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Realms: Bough Logs

Prelude, Third Theme

It's fairly late in the evening in Stanton. The night watch has just been set, people are settling into their homes to sleep for the evening, livestock has been secured in the barns and corrals, and a few of the handlers are keeping their own watch for asdrin swarms sweeping in to the livestock. It's Jareth's cousin's turn in tending the goat herd up on the mountainside, so Jareth is in the village this evening, with any trouble for the elders that might imply.

For his part, Norris is in the smithy -- still -- working on one last set of shoes that the blacksmith is having him make. The smith is going to evaluate them in the morning, but in the meantime, he wanted Norris to make a couple of sets of horseshoes for practice.

Norris is, as always, focused. Repitition helps the learning process. Fortunately, the smith tends to be a good distance from the villager's homes, meaning that he's not keeping people up with the clang of hammer against metal as he works the metal into shape. No one can ever accuse him of laxity...he works till he gets it right.

Jareth comes into the smithy at something more than an amble but less than a dead run. His hair is a bit more tousled than normal and the color is high in his face as if he's had a bit of exercise just recently. His voice is cheerful, "Norris! You're up! How very fortunate." He tugs his knife out of his belt pouch, smiling sheepishly, "I need a spot of help."

The knife's blade is broken near the cross-piece. It's snapped clean off.

Norris looks up from his work, and smiles at he sees who it is. "Hey, Jareth, what're you..." he blinks as he sees the broken blade. "Well...golly there, Jareth. You got a bad break there." he points out intelligently. He puts down his hammer, ambling over to take the blade and hilt from the goatherder. "That's gonna be tough ta fix." he drawls.

Jareth winces, even though he was fairly certain that was what Norris was going to say, "Tough but doable? Or so touch I might as well get a new knife?" He's being fairly casual about it, but keeps glancing over his shoulder.

The goatherd has always been friendly to Norris. He may have teased the slightly slow blacksmith's apprentice from time to time, but there has never been any malice in it and seemed more aimed at making Norris smile than anything else.

Norris gestures to Jareth to come over to his work table. "Well, this'n good metal, here. If th' break weren't so close to the hilt, be a lot easier." he explains as he eyeballs the two pieces of Jareth's old work knife. "Ah'd have't remove the remaining metal from the hilt t' reforge it, an that'd take time, see. Also, cost more'n a clean break. Not like I'm sayin yer not good for it, see." He claps Jareth on the back, with a friendly strength that makes the other boy stumble. "on t' other hand, can reuse t' metal of yer old blade fer sommat else, put you some credit towards a new one...problem is, that likely cost more than a reforge. So it depends ifn' ya need th' blade sooner r' later, see?"

Jareth follows Norris to the work table, still glancing over his shoulder from time to time. He seems to be calculating something in his head, "How long are we talking for reforging?" Money isn't exactly how Jareth gets paid for his job, and he's not sure what good he'd be to a strapping lad like Norris.

Norris smiles apologetically. "Well, ifn I didna have other work, c'd have it in a day r'less. But th' master be testing me on shoeing t'morrow, which is why ah was in the forge, yeah. The master th' one gives me mah workload - enny side jobs ah have to take in mah spare time. Take better part of three days, ah spect."

Jareth seems more nervous than normal and he paces back and forth a few steps as he thinks. He pauses and says, "How much would it cost to get a brand new knife?" He could offer Norris part of one of the goats he gets as part of his payment for herding them.

Norris scratches his chin. "Master's th' one that sets trade value...on account ah got no head fer figures. But ah spect from what ah heers that wunna your flock might be enough to cover...master work, too, not mah clumsy craftings." And then finally seems to notice that Jared is antsy. "We're inna village, Jareth. Aint gotta worreh bout no monsters coming in...or iffn we do, th' watch is out t' protect us." he assures the smaller, handsome boy.

Jareth laughs and pats Norris on the shoulder, "Oh, the only monster I'm worried about is Arlen. I broke my knife on the loft window of his house." He rubs his chin as he thinks over the price of a new knife. "What if I asked you to forge it for me? For practice? As a friend? What would you want for that?"

Norris ohs at Jareth's comment. His brow knits, as he tries to suss out why the other boy would be in Arlen's house, much less break a knife on it. He was about to ask, when he gets distracted by Jareth's new query. His brow raises as he's sold on this new idea, and he seems a little puffed up by Jareth putting it on this new level. While Norris doesn't have a specific admiration for him like he did for Mikal, Jareth does have that talent for making the bigger boy smile. "Well...iffn ya want me t' help yew out...as a friend. Then mebbe yew c'n help me out likewise?" he suggests.

Jareth smiles warmly, squeezing Norris' bicep in a friendly way, "I'd be happy to. What could I help you with?"

Norris smiles his trademark goofy smile, a little self-conscious what with the bicep squeezing. "Master's been talking, see, about the village need'n young people t' take up th' reins o' th' current crop o' monster warders...annat he'd be nominatin me for the learnin', cept I don't know much about t' wild, cept not to go out innit. An you're this..." he makes a large gesture. "Yew know howter take care yerself good, what with havn't t' protect yer flock, be away from th' village for long periods while yer flock grazes. Ah want to serprise master, show him I can learn good, that I can but mah strength t' use protectin peoples. So ah was thinkn...mebbe I could learns from yew, eh?"

Jareth blinks a little and then his face breaks out in his sunniest, happiest grin, "Of course! Of course I'd help you with that, Norris! Be happy to. Gets lonely out there anyway. The goats are very nice and they always listen. But I like having people around." He's glancing toward the door of the smithy still.

Norris is a very happy young man. While folks aren't inclined to cross him, or make fun of him, making friends is a very different story. And it makes him feel good that they could bond over this. That said, Jareth's nervousness reminds him that there's somethnig else going on. "Jareth...does Arlen know yew wuz in his house?" he queries gently. Not making any judgements, and not actually asking what he was doing there, but...

Jareth chuckles a little, "Well... yes, he does. He does indeed know I was in his house. He wasn't real happy with me being there, which is how I came to break my blade." He sighs regretfully, "I wasn't really doing anything wrong, you know. Just having some fun. Not hurting anyone. You know I wouldn't hurt anyone, Norris."

Norris groans a little, giving Jareth a nudge. He's heard the stories. "What wuz it this time, Jareth, hey? Th' hand in the warm water while he sleeps? Th' rigged bucket? r'..." His eyes open wide, then. "Wait, tell me yew wuzn't caught. Not with Kaylee."

Jareth grins, not quite a smirk. "I wouldn't say caught, exactly. I mean, I got out the window before he got to where we were. And, like I said, I wasn't hurting anything. And she asked me in! It wasn't even my idea!"

It's entirely possible Kaylee did ask him in. Several of the village girls have gotten their first kiss from the charismatic goatherd.

Norris shakes his head, flushing a little. He's slow, that doesn't mean he doesn't pay attention, or ask questions. He knows what men and women - not to meantion boys and girls - do when they're unattended, if only from hearsay. "Ah heerd that b'fore, Jareth. Yew wuz lucky th last two times a girl done 'invited yew in'. But yew knows Arlen. Might be yew should find sommat place t'be th next...month er so, iffn yew's attached t yer skin." He bites his lip. "But yew shouldn'a go nowhere's w'i out a knife." He goes over to a corner of the shop, and pulls out a blade...it's worn, but it's well cared for. "Ahm gonna loan this t' yew...cause yew's a friend. A spect it back in three days, thew, when yew come t' pick up yer fixed knife. An mebbe yew should stays away from girls wantin to invite yew anywheres. Savvee?"

Jareth looks a little injured, "But she did Norris. I wouldn't push in where I wasn't wanted. She's a very nice girl and I wouldn't want to be rude to her." He toes take the knife that's offered to him, however and the smile of gratitude lights up his whole face, "You are a real good man, Norris. Truly. Come up to my camp sometime and I'll feed you a little and tell you some stories." He pauses, "I probably shouldn't come back down here in three days, though... want to bring me my knife then and we can start your lessons?"

Norris grins right back. "See, that there somma that planning up in yer noggin. Ah kin make th' time away from the forge in three days, yew betcha." He spreads his hands. "Alla ahm sayin is yew need to use that noggin when a lovelee girl lak Kaylee wants t' be makin some tahme with that pretty face." He pauses, then, and gets this abashed expression. "Iz she a good kisser?" he queries.

Jareth listens very seriously to the earnest young apprentice. He nods, "You're probably right there, Norris. I ought to watch myself a little closer. But what fun is life if you don't take a few chances?" His serious look morphs instantly into a glowing, mischieous grin, "She kisses like angels sing, Norris. Why don't you ask her sometime? You're not a bad-looking lad."

Norris blushes like a beet. "Cause ah wouldn'a fit threw the winda, even if'n ya didn'a have mah knife." Did he just make a joke? It's hard to tell, considering how straightforward that answer was.

Joke or not, that answer makes Jareth roar with laughter and slap his friend on the shoulder, "Who says you'd have to? There are a lot of places to sneak a kiss. Beds are just the most comfortable."

Norris squirms...he is not bold enough to ask if that was all that was going on when the word 'bed' is mentioned. He knows the girls look at him sometimes, but not for the same reason they look at pretty Jareth. "Mebbe yew kin teach me how t' chat up girls, then, too." he replies shyly.

The goatherd considers that for a moment and says, "I don't know that chatting them up would be your best bet, my friend. I think you'd succeed best with something simpler. Like a bunch of flowers and asking them to step out with you of an evening. It gets you in less trouble, too."

Norris seems to seriously consider that. "Flowers. Flowers ah kin dew. Just haveta remember not ta take them inta tha forge." he murmurs, more to himself than anything. "kin you teach me where tha good flowers is?"

Jareth smiles and says, "We'll find some good flowers when you come up for your lessons."

After saying his thanks and promising to help Norris find some flowers, Jareth realizes that it might be wisest to get himself scarce. It's a real shame, since he was looking forward to having a bedfellow of some sort, but it's probably the most prudent path. He says his goodbyes and thanks Norris again for the loan of the knife. He peers out the door of the smithy before slipping off into the shadows.

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Last modified: 2008-Oct-04 19:17:18

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