Open [Sultros Blades] Metal for Mettle

[Hadyn Skellig]

34th Day of Spring, 513 Early Morning Hadyn Skellig flexed her cramped fingers reluctantly, the popping of joints causing her to wince more than the soreness the action elicited. Massaging one wrist the blacksmith rested her back against wall of the smithy, gazing at nothing in particular. She was expecting the other smiths quite soon but they had yet to show, leaving her to open shop and begin the day's work. In truth she didn't mind the solitude, though she'd give them shyke for it just for good measure. It wasn't like the shop was brimming with customers. After stirring the coals from the previous night's fire, the woman set about the business for the morning, her own goals on hold while she maintained the shop. She had several commissions to get through today and sore fingers at this bell was not a good sign. As much as she desired a holiday it was not in the stars any time soon. Pausing a final tick in repose, she pushed off the wall and took a deep breath before picking up the leather apron from where it hung on a hook. Upon tying the strings around her waist Hadyn stepped to the back of the counter, tidying the marble surface. The boys had left something of a mess last night, a fact she'd have to remind them of when they sloughed in, probably hungover. Winding her hair into a chignon, the blacksmith secured it with a cord and shook her head quickly to break the fetters of exhaustion as the door to the smithy opened. Plastering a welcoming smile on her lips, Hadyn turned her attention to the visitor, ready to greet them.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri 34th Day of Spring, 513, 4th of Bell "La la la la~" The hauntingly humming voice of a little girl can be heard echoing in the Bronze Woods courtesy of the ghost girl, Kouri. She was at her favorite location, sitting on top of a high tree branch. Ehehe~ The ocean is so beautiful~ Yesterday, Kouri went for a dive at the Suvan Sea and met an Otani named Uleru, she was a very interesting person to say the least, not many people she met can change their body shape and colors at will. "Ehehe, I'll be sure to visit her again" The ghost girl thought out loud. "Now then, what should I do today?" Kouri supported her chin with her right arm as she planned her activities for the rest of the day, while deep in thought, her eyes wandered to the steel dagger to her right, the steel dagger given to her by her master, Cyrus. She picked up the dagger with her Soulmist tendrils and examine it. The cold hard steel glinted when exposed to the light, its sharp edges ready to cut through flesh, it's the work of a skilled blacksmith indeed. Wow... ehehe, it's so beautiful... Kouri spun the dagger around herself as her thought shifted to her dagger. Hmmm, I only have one so if I throw it, I have no means of weapons until I pick it up again... hmm... Aha! I know! I should get more! Ehehe~ Kouri eyes lit up in excitement. I think... I know where to get more! If I remember correctly, the city has a smithy called Sel... Sal... Sul... ah! 'Sultros Blades', yeah! I'll go there right now! Kouri blinked to the ground, not forgetting to take her dagger with her, little did she know that she was about to meet the very same person who made the steel dagger she has right now... Oh yeah! My money! I need money to buy stuffs! Blinking back to her favorite tree branch, she picked up her small money sack for a hollow hole in the tree, then she wrapped the sack and dagger together with her tendrils. All set! Ehehe~ She proceeded to float to Syliras City. 2 Bells later "Hmmmm..." After much wandering and asking for directions (with almost half of the people freaked out at her presence), Kouri found herself at the third tier of the Stormhold Castle. I think... it's somewhere around here... She had difficulty finding it as no sign indicating 'smithy' were hung. Her ethereal eyes darted around until she spotted an open door revealing the building's content. Oh hey... That's an... anvil! Spotting the most recognizable object of the smithy, Kouri quickly floated to the door. "Uhm... Excuuuuuuuse meeeee~" Kouri spoke to no one in particular as she entered the store, her ghostly presence can slowly be felt by the drop of the room's temperature, however the store's warm environment negated it somewhat. After announcing her presence, Kouri entered the store and spotted a tall woman, her arms looked strong and developed, with dark mahogany brown hair and brown eyes, and light skin, she looked like the symbol of strength and beauty at the same time. "Uhm..." Kouri sheepishly smiled and approached the woman. "Uhm... h-hello, uhm.. I want to order some daggers... ehehe... how about uhm.. 3 daggers, 2 steel and one uuh... I want something different..." Kouri thought hard for a moment, then she remembered about a particular material she read from a book called cold... steel... or is it iron? Ah, Iron! "I know! I want 2 steel daggers and one cold iron dagger, please!" Kouri beamed the woman with a smile and showed her money sack. "Don't worry, I have mizas~ Ehehe~"

[Leda]

As Leda has approached the forge, something or rather somebody - a little girl - floated past her. Turning around with a start, it took her a few seconds before she realised that the little girl was a ghost. Of course, Leda had seen ghosts before (mainly the ghosts of sailors who had drowned) but a little girl ghost seemed a novelty to her. She had never seen one of the like before! The little girl seemed to bring an aura of cold around her, and Leda felt the temperature seem to plummet as she passed by. Calmly, she waited behind in the doorway, blocking out some of the early morning sun and casting a shadow across the floor, observing the scene before her with a smile. The inside of places such as these were rather beautiful, if one was to look at it in the right way. Leda remembered the blacksmiths she had been to in years ago, in Riverfall. The Forge furnace glowing brightly with oranges and yellows, orbits of fantail sparks like gold dust flying from the craftsman's tools. Then, in the middle, like a proud creature, the dark anvil... like a horned horse, or a cow, standing tall and squat. Or, like an altar - an altar to the craft that went on in the area. To continue the imagery, in this establishment, the priest must be the pretty woman standing there. The Light in her eyes, Leda couldn't tell who it was immediately but then realised it was Haydn. She had expected there to be more people hovering around - not so much customers as weapon smiths. On that note, she had expected somebody a little more strong-looking. Haydn looked tough, tough as old boots and Leda had known it on their first meeting, but she also seemed too lithe and feminine to be able to deal with the sort of work which one might demand of a blacksmith. "Good Morning." Leda said, stepping in with a smile. She would have waited outside if needed, but she had no cloak and so early in the morning, it was rather cool outside. Anyway, all she needed was a sword of some sort and, most importantly, within her limited budget.

[Hadyn Skellig]

An eyebrow piqued as the smithy was graced (if not a bit chilled) by the ghostly presence. While having never experienced a specter herself, she'd certainly heard tales of them. Perhaps she ought to be alarmed but considering the ghost in question was a child and Hadyn could hardly bring herself to stand aghast while she voiced her desire for weapons in such a sweet voice. "Em, certainly, Mistress," Hadyn replied with a kind smile. What on Mizahar a ghost would do with such weapons she could only imagine. But it wasn't her job to question. The woman paused to calculate a price, taking a moment to note a familiar face. She flashed a quick grin to Leda before returning her attention to the ghost girl. "That'll come to two gold Miza a piece for the steel and the cold iron dagger'll be three gold. Sound fair?"

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "Good Morning" "Huh?" Kouri turned around as she heard a woman's voice behind her, Kouri turned around and saw a woman with a slim build much unlike the strong build of the blacksmith, dark hair, and bright blue eyes that seemed to captivate every being who looked upon them. "E-ehm... Are you a customer too? Ehehe... I'll be done soon, so don't worry~" Kouri beamed the woman with a polite smile. Turning her attention back to the blacksmith lady as she named her price, Kouri just blinked in confusion though with a smile plastered on her face. Eh? I never knew about prices and stuffs... aha... what should I do? Kouri had zero experience in dealing with merchants and financial management as she never received the education from her parents, it was logical as her parents thought she was too young to handle purchases. "W-well uhm... eeeh... eeer... o-okay, I-I mean okay then! Hehe! Sounds good!" Kouri didn't want to look stupid and kept the next customer waiting so she just accepted the prices without thinking.

[Hadyn Skellig]

"Very good," the blacksmith replied with a warm smile. Finishing up her notes on the parchment, she looked back at the ghost. "They'll be ready in two days time." It was perplexing to think what a specter might need with daggers, but it wasn't Hadyn's job to wonder. If the girl could pay, the woman would make the items. This was a first - a ghost in the shop. Her coworkers would certainly be jealous. After a moment, the brunette flashed Leda a smile, setting the quill down. "Good t'see you 'gain," she stated. Hadyn glanced between the two, not wishing to make the ghost girl feel dismissed. She was welcome to stay even though the order was in. Assuming a relaxed stance, the blacksmith leaned her forearms against the counter, her weight on one foot as she waited for the two to respond.

OOCDecided to break posting order to address Kouri. Hope that's alright.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri OOCThis will be my last post for the thread. Thanks for the commission, Hadyn And Leda, I think we should continue our PCs interaction (should you want to) in another thread as this is Hadyn's commission thread. E-eh? Yay! I did it right! Ehehe~ Kouri beamed a wide grind as she praised herself for her first purchase on her own, without anyone's guidance. "Okay then, Madame~ Here's your money~" Kouri put her money sack on the table, opened it with her tendrils, and took out seven gold mizas. "One... two... seven! Yep! Seven gold mizas~ Ehehe~" Kouri gave the money to Hadyn and she picked up her sack with her tendrils again. "Hmmm, okay then~ I will come back in two days~ Ehehe~ Hmmm, try not to make it too heavy, okay~ my uuuh... tendrils are still weak... but I'll definitely grow stronger!" Kouri smiled at the woman before bowing slightly "See you in two days, Madame..." Hmm... what was her name again?... Aaah! A man I asked told me her name is... Hadyn, yes! "Madame Hadyn, ehehe~" She then turned around to leave the smithy. As she passed Leda, she bowed slightly "Sorry if I took too long..." and proceeded to exit the store, Hmmm... I think I have seen her before... where have I seen her... hmmm... but Kouri couldn't shook the feeling that she knew the woman somehow. In truth Kouri first met Leda yesterday, Leda was wearing her fortune teller outfit; she didn't recognize Leda in her casual outfit. I think I'll store them at my tree for now... I can only manipulate one dagger at my current strength... But, it's never a bad thing to stash more weapons in case my current one got damaged or lost~ Kouri justified her decision to buy more weapons even though she could only control one dagger at the moment.

[Leda]

Leda was going to tell the girl to take all the time she needed, since she had all her time, but she had already finished and Leda then realised that the ghost had not recognised her at all, though she herself was unforgettable to Leda. It was the first time she had done a ghost's fortune. Maybe a ghost had trouble remembering things? After all, Leda knew little about it, having never met a ghost before. "Good bye." With Haydn's greeting, Leda's attention was driven back to the issue at hand. "Good to see you again too. I must say, you look a great deal better than you did. I am glad to see it too." She smiled then turned to what she needed. "I need a weapon of some sort. I realise I can't continue the way I have without any self-defence skills, so I would ideally like to buy a rapier." Leda did not add that her experience meeting Haydn the other day had heightened this feeling that she needed a weapon. After all, if she could come out of a fight looking that damaged, she herself had no chance. She had no defence skills and was a petite woman. Really, Leda knew herself to be an easy target, if anyone wanted to take advantage of that. On another note, she was not sure if she could afford a rapier. She had no idea of pricing, but decided that though she'd like a rapier, she was better off starting to train with any weapon. "Bearing in mind my budget is of twenty gold mizas so, if that is too little, any sort of relatively lightweight weapon will do."

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn smiled at the girl, accepting the coins and turning around to place them in the appropriate box. She wanted to tell her that payment wasn't necessary until she picked up the weapons, but decided it could wait. It was good of the ghost to pay up front and the woman sense a modicum of pride in the Kouri's purchase. No need to rain on her parade. All the same, she wouldn't pocket the coins til the girl picked the daggers up. Honest business was good business. Turning her attention to Leda, she smiled widely, shrugging one shoulder in response. "Aye, all patched up an' ready to fight another day," she answered. Leaning her crossed forearms against the counter, resting her weight against them as she listened to Leda. Chewing on her bottom lip in thought and drumming three fingers on the counter surface, Hadyn hesitated in responding. "A rapier will put y'exactly twenty gold behind," she replied. "But I could make you an estoc for ten." Standing up straight and coming around the front of the counter, the woman walked to the northern wall of the shop, eying the displays with a concentrated expression. Weapons lay glinting in the low light, flashing sharp silver and reflecting the blacksmith as she surveyed them. Selecting the one in question, she held the hilt of the estoc sword, her other hand a flat surface for the blade. Turning to face Leda she presented the weapon to her. "Fairly simple, this one. More suited for close contact hits. Not goin' to slice you a piece of much, but it'll puncture somethin' fierce." She encouraged the other brunette to accept the weapon, test its weight and size. It was inexpensive compared to a rapier and it would serve the same function. Hadyn wasn't interested in draining folk's Miza, especially customers she liked - it was bad for return business. It was a tough life and Hadyn could sympathize with strict budgeting.

[Leda]

Leda accepted the estoc handed her and swished it around a couple of times. It certainly wasn't as fancy as a rapier, but the price was better and, other than the hilt, it seemed the same. It's blade even looked slightly more stable. She looked up with a smile at Haydn. She had wanted the rapier, with all its finery, but this would probably suit her better, and there was plenty of time for finery when she was more experienced. After a couple of minutes just playing around, and probably looking a great fool, Leda nodded. "Alright then. I'll take one of those then." She paused and turned back to Haydn. "How quickly can you have it done and when can I pick it up?" She turned back to the estoc and balanced the hilt with the blade, as she had been taught to do when looking for a good sword. She had no experience or skill with actual fighting, but she did know the basics of recognising craftsmanship. "What is the metal used in this?" She wasn't expecting anything great but she thought she ought to check anyway. Although she did not believe for a second that Haydn would try to cheat her out, she knew that if one looked like one understood, at least partly, what one was buying, sellers were less likely to overcharge or give you a substandard product.