They're not as hot as people think. [Maketh leans back in her chair.] Sometimes it gets so cold that you see frost on the sand. Those are good nights. That means it could rain. Everything is sand and rocks. But you can see for miles. Sometimes the air shimmers with the heat. It can make you see things. But it's beautiful in its own way.
[Henry is, in fact, one of those people, so her words are of great interest. He tries to imagine what she describes, the fondness in her voice in mind. He sets down his mug.]
I hated it as a child. [Maketh shakes her head almost fondly at the memory.] Barely anything we grew ever survived, and we could go months without seeing anyone else. I read about all these planets that had oceans and green things, and each time I learned about a new one, I tried to convince my parents to go.
[They'd always humored her. Perhaps they'd regretted it she finally decided to leave without them.]
It's strange. I miss it sometimes. Not--all of it. But the sky at night. You could see the stars so clearly. I miss that.
Your... whole planet had no oceans or green places? 'Tis a wonder that you did not starve.
[Yet he understands her sentiment about the stars. Light pollution is not an issue in his time. As he takes up both pairs of pliers again to resume removing rings, he idly asks:]
Seemed the stars different to you when you were in the firmament?
[Henry briefly frowns at the thought of a young Maketh facing the very real peril of starvation because of nothing more than living on barren land. Yet she evidently survived it, so he says no more of it. What right has he, of noble birth and privilege? Instead, he answers her question.]
The farthest skies wherein reside the stars.
[Space is not yet a fully-rounded concept in his time, nor is it named such for another few hundred years. The views of the universe in his time are quite something.
Henry removes the last of the cut rings, and repositions his haubergeon so that the hole in the back shoulder is flat before him, ready to be fixed.]
Oh. We call it space. [Maketh leans back in her chair. it's hard for her to imagine someone living only on a single planet, never once going up in the sky. How strange her world must seem to him.] It's beautiful. Things look so different up close. I wish I could show you what the stars look like.
[Henry, wielding the pliers, picks up an open ring and slips it into place on his haubergeon, making sure that it leans in the correct direction. He then closes the opening, and keeps hold of it with one set of pliers.]
This may work best if you seal the rings as I weave them in.
[If only she had her data pad. It's burnt beyond recognition now, tucked into one of her drawers in case its parts might prove useful later on. Maketh nods, leaning in closer.] All right. Show me first?
[Henry nods, then pauses, narrowing his eyes critically. He is, regretfully, no blacksmith.]
On second thought.
[He opens up the ring again and frees it.]
If you heat the ring here where the ends are open, then I shall weave it in and close it.
[That likely makes the most sense, given the present limitations. It's hardly as though they have the supplies, tools or skill to wedge rivet mail. So, welded.]
These must be done one at a time, I fear.
[This would be a horribly dull task without the company.]
[There's no point in stalling, so Maketh presses the iron against the ring. It's less dangerous than a blow torch, but requires a steady hand. It doesn't take long for the metal to begin to change colors.] There.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2016-06-12 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-06-13 03:23 pm (UTC)It sounds to be.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-13 09:02 pm (UTC)[They'd always humored her. Perhaps they'd regretted it she finally decided to leave without them.]
It's strange. I miss it sometimes. Not--all of it. But the sky at night. You could see the stars so clearly. I miss that.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-14 09:15 am (UTC)Your... whole planet had no oceans or green places? 'Tis a wonder that you did not starve.
[Yet he understands her sentiment about the stars. Light pollution is not an issue in his time. As he takes up both pairs of pliers again to resume removing rings, he idly asks:]
Seemed the stars different to you when you were in the firmament?
no subject
Date: 2016-06-14 02:32 pm (UTC)[It had made them strong, though in quiet ways. She tips her head to the side.] Firmament?
no subject
Date: 2016-06-14 06:24 pm (UTC)The farthest skies wherein reside the stars.
[Space is not yet a fully-rounded concept in his time, nor is it named such for another few hundred years. The views of the universe in his time are quite something.
Henry removes the last of the cut rings, and repositions his haubergeon so that the hole in the back shoulder is flat before him, ready to be fixed.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-14 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-06-14 10:38 pm (UTC)[Henry, wielding the pliers, picks up an open ring and slips it into place on his haubergeon, making sure that it leans in the correct direction. He then closes the opening, and keeps hold of it with one set of pliers.]
This may work best if you seal the rings as I weave them in.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-14 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-06-15 12:00 am (UTC)On second thought.
[He opens up the ring again and frees it.]
If you heat the ring here where the ends are open, then I shall weave it in and close it.
[That likely makes the most sense, given the present limitations. It's hardly as though they have the supplies, tools or skill to wedge rivet mail. So, welded.]
These must be done one at a time, I fear.
[This would be a horribly dull task without the company.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-15 03:44 pm (UTC)She tugs on a pair of gloves and activates the iron, waiting until it steams.] Ready now?
no subject
Date: 2016-06-17 02:20 pm (UTC)Ready.
[He confirms.]
no subject
Date: 2016-06-17 06:49 pm (UTC)