#debukefarmhold

"Ohhh, just you wait and see..."

"That truck'll run ten thousand years!"

"Just in time for me to retire then" Emmit nods

A few chuckles

Clem smiles "We don't need miracles, but appreciated. In the mean time, let us know if you need help parts and more. "

Mara's parents look proudly at her, her dad going "We'll find out what you like best.. to do I mean."

"I mean, I want to try all the things... oh, Ma, I got so many ideas.."

Her mother fusses with her hair "I don't think it's going down.."Then "mmm? I bet you do. Well, okay, we'll find a way to let you get those ideas out."

Indeed, her hair seems to defy gravity!

"So.. what first? You need a rest or..."

"I'm not tired! I feel great! Who was smithing? I heard the anvil..."

"Well, the anvil is that way so.."

"Let's go see!" And she's off!

Sometimes you can't tell how you're related without a program. The only 'regular smith' is a uncle (probably more of a much older cousin) but Uncle Walworth , He's putting an edge on a plow. HE glances over "Now ,see here, if you're needing a place by the hold, you'll have to talk to our chief"

"Walworth, I live here!"

"I.." He stares and gapes "Mara? You were the chrystlais? I Saw it bursting but I was in the middle of work.. and... Mara. You're a nocker."

People keep telling her like that as if she couldn't notice on her own!

"Yeah, I figured that one out.... cool, hunh? I fixed Ol Nutty!"

"Got it going for another week huh?" He says clearly not grasping the MAGNITUDE of the repair

"No, dude, I fixed it."

"Really?" Impressed "Huh, well, lord knows I couldn't do a think with it. Good work" A nod "So what brings you to the forge?"

"I wanted to see what th'furk you were doing, I heard the hammer... hey, could I try?"

"Sure... I guess. " He says "You never showed that much interest before..."

"Maybe a bit of farriering.. eh?"

"I always liked it when you'd show off making knives out of railroad spikes..."

"Knives" he sighs "Now that's art, not as much call around here ...but sure.. I can teach you. Let's start with a piece of real metal.."

Exactly how it happened, Walworth isn't sure. He spent maybe 30 minutes showing... but by minute 31.. she's the one with the hammer trying to make a knife

She does not have troll strength, but, as any Iowan, she has a stubborn streak a mile wide and enthusiasm to match.

Nor is she puny, life on a farm makes even the kinian hard bodied to some degree.

"Okay, enthusiasm's good, but watch how the metal tapers.. you don't want to make it too thin"

"Or it'll snap like a green bean! Damn, good catch..."

"Exactly" He nods "See the mistake most folks make..." And he tells her. She has so many ideas, but basics, some warning signs? Those aren't bad

She peppers him with questions - favorite materials, what all the tools do, how to read colors...

And he answers, surprised at her eagerness. Sure, some of the kids get jazzed about forged in fire, but when they learn that there's stuff to memorize and learn beyond just hammering away some of them lose interest..many in fact.

But Mara is interested in the nitt gritty - why tis, and what if he mixed that?

"Well, the color would change for a start.."

And, of course... "Can we try it?"

"Don't serve much purpose, but sure, won't do harm... later I can show you Damascus patterns if you want all fancy"

"Well, yeah." A sigh. "They don't seem to understand..."

"Mmm well, I admit, when Miriam was here I rather liked that she understood even if she did have a sharp tongue about the anvil, she at least understood"

"What is it you're saying they don't understand just so we're on the same page?" He asks

"They think just... good enough is enough!"

"Well, that's troll practicality there. I suffer from it too at times, but other times, you don't want to settle for good enough. YOu want the best you can do, and maybe better"

"Right? And there's so much you could do... think about how we could fix stuff to make things easier around here?"

"Well, we do have taht EMP gun to keep the big aggro drones from 'accidentally' coming over.. that was nocker made. We haven't used it since they stopped doing that"

"Oooo..."

"And maybe tech to keep the neighbors at bay..."

"Not sure Clem will go for it. We've got fae hounds and our own, not like we need much more..." He says

"But see, why settle?"

"Maybe not everything will work, but you can try new things..."