Rags and Riches [DemonDays2 & Asuka_Layne]

[DemonDays2]

"I'll take that as a yes." Iago said. It had been a strange reaction though. She hated him: did she expect him to stay behind? Either that, or she was feeling something for him. But he knew that wasn't possible. She hated looking at him, and unless he made eye contact, knew she never tired to.
He looked over his shoulder as she worked. "I am truly sorry for that insult, Miss Evie. I know you've always made some top-notch stuff." he told her, and slipped out of the forge to kill some time until he would return to check on it.

[Duckin' out to do some gamin'. See ya in a bit ^^]  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie sighed and watched as he started to leave. She bit her lower lip and deliberated with herself whether or not she wanted to do something stupid and utterly idiotic of herself. She wasn't known to be predictable so she just went with her gut decision. Evie dropped the towel for a moment and dried her hand on her apron before she untied it and lifted it over her her head. She dropped it onto the chair he'd occupied a second ago and ran after him. It took her a second or two to catch up and she took him by the hand.

"It wasn't exactly a 'yes' persay...it was more of a....don't look at me because I'm probably blushing or something mad like that." Evie rolled her eyes at herself and wanted to kick something for being so forward like that. She would never, NEVER in a million years, run after Iago for anything. In fact, she would rather be locked in the dungeon than chase after the likes of him. So why now? Why the change?

Evie looked down at her hand around his and felt the familiar feeling of a blush creeping across her cheeks. Her teeth clenched together as she fought back a scream of outrage at herself for being so....so.....words could not even describe how she felt at that moment.

"Sorry...." Evie mumbled, her hand still holding onto Iago's hand for reasons beyond her comprehension.


.: Okie dokie ^^ :.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago heard some footsteps behind him, but he figured it wasn't Evie. Probably some guard rushing somewhere, or something.
Then, he was surprised by a feeling of someone's hand in his, and he heard her voice. He looked over his shoulder, extremely surprised. Evie didn't seem to be the type to run after ANY guy, let alone one she hated.
"It's nothing." he said truthfully. He looked at their hands together after she didn't let go. He would have, but the way she had taken it kind of stopped him from doing that.
"Can I ask why you're asking me to return, then?" he asked, looking back up into her eyes.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie let out with another sigh and straightened herself up. No need to let him see how flustered and speechless she was from her own actions. All she needed to do was fool him into thinking that she was cool, calm, and collected.

"Are you saying you wouldn't come back with me if I asked? Nicely even?" Evie questioned, prodding him for an answer seeing as though she had none to give of her own. She looked down at their hands again and stared blankly for a moment. Maybe she should let go? Evie wasn't sure whether or not she really wanted to or not. In the end, Evie let go. Why she did it so reluctantly was another mystery that left her puzzled and very lost.

"If you have elsewhere to go then by all means, go right on ahead. I'm not stopping you that's for sure." Evie spoke back to him, her arms crossed over her chest in a more Evie-like manner than her previous, unmentionable action.

Some of the village girls stopped and stared at Evie with Iago. She wasn't the prettiest girl in the village and many of the girls took it upon themselves to constantly remind her of that fact. They found it odd that a blacksmith girl was talking to the Prince.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago shook his head. "I would like to see you work, actually." he said truthfully. "What you do with that hammer makes me rather envious. You're quite good, Miss Evie." he complimented. He felt her hand let go of his. It was strange feeling her hand: he had always imagined it as a soft touch, but it was actually a little calloused from working in the forges.
"Would you mind leading the way?" he asked, motioning to the forge. He saw some of the other girls stop and stare, and he had to stop himself from smiling, or laughing. They thought she wasn't the prettiest, but Iago thought otherwise. He found Evie to be quite good looking, and smart. It was a pity she had no feelings toward him other than cold, hate-filled feelings.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie felt another rush of heat run into her cheeks and she quickly turned away on her heels and led the way as he'd asked her to. As stealthily as she could, Evie would look down at her hands and still feel the residual heat from Iago's hand earlier. There was something about his touch that lingered on her skin. It wasn't often she interacted that way with other men, it was just unheard of to her. As she walked along, she kept her eyes averted from the people passing by her, it was if she thought they could see her feelings written all over her face. She didn't want to give herself away...not just yet.

"So what you're saying is....you want to supervise me?" Evie questioned aloud, her voice carrying seeing as how he was behind her and all that. It sort of looked as if she was talking to herself.

Evie didn't like feeling shy...it was terrible and made her feel like a little girl again; a feeling she did not like at all. Evie wondered, how did Iago feel about her? Every once and awhile she'd catch his eye and it was as if he had to hide his smiles from her. She wondered why he acted in such a strange fashion.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago followed her back to the forge, looking around at the people watching. They must have been surprised to see him standing there, with a commoner taking his hand, and not letting go for a long moment.
"Not supervise, per se...more like, observe." he said, hurrying his pace so that he was walking alongside her.
"I just want to see how you do it. It's not every day I watch you, or any blacksmith, work. I..." he grinned sheepishly. "Have to admit, all I know is that you produce some good stuff, just not how it's done." he said.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie glanced sideways when Iago had caught up to her. They walked together, side by side now which made things even more strange and unfamiliar especially to those who passed by the pair. The Prince and a lowly blacksmith? In any kingdom, town, fiefdom or elsewhere it was unheard of. No lowly peasant and Prince fraternized with each other because they were from such different worlds. She of the working world and he of the Royal world. Neither could venture into the other without repercussions.

She kept walking ahead and noticed a flash of white from Iago. Evie turned her head to look at him and noticed that he was smiling. It was more of a grin but it was smiling anyway. Somehow, it made her smile as well, she noticed when she could feel a breeze and a cooling of her mouth. Evie was more stunned by this than anything before.

"Just don't stand too close to the forge....you'll burn all that hair right off your head!" Evie taunted, a smile spreading across her own lips. It was a blacksmith thing. Most of the other blacksmiths made fun of Evie because she was a girl...and being a girl, that meant she had hair which was supposedly easy to burn. She had yet to experience it.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago couldn't believe what he was seeing. For the first time since he'd met her, Evie's lips parted in a smile. It was small, but it was a smile. He nodded.
"Alright, I'll stand back." he said, standing behind her by a few feet, off to the side so he could watch her work. He was truly interested in how she did what she did.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie noticed Iago looking at her when she smiled and it quickly vanished, that was enough of that. If she continued, who knew what would happen next? She was starting to think she couldn't control her emotions anymore...which was a bad thing most definitely.

Evie watched as he stood back a bit, heeding her warning from earlier. Since she'd finished with the fire work, all she had to do now was polish and sharpen. She pulled the sword out of it's special leather holster and laid it down on a smooth, flat surface. She reached for a large stone and started running it all along the sword in stroking motions. She had to buff out all the uneven edges, there weren't many so it didn't take long. After a moment, she brought the sword over to a contraption and sat down on a stool positioned close to the machine. Evie set her foot on a pedal and started to step on the pedal rhythmically, sending the rock wheel spinning faster and faster. Evie touched the sword to the rock and sparks flew from the contact. Now she was sharpening it. She did this for awhile and went back to polishing the sword. Evie repeated these steps until the sword was gleaming and had a very sharp point. She inspected her work by gently running the sword over a piece of leather, it cut right through. Evie smiled and laid the sword on a soft piece of material as she etched in the Royal Family's crest.

"You can send it else where to get the hilt decorated and encrusted....I do not have precious gems at this time seeing as how we are all dirt poor and cannot afford even the basics." Evie held up the sword and checked it for balance. It was just as perfect as her other creations. She held out the sword, holding it by the tip of the blade as she presented the finished product to Iago, her head bowed slightly in respect.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago watched her work, sincerely impressed. Hard to believe that she could make something this impressive out of a simple piece of steel.
"Thank you, Miss Evie." he said, taking the hilt from her with a smile. He stood back a ways and held it out, giving it a few slow swings with one hand, then switching to two and trying it again. He laughed softly, holding it up and observing himself in the reflection.
"You are a lifesaver, Miss Evie." he said sincerely. He was armed again: it felt good to have a sword in his hand. He lowered it, and looked into her eyes, as he usually tried to do.
"How much do my parents usually pay you, for swords like this?" he asked, genuinely curious.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie smiled, happy that her work pleased him...actually, she was happy if her work pleased any of her customers in general. Sure she was a bit fiery and didn't like other people that much, but she still took pride in her work and it made her feel accomplished when one of her projects turned out for the better.

"That IS what I'm good at....saving lives by ending others I suppose. It's an ongoing tug of war but death is the outcome either way. I love wars." Evie said the last bit as sarcastically as she could. It was so sarcastic, it was almost tangible in the air between them. Wars were pointless things that men took part in to show off how manly they were...a waste of money and lives.

"For steel work like that? I usually receive three to four copper pieces. That MAY be a bit on the expensive side but hey...I worked extremely hard on that!" Evie crossed her arms over her chest again and looked into his eyes as he did with her. She felt that if she stared any longer...she might sink into them.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago nodded. He didn't like wars, but they were necessary. He preferred to only kill in self defence. He picked up the belt and the sheath for the sword, and belted it on, nodding to himself.
"Three or four copper, hmm?" he repeated. He looked over at her again. He knew she wasn't exactly the richest, and he knew his family shafted her daily for the work she did.
"Stay here." he said, heading quickly from the forge to the castle.
He returned a few minutes later, an object tight in his palm. "I know you hate me more than a plague, but hey, I'm still a nice enough guy, and I like being nice to others." he said, holding out his hand.
"You've done a lot to save my life. I've only repaid you by asking you to keep saving it, and my parents don't help much." he said, opening his hand. A single gold piece sat there. It wasn't much to him, but for someone who earned only a handful of copper a day, it was a fortune.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie stared at him blankly as he ran off to who knew where...probably back home. She wondered what he was doing there. In the meanwhile, she cleaned up her forge and noticed that there weren't any other pieces of iron or steel to be worked on. Was it the only project she had that day? Evie didn't want to raise her hopes, such a thing came by very rarely to her. She cleaned her hands and got rid of her smock. Evie smoothed out her dress and flipped her hair over in an attempt to fluff it up. It didn't really need it but she did it anyhow. Her pretty emerald eyes looked around and waited for customers though none came.

Evie heard feet coming and she turned to see Iago coming back. His hand was clenched around something and Evie frowned. What was it?

"It's my job to save your life....if I didn't do my job then I'd be fired and if I was fired then I'd have no money and if I had no money then--" Evie's sentence died on her tongue when she saw his open palm. On it sat a gold piece, her eyes widened. Evie had never seen one before. She shook her head however and reached out to close his hand back over the gold piece.

"Three copper pieces will suffice as it always has." Evie retorted.
 

[DemonDays2]

"For the sword, yes." Iago said with a bit of a wry grin. "But there should be enough there to pay for...the chainmail, my armour, and my rapier, as well as all the repairs you've had to do, among many other things." he said with a soft laugh.
"Take it. I know my family doesn't pay much, and I feel horrible for that. So take it...it's from me, not from my family." he said with the grin turning to a true smile. He opened his hand again, looking into her eyes.