...
Printable View
...
OOC: I'm going of the setting being the evening of the second day they're in port, or rather the pre-dawn hours of the third day. Also, Drice, I'm going to take a bit of liberty with Cailey here. I figured she'd be spending a lot of time with Cyradis. Nothing major, though.
IC:
Obsidian was a strange element. Like a rock in its features, but glass in its properties. Heat and pressure worked differently on glass than they did on rock. It made shaping the mineral into a useable staff core something of a challenge, and pushed Cyradis' magical control to levels of complete concentration. Such was her state as she sat cross-legged in her cabin with a three foot pole of obsidian floating before her open palms. Pulses of purple energy periodically radiated from the rod, causing it glow briefly in recoil. A low hum sounded from the rod the same instant as the pulses, giving the cabin an ominous sort of atmosphere. Beneath the staff, a metal bowl held a pile of black sand: ground obsidian. A steady stream of grains rose from the bowl to the bottom of the rod where a bright purple spark sizzled; happily fusing the sand to the rod while simultaneously infusing it with the mage's mana.
To Cyradis' left, her young apprentice Cailey sat on her bed in rapt observation. Cyradis had begun instructing her in the second part of her training. She took to meditation well, as expected. It was much the same as extended prayer, and involded a similar level of patience and serenity. Cyradis was right in guessing her experience as a priestess aided her ability to meditate. Now, she was supposed to be practicing focus. Focus is what gives mages the ability to form the raw mana into a elemental power - fire, water, electricity and nature - or restorative magic. Without it, they're limited to blinding flashes of light and at most, a beam of pure energy. Both of which are relatively harmless and consume mana quickly. Focusing the magic also conserves mana and allows for more destructive magic or more potent healing.
Cyradis hadn't yet told Cailey about the different schools of magic, as she first had to learn the basics, but that hadn't stopped her from learning some things herself. She was a prodigy, and had the potential for incredible power, but attempting physical magic without the proper training could be disasterous. So it was that Cyradis had stopped her earlier that day from attempting to create fire; one of the first magical manifestations a mage learns at the University.
"Cailey," Cyradis paused her staff core creation and gave the girl pointed glance through her brightly glowing eyes. "Staff creation is a mage's final step. It shows your complete mastery of your school. In time, it will become clear to you what kind of magic will come most naturally to you. Every school has a natrually created mineral with which the mage creates the core of their staff. For me, it's obsidian. For you, it's focus." She looked at the girl, a smile playing on her lips, "I know you're eager to learn, and that's good, but diving too deeply or trying to mimic what I do could be very dangerous. Being able to feel the magic allows you to understand how the spells are weaved, but I caution you aginst freelance practice outside what I've shown you. I promise, there will come a time when you will create a staff. Until then, please practice your focus." Cailey nodded sheepishly and Cyradis smiled at her reassuringly. She didn't blame the girl for wanting to try things on her own, but like any craft, magic was learned over time. For some, that time was very long, for others - like Cailey - it would be much shorter.
------------------
Some hours after Cyradis was fast asleep, alarmed yelling in the hallway caused her to rise sharply from sleep. She looked around quickly, as she became aware of her surroundings. She slid out of bed and dressed quickly. She opened her door just as the pilot-in-training raised his fist to knock. They reguarded each other in an awkward moment of silence before Ari told Cyradis to meet the crew on the deck. She emerged on deck as the sailors, new and veteran, ascended ropes and ladders in preparation for take-off. Gabe was looking out over the harbor as a couple crewmen retracted the gangpplank. She walked up next to the captain and tried to spot whatever he was looking at.
"Those bells for us I take it?" Gabe gave her a big smile, totally inappropriate for a situation involving escape from local authorities. Walking to the rails, Cyradis leaned over the edge and inspected the docking clamp firmly in place. Officially they were used to keep ships from getting blown out of port in a storm. In reality, they allowed the port authority to control traffic and make inspections on suspect ships. Or restrain ships fleeing from the law. Cyradis groaned and shot an annoyed glance over her shoulder at Gabe. He shrugged, waving his hand dismissively as he made for the bridge.
"Be creative," he said, further extending his grin.
Cyradis rolled her eyes and rubbed her hand across her brow. She turned to the docking clamp mechanism. Magitek, of course. Shaking her head, she extended her palms and concentrated. Creating the staff core drained her mana, so she took a moment to gather more before releasing it. A dark, but still somehow glowing, purple-blue orb formed around the mechanism, and began to shrink. As it neared the magitek compenents, the thing began to shake violently as the magics reacted to each other. Curling her fingers into claws, Cyradis clenched her teeth and poured the rest of her mana into the spell. The orb of energy collapsed on itself, resulting in a gravitic vortex. Following an explosion and a significant amount of wrenching metal and shattered wood, the singularity consumed the docking clamp mechanism and popped out of existance just as the Dawn's engines fired. Around the dawn, the clamps holding the ship in place relaxed without the pressure from the recently destroyed city property.
Cyradis cooly made her way to the bridge where Gabe was talking with Sephara and Archamae. He cocked an eyebrow at the mage. Cyradis shrugged, "You said be creative."
...
Garin Wiljatai
The young woman fell into a tightly wound heap of nerves onto the ground. It was all Garin could do to keep from smiling. His eyebrows slightly raised as he held his hand out as if saying, "It's okay. Don't worry, I'm here." She blushed and Garin allowed a grin to pass. Excellent, she's emotional. Something must have just happened. Argument with a lover? No, she's on an airship... No love aboard those. Perhaps she got chastised by a superior? No matter... She's vulnerable. She took his offered hand and Garin lifted her up, adding another hand on her shoulder to steady her as she stood.
"Miss... Miss Alexander," she told him. She didn't hesitate, necessarily, but there was something between the "Miss's" that spoke of more. A fake name, perhaps? Garin nodded then, his eyes staying fixed on her own.
"Well," Garin started, "I am Mister Wiljatai, but my friends call me Garin." If I had any, that is. She'll be gone before she knows it anyway. He smiled now and took his hand off of her shoulder.
"So, is there any way I can help you?" he asked, motioning to the crinkled paper tightly balled in her fist. If she wasn't so pale, he would expect her to be white knuckled, she held it so fast. "I couldn't help but notice you're going the wrong way to the market and holding a shopping list. Although, I must admit, I noticed you first for such a worried look on an otherwise pretty face."
That's the way, old Garin! Woo her by letting her know she's pretty, that's why you're interested. Good looking people love to hear it. Gives them benefits and they know it. Someone to lend a helping hand, perhaps.
"Are you alright, Jade?"
---------
Arlen Vegough
It was a little bit of a killjoy having Amateira around. They walked in near silence, a question or a note of interest passing between the two as they went through the city, but no real ability to settle into quiet for Arlen. At least he was amused at his companion. Amateira was wide eyed at seeing so many people. Arlen knew it, but seemed to just come to the realization that she had never known but a handful of people in her whole existence. Remembering his own experience of leaving Ciribaque to enter unknown lands, much the same happened to him in the larger cities. He had never known there could be so many people living together without killing each other as rival tribes might. He loved the big cities for what they were, but hated them for the same reason.
"I don't think so many people are supposed to live in such close quarters," Arlen said to Amateira. "A few people together is a family. A few families together are towns. A few towns together is a nation. When you have enough people as a few towns in the space of one, they call it a city. Usually, crime is higher in cities because there is not enough... warriors, enforcers, police," Arlen gestured into the air trying to find a word she would understand, "to keep them in line. Too many people to punish and not enough people to punish them," he nodded. "These people go unnoticed because there are not enough people to notice them, so they keep breaking laws. Eventually, everyone is breaking laws because there is a certain standard of acceptance. Just the 'minor' things, usually. Merchants not changing money exactly from one currency to another, smuggling restricted products, and things like that."
Amateira seemed to understand, but Arlen figured she just nodded now to shut him up. She was too engrossed in the mass of people. Gebron wasn't even that large of a city. Sure, it has grown by leaps and bounds, and continues to do so the couple of times Arlen had been through it, but it was still small compared to some Acacian ones he had passed through on his way out. Even in the Orient, specifically the Confederacy, cities were much larger than this in developed areas. "Planned cities" some were called. A rather interesting notion to Arlen. Since airship travel, many cities sprang up seemingly overnight. The reason being because even though the coast had several cities that were perfect for conversion from sea-faring to air-faring ports, there still needed to be inland stopovers and trade routes in-between. Instead of the smaller towns building airdocks, they made a hub, and that hub distributed over land the products that the smaller towns traded for, and paid a fee for the service, built into the price of the goods bought. Those hubs were the planned cities. Instead of streets that were built over old walking paths or horse trails, these were usually a grid pattern for space consolidation, material conservation, and most of all to reduce monetary consumption and travel times.
Every once and a while, they were even towns like Gebron. Small places that were basically leveled and rebuilt. In Gebron's example, portions of it were planned, and others left alone. It was a jagged, scarred town. Transient people and even more transient morality.
Arlen's eye caught movement as they strolled through the town and he stopped, touching Amateira's arm to still her as well. "A perfect example," he muttered.
He watched a moment, the spectacle unfold and then walked forward. Amateira followed a few steps behind, after recognizing the person Arlen was after.
"Are you alright, Jade?" Arlen asked, stepping up and switching his gaze from one to the other. "Is this man... bothering you?" She looked, in understatement, to be shaken.
"I was just asking the young lady if she needed help is all," the curly haired man told him. Arlen looked from Amateira to Jade and finally to the man.
"I couldn't help but notice you telling her she had a pretty face. I must have missed the part about asking her if she needed help. What is it you wish to help her with? I can vouch that she's a rather stalwart woman, able to manage on her own," He nodded to Jade with protective eyes. "Not that she's ever without help if it is needed." A twofold statement. Jade and Arlen both knew of Jasper's protective nature, but Jade also would have known that her crew was always there for her. Much like a surrogate family. Arlen reinforced that.
The man held a hand out to Arlen, which Arlen took and they firmly shook hands. "My name is Garin, Garin Wiljatai. She looked to be troubled, and looking for the market. I was on my way to the taverns; tired of sitting in my stall, you see. Are you two... together?"
"In a sense," Arlen smirked. "My name is Arlen Vegough. We're crew on an airship, and therefore bound by camaraderie. Besides that, she's my friend. What is it that you sell, Garin?"
The bushy haired man smile, "Security, actually. I'm a locksmith."
"Oh," Arlen said, his eyebrows raising with a smile. "Picked a few locks have we?" Arlen looked to Jade and narrowed his eyes, "You alright Jade? You never said."
--------
OOC: SoHee, if you want to go with Garin, just have Arlen say something along the lines of, 'okie dokie'. okay? :)
When the stranger, Garin Wiljatai, mentioned the paper in her hand she remembered why she was out here in the first place, away from otherwise safe haven at the ship.
"Well..." she started when a familiar voice called out to her and her heart froze again for a millisecond before she could identify the man behind the voice. It was Arlen, followed by the native young woman Amateira, that was walking up to them. His eyes seemed almost to pierce right through Garin as he spoke. She couldn't help but to feel a bit uncomfortable the more the two men spoke to each other. Arlen sounded very protective of her and even if her mind told her to be greatful for this it also struck another chord hidden deep inside of her.
"You alright Jade? You never said."
"Yes. Yes I'm just fine," Jade replied quickly without thinking. The last thing she wanted was to escalate the discussion between the two men any more than it had to. Her words sounded more convincing than the look in her eyes, but she gave a firm nod to Arlen.
"Mister Wiljatai here, Garin, was just kind enough to offer some help," she continued with a smile. By now she had gotten control of her facial muscles again, and the smile seemed to be genuine. If anything the past had learned to hide her feelings well. Arlen seemed a bit unconvinced, but she gave him another soft smile. "I was just a bit clumsy is all, not looking very closely at where I was going. I think I got a bit twisted around trying to find a good herbalist."
"And that I could help you with, Miss Alexander," Garin said. "I know the perfect place."
"We could come along if you wanted," Arlen offered, shooting Garin another piercing look. "Give you some company back to the ship."
"No, no. I'll be fine," Jade said. "You show Amateira around and I'll see you back at the ship."
"Alright then. We'll see you later."
Just as the aging, over watching, weird protector, and destroyer of smooth sailing plans was turning away Garin spoke up again. "Ah, don't worry Mister Vegough, I'll get her back home with everything she needs and more." It wasn't a lie, just a sort of less than fully disclosed answer. The man raised his hand over his shoulder and shook it slightly, dismissing the thought. The young and noble thief thought he heard him say something along the lines of: "That's what I'm afraid of." At least he understands people need to make their own mistakes so they won't be fooled so easily next time... Who first fooled you, old man, I wonder. Garin smirked a little at the statement.
Leaning toward Jade, he directed his voice behind the shield of a hand, though the walkway was busy and filled with noise. "Is that Arlen guy always so... stuffy? Scares me, that one. That strange girl that follows him, too."
"Arlen is..." Jade's eyes randomly moved and she shrugged tensely, "Arlen... He does that. You get used to it. He means well, I think."
Garin stood upright again and regarded her a moment. "Mmm... Hmm... Indeed. So, shall we move on? I know a place that sells for a discount, but his quality is consistent. His prices are less because he has a clientele of recurring customers, like myself." Motioning from where Jade had come and back to the market, Garin explained. "I make my own lubricants for my - special - locks. A lot of vendors here offer wildly fluctuating quality, some of it far too long expired for my purposes... If you need a more exotic salesman, though, I know of one of those too... not the cheapest guy... but good for the more strange requests."
They took a few steps and Garin's dark on light green eyes fixed on her for a few moments. She anxiously turned her gaze to see him and started to panic again. Garin shook his head and raised a hand. "Sorry to stare, it's just-" He looked forward again and kept walking. "I'm trying to figure out what you're doing on an airship. It's a life of some pretty hard people and, pardon my saying, you seem rather. Delicate. Refined. Nervous, heh, but refined." He smiled warmly at Jade, "So then, what do you do? I don't see you climbing rope ladders to the air-bladders or masts. Your hands aren't calloused."
OOC: Just as a note for who the future, when prping Sephara, try not to use contractions or slang. She's a fairly... proper gal. ^_^ Thanks.
IC:
The four of them each occupied one side of the map table and looked down as the Dawn continued steadily on into the night. It was odd, Gabriel thought to himself as he looked at who occupied the spaces beside him, that these three women would have turned out to be the lifeblood of this ship. They, above anyone else on his crew, were who he trusted the most. And he was pretty sure they were who the crew looked to when they found themselves in a sticky situation.
On the southern part of the map, Gabe placed the cloaked book, then slowly uncovered it, "A final parting gift from our mysterious client." Arch and Cyr both cast each other quizzical glances, not having seen Autumn's departure.
Sephara on the other hand crossed her arms and scowled, "I knew she would bring us trouble."
"She also brought us this book Seph."
As Cyradis uncovered a little more of the cloth so she could read the title, it was Archamae who asked he obvious question, "And just what's so special about this book?"
Gabriel smiled, "It's part of the key to finding Shandalaar." The eyes of the three women suddenly became much more interested.
"Part of the key?" the mage mused as if she half expected such a puzzle.
"Let me explain..."
-----
"Well that's all well and good," the goggle-eyed pilot said just after he finished, "But her little stunt could make it tough for us to get into any of those places. Most nations usually wouldn't care about another's criminals, but we, apparently, just did assassinate a Triumvir. People are usually more sensitive to those sorts of things."
"And that's why I'm talk to you three first. What's our next move? Do we go after one of the books we know about, or should we lay-low and try to figure out where some of the others might be?"
OOC: Sorry should have mentioned, Gabe wouldn't have told you her real name.
Cyradis crossed her arms and gave Gabe a questioning look. He'd just told them their entire visit to Gebron was the result of stealing a readily-available children's fairy tale from the head of one of the most powerful families in the southern Occident. Even if this volume was somehow different or had some special wording, there was no definitive reason to believe what Meg, or Autumn, or whatever she chose to call herself told them was anything more than a ploy. She was obviously an assassin, probably hired by one of the other families, and deception and misdirection were her trademarks.
"One dead Triumvir would not upset so many people that we need to worry about being hunted," Cyradis added to the conversation, "She was probably hired by one of the other two to shift the balance of power. Besides, she stayed in Gebron. I doubt we'll be followed to recover a widely copied and memorized fairy tale." Cyradis lifted the ornate tome and flipped through its pages. It was old and well preserved, but she doubted it dated back a thousand years. Then again, if it were enchanted well enough it could be possible. She returned the book to the table and continued, "I think we should find a clearing and put the ship down for a day. If someone is following us, then we'll better know the value of this thing. If not, we can sail for the location of one of the other volumes.
"Unfortunately," she sighed and put her hands on her hips, "we will have to avoid Kell. I learned in Gebron that they've sealed the borders and are turning away all air traffic. I might be able to get us in, but there's not guarantee we'd be leaving any time soon. Until I find out what's going on there, we should keep our distance."
It was that look. That innocent gaze, the unquestioning faith hidden beneath the eyes, that was what fed his desire to continue on. She was counting on him, he had made a promise. He wouldn't fail...and yet. He knelt in the mud rain dripping down his cheek. A slight shiver ran up his spine exposing cold and stiff muscles. Exhaustion and despair threatened to overwelm him. For all his promises for all his self reightous talk he was letting her down...
There was no trail. He had been so sure of himself that he hadn't even bothered to ask Gavin anything. He had simply rushed off like a mad man possessed. That was his weakness he never planned, never thought only acted. That weakness was about to doom his sister. He knew not where she was nor how many were with her. He was alone, exhausted and hungry in no condition to track her let alone fight. He should have waited for Arieko.
On his knees he swallowed taking a deep breath. "Goddess Nephei..." he began in whisper "...help your humble servant. I have never asked for anything but I need your help now. I can not save her alone." he closed his eyes. In answer the rain deepened. He growled out a curse, it had been worth a try. He blinked a small fire fly danced between the droplets. No...not a firefly, Cailey's Chenkari. She was calling to him, which meant she was close. Reaching into his pocket he produced a thin brown leaf with red stripes. He slowly ground it in his fist before swallowing it. The Seriti plant was a natural stimulant, ten times stronger then the coffee plant but while potent it was highly addictive. He nearly choked as the bitter dust carried down his throat, it burned and tasted foul. With a quick sip of his water bottle he waited.
It wasn't long before his chest felt like it exploded. He doubled over in pain as the plant took effect. Every muscle felt like it was being shredded with a dull knife. He grtted his teeth taking it as well as he could. A few moments that felt like an eternity went by before it subsided, the pain but a dull throb with no hint of the exhaustion that he had previously felt. With a deep breath and renewed sense of urgency he threw himself back into the chase following the floating orb to its master...
_______
Perhaps it was a fateful sign from the goddess but he doubted it. Like most women Nepheli would do as she deemed fit not neccessarily what he wanted. Drice was unsure of another path but he would keep his eyes open just in case. However he had no intention of spending the day without his Kamir and he doubted that it would simply find its way back to him. He moved back to their shared room and rummaged through their painfully bare bag. They were down to the clothes on their back and a few other items. They would need to procure a few things in the city it seemed. After a moment he found the second Kamir and drapped it back around his neck before finding his way back to the deck just in time to watch as the others disembarked.
"Are we going to?" Cailey asked.
Drice nodded and led her down the pier catching a brief glimpse of a woman and a familiar looking bird heading for the ship. He dismissed the idea his mind playing tricks on him of course. Their first stop was a clothing store.
"Black?" Cailey muttered in disbelief. "Its so depressing."
Drice raised his eyebrows. "It suits me."
Cailey shook her head. While he had picked out his clothes relatively quickly it took Cailey nearly an hour to struggle to find something she would consider wearing. "I don't know why I bother, I should have asked someone else to come with me." she whispered in defeat. For some reason he had the feeling if she had there saving would not have fared well.
"I promise you can spend more time at the next stop."
Cailey paused with a sly grin. "What?" he demanded.
"You've decided to stay with them?"
"They haven't kicked us off yet."
Cailey giggled. "You're starting to like them, they must be growing on you. We've never stayed with a crew longer then one stop." She gave him a hug. "Thank you I am learning so much with Cyradis she is amazing! I wonder what she would think if I showed her the things I already know, I mean she tells me not to train without her but..."
"You wanted a teacher, now you better listen to her." Drice pointed out as they walked back towards the ship. He paused his nose twitching as he caught the brief lingering of roses. He frowned his eyes searching around but he saw nothing. Damn memories he didn't have time for this. His eyes spotted local wine and spirits store. Ducking inside with Cailey he waited until the shop keeper came about.
The man was middle age with a slight pudge to his belly he peered at Drice taking in the Kamir, a hint of recognition crossed his eyes before taking in Cailey. He nodded. "Might I help you?"
Drice offered a fake smile unsure of what he was missing but he trusted his instincts far more then this man. "Perhaps. I have a rather distinctive taste. I am looking for a bottle or two depending upon the price of Luduanna Red?"
Surprise and something else crossed the shop keepers eyes, Cailey shuffled her feet. So he wasn't the only one that noticed the strangeness? "You are just in luck." the man offered. "I happen to have one bottle of it in stock."
While the man disapeared into the back to retrieve the bottle Cailey whispered "I don't like him."
Neither did he. As the man returned with the bottle in hand he called out. "A gold for the bottle."
Drice frowned. "A gold for a bottle of Luduanna? That is a bit steep. Perhaps 5 silvers?"
"Agreed."
Drice fumbled out the coins and paid the man taking Cailey outside. "He didn't haggle." she whispered.
No, he agreed. Which worried him much more. Cause that meant that he had made the coins in some other way. But how and by whom? "Lets get back to the ship."
_______
The return was unadventrous and yet still Drice could not shake the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Something about the day bothered him. The loss of his Kamir had been foreboding but the recent events were worse then he feared. The man had recognized him or at least what he was. Not to mention what was the luck that the first shop they tried would have a Juvarian wine? As they opened the door to his room he stopped the unmistakeable scent of roses lingering in the doorway. Upon his pillow lay a single dead rose.
Cailey stiffened beside him reacting to the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. "What is it?"
"Maktah." he whispered. Arieko? How....
ooc: Will stop here for the night but will post more tomorrow
She watched Arlen and Amateira leave, and wondered if she had made a mistake by not take him up on his offer of joining them. No. It was better this way, she decided. Now she didn't have to worry about defusing a tense situation that could possibly lead to something else. For a moment she thought she had spotted Jasper in the crowd. At least it looked to be Jasper, his head bobbing up and down, but he was walking the same way as Arlen, so she only saw the back of the man's head and therefore couldn't be sure.
"Well I'm afraid that with my budget I will have to stick with the more common herbs," Jade replied with regards to what kind of price-range she was looking for. "But up there, in the sky, you can find yourself in need of someting as simple as nettles, so common is not too bad. It's better than nothing."
They walked in silence for a moment and even if Jade wasn't looking straight at him, but rather at their surrounding, she could feel his eyes burning in the sides of her head.
"Sorry to stare, it's just," he began as his eyes began to focus on something else. Jade's own eyes quickly went back to scanning her surrounding, always on the watch. Having met Arlen, a friendly familiar face, had calmed her down a bit, but it also unnerved her. If this city was so small that she could easily run into the crew, who could she else run into? A quick, perhaps slightly nervous laughter followed his remark of her delicate, refined and nervous nature. Refined. Well her old life had been nothing like the current one she led on the ship. Her parents had not been wealthy, but rich enough to put her though college, learning the medical trade. She had always been good with home remedies and even quite skillful in making up her own, but it was not until college that she had been able to really learn and deepen this skill with proper medicament and surgical procedures. One teacher had even noticed her slightly magical skill. She would never rival the power of a mage, but was able to use it in minor ways, combining magic with medicine. And then... then she had met Edric.
"No," she finally said with a quick smile after Garin was looking at her again. Apparently she had been waiting a little too long to reply. "No, you are quite right. My profession lies not in climbing rope ladders or high masts, but that of a healer."
...
A healer... "Ahh... I see," Garin said and smiled at her. "Soft hands for a soft touch." Pointing to a turn, he nodded, "This way."
----------------
Coming upon a shop, Garin found his mind a lot less awash with the security failures of others. Rather, he was focused entirely on the weaknesses of one. The Porcelain Healer. "There it is, Dewy Moss Herbs. Ironically enough, that's the man's name, ha!" Something within him was changing as he spoke. He was seeing how predictable and just plain boring Gebron was getting. This could turn into a long con. "So... What is it that your airship does? Merchant ship? Mercenary? You don't look like mercs..." Pulling the door open, he held it for Jade before entering behind her.
Jade followed Garin as he directed her towards a shop lying on the edge of the market. It felt easy conversing with Garin, even if he did continue to slide in compliments here and there. Not knowing the man, nor trusting him she realised that it could all be an act. Either way his light conversation made her feel relaxed. She laughed as he presented the shop and its owner Dewy Moss.
"Did the name come after the profession or had the profession grown out from the name?" she said with a smile, more relaxed than before.
As the door was shut behind it felt like some of the stress was left outside.
"Well I suppose we are doing a little bit of this and that. You could call us treasure hunters, I guess. I haven't been with the ship for very long though," she said. "What about you? A locksmith you say... did you grow up here in Gebron?" She started to browse around the shop, looking to see if she could find some of the items on her list.
At the word treasure, his ears seemed to move about on their own, like a cat on the hunt searching for the sound of prey. "Erh... No, I didn't. Grow up here that is." A frown sort of pulled itself over at the memories of his past. "Actually, I - Heh - I grew up in a circus troupe. It used to travel around Furca. It's a landmass that juts out of the Occident west of Darusia." Garin continued to follow Jade around the shop, looking at things on the shelves idly. "I left. It wasn't for me." He picked one thing off and gave it a closer look, before replacing it.
"Do you think your Captain could use one more? Gebron is... I'm over Gebron. Selling locks to people who are passing through is only so interesting for so long. They don't really want to lock anything up here. They're too cheap to see the value of investment, as you can tell by the city itself. Cheap triumvirates..."
"Hello, can I help you two?" An old man walked into their aisle, a parchment paper in hand. "Oh... Darin was it? Welcome back, son."
"Garin, actually..." He muttered under his breath. Giving a wistful eye to Jade he stepped toward him. "Ah, perhaps. This lovely lady has a little shopping list for you. Can you cut her a deal for me, Dewy?"
"Well, Darin... It's YOUR account, so no... If she comes back, though, I could. Then she'd be a repeat customer, you see." Adjusting his spectacles, Dewy placed a hand on his hip and gestured with the other. "So, what is it you're looking for, little lady? Hmm?"
...