The Blacksmith and the Apothecary

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce a nodded a little and remained still while Tony measured, hoping for it to be as accurate as possible. He didn't want to hinder the blacksmith in a task that Bruce knew he wanted no part of as if were. "Makes sense, I suppose," he mused softly, his eyes never leaving his wrists.

Edited January 28, 2014 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony found himself wanting to linger and study Bruce's hands to see the lines of experience they held, but let go as soon as he was finished. "Well, I don't know that you'll be very interested in watching me work, but you are very welcome to stay," he offered, turning back to his molds. The metal had heated up to the point that it was completely liquid, and he began pour it inside the mold. He would have to hammer it out to make sure the links didn't stick.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce nodded again and offered a minute, slightly-forced smile. "I would like to stay and watch, if you don't mind," he confessed. Despite what it was that Tony was making, he was curious of the process, and hoped to learn from it. At very least, seeing Tony in his element would be a pleasurable sight.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Very well," Tony replied with a slight smile over his shoulder. He had jotted down the number he took on Bruce's wrist on piece of parchment, beads of perspiration already forming on his face as he poured the metal into the cast for the chains. While he let the metal set he pulled a strip of metal away from the flames, heated yet not melted, and began to use tools to bend it into a circular shape.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce watched Tony work with silent fascination, his head tilted in careful consideration as he observed the blacksmith. The other's movements were skilled, practiced, and precise, and it wasn't difficult to believe that Tony's skills were so revered in the kingdom, and it wasn't difficult to see that the man enjoyed his work.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Unsurprisingly, Tony didn't feel self conscious with the apothecary watching him. It made him feel prideful, rather, to think that someone else was so interested in his work. The glowing piece of metal bent as he guided it, using the edge of the table to hold the correct shape while he curved the two ends until they met. This was the correct size he deemed, for he began hammering out the ends that overlapped, attempting to make them fuse together while the metal was still heated enough to do so. "My trade is a bit messier," he grunted jokingly.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce's lips twitched with amusement. "You obviously haven't gone out to gather the herbs. In swamps. And forests. And at the bottom of lakes. You speak of messy..." he chuckled and shook his head, grimacing at some of the memories his trade had given him. "Perhaps it is not as dangerous as smithing, but trying to collect plants in certain habitats can be...well, less than comfortable. I very nearly had my face scratched off by a raccoon once, and might've lost a finger to a rather nasty woodpecker."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony snorted, each strike of his hammer precise. "You don't seem to get along with animals well, do you? That is alright though, I suppose, for I am the same way. Ivs some ugly scars from my early years in the trade," he replied, using a pair of prongs to hold up the first manacle and examine it. Deeming it acceptable, he plunged it into water with a hiss and picked up the next flat strip of heated metal to repeat the process.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Only certain ones. Dogs, cats, most larger mammals, seem to like me just fine. It's mostly birds and, apparently horses, now at least. Well, and raccoon, but those things hate everyone," he mused, eyes still following Tony's hands as they worked.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Hmm. I should get you a cat," Tony mused, grunting as a certain fold required a bit more force in order to bend. "Another day, perhaps," he went on, dropping the second manacle into the water basin to cool as he went back to the chain molds. The metal had cooled, but now he had to use a pick-like tool in order to pry the metal from the cast.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

The apothecary's eyebrows knit together, and he shook his head a little. "Uh, no, I think I'm just fine. Cats tend to get in the way...knock over vials, climb on cabinets. And they always get into my Nepeta plants for some odd reason..." Bruce countered. Besides was having a vulnerable animal around him the best thing right now? What if something were to happen in a month's time.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Suit it yourself. Bet you're just jealous that I'd pet the cat and not you," Tony ribed, yanking chains away from plaster and testing their strength by giving them a few strong tugs. They seemed fairly perfect, rattling as he gave them a shake. That was only five links however, he needed to make several more. So, he repeated the process.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"And why exactly wouldn't I pet the cat?" Bruce questioned, quirking a brow, lips tilted in amusement. He examined Tony's progress so far and mentally nodded with approval. Things were coming along fairly smoothly, it seemed.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony shook his head, suppressing a laugh. "No, I mean, you're jealous that I'd pet the cat instead of you," he huffed in amusement. He liked how naive Bruce was sometimes, it was rather endearing.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce blinked in surprise. "Oh." His cheeks warmed in a slight blush, and a sheepish smile tilted his lips.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Grinning impishly, Tony pried the next five links of chan out of the cast and moved th onto the table. They had to stay attached to the new links he was creating, so he left the last one in and filled the rest of the mold with more molten metal. "You are too easy to tease, friend," he informed Bruce.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce chuckled sheepishly in agreement, eyes downcast with mild embarrassment. After a moment, he directed his gaze to the mold and watched the molten metal cool and solidify, for lack of anything else to say or do.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

(Should we skip to the day of the full moon? I feel like this is going stagnant)

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

(Sure! I was starting to think the same thing.)

[Sweet_Wyvern]

(And thanks for bumping the topic by the way, I'm uploading chapters as often as possible. So I'm thinking skip to the day of when Strange brings the ingredients so that they have time to make it before night. Whether or not it works is up to you)

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

(Nope, that's perfect for me! And you're welcome. I had been reading a bit of it while I was bored, and I figured I should bump it before it was lost.)

[Sweet_Wyvern]

(Well, I just got to the point with the people and the little boy in Brazil)

 

Tony was lazing about. Everything they had needed in preparation for the full moon, excluding the special ingredients, was ready. Despite the full moon being that night, he wasn't worried. Bruce was probably nervous, but that was to be expected.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

To say that Bruce was nervous was an understatement. Anxiety twisted his stomach, constricted his chest, and caused his hands to twist and wring in front of him. "When do you think Strange will arrive?" he finally asked, looking over the blacksmith carefully.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony glanced over at Bruce, still extremely casual. One of them had to be. "Oh, I'd say within the hour or so. The man is fairly punctual, from what I hear," he replied, drumming his fingers on the table. "Do you want to talk about it?"

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce habitually twisted the ring around his finger, biting his lip anxiously. "Talk about what, specifically?" he questioned, his mind clearly on things other than their current conversations. More specifically, what might happen if Strange didn't come on time, or what might happen if he did. What would happen tonight? Would it be the same? Would he still have to endure that same pain again? And most importantly, would be be able to control himself?