Bear looked at Robyn calmly, shaking his head and chuckling softly to himself. While the girl was good with mechanics she was terrible with people. Well, except for those few like himself and Ridley, even Kazan. He did find it sad that she didn't understand the truer nature behind Kazan, that the lad liked her just as she was, that he wouldn't have been happy with many others. She was denying herself a great opportunity, and Bear wouldn't want to see her pass it up, that boy was nuts over Robyn, it was clear as day. Few men had the chance to have their life turned around in quite the same way, she'd gone to unnecessary lengths to save his life when he was but a mere stranger, an enemy.
Bear understood love, and that it could grow in the most unlikely place between the most unlikely people. And sometimes those feelings were never returned.. He couldn't let that happen to Kazan, nor would he let Robyn remain blind to that truth.
He looked over for a moment to the prized sword that still rested in its place, nestled within its container, the red gem in its hilt gleaming like a knowing eye. He smiled alittle then looked back to Robyn,
"Rest yer head, aye? I'll have somethin' t'show ya when yer awake." He instructed her calmly, standing and resting his thumbs behind his belt. He could show her the armor whens he'd rested up.. Then maybe tell her about that sword.. He couldn't deliver it himself anymore, but when the time came he'd need some-one who could. It was important. So he would need Kazan and Robyn's help..

"Oh I'm definitely proud of it. To bring something from my imagination to life, in spite of what its made for. To see it here before me in reality, a viable creation not just a piece of art.." He replied, though shook his head when Grant asked about Robyn, "She went to Bear to show him some special side project she's been working on. No doubt he's talking her ears off by now or keeping her distracted or busy. Or all three.." Kazan shrugged a little, though after a moment turned to Grant fully,
"Do you ever get.. How to put it.. Rejects? In the Mage's guild?" He asked suddenly, "You know, Young talents who either screw up too much, either through disciplinary problems or simply have difficulty grasping more complex magic?"

"Occasionally," Grant replied. "Not often, but it does happen. Sometimes a student will attempt something too advanced and burn himself out completely, sometime there will be a deliberate break of the rules... And sometimes a student just isn't cut out to be accredited, for whatever reason." He'd seen it once or twice while he was a student himself. Once, it had been one of his own year-mates. The boy had had a nasty attitude all around, and would bully the others with his magic. He especially picked on the ones like Grant, who didn't have any obvious 'offensive' magic to protect them. The boy had eventually gone too far and had his magic bound so he couldn't use it, and was dismissed from the guild.

Robyn didn't argue with Bear anymore, and reached down to take her boots off. The single cup of coffee from earlier was already wearing off, and her all-nighter was catching up with her. Once she had her boots and her tool belt off, she settled down on the couch. Maybe if Ridley got up soon, he would wake her and she would make breakfast for them both. For now... Bear was right, she needed some rest.

Kazan pondered about it for a while. That meant there was still some untapped potential out there, while he wouldn't consider the more unfriendly dropouts, those who had at least a limited grasp of magic might even flourish if he trained them, not as mage's that path wasn't the same as he was considering. He was sure it was probably still the dream of some to be mage's and this would be the closest they could get,
"I'd like to know about those who simply tried and failed, who couldn't succeed as well as others." He smiled, leaning against the turret calmly, "To be a mage is doubtless a worthwhile cause, and that's what some people want.. I want to offer them something worthwhile. I wouldn't call it anything official.. But I've come to refer to the idea as being.. A Gun-mage.." Kazan stared over at Grant with a grin, "I like to consider it like this.. why waste a resource you could reuse? I think I could teach a brand of combat mage to be soldiers like myself, tactical thinking, guns powered with crystals, I don't really know all the fancy things about magic but if they have the capacity to use their magic then they could become effective." Kazan looked ahead of himself, frowning a little, "They'd have a role that is worthwhile to look forward to again. What do you think? Could it be done?" The question was directed at Grant as Kazan looked in the man's direction once again. He knew it seemed bizarre and sudden, but he'd been going over the idea several times in his head as he worked.

It wouldn't be something grand to begin with, but if he could raise enough, a handful, maybe ten or twelve, and have them spread out across Lastdvell.. They'd find others like themselves, and share the teachings. It would take both physical training and magic control, if they could take both, they could become surprising protectors for the people, front line soldiers that could stand against Varstradt soldiers just as well as he could, okay perhaps not as well as him.. Kazan had been going at this a long time, being a soldier, using guns, using the black crystal in the handgun, it was a staple of his combat style.
But with enough time, they could still become another force to be reckoned with. He knew Varstradt wouldn't stop at just this town, it was ready to mobilize a war against the entire country.. If he could add that secret edge to Lastdvell they'd find themselves up against surprising odds.

Grant was more reserved about the idea than Kazan was. He wasn't sure it was necessarily a good idea, or even all that possible, and he could very easily picture the guild council being suspicious. A foreigner, from Varstradt, even, wanting to put together what would essentially be a militia of guild rejects armed with magic-enhanced artillery? He was sure at least half of the council would jump immediately to the notion that Kazan was trying to put together an army for Varstradt right under everyone's noses.

"I'm not sure if it would work quite the way you're picturing," he said. "Anyone with enough talent to use the crystals the way you said is already part of the guild, and anyone outside of the guild is either not strong enough, or has had their power permanently bound and suppressed." He paused to gather a couple more thoughts. "Even aside from that, I don't know how exactly the council would react to such a proposal. A few of them might agree with you, and a few others would outright refuse." He didn't add that there was very little chance of getting approval while his mother was still unwell and resting.

Once Grant was finished, Kazan did have something of a shot-down look.. He realized what Grant was saying was probably right, in fact, more than definitely right which made Kazan sigh, rubbing at his head a little,
"Yeah.. Guess it's one step too many.." He remarked, frowning a little, "I dont think it helps that I'm from Varstradt.. But still, you gotta admit the concept is a potent mix.. It's too soon for it now, but some day I may have to do it.. Not a lot of people out there can shoot a gun like I can, there's a good few I do know of, but I'm thinking Lastdvell lacks the numbers."

The soldier chuckled a little, checking his coffee, it was going cold.. He supposed he'd need to get another one, he walked toward the kitchen, but stopped a while,
"Hey.. You said it was obvious that I.. Well.. You know, like Robyn.. Do you think she.. Shares those feelings..?" He asked seeming a little hopeful, but them clamped his jaw, shifted one cheek as if fighting off the idea then shook his head, "Agh.. Never mind. Hey, how do you like your coffee, or tea if you prefer?" He changed subject quickly, he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer.. It would be bad to learn others didn't see him and Robyn being an item.. Bad, or perhaps undesirable.. Hurtful seemed possible too.

He carried on into the kitchen, but would still be able to hear Grant, better if he was to follow,
"If you want, I could show you the proper way to handle firearms, it'd be an unexpected skill you could pull out to surprise some-one. A few non-lethal rounds, and you're set to stun, we used to use rubber rounds for training with less powerful propellant. Hurts like a bitch, rarely kills and if it does; the dead person must have had some seriously bad luck following them."

"It is obvious that you like Robyn," Grant said dryly. "Probably obvious to everyone but her. She seems a little oblivious sometimes, I've noticed." He thought for a moment, trying to look back and figure out if he ever noticed Robyn looking at Kazan the way he knew Kazan looked at her. "I don't think I could tell you if she feels the same way or not... I don't know her all that well." He shrugged a bit, helplessly. "Maybe ask someone who knows her better? There has to be someone around who has regular contact with her who would notice."

He followed Kazan into the kitchen, although he made sure to stay out of the way. He wasn't a half-bad cook, when he needed to be, but he always respected someone else's kitchen.

"I wouldn't mind some tea, if you have any," he said when Kazan asked. "If not, coffee's okay." He leaned against the wall to stay out of the way as Kazan puttered around the kitchen, and was surprised when the other man offered to teach him how to use a gun. "You'd really teach me?" he asked. It seemed strange, most times Lastdvell soldiers wouldn't interact much with mages, and as far as he knew, none ever offered to teach a mage such a thing. He had assumed it was the same for Varstradt, but even as he thought that, he realized that it was probably just how Kazan was. He wasn't offering as a Varstradt soldier, he was offering as someone to wanted to help people protect themselves.

It felt slightly biting when Grant said it really was obvious. He half wanted to groan in annoyance. If it was so obvious, why hadn't Robyn caught on? Geez! For that very instant in his life he felt like he was trying to get through a steel wall with the repeated beating of his skull against it and as many happy thoughts as he could spare and frankly he could see the image vividly in his mind.. Perhaps a bit too vividly, so much that it made his head hurt and he steadied himself against the kitchen sink a moment, he'd almost felt his own physical control giving out.

"Just so happens we grabbed some tea, we dont give Ridley any coffee when he's here because we dont want to send the kid hyper. He's good enough being calm and helpful. I remember one time I was on the line and we had some strong coffee, speciality a buddy of mine procured. There was this one kid on our squad, jittery as hell, souped him up on coffee then my buddy spooked him. I swear we were laughin' so hard.." Kazan stopped, "Moment later, it turned out he'd run up out of the trench and right into enemy fire before we'd realized it.. Stupid joke turned out pretty bad.."

Kazan looked back at Grant with a slight smile,
"And yeah.. I'd show you, any idiot can pick up a gun and fire it. But to know how to use, it, break it apart, clean it, fix it, hold it the right way, aim, breath, think and feel, use it like an extension of yourself. That takes time, practice, repetition and a whole lot more rules than some idiot with a boom-stick ever figured to have. A gun isn't just a mechanical instrument that propels a piece of lead at a target with piercing force. It's a tool, used properly; a tool of justice, like a sword, like magic. Like words." The man turned tot he kettle, flicking it on one more time and turning to lean back against the sink,
"So trouble's coming our way huh..? Wanna have a little fun at their expense?"

Grant listened as Kazan spoke, although there was nothing he could really say. Any comments would have seemed flat and empty, so he figured the best thing to say was nothing. He nodded a few times, to show he was listening, but he really had no comments to make.

"Thanks for offering to teach me," he said after a moment. "Nobody else would want to teach a mage such a thing." He grinned a bit. "I don't know if Robyn keeps a garden for vegetables or anything, but if she does, I could give it a bit of spark, if you'd like." He didn't like the idea of taking the lessons without giving something in return, and green magic was all he knew how to give.

Robyn wasn't sure how long she slept on the couch, but she would gladly have slept a few more hours. She was awake, though, and she knew she couldn't sleep the day away, as much as she would like to. Stretching, she sat up on the couch and rubbed her eyes a bit.

"I've certainly not seen her do much gardening.. I didn't really think it was her thing.. But there is a way your abilities could help." Kazan smirked a little, it was a mischievous look like he had some sort of plan, and he did, rightfully speaking. Even as he finishing poured the tea and handed it to Grant, the man smiled,
"See, if the Varstradt forces only used common roads for their tanks, they'd be more easily ambushed, so instead they mark local forestry and terrain.. They send advance scouts to mark the safe routes, even to cut down trees if they have no other option. Now I don't need any trees regrown but you can make their advance more difficult by hiding their pathways or making false markers. They'll want optimum firing positions and instead they'll end up confused and disorganized."
Kazan picked up a new mug of coffee for himself and put it close to his lips but smirked,
"It'd make them easier to deal with, at least. Help me with this today, and we'll have done all we can." Kazan looked over at Grant and sipped from the cup, it was still rather hot but he didn't mind all that much.


In the hours that had passed, Bear had been quietly, or at least as quietly as a big man like him could be, working at lunch, it was a stew, much as his favored kind of meal was, Ridley was already downstairs in the same room as Robyn, but he'd been quietly sitting there, reading a book, he was relatively bright for a boy his age and bear wanted him to have an education, most other kids his age wouldn't read so much, though today it was a collection of child's stories.
He looked over from his place on the ground as Robyn stirred, a slight smile on his face before he looked towards the kitchen. Bear had also seen the waking young woman and stopped stirring the meal for a while, as her senses woke up with her she could probably smell the strong broth. Bear had also cleaned up, his hands were clean and face a more peach color now that the ash and soot and sweat from working in the forge had been cleared away,
"Nice ta see yer up, lass, catch enough winks fer the day?" He asked with a hefty chuckle, "There's a lil somethin' I want yer to see, once ye've woken up at least."

Grant grinned. Now there was a plan he could get behind, and if it bought them a little more time, so much the better. He wasn't considered a great-mage, by any means, but he could get smaller plants to do his bidding if he had to. Taking the tea, he took a sip before replying.

"That shouldn't be too hard," he said. "While I can't get the trees to move, I can definitely get smaller things to move around and cover paths." He'd done it in his own garden often enough, when he wanted to change the shape of the pathways. Getting plants to grow in packed earth was tricky, but it could be done.

"I didn't mean to sleep so long," Robyn apologized as she got up and put her boots back on. She didn't add that she could probably do with a bit more sleep. If she slept any more now, she would never get to sleep that night when she actually needed to. She paused when she smelled the stew, and grinned. Bear always made the best stew. She stretched when she stood up. "What did you want me to see?" she asked. It had to be something at least relatively mechanical, if he thought she would be interested in it. Mechanical or magical, and she was more likely to run into the former around Bear.

"It's like being a kid again." Kazan chuckled to himself, he did remember days of being mischievous as a kid, although in Varstradt punishments were probably a fair bit more severe.. At least if you got caught.. The punishment for this would be death, if they got caught, but hey, it was the same risk as going to war with Varstradt so there really wasn't a whole lot of difference.
"Once we're done here, we'll head out, sooner the better.. Shouldn't take long."

"Lassy y'didn't sleep long enough fer me t'consider it healthy, but it's better'n nothin'." Bear responded, pulling a stool over tot he cooker. He loomed over Ridley, picking the boy up and chuckling, the boy giggled slightly as he was carried tot he pot, set down on the stool by Bear,
"You stir that fer a lil while, eh?" Bear asked, Ridley nodding but he took a moment to wave at Robyn.
"Heh, s'nothin' fancy like yer mechanical contraptions, but I did learn a lil bit here or there bout sealin' armor from them pieces you two had me forgin'," Bear chuckled, leading Robyn intot he working area, he proceeded to the suit he'd covered up and grabbed the cloth, pulling it away.

The armor he revealed seemed almost impossible. If anything it looked like a solid statue of metal with a hollow space behind the visor. What appeared to be engravings at key joints and sections were actually the seams where the armor plate fitted together quite beautifully. Bear lifted one of the arms and bent it back a little, showing that it moved with ease. The metal plates sliding and shifting to make way for movement almost as smoothly as natural movement,
"Used some spare metals t'forge this. We want our lad Kazan back in one piece, whole thing protects everythin' but that narrow lil space there," he pointed at the visor, obviously it was where Kazan would be looking out to see, "I dun' get inspired much but you two have a way of gettin' this old man goin'." He then pointed down tot he thighs, something not-so metal was there, a leather harness with two empty holsters at the sides, "Figured he'd need somewhere to put them guns. The metal's pretty light," he knocked on the helmet softly, but it rang out with two hollow clangs, "Used a new technique to make it darn tougher,"
He turned to Robyn and grinned,
"Waddya think? This old mans still got it eh? If I coulda designed armor for a whole army it woulda been like this."

Grant grinned and nodded, finishing his tea.

"Then let's go," he said.

"I slept long enough," Robyn protested. There were dark smudges under her eyes, but she couldn't tell. She didn't want to admit that she was still tired, though. Curiously, she followed Bear out to his work area, giving Ridley a smile as she walked past him. She wanted to see what Bear was so eager for her to see.

When he pulled the cloth off of the armor, she gasped.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, going to get a closer look. She recognized the metal that he used, but it had been so completely remade that it looked brand-new. Gently, she reached out and touched one of the arms of the armor. It was solid under her fingers, but the joints moved smoothly and silently. She looked back at Bear. "It's perfect. How did you make it the right size, though?"

"Heh, I've watched the lad a lot, gotta learn t'watch people, figure'em out," Bear smirked, "Then I jus' compensate fer possible restrictions, the inside's lined with a little paddin'. He's bout the same size O'brien was, cept less of a belly," Bear chuckled, patting his own midriff, he patted the helmet on the head, though looked towards Robyn, "Gonna call it Reflex Plate armour." He smiled rather proubly at it, though looked to Robyn,
"Y'know, I could fit you a sister-suit, but it'd take a lil while to make.. Not like I be expectin' ye' to go into battle but if yer really thinkin' on stickin' it to Varstradt yer gonna need protection, eh?" He pondered, prodding her gently in the shoulder, "I'd dare even t'call being near Kazan bad fer y'health," Bear chuckled, he was joking of course, but there was a little truth to it.

He moved back into his move, looking back for Robyn and motioning to her,
"C'mon then lass, time to get somethin' warm in yer belly," He stated, returning to the kitchen so he could relieve young Ridley of his duty. The boy immediately pattered over to Robyn's side so he could grab one of her arms and lead her to her chair,
"Truth..?" Bear started as he checked the stew, "S'a good thing that lad came along, he's gettin' things done, 'bout time people stopped sittin' on their asses aroun' here." He chuckled, "Hows it goin' with'em anyhow? Y'been livin' with him a lil while now,"

"I don't need a whole suit of armor," Robyn protested. "I'm a mechanic. I have no intentions of being anywhere where I would need armor." And she meant it. She wasn't meant to be on any sort of battlefield. She was meant to be in a garage or a hangar or someplace similar, working on mechanical things. She doubted she would be anywhere near harm's way. Following Bear, she went back into the kitchen and smiled when Ridley latched onto her arm. She let him pull her over to a seat, and obediently sat down in it.

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean," she said when Bear asked how things were going with Kazan. They worked well as a team when they had to get something built, but that seemed to be about it. She constantly found herself watching Kazan as he worked, but she still had herself convinced that he only saw her as a friend. It wasn't that it was him, though, it was that she couldn't see herself as being desirable in that way. "He's good to work with, and he knows enough about how mechanical things are supposed to work that he's not getting in the way."

Bear chuckled when Robyn retorted in regards to the armor. Somehow he'd feel she'd regret that later, Varstradt certainly wouldn't care if she was a soldier or not, more so if they found out she made that weapon. But still, perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about it. Kazan seemed like he would be there to protect her at all times if he could, Bear couldn't help but think he had his heart in the right place.
Her evasiveness in regards to Kazan made him smirk to himself as he ladelled the thick red stew into a bowl, turning to look for a moment as Ridley clambered up onto his chair, settling down comfortably and waiting just as eagerly. Robyn wasn't the only one that liked the smith's cooking.

The first bowl was placed before Robyn with a third of a short loaf of bread, the meaty chunks were visible and the closeness of the stew made the aroma even stronger, and Bear imagined on an empty stomach Robyn would definitely enjoy the meal. He poured more into a second bowl and placed it by Ridley with some slices of bread for the boy.
He could never be one to claim to be a perfect father for the boy, but he'd certainly done his outright best. And he'd even tried to fill in a little for O'brien and Robyn's father as a father figure to her, it wasn't easy to do it all, but as his own mother once said, god knows the size of every animal and the color of every flower, he knows just how wide your shoulders are and how much you can carry and he'd never give you more than you could carry.
And Bear grew very wide shoulders..
"Now once yer done scoffin' that lot down, go grab that dolt of a partner of yours," Bear chuckled, obviously referring to Kazan, "Boy needs t'eat right if he's goin' t'war." He poured himself his own bowl, settling in his larger, sturdier chair and chuckled to himself, "Really feels like we've got ourselves one helluva'n oddjob family, eh?"


"Aaaand set!" Kazan exclaimed as he and Grant were walking back into town, cracking his neck either way, "They're gonna feel like we pulled their under pants clear over their heads," The soldier chuckled, patting Grant on the back, "What say we go see how Robyn's doing?"
Kazan froze for a moment, feeling a sharp pain in his head but then turned, looking towards the forest with an oddly confused look on his face, he was getting that feeling again.. Something was out there,
"Know that feeling when somethings walking on your grave..? I get it every time I feel a battle's coming.. I hope we're ready for this.."

Robyn hadn't realized how hungry she was until Bear was serving out the stew. She descended on her bowl almost before it was properly in front of her. She would willingly admit that she wasn't much of a cook, and Bear's cooking was much, much better than anything she could come up with.

"That's the best kind of family there is," she pointed out once she'd slowed down a bit from inhaling her food. She grinned. "It wouldn't be nearly as interesting if we were a normal family." She knew that Bear was stepping in to act as a kind of father-figure for her, and she was grateful. She hadn't seen her own father for quite a while, and probably wouldn't unless she went back 'home.'

Finishing up her stew and bread, she got up from the table and put her bowl into the sink.

"I'll go and see if I can find him," she said. "Last I saw him, he was back at the workshop, but that was a while ago." Waving to the two of them, she left to head back to the workshop.

"I think we're as ready as we can be," Grant replied, glancing back at the woods. Already, the undergrowth was moving around again to cover their trail. He wasn't kidding when he said he could move around the smaller things. He'd done everything he could, including making some blackberry bushes spring up in a few convenient places. He knew from his childhood that blackberry bushes had thorns capable of ripping through canvas, if they were strong enough. At the very least, they would be a painful problem for the Varstradt soldiers. "Come on, let's go back. Robyn might be back from the forge by now, it's been long enough."

Kazan seemed to be walking with an oddly confident step, hands rested in his pockets, he had that curious smile on his face, the kind that read that everything would just be better. Those people who recognized him from the street he and Robyn lived on would call him and he'd nod in their direction, this simple response would normally confuse people but he radiated an odd effect that made these people stop for just that small instant in their life, and smile, as if emboldened, just that little bit, sharing a momentary bond that formed the impenetrable wall of a people who had been pushed far enough.

And they would go about their business. The street looked a lot better than it had been before, though smaller bits of debris lasted and some houses remained demolish, what with no-one to live there any more, things still seemed tidier. With people working on it, and on the wall, everything seemed new, stronger. It was a tactic derived from insects. Knock over an ant hill and it would be rebuilt, stronger, better. And humans were of greater ingenuity..
the man looked up in time past a few passing folk to see Robyn on her way back up the street. In the light outside of home he could see a measure of tiredness in her face. He wondered how often she'd worked on such a large project.

Kazan pulled a hand from his pocket, raising it into the air like something of a beacon among the working crowd. He didn't shout, he just waved, proceeding with soft footsteps along the dirt road, one hand still rested in his pocket. Perhaps after this was through he'd take her somewhere.. He wasn't sure where, just yet, just somewhere for a moments peace..
"There she is." Kazan stated calmly to Grant as they approached, "Do you have any regrets in your life, Grant?"

"Regrets?" Grant replied. He thought for a moment. "One or two, I suppose. I find that I've lived a relatively charmed life, if you'll excuse the pun." The only thing he honestly, truly regretted in his life was that he'd never known his father, but he knew there were plenty of others out in the world who had gone through that same thing. He had lived all his life at the mage guild, under his mother's eye, and he had always been the obedient, responsible son that any mother would want. "Why do you ask?" He glanced over and waved as well when he saw Robyn. Now that he could see her face, he could see how tired she still was. She was on her feet, but could clearly use much more sleep than she'd gotten.

Robyn waved back when she saw the two. She noticed that Kazan seemed like he was in an oddly good mood, and surprisingly, it put her into a good mood as well. She liked seeing him like that, rather than tearing himself up inside over defecting to Lastdvell.

"Bear sent me to get you," she said as she got within earshot of them. "He made spicy stew, plenty for everyone, and he told me to come and find you."

"I've been counting them up. I have a lot to make up for." Kazan replied, placing his hands back in his pockets, though smiled aside to Grant, "The more I think about my services to Varstradt the angrier it makes me, its like there's a bit of a monster in the back of my mind that's refusing to let go and all that I am doing is disguising it. I think my biggest regret is letting that monster exist in the first place.." He grinned as he got closer to Robyn, rather calm of face as though he hadn't even been discussing anything serious, the sound of Bear having prepared a spicy stew interested him personally because he'd taken liking to the smith's cooking himself.

"Sounds great, Robyn." He replied, through reached toward her a moment, running a thumb across the underside of one of her eyes with a bit of a discerning look, then smirked again, "Either those are smudges or you're not getting enough sleep lately." He stated simply, prodding her in the forehead gently, "You need a good rest after all this." He added, dropping his arm and continuing in the direction of Bear's home, though looked aside to Robyn,
"I'll assume you've eaten, I don't think he'd send you out with an empty stomach, what'll you do now?" He questioned, raising a brow slightly.

"I've been busy," Robyn protested when Kazan said she needed more sleep. "I've had things that needed my attention." It was a bad habit of hers to forgo sleep when she had a project to work on, but she couldn't help it. "But yes, I've already eaten, and I'm going back there with you. There's something I want to show you." She wasn't going to say anything about the suit of armor until Bear revealed it himself, but she wanted to give Kazan the new guns now that they were finished.

Grant watched the exchange between the two. It was clear they cared about each other, and they both looked comfortable enough at least for casual touches between them. He hoped that they would both come to their senses soon and come to terms with their feelings, it was awkward watching them dance around the subject.

"I should head back to the guild hall," he said, politely declining the invitation. "I need to report back and tell them that the turret is in working order. The council wanted to know as soon as it was finished."

Kazan grinned when Robyn responded, he'd expected as much of her, but still, he wanted to make sure she rested sometime soon. He placed both hands in his pockets again, though stopped to stare at Grant as he declined,
"Alright, we'll see you when you're next out here," He replied, rolling his shoulders softly and continued walking with Robyn. He was curious about what she was going to show him. Part of him already knew it had to do with that secret little project she'd been hiding and for a moment he felt a childish leap of glee in his chest, like a kid before the winter nights, anxiously looking forward to the Solstheim festival and the gifts of their parents.

He looked down the street with an odd smirk on his face, watching the people further down mill about. He hoped they were truly ready for this. Meanwhile back at the smithy, Bear had covered up the armored suit again, placing the guns back in their box and closing it. He had a feeling Robyn didn't want them out in the open just yet, it would spoil the surprise he thought. Ridley had finished eating his own lunch and had returned to his room, but he wanted to see Misha again.
Kazan stopped at the door to the smithy, opening it first for Robyn before he would follow in, following patiently and waiting for her to show whatever it was she was waiting to present.

Robyn walked with Kazan back to the forge. She could see the restrained excitement on his face, and it pleased her that he would look forward to something that she gave him. It made her look forward to giving it to him, especially since she'd put so much time and work into the project.

"You go on in and get something to eat," she said as they got closer to Bear's place. "I'll go and get what I want to show you." She was pretty sure the box was in the forge. That's the only logical place Bear would have put it when he made her take a nap on the couch. When they got there, she went in through the forge to look for the box. It took her a few minutes to find, and she opened it to make sure everything was still there. She didn't think that Bear would have taken anything out, but she wanted to make sure she didn't forget to put anything in to begin with. She'd been tired enough earlier that it was a distinct possibility. Once she was sure everything was there, she closed the box again and carried it inside.

"Here it is," she said when she found Kazan again. She held it out to him. "It's heavier than it looks, so be careful."

Kazan found his usual place at the table, Bear had already set out a bowl of stew with a side plate, and although Kazan was prepared to dig in, quite hungry from his and Grant's antics in the woods, he was interrupted by Robyn bringing forth the surprise. He was hesitant at first. Something heavy? How heavy could it be really? Well he'd find out.
He turned to her, taking the package as it was offered and felt the weight beneath his fingers. It wasn't entirely heavy as far as he could tell, but it was certainly weightier than some simpler materials. He set it down on the table, opening it carefully before peering inside.

There was a stunned silence as he stared at the guns quietly, seeming to just take in the detail of it all. He reached in gently and cupped one into his hand, holding it up and examining it almost as though it were a precious piece of porcelain. He turned the gun over to look at the other side, reading the carefully inscribed prayers. In some cultures it was considered garish or strange to do such a thing with your weapon but he found it held a certain personality.
Finally he gripped it in the proper way, feeling the weight in his hand. It was definitely heavier than his old handgun. The difference made him want to go and test it, to make sure he was comfortable with it.

he didn't leave the table though, instead just placing it down and staring at it a little longer. He was speechless, in awe of it. While he'd practically expected something like this, there really no words for it really. nothing that didn't sound redundant or completely inadequate.
"They're beautiful." Kazan finally replied, looking up at Robyn with a slight smile, "They're.. Perfect." He got up from his chair and stood closer to Robyn, placing his arms around her in a hug. Bear was standing nearby and resting a hand on his hip while chuckling quickly to himself. The armour could wait a little while.. Robyn deserved a moment of attention for her hard work, they were doubtlessly far more complex than the armour, at least as far as he was concerned. Not to mention it would be a significant part of Robyn and Kazan's relationship.. Gifts that unique weren't idly given.

Robyn was a bit surprised when Kazan swept her into a hug. She hadn't been expecting it. A few words of thanks, a handshake, maybe, but not a hug. It was a combination of being so tired and being convinced that Kazan only saw her as a friend that probably did it.

"They're yours," she said. "I've been working on them for a while... I only just finished. " She subconsciously cuddled into his arms a bit. Somehow, he made her feel safe. She was so used to acting like she didn't need such things that she was a little surprised to find that she enjoyed the hug. "I'm glad you like them. I was hoping you would. They were originally Bear's idea, though." She couldn't take all of the credit, not when she hadn't been the one to come up with the initial idea. She had planned and built the guns, but it wouldn't have happened if Bear hadn't suggested them. After a moment, Robyn realized she was still in his arms and blushed slightly, pushing away from him gently. It would get very awkward very soon if she didn't, and she knew that. "They should work in the same general way as your old ones did, just better. These shouldn't jam at all or anything like that."

"Well if they're both the same then the weight's just right, albeit heavier than the standard firearms, I always thought they were too light. I'll still need to get used to the difference. they still take standard rounds, right?" Kazan smiled as he looked at the guns again, taking the other out and resting it beside the first so they formed an upside down T shape next to his stew. He looked at them in a way the suggested he could barely peel his eyes away. He'd expected something good from Robyn but nothing this incredible, the only thought he didn't welcome in his mind was that these two beautiful things would see combat.
But if they did, he'd make sure they were always pointed the right way, at injustice, at evil. He'd never use them for anything else.
"Well! Eat up lad, yer food's gonna get cold, aye?" Bear instructed, Kazan practically snapping back to Reality and nodding before he got to work on the stew, "Robyn lass, you mind goin' up an seein' how Ridley's gettin along with his studies eh?" Bear asked, smiling as he patted her on the shoulder, "Got a couple more things t'do, back soon, aye?"


Meanwhile, back at the Mage's guild, Grant was met by a student who was familiar with the relationship between Grant and his mother, the girl seemed a little on edge, confused,
"Uhm, sir? I think you should check up on your mother.. She's been acting oddly all day.."