[Darin was going through the weapons he'd managed to forge before the bonfire, attempting to decide what he was going to show off next. He wipes the sweat from his brow as Allura approaches him, and he looks over his shoulder at her.]

[On the one hand, he's about to fire off a snarky retort.]

[But he did promise Shiro he'd try and get along with Allura. So he bites back the initial response with a huff.]

Well, my old man and I make a lot of weapons for the soldiers of the kingdom. And I'm a firm believer in the fact that I can't forge something I have no understanding of. So I've been training with the Captain of the Royal Guard since I was around ten years old. From there, it's just finding ways to train with any new weapon I can get my hands on. Foreign tradesmen stop by the blacksmith's guild all the time, so it wasn't hard to pick their brains and learn some techniques.

Weapons aren't just...tools...that someone can swing around like a caveman. They're meant to be extensions of your body. I don't forge anything that I think won't fit the person who wields it. You could come up to me and demand I forge you a warhammer, but if it conflicts with your body's natural movements and ability, all you're doing is hindering both your own potential and the weapon's. And that's how people get hurt and die.

No one leaves my shop with something that could get them killed.