Into the forge

You follow your parents as they walk towards Clarissa’s forge, though you actually know the way quite well. Though you are friendly with all your siblings, you are closest of all with Clarissa’s son, Duron. When he wasn’t working in the forge with his mother, the two of you were usually hanging out together. He was your most frequent sparring partner, and probably your closest friend.

As the three of you walk in, Duron is there to greet you. “Hello dad, hi Anna. Hey Nicholas, I hope you’re ready, this is exciting!”

You chuckle. “Is it? I’m guessing you know what’s going on, then?”

The grey skinned dwarf nods. “Mom explained it to me. She showed me what she made, too! I’ll miss ya when you go, man…”

You nod. “Me too.”

The two of you hug, and you feel your parents eyes on you as you step back. Both of them smile, but say nothing. Duron grins. “I’m gonna let you go in, if I keep talking I’ll spill the secret, and that’s no fun!”

The two of you shake hands, and then you follow your parents into the depths of the forge. You can see Clarissa and Kali waiting beside a small workbench. They seem to be having a quiet discussion as you approach, with Kali being the last to speak.

“…should have known she would poke around. Of course she’s interested in…”

Kali quiets as you arrive, and both of them smile. Josh looks at them with concern. “Is something wrong?”

Clarissa shakes her head. “Not at all. Just a certain djinn turned goddess poking her grubby fingers in my work.”

He laughs. “Sometimes I think you blame Sadie even when it’s not her fault.”

Kali smiles. “True, but this time it’s…definitely her. But we’ll get to that.”

She turns to you.