V
Ekimu inspected the tinfoil mask closely. "Not bad at all, Makuta!" he said in satisfaction. "If not for the light weight and wrinkles, I'd say it was my own mask. Amazing attention to the details—especially seeing as it was from memory."
"Consider it an apology," said Makuta, forcing a smile. "I realize the way I reacted last night was… immature, in a word. I made this for you as a request for forgiveness."
Ekimu rested a hand on Makuta's shoulder—lightly this time. "Of course I forgive you. You needn't have made this at all—though I do thank you for it. So," he said, his tone becoming casual. "did you sleep well?"
Makuta hesitated. "I feel well-rested," he eventually said.
The answer seemed to satisfy Ekimu. "Great. We've a long day ahead of us." Setting the mask on the table, he reached for his hammer, which was hanging neatly on the wall. "Go make yourself something to eat. I had breakfast early so I can get more work into the morning—I have a commission today." And with that, Ekimu left for the forge.
Makuta picked up the foil mask, looking into its empty eyes. "If not for the light weight and wrinkles, I'd say it was my own mask..." Alright, makes sense. Then there's the color, of course. So I should make it heavier, smooth out all the wrinkles, and…
His mind went blank. Why was he doing this again…? As he tried to remember, his head started to hurt. It was as if a block had placed itself right in front of his mental path, and he couldn't go over or around it. What was I doing? I was… doing something. No, no, that doesn't help—that doesn't help at all! What am I even doing with this? Why did I make it? I don't believe it was an apology—certainly not. Then what could—
A crunching crackle interrupted Makuta's thoughts. Looking down, he saw that his hand, subconsciously formed into a fist, had badly crushed the mask's face. Disgusted, he threw it down and left, leaving a crumpled mess on the floor.
Ekimu's eyes glowed bright with enthusiasm as he built up the metal. An Okotan by the name of Agir had commissioned a special mask, with intricate, beautiful designs both on the outside and the inside—"just like the love of my life," as the commissioner had said.
The mask maker grinned from underneath his own mask. Lelaka's birthday was coming up in a few weeks. Maybe he should make something for her.
CRASH.
Ekimu jumped at the sound. "Makuta, was that you?" he called.
A voice replied a few seconds later. "No, it's some other mask maker."
Ekimu sighed. "Well, I do hope you're alright." Turning back to his work, he focused more intently on creating the mask. As his mask glowed, the metal began to bend and stretch, occasionally folding in on itself like clay. Ekimu reached for an elemental crystal of Water, too focused on the mask to turn his head. He fumbled before getting a firm grip on the crystal.
Stopping for a brief rest, he took a look at the Water crystal, holding it in front of a nearby torch. It was around the size of his little finger—good size. But on closer observation, he saw impurities in the crystalline structure, with specks of dirt trapped inside it. Ekimu shook his head, sighing in annoyance. Other than that, it was perfect. It would be a shame to throw away.
Ekimu looked at it again for a second, then put it in a box of rejected crystals with another sigh. Walking back to the mask, he looked at the small jars of various crystals, all meticulously sorted by color. He took another blue crystal and eyed it closely. It was a little bigger than the last, but this one was pure. It would take some extra work, what with the extra crystal, but it was still better than using one that was impure. Besides, he thought, if I leave this one to look for a better size, I'd come across the same one later.
He placed the crystal next to the mask and focused, putting his hands together. As he slowly separated them, a small opening appeared on the mask's forehead. Ekimu placed the crystal into the opening, willing the metal to accept the crystal, infusing its elemental energy into itself. He made smooth movements in the air with his hands, but took care not to touch the hot metal. Soon, the crystal disappeared underneath the metal, which began to change color from a faded gray to a brilliant blue, with small touches of silver at the tips.
Ekimu relaxed, briefly examining the mask. Perfect, as always—he still needed to add the details, of course, but he was done with the hard part.
"Ooh, cool!"
Ekimu jolted up. That wasn't Makuta.
"Er… thank you?" he managed to say, turning around. He relaxed. "Oh, Lelaka. What brings you here?"
"No reason," said Lelaka, looking around. "I sold all my daily tapestries early, so I figured I'd come and visit. Where's Makuta?"
Ekimu shrugged. "I don't know. He's probably in his room—but I should check on him."