Not often did Fahl encounter many reminders of just how much lower to the ground he was in comparison to other Gembounds. The absence of mind came from long stretches of solitude often spent in caves wide, tall, or just as wide as they were tall. Only as of late, pursuing this underwater mission, had he seen such individuals as Pelt the seal, that gargantuan whale, and now this presumably nimble-fingered and towering fellow. Although his surroundings always dwarfed him, and he cared little of it, something about living beings doing the same stirred an inadequacy within.

Perhaps the feeling resulted from how it threw him back to hatchling days, a time he'd been much smaller and the world so much more confusing. Whatever, it compelled him to stretch up nearly to tiptoes as Attikias squatted down. The change in height made little difference but mattered much; while no ill intentions could be seen in the elf's demeanor, the action quelled the primitive niggling at the back of his mind.

Fahl ahh'd at the explanation given. Of course. To help in such a manner made sense, especially considering what little detail they knew about their destination, the ones they did being a menagerie of deadly creatures. He shook his head at the mention of enchantment, his own magic used for imbuing.

"Wouldn't be much good for me." The admission was reluctant, delivered by a slightly ducking head and a sigh. Despite how much he valued magic, it had its limitations. He knew as much, having trained and sought instruction on attacking from a more physical angle. "My focus is fire."

Not one to resist a demonstration, a tiny sliver of common sense prevented him from accidentally singeing the craftsman's brows off with a blast of superheated air. The trailing water on his back settled into a frozen state, concentration turned to cranking up the temperature around him. Flakes of ice sloughed off and splattered onto the ground.

He held a paw up, showed wickedly hooked claws. "Figure I'll be using these far more."

But this mention of metal dye intrigued him. Warned about using his head as a battering ram due to the possibility of not seeing what he could hit in the dark, would this negate that concern somewhat? "The dye. How... protective is it? If I were to take a few, um, direct blows?"

A claw reached up to tap at the pointed scales atop his head.

@Attikias

If he was being rude, he unfortunately had not noticed- instead, he was simply trying to cut short the difference between them, not fully realizing how awkward the situation was.

But, interaction aside, he did a three-part expression at Fahl's words: a tilted head, a shrug, and a singular nod. He was debating on the idea of fire underwater- maybe it could be useful? But Attikias couldn't find one, and eventually he gently shook his head, letting out a soft breath. "If only we knew what temperature it'd be down there. The water's been warming up in general, but I have no clue if it'd be worse down there or not." His eyebrows raised, though, as he felt the gentle heat from Fahl.

Maybe that would be good, if they needed to melt some ice or something? That seemed likely, perhaps, but none of them knew. How dangerous would it be?

He leaned in a little more when Fahl showed his claws, his eyes widening just slightly. 'Wouldn't want to get hit with those,' his mind supplied as he looked over them. His gaze flicked back to Fahl's as he thought out loud, "it's like its own sheet of metal. But, I don't know if it'd... Pad, more than just prevent you from getting slashed." Getting hit in the head with blunt force was a lot more dangerous than cuts. At least, he understood that after running into someth- getting hit, yes, and earning himself a nasty headache for far too long. The brain in there didn't even have much but its own liquid mix to protect it, and then what?

Shaking the thought from his mind with a shake of his head, Attikias looked over Fahl as he considered. "It might be worth the try, though. It'd be better than it just hitting your skin head-on, at least. Plus, it'd help keep those scales from breaking off." He paused, considering- what about this being's claws? Nails grew fast, though, so it may not be worth it and they may grow to be uncomfortable, especially if he affixed it and the nails couldn't wear down.

He'd do that if Fahl asked, at least. "I don't have padding other than some spare fur to use, and that doesn't work very well underwater. If you have something soft to go between a helmet and your head, we can try that?" He shrugged halfway. "But, I can definitely affix the dye to you, if you'd want. It'd still help a little bit, I'm sure!" His voice lilted up- not raising in volume- in faint excitement.

@Fahl

As Attikias laid out the metal's capabilities, Fahl bobbed his head alongside the words, attentive. So it'd be a bit of a risk, not knowing the exact extent of how well it could take a hit, but could be worth the consideration anyway. Scratches were a valid worry as well, and its application seemed as if it could guarantee some protection from that.

"Soft," he exhaled, more to himself than anyone else. Not many options available that he could conceive of, however—

"There's moss that can be collected. In Pisces. But..." Weary and squinted lids cast a glance back to the tunnel, covered in ice and snow. The hole he'd crawled from might've been out of sight, but it did dwell within his thoughts alongside the rises and falls underwent to reach here. "It's absorbent. Soft, but once it soaks, rather heavy." He shrugged. "A small amount might not be a problem. If you want to try anyway."

The suggestion had a faint quality to it, not quite a ringing endorsement.

Fahl's eyes then lingered upon the tattoo Attikias had shown him, mentally traced over the swirls, speculative. While the practical purposes were what mattered most in the moment, vanity could be at least indulged. Gleaming, it had a nice shimmer of colors to it. Certainly not the best of choices if he wanted to avoid been seen, his head likely to end up a shining signal of his presence. But when had he ever cared about stealth? This would do fine, given the circumstances; and dare he say it, he thought the resulting look might end up striking and impressive.

"No harm in using the dye. You affix it, and I could let you know how it holds up in a fight after."

@Attikias

Attikias let out a small noise at Fahl's idea, tapping at his chin as he considered it. "Anything's worth the try, but I don't know how long we'll have for me to make you one. Plus, might be too uncomfortable to wear if it's heavy." He spoke as he thought. "I can still try, anyways- but, you might not even need it if the dye works out just fine."

He nodded to the both of them, then rocked back on his heels, standing up with the momentum and turning to the tent. Within his small little pile of stuff was a glass urn-like thing, about the size of a paint can, and within a swirling mix of liquid titanium swirled. Colors blended into the next, and Attikias picked it up carefully, setting it between the two of them.

This should be great, and it'd be even better to see how the armor held up on direct scales themselves. "Deal." He smiled with a chuckle, kneeling down properly so he could reach Fahl's head. The nearby brush was picked up- made of broad, sturdy hairs, it would be nearly the right size to paint over Fahl's scales, and yet it may be a little too big.

"It might feel a little odd." How much feeling was there in the iguana's scales? Attikias didn't know, but as he pulled the leather-bound top off of the jar, he put the thought to the back of his mind. Instead, he dipped the end of the brush into the jar, swirling it very slightly before pulling it out, drawing the excess along the edge of the opening. "Ready to go?" He gave an offering thumbs up, waiting for Fahl's go ahead before applying the dye.

@Fahl
very quick lil sketch of potential placement? :0

"Ehhh. Just don't poke an eye out." He'd watched the proceedings with almost an air of calm: gathering the supplies, dipping and withdrawing the brush. The main hint of any nerves resided in his tail, its twitch over the floor mild but telling. Of course, this was nothing more than to be expected from a first time experience. His indifference to what the brush might feel like, if it could be felt, was manufactured and ultimately short-lived. Soon as the words left his mouth, the iguana regretted them. "Wait. Give me a second."

Fahl adjusted his seat, twisting his back legs to a better position, then rolled out the kinks in his shoulders. The brush given one last look, he decided it better to shut his eyes altogether so that any slip ups could be less of an ordeal. After this, finally, he allowed himself to nod the go-ahead.

"Okay, that should do it. Dye away."

((No objections from me. Looks good. *thumbs up*))

@Attikias

"I promise not to." He rumbled out a small laugh, settling in. Everything was done, and-

He tilted his head. Ah, okay. Nodding, Attikias watched Fahl as he prepared himself, getting ready. "Alright- try to stay still, if you can." The actual act of it wasn't too hard, he imagined- painting a straight line was rather easy, after all, and Attikias raised his other hand up to block the dye from going where he didn't want it to go. Notably, he made sure enough was on the pointed scales over Fahl's head, sqeeping back to reach most of his muzzle while leaving enough space for all of his muscles to move about. It was an easy process, really.

But, for Fahl- if he could feel anything through his scales- it may be tingly enough to cause a bit of flinching or twitching. Attikias would try to account for this with that extra hand, but he'd never grab, never crowd- just try to keep everything even and straight.

Everything done, Attikias leaned back and laid the paintbrush over the container of titanium. "That should do it- all that's left is to affix." One hand raised and he focused on the dye itself- surely, it wouldn't backfire if there was someone else's magic to help?

He winced as a pain trailed up his fingers- the unaffixed dye that laid on them scaled,and he wiped it away before it could give a bit more damage. 'Shit.' He hated casting magic, sometimes, but- maybe it just didn't work. Almost every time he tried to cast this, it came with something coming back to bite him. "-- Give me a minute. It's uh- I'm not the greatest with the magic part of this." He rocked back, reaching behind him for something.

After a moment of scavenging in his tent, he pulled out a leather breastplate, its own surface titanium reflecting the surroundings dully around it. "Do you want to see, while I kinda try to get the magic going?" He was focused on that during this, as he propped the chestplate vertically and angled it so Fahl could look up at it.

It would just take a minute, he convinced himself.

@Fahl

The process was an easy-going one for the most part. Sure, a bit of apprehension came from the sensation of hands hovering overhead, but not much could be done about that; he had asked for this. And what's more, he'd been assured no real harm was to befall him. As tension gripped his spine, Fahl did not fight back against it. Instead he leaned into that paralytic anxiety, all the better for holding him still so that Attikias could complete his work.

It turned out that thickly scaled armor dulled the senses. Every brushstroke carried with it the slightest of tickles, enough to set his nostrils twitching but not nearly so to be truly disruptive. A comment would have left him, forgetting his preferred image to project in the midst of relief, but thankfully the knowledge that he must not move more than necessary kept his jaw closed.

And then the brushstrokes stopped. The drop of a swear followed a stretch of silence. He remained unspeaking, uncertain to whether he'd screw anything up if he did. When offered to see, Fahl gave a hesitating dip of the head, eyelids cracking open as it lifted to the reflection of himself.

"Sure," he rasped. Might as well adjust to how everyone else was going to see him. Not that it'd be difficult—this version of the iguana appeared quite the charmer.

@Attikias

The armor would be a bit of an imperfect mirror, but it was something, at least, as Attikias focused on the dye. It was rough going- his knuckles tightened on the plate's edges, and he could feel himself staring holes into Fahl's new tattoo.

This was going to be rough. Letting out a soft huff of breath, Attikias steeled himself, resettling. He could feel the magic draining- and yet, nothing came forward, and it was like reaching for a light switch in the dark. A few, soft grumbles escaped him, until he focused again, struggling to power through the magical process of this.

He resettled himself as he could feel a faint migraine coming on. He had to will himself to not have another magic-drain repeat- he'd be fine. He had to be fine. Shutting his eyes so he wasn't staring right into Fahl, Attikias let out an airy noise through his nose, his breath held otherwise.

After holding his breath, again, Attikias let out a soft noise of discontent. "The magic's failing," he grunted, leaning back in his stance as he got his lungs back in working order. The migraine was really flaring up, now, and he huffed out- was there something about putting it on someone else? He shook his head, teeth gritted when he looked back down to Fahl.

"I don't know if there's something about this- is it too thin? It shouldn't be-" and he began to fret, turning his head this way and that as he leaned over the armor, looking over his own work. "It should be fine... I know it's not anything you did- maybe it's just--"

The Trial. Attikias hissed out under his breath, teeth bared for a brief moment. "Maybe my magic hasn't recovered, yet. I can try once we get into Fornax proper, or maybe the dye needs to dry out and solidify a bit? Unless you want to hang out in the tent while we wait for the Blacksmith to get here."

He jerked one thumb behind him, into the warmer-looking tent, with a thick pelt rolled out as some sort of sleeping surface. Its leather entrance was open, and he turned aside in clear invitation to the iguana. It must be the Trial doing this- he just needed to hunker down and try again, he bet.

He hoped, at least.

@Fahl (sorry for the double post but >:( come on affix dye i know you're high int but please)

For a while he merely sat, attention glued to the plate, acclimating to the new look. Gaze steady, his head tilted left and then right, the glint of the dye caught upon the reflective surface. Were it not for concern over whether sharp movements would disrupt whatever magic Attikias was trying to cast, Fahl would have tried to observe himself in profile as well.

The sounds of struggle, the huffs and puffs of breath above, did not escape notice. Neither did the armor piece's quivering beneath a tightening grip. It took no genius to understand from those that there was difficulty with the affixing. Therefore, the voiced confirmation resulted in little more than a few unsurprised blinks.

The reaction to Attikias peering down at him, grasping for answers, evoked a larger response. The feel of analytic eyes sweeping over his skull locked his jaw. He shrank closer to the ground, unwilling to straighten his back until assured that only hands and not faces would intrude upon him.

Unable to offer insight, wholly out of his depth in the current subject, Fahl held his tongue until the discussion became less one-sided. A shrug first answered the possibilities presented, an action that bought seconds of rapid thought over the situation.

"If it's drying that's the matter, here'd be better. Fornax... there'd be more wet than there is dry." Sure, they could keep to the shore, but even then moisture weighed down the very air in that cave. With the tunnel, at least the tent would be able to shield them from the damp. Having said his mind, the iguana lumbered past Attikias and into the available shelter. As he did so, conversational questions flew over his shoulder.

"You travel all over, helping out? Or is this a one time deal?"

@Attikias