Broken Wings
N.W. 187
Dirk Pays a Visit
The heat of the forge was a welcome friend after the last few months spent racing through the skies from Flanoir to Meltokio and back again. So, too, was the ring of metal on metal, the rhythm lulling Lloyd nearly into a trance.
But for all the time he spent in the skies, for all the hours spent trying to keep the fragile peace intact, Lloyd Irving spent too much time in the forge to have lost his touch for smithing. A skill he knew was going to come in very handy in another century, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
The high-pitched ringing of a bell cut through the sounds of the forge, a sound Lloyd had grown used to listening for, and it only took a glance to spot the short, stout man standing by the door.
He offered up a small smile, dropped the would-be plate of armor into the barrel, and walked over.
"Morning, Dad."
"Good morning, lad. Didn't expect to see yeh up at this hour, but..."
Lloyd grimaced and glanced toward the east, where the city of Luin was slowly expanding outward. "There's a reason I'm this far out from town, Dad. I work some strange hours sometimes. Last thing I need is to wake the entire city if I happen to be forging in the middle of the night," he replied. "Speaking of being far out... I don't think I've ever seen you this far from Iselia."
"Heh. Well. I wasn't plannin' on the trip, but... I made up mah mind a few months ago, already got most everthin' packed up... I didn' want... to go back ta Vraelheim without tellin' yeh."
It took a few minutes for Lloyd's brain to catch up to his ears.
"You're going back to the dwarven city?"
Dirk nodded. "I'm gettin' old, lad. Don't think I need ta tell yeh that. And I've lived above the ground most 'o my life... Think I'd better end it where I started, though."
Lloyd couldn't argue with that. He really couldn't.
Which was why he dropped to his knees, wrapped his adoptive father in a tight hug, and then gave Dirk his best 'hold your horses' look when the dwarf moved to leave. "I guess the least I can do is help you move."
Dirk blinked at him, oddly surprised, and Lloyd snorted. "Give me a couple days to finish the order I'm working on and get everything locked up tight, and we can go. Hate to have to say it, but I'd rather you get there than get jumped by monsters on your way back to Iselia."
The dwarf was silent a moment longer, before he started chuckling. "A'right, lad. I can do that. And, well... Might as well show ya the way ta the city now. If I know you, yer gonna be lookin' fer it ta come visit." Dirk paused here and snorted. "Might get the guards off yer case while I'm still spry enough ta do it."
Lloyd laughed, unable to help himself. That was certainly true enough.