shellphones | 001 🔥 TEXT - WANTED: PLUSH TOY MAKER

( it takes a few moments for karlach to get all of the hyena-like laughter out of system. gods above and below, she couldn't remember the last time she has laughed this hard. )

Friend—

( she starts, vaguely waving a hand. )

I'm not. My heart's underneath my fantastic tit-tays.

I'm aware of where your heart is! I didn't take this job to scope them out!

[Darin drags a hand down his face, clearly flustered.]

Seriously! How the hell would you like it if I asked if you wanted to see how big my hammer was?!

( WRONG AUDIENCE, DARIN.

her face perks up even further, if such a thing were possible. it almost seemed as if her pointy ears were even more alert. )

Yeah? How big is your hammer?

[DARIN IS BAD AT THIS.]

[He thrusts a defiant finger Karlach's way. He's not embarrassed, just incredibly stupid. Why back track when you can double down?]

BIG ENOUGH!!

Are we talking bigger or smaller than average?

( she makes an obscene hand gesture. )

...I have no idea I don't exactly go around asking every guy I meet to whip it out to compare?

[Karlach has successfully derailed his train of thought because Darin literally has no idea how he measures up. He's never cared.]

I mean...I think I'm...proportionate??

( she snorts, amused in more ways than one. she had been expecting a bigger reaction.

but mostly karlach is reminded darin didn't grow up around a lot of others. )

Could still show me.

( a wink. )

It's all about how you use it anyway.

( as if that's a reasonable way to conclude the topic. )

But we're talking about my engine right now, yeah? So whaddya need next?

I mean, I don't really care if you wanna see.

[Darin considers her question about the engine, though.]

Well...I guess my first question would be how to get to it. I can't just...open your chest up...

...Wait, can I?

'kay. Show me later.

( casually. put a pin in that for a different time.

then karlach makes a pinching gesture with her talons. )

A little.

( with careful movements, she starts unbuttoning her shirt the rest of the way. pulling it off, she drapes the shirt over the back of the nearby chair where it'll stay out of the way. with only on her dark leather brassiere on, the glow of the engine is all too apparent. it shines bright underneath her ribs, her torso, and lights up the skin around her navel.

hot, pulsating, alight with the hellish flames of avernus. )

Here.

( she says, tapping her talons against a long, thin metal vent that had been grafted onto her skin just above her right breast.

then with two fingers, she opens the vent up. it's not a very large opening, only big enough for a single hand to reach in, but it is enough to give the blacksmith a view of the intimating piece of machinery wedged inside of her.

with the vent forcefully opened like this, the rush of heat from between the metal plates is enough to start warming the entire shop. )

[Darin nods. Because that won't come up later. Clearly they're gonna move past it and forget all about it.]

[Darin politely averts his gaze as Karlach strips off her top, only looking her way when she gestures to the vent above her breast. Darin steps forward as she opens the vent and his eyes go wide. The heat is incredible. If he hadn't spent a lifetime in the forge, it might damn well be unbearable.]

[He stares at the infernal machinery with a combination of interest and rising anger. Who the hell would do this to someone??]

...You must be in pain constantly...

[Darin hurriedly pulls out his notebook and begins to make a quick sketch, taking care to note every valve, every connection, every chamber. If anyone even had a chance of working on this thing, he'd have to employ some sort of magitech just to control the temperature.]

...Gods...I've never seen anything like this before. I can't decide if I'm more fascinated or pissed...

It's not as bad here.

( while that might be what karlach says, it is evident that that isn't entirely the case. the open vent provides a vulnerable view of her innards and the damage that has been wrecked. as well as a glimpse of the heat that karlach herself is forced to endure. there are scorch marks on her bones from the licks of the hellfire and cracks from where things have been broken and hastily repaired by brutish hands. repaired to a degree anyway. the design of the engine is intelligent, but it's crudely put together. the temperature gauge is well past maxed and some of its values are already threatening to collapse.

it's an ugly thing. it's a beautiful thing.

and it's a bomb.

it's only because it's contained within karlach that it doesn't explode and envelope everything from as far as the eye could see in flames. )

Heh. It's alright if you're interested in it. It's a part of me whether I like it or not.

It's a part of you, yeah but it's not you. Or rather, it shouldn't have to be.

[Darin's thoughtful for a moment. There's a lot he feels he's going to need to know and considering he's not exactly knowledgeable in magic, he has to rely on secondhand info at best.]

How much do you remember about the initial operation? I've got a solid idea of how this is working from a purely mechanical stand point, but the logistics of it are still kinda...incredible?

This is a level of magic I don't think is possible where I come from. The biggest help to me, right now, would be someone more well-versed in magic where you come from.

I—

( karlach starts, but the words quickly turn to ash in her throat. that's not a question that she can give an answer to, not in any coherent way. her expression pinches, pained by the memory. the memory of pain, heat, sinister eyes, and blistering hot metal.

she shakes her head. )

No, sorry. I'm.

( . . . )

I-

( her hand lifts, settling against where the glow of the engine is brightest against her skin. )

Mostly I remember screaming for them to stop.

[Darin puts his hands up in a placating gesture.]

Hey...it's alright. You don't have to worry about it. I might not know how it was put in but I'm damn sure not gonna let it take you out. Even if I gotta learn everything this world's got on magical prosthetics, I'll figure it out.

You're gonna be alright. You're gonna be safe.

I promise.

[Darin knows that making such a lofty promise is grounds for letting Karlach down. But he refuses to believe there's no way to save her. What did he become a blacksmith for if not for this exact reason? It's a lofty promise, but the conviction in Darin's voice shows he doesn't plan on failing.]

Karlach doesn't worry.

( she says, trying to still offer him a lop-sided smile. she isn't the type to worry, she's the type to act. every day, every day. until she can't any more.

on the other hand, she is also nothing but realistic about her situation. the reality is far too inescapable for her to be anything but. this furious machine churning in her chest has never let her forget its existence.

not once. not in all these years. )

You can't promise that.

( her tone is gentle, almost careful. )

I'm already past my expiration date. This magic tattoo is the only thing that's keeping me going.

( it would be a disservice to darin not to be clear about that. if the clock happens to run out in between applications, karlach is going to be little more than a scorch mark left on the ground.

then she taps her claws against the metal opening on her breast. )

If I kick it before then, you can keep this thing if it doesn't burn up with me.

[Darin wants to offer a rebuttal. But he can sense Karlach's resolve. She's probably had hope dashed so many times, to give her more now would just seem cruel. No one wants to die...but sometimes dying is preferable than thinking about the life that could have been lived.]

[So, instead, Darin nods and offers her a confident grin.]

Hey now, you can't just give away your heart like that. I'm in the business of mending harts, not breaking them.

[He shoots her a wink. Times like this, if you don't joke, you'll just sink deeper into despair.]

( karlach laughs. )

Yeah, you're going make a whole business of it now?

( it's a light-hearted question.

but she's not ready to move on. not yet. )

I mean it. That thing might be all that's left of me at the end. I'd like it if it could get put to some use.

( she makes a loose gesture with her hands, unsure. )

Like it made a difference that I got out of there.

Listen, if I pull this off? I'll add it to the damn sign out front.

[Darin can recognize with Karlach is doing here. He could fill her head and heart with as many promises as he can, but Darin understands better than anyone that daring to dream is dangerous when your fate might be set in stone.]

...Alright. It's a promise. If the worst comes to pass...

You'll live on in some form or another.

[He hates talking like that. He can feel the emotion tugging at his own heart. He hasn't known Karlach long but she's so...kind. And warm. He wants to...]

[He wants to save her.]

[He wants to save her. Give her a life. He wants to be the first person she can hug when this is all over and then watch as she gets to enjoy the life she'd had taken from her. It's why he lives the way he does after all— to carry on his brother's spirit.]

[Darin may have a lifetime of regrets, but he lives as Dromas would have: with none.]

[He won't let Karlach down. Ever.]

In the meantime, I'll have to make sure I study that thing as much as I can along with the magitech of this world.

Thank you, Darin.

( karlach says, lifting a hand to press against where she knows the access port on her chest is. it means a lot that darin is willing to be realistic with her and that he's not refusing to accept the reality where she dies suddenly. there is a lot that could happen out here and no guarantee that she wouldn't get stuck somewhere while the inks fades off her skin.

but she likes to think he'd uphold his promise and search for her remains if that came to pass. he seems earnest like that.

it's more than she could ever articulate so karlach ends up just offering him a small nod. )

Whatever you need, don't hesitate to name it.

( then a brief pause as a thought occurs to her. )

And I'll find some other heads to bring together on this. Someone's gotta be familiar with something like infernal machinery.

001 🔥 TEXT - WANTED: PLUSH TOY MAKER

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