Day 10b
Mmm, the best part of today: I
finished that last recording, got halfway dressed, and then Jennifer
walked in without a word or a knock. I'd left her a little gift, too.
And oh, she appreciated it.
After I got dressed again, I went out
to see the blacksmith. I noticed that I was developing a bit of a
limp, and it wasn't helped any by the fact that the place was built
in a bit of a valley. Down one hill, up another. The limp wasn't too
bad, nothing that would definitely slow me, but I'm going to have to
keep an eye on it. From the feel of it, I think I bruised my knee,
somewhere on the inside.
Armstrong is an interesting guy. He's
shorter than me, but his shoulders are about three or four times as
wide as mine. He's also utterly bald, even his eyelashes and arms,
not a single hair on him. He's got a pair of goggles, says he wears
them constantly to keep things out of his eyes since he doesn't have
eyelashes. When I met, he grinned like a fool, shook my hand in a
grip that made the tendons in my hand pop. Seems he's always in that
kind of exuberant, jolly mood.
I'm actually rather glad that I left
him a fair share of the pans. Honestly, from what I've heard, he is
by far the more talented smith. The town's other smith, Smithson, is
good for little more than repairs or just making the same things over
and over. Armstrong, on the other hand, has a reputation for learning
and improving his craft. He had left the noted because he wanted to
speak to me personally. And I'm glad I came by.
Smithson was there for the beginning
of the meeting. It made me apprehensive at first, but he just wanted
to admit that he wasn't so good at innovation. He was damned good at
just repairing, or copying something he's done or seen. But he knew
wasn't good at trying something new. It actually made me respect him
a lot; in a world like this, it's good to know your strengths, and
your weaknesses. If I need a simple repair done, I will happily go to
him. If he's still in business whenever you hear this, he's good at
what he does.
Smithson left after that, having said
his piece. Armstrong, however, made me an offer He wanted to add some
armor plating to my usual, simple leather outfit. He also offered to
improve Disc a little, making it stronger and sharper as long as I
brought him the materials he'd need.. I, of course, accepted. I mean,
he could improve my armor by the end of the day, and improve my most
reliable weapon whenever I bring him materials. Despite the arguments
made by the pink gerbil that walked into the room, I had to accept.
We shook hands, and I let myself float into the clouds, where I could
look out over all of the lands as they turned vibrant with
multicolored fruit and cotton candy...
Oookay, I think something's wrong and
my other head seems to agree with me...
