Usingizi slithers back up near the blacksmith, keeping behind Elspet whom she felt was a good deal more trustworthy than it. Her mouth was full of black sludge, a pair of black gems, and a pair of the green gems from the pile of green gems she'd seen laying about. She feels glad that she can dislocate her jaw to carry the things, but she also hates things touching her gem, so it cancelled out. She felt a little odd about taking the green gems, but she'd seen other gembound take them, and no one seemed to complain, so it must've been fine, she thinks. Yeah, definitely. The weird taste of the sludge makes her want to gag, but she just thinks about the fact it'll be the Blacksmith's problem soon.

She lays her objects in the spot Elspet had placed the black gemstone, relieved to be free of them then moves behind Elspet once again. She peeks at the blacksmith from her spot, tense. She doesn't like being this close to the thing, but her vantage point allows her to see both his tools, and approach and bite him easily. She has been contemplating biting him for a while now. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. She doesn't speak, just stares nervously.

@Elspet

The Blacksmith had busied himself heavily with his supplies. Various powders and crystals were already ground-up in the mortar, but as the others began to arrive, he took what was offered and mixed and ground these items up, too, for each of the Gembound who brought them. Soon there was a wide array of colored dusts, glowing powder, and a number of different crushed crystals all in little bottles, bowls, and anything else he had spare.

He thanked them, as they came--from the sets of Bremen's "powdery black rocks" to Kera's baubles and everything else, too.

For a time he toiled in silence, before at last turning back, setting out each set of colors before the Gembound who had brought them--except that which had been given openly; these were all sorted in a large grouping near the table for whoever wished to use them.

The Blacksmith began to show each Gembound how to mix different dyes from their chosen colors--which spells to add for various effects, which colors to blend for which resulting shades, and then, at last, he began to speak.

"I think you all have brought enough for a rainbow," he began, smiling behind the mask. "And now it's time to show you how to put the dyes on. I need a volunteer--one of you with patience, and perhaps skill with magic, or with limbs--" and here he showed his own hands--"or both. One of you will be taught the spell, and put this dye onto the others."

The recipes for all Dyes are now unlocked! Gembound will need to roll Barely Successful or higher for those dyes that require a spell added in, but otherwise may assume that the ingredients that they brought have been made into whatever dye they chose, provided the ingredients are sufficient. ONE Gembound is to be nominated to receive a new spell to permanently apply the dye to others!

@Usingizi @Elspet @Wilder @Eli @Thothaga @Bremen @Sanji @Kera @Catalyst @Gea @Selena @Pollux

Wilder happily watched the Blacksmith as he crushed up her berries and the feather and the stone she had given him, along with everything else that was presented. She listened and learned as he showed them the methods of making dyes and she couldn't help but be ridiculously excited about all of this.

At the Blacksmith asking for a volunteer she let out a loud meow and began bouncing around, unable to hold her excitement in any longer. She wanted the spell so bad! But it wasn't that dark hunger that overtook her all the time, the need to get magic and more magic, but rather just a childlike want and need to have something they can't wait to have. "I'm good with magic! I'm really really good with magic! I don't have hands but I have steady paws! Can I have the spell? Pretty please?" She stopped for a moment before holding up one of her delicate paws for the Blacksmith to see and stilled it as best she could. But, well, it wasn't hands.

She glanced around at the gathered creatures and pointed to the large gorilla with her paw. "I think she's the only one with hands if you'd rather have that."

The Falcon ruffled her feathers proudly as The Blacksmith accepted what she gave him, excited to see what he made. She had chosen things that she liked to use, metals and such.

Other Gembound came back, bringing with them their own things. Gea attempted to bring a Banana into being to eat simply out of boredom, and succeeded. However, grasping it in her talons, she brought it to her beak, only for it to explode, splattering all over her face.

Her expression of shock must have been comical as she began to preen, cleaning her feathers of the mushy banana. But before she could finish, The Blacksmith began to craft, and Gea hopped forward, getting as close as she could. "How did you learn to make these?" she asked The Blacksmith curiously, voice awed. This was fascinating!

She accepted her vial of dye with an "Oh, thank you!" committing the process to memory. The Falcon hopped back, cradling it in her talon as though it were something truly precious, waiting to see who would volunteer. But the cat did not seem like a good idea, so she raised her voice, "Maybe the gorilla, I think so too."

Speech. Thought.

The velociraptor presented her orange and yellow gems to The Blacksmith, and the Panther was kind enough to provide a Blastmelt to add to the dye.

As she waited, she watched the small bird attempt to make a banana, only for it to explode in her face. She giggled, and formed one of her own--it was small and runty, but she gulped it down.

She leaned in, watching curiously as The Blacksmith began to craft various dyes. Catalyst accepted her Burning Magma Gold dye excitedly, taking it gently in her teeth with a happy bob of her head, stepping back and allowing everyone else to decide on who would learn the spell.

Dread listened intently. He watched, practically hovering (metaphorically speaking; he didn't actually fly in an ominous manner) over the Blacksmith as his ingredients were taken away. At the hooded stranger's careful instruction, however, he reared back, ready to hawk up superheated bile into the bowl of powder on the floor.

He'd never done this before, and despite the protective nature of his dragon's throat, it still burned. He coughed and winced, letting out a short, sharp roar of pain--but the gob landed where it was meant to.

He watched as the Blacksmith mixed it up, offering out burning Magma Dyes to those who wanted it; he took his share up in the talons of his hind feet, peering over the now-corked glass bottle with deep interest.

"I DON'T CARE," he bellowed--happily, if that could be discerned by anyone present--in regards to the earner, and learner of the spell. "AS LONG AS THEY PUT THIS ON ME!"

He paused, a moment, then remembered his manners--long-ago instilled by White. "THANK YOU!" he screeched.

The gorilla was attentive as she could be as the odd, lanky being produced crushed stones (how he was managed to reduce those enormous stones she found to mere powder was beyond her) and mixed them into dyes. His instructions were simple, easy to follow and easy to remember. A corked bottle was passed from one pair of hands to another, fairly large in size --- think Mason jar sized, if such a thing existed in these caves.

She was then told to cast lightning at the bottle. Well, nobody had died yet, right? Magic crackled through her stone, down her arm, and into the bottle. Elspet's hair stood on end, buzzing with electricity all the way down to the mixture. It swirled and churned, purple and gold somehow not mixing. The sight was similar to clouds, spiralling in the wind. Not that the gorilla knew what clouds were.

She'd have to put the dye on in a moment, when there weren't a bunch of Gembound suddenly nominating her for spell-receiving on the basis of having hands.

"Ah, shucks, guys--- I mean, I'll be happy to paint all y'all up if ya want me to."

The Blacksmith listened, and while he did so, he seemed to offer a gentle tilt of his head--perhaps a smile?--Wilder's way. He rather liked the cat--in fact, Selena too; perhaps felines were good-natured?

At Wilder's mention of hands, he looked to Elspet. Gea reinforced the vote, and the dragon--somewhat unpleasantly familiar--did not seem to mind one way or another.

Quietly, the Blacksmith went to Elspet. "Very well--now watch," he murmured, his voice soft, as he cupped his hands before Elspet's face. He explained softly how to focus--how to imbue the magicka into the dye itself--and after a few moments of magical flow and intent words between them, he had imparted (he hoped) the spell to the gorilla.

"That," he said at last, voice both gentle and satisfied, "should do it. Please help the others, if you would. May this gift allow you all to grow in new ways: creativity. Creation."

He sounded as though he were smiling behind the mask, and kindly.

@Usungizi @Elspet @Wilder @Eli @Thothaga @Bremen @Sanji @Kera @Catalyst @Gea @Selena @Pollux

Wilder leaned in close, trying to catch what the Blacksmith was saying to the gorilla but she couldn't hear anything and, besides, she had a feeling that there was some kind of exchange that wasn't just words. That was too bad but she happily thought about how much fun Elspet was going to have with her new spell! "Wow, you'll have to teach me that spell sometime! It's probably a lot of fun! If you want to try it out, I have some things!"

She pushed forward the dyes that the Blacksmith had shown her how to make; pink, black, and glowing. She didn't care to have anything painted on her, but she'd happily see her dyes be painted on someone else.

Nobody seemed to contest the vote, and that was enough for the Blacksmith. He seemed to simply glide toward her, murmuring about magicka and somehow sending a pulse of it coursing through her gemstone. Elspet couldn't help but wonder how he had seemed to just impart magicka into her being, but she chalked it up to his elder nature. The gorilla settled down onto her rear, peering at her hands.

Well. She may as well test it on herself first, right?

Elspet grasped at her bottle of dye, easily uncorking it and casting it aside. Holding it between her feet, the gorilla stuck her fingers into the dye, making sure they were covered before extending an arm. With surprisingly steady hands, she drew fairly geometric patterns up and down both of her arms, as well as up her neck and cheeks.

Rubbing her hands dry on the stones and pebbles, she raised them once more, trying to call upon the same sensation the Blacksmith had given her before.

And... nothing.

Ah, damn. Elspet peered at the Blacksmith, murmuring "did I miss anythin'?"