Noble was not fast enough to react as the cup was pushed into her palm. Determined not to drop the piece of pottery, Noble shut her eyes and prepared herself for the searing pain of her Flaw.
Only…it didn't come.
Noble opened her eyes and peeked at her hand. The cup was still there.
It was smooth, just as Dazai had said. Only, why wasn't it hurting her?
Dirt being flung through the air stung her, and even earth attached to a massive monster caused her Flaw to plague her.
Noble examined the cup more closely.
"Are you sure this is made of clay?"
Dazai furrowed his brow. "How can I not be sure? I made it."
Realizing how she sounded, the lovely Saint winced.
"I didn't mean…of course you did! It was a silly question. It's beautiful."
Noble turned the tumbler over in her hand. Was it the glaze that was protecting her from the clay inside? She didn't think so. The tile and wooden floors didn't protect her from the sting of the ground. So, why was this different?
Noble's eyes widened.
'Is it because it's a fundamentally new object?'
The craftsmen had put time and energy into reforming the clay from the earth into something new. Unless it was broken and turned to dust, it would never be one with the ground ever again.
'Fascinating!'
Just when Noble thought she knew everything there was to know about her Flaw, she discovered something new!
It made some sense in hindsight based on other experiences. However, she had never given the issue too much thought until they moved from the Dream Realm and more things were made of stone and earth.
She stood there amazed for a moment, reveling in the revelation.
Dazai coughed. "Do you like it?"
"What? Oh, yes, very much! I'll take the set."
Noble imagined her boys' astonishment as clay cups were placed on the table and Fort's utter confusion as she took a sip from one with a smile.
It would be absolutely glorious!
After paying Dazai, Noble collected the set of eight cups and placed them one by one into her bag. The enjoyment she got from not having to float them to a safe place might have made the shopkeeper uncomfortable because he coughed again before giving her a friendly smile.
"Would you like me to wrap them so they won't break if someone bumps you?"
"Oh! Sure." Noble knew it was unlikely that anyone would run into her, but since she often seemed to find trouble, a little precaution could go a long way.
She removed the cups, allowed Dazai to wrap them in a thick cloth, and returned them to the bag at her side.
Patting the satchel gently, Noble smiled.
"Thank you!"
"No, thank you. It's always nice to see someone enjoy my work. Come back any time!" Dazai dipped his head.
"You know what? I just might!"
There was something intoxicating about the feeling of defying her Flaw. If any more of Dazai's creations were similarly safe for her to touch, she would indeed be back to add to her collection.
Noble left the shop floating a little taller. She had needed a day of relaxation more than she realized.
Who knew that a broken pan could lead to an enjoyable afternoon?
'Speaking of which, I need to get that fixed before it gets much later.'
Noble passed through a set of clothing stalls, pausing only briefly to look at a set of bracelets that looked similar to her enchanted ones.
Finding she did not need the jewelry, the floating Saint finally arrived at her destination. There was no one outside of the shop. Noble glanced up at the swinging sign with the image of a hammer on it.
'I'm in the right place.'
Inside, the heat hit Noble, making her face feel flush.
The fires of a forge blazed in one corner, filling the room with warmth that dried the air.
In front of it, a man with glasses was wiping sweat from his brow as he fed the blaze.
"Flame?" Noble knocked on the wood of the entryway as she entered.
It wasn't good to startle someone so close to a fire.
The mundane tinker wiped his glasses on his apron and turned to face the door.
"As I live and breathe. Master Noble! Please, come in!"
Holding the bag at her side, Noble entered the workshop. Her recent purchase should be fine, but perhaps she should summon her Fire Insurance charm just in case to keep things cool.
Covertly sending her charm to her bag, Noble greeted the tinker.
"It is good to see you! How is business?"
"If you mean my extensive reports on mythology, then it seems no one is interested in ancient history just now. If you mean my forge and explosives work, that business is booming."
Flame chuckled at his own joke.
"That's…good…" Noble wasn't exactly sure how to respond, but judging by the size of the fire and the number of items lying around the workshop, he had a lot of projects in progress.
Hanging over their heads was something that looked like a harness. If Beastmaster had still been in Ravenheart, Noble would have assumed it was a mount for one of her thralls. Since the lady had left with her menagerie, it more likely belonged to someone's echo.
'Helios could pull a cart if he wanted to, but I would refrain from doing that enough to need a special rig.'
If Noble were in a different business, perhaps she might need to move things around, but the Dreamer Academy and the government office in Ravenheart didn't really require manual labor from either her or Fort.
"I mean, I'm glad business is good. I imagine a lot of people are repurposing their items instead of buying new things."
Flame nodded at his customer. "Indeed. The supply is low, and the demand for things is high. Unless you have a lot of money or resources, reusing and recycling are key."
Noble already knew this, of course. Unlike the clay, which was readily accessible, most things were hard to come by, and that was reflected in the product price.
Making things last as long as possible was the name of the game.
"Well, I am here on a similar mission. I am hoping you can help me out." Noble's comment brought a smile to the man's face.
"Let me guess, the Master didn't know her own strength again, and something got mangled." Flame's cheeky comment made Noble frown.
"You act like it's a common occurrence. I've only brought you a couple of things to be mended, and one of those was due to the boys' inventive snow shoveling methods!" The floating woman tilted up her chin before lowering her gaze. "But in this case you are correct."
"Ah, let me see. I will get working on it right away." Flame pulled the pair of gloves from his apron pocket and placed them on his hands.
"Thanks so much! I hope it won't be too much trouble." Noble removed the handle and pan from her bag and passed them over to the tinker.
"Nonsense! There is nothing I cannot repair…" he paused, "nothing, except this…"