from her glass, and checked what was right next to her, before deciding against putting the glass down just yet. “Hey, clean desk is the sign of a sick mind, right?” she offered, knowing that her desk had been chaos most of the time she’d had one. “Anythin’ in here that falls into the ‘touch and die’ category?”
“There shouldn’t be,” Hephaestus responded, scanning the room. “Even though I rarely entertain, I usually keep my dangerous inventions, tools, and supplies carefully stored to prevent mishaps.” That wasn’t even taking into account the the protocols he had in place for ichor work. His family’s blood demanded nothing else.
Alana nodded, and scanned the room again, this time trying to spot things she could recognize. “Alright. So, should we get started?” she asked.
“That depends,” Hephaestus countered. “Have you given any thought to what you’d like me to teach you?” Hephaestus leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. He could teach her anything that had to do with craftsmanship, but she had to decide what she wanted to learn.
Alana shifted and made a clear spot carefully to put down the glass and bottle from her hands before leaning forward. “Well...” she started, trying to decide yet again where she did want to start, then shrugged. “How about working with some of the metals? Shapin’ and making things and the like?” She smirked, “Forging, I guess.” Hopefully her bad descriptions didn’t earn her a glare from the master himself.
Hephaestus did not glare. Instead, he burst into laughter. It was a deep, rich laugh, full of mirth and amusement, but it subsided quickly.
“A good choice,” he said at last, his laughter ebbing. “If I did not know better, I would think you were buttering me up.” Hephaestus was Lord of Forge and Fire, after all. Few acts were as close to his heart as bending metal to his will with heat and pressure.
“I don’t know what I’d cook you with,” she answered quickly, chuckling with his laughter and clear good mood. It all worked out. He would be willing to teach it, and she was, truly, interested in learning it. She shifted her weight and straightened, stretching her arms over her head before dropping them down and to her pockets once more. “Besides, I’m sure there’s better ways ta get on your good side if I needed something than attempting to fake interest in something.”
Hephaestus considered that for a moment. Given his experiences with beautiful women, it probably was the best way to get on his good side.
“If you’ve made your choice,” Hephaestus began, a smile still on his face, “are you ready to get to work?” The forge was not something that could be solely taught. It had to be experienced hands on.
Which was good, since Alana was generally a hands on kind of learner. “That’s why I’m here,” she grinned. “Ready to start when you are.”
“Then follow me,” Hephaestus said without hesitation. He stood and walked from his console to a set of double door in a far corner of his laboratory. Outside the door were racks of various metals in ingot form. Stacked on the rack were metals from the basic, iron, steel, and aluminum, to the extravagant, gold, silver, and titanium, to the dangerous, lead. Hephaestus picked up a bar of iron about an inch thick and a yard long from the rack before opening the doors. The doors opened onto a short hallway.
“This leads to my personal small crafts forge,” he explained. “I use it for detail work and for delicate projects.” The last thing he had made with it had been Zeus’ (unused) replacement brain. The thought was a somber one for Hephaestus, but he pushed it aside. “It should be perfect for your first lesson.” He lead Alana down the hallway and through another set of double doors. These were heavy, solid doors, capable of keeping in any heat generated within the forge room.
The forge room itself was a small room, sparsely furnished. In truth, it held only an anvil, the forge, and a few cooling racks. Along the wall were series of traditional, and not so traditional, smithing tools. Hephaestus pulled down a pair of long tongs and a long hafted hammer from the wall.
“Here, take these,” Hephaestus said, passing the tools to Alana. “You’ll also need..” Hephaestus paused. There was no protective equipment in the room, as he needed none.
“Here you are, Alana,” said Jarella. She had silently slipped into the room after them. She held a leather apron, mask, gloves, and the other protective items Alana needed.
“Thank you, Jarella,” Hephaestus said with relief. Despite her annoyance at him, Hephaestus knew he could always count on his girls to assist him when needed.
Alana started to take the items from him, then handed them back as she reached for the protective gear. She made a face briefly at it, hating that she had to, even as she knew that it really was the only choice. Just like in chem lab... Quickly as possibly, she fitted herself into the gear, then reached to take the equipment back. She lifted it, feeling the weight, and realized between the equipment and gear and work she was likely to be doing, she’d be feeling this the next day. Not that she was about to complain. She struck a pose once she was ready, then grinned to him. “Alright, master of the forge. What do I need to do?”
Hephaestus noted her grimace as she put on the protective gear. It had been so long since he had worn any that he had forgotten how cumbersome it could be. Perhaps next time he would have something less awkward for her, but for now she would simply have to tough it out.
“All you need do today is get a feel for the work.” Hephaestus said seriously. “Place the metal on the anvil. Strike it with the hammer. Try heating the metal then strike it again. Feel how the hammer bites into the metal when you strike it. Try any combination of heat and pressure that you can think of.” Hephaestus leaned up against the wall. “I will be here to make sure you don’t accidentally do anything dangerous. If you have questions, I will answer them, but for now, I want you to simply focus on what it feels like to work with metal.”
Once Alana had developed that feel, Hephaestus would begin his actual lessons. Before then, he considered it pointless to try. Alana needed to be heated with the fire of experience before Hephaestus could properly shape her into a master smith.
The mortal raised her eyebrows at the instructions, and looked to the metal in question, then back to the god. She considered for a moment, before shifting in the protective gear and taking a look at the tools she had in hand. She lifted the hammer and pointed it to him. “No laughing,” she remarked, realizing she’d probably look like an idiot until she had some form of an idea what was going on. When she looked away though, she gave a simple shrug of the shoulders, and set to the task given her, with more than a bit of curiosity.
Summary:
Alana comes to see Hephaestus to finally start her studies with the forge lord. After chatting with Jarella, Alana is lead down to meet with Hephaestus. After making her choice to be a smith, Alana’s training begins!