ostro_goth | OOM: Taking Sameth to Gotland again

"My Adalgoth!" Teja says, walking towards his friend. "I brought some of the things I make, so I may show them to Aligern, if he is here already?"

Adalgoth gets dripped on from the roof of the little building; he steps out into the momentarily rain-free open, to take some of the metal from Teja.

"He is," he says. "In the forge, with Wachis, speaking of old times. We already told him, and he remembers the night when we were drunk, of course."

"There is nothing of course about it," Teja replies. "You were both very drunk. But it is good to know. This is Sameth, who sometimes works in the forge with me; he came to help me carry these."

"Greetings, Sameth," Adalgoth says, seeming oddly relieved. "You did not bring an anvil as well, one would hope?"

As they seem to have brought everything else.

"No, we couldn't carry one. If there's not enough space, we can always take things back,"

Adalgoth's smile makes Sam feel more sure and he returns the smile.

"There is enough space," Adalgoth says, "it is just that you seem quite laden. And I was joking -- you might not realise, knowing only Teja, but Goths can make jokes if they feel like it."

Teja gives a little snort. "Be glad that I am so laden, or I would poke you in the side for this!"

"I am merely telling the honest truth, like an honest Goth," Adalgoth says, making an innocent face.

"I've seen Teja make jokes or at least laugh,"

It doesn't happen often but sometimes.

"Teja's jokes are mostly so dry and quiet, one needs a warning sign saying 'Attention, a joke will now follow!' to catch one," Adalgoth says, grinning. "but they do happen, yes."

He leads the way towards another outbuilding, this one a little further apart from the main house. Smoke is coming from the opening in the roof.

"I've found I can make him grin though that's not always on purpose,"

Sam knows that sometimes Teja thinks he's foolish but in a nicer way than Mogget does.

"I was ever proud of every smile I wrung from him," Adalgoth says, opening the door to the forge.

"He came!" he announces. "And he brought many work-pieces, his cat, and his apprentice!"

Being called Teja's apprentice makes Sam blush and he looks around the forge to hide it.

He knows that's in someways what he is but he hasn't heard it that much.

"I said they might be rude," Teja says, very quietly, as he steps inside the forge behind Sameth.

By the forge-fire, two men are sitting, with clay cups in their hands. One of them is Wachis -- big, rough, grizzled, quiet and friendly. Sameth would have seen him among the sleeping people, during their first visit.

The other is Aligern, and he looks very much like Teja -- not quite as tall, and not quite as dark-haired and pale, but older, with much grey in his dark brown hair. He has lived more than ten years since Teja's death, and he was older to begin with.

When he gets up, he moves somewhat lopsidedly, as if from an old wound.

"It is indeed you, cousin," he says to Teja. "Had I not remembered your other visit to advise us, I would have thought that Adalgoth's feelings, and his imagination, had got the better of him."

Pause.

"And you apprentice. Greetings!"

"I don't mind. I just have to get used to being your apprentice,"

He says before they enter the forge and then nods at the two men,

"I'm Sameth and its a pleasure to meet you."

"Greetings, Aligern," Teja says; he puts down the last things that he is carrying and goes to embrace his cousin.

Count jumps off his shoulder and starts exploring the forge.

"Would you like some mulled cider, Sameth?" Wachis asks.

Sam sets down what he's carrying,

"Yes, thank you."

Wachis pours mulled cider for both Teja and Sameth, and hands them over.

Teja draws a sword -- a Japanese katana -- and politely offers it to Aligern to look at.

Aligern runs his finger over the blade, and gives a grunt.

He looks for a place to sit and ends up leaning against the wall while also looking over the katana.

Adalgoth pours his own drink, and cranes his neck as well.

"Those are each another layer of metal?" Aligern is asking, admiring the fine moiré pattern on the blade.

Teja nods, and picks up the billet he has brought, and starts to explain to Aligern about folding the metal.

As they talk, Sam looks around the forge to get a sense of the sort of projects that are worked on.

There are scythes and sickles to be sharpened, as well as a pot with a burned bottom, a bucket with one ring broken and the staves rattling half-loose, and some arrow-heads in the process of being made.

It reminds him of the forge at Belisaere just smaller and smiles as he considers the projects and how useful everything is.

"Liuta keeps nagging about that bucket," Wachis says. "Swords are good and honourable, but buckets are much more useful at peace-time."

"What happened to it?"

That seems like implicit permission so Sam examines the bucket to see if there's an easy fix.

"My daughter happened to it," Wachis shrugs. "Got chicken innards on her favourite apron, soaked it over night, and it froze. But she wanted her apron, so went at it with a pickaxe rather than ask anybody. Said she didn't want us to poke fun at her. Silly girl!"

Sam laughs, "Well, she did a good job at it. I wouldn't want to have to face her."

Wachis chuckles.

"Scariest twelve-year-old ever," he declares. "Stubborn as Hel."

"Did her apron end up in one piece?"

"Did, at that," Wachis says. "She hacked off the bucket, then the ice, and then thawed out the apron in a bowl by the fire."

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