shellphones | 001 🔥 TEXT - WANTED: PLUSH TOY MAKER

Ever heard of a place called Fire Fairy Fabrics? Those guys can get a hold of all sorts of stuff. As long as you can afford it.

( she waves a hand in the air. )

But it's worth every coin. I'm broke as fuck, but at least I have clothes!

( and some scraps to share.

the suggestions, however, give her pause. for as much as she wants to give the go ahead, she knows that would be a wasted effort. )

No, don't trouble yourself, Blueberry. I run too hot for anything like that.

( a beat. )

Actually—you remember last time when I asked if you could work with something as hot as infernal iron?

Yeah, I remember that. But we didn't really go into any detail.

Speaking of...[He crosses his arms over his chest.]

What exactly do you mean when you say that you 'run too hot?'

I mean exactly that.

( simply. this is a conversation that she has had a couple times already, but she can still feel the nerves kicking up from anxiety. it's a tough thing to say, a tough thing to admit. it's easier when everyone already knows about her, about the tiefling who escaped the hells. )

This whole body of mine runs too hot. I don't mean to get real serious on you right now, but I need help. I'm slowly burning up from the inside.

( with a couple flicks of her fingers, she unbuttons some of her top to reveal her chest and the pulsating glow of the infernal engine underneath her ribs. it shines bright underneath her red skin, a soft glow of orange mimicking a real heart beat.

karlach pushes her shirt off the edge of her shoulder as she continues to display her bodily augmentation, showing off the metal circles embedded into the skin to work as vents.

while she is perfectly still and allowing herself to examined, it's easy to see how flames flicker off of every available surface of her body. from her claws to her hair to her horns, to any open patch of skin. there is also an obvious heat coming from her should he get close, hot as the hells themselves. )

Years ago, I got forced into the war in the Hells. Forced to serve, forced to fight, and forced to have my whole fucking heart torn out. They gave me this one instead, this infernal godsdamn contraption, but this wasn't supposed to be a long-term thing. More like die for their war in a blaze of glory thing.

This thing already killed everyone else they shoved it into.

If not for the tattoo I got here, I'd already be dead. I've have overheated weeks ago from the way this thing spits out hellfire.

( the last part is said quietly, somberly. she knows it to be fact, but darin's the first one she's being so candid with about this part. )

Thankfully, it keeps this ol' ticker in check. Can't cool me down, but I'm happy to not burn alive while I'm sleeping at night.

( then she grins. )

If I can find some infernal iron or something else that could withstand the heat of my heart, I'd just need a forgemaster to help me fix it up! Maybe help me touch people again for the first time in ten long ass years!

[Darin's cheeks flush scarlet when Karlach starts to unbutton her top and he glances away bashfully. Darin has no shame when it comes to himself but...well, Karlach is certainly hot in every respect of the word.]

[But as she explains her unfortunate circumstances, Darin's gaze returns to her. The flush in his cheeks fade as his eyes start to take in exactly what has been done to this poor woman.]

[Darin's never been one to judge people on appearances. Admittedly, Karlach was imposing and one can't shake the stigma of a world where "demons" are very much portrayed as monsters. Hell, Darin himself has been called a monster throughout his life simply by his perceived demonic heritage. But in the few encounters Darin has had with Karlach, he's never seen her to be anything but genuine and warm; traits that he's found lacking in many other people who consider themselves to be 'normal.']

[He approaches and examines her, noting the intense heat radiating from her. As a man of the forge and also someone who has an unnatural resilience, the heat isn't as unbearable as it could be for someone else...which allows him to get a better look at just what has been done to her. The mirth washes from his face as Karlach concludes her tale.]

They wanted a weapon. A tool.

[The notion sets his blood to boil and the contempt in his voice can't be masked. He almost spits the words. But it's her last words that really make him look at her in shock.]

You can't touch— ...[The words stop in his throat as he comes to the realization. Of course she can't. She's a raging furnace. Darin can feel it just by being this close to her. If he were a normal person, he'd probably be in some manner of pain.] ...Right.

I'm not a surgeon or a cleric, but I know my way around a forge. We find this 'infernal iron' or anything comparable? I'll do it, no question. Hell, no charge.

But, if it's all the same to you, if you can give me any information on how that thing works...[He gestures to the orange glow in her chest.] I'd like to hear it. At the very least I can start coming up with ideas or planning for complications.

...I might need to sketch a few things. If you don't mind.

[He might be asking to draw you, Karlach.]

Don't need a surgeon or a cleric.

( karlach states. her problems are well beyond either profession, well beyond the grasp of anyone who couldn't work with the intense and extreme heat of the infernal iron that her engine was made of. she needs an infernal mechanic or a forgemaster and only one of them is before her now. )

I need a forgemaster.

( she repeats the thought out loud, eyes flicking over darin. he'd talked a big game to her before and he's serious enough about his craft to have already put together a real workshop here. karlach didn't like to let herself get her hopes up too high, but she couldn't help but have a good feeling about this.

about him. )

Pretty sure I need you. Kind of feels like fate, you know? Invisible strings and all that? Like we were supposed to meet, you and I?

( she lifts her hand, pinching two of her talons together to symbolise intertwining threads. )

Whatever you need, you've fucking got it, mate.

( by the tone of her voice, it's clear she means that. there's no stone she is willing to leave unturned. )

Where do you wanna start?

[Darin feels his chest puff up with no small measure of pride. He's never been needed before and he's certainly never had his skills needed this way. Darin's goal and purpose as a smith was to forge equipment and gear to save lives— he's always been especially cognizant of the fact that the quality of his work could mean the difference between a soldier coming home to their families and a family mourning a loss. He'd lost his family and he'd be damned if a child had to endure what he did just because he cut corners on a breastplate. Or tempered a sword too thin.]

[His work kept people alive. And now Karlach was asking for the one thing he'd honed his skills for.]

[Somehow, a simple nod didn't seem to fit the weight of the responsibility here.]

[So, he steps forward, fully aware of the heat Karlach is throwing off. Sweat beads on his skin but it's a familiar heat. The fire of a forge, roaring and consuming. A lot of people see fire as something dangerous.]

[Darin sees fire as a means to mold potential. A path to forge a future.]

[So, he reaches out and grasps Karlach's hand to shake. And while the burning is intense he simply grins with wild confidence. He's gonna save her he won't even have to use his powers to do it.]

[He can do it with his hammer.]

[Sweat pours down his face as his hand sizzles. It'll heal within a day thanks to his powers but how the hell else do you make a deal with a devil? Of course you gotta shake on it.]

Here for starters.

We're gonna fix that heart of yours, Karlach. You've got my hammer and my word.

( the first step forward is frightening. frightening in that familiar way that always kicks up within her whenever someone gets a little too close. there aren't many who can tolerate her heat, aren't many that wouldn't find themselves burning from the heat she gives off alone. and fewer still who would actually think to touch her.

karlach takes an initial step back automatically, already moving to put some distance between them. she knows the dangers of her skin, knows just how searingly hot it really is despite appearances. the fire that the engine spits out almost looks fake, like a fun party trick or maybe a fantastical illusion from how thoroughly it covers her body, but it's not.

her touch alone is hot enough to rend flesh from bone.

and darin closes the distance anyway.

forward, forward, forward even as his own skin reddens and sweat starts to cover his face. he fearlessly takes her large hand into his own, clasping his fingers around hers. )

Darin—!

( karlach starts, emotion heavy in her voice. it's almost too heavy for her speak. she makes a choked noise next, followed by a rush of tears. the tears sizzle and burn up instantly, creating a quiet sound. )

You're fucking mad!

( she says next, giving darin's hand a firm shake before letting him go. this place already smells of burning flesh from this foolishness, she couldn't let it get any worse.

despite that, the gesture was important. and it was just as important for her to answer it with respect. a proper handshake for the idiot dumb enough to touch her bare-handed. )

You don't-You don't know how much this means to me.

( karlach isn't even sure she could explain it to him. how could say that she's never going to forget this? how could she say just how valuable this small touch is when she can't normally have it?

what she does know is that everything gets repaid in kind. )

Gods! But we got to get you some ice or a potion or-? Do you have a kit? What's wrong with you?

[Darin shakes his, numb as it is, grinning through the pain once the handshake is released.]

Relax...I work around molten metal for a living. You think I've never been burned? Hell, I've burned my own eyebrows off three separate times!

[He lets out a laugh as he continues to shake his hand at the wrist.]

Besides...I...might be uniquely talented enough to handle your fire.

[He holds his burned hand up...and while it's certainly charred and blistered...there's parts of it that already seem like they're getting better. Darin's healing ability is already kicking in and by tomorrow it'll just look like a bad burn. In a couple of days? It'll be like it never happened.]

Eyebrows are—

( karlach begins to argue, ready to make a point that nearly destroying one's hand is on a completely different level than singeing some hair. then darin lifts up his affected hand, parts of the damage already lessened from their fiery handshake, and karlach doesn't know what to say. )

Huh.

( she lets out a loud sigh of relief. the kind of relief that comes with knowing that she didn't just permanently disfigure a new friend. )

Do you always heal like that?

( better yet. )

It still hurts, doesn't it?

Like a bastard but the point is...it won't always. And considering you're burning from the inside out means I can afford a little pain if it means winning your trust.

[Despite it all, he's still grinning, even as he shakes his hand and sweat pours down his skin. Darin's no stranger to grievous injuries and at least this one is on his terms.]

...Yeah. I was born...erm. Special. I won't lie, I may have a personal reason why I was interested in you from the start.

I guess you could say I'm a reincarnation of something powerful. A uh...demonic god.

Well, half of one. My twin brother's the other half.

( there's probably something to be said about the lengths that darin was quick to go through for the sake of winning of her trust, but the topic is immediately forgotten in light of his personal reveal. he starts with "special" and ends with "reincarnation of a demon god".

what a whopper.

karlach blinks, followed by a quick shake of the head as she tries to take in the new information. )

Sounds like you've got a story to tell.

( and karlach thinks that she'd like to hear it. )

Got a place for me to sit?

Pretty sure we all do but...well, mine's not as happy as I probably make it sound.

[Darin motions to some chairs in a small waiting area near the front of the forge itself. For people who want to hang out and watch him while he works on their orders or simply want to strike up conversations with him.]

So...where do you want me to begin?

( following the gesture, karlach takes a seat in one of the chairs. )

You and your twin are parts of a god? That seems pretty heavy.

( an understatement. )

What's that mean for you?

[Darin sighs a bit. Sharing this part is...never easy. It's gotten better...people like Zelda accepting him and choosing to see the best in him certainly has helped. But the old stigmas remain like scars on his heart.]

...Only a few people know what I am. Zelda, the woman who works with me here knows so...we can always talk about it freely here but...I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else.

I'm...half of a demonic god of destruction. Goes by the name of Diomuhr. My twin brother and I were each born with half of his soul. It cost the life of my mother but...the trade off is I can heal from wounds like that.

I can also do this.

[He walks over to the huge anvil by the forge and proceeds to pick it up with one hand like it was a large apple. He tosses it up and down a few times before he sets it back down with a deafening CLANG.]

The bad news is...apparently I'm prophesied to be the destroyer of my world. Me n'Dromas both. Two half of the same whole, you get the picture.

People with hair like mine...they're said to have corrupted blood. We're "cursed." Descended from demonkin and beastkin. In my case...my parents were human but thanks to the lucky reincarnation lottery...[Darin gestures at his hair.]

I've spent my life trying to be something different but most people just see the hair and...that's it. So...when I met you...

...I dunno. Just kinda hoped I'd found a kindred spirit. Y'know?

( while the show of strength wasn't anything particularly new for karlach, the additional knowledge that darin was one half of a demonic god was. she definitely hadn't heard like that before.

it's a really heavy thing to learn.

or it would be until darin just says something completely bizarre. )

What?

( she makes a circling gesture with her finger towards darin's hair. )

Your hair? The problem was your hair? Your cute fairy hair?

( karlach's expression pinches in confusion. there's no way he would be pulling her leg, right?

no, he seems like a good guy. )

"C-Cute...?"

[Wait. Wait, what? His cheeks flush red when she calls his hair 'cute.']

Uh...did you...miss the part where I said I was born to destroy my world? Demonic god?

Karlach, I can juggle anvils!

[HE PICKS THE ANVIL UP AGAIN!! AND TOSSES IT FROM HAND TO HAND!!! SEE???]

Edited 2024-09-29 20:37 (UTC)

Yeah, yeah, I heard those parts.

( waving her hand. that's not the part she walks to talk about. not at the moment.

no, she'd rather to get to the root of this hair issue before either of them loses the strand of conversation. )

But I don't understand the problem with your hair is supposed to be?

[Darin just...stares agape.]

Uh...okay...

So...people don't have hair like mine. Not normally? You only have uniquely colored hair if you're descended from beastkin or demonkin.

And...the church has kind of painted people like that to be 'pitiable.'

Then...well, there's the fact that my mom died giving birth to my brother and I and then my dad and brother were murdered by monsters. I only survived because I played dead after I was cut down. After that...people just treated me like I was cursed. Like staying with them was inviting the same fate onto their homes that befell mine...

[Darin turns around and hikes up his shirt to show a monstrously jagged scar across his muscular back.]

Uniquely coloured hair? What's that supposed to even mean?

( karlach asks, still bewildered by this newfound concept of discrimination based off of hair colour. she had thought that she had heard just about all of the reasons why someone else might hate another in her lifetime already.

but this one, this one she's struggling with.

especially as darin continues, explaining both how he lost his family in a horrific and tragic way and the people around him abandoned him. karlach couldn't give a wet fuck what he was prophesied to do or whether or not those townspeople were aware of it. they turned away what must have been a child.

experiencing a living nightmare.

gods.

she presses a hand to forehead, touching her claws against her temple in an attempt to soothe the rage building inside of her. with any luck, darin doesn't turn back around to see the way that her flames flash blue-violet in anger. )

How old? How old were you when that happened?

( there's a terseness to her voice. )

Uh...six...? Seven?

Pretty young. Let's see...Acteon adopted me I think I was almost eight...? I was on my own for about a year being bounced around...the timeline's kinda fuzzy.

I try not to think about it...?

[He's too busy trying to remember to really notice Karlach.]

( it feels like she can't breathe. there's nothing but smoke and fury bubbling up in her throat, rumbling within her like the fire within a dragon.

karlach doesn't say anything else, doesn't think that she can. she thinks that if she opens her mouth, she might start screaming and if she starts screaming, she knows wouldn't stop. not for a while. probably not until she reduced most of this freshly opened workshop to molten metal.

and darin doesn't deserve that.

she has to keep her cool. she has to.

karlach lets out a little breath, along with small wisps of flame. she needs to get herself under control, but she also needs to take action. right now. she's not sure she can continue to passively listen, not when her heart aches for him. for what it must have been like. so she stands up and fishes around in her pouch, pulling out her gloves.

they're already on in a flash, covering all of the exposed skin of her hands and arms. )

I'm sorry this happened to you.

( she tells him as she steps closer, leaning down to wrap her arms around him. karlach's embrace is warm, almost overly and uncomfortably so, but safe with the protection of her specialised clothing. )

W-Whoa...!

[Darin hadn't even noticed that Karlach was getting worked up. Had this been a few months ago, Darin might have even locked up at being hugged. "Touch-starved" doesn't even begin to describe Darin but...some things have changed. He's gotten better at letting people get close to him. It's still scary as all hell but...well, new things are scary.]

[Fortunately, Darin's used to being in hot areas. There's nothing 'uncomfortable' about this. Not for him.]

[Darin lets out a small laugh.]

H-Hey...it's alright. If those things hadn't happened...well, Acteon wouldn't have adopted me. And he's the one who taught me how to be a smith. And if that hadn't happened...I wouldn't be able to help you...

So...in my eyes? It was worth it.

( karlach doesn't share in the same opinion. as far as she's concerned, it isn't okay and it doesn't balance out just because things have worked out for the better in the now.

she lets out an exhale, fire still chasing along her breath. )

That doesn't make it OK.

( karlach tells him with a little squeeze. )

You're more than what you look like or the destiny that's attached to you.

( emphatically. )

Fuck destiny, right? We make our own future.

[Darin doesn't know what to say at first. Logically, he knows Karlach is right. Just because he's where he is now, it doesn't mean that everything he endured was justified. But...it's still complicated for him to admit as much knowing now what he is.]

[He's supposed to destroy his world. He might end up destroying this one. Is it really okay to just...act as if everything is alright?]

[But the sentiments Karlach is trying to convey draw a soft, honest smile on his face.]

That's the other great thing about being a smith. If I don't like something, I can just forge something different.

( now that's when karlach lets out a little laugh. )

No, that's the great part about being alive.

( she offers darin one last squeeze before pulling away, holding him by the shoulders. )

As long as you're alive, you can take fate into your own hands. As long as we're alive.

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