It was done, based on what the blacksmith said. Aran wanted to learn how to do that - though he supposed this was the blacksmith teaching them all. Based on the conversation from before. Aran wanted to know more, but he didn't know what to ask. Tahi seemed to be ahead of him in that department, though, so he stuck around to hear what the other being had to say about it. He was curious about that, too. Of the drawbacks. At least he wouldn't have to worry about enchantments fading away.... Unless he died.

It was a thought that the Barasignha shoved far, far away.

He stuck around to hear the answer of Tahi's questions.

"I don't care who the enchanted item goes to." He mentioned, offering his own opinion for the question of who it should go to.

The dragon made a fair point -- Kaimana never expected anyone outside of Comet, James and Levi to trust her with their promised item. She didn't appreciate the rudeness though. She'd hold her tongue, not feeling hydrated enough to waste more energy on a response. Once the Blacksmith spoke, it honestly felt like there was nothing left to say.

They chose. Kaimana hoped it hadn't aggravated them. She would understand completely if it had, though. It seemed that they could go now. Kaimana looked to Levi... poor child. Probably hated it here. Well, she wasn't getting any more out of this it seemed, and any missed details could and would probably be relayed to her through the Comet and James vine. So the jaguar padded up to Levi. "Shall we head back home now?"

If the alien hybrid agreed (which, honestly, Kaimana was expecting), then she would try to get a hold of either James or Comet to tell them she was taking Levi back home. Then she would start to go. "Thank you, Blacksmith," she would leave one last sentence behind, almost certain that it would reach no one's ears. It would be worth it to try anyways.

Text. "Speech." Thoughts.

- attempted exit w/ Levi -
@Leviathan @James @Comet

Comet nodded and followed James. Now that she had seen the process, she wanted to try some of it when they got back. Kaimana was going home with Levi too, so there was no more reason for them to stay. It didn't matter what enchantment had been picked for that rock, when they got back she would choose which enchantment she wanted. Padding silently along side James, she returned home.

"Exit Comet"

The gift, chiming softly, was gently offered out to Haven when no objections were raised by the rest. And then the Blacksmith looked to Tahi-shei, pondering in silence, for a moment, as the others began to trickle out.

"Drawbacks...? That depends... on the magic," he answered, thoughtfully. "A magic that makes you warm... in a hot place. Would be a drawback, no?" Ahh--but the Collector had been mentioned. The Blacksmith winced, a little, the gesture visible in the slight draw of the shoulders, the brief, faint turning away. "My brother's task... is different from my own. His magics are more... flexible, and suit his own, different, needs."

A vague answer, but it at least was slightly elaborated on a moment later, after another beat of pensive thought. "What you do with... these magics... should be simple enough--no--straightforward." No hidden drawbacks, then, at least.

@Tahi-shei @Aran @Oka @Himmel @Haven @Electrum

Haven took the crystal ever so gently in her talons, holding it close. She tilted her head and pressed it to the side of her ear, listening. The song was beautiful and she stayed still, listening, enraptured by it.

She looked to Ashtoreth, then to the Blacksmith, and bowed her head, "Thank you."

This treasure would be kept close, not to hang among the chimes she dreamed would sit above her nest. This would lull her to sleep, her children to sleep, would distract from the ocean waves. A lullaby trapped forever.

If she could cry, she would. Something so special was rare, and even rarer that it would become her's.

She held it close to her heart as she backed away to Electrum, showing it to him before putting it in her mouth. It was time to depart.

@Electrum
exit unless stopped

With the item going to the chosen gembound, Aran decided it was time to go. They'd all learned what they came to learn, even if they didn't know they would be learning the information they did. Perhaps some would stick to ask more questions, but with the enchantments proving to have no painful drawbacks Aran found that to be one of the only worthwile questions to ask.

"Thank you for teaching us." Aran voiced, though it was more flat than actually admiring.

He found himself moving untimely, slow, back where they came.

Exit Aran

Tahi-shei dipped his head to the Blacksmith, knowing that the answer was as satisfactory as he was going to manage. (The fact that the Collector was probably just poking fun at Tahi with talk of drawbacks seemed more likely now, too, but he brushed that aside -- he'd already agreed to this, there was no worming out of it, he'd just keep it in mind for the future.) "Thank you, Blacksmith," he finally said, a sigh in his words. "Perhaps I'll come by again in the future to ask you more questions about this mysterious craft you've shared with me."

And then, he was leaving.

/exit tahi-shei

Electrum

He mutters a soft apology, and explains what's going on as it happens, finally falling silent to lean forward as well, ears flipped forward to listen for the soothing melody that the stone now softly sang.

"Huh," he breathes, quiet and amazed at the peaceful enchantment in front of him. At Haven asking for the stone, he tilts his head to look at her, face folding in concern as his mind unhelpfully supplies him with reasons why she'd want a gift from someone else.

The mention of the Collector draws his gaze to the Blacksmith, his wince, the word brother... and he stows the information they'd all been gifted safely away, sighing slightly in the heat of the Forge.

As Haven stows the crystal, he gets down to the ground and makes his way to her, meeting the other dragon halfway and curling his tail around to settle along her hindleg. "I may stay and ask him some more questions, and ask to better learn this art."

So that I could make you something better than this.

He pressed his nose to her cheek, and his face whickers kind of... wiggle and tickler her, and he pulls away, before he turns to look at the Blacksmith once more.

"Do we have to worry about this Collector's wrath if we begin using what you've taught us? If the Collector is the type to add nasty caveats to creations, isn't he the type to retaliate?"

@Haven

The Blacksmith listened quietly, offering nods here and there. He seemed to consider Electrum's question very carefully, forming an answer only after a moment's thought.

"The Collector... can do nothing that you did not... agree to. His are bargains, and trades. He will not hunt down... strangers. That is not... his task?" It was half a question, as if confused. "He is not... a creature of violence."

Just what had Algol been up to, lately..?

@Electrum

Ashtoreth's hesitation withheld the song that was so personal to her, and instead came up with another song that she had made for herself in her youth. It was something she had come up with after meeting a new friend, a plunky little melody that reverberated through the crystal eagerly. Though it felt like the Blacksmith had done most of the magic, it still gave off a familiar song. Something from her heart.

Just... Not so personal. She tilted her head at it, and then at the Blacksmith, who explained. Yeah, I get it, she thought with a smirk, glancing back at the others with a fluffing of her mane. Someone spoke up, and she realized with a start that it was the large, eyeless dragon that prowled forward, practically begging for the musical charm.

Well, she had made one, she could always make another, right?

Ashtoreth nodded, and then belated realized that this thing didn't have eyes. Even if they could sense her, they might have a hard time picking up on the movement. Her lip twitched. Okay, hang on. With a deep breath, she twitched her wings and pulled on her magic-- surprised that she didn't feel quite so drained by the effort as she thought she might have been.

"Yeah," the air spoke around her, "sure. Sounds like you'd appreciate it the most, so its yours, big guy." She was a little tickled at the apology offered. As if one could be 'too forward' for Ashtoreth, of all gems. But hey, they didn't know her.

The dragon took it with a thank you, and she nodded again, this time a bit more quick to remember to use magic to answer, "you're welcome." She knew she had the best idea, and seeing the big dragon-creature moved by the song made her feel all the more confident. She glanced around at the group one last time, then decided she was going to figure out how to enchant things on her own. Spreading her wings, she slipped away from the group and took flight, heading off to find a spot of solitude where she wouldn't burn or freeze her whiskers off.

ash exit uwu ; song reference for funsies -- https://youtu.be/Pt0-wFCwhkg