"So, shouldn't we be getting to it?" Lucia's question had my hormones quite ready to answer before my rational brain realized she was referring to the forging. Her flirty smile perked up seeming to be truly enjoying teasing me with the constant innuendo and double entendre. Like she was daring me to push past reason and just take a leap. To walk over and grab her and pull her in as I kissed her deeply. My mind rapidly filling in the blanks of what happened next. Apparently, it involved a tour of many of the surfaces of my forge and shop. The idea was almost too good to pass up, but something was still prickling at the edge of my thoughts.
"Of course." I stepped up to the forge and pumped the small bellows a pair of times. The enchanted coals sprang to life radiating heat. It was one of the many shortcuts you get to enjoy when being an enchanter. The coal was quite commonly mined and sold by many an enterprising dwarf or in shadier circles goblins. It lasted for years and with minimal energy produced a very pure and consistent heat. The one other magical accompaniment I had in my forge was a series of wards along all the walls. Invisible to the naked eye they dispelled heat at an alarming rate. While the forge room was still quite warm once I began working, they kept it bearable. They also prevented any major catastrophes. When dealing with powerful magical energies repeatedly focused onto a single item it was not unheard of for things to get very explodey.
I turned the mithril after a moment letting the heat absorb into it. Possible conversation topics rattling around my skull. Having Lucia here a few feet away was very distracting. My work and my hosting skills don't go hand in hand. Normally when I am focused on my work, I will overlook things like phone calls, food, sleep. Instead here I am trying to prioritize small talk.
"Do you work primarily as a go-between for your boss?" I finally manage to ask.
"I do a number of duties for my mis...er, patron." That's not the first time she has had to correct herself I silently notice. "I do much of the required pick up and delivery for the business. As well as making sure any potential new business connections are enticed to perform optimally." Her eyes dipped seductively at the word 'perform' sending an electric shock up my spine.
"You must enjoy what you do. Pays the bills eh?" Where was I going with this? Pretty sure she is flirting, and I ask how's business? God, I need to get out more.
"I, ah... can't complain." Her eyes look down a moment confused. Good job Collin, even she can't figure out how you can be this obtuse.
Frustrated with my inaptitude at wooing the gorgeous creature across from me I pull the hot metal from the forge with my tongs and move it to my anvil. "Do you like music?" I ask. Not waiting for a reply before pulling my phone out and syncing it to the Bluetooth speaker I have on a shelf. Ace of Base is still queued up and in seconds "All that She Wants" is playing. A stroke of luck, as it might be the most seductive song I have on my playlist. A smile returns to Lucia's face as she starts swaying to the beat.
Taking that as a good sign I pick up my hammer and start to strike the metal. The first couple blows center me as I connect to the rhythm. Then I start layering enchantment down into the mithril. I wish I could say outwardly it did something cool like sparks flying or glowing ominously, but anyone watching would attest it looked like any other blacksmith or farrier. Through my eyes though I could see it building a lattice of energies. Each strike of the hammer crisscrossing them, overlapping them, pushing them deeper. It is one of the few things I truly excel at magically. I am by no means a powerful practitioner of any sort. While other mages and wizards can level city blocks with a snap of their fingers my abilities are all but imperceptible, but that is the beauty of enchanting. Seeing all these finite tiny layers of energy weaving and overlapping eventually come together to create a cohesive whole. The entire time infusing my will into the enchantment. Ownership, control, warding. Each layer adding another element to its purpose.
I blinked realizing the mithril was already mostly to shape. Damn, that was quick. I tended to get into an almost trancelike zone when I was working. Twenty minutes had flashed past in a blur of heat, beat, repeat. I wiped a sheen of sweat from my forehead as I looked over to see Lucia staring intently at me lost in a trance of her own. Catching my eyes on her she blushed slightly as she gently pulled at the collar of her shirt. Maybe the wards needed recasting as it was feeling awfully warm in here.
"That was amazing." She said sounding slightly awestruck. Here I was worried she would be bored. "The way you work, it's like you become another person. Confident, in charge, molding the metal, guiding it, correcting it when it doesn't do what you want. Bending it to your will." Her fingers stroked along her neck. An unconscious gesture that for an instant looked like she was reminiscing about something else being placed there.
"I suppose that's one way you can look at it." I chuckle. It was kind of nice having someone show that level of appreciation for all my nuanced hard work. "I was mostly hoping my arms looked good and muscly as I was swinging the hammer."
"So muscly!" She affirmed with a giant grin. "Is it done?" she asked getting off my desk and walking over to take a closer look.
"Not quite, I still need to get all the dimensions dialed in a bit, temper it, then a lot of fit and finish. Pretty sure we don't want any rough edges on one of these."
