Paul leans against the wall near Iggy with a huff. “I don’t know how you do it. Those fellows are impenetrable fortresses.”
“What is it I do? And which fellows?” Lately Iggy has been learning a new trade, and the smell of soot and iron hang off him. It’s focused his mind, but also kept him from keeping track of what’s going on with those around him.
“Make friends! Those fellows we’ve been helping with the murders, I can’t get a bead on them at all. I had to lie to some students and I didn’t even find the professor’s thesis out of it.” Paul pouts. “Not to mention Nyx’s mice problem. I couldn’t figure out what kind of tea he keeps special. and the count…! I tried to read the stars from his roof but he showed up and I was too embarrassed to finish my charts.”
Iggy thinks this over. “Making friends, huh? I don’t know that I do that, so much as just listen to stories. Everyone has one. You’re telling me part of yours now, for example.” He flashes a quick smile. “So you were probing the personal lives of the Count, the Professor, and Nyx, eh? Any particular goal in mind, or just friendly curiosity?”
“I wanted to surprise them. You know. Get one thing right, and everything else clicks into place.” He crosses his arms. “I don’t know. They have such strong momentum. I was just a hanger-on last time and I think everybody knew it.”
“You reached the top of the lighthouse before anyone,” Iggy points out. “And we as a group haven’t accomplished as much as we hoped. So you didn’t do as much here as you’d hoped either.” He smiles. More of the story has emerged. “So are you going to keep trying?”
“Yeah.” Paul sits, cross-legged. “maybe not today. but there’s gotta be something I can dig up that’ll work.”
“That sounds like the best thing you can do. And for what it’s worth, I think that’s what friendship is about,” Iggy says. “Not a single moment. But a persistence. Friendship isn’t a prize or a collectible reward. It’s an ongoing activity, and a commitment.”
Paul nods. He looks up at Iggy. “You’ve been somewhere lately. Some kind of furnace?” he guesses.
The Maker laughs. “Well. Our recent experiences left me feeling deficient as well, in case you worried it was only you. So I’m learning blacksmithing. Weapons, armor, even objects of power. I don’t want to be as unprepared as I’ve been.”
“Oh!! That’s amazing!” Paul smiles big. “blacksmithing seems like you need a lot of power and patience to do it. Luckily you’ve got plenty of both!!”
Iggy scoffs, but it’s in good humor. “I don’t know about power. And I was certainly impatient to start learning. But I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’ve a mind to make things not just for myself either. You should let me know if you have an interest in something, and I’ll do my best to undertake making it.”
Paul thinks a moment. “Maybe a grappling hook that doesn’t look so much like a grappling hook?”
“You’re in luck, actually. I’ve been planning a project that involves varying the weight of something, and something like that would be not too far off. Also I’d thought about a kindled telescope for you. Something that automatically tracks the most interesting sights you could look at, perhaps. Not useful in battle or when chasing down mysteries, certainly, but perhaps interesting anyway?”
“Oh, that would be incredible! there are so many times I see something interesting but lose it before I can get a looking-glass up for a closer look.” he marvels at the possibilities. “do you need anything to build it with? I can save up..!”
Iggy grins. “I don’t even know I can build it, not just yet.” His mouth turns into more of a comfortable smile. “Like your attempt at learning about our friends and colleagues. We try, sometimes we fail, and we learn. Making’s like that too. And if I don’t pull this off, I’ll keep trying.”