Archive of Our Own ^beta

Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang...

The rhythmic sound of her hammer hitting the metal rang throughout the room. It brought, as always, a sense of calm to her entire being. It was a familiar beat that she had practically grown up with. Her father built his life in his grand forge, just like her grandfather and his father before him. It was a tradition passed down his line - their reputation growing with each generation - normally for the sons of the family. However, when his only child was a daughter and her mother could not give birth anymore, he decided to teach her almost immediately. He saw no reason why she could not continue improving their craft.

Kaela will forever be grateful to him for that decision. Because here, in her personal forge, it felt like she truly came alive. Grinding in games, alone and with friends, was a close second, but this work would always hold a special place in her heart.

Idle memories of growing up came to her as she worked; of him guiding her with toy tools to make fake swords, and eventually overseeing her making real ones. Recollections of the various ways to enchant her work were always in the back of her mind. She remembers the beginning of her sleepless nights as she snuck out of her room to spend time outside his forge, soothed by the sound of him working. Sometimes, despite what might be expected, she was lulled to sleep by the noise and was found there by her parents in the morning. Yet no matter how many times she was scolded, she still kept doing it... wanting to be close to her heart.

These pleasant memories did not distract her from her task, though. If anything, they allowed her to focus more, wishing to do her father proud. Her hammer kept coming down upon the blade she was currently forging. It was going to be a flaming sword - not for anyone in town, but for a young man who wished to explore the arctic regions of the Moon Realms. He wished for something capable of slaying the creatures there that were weak to heat with ease, and she did not plan to disappoint.

I wonder what my parents would think about my forge? the blacksmith mused, not pausing her work for a second. They were still alive, but her dad worked in his own place in the Fey Realms, near a portal that went to Indonesia (hence her position in Hololive). They did not visit Earth often, let alone come all the way to Vtuber Town where she lived together with her Genmates. They were happy for her and glad her streaming had not meant the end of her forging, but most of their talks were through magic communication these days. Even with images, it was hard to fully show off the workshop she set up inside her house.

She could imagine how freaked out her mother might be, though, if she ever saw her sitting in the middle of a ring of fire.

Let it not be said that Kaela did not take advantage of the new opportunities her new Senpais had provided her. This let her set up her forge in a less traditional sense, including a replacement for hot coals and a blower to control the heat. She sat in the middle of a magic circle filled with fire and heat, controlled by mental commands by her. A small pot was near her for combining metals and casting molds along with her anvil, covered in protective runes to keep them from melting. She wore two black metal bracers with red symbols that protected her from the heat as well, among other things. (Only one bracer was technically necessary, but she played it safe. Injuries meant no work, and that was unacceptable.)

Was a fire circle necessary? No. Did she do it because it was cool? Absolutely.

Above this forge was a device Shion made her that collected smoke that rose from the area and cleaned the air. Not far from her circle was a large stone container of water, with runes inside to make the cooling faster. Along the wall in front of her was a workbench covered in scalpels, chisels, and other such tools to decorate and enchant her finished products. The yellow and red walls were decorated with various weapons and other metal creations she had made. Some were commissions she had yet to ship, and others she did to keep from getting bored.

(A brief moment passed where the blacksmith smirked, remembering how Zeta said the stuff she made for “fun” looked far more impressive than her commissions. It was hardly her fault that people did not ask for highly complicated things, or were not willing to pay the high prices for her creations when she offered them to customers. She often discounted them, too! Still, she would not just give away such hard work for a ridiculously low amount.)

The rest of the room may as well have not existed for the moment, however. Her entire focus was on the blade before her, continuing to hit it and flatten it out. Her eyebrows furrowed, trying to pick out any flaws in her work. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, airing out her clothing. She wore a red smock, a loose dirty white shirt, and long heavy black pants. A belt around her waist held many tools for her to work with here.

It should be wide enough to get all the enchantments engraved onto it, she thought. Or maybe he’d like it just to be imbued and not have the blade look fancy? Hm... nah, I’ll do the engravings. These things are works of art, and that stuff makes people recognize that better. Maybe a small imbuing just to be safe, though...

With one last clang, she hung her hammer on her belt, then stretched her arms over her head. The number of pops that came from her back indicated that she had been working a long time. She often lost track of it as she did several commissions in a row. She kept her phone on a shelf nearby, however, that buzzed when it was time for her to do several streams in a row. Luckily, she was almost always doing personal projects by that point, so it did not affect her sales. From there, she did her normal grinding in games until her next alarm told her to return to her workshop.

It was a nice cycle, all things considered: hours to days spent forging stuff, then a similar amount of time doing streams. With a few naps interspersed in between, she was able to constantly be doing both of her greatest passions! That was on top of when the rest of ID, as well as other Hololive members, dragged her away to do other activities. Not to mention her other obligations as a member of the now-branded “Holoh3ro,” and she and her Genmates helped protect the world alongside other hero groups.

For a lot of people, that would be a lot to keep up with. With her almost supernatural endurance despite being human (mostly) along with her talents, however, she managed just fine usually. She had made a great life for herself here among her friends, and she was glad to share her passion with them and her fans... and it all originated from this forge.

Once her inspection was done, Kaela stood up from her bench, carrying the blade with magical gloves. She was careful not to press her fingers too hard on the still-warm areas and accidentally leave imprints. With only a few steps, she was over by her slack tub and carefully plunged the sword within. The symbols inside it beneath the water glowed a soft blue as steam rose from it.

She watched the cooling carefully, tapping her fingers along the rim. This part is always so slow. I mean, you can’t just instantly cool these off without potentially causing damage, so this is best. But still, this waiting is the worst part. There’s nothing for me to work on doing this! I really-

Movement to her side cut her thoughts off, as a familiar blue-haired woman leaned against the container as well.

The blacksmith blinked once - the only show that she had been surprised by the sudden presence. Once her brain had processed it, however, she glanced over at the shorter woman, tilting her head. “Kobo?”

Her Genmate looked up and met her eyes, smiling at her as she dipped her hand into the water. “Hey, Kaela! Still working on your projects?”

The blond blinked again, studying her friend. She was dressed in a light blue nightshirt and sleep pants, with the former’s long sleeves rolled up. There seemed to be something bunched up inside of it as well, held in place by her other arm. The taller woman also swore there was something... odd about her expression. It was hard to discern what, though, since it had been a while since her last nap, and even then she was not the best people reader, unlike Zeta.

The rain shaman seemed genuinely happy to see her, though, so she decided to focus on that for now. She dusted off her smock as best as she could as she looked over at the water. “I am. You... probably shouldn’t be putting your hand in there. The hot and cold could hurt it.”

Kobo gave her a cheeky grin. “What? Water? Hurt me? I’m no baby shaman! You're welcome, by the way. I’ve been manipulating it to help cool off your blade faster. Now you can work again!”

Eyebrow raised, Kaela turned and pulled the blade out of the tub. Sure enough, the blade was no longer hot, despite it only having been a minute. A few experimental taps against the broad side confirmed that the integrity was not compromised, and a quick swing showed it was still balanced. She really does have good control over water. She must have been gentle with it to have not caused any complications.

Satisfied, she shrugged and turned back to her friend. “Thank you. Be careful about that in the future, though. Even with magic, cooling off metal too quickly can cause it to become brittle or ruin its shape.”

The smugness instantly vanished from the rain shaman’s expression as she paled. She stood up straight, gesturing erratically with wide eyes. “I-I’m sorry! I just wanted to help! I- Goddammit! I should have asked! I could have ruined your work! Oh, god!”

The blacksmith smiled with amusement as her Genmate continued on like this. For as much of a brat as the blue-haired woman enjoyed acting like, she was highly respectful of her friends. She was always looking for ways to help her and the virtual agent around the house, both with mundane things and their jobs. She perhaps took making mistakes a bit too hard at times, but her willingness to apologize and improve was endearing to them. (It was not like the blond could judge her too much for it, given how much of a perfectionist she herself was.)

After another moment of watching her panic, she showed mercy on her friend and leaned down, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay! No damage was done. I could have just made another blade. Lord knows I can make these far faster than the average blacksmith.” She held up the blade and admired it. “You did a good job with this, too. Whatever you did with the water then, I think it might be safe to use in the future for quick cooling. We’ll need to test it out some, though, to be sure.”

Taking several deep breaths to calm down, Kobo slowly processed her words. She looked up with such an innocent hope in her eyes. “R-really?”

Giving a small smile, Kaela patted her on the head, mindful of the ashes still on her gloves. “Yes. We’ll see about it when I’m in between important commissions, alright?”

The rain shaman practically squealed as she finished talking, jumping in place with a toothy grin. “Of course! I can be your little assistant at times! You’ll be able to get through your projects much quicker when I’m around!” She then stopped hopping before chuckling sheepishly. “I... don’t know if I can make you runes to replicate it. I’ve never been good at those. So you’d need me to be around to do that again.”

“That’s fine,” the blacksmith reassured. She did not bother mentioning that speeding up the cooling did not shave too much time off of her work - at least not with all of her projects. Her friend seemed so eager at the prospect that she did not have the heart to correct her.

With that now out of the way, however, she became more curious about her Genmate’s presence. She stood back up, giving her a curious look. “So why else are you here? Knowing you, you probably just used the opportunity to try that. Is it almost bedtime for you?”

That made Kobo blink, looking down at her attire. Her cheeks flushed as she glanced off to the side, coughing awkwardly. “Y-yeah. I, uh... was on my way to bed just now. But then I remembered you were working down here and I thought I would bring you something.”

Kaela tilted her head, again feeling like she was missing something off about the blue-haired woman’s tone. Still unable to parse together what, however, she decided to let it drop and continue. “Food, I’m guessing?”

Nodding, the rain shaman pulled the lump from under her shirt, revealing it to be a big bag of plain Lay’s chips. “Here you go. Sorry it isn’t much. Zeta did not feel well enough to make dinner tonight, so we’re eating stuff around the house.”

The blacksmith shrugged, taking the bag. She did not mind whether her Genmates brought her a proper meal or snacks - she was just touched they kept her fed. Water was never an issue, since she kept bottles of it scattered around to stay hydrated. However, since she lost track of time so much and barely left her workshop when forging, she could potentially starve herself without their intervention. Sometimes they would even drag her away to eat at the table or at a restaurant to help keep her active.

Their concern for her health warmed her heart, even when it disrupted her work. She smiled at her friend, stuffing the bag under her arm as she hefted the sword against her shoulder. “Thank you, Kobo. Now, you had best head on to bed. Sorry to have held you up.”

Another strange emotion passed through Kobo’s eyes. It vanished as she smiled tiredly up at her, though. “It’s no problem... But, um...” She shuffled in place, looking nervous as she did her best to maintain eye contact. “Could... I stay a little longer, though? I don’t feel like going to sleep yet, actually. I won’t get in your way - I’ll just watch.”

Kaela raised an eyebrow again, now starting to feel curious about the short woman’s sudden interest in her work. Still, she saw no reason to protest, so she nodded as she started to walk over to her workbench. “Sure, I guess. Just don’t stay too long. I know how much you need your beauty sleep.”

The rain shaman was beside her quickly as she sat down at her table, looking like an eager puppy. The blond smirked, removing her gloves and giving her another pat on the head. Putting her food to one corner to snack on later, she set the blade out, getting her chisel and a thin scraper. Biting her lips in concentration, she began the carving process to make the engravings for the magic.

While working, it was hard to determine how long her friend stood there. She prayed that her housemate did not stay too long and ruin her sleep. (Admittedly hypocritical coming from her, but she did not care.) A part of her still worried about whatever it felt like she was missing and hoped that Zeta would deal with it when next she saw her Genmate.

She did admit that it was nice to glance over at those blue eyes and see the admiration in them, however. It somehow made her craft feel all the more special, causing her to work harder...

-------

While Kaela could not place exactly how much time had passed, it was perhaps three days since she finished that sword. The estimate was based on her having done two more projects after that before her alarm told her to do some streaming. She had done her typical Minecraft grinding with some interspersed interactions with some of her friends. (A highlight had been Ollie once again declaring how she would build an amazing house and finally “beat” her... before begging for a few stacks of sand to make glass.) Chat had helpfully informed her it went on for ten hours, so at least she had some reference.

There would have been more streams after that, but afterward, she had gotten a notification over Discord from Koyori. Her JP Senpai had sent her a request for some specially made metal casings for one of her latest experiments. It was not urgent per se, but the wording had suggested that she would like the items sooner rather than later. So, always willing to help out her fellow Hololive members, she got permission from her manager to cancel the next stream and make the item.

This led to her being back in her workshop, working on mixing bits of molten metal into a new alloy with a crucible. The fire around her glowed brightly, but her eyes were not normal - they would not be blinded permanently by bright flashes. She could therefore watch as the iron and lossium - a red underworld metal - slowly began to melt and mix. Nearby sat a mold to separate it into several smaller pieces, meant to be assembled into a machine later.

As the mixing completed and formed dwallic, the blacksmith mused briefly about the irony of the help she was providing. Technically speaking, this could be seen as helping the “enemy,” since HoloX was a criminal organization. Lots of other hero groups would probably have never entertained working in the same company as them, let alone providing them any help. They broke the law and had killed people, to say nothing of the potential of what Laplus would be capable of if she even loosened those Limiters of hers.

It was not hard to guess that is what this material was for. Lossium was known to have ways to bypass certain magic types on its own, with alloys providing even more possibilities. No doubt it would prove useful in whatever test Koyori was setting up for her leader... which was why the ID girl poured it into the mold without hesitation.

Those other hero groups think too much in black and white, Kaela thought. The smarter ones knew it was best to negotiate with certain unsavory elements to gain information and access to certain resources. Simply rushing in and destroying every gang out there would only cause chaos. What remained of those organizations would splinter in unpredictable ways, and new groups once held in check could rise dramatically in power, sometimes worse than their predecessors. Thus, you had to monitor carefully who was safe to take out and whose presence could be tolerated for a while longer.

And, honestly... HoloX was not that bad in her opinion. They had a good code of honor not always found in criminals, particularly in making sure innocent bystanders were not harmed where possible on their missions. Half of their kills were against those who wanted them dead, and the other half to get rid of corrupt heroes and gangs who hurt others simply for the sake of it. And yet even when threatened, they actually spared people fairly often as well.

They also liked to make deals to maintain peace, with many promises of riches when they conquered the world. The blond questioned if they could accomplish that most of the time. Lots of their focus was on their leader’s chains, and they seemed to get sidetracked a lot these days interacting with other Vtubers just like them. However, they did a good job of keeping others from reaching that goal, which was another reason Holoh3ro supported them.

Plus, if they actually did manage it... while they would never outright say it, she and Zeta agreed Laplus would not be so bad a person to achieve it. The records of how she maintained order back in the underworld with her vast intelligence speak for themselves - structures that still worked to this day. All while humbly bowing to the authority of Ironmouse, despite being in a good position to stage a coup until her chains were put on. That was not to say they would just let her take control without doing something if such a thing seemed close to happening. But she did not think the Earth would suffer under the chained-girl’s rule.

So, needless to say, the blacksmith saw no reason not to continue helping them as she finished pouring the molds. She could not approve of all of her Senpais' actions, but she had gotten to know them as people since joining Hololive. They were not horrible people and did not want to see the world burn. Hell, they had even offered their assistance to them in field missions. Why not repay their generosity?

With the last of the metal poured, she carefully picked up the mold and moved outside of her circle of fire. She carefully placed it into the water, watching the steam rise as the cool liquid seeped into it. She let it go and stood beside the tub, blinking bleary eyes as she tried to focus. Another nap was in order for her soon. Hopefully she could get it in before her next stream and avoid leaving her chat hanging for too long.

Some shuffling off to the side told her of the presence of another person. Looking over, she smiled as she saw Kobo walking up to her, having entered without her noticing once more. This time, she was dressed in a casual blue t-shirt, while on the lower half of her body she wore her normal streaming attire. No doubt she lost the coat to not get too hot while in here.

Like last time, the short woman took her place next to the tub, leaning against it and looking at the mold inside. “Do you want me to do what I did last time?”

Kaela shook her head. “This is an important project for one of our Senpai’s. It’s best not to risk ruining it. This is cutting into my streaming time.”

“Yeah, I looked for you there, too,” the rain shaman replied. She looked down into the water, biting her lips as her voice got almost too quiet to hear. “I’m glad you were down here instead...”

The blacksmith blinked, frowning curiously at her friend. “Why is that?”

Kobo tensed, apparently not having meant to say that out loud. She smiled awkwardly, giving a short chuckle. “Oh, no reason! I just...” She looked around, her body relaxing a tad more. “I like seeing you work here, I guess. I see your streams and how you play games all the time. I’ve never taken time to truly watch you forge stuff until now.”

Kaela scratched her head, not disbelieving the words, but still feeling that something about the initial reaction was strange. However, she had nothing to really substantiate it yet, so questioning for reasons for this could be difficult. Plus, she did not want to pressure her friend into saying anything unless she was sure there was something particularly bad going on.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to let her worries drop for now, but resolved to keep an eye out for any other red flags. She picked back up the conversation, praying she was just being paranoid. “To be fair, both you and Zeta have your own duties to attend to. You have to watch the rain or whatever, and she needs to sneak into places to gather intelligence.”

A brief glare was sent her way. “Oi! I do more than just ‘watch the rain!’ Just like you do more than swing a hammer at metal like - Ching! Ching!” She mimicked the motion of swinging her hand down at something for emphasis.

The sight made the blacksmith soundlessly laugh, holding a hand up in surrender. “Okay! I get it!... You also dance in the rain!”

This earned her a pout from the rain shaman, who crossed her arms and looked away. “I do a lot more than that, too! You’re so mean! See if I ever offer you any assistance with your water ever again...”

Kaela continued to silently chuckle at her Genmate's reaction. It further deepened the pout of the other woman, but there were signs of her holding back a grin and joining in on the laughter. She knew full well that the blond, along with Zeta, appreciated what she did. Despite acting like a bratty child a good amount of the time, she was still a dedicated member of their organization. Her powers over water came in surprisingly useful, and her hidden talent in coding helped make their security top-notch. Despite her demeanor, she was a dedicated woman who worked her hardest for everyone.

...But even so, it was funny to watch her sulk when they joked at her expense. The blacksmith eventually calmed down enough to focus back on her work, pulling the mold out of the water. “Well, maybe you help with a bit more than that. I’m sure the people of this town love the lack of terrible storms since your arrival.”

She waited for a response, but began to frown as none came. Looking over, she saw her friend still looking away, rubbing her crossed arms. Being careful with her materials, the taller woman knelt beside her. “Hey, are you okay?” When she again received no answer, a kernel of concern formed in her heart. “Were... you actually hurt by what I said? You’re a good shaman, I promise! I was just messing with you! You’re probably the greatest-”

A finger was pressed against her lips to cut her off. Kobo looked back at her... a large smirk on her face, with no traces of sadness. “No need to go further! I’m the greatest! You said it yourself - no taking it back! I always knew I was the backbone of this team!”

Blinking as she processed the sudden turn, Kaela soon gave her friend a flat glare. “You cheeky little-!”

This time, the full hand was put over her mouth. It was not very steady on her, though, as the rain shaman giggled uncontrollably. “I’m sorry! I won’t do that again... this week. Thank you for being worried!”

The blacksmith pushed the hand off, but was unable to continue feigning being angry at seeing her friend’s mirth. She was used to bids like this from the blue-haired woman - fishing for more compliments and praise. Normally she was better at spotting this, even at her most tired, but her earlier worries made this catch her off guard this time. She’s still acting like herself. Maybe I should leave her be. I’ll talk with Zeta about it and see if she’s noticed anything off lately. For now... if she wants to see me work, then I’ll let her. As long as it makes her happy.

With that in mind, she stood and walked over to her workbench, setting the mold on top. “As much as I want to shake you silly for that, I still have work to do.”

“It must be important to have given up streaming!” Kobo commented, taking the same place beside her as last time. The blond felt a swell of pride at how eagerly her Genmate seemed to be looking at the caste as she removed the top layer. “Who’s this for?”

“It’s a request for Koyori,” the blacksmith replied, removing the individual pieces of dwallic - purplish-red in the room’s lighting. Some were flat, and others had bends or were shaped like pipes. “I imagine this is going into her latest attempt to loosen Laplus’ Limiters.”

As she expected, the rain shaman’s eyes lit up, now leaning against the desk to look closer at the material. A wide smile was on her face. “Really?! That’s great! Laplus is sure to be grateful to you for this! She’s a hugger when she’s extra excited, so be ready for that!”

Kaela gave a small smile. This was yet another reason that she and Zeta had been so willing to work with HoloX. Right from the beginning, it was clear that both Kobo and her brother Regis had met the chained-girl at some point in the past - and, more so, were old friends. Her Genmate had been so willing to instantly trust the large-horned woman, and had insisted to them constantly that she was a good person regardless of her station. The Tempus Guild leader had similarly reassured his friends that there was nothing to fear, and like them had been in a cooperative relationship with the Secret Society.

What exactly their history was, however, was not clear... just like much of the blue-haired siblings' past. Everyone knew they traveled for a long time before joining their respective hero organizations, but why, for how long, where all they went... Much of it was kept close to their chests. The exact reason was anyone’s guess, but considering how uncomfortable they both got when pressed too much, they all let it be. They had more than proven that they genuinely cared for all of their friends and were not putting up any sort of facade, so the rest of them were patient in waiting for them to open up more.

The blacksmith at least was ready to be there for the short woman when she finally revealed whatever it was she was hiding. Whether she was running from some past crime or worried over past reactions to whatever it was, she would be there for her.

But until then, she was content with letting her open up little by little. She made this clear as she got some chisels ready. “Thanks for the heads-up. I imagine she did that a lot with you when you first met her, right? She seems like someone who would like playing in the rain.”

For a second, the rain shaman looked at her wearily for that comment, as if expecting some more probing. When none came, though, she relaxed again and smiled. “Yeah, she did. More so for the fun river games we played with them!”

Kaela smirked at her. “A bunch of children is what you two are. Still, what kind of games are we talking about? Did you make water monsters to fight or something?”

“Plenty of that stuff!” Kobo confirmed. She pointed at the pieces of metal. “I’ll tell you about it if you tell me how those might help whatever Koyori is building! I want to know what it takes to actually get those Limiters off!” She huffed, looking annoyed suddenly. “I still can’t believe my attempt didn’t work. Surely making them slippery with water should have helped them slide off!”

“...Water to make the magic bracers slide off?” the blacksmith asked.

“I used magic for it, and those things are magic!” the rain shaman reasoned. “It’s bullshit that it didn’t work, I’m telling you! You fix magic with magic! It should be that simple!”

More silent laughter followed after she finished speaking. Kobo giggled with her, wrapping her in a hug which she returned. Kaela looked at the happy grin on her friend’s face. I still don’t know why you’ve suddenly started coming here... but I can’t deny it’s been nice...

(She barely noted the stifled yawn from her friend before things continued. She also missed the way the rain shaman slapped the side of her face, blinking a few times.)

-------

Once she got through the rest of her streams, Kaela was once more within her magic ring of fire. She had grabbed a new white working shirt for the new session, but already it was starting to be covered in soot from her forging. She made a mental note to clean all of them and her other work attire by the start of her next cycle. (Since her Genmates looked after her eating, she figured she could at least cover her own laundry.)

That was a problem for the future, though, which was merely a distraction for her smithing. She was currently hammering away at a short sword, not quite sure how flat she wanted to make it yet. She was in between important commissions at the moment, leaving her open to do more personal projects before Hololive 4th Fes. in a few days, which she planned to take a break and watch. She was still debating on whether she would make this an electric blade or one filled with nature magic. Either way, a good surface area was needed for engraving the enchantments she wanted. Too flat, though, and it won’t be able to work as a regular sword.

That thought made her put away her hammer for a moment, leaning in closer to inspect her work so far. Despite her serious look, however, she was very calm on the inside. The others may laugh at how much effort she puts into these projects of hers, but for her, they were a sign of progress. Her father had always wanted her to surpass him in terms of their craft, and she had done so faster than any of them could have predicted. His weapons and tools were still incredible, but his best only came up to about her average the last time they met.

But that was far from enough for her. She wanted to not only be the best in the family, but in all of the Realms, then continue going higher! There was no real reason she could say as to why it was important to her. She had the respect of her parents and friends, and she had great business already. All she could say was that... this was what she loved to do, so why not reach as high as she could go? It was a desire born from her childhood learning, and it fueled her work ethic to this day.

The blacksmith was in good company for that, at least. So many others in town were similar with their own passions - Shion with magic, Calli with music, and so on. Who knew if they would ever reach the heights they wanted to... but they certainly would never regret the efforts to try.

That was why these personal projects mattered so much to her. So many of her regular commissions were simple to her now and hardly showed the full strength of her skills. Complicated requests came in every once in a fey red moon, so if she wanted challenges, it was up to her to come up with them. Each one brought her one step closer to her dream with slight improvements most would not notice, but she did. They may be cluttering things up right now, but who knew? Perhaps if she made enough, people would take more notice and start buying them. And once they saw how useful they were, she would bet complicated requests more regularly!

She... did not know if that was wishful thinking. It was not stopping her from grabbing her latest blade, though, to put it in the tub.

It was no shock to her this time when she saw Kobo already standing beside it. Her friend smiled at her, dressed similarly to last time. She returned the smile, dipping her sword into the water and giving her a nod. “You can try again with your cooling trick. This isn’t a commission. It’s all personal work this time.”

A silent giggle left her at how much the rain shaman’s eyes lit up at this. She dipped her hand in, the steam rising from the container seeming to shift under her influence. A small tune was hummed under her breath as she swayed her palm back and forth under the surface, yet there was a keen focus in her eyes some did not know she could have. Whatever else you could say about her tendencies, she never slacked when it came to using her powers.

Kaela admired her friend as she worked, almost wanting to take a picture to treasure the moment. She had not forgotten her questions from the last two times, but she had passed the word on to Zeta. The gray-haired woman had not been in the house the last few days while she was streaming, likely doing field agent stuff. It struck her as a bit odd, considering she had not felt well enough to make dinner a... week ago? (Probably.) Still, she knew her friend could judge for herself if she was feeling well enough to go out. (Both her Genmates were glad she also sent them food while she was not in to cook.)

She sent the virtual agent as much context as she could, along with a late message about how she was glad her friend felt better. Once she was back, she could hopefully determine if she was being paranoid or not. Until then... she simply enjoyed the blue-haired woman’s presence in her workshop. It was surprisingly comfy to her.

The moment the short woman pulled her hand out of the water, the blond pulled the blade out. She whistled, impressed to find not a single impairment on it. “The first time was not a fluke, then. Did you find a way to practice, somehow?”

Kobo scratched the back of her head, cheeks pink from the praise. “Heh, not really. I just do... what feels right? The water knows what I’m trying to do, and it helps guide me into doing it.”

The blacksmith hummed, looking over at the tub. “So it’s alive? Is the water happy I submerge hot metal in it? Or is it angry and plotting revenge?”

That earned a snort from the rain shaman. “I can’t tell if those are serious questions or not! But to be clear, water is not sentient.” She frowned in thought. “At least... not when I’m not using it? I don’t know how to describe how it obeys me when I do my thing. I’m no wizard.”

“Well, tell it I’m grateful anyway,” Kaela replied smoothly, smiling at the continued giggles of her friend as she moved to her workbench. “I get annoyed at times with how long it takes, but quenching helps the integrity of metal a lot. Some would not be as solid or balanced if I left it out to cool off by itself.”

Kobo nodded along, looking between her and the blade. She had started sharing some of the details of how she did things with her Genmate the last time they did this. She was not sure how much the blue-haired woman understood, but she was clearly doing her best to pay attention, which made her feel light inside. Maybe I should ask more questions about how she controls water to return the favor. I never expected her to be so attentive with what I do.

Before she could think of a question, though, the short woman pointed to a random sword on the wall, looking almost ghostly and made of mist thanks to its magic. “So how much faster do you work than a normal blacksmith? You said a couple of days ago that you forge stuff a lot quicker than a normal person, right?”

Eyeing the blade indicated, the blacksmith shrugged. “Well, a good quality one would take an average person about a week or so, assuming they did not mind it looking plain. Making it more ornate and adding enchantments could add weeks to months to that time. A sword like that I’d say would take... hm... five months, at least, normally? I made it in about half a day - it was one of those times I actually timed myself. My dad could probably do it in a week or two, and my grandfather in his prime could have done it in a month tops from his stories!”

She was not prepared for the look of awe that the rain shaman sent her for that answer. Her heart seemed to stutter for a moment when she reached out and placed her hand over hers, brushing along it and grazing the newly forged sword. “That’s... wow! How do you do it so quickly?”

Blinking off that brief sensation, Kaela cleared her throat and looked away. She brushed her hand along the weapon as well, still undecided about what kind she would make it. “Some of it is magical enhancements from my bracers. They help my hands move a bit quicker and give me some extra strength.” She tapped a visible blood vein on her arm. “I also have dwarf blood in me! It’s generations old, but there’s some on both sides of my family! It makes molding metal easier for me. It’s not quite like putty like a pure-blood can make a lot of them, but still!”

The rain shaman tilted her head, looking her up and down with innocent curiosity. “...You’re very tall for a dwarf.”

The blacksmith choked up briefly, before laughing so much this time that small wheezes were actually escaping her. “K-Kobo! You can’t say that!”

“Why?!” Kobo exclaimed, looking befuddled. “What’s wrong about mentioning their height? Dwarves are cool! They carve tunnels that become cities and sleep on mountains of gold! And the beards! It’s awesome you’re part dwarf!”

Bracing herself on her workbench, Kaela laughed for several moments longer. Once she calmed down some, she did her best to answer. “I get what you mean, Kobo, but... just be careful saying that to one, okay? They have a bit of a complex about it.” She thought for another second. “And also be careful saying ‘dwarf’ to someone who is just short. Be clear you don’t mean anything bad.” That one varied by people, but she wanted her friend to be ready if someone had a strong reaction.

The rain shaman still seemed confused, but still nodded. “Okay...? I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to be compared to one, though. Like I said, they’re awesome!” She puffed up her chest, punching it lightly. “I’m short, too! Call me a dwarf all you want! And as such, I want a throne of silver!”

Giving an amused sigh, the blacksmith reached over and ruffled the top of her Genmate’s head. “Whatever you want, miss Kobo the dwarf. But only if you provide the silver. I could make six swords, or even a dozen firearms with that sort of metal if I got it myself!”

Kobo only giggled, leaning into her touch and closing her eyes. Another sigh, this one fond, left Kaela as she continued the motion. The room was silent, save for the crackling of her circle of fire. That, too, died down as she sent a mental command to turn it off for now. That left the whole place quiet, their breaths nearly inaudible.

It was not often her forge was quiet while she was in it. She itched to get back to crafting her blade, but she kept focused on her fellow ID girl. A part of her did not want to break the calm moment, both of them content as she did her thing and the other tried to listen and learn...

...The peace came to an abrupt halt, however, as the rain shaman started to sway on her feet. The blacksmith had only a second to process this before her friend came off balance and tripped over to the side. She quickly caught the short woman before she slammed her side into the workbench, jerking her back and straightening her stance. “Hey! Be careful!”

The blue-haired woman’s eyes shot open during this, immediately straightening her posture and patting herself off. “Sorry! I, uh... I’m fine! I didn’t knock anything over, did I?”

Kaela shook her head, looking intently at her Genmate’s face. She frowned, putting her hand to her forehead. “Are you feeling okay? What was that?”

Her hand was immediately grabbed and pulled away. Kobo gave what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile, but her nervousness was apparent. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I... must not have hydrated enough today and the heat in here got to me! You don’t have to worry! I’ll grab one of your bottles in a moment.”

The answer only made the blacksmith frown deeper. It was not an unbelievable answer - controlling water did not necessarily mean you were always hydrated. But it did not seem like the short woman had sweated all that much, nor that she was all that flushed from the warmth of the room.

Still, she did not have anything to suggest another cause, so she shrugged and glanced about the room. “Alright... I have one in the drawer of this desk, but it’s almost empty. If you want a lot, I think a pretty full one is-”

She was interrupted by the sound of a small audio tune from her phone, sitting off to a corner on her bench for easy access. Her eyes turned toward it, perking up. (She missed how tense her friend suddenly got.) It was not the normal bell chime indicating that it was time to switch over to streaming. Instead, it was one of the notification sounds that she got a message from someone.

Normally, she silenced everyone but her managers when down in her workshop. When she was transitioning between here and her PC, she would quickly catch up on what her friends may have sent her during her crafting. Otherwise, she liked to avoid distractions unless it was something important from her managers. (They sometimes sent messages on her friends' behalf, too, which was nice of them.)

Considering her worries, though, she had unsilenced Zeta this time to see about her input. Recognizing it as her tone, she reached over and grabbed the device, unlocking it near instantly and tapping quickly over to her messages. “One second, Kobo. I need to check on some-”

She startled a bit as her arm was suddenly grabbed and yanked. The rain shaman now looked panicked despite the smile she was trying to give. “I’ll check it for you! I’ve interrupted your work too much. Get started and I’ll text this person back, okay? Why don’t you tell me about the type of sword you were thinking about-?”

Internal alarms now blaring off - more so than the last two times - the blacksmith swiftly pulled her arm free and stood up, holding her phone high. She kept her expression calm, not wanting to make her friend panic more than she already was. “It’s just Zeta. I’ll look at what she sent and we’ll get back to work, okay?”

She looked back at her screen, subtly keeping a fair distance between her and Kobo. The blue-haired woman did not move closer, though, but instead was looking all the more anxious, looking carefully at the device. It was like she was worried she would notice something about it the longer she looked.

Continuing to act casual, the blond finally pulled up the virtual agent’s message. She looked at it, hoping for answers:

AgentCat: Sorry. I’ve been out of the house, so I haven’t kept a close eye on Kobo. I’m busy disrupting a Pomu Leaf chain supplier. I can ask her about it once I’m back in about two days if you want, though! (Also... what did you mean by me “feeling better?” I haven’t been sick in weeks, lol.)

Kaela blinked a few times, focusing on that last sentence. She... had felt fine lately? But then why had Kobo...? What reason would she have to lie? It was not unusual for them to bring her snacks, so why say she was bringing dinner on Zeta’s behalf? What-?

Then her eyes caught the time code on the message, and she froze. A quick glance at the clock at the corner of her screen confirmed what she was seeing, but it still took her a moment to accept. Seeing such an hour would normally not be that shocking to her - she worked all hours of the day in between short naps. It would just be something for her to quickly note and perhaps use to work out when to take a rest next.

But most people - her Genmates included - did not have her type of endurance. It was not typical of them to be up at 2:20 a.m..

Zeta she could understand being up if she was on an important mission. It happened on occasion, and she usually slept in afterward to make up for it. But for the rain shaman... someone who sometimes had to be dragged out of her bed...

The longer she stared at the time, the more a few things clicked in place for the blacksmith, having hyper-focused on details in her concern. The fact that the blue-haired woman had been in her sleepwear that first visit. Her being relieved to not find the blond streaming the second time where, she now realized, she could glance at her monitor’s clock or look out her window. The way the short woman had swayed just now, as if she had been about to drift off standing up...

Her free hand clenched at her side. Slowly, she looked up at her friend, eyes narrowing. “Kobo...”

Said woman was very rigid, her eyes wide and barely breathing. It seemed that she had realized that she had been caught and was slowly backing up. Then, she very suddenly turned and ran, making a break for the door.

Kaela was quick to run and catch her. There was no real chase - she was taller and more athletic than Kobo was. Her friend barely got a meter away before she swooped down and grabbed her from behind. She knelt and held her close to her, pinning her arms to her sides. There was a struggle, but the taller woman was far stronger from her days working in this forge.

Eventually, the rain shaman’s squirming died down, hanging her head in defeat. The blacksmith loosened her grip some, but kept her wrapped up in case she tried to escape again. She shifted her position, sitting on her knees on the floor. She let out a breath, her tone firm. “Kobo... I need you to be honest with me, okay?”

Her friend cringed slightly, turning her head to hide her expression more. Sighing heavily, the blond turned her around on her lap, gently grabbing her face and making her look at her. She did her best to soften her expression. “I’m not angry, Kobo... Frustrated, maybe, but I’m not going to yell at you. But you need to be open with me here, okay?”

Hesitantly, Kobo gave a small nod. Accepting that, Kaela took a deep breath, trying to calm down the wildfire of emotions in her. Maintaining eye contact, she asked her question softly but with authority. “...Have you been coming in here in the middle of the night this whole time?”

The rain shaman’s eyes watered, her face scrunching up with guilt under her gaze. Then, closing her eyes, she gave another nod, whispering. “Y... yes. I have...”

A heavy exhale left the blacksmith, using one hand to rub down her face and pinch the bridge of her nose. Very deliberately, she licked the tips of her fingers, hoping that she would be wrong about her assumption. Her friend gave no resistance as she ran her fingers under her eyes... and smudged up obscuring makeup she did not notice before. It seemed to be water-resistant, but her callous fingers managed to get rid of most of it... revealing dark bags underneath.

Her heart clenched at the sight, swallowing thickly. “Have... you not been sleeping well this entire week?”

“...nine days,” Kobo quietly admitted, a stray tear leaving her still-shut eyes. “I thought you would get suspicious if I came in every night, so I would just sit outside your forge or room and listen to you work. It... did not help as much as talking, but I managed. It helped make it seem like I was coming in on days I wasn’t streaming, I thought.”

“That bag of chips was part of the cover the first time?” Kaela asked.

“You never seem to remember which meal is which when we bring you food, and I thought it would help you not ask questions,” the rain shaman said, hesitantly opening her eyes. “It was the first night, so I only needed a quick excuse. But... then I kept being unable to sleep, so I started dressing up before coming here so you’d think it was daytime - let me stay longer. I... did try to get some rest when I left or was outside, but it wasn’t much.”

“And nobody else has noticed?” the blacksmith demanded, feeling a protective rage build up inside her. Guilt was gnawing at her for missing the signs for over a week, but she reluctantly acknowledged that she was rather unobservant when work was on her mind. Plus, the blue-haired woman had taken steps to deceive her - simple ones, but effective. Zeta has not been there, so she did not blame her, but what about everyone else? No one else in ID, or potentially JP and EN, had noticed? 

Kobo shook her head, seeming to sense her mood as she then hugged her. “I’ve not been talking with the others. I didn’t want to risk some of them figuring out - Zeta and Regus especially. I used coffee and makeup to stay bright for streams.”

Kaela pulled back some, looking intently at her friend. “But you risked it with me?” When she received no response for this, she huffed, gaze hardening more. “Why didn’t you tell me? We’re friends! You don’t need to lie about why you come in here!”

The rain shaman shrank back, whimpering as she more tears fell. “I-I don’t know! I was scared! I thought... I...” She sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her arm as she struggled with what to say.

Seeing this made the blacksmith stop short, her expression falling. For as much as she wanted to scold the blue-haired woman for her decision, she also did not want to make her mood worse. Taking a deep breath, she tried to redirect the conversation, deciding to save a proper lecture for after the other woman got some proper rest. “Okay... We’ll talk about this later. For now, I’m going to see if we have any melatonin or anything like that around here. That should-”

“I tried that,” Kobo interjected, voice now starting to show how tired she really was. “It made me clock out for one night, but... it wasn’t restful. I’ve passed out a few times, too. Getting to sleep isn’t the problem.”

The blacksmith blinked, an uncomfortable churning entering her gut. Frowning with fresh concern, she carefully held her Genmate’s face again, making eye contact. “Then... what is it?”

A moment of silence passed as they stared at each other. Then, releasing a shaky exhale, the rain shaman answered. “...Nightmares. I’ve been having nightmares.” After a moment, she bit her lip and quietly added something else. “...that involve you.”

Kaela felt like she had just been stabbed with one of her own swords. She looked at her friend with wide eyes, unable to move. “W-what?”

“I... I don’t know what caused the first one,” Kobo elaborated, gaze dropping down. “After that, though, they just seemed to keep happening. It’s... some old fears I have, I suppose. I’ve tried ignoring them, but...” She shut her eyes, taking a steadying breath. “That was why I came to you. I needed to reassure myself that it wasn’t real. But I didn’t want to disrupt your work, since I know how much blacksmithing means to you. So... I lied.

“It seemed harmless to me. You could continue your work, and I got a distraction from what I dreamed about. And I have had fun learning about how you do things! After my last few visits, I even slept easier, remembering your smile and the way you liked to demonstrate how you did each step. It wasn’t much rest, but it felt like it was getting easier. So I kept coming back, just to keep seeing you in your element. Eventually, I figured the nightmares would stop and everything would be fine.”

She pursed her lips, turning her head away. “It... all seems so stupid now. Nothing unusual for me, I guess. I should have known you’d figure things out eventually. You’re kind of oblivious to some stuff while working, but you aren’t stupid. I don’t know how I ever expected this to work for longer than it did.” She closed her eyes, dropping her head into her chest. “I’m sorry for tricking you. I... I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to be here... protected by you.”

It was quiet for a long time after this, neither of them moving from their spot on the floor. The rain shaman kept shuffling, seeming to struggle to keep herself awake while silent tears continued to fall. The blacksmith, meanwhile, lightly shifted her legs to keep them from cramping. Sitting on them this long on a hard floor probably was not good for her.

Any discomfort, however, meant little to her as she thought over everything she just heard. A part of her wanted to ask about the exact nature of these nightmares. Did something happen to her in them? Did she die? Was there something she did in them that upset her friend? She kept these questions quiet, though, knowing it would only upset her friend more.

She sighed, trying to think of what to do. If medicine was not helping Kobo get the sleep she needed, then what else could she do? Her stomach churned at the idea of leaving her alone after what she heard. So what...?

An idea came to her then, making her pause. She gave an idle glance to the short sword she just forged, still sitting on the workbench. The ideas of what she could enchant it with came back to her, as well as more ideas to do afterward...

...And she promptly put all of them out of her mind. Instead, she focused back on her friend, smiling kindly at her. “Hey, Kobo? It’s time to move. I’m going to need you to head back to your room for a moment, okay?”

She immediately regretted her choice of words when the rain shaman grimaced. She pulled back and stood up, looking dejected. “Okay... I’m sorry I bothered you.”

Kaela cursed herself internally, but did not let her smile drop as she corrected her blunder. She leaned over and gave her a pat on the head. “You were no bother at all. I’ll meet you up there in a little while, okay?”

“Okay,” Kobo intoned, yet still leaning into the touch... Then the words seemed to register as her eyes snapped open wide, looking at her with disbelief. “Wait, what do you-?”

The blacksmith only laughed silently, standing up as well and leading them to the door. “Just wait for me there, okay? I need to clean myself up. If you feel like falling asleep, though, don’t stop yourself. I’ll wake you if it seems like you’re having a bad dream. Now get going!”

They walked outside the workshop, where the blond pushed her Genmate in the direction of their rooms. The blue-haired woman looked back at her for a moment, still seeming lost as to what was now happening. At length, though, she started to shuffle away, continuing to glance back at her until she turned a corner down the hall.

Once she was gone, Kaela sighed, doing a quick stretch to keep herself limber. She looked at a nearby door she knew was a bathroom, complete with a shower. As focused on her work as she could get, she was still a living person who needed to relieve and clean herself. Sometimes she did it between projects, but she always at the very least did it while transitioning from her forge to her computer. She typically had her streaming outfit or kimono ready and waiting for her in there for when she was done, as well as spare sets of her blacksmithing attire when needed.

She would not be putting on either once she was done washing up this time, though. Instead, there was a different outfit she would be grabbing... one she did not remember having put on in several months... or, rather, ever.

-------

After everything that just happened, Kaela paid extra close attention to the time on her phone. It took her nearly twenty minutes to get fully washed and back to her room to change. She did it as quickly as possible, feeling awful for having left Kobo alone for even ten minutes. Her friend may not have been an actual child, but... she could be very sensitive when she felt she upset others. The sleep deprivation was likely not helping matters, either, which only hastened her getting dressed.

Once done, the blond wasted no time stepping out and walking the short distance over to her Genmate’s room. She paused only for a few seconds outside the light blue door to take a few breaths. Coming in too suddenly and too unkempt could just make things worse. She thus took the brief time to make sure her hair was straight and her expression was not overly worried.

She also took a moment to smooth out her attire, still trying to get used to wearing it. By no means was it uncomfortable - it was as soft and silky as the day Zeta got it for her. Though... it was not something she wore too much, even casually. The small layer of dust on the outside of the drawer it had been in was a testament to that. Thankfully, little of the stuff got inside it, leaving the yellow and red plaid pants and shirt bright and colorful.

...But still, it was so strange wearing pajamas. With how much she napped everywhere, she was more used to sleeping in ashy shirts and belts around her waist. Even her bed saw more use than these things did during her streams!

However, sleeping in her debut outfit or a clean set of blacksmith clothes might have made the rain shaman uncomfortable with what she had planned. It was best to play it safe and use attire made for sleeping in rather than putting together another outfit. Besides, she had nothing against the sleepwear. It had a pocket for her phone and did not irritate her skin, which was good enough for her! Zeta will be happy to learn she finally tried them on, too.

Once she was sure she was presentable, the blacksmith took a deep breath. She wasted no time gently knocking on the door, calling out. “Kobo? It’s me. Are you still up? I’m going to come in if that’s okay?”

A noise of affirmation came from inside. Taking the permission, she quietly opened the door and stepped in. Light coming in through the window let her see familiar painted walls, depicting waves of water and torrents of rain from dark storm clouds. Besides a few clothes scattered on the floor, the room was well-organized and neat despite how one might expect it. Gifts from others in Hololive mostly decorated the shelves alongside copies of her favorite games. One corner held her computer desk, with a basketball and her blue guitar sitting next to it.

Kobo was sitting on her bed, covered in sheets depicting an ocean during a storm. She was dressed in her sleepwear like the first night, hugging a pillow to her chest. Whatever energy she had before had clearly been draining, her eyes now starting to droop. They kept snapping open however, as if scared of what could happen if they closed.

When the blond stepped in, she looked up with trepidation in her expression, as if expecting her to be angry. When she found none, she slowly relaxed before zeroing in on her attire, eyebrows furrowing. “You’re... in PJs? You own PJs?”

Kaela gave a silent giggle, smiling as she walked closer. “I know, right? I don’t know how they haven’t ended up as scrap fabric to use in a project yet.”

That earned her a tired giggle from Kobo, who smiled back. It then dropped a second later as she looked down at the bed, looking ashamed. “I... I really am sorry for lying to you. I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Can’t say I’m not still annoyed at you a bit,” the blacksmith admitted, sitting next to her. “We’ll talk more about that tomorrow, though. I think we have more pressing matters at the moment.”

The rain shaman slowly nodded, still not meeting her gaze. She bit her lips, gripping her pillow tighter. “Hey, before... anything else, can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Kaela responded, willing to wait a moment longer. She wondered if this was going to be a question related to this nightmare of hers, wanting to get some reassurance over whatever happened in it. She still wanted to ask about it, but she was willing to let Regis handle that part by bringing it up with permission. If this was related to an old fear like the blue-haired woman said, he would know how best to deal with it.

Kobo’s question was not about that, though. Instead, the blind was met with a meek but hopeful glance. “Can I still hang out with you in the forge?”

The blacksmith blinked, caught a bit off guard. “Excuse me?”

“I just... had a good time with you this past week in there is all,” the rain shaman explained, anxiously glancing around. “I wasn’t pretending to be interested in what you do. You look so cute and beautiful while you work! So, I was hoping... despite how it started, I could still keep coming in? On days that I’m actually not streaming this time.” She paused, coughing slightly. “Or... maybe also if I’m having insomnia or had a bad dream, too. I’d be honest about it from now on, though, I swear!”

For a second, Kaela stared at her Genmate cheeks pinkening. A part of her had wondered if the interest in her work had been part of the act, too, and she had been seeing what she wanted there. Hearing that the curiosity was genuine, though, made her heart swell in joy and for other reasons she could not describe right then. Ever since leaving her parents, she did not have a lot of people she could talk in-depth about her work with. But now...

Smiling widely, she reached out and gave her friend’s shoulder, gaining eye contact. “You’re always welcome at my forge, Kobo. So long as you tell me if you’re there due to a problem from now on. It’s been a pleasure having someone to listen to what I have to say. Maybe we can find more things for you to do, too, or I can accompany you into a rainstorm sometime?”

The way Kobo’s eyes lit up despite the bags under them was adorable to see. “Thank you! No more being stupid like that!... I’ll instead be stupid for other reasons!” They exchanged a laugh over this. Once they calmed down, though, she looked along the taller woman’s body, tilting her head. “Sooo... what now? Are you going to do some... sleeping dance to help me dream good?”

The idea was so out of nowhere that the blacksmith could not help but snort, trailing off into soundless laughter. “W-why is that your first assumption? Why would I even know a ‘sleeping dance?’ You say some strange things, but this!”

“You grew up in a Fey Realm!” the rain shaman defended, getting flustered. “People there do a lot of weird fairy tale rituals and stuff! Do you know how many spins the last satyr I met made me do for a drink of Ale?” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I need to think outside the box for this. I mean, we both know you didn’t put that on to sleep with me! Ha!”

...The silence was long after she said this, the blond simply staring at her knowingly. The short woman seemed confused at first, but gradually, her eyes began to widen with realization. A dark blush came to her cheeks. “Wait... Y-you’re serious?”

“Yep!” Kaela replied, pulling at the blanket. “Now lay down. You’re starting to teeter some.”

Kobo did not follow the command, continuing to look at her friend with disbelief as her bed shifted under her. “Y-you... really? But you don’t...! You’ve never...!”

Smirking with amusement, Kaela grabbed her friend, who yelped as she was dragged under the covers. The taller woman joined her a moment later, pulling her closer so that her Genmate was snuggled against her body facing her. “I have my phone with me to entertain myself. I’ll be with you the rest of the night and morning, okay? If you keep having nightmares, I’ll be right here to comfort you.”

The rain shaman’s blush got worse, but she still shuffled around to get more comfortable against her. (Did her heart rate quicken briefly there?) Even then, though, she looked up at her intently, struggling with her words. “But... what about your forge?”

“You are not sleeping on the ground in there,” the blacksmith said firmly. “Even I get sore when I decide to power-nap at my bench. You are sleeping in here where you can be comfortable.”

Kobo shook her head. “That’s not what I meant! It’s... what about your work?” Her hands gripped the front of the blond’s shirt, expression slowly morphing to one of guilt. “You... you seemed so excited by this newest sword you were making! I don’t want to keep you from your work. It... it means so much to you.” She glanced away. “Please... don’t let my dumb dreams stop you from-”

Kaela did not let her complete that sentence. She grabbed her chin and forced eye contact again, eyes and voice firm. “It isn’t dumb for me to help you. And my work can wait - you can’t!”

The rain shaman looked dumbstruck at that, her protests dying. She stared at her like she had just grown a second head, mouth hanging open. “Wha...?”

The blacksmith almost found that reaction funny, but she held back her laughter this time. She took a deep breath, her eyes growing softer as she elaborated. “Kobo, even if I had an actual commission I needed to get done tomorrow... I’d do this. It’s true that I love to spend time in my forge. I put my heart and soul into everything I craft, whether ordered or for myself. It’s like an extension of me, as if it was another limb of my body.

“But... it’s not my entire life. I would never have left home and joined Hololive if I wanted to spend all my days smelting metals, would I? I’m still a person with needs... and one of those is spend time with people I care about.” She sighed blissfully. “I’ve known people over the years, but you and Zeta have helped me come out of my shell a lot. If not for you guys, I’d probably get stuck in my ‘grinding’ mindset. You two reminded me of what other things there are to life besides work. I might get a bit angsty about being away from my keyboard or hammer sometimes... but at the end of the day, the memories of what I do with you and everyone else matter more to me than a few blades and weapons on my walls.”

She moved her hand to rest on the back of the blue-haired woman’s head, letting her bury her face in her chest. “I can’t thank you two enough for the kindness you’ve shown me. You guys do so much to look after me, so I’m more than happy to return the favor. If losing time to forge a few blades is the price of that, I’ll pay it every time.”

She felt Kobo sniffling against her, chest becoming wet from her tears. “Kaela... you...”

Said woman quietly shushed her, running her fingers through her hair. “Go to sleep, Kobo. I’ll be watching over you the whole time. You have nothing to fear. Just rest.”

It sounded like the rain shaman tried to say something else... but all that came was an incoherent murmur. Her body gradually relaxed under the careful motions of the blond, going limp. A few seconds later, she started to quietly snore, sleep finally catching up with her.

The blacksmith smiled softly, curling her fingers into blue locks that had a watery texture to them. It was odd, but felt nice as she continued her motions. Trying to move as little as possible, she got her other hand to grab her phone out of her pocket. It was going to be several hours before she moved, and while she might take a nap at some point, she needed to pass the time somehow. Scrolling through videos while making sure her friend slept soundly did not sound so bad. She was behind on a lot of her Senpais streams, anyway.

First, however, she took a moment to message Zeta back. Without elaborating, she said that she worked out what was going on and that she would ask Kobo if she wanted to share the details later. She imagined shame alone for lying would make the rain shaman tell the virtual agent as soon as she stepped in the front door, honestly. On the bright side, though, the gray-haired woman would probably be able to come up with more ways to help her sleep better once she was back. She was good at problem-solving like this.

Once that was done, Kaela also took time to go into her alarm settings. Frowning to herself, she started setting small alarms to tell her when it was midnight each day. She should have been doing more to keep track of time long before now, but this night had solidified that need. What if Zeta had not checked her messages, or she did not notice Kobo swaying like she did? How much longer would this all have gone on? Would her friend have simply collapsed at some point and need to go to a hospital?

Her fingers worked faster on the screen at that thought. It was honestly tempting to set up more interval alarms - maybe every six hours. For now, though, she would start by getting used to counting the days. She made a mental note to get some paper to put tallies on each time she heard the sound.

With that out of the way, she let out a sigh. Shuffling more to get more comfortable, she started to pull up Youtube, turning down her volume to not disturb the woman she was holding. Who should I watch? Iofi probably has some drawing streams I could listen to. Not really my thing usually, but it would be relaxing. Or maybe Watame? I’d love to hear her singing and-

Her thoughts cut off when she felt squirming against her. She blinked, looking down and seeing the rain shaman’s face scrunched up as she whimpered. Grumbles came from her that sounded like the beginning of words, but they were indistinct currently.

The blacksmith blinked, shocked that a nightmare had hit her Genmate so soon after falling asleep. However, she wasted no time in setting her phone down on the pillows, using both hands to comb through her hair. She leaned in and whispered into her ear, not wanting to wake her unless necessary. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe here. Nothing can get you.”

Another groan escaped Kobo, whose arms were trying to wrap tightly around the tall woman. A few of her sounds came out in a semi-understandable way. “Ka... Kaela...? You... hmm...” Her eyes squeezed closed tighter. “No... no leaving... stay...”

Kaela felt a pang in her heart at that. A few ideas occurred to her about why Kobo had sought her out specifically after these bad dreams now. Is... she dreaming about me abandoning her? Why...? Gods, I hope this really is just a random thing. If I did something to cause this...

She pushed aside such speculations as she focused back on the present. Her fingers ghosted her friend’s neck, pushing at spots to help relieve tension. “I’m not leaving, Kobo. I’m staying right here. Don’t ever think I would abandon you. I never would.”

Some of the rain shaman’s struggling lessened, her sleepy voice softer but still partly understandable. “Kaela... not... you stay? Don’t care... about...?”

The blacksmith did not know what her Genmate might be referring to there - it could have simply been from the nightmare. Regardless, though, she answered honestly. “Of course not. Nothing would make me leave you all willingly. I’ll stay with you whenever you want to. I- ah! ”

That last exclamation was caused by Kobo suddenly shifting up. Before the blond could react, she found a face buried into her neck, hair brushing at her mouth and nose. A happy sigh came from the sleeping woman. “I... You’re staying... So... glad...” Her voice tapered off, and soon she was breathing normally again, no longer making a sound.

Kaela, meanwhile, felt how red her cheeks had gotten from the new position. It was somehow more embarrassing to her than having her friend lay on her chest. She could feel every breath against her neck as their bodies flushed together more than before. The position also made it difficult to grab her phone again, leaving her with no entertainment to pass the time.

...And yet, with every passing second, she found herself caring less about either of these things. The feeling of her body against hers was pleasant in a way she could not quite pin. The rain-like scent from before filled her nostrils, where she could now detect a slight ozone undercurrent to it like after a lightning strike. And the sounds of her breathing, warm against her skin...

It felt like to the blacksmith that her head was starting to fill with cotton. She pulled the short woman closer, barely stifling a yawn. Her eyes suddenly felt very heavy - more so than she ever remembered them feeling in a long time. The more she breathed in, the harder it was to keep them open.

It’s... it’s probably time to take that nap, she decided, unable to stop her eyes from slipping shut. I’ll rest for a little while, then keep watching over her. Yeah... Just a little while...

It was her final thought as blackness quickly consumed her.

-------

It was the sound of birds outside that made Kaela slowly open her eyes. She groaned, not ready to get up... which was kind of unusual, she dimly noted. Normally, after her naps, she was instantly rejuvenated and jumped immediately back to work. Right now, though, for some reason, she was struggling to regain consciousness. She felt weighed down, though... not in a bad way. Still, she wondered how that happened after only...

She paused, opening her eyes a little more as she became slightly more aware. How long had she slept? Her eyes roamed some, noticing how well-lit Kobo’s room was, yet there were no lights on. It had been dark out when she came in, yet sunlight filled the place now. More so, it did not seem like the rays of early morning, either.

Her eyes then landed on a digital clock she had ignored before on the nightstand. On it, her suspicions were confirmed as it read 11:57 a.m..

In her tired state, all she could do was blink, only able to think oh, in response. That would explain why she was so out of it - long hours of sleep did that to her. Still, it was rather perplexing to see. She normally had control over when she slept for longer than an hour on the rare occasion she felt she needed to. And even then, she typically clocked out for no more than six hours, not over nine.

She... must have been very comfortable and relaxed last night.

Blinking heavily, the blacksmith tried to shake her head to clear some of her lethargy. She tried to think of the best ways to wake up more, like taking a jog. (Caffeine was out of the question - her last addiction to the stuff led to her needing treatment.) There were probably some messages she needed to check from her manager as well, so as soon as she found her phone-

A small noise against her made her pause. Looking down, she saw the rain shaman still snuggled against her, arms wrapped around her torso. Her head had moved down some, but her hair still tickled at the blond, the earthy scent hitting her again. She shuffled more on top of the tall woman, as if sensing she wanted to move.

And her face... It was so calm. The bags were already starting to fade as a content smile graced her lips. Her breath was calm as her ear pressed against her chest, seeming to listen to her heartbeat.

Kaela blinked a few times... then gradually she sunk back into the bed. Glancing at her friend’s forehead, an impulse suddenly seized her tired mind. Without thinking, she pressed a gentle kiss against it, pulling her closer as her eyes slipped close again. Just... a few more minutes. A little longer and I’ll wake her up.

As her consciousness faded again, she promised to apologize to the managers for anything they might have missed that morning. She also would help Kobo in case she missed a stream and got in trouble. For now... she would rest. Her forge could wait another hour...

(After she drifted off again, a few minutes later the rain shaman opened her eyes. For a brief moment, to anyone looking, they would have appeared red with a reptilian quality to them. Even half-asleep, however, she caught the small slip and corrected it, her irises shimmering and becoming their “normal” blue. She could not show her true nature - not unless she wanted things to fall apart. She knew they would, no matter what Regis said. They always did.

She looked up at Kaela’s sleeping face, giving a fragile smile as her cheeks darkened. She tucked her head under hers, breathing in the scent of ashes and hot metals, closing her eyes. She knew she would have to get up eventually, but... she wanted to enjoy this. No fears of what could happen one day if she and Zeta found out who she really was. Just the gentle embrace of one of her closest friends.

And... for a little bit, she could even pretend she was being held for more... intimate reasons. She could almost imagine the lingering sensation of a kiss on her head, too, but she knew it must have been in her head. If only...)