Choosing the Material...

 Fuki stumbled upon the building, just at the edge of the darkness. She could feel her arms beginning to grow tired from carrying Ibuki all the way with her. She really needed to buy a carrier for them or something. 

The Elysiphim finally let herself land once she was sure this was it. Nothing else looked as strange as this did. It was far enough from the rest of Elysium that not even the songs of the delighted could be heard. No harps, no chirps, just the wind and the sound of loud hammering. 

“Greetings stranger!” A voice called, “welcome to my little workshop!” 

Fuki dug her nails into the dirt to keep balance, only for the tanuki to dash past her and run straight for the chestnut Elysiphim. “...!” It barked at the stranger; tail puffed up.

Fuki gasped and quickly walked over to pull Ibuki away, offering an awkward smile at the obviously older angel. “I uh…hi. Is this the Forge? You make weapons here?”

The blacksmith looked at Fuki with a wide grin, “Oh sure, sure! I can do all kinds of weaponry. Though it would be more fun to make it yourself, I’d say!” He chuckles and looks down at Ibuki, tail swaying happily behind him. “That your critter? He's rather lively.”

Fuki could feel her chest swell in warmth before wrapping her arms tight around the tanuki. “Yes, Ibuki doesn’t fancy strangers much.” 

“Don’t worry at all. Sooty here has the same amount of energy, I’m sure they’ll keep each other company while you’re here.” The Elysiphim smiles again, “call me Thornmael. Now, what is it you’re looking for?”

Fuki’s awkward seemed to settle to a more genuine one at the other’s kindness, so much that she had let go of Ibuki. Her eyes locked onto the tanuki as it ran right back up to Thornmael, though this time just from curiosity. 

She glanced back towards the other, tail sweeping across the dirt. “Oh—uh…” 

Thornmael watched and waited for an answer, quick to understand that the younger angel must have never seen a forge in their life. He gives Fuki another grin and offers the two inside. “Come, come! It would do well if you picked your material first, and I have plenty here to choose from.”

Fuki blinks with wide eyes as if she were a kid again, staring at a field full of sweets for her to feast on for days. Everything looked so pretty, so pretty she would want to have it all. If she could. 

Though a voice in her head told her otherwise. Unrealistic. Unnecessary even. Fuki sighs deeply, attempting to calm herself down before she looked at the different material. She remembered her father always held a weapon with him; it was a large glass blade, thick and sharp enough to probably cut down a tree. He polished that thing from dawn to dusk on days he didn’t use it. 

Fuki’s brows furrowed and she glanced over towards the glass and other light material. She could never weird such a heavy sword, but maybe…

“Maybe the uh…the metal? And some glass?” She felt like a child talking to an adult for the first time. It wasn’t far off…

Thornmael gives her another grin and walks to grab some metal and glass, freezing in place when Sooty and Ibuki ran right past his paws. 

“Ibuki!!” Fuki huffs, glaring as her fluffy companion continued to chase the baby Griffon around. The tanuki only seemed to stop for a moment to look back at Fuki, cackle and chirp, and then turn back to continue chasing around the Griffon.

“Oh, don’t mind them. Sooty doesn’t usually get other animals to play with ‘round here.” Says Thornmael. He picks up the requested material and sets it down near the bench. “Now, what next?”