maskormenacelogs | Blacksmith's Apprentice [CLOSED]

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Blacksmith's Apprentice [CLOSED]

WHO: Darin Altway

forgeabettertomorrow and Momo Yaoyorozu

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WHERE: Darin's Forge in Nonah
WHEN: Early August
WHAT: Mentor/protégé bonding
WARNINGS: none

The last few weeks had proven to be incredibly busy for Darin. After he returned to Nonah following the protests that temporarily shut down his forge, he'd thrown himself into a number of projects. The Nonah Park Project, which had found a surprising number of volunteers and support was well under way. He'd already assembled various tool sets for every volunteer looking to work on the project.

On top of that, he'd set up a verbal contract with Lucina to provide her with gear for the upcoming battles with OTO. And hopefully, in doing so, it opened the door for future orders from Lucina's teammates. If Darin wasn't a master in his craft, this might almost be too much to handle!

That said, he's been so busy, he's hardly left the forge. The sounds of hammering can be heard late into the night in the Nonah industrial complex, and all sorts of fast food bags and containers have filled the one trash can in the corner to the point of overflowing. It begs the question if Darin even takes time to go home and sleep.

At the moment, he's currently working on shaping a gleaming butterfly shield, and he's so focused he doesn't hear his apprentice enter.

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The lessened number among the Justice League members, along with cleanup operations following the event that claimed 600 civilian lives means that they have more for their interns to do, which is why Momo is running a little late getting from De Chima to Nonah today. She rushes into the forge, hair more frizzy than usual, and drops her duffel bag by the door.

"Hi Darin-san! So sorry I'm late." She calls out as she enters, though she can tell he doesn't hear her. Instead, she puts on her heavy-duty apron and moves to join him by where he's working.

"Hello. Is this the shield for that woman?"

"Oh, Momo! You're...late?"

He cranes his neck to look at the large clock on the wall.

"Holy hell, is that the time?"

He moves away from the shield, which is mostly done save for some of the detail work, and runs a hand through his blue hair.

"Yeah, This is the butterfly shield I started yesterday. I've been at it so intently I totally lost track of time. But I need to get this project done to clear up my schedule for any new orders. Then I need to get to the park site and oversee some of the volunteers."

He's talking as though he hasn't slept, which he actually hasn't. Despite the crazy workload though, he doesn't seem to be all that tired. Too bad his demeanor doesn't match the bags starting to form under his eyes.

"But forget me, you okay? You look a little ragged. Everything alright?"

"Only a few minutes," she reassures him. "Traffic at the Porter held me up." That's her excuse, instead of, 'Six hundred civilians died and the Heroes could do nothing.' But she looks as tired as Darin, and is just as loathe to admit to it.

So, instead, she focuses on the work. When in doubt, try to be productive!

"Is there anything I can help with? Getting things started, or finished up?"

Darin considers her for a second, then motions her over to his workbench.

"I want your opinion on something."

He crosses his forge to his bench where several pieces of armor are laid out, making up a full set.

"The armor I'm making for Lucina was requested to be bulletproof. Guns aren't something I have in my world, so I had to do a little research. Plate and scale mail are out since they're too heavy and would impede her speed, one of her greatest strengths. I want to keep the metal light, but in doing so, it sacrifices its ability to stop bullets. That's when I read about kevlar."

He grabs a book and opens it, showing all of the properties of kevlar.

"Do you think you can make this material? If you can, we can layer her armor; metal over chainmail, then over kevlar."

"Hm?" She follows him over to the armor, regarding the set carefully as she listens to Darin's explanation.

Momo holds her hand out to take the book, poring over the descriptions contained therein. She hums thoughtfully, and nods. "I think I could do it. It wouldn't be the first time I've made a synthetic fabric, and it seems less complex than nitinol alloy."

The idea to combine traditional armor with a kevlar weave is not something Momo would have thought of. Just goes to show how much she can learn from Darin! She smiles determinedly, handing the book back to Darin.

"How much of it do you want? I can try to create fully formed pieces, or I can just create the material and we can shape it later how we want."

"Just creating the material is more than enough. This way we can repurpose it and work with it as we see fit. Besides, having extra will give us some breathing room to run tests on its durability and we can see what other applications it might serve. As for how much? For now, just enough material to line these pieces of armor, and maybe a little extra."

Darin takes the book back and sets it on his desk.

"Are you sure you want to do this today? You look tired, Momo. Is everything okay? You're not running yourself ragged, are you?"

Darin crosses his arms over his chest and watches his apprentice. He doesn't want the poor girl exhausting himself, though he should consider taking his own advice,

Momo nods, seeing the wisdom in Darin's assessment. Better to have more fabric to work with in different ways until they find what works best.

She shakes her head adamantly, not wanting to be deemed too tired to work, to be useful. "I'll be fine. Maybe... Do you have anything to eat? To get my energy up?" She'd eaten her last protein bar this morning, and hadn't had a chance to stop by the store for more.

A gentle smile creeps across Darin's face.

"Tell you what. Leave your blacksmith's apron here. Let's go get dinner. My treat. The work will still be here after and besides, I could use a break. I've been at it for a few days now."

Naturally, Darin could keep going. His superhuman stamina kept him more than energized and he recovered far quicker than a normal man. But he wasn't about to let his young apprentice burn herself out, but nor was he going to insult her pride and determination to put her nose to the grindstone.

"And since I'm feeling so charitable today, how about you pick where we eat? Come on, there's gotta be a place you've wanted to go to or try. A café? A restaurant? Let's enjoy ourselves!"

Momo's face brightens at that. A well-deserved break from the hard work she's been putting in the past few weeks. "Oh, Darin-san. I think that's a lovely idea! There is one place in Nonah I've always wanted to try..."

Which is how they find themselves, twenty minutes later, putting their names in for a table for two at Saint Jacques, the fanciest French restaurant in all of North Carolina. There's a live string quartet playing in the corner, and everyone is wearing a suit. In fact, realizing that they're a little underdressed, Momo quickly creates a black blazer for Darin to put on and a chiffon dress for herself.

"Here. You should probably wear this."

Darin was more than willing to accommodate his precious apprentice. In fact, he'd never heard of the place (why would he?) and was more than enthused to check it out. It sounded fun!

Needless to say, the reality of the situation was very quickly settling in. Darin looked around, trying his damndest to not let the absolute uncertainty show on his face. This was not his type of establishment. And being 'underdressed' was a total understatement. He's shaken from his thoughts and thousand yard stare by Momo offering a black blazer to him. He looks at her sheepishly and slips it on, buttoning the two buttons near the bottom. It was a bit of a snug fit but, at least Darin wore it well with his broad shoulders and chest.

"Ah...thanks..."

He clears his throat and reminds himself to sound more upbeat. Momo needed this! She looked so worn out, maybe a nice meal and a good time would help her!

"So, I had no idea you liked places like this. I gotta say, you're pretty impressive. Back home, I probably would have been thrown out of a ritzy joint like this."

The maitre d' certainly doesn't seem too thrilled with Darin's boisterous personality. He calls a waiter over to escort them to their table, but before they part, Darin offers the man a smile.

"Thanks, chief!"

Momo pulls the dress on over her other outfit, and yet somehow still looks naturally refined and elegant. She smooths out her voluminous ponytail, demurely following Darin and the waiter to their table, letting the waiter pull out her chair for her before sitting down.

"Oh, my family used to go to places like this all the time. There's one on the Champs Elysées that my mother is particularly fond of; we visit it every time we go to Paris."

Though she keeps smiling, it's a touch sad as she thinks about how long it's been since she last saw her parents. She knows that, theoretically, time is frozen back home while she is here, and they probably think she is out with her school friends still, but she misses them all the same.

"If you have any questions about the menu, feel free to ask."

"I already have a ton of questions" Darin murmurs aloud as they're seated.

"I'll try and keep the dumb ones to myself. Like how I'm assuming 'Paris' is a city."

Darin seats himself and immediately has to take his attention away from the fancy napkin fold decorating a small plate, which is flanked on both sides by entirely too much silverware. Setting that intimidating sight aside, Darin picks up his menu.

Luckily, the menu conceals his face when he looks at the prices. Was this girl royalty or something?! What the hell was she doing slumming it with him in his forge?! Nonetheless, he said he would treat her and he sure as hell wasn't going to back down now. For as hard as she worked, she more than deserved it.

"You sound like you were close to your parents...how did they feel when you told them you wanted to be a professional hero?"

The concept still eluded him slightly, but he'd begun to reconcile it by comparing it to someone who wanted to be a great knight or templar. The similarities were certainly there.

Momo giggles politely at Darin's confusion. "I'm sorry, I forgot you weren't from this world for a moment. Yes, Paris is a city. The capital of France, in Europe."

She opens her menu and peruses the items on offer thoughtfully, but when Darin asks her about her parents, she looks up with another cheerful smile.

"It was never really a question, for me. Being a Pro Hero is sort of the family business." She remembers growing up with a healthy respect for her parents due to their work, however dangerous it might be. "I think they were proud that I decided to follow in their footsteps. They've only ever encouraged and supported me."

"I wonder if my father would have wanted me to be a mercenary like him..."

The thought escapes his lips as he peruses the menu, not really reading the entrées. He was so far out of his depth, at this point, he'd probably just let Momo order for the both of them and foot the bill. He trusted her judgement, after all.

"I never got to ask him. My mother died giving birth to my brother and I, and my father and my brother were both killed when I was five. Honestly, I didn't have much of a future. I was just lucky that I showed a knack for smithing, otherwise my adopted father would have had to make me enlist in the military when I turned eighteen."

He blinks and looks at the menu again.

"What's...Fwaa groys?"

Somewhere behind him, a patron is giving him a look.

Momo's giggles leave the area completely when Darin goes into his tragic backstory. She gapes, horrified by what she is hearing. How is she supposed to react to that?

"F-foie gras is fattened duck or goose liver. It's... quite buttery."

Helpful in one way, she supposes, but she's not sure whether she should comment on his tale about his family. Instead, she deliberately turns on a determined face and reaches across the small table to take Darin's hand in one of hers.

"Darin-san. Your story of hard work and courage is inspiring to hear. I am so sorry for the pain you must have gone through."

Darin pats at the air with his free hand, hoping to settle his apprentice down.

"Nah, don't...look. It's fine. It's not really inspiring, really. I just got lucky, in a sense. Trust me, if you were from my world and we grew up together? You'd probably want nothing to do with me. I'm less an inspiration and more someone who just made the best of a bad hand."

He laughs a bit sheepishly. He hadn't meant to bring down the conversation. Talking about his circumstances had all become so matter-of-fact that he'd never given them a second thought.

Still, he gives Momo's hand an appreciative squeeze.

"If anything, I'm just glad I can pass on my experiences to you. Good or bad, at least I know someone can benefit from them."

He smiles warmly and sincerely hopes she'll never have to learn about the darkest part of his story; the one thing he fears might make the pedestal she places him to crumble to ash.

"Tell you what. Why don't you order for me, since this is more your schtick? Get me something hearty. I haven't had a good meal in a few days."

The warmth of his smile is infectious and causes her to smile as well. She gives his hand one last squeeze before withdrawing to look over the menu one final time before the waiter comes over to their table.

"Yes, good evening," Momo greets the bowtied woman. "We would like two orders of duck à l'orange, with a side of roasted vegetables. For starters, the warm red beet salad. And a bottle of Pinot Noir for the table?" She glances once at Darin as though confirming whether he would like the red wine. "Yes, your house Pinot will do. And a glass of sparkling grape juice for me."

The waiter nods, memorizing their order, and withdraws to the kitchen.

"I hope you like duck," Momo says to Darin. "The orange sauce is very sweet, and pairs well with the fruity Pinot Noir."

Darin watches Momo give the order with more than a little fascination. How in the world was this girl fifteen? She was more put together than he ever has been, and he'd just turned twenty five! Hell, at fifteen, he couldn't even manage to string together a sentence to Lady Valeria when he was put in charge of her armor fitting.

He couldn't help but feel a little envious of Momo. Her powers were something he could only dream of. She had a goal of becoming a professional hero. And she was already more mature than Darin could ever hope to become. He wondered, briefly, how she would handle it if he told her his greatest secret. If she would still look up to him the way that she does.

Why does she even look up to me, anyway? Any way you slice it, she's got her act together and I'm...I don't even know what I'm doing with my life. What are my goals? My dreams? Because up until now 'Make sure you don't wipe out all life' is basically all you have. Honestly...who's the master and who's the apprentice here?

When Momo speaks to him again, he looks as though he's in a trance. Her words visibly shake him from his thoughts, and he hastily tries to regain a bit of his composure. What did she say they were having? Duck? Ducks and fruity wine? Sure.

"Oh...duck? Pft! Yeah! I love ducks! Eating them I mean, not just...I mean, it's kind of weird to say I love ducks. They're just. You know. Ducks."

A very very awkward pause.

"They quack."

Right. Moving on.

"I...sorry. I guess I'm a little out of sorts here. I mean, if I tried to walk into a place like this back home, I'd have been thrown out on my ass before I even got by the greeter guy. But you...I mean, look at you. You're amazing! Sometimes I wonder if I even have what it takes to teach you...well...anything let alone metalwork and smithing."

He laughs and takes a sip of water.

"If anything...I think I've learned more from you than you have from me."

When Darin confesses to feeling out of place, Momo is tempted to call the waiter back and cancel their order. She doesn't want to make him feel uncomfortable in anyway. But then he keeps talking about his perceived inadequacies as a teacher, and she slams her fist on the table hard enough for their silverware and water glasses to shake.

"No!! Don't you dare say that! You have acres of worldly experience-- from a world I could only dream of witnessing!"

She stands from her seat, knocking the chair back across the floor and drawing the attention of the diners around them.

"You are a worthy teacher, Darin Altway, and I wouldn't want to learn from anyone but you!"

Darin almost falls backwards with his own chair when Momo leaps to her feet. He hadn't expected such a polite girl to just...rise up like that. Needless to say, her outburst is earning them more than a few stares from the patrons.

He pats the air again, hoping to calm his apprentice down, but he's clearly holding back a laugh, self-deprecating though it may be.

"You're...heh. Geez...you're gonna make me blush here. I'm...honored that you feel that way. Really. And I really am going to continue devoting myself to your growth. I'm just..."

I'm just not what you think I am. I'm not a hero. I'm not someone who you should follow. You should be better than me. Hell, you already are better than me.

"I want what's best for you. And sometimes I don't think like I'm it. I mean, sure, there isn't a blacksmith out there with finer techniques than yours truly but...I guess what I'm saying is that...I'm afraid you think too highly of me. I'm afraid you think...that I'm something that I'm not. And letting you down...? That's the one thing I never ever want to do."

He sighs a bit, his face becoming almost uncharacteristically serious.

"I'm afraid if you knew more about me, then you wouldn't look at me the way that you do anymore. And someone like you? You deserve the very best. In every respect."

Momo doesn't deflate at all, but she does take a moment to regain her composure, pulling her chair back in and sitting down. She takes a deep breath, putting on a strong smile for Darin to reassure him.

"We entered into this partnership because we both thought we could learn from one another. You're teaching me blacksmithing techniques, and I'm teaching you modern chemistry. If there's more about you to know, I'd be glad to learn it someday. Because I trust you, Darin. I'll tell you anything about myself or my world that you want to know. And to know that you trust me enough to share things from your own world or your past with me, would be a delight and an honor."

"You're teaching me a hell of a lot more than chemistry, that's for sure. Seriously, you never cease to amaze me, Momo. You think so highly of me when your world, even this one, are full to bursting with heroes. Magnanimous people who represent something so much bigger than themselves. It's why I have no doubt in my mind you'll be a great hero."

Darin reaches down and picks up a fork (he's not sure which one, they all look like forks) and twirls in deftly in his right hand, rolling it around his worn and calloused fingers.

"I don't want to disillusion you. But your master isn't the kind of person you think he is. I'm not..."

He pauses and struggles to find the words. When they don't come, he decided on a different approach.

"Do you believe in prophecy? In fate and destiny and the idea that some people might have been born for a reason?"

Momo doesn't have an answer to that right away. But thankfully, a server comes with their wine and the first course-- a warm beet salad-- so she has a minute to compose her thoughts and decide how to answer. When they're left alone again, she picks up her salad fork and picks at her salad for a moment.

"I've never encountered any prophecies before in my life, but... Who am I to doubt what's real in someone else's world?"

Darin picks up one of his forks (it's the dessert fork, but he doesn't know the difference) and starts picking at his salad. He doesn't eat with his normal gusto, focusing more on the conversation.

He wants to pick his words carefully.

"In my world...there was a prophecy involving the twin moons that orbit our world. When they align, small red moon in front of the larger white one, it's going to form what people are calling the Demon's Eye. Supposedly, when that happens, our world is going to end, humanity and all of the other races are supposed to wiped out by Diomuhr, The Lord of all Archfiends, and his army."

He laughs as he takes another bite of his food.

"It sounds silly, right? Something out of a fairy tale or some weird folk legend. Something that most people wouldn't give a second thought, right?"

Momo's brows furrow in concern. "No, it sounds very serious! The world ending is a big deal!"

She pauses, taking a bite of her beets and reconsidering.

"That is, unless it's more of a conspiracy theory than an actual prophecy?"

"It's...not just a prophecy. Archfiends? Angels and demons...? They're...they're all real. At least on my world."

He continues to pick at his salad, but he's looking more at it than he is at his apprentice.

"Remember how I said I lost my father and brother...? It was on the same night. They were killed by an Archfiend. I have a scar on my back where I was almost cut in half diagonally. I only survived because I passed out under my father and brother's bodies."

He seems lost in thought, then suddenly shakes himself from his memories.

"I...I'm sorry. I know this isn't polite dinner conversation. There's...a point to this. But...you know, it can wait. I don't want to spoil the evening for you."

He laughs sheepishly, silently berating himself.

Idiot. Make up your mind! Either tell her, or don't! If you keep this up, she's just going to worry more about you!

Well, he's not wrong. She is worried. She's very worried. But if he wants to table the subject for now, she won't push. Brow still furrowed, still very concerned, she reaches across the table and grabs his hand.

"I do want to know. I do. But we can do this later, somewhere more private." After her outburst earlier, they have garnered the attention of their fellow restaurant goers. This will probably make the imPort tabloids.

Darin looks down at her hand on his,his eyes eventually wandering up the length of her arm until he meets her worried gaze.

What even was his goal here? Was it to worry and potentially frighten his apprentice? Someone who clearly cares about and respects him so very much? Because, if so, mission accomplished apparently.

But still, it was strange. Darin was never one to be shy about contact before. He remembered when he grabbed Momo's hand once, to encourage her, how she had seemed slightly surprised by the contact. Now, look at them.

He chuckles softly and turns his hand over to take hers in his.

"I don't know what I did to be fortunate enough to find such a good apprentice, but I'm really glad I did it. I promise...I'll tell you everything. But for now, let's enjoy our food."

He smiles, fondly and genuinely this time.

He's rubbed off on her, in more ways than are evident in a forge. He's given her confidence, and the ability to relax a little and be herself. She'd always been so uptight in school and hero training, and in many ways she still is uptight, but it's nice to have someplace to let loose, to laugh and slouch and joke and nerd out. Someone who would appreciate her even if she wasn't prim and proper all the time.

"Good." She smiles at him, reaching for the wine bottle and pouring them each a glass. She probably shouldn't but... One glass is okay, right? When that's done, she raises her glass to him in a toast.

"Bon appetit!"

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Blacksmith's Apprentice [CLOSED]

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