vermified | [Voice]

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[Voice]

My lord? Your request is finished. I can bring it back to the house with me if you like, or you could come examine it yourself.

To those who requested that items be made, I apologize for the delays- my first order took much longer than I thought it would. I'll begin as soon as possible.

My offer to take commissions is of course still open.

....

Does anyone have answers in regards to the mass disappearance throughout the village? It seems like most people have returned, but that doesn't help us deal with the situation.

[There's another awkward pause, because he feels bad about being so useless since the whole mess happened, but...]

...Katie? Are you feeling any better?

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My lord? [Ed, rush himself? Nooooooo. That never happens.]

You need not rush home. Finish what you are doing there. I can wait.

Of course, my lord. I'm nearly finished anyway, so I'll see you soon.

[When Ed gets home, Sigmund will be waiting for him in their room. Staring at the journal, which is still open to Ed's message.]

[Don't burn a hole in the page, Sig. You'll hurt something.

Not too long after, Edward comes home with a box full of clinking metal, though he's padded the pieces down somewhat with loose cloth to keep them from scratching each other. He wants them flawless for Sigmund to see before he dents them all to hell.]

[When he hears that clinking, he deliberately sets the journal aside and stands to greet Ed. It barely shows, but he's excited to see the finished product, since his sketches were surely improved upon.]

Edward. Is that it?

[A smile is a good sign! Edward nods, and his enthusiasm is definitely showing. He sets the box on the bed and opens it, gesturing.] Yes, my lord! It's all finished, so please let me know if there are any flaws to be mended.

[Inside, there is a full set of elegant, intricately embossed plate mail, decorated with a series of markings that closely resemble Sigmund's original armor, though thinner and more to the specifications he'd given Edward in the shop. One major difference is the back plate, which is padded and built especially in a way to properly protect the wings, showed clearly by the artistic curves of embossed wings, sort of like this.]

[It is a good sign indeed. Sigmund carefully lifts a gauntlet out of the box, looking over the detailing and checking the articulation. Edward's craftsmanship is superb, as usual.] Shall we test the fit?

Feel free, my lord. It's yours now. [If he had less self control he'd be bouncing. He's polished Sigmund's armor before, and he's made the full suit as well, but that was for Capell. This is for Sigmund! It's special in the greatest sense of the word.]

[He sets the gauntlet down and starts pulling off his glove with a sharp tug. It isn't as though he needs any help feeling enthusiastic about the subject of weapons and armor, but Ed's excitement is catching.] Will you help me?

[YAY HE EVEN GETS TO HELP. You're just out to make his day, aren't you, Sig? ~~Or make him stop sulking about the whole 'running off and dying' business :|~~ Edward nods eagerly and steps up to begin detaching the shoulder pieces one by one. It's been a while since he's handled Sigmund's armor, and he's anxious to see how he looks in the new suit.]

[There's the other glove gone, which is about the end of what Sigmund can do himself without messing Edward up. He lets his eyes close for the time being. Edward working on his armor is familiar and comfortable.]

... I was not going to make you build a boat.

[Edward can't really help but smile at that, unbinding Sigmund's chestpiece and lifting it free to set it on the bed. Now who's stalking whom, eh? For him, as well, the work is familiar, something he'd sorely missed after Vesplume. Along with everything else he'd lost when Sigmund vanished.]

I wouldn't have minded if you did.

[It isn't stalking, it's showing remarkable interest in Ed's daily affairs. This is what he tells himself. Free of the armor, he rolls his shoulders a bit to stretch them out.]

I do not doubt that you would have aided me, even if you did. I wasn't going to mention it.

[Spotting this, Edward pauses, then lifts his hands to give Sigmund's shoulders a brief massage, hoping he's not overstepping any boundaries. Nothing soothes stiff muscles better.]

...Would you prefer that I not get involved?

[Sigmund likewise pauses, and then leans subtly back into the touch. It's in a context he can understand and be comfortable with, and it's much appreciated.]

Thank you, Edward. The convenience merely didn't seem worth the trouble, that is all.

[That slight movement would be impossible to miss as it happened beneath his fingers, so Edward prolongs the motion, checking each muscle to make sure he's catching all the tenseness to be found.]

I didn't know you were so interested in boating, my lord.

[Edward spoils him terribly, that's what he does. Not that Sigmund particularly minds. If he was a cat, he'd be purring right now. And well, he wasn't interested, really, until recently. Or he was, keenly, and then he wasn't, and now he is again. Or... or just maybe thinking too hard about these things never bodes well for him, and so he will not.]

It would have made travel faster.

[Ed probably enjoys making Sigmund happy about as much as Sigmund enjoys getting spoiled, so it works out. He keeps it up as long as it seems appropriate before finally going back to the armor, crouching down to remove the leg pieces.]

We could still try, if you want. It would be something to do.

[Sigmund rests a hand on Edward's shoulder to stay steady, and then lifts his foot to ensure that all of the various clasps and buckles are in easy reach. No need to make this more difficult than it has to be, especially when Ed is offering to indulge his silly, bratty whims.]

We could. We must occupy our time somehow.

[Plus we wouldn't want Sigmund to fall over, then they'd both have that awkward moment of "brb pretending it never happened" or something.

Edward sets aside the first of the greaves before starting on the next.]

Sokka's offered to give advice about the construction. I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle.

[ : | He isn't that clumsy. And switching feet.]

Did he? [...This is the sort of thing he would usually tell Eugene, and no one else, but Eugene isn't here and it's not a nice feeling, having no one to confide in. So-] ...I don't think he likes me very much.

[Edward ponders that for a moment, removing the last piece and waiting for Sigmund to regain his balance before he straightens up.] I think the problem is that he feels the same concern about you, my lord.

[...To be fair, Sigmund actually likes very few people and it's not an unreasonable assumption. He turns to the new armor, running his fingers over the details.] I do not dislike him, though his opinion matters little to me. Enough of that - let us see how your hard work has turned out.

[Well, he tried, and the offer has been made. If it works out, or it doesn't, he'll deal with it. He follows Sigmund back to the new armor, watching as he examines it for a moment before lifting the first foot out of the box and kneeling back down to help Sigmund into it.] How is the fit, my lord?

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