Uptown - The Dragon forge

An intricate carriage rattled along the cobblestone streets of the Uptown, tugged along by a pair of decorated centaurs restrained in bonds and blinded with heavy custom headdresses of steel - hiding their human faces and replacing them with stoic buck heads with the only sight available through the hollowed eyes. Lucile and Primrose were inside, the mistress seeming to sleep in her seat across from where her new pet sat - head tipped back, eyes eased shut.

The driver would call a hard halt on the twin mounts, the carriage coming to a gradual stop, and just a few moments later the door would be yanked open for the two to exit. They were stopped outside a massive stone building, the front wall of the entry door adorn with displays to show off a number of classic and exotic weapons of many metals and designs.

Lucile would step out first, taking the short steps down to the road. "Come, come, Primrose."

Indeed, the establishment was massive and wrought of heavy stone bricks - inside, it was spacious with a very high ceiling. There were displays and tables scattered about and a number of weapons of varying sizes everywhere. A handful of anvils scuffed with years of work. And an enormous forge that was the clear inspiration for the name of the place, wrought from possibly a dragon's very own skull and mounted with stone and mortar, the hollows alight with the hot coals in the throat of the beast.

The pair of ladies would step inside just in time to see something that was normal of the place. There were three human males working iron, each of them carved shapely with muscle and power and each of them bearing leather cuffs at the wrists and matching collars. One of them had just been sent flying across the workshop from a solid blow from hot iron, leaving a certain red mark about an inch wide and diagonally across his face from the momentary contact.

The one bearing the weapon? A rampaging monster that was extremely bent out of shape over something and bellowing like a furious bovine. Bull, the minotaur and smith of the establishment. The beast was easily three times Lucile's size between his towering height at over eight feet tall and his thick, powerful body rippling with muscle and adorn in steel accents and tattoos of black ink. The size of his palm alone looked big enough to crush a human skull in his fist.



When the insignificant little bell rang upon the front door opening, the smith turned on one large hoof to look - and upon seeing the High Lady he would let out another howl with a heavy huff - this one a much more pleasing sound. "Well, I'll be damned - Lady Frederica. The High Lady coming to grace my dirty shop," he grunts, casting a vicious glance over his slaves as they immediately dropped their tools and knelt - save the one still reeling and struggling to get back upright.

When they first walked in, she was overthrown by the force that was in front of her. It was beautiful and still dreadful at the same time. The weapons from the walls did the same to her. She could appreciate the craftsman ship, but still didn't like the purpose that those weapons might serve.

Primrose gave a shriek as she saw the man flying through the room. She followed him with her eyes and soon saw the red burning mark on his face. Her eyes drifting from left to right as in fear and for a moment all she could do was stand still her her hands covering her mouth in shock.

When the big bull-like creature started to avert his attention from the male that was still on the ground, prim took her chance and ran towards him. She would softly cradle his head with her hands and would see if he was still breathing. He had made a bigger blow than she expected anyone to be able to survive against the stone floor he had landed on, even someone as muscular as those boys seemed to be. The mark on his face was immediately starting to swell on his face and small blisters were forming around it. "Are you alright?" she asked in a soft voice, hoping her new mistress would be too busy to pay attention to her.

Lucile couldn't help but think that Primrose's reaction was nothing short of adorable - worrying over another little human like that. It was more so with the fact that the girl had broken out of what would be a slave's place. Openly and brazenly. But she continued to smile ever-so sweetly to the master smith despite his very brutish and offensive stance. It was just how he was - and he held quite the demeanor, even amongst his kind. She didn't let it bother her.

"Now, do forgive her - I only bought her at lunchtime today, and Lady Chataya left her training to me rather than breaking her in herself. It's actually part of why we're here - she will need a collar, but I do not want her to have a binding leather one or a heavy steel one around her delicate neck. And, of course, you are the best smith of this world - and such a darling on stained glass and jewelry," she adds with a hushed whisper.

The beast grumbled and grunted as the High Lady tried to butter him up - it didn't matter if she was queen of the world. It wasn't gonna work. She was going to pay a pretty penny like everybody else. But this didn't stop him from grinning.

"Heh. So you want something fragile for your doll?" he huffs, waving a massive hand at the girl as she took her proper place again. He would step back and turn, growling something menacing at his forcibly hired help to get them to return back to work, as he moved over to a table a few paces away - this one holding a number of smaller, intricate items. There were a few chokers and collars of a different make, more decorative than binding. "Hmm... I think I have something to work with that fire hair of hers. You gonna shell out the 8000 gold and 200 pounds of silver I'll want for it?"

Despite having the head of a bull, a sly grin stretched across the length of his head as he glanced to the High Lady.

Prim was once again biting her lip when the two discussed her so openly. She would rock a bit back and forth on her feet as they were feeling uncomfortable on the heels she was wearing. She knew the Smith didn't like her and he also scared her more than she wanted to admit to herself. She had never seen anything like the Minotaur. Even if he had just been a human his height and girth would have been enough to scare.

She would try and look over Lucile's shoulder when the minotaur went to the more decorative collars. Till now she had only seen the ones that Chataya had made the slaves wear. They had been of unpolished rough metal, with heavy shackles and little space to breath. Some of them seemed to have spikes around them or even inside the collar to make moving the head a painful task. But those ones were actually kind of pretty. They still looked like they were a collar, but actually seemed more like jewelry than a binding. She permitted herself a small smile as she thought about wearing one. She was even so lost in thought that she missed Lucile's comment about the ring for the leash or chain. 

Prim gulped at the massive beast got up to his full height. He was bigger then she ever have imagined.

She would straighten her dress bent over at the stool, putting her shoulders on the seat as instructed. It was very uncomfortable but she felt like she would manage. So he won't burn me. She bit her lip in fear. She better be sitting entirely still or she would be hurt after all. She just needed to get through this, after that it would all be fine again. And don't look him in the eye when you get up! she reminded herself.

Lucile watched with a bit of fascination as the minotaur worked his magic - with such a pretty little collar, at that. It was perfect, and would easily work with any dress she put on the girl.

And, as expected, expertly sealed around Primrose's neck without a single scar or burn to the girl. This was why she came to see Bull - he was damned good at what he did.

And it was no surprise when he turned and went on about his payment. She continued to smile sweetly at him. "The moment I return to the manor, I shall have Ossesus fulfill the bill of payment and the goods brought right here. Immediately," she adds. Even for someone like her, she didn't see it fit to cross the beast.

There would be a small moment to wait for the bill of sale to be scrawled up by Bull, but it would be after that Lucile would gesture for her new pet to come along - already turning to head for the door presumably with Primrose in tow.

"Come along, now - with any luck, your room will be ready by the time we get home. And many thanks, Bull - once again, you've held my faith in your master craftsmanship."