The Morning After

Waking up sandwiched between two women in something that you will never get tired of, especially if those two women of that of Ashe and Karisi. You stay on your back with your eyes staring up at the ceiling as the two snoring beauties to your sides continue their dreams. You do what you can to move out of the bed without disturbing the women because you know with the amount of alcohol they ingested last night you assume they will be out cold for another hour if not even longer. The food you brought was wiped out, no more wine was left and your clothes were still scattered around the floor but you didn't care one bit.

You move over to your dresser and slowly open it up to make sure no creaks or sounds escape and then you grab a normal cloth outfit for the time being. Debating if you should go train as this will be your last day here in the Syndicate, you decide against it. You have a handful of things you want to check up on and get in order before you leave for war tomorrow. Also, you'd like to go find Lexie because you do truly feel bad about sleeping with Ashe and Karisi, fucking their brains out and pawning her off to handle Zoe.

First order of business is bringing your armor and getting it patched up before you leave for war tomorrow which means you'll go back up to the Smelting Pot to bring it to Rivianne. You'll also make sure to bring both your weapons so she can sharpen them up as well. You assume she'll be more than happy to help you out with your armor although you can only imagine she is probably extremely busy these days especially with war just around the corner. Still though, you grab your armor, throw it over your shoulder and make your way to the exit. As you open the door, you take one final look over at your shoulder at the two sleeping girls in your bed, it was a memorable night, one that you will cherish the rest of your life, however short or long that may be.

Lugging your armor up the thousand steps of the mountain you finally make it back into the city of Sicilian. You turn down a few streets and make a bee-line straight towards the Smelting Pot. Soon enough, you get to the blacksmith and make your way inside. "Rivianne?" you question out as you step inside the drapes to enter inside the smith. It always throws you for a loop by the amount of weapons, armors and shields that are hanging off the walls. So many of them are such beautifully crafted pieces and you're quite in awe at how spectacular of a blacksmith Rivianne actually is.

You bunch of your armor over on one of the counters and set your two weapons down right next to it before you make your way towards the back of the Smelting Pot, towards the room where Rivianne sleeps in. You step up to the door and give it a light knock, "Riv?" you say again, a little louder this time.

"Just a minute!!" her voice shouts from inside the room, "Be right there!"

You step back and wait. You could open the door to take a look in, see if she's potentially laying with some armor again but decide you should get her some privacy and don't want to be rude. The poor girl did lose her father and husband not too very long ago so whatever she has to do to cope with that is fine by you. Soon enough, the door opens and that five foot two inch blonde haired blacksmith steps out, "Darien?" she looks a little surprised, "What can I help you with?" she asks as she makes her way back into the main room of the Smelting Pot.

"Well, war is tomorrow, you know that and I figure I'd bring by my armor, see if you can patch it up a little bit as well as potentially sharpen my blades?"

Rivianne walks over to the bundled up pile of your armor, "My my, seems like you really care about this..." she grumbles off as she picks up the chest piece and gives it a quick shake, causing a bunch of dust and dirt to fall on the ground, "So dirty too!" she sneezes briefly from the dust before she looks over it, "And...Oh my God!!!!" she wails out as she pushes it back over the table, straightening it out and looking at it, "THERE IS A HOLE HERE!!!" she snaps her head over her shoulder and glares at you, "Why aren't you taking better care of my armor!"

"Uhh...Riv?" you raise an eyebrow at her, confused why she's shouting, "It's doing it's job...I got hit with a weapon there at some point."

"I know that! But come on, treat this right! You should have come to me immediately, not wait so long." she rolls her eyes before going back to scouring the armor, "I mean, how can you walk around the Syndicate dressed in such good looking armor but have a hole here and have it be so filthy! Geez, Darien, way to tarnish my good name."

"I-I wasn't tarnishing anything...I just thought a little dust and grime make it look more battle ready!" you grin as you step up next to the smith, "At least I didn't break the weapons though!" you grin as you reach over and pull out your beautifully crafted short sword, "Still looks amazing even after it's taken out a few people!" you grin as you move it in front of Rivianne.

"Darien!!!" she wails out your name again before snatching the blade from your grasp, "Look how dull this is? And the blade and the gems! You are...you are such a typical guy, not taking care of his belongings!"

"W-What do you mean?! It looks amazing still!"

"Does it even cut skin anymore?! Good grief I have a lot of work to do." she shakes her head again, "Plus how are you suppose to impress your army and make the enemy troops shake in their boots if your weapons aren't bouncing the sun straight into their eyes. Tsk tsk tsk, Darien, filthy!"

"I still think it looks good..." you grumble out, "Although now I'm scared to show you the dagger now..."

"What's wrong with the dagger?!?!" her head snaps to the side as her eyes go wide with shock, "What did you do?!"

"Nothing." you shrug and reach for the dagger, "It's like the sword, a little wear and tear but all good. Want it sharpened is all."

"A little wear and tear?" she grabs it out of your hands, "Ugh, Darien, are we even looking at the same weapons here?!" she's twirling the dagger in her hands as she holds it close to her face, inspecting every last bit of the weapon, "So filthy!" she speaks directly into the blade.

"Well, that's why I came to you! You're the best! The Greatest! The Blacksmithiest!" you grin as you make up that random word.

"Well, don't stop." she eggs you on.

"The most amazing! The super bestest! The prettiest! The most liked! The..." you run out of compliments.

"I suppose I am!" she trails off as she sets the dagger down, "You leave tomorrow morning...I'll put this on the top of my priority list and will have the armor and weapons delivered to your chambers once I finish up the repairs."

"I knew I could count on you!" you place your arm around her back and pat it a few times, "Now make it look freaking amazing! I want the armor to be patched up, groomed and spotless and I want those weapons as sharp as can be and the steel to sparkle delightfully! Got it!" you tell her, "None of this filthy, hole ridden armor you have here." you look at your chest piece and point at the hole, "Yuck, how could anybody wear something so trashy!" you jest at the girl.

"I know right!" she tilts her head and smirks at you, "Now get lost, I've got some work to do!" she shakes your grip off and brings starts to bundle your armor into her arms once more.

"By the way, if you want to bring me the armor tomorrow morning, you can as well..." you trail off, "That would allow you to sleep with it again one more time before it leaves for war, ya know, send it off right." you give her a wink as you recall the memory of Rivianne sleeping next to a mannequin dressed in your armor.

It causes the girl to blush heavily, "You remember that eh...?" she can't even connect her eyes to your own. "I-I..."

"Relax, Riv. As long as my armor gave you consent it's okay." you step forward, placing another hand on her shoulder, "Because if it didn't, I would have to give you a stern talking to." you begin to chuckle.

She only now glares at you, "Get lost! I've got work to do!" she tries to maintain composure.

"Work to do or armor to do?" you give her a wink causing another groan of air from the blacksmith, "Ahh, Rivianne, you're the best." you pat her shoulder a few more times, "Anything, thank you. I truly mean it! Thank you for this." you try to sound sincere.

"Yeah yeah yeah, if you truly mean it, you'll bugger off and allow me to do my job!"

"Will do, Riv!" you release your grip of her shoulders and step back, "Enjoy the day, thanks again!" you smile ear to ear as you turn to leave, "Remember, please don't be selfish and get my armor off too please, don't need it backed up as it heads to war!" you shout over your shoulder as you leave the Smelting Pot.