2025-01-02 - Forging Jewelry

Jett had been here as promised, from time to time, working quietly on some larger project which eventually disappeared just before Christmas. He hadn't been seen since then, but he's back now, with some time on his hands and on a day off. Jett has put his hair into a half knot behind his head, with some braids woven in; it keeps the hair out of his face for the most part. He's wearing some clothes that can get ruined at the forge; some rugged jeans and a tank top that has seen better days. He ditched his jacket and sweater at the door when he came into the warmth of the forge. He had used a lot of that scrap metal already and was pulling up a stool to the bench he had claimed to work on his projects. He starts sorting out the tools available to him and it looks like he's just working on sanding and filing down one of the pieces he started to work on before Christmas. Jett pulls his legs up underneath him on the stool, yes, sitting crossed legged, as he quietly works. He lifts his head up from time to time to check the look of the piece and feels it with a finger to check the sharpness - he didn't want sharpness, he's trying to work that down to a duller and smoother edge.

Knox has been working on a few horses and in and out of the forge all morning. He'd been over how to use all the equipment and all the safety stuff when Jett first started hanging out in the forge, and he's confident about leaving Jett alone to work on his projects while he tends to other things for the most part. Even so, when they are in the workshop together, Knox seems to enjoy the company of another human being. Typically, it's just him and Rufus, his big old dog, who sleeps most of the day in his bed. This morning, though, the pair are just returning from the stables: Knox with an armful of tools and Rufus with a rather large bone, which he drags in the direction of his bed and starts gnawing noisily. Stepping back into the warmth of the free, Knox sets down his armful of tools on a nearby workbench and lifts his arms over his head, stretching out. "Hey, Jett," he greets, offering his buddy an easy smile.

Jett doesn't necessarily like dogs, scared of them really, so he's kept a reasonable distance from Rufus and minding him around the forge. The dog will all but have to put his head on Jett to get touched but Rufus likes his bed! And Jett likes the little workspace he had been meted out.

The safety stuff Jett totally paid attention to. He didn't want to create problems for Knox or the little forge. He followed them to the letter of the law and always made sure his own personal safety was covered before touching the furnace or machines.

Jett lifts a hand up to Knox in a little wave from where he was, watching as Rufus went to his bed with that big old bone and Knox returns with a load of tools. "Hey Knox! Belated Merry Holidays and all that. Did you have a good Christmas?" He asks with genuine interest, pausing in his own tinkering to have a word with Knox.

Rufus is a pretty chill dog, as far as dogs go. He's big and shaggy but not super energetic or the type to jump up or harass people. Knox would have introduced him briefly to Jett the first time they met, but overall, Rufus doesn't;t really have much interest in anyone who's not showing much interest in him, and he'll mostly let Jett have his space.

Knox heads over to see what Jett's up to once he sets down his tools. He leans up against the workbench Jett is working at and extends a hand to offer an easy fistbump of greeting once he's close enough. "Same to you buddy," Knox returns the well wishes with a smile and then pauses to consider his Christmas. His lips purse a little, and then he smiles brightly. "Yeah, it was pretty good I'd say, all things considered. How about you?"

As far as dogs go, Rufus was pretty cool if he kept to himself and away from someone with an innate fear of dogs.

Jett will totally fistbump Knox as he comes over, "Thanks." He smirks as he opens his hand to show off some of the details on a triangular shape he's made, a charm perhaps? He explains, "This is going to be part of an earring set." Then he showcases it hung up from his ear before he lies it down on the bench with other bits and bobs he's going to add to it; a soldering iron nearby to indicate he might be getting close enough to doing that soon. He looks up toward Knox for his answer, "Oh yeah? What'd you get up to?" As for his own, he nods, "It was alright. I worked through it and then hung out with my roomie. We watched Die Hard." He reports that faithfully, "And had hot chocolate."

Knox steps closer to the workbench as Jett begins to show off the beginnings of the earring set he's making. He nods approvingly and reaches over to touch a couple of the pieces Jett had indicated, turning them over in his hand and inspecting them carefully. "This is a really good start," Knox smiles encouragingly, setting the piece in his hand neatly back down on the workbench. "You're pretty talented at this," He adds, reaching over to give Jett an encouraging clap on the shoulder. "Are they going to be clip ons, or for pierced ears?" Knox comments after a moment, looking back at the earrings. "You'll need silver hooks for the actual piercings if you're making earrings, to stop them getting infected," Knox points out.

When Jett asks about his Christmas and New Year, Knox laughs and explains "Well, the horses don't know it's Christmas Day, so they need taking care of every day of the year, though I kept that to a minimum and just did the basics," Knox explains. "Apart from that, I watched a lot of football, drank some beers and ordered a big Christmas dinner from one of the restaurants on the big island," he smiles easily. "Called my parents, spent some time with a couple of friends. Overall not a bad time at all!" he smiles easily.

Jett watches with a nervousness as if Knox was the authority on metal work and clearly to Jett he was in this moment, invested in the inspection of his work and looking for the needed feedback. "Thanks," he says with a humbleness that suggests he doesn't take compliments well and is at least trying accept it, even if he wiggles a little underneath the positive response. "Magic helps," Jett confesses a little but then he laughs softly at the clap on his shoulder, "Well, for pierced ears. Yeah." As for silver he nods, "That's a little harder to come by yeah. It's not like the island has silver underneath it," as far as he knew. "I'm going to use a bit of my next paycheck on getting some high grade stuff to finish these off." He nods.

"I hope you had help?" He wonders when Knox does indicate that the horses needed to be tended regardless of the day of the year. "Sounds like an easy way to spend the holidays, fun too," he notes, "I am trying to enjoy the holidays more but it's always been difficult." He looks over toward Rufus then back to Knox, "What'd you get Rufus?" Grin. Even if he's anxious around dogs he does recognize when they mean something to their owners.

"you're welcome, man. Seriously, they look really nice," Knox reaffirms with a nod of his head about the earrings and then huffs out a quiet laugh when Jett mentions that he used magic, at least for some of it. "Even if you did, it was your magic, right?" he points out, eyebrows lifting slightly. "So, nobody else but you could have done it. If anything, it makes them more special," Knox nods before asking, "Who're they for?" with a curious lift of his eyebrows.

When Jett mentions digging up silver, Know laughs and shakes his head. "You can get some silver earring hooks on Amazon for less than a fancy coffee," Knox assures. "Stick a couple of those on, and it'll mean whoever you give them to can wear them all day without their ears going green," he smiles.

Knox looks confused when Jett mentions Knox having help, though the penny drops after a moment, and he nods. "Oh yeah. Not a lot, but there were a few of us on shifts over the holidays. The horses need the same care every day, after all," he agrees. "It was pretty laid back, yeah. First Christmas away from my family, so that was a little weird, but we sent each other gifts and facetimed, so it was;t too bad in the end," he explains. A glance is given towards Rufus, and Knox laughs happily, explaining, "I called round a few of the restaurants until I found one that had a big beef bone for him. He's enjoying that,"

"Thanks," Jett says with a humbleness that drifts into that uncomfortable how to handle compliments zone once more. He does at least rely on the boost of confidence to flash a grin up to Knox. As for who they're for, he shakes his head, "No one. I'm making a bunch of stuff. I am approaching the merchandizing team here at Spellbound with a proposal; probably to have my stuff in a few shops here or then and the occasional kiosk cart display in the midway. I eventually wouldn't mind going full time with it, if it works." So in the end he amends as he holds them up, "No one yet. Someone hopefully will buy them, one day soon."

The laughter from Knox has him wince a little. He's new at this. "Oh yeah? That sounds easier...then what I was imagining," magic drilling for materials is what was going on in his brain. He then chuckles enough that his shoulders give a little bounce, "Green ears is the least of the weirdness on the island, for sure. But yeah, if they're to pass for health and safety, I got to make sure to use the good stuff."

"You know I could maybe help?" He addresses, "To pay you back for letting me in your space. I mean, whenever I'm around. I don't know what to do but," he shrugs, "I can learn." As for hearing about Knox's first Christmas away from family he looks back to his earrings and sort of continues on with that, "That sounds nice even like that." Then he lifts his gaze a little with a soft look toward Rufus, "He doesn't look like a mean one. I'm glad he got a treat." He wonders then, "Did you always have him?"

"If the park won't sell them, you could put them on Etsy, or something," Knox suggests. "A lot of folks'll pay extra for good quality, handmade stuff, and you're really talented," Knox reiterates. "You would make a decent second income out of it, I expect," he suggests encouragingly. "You've got that whole goth aesthetic going on, right? Have you ever thought about getting on Instagram?" Knox suggests, not that he's a social media maven himself, but it seems the obvious thing to do in this day and age. Knox catches the wince but doesn't really address it, instead nodding encouragingly about the idea of adding some silver hooks to the earrings.

Knox smiles when Jett offers to help with the horses and gives a little shake of his head. "It's kind of you, but it is my paid job, you know? I couldn't exactly turn up on the midway and start running games for you, you know?" he points out with an easy shrug. "That said, you're welcome to come and hang out here as much as you want, and if you want to help with the horses some I wouldn't say no. Truthfully though, I do enjoy it. Being with the horses makes me think of home," Knox confesses with an easy smile. As to Rufus, Knox looks over and smiles, then looks back to Jett and shakes his head. "Naw, some folks abandoned Rufus and I rescued him. Couldn;t stand to see him all by himself. We've been buddies ever since," Knox explains.

"Etsy..." Jett blinks for a long minute at Knox when he says that, "What is that?" It's a question that has him looking a little sheepish, "I'm assuming it's an app?" He pulls out his phone, because he has a phone now, which he also indicates, "Oh yeah. Ty gave me this before Christmas. If you want to put your number in it?" He pivots it around, offering. As for making a decent income well that lights up his eyes a bit more, "I mean, I'll take any and everyone's ideas for sure. There's been a lot of good ideas too." As for instagram, his face seems to look a little less pale? Maybe for an instant, some colors comes back to his now greyscale skin tone, "I haven't actually. I am still figuring things all out. I am on Tiktok already though. Instagram should be easy." It's already on his phone, the app, but it's all about self promotion and he is a work in progress with that!

As for the paid job part, Jett laughs, "Oh yeah. Well I guess you have a point," he smirks a bit at Knox. He regards Knox for a while, simply observing the openness for which Jett is allowed to stay and how Knox looks when he's talking about horses, with the easy smile and all. Jett reflects a little about that sentiment and asks, "What is home supposed to feel like?" It might be a strange question since everyone traditionally has a sense of home and thus it being asked suggests doesn't. His gaze turns toward the dog then back, "That's real kind of you... Rufus is lucky to have been adopted. Some never do get, adopted." The weight of those words is apparent and he looks back down at his creation, working a touch more on it.

"I never used it myself, but my mom used to make soaps and things, and she'd sell them on there," Knox explains when Jett seems curious about Etsy. As Jett reaches for his phone, Knox explains, "It's an app, but a website mainly I think, but basically anyone that makes homemade things, or cradfts or whatnot, can sell them on there..." he continues, his Montana country boy accent coming through strong. "People'll pay a lot extra than what they will in a store to get something unique and handmade by an artist," he leans over to start to peer at the phone when Jett begins searching for the app, though before they can find it, Jett has turned it his way and invited him to put his number in. "Sure," Knox smiles, nodding amiably. He takes the phone and taps his number in, before handing it back. "Text me anytime," he smiles encouragingly.

Knox listens when Jett asks about home, and his eyebrows draw together in a small, slightly confused frown. However, as Jett goes on, and especially about Rufus, things begin to crystallise somewhat, and Knox gives a tiny shake of his head. "Grew up in the system or whatever, right?" he suggests, reaching over to attempt to lay a comforting hand on Jett's shoulder. "That's got to be rough man," Knox offers sympathetically. "I can't say as I know what it feels like to have never had a home, but I lost a home, and that was pretty rough going..." he trails off. "Anyhow, it sounds like you got lots of friends here, but if there is ever anything you need, you got my number, right?" Knox gestures back toward the phone.

"If a lot of buyers are on there then I guess you have a chance of selling," Jett does note of the online platform, "I wonder what the catch is." But for now he will download the app and research about it later. He looks up and over at Knox, "Yeah? That's kind of cool. I didn't really see myself as an artist, until coming to Spellbound, well, and like focusing more on it." At the offering of his phone he nods to when Knox hands him back his phone, sending a quick 'Hi it's Jett' text to the phone number so that Knox has his too.

Jett confirms with a slow nod that he grew up in the system, "I don't get certain things about people you know. I want to think that it feels like home here, but I am not sure what that's supposed to be like." He shakes his head, "Eh. I'm totally envious of a dog right now." He flashes a smirk up at Knox as if to make light of it. Then Knox mentions losing a home and he considers him, with some empathy there, "Sorry to hear that. But, this place is kind of fire right? I feel like I can start seeing people as friends here." He doesn't say family because that is also a foreign concept, as much as friends seem to be. Then he nods, "Yeah you too. I'll help out or whatever you know?"

He shifts in his seat and wonders, "So what are you going to do after?" He looks around, "This place I mean. Or is this like, it? Spellbound the last stop?" None of them really know how long the theme park is going to last for but Jett is curious to know more about Knox, essentially.

"Sure, check it out and see what you think," Knox agrees, nodding his head. He lifts a hand to push a few stray strands of hair out of his face as he finds a comfortable spot, one hip leaning up against the stretch of workspace Knox had found to set aside for Jett as they look over his work together. He shrugs a little when Jett says he didn't think of himself as an artist, and Knox gestures to the nuts and bolts bracelet on his wrist and the earrings on the counter. "I'd say its definitely art," he offers encouragingly. "Seriously, you wouldn't think so, but people will pay a bomb for this kind of thing," he assures.

When Jett talks about his childhood a little, Knox folds his arms across his chest, nodding understandingly, at least until he mentions Spellbound being 'kind of fire', which produces a smile and a slow nod of agreement. "I'd say so, yeah. It's a pretty special place," he agrees. "I would say, worry a bit less about what things are supposed to feel like. You can't ever feel someone else's feelings, right? So just worry about what it means to you," he gestures towards Jett with one hand. "If you feel like people are your friends and that makes you happy, that is probably enough, right?" he points out, aiming a vaguely big-brotherly punch at Jett's arm.

When the question comes about what Knox might do after Spellbound, he doesn't hesitate at all. "When I'm done with all this and I make my money? I'm heading right back to where I started," Knox smiles easily. "A little horse ranch out in Montana, right along the Bitterroot River," he nods affirmatively. "That's always been home for me,"