#anywhere

"This asshole threw you for a loop. Fair enough; you wasn't lookin' right. Hurts?"

A shrug.

"I like fixing things. I'm good at it."

"Yeah. So fix stuff. An' if you want ta, make."

"I want to."

"So make."

Her spirals are a sullen yellow and she shrugs. "Trying."

"Good."

"Maybe I could help you with stuff, too?"

"Ain't gonna steal nuthin'."

"You wanna learn metal work?" some surprise.

"Ain't afraid of fire. Metal, yeah. And leather, too, maybe?"

"Yeah. I guess." a little nonplussed but.... "Ok. See those ingots over there?" she gestures with the tongs.

"Yeah?"

"Go sort 'em out."

It IS just a ... big pile.

"Yeah, I get it."

And she sets to the grunt work.

It sounds like Willy gets back to vigorous work... but it might be that she's also keeping an eye on Thistle's work.

She's not sure what the difference is, really - so there's experimentation. Looking for markings. Weighing them to compare. Tapping and listening.

The Nevers, ever helpful, like the metallic 'ting' the ingots make! Tapping them is a good game, isn't it?

"Nyup... go tap on those ones, whydontcha?" She sets the sillies towards checking the unknowns.

It... doesn't really help, but they are out of the way. Mostly.

And Thistle doesn't seem afraid of work - though HER system is likely not WILLY'S.

Willy works until Thistle says she's done.

It takes a while, but eventually... "Okay, I think that's it."

Willy sticks the metal bar back into the fire and crosses to look at the work she's done; how are they sorted?

Presumed material, and then size & weight.

Stacks of coppery stuff, of bronze, of steel.

"Not completely hopeless, Shells."

"Not sure what those three are, but they're lighter and tougher than the silver." She jerks her chin at the mithril.

"Yeah, that ain't apprentice level, and neither are you." Willy confirms "So. What do yout think about the other stuff?"

"It's interesting." She picks up one to tap it... chime!

"And?"

"...and.. probably for sidhe stuff?"

"Y'know, bet you could make really cool glazes from powdered copper. Not food safe, of course, but cool..."

"Could do, mebby."

"Anything else?"

"The - pretty sure it's steel - that's the hardest of the bunch. And it looks like there's two different types, but I'm not sure how they're different. When I scraped'm with the rasp, look, see?" She picks up two, to show the difference. "They sounded different, and this one cut deeper."

A plumed eyebrow lifts. "Not bad. What else?"

"I would also guess the steel is easier the cheapest, the most useful, or both."

"Why guess that?"

"There's four times as much of it as anything else."

Willy nods. "Ok. You're not entirely stupid. Good."

"Not entirely, no."

"You want to learn more?"

"I do."

Willy grunts, but starts talking metallurgy... let's see if Thistle can keep up.

Thistle, it seems, is actually pretty adept with chemistry - no shortage of it with glazes and salts and clay additives - so she does fairly well.

If she passes an oral exam Willy might....-MIGHT-.... let her start handling tools and bellows.