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Keeping the fire going at the right temperature was exhausting on most days. It was even worse in summer. Some other buildings held back the heat at least a little, but given that inside her shop it was hot even in winter, the summers felt pressing an exhausting.
Namari took a step back from the forge.
Someone had commissioned her to repair an axe. And the poor thing had really not seen a lot of care. It was chipped at the blade and rusted at the handle. Poor thing. Why wouldn’t people take care of their weapons? One would assume people would put more attention to those things that were often what kept them in the land of the living.
But then again, maybe she should not complain. After all, people needing weapon repairs or new weapons were what was keeping her in business.
She wiped the sweat of her forehead and went over to the other side of the room to have some water.
Gods. One should think that at least in summer the difference between the heat outside and the heat in here was less noticable. But somehow the forge was comforting in winter. And now…
There was a bell ringing in the other room. Someone had come into the shop.
“A moment!” she yelled, before taking a towel to properly wipe herself clean. Then she hurried into the actual shop. “What can I…” She paused when she realized that she knew the visitor. “Kiki. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I know,” the tallman woman said. “Kaka and me have been travelling with Mr. Tansu.”
“I heard.” Namari looked up and down her former companion. “Is this a social visit or…”
“I lost my crossbow,” Kiki said. “So I need a new one. I thought I would come over to your shop to…”
“Right.” Namari smiled. “I can do crossbows. Though how did you lose…”
Kiki waved her off. “It is a long story. And today is too hot for long stories, don’t you think?”
Namari raised an eyebrow.
Ever since the dungeon on the island had ceased, there were less adventurers around. Though other places still had monsters – and humans would find reasons to fight even without monsters involved.
She shrugged. “Alright. You always do better with crossbows over normal bows, don’t you?” She went over to the case in which she kept some of the bows she was selling.
Admittedly, bows were not quite her forte. Neither the normal ones, nor the crossbows. While she could work wood, she liked the material much less than metals. Though she had four different crossbows. Two of them were lying among the merchandise. The other two she had in the back.
She took one of the ones in the front of the wall, weighing it. “Ah, this one has been made for gnomes and halffoots. I think it might be too small for you.”
Kiki looked at the weapon. “You might be right about that.” She pointed at the wall. “And that one?”
Namari sighed. There was of course the obvious problem. As a dwarf she was quite small in terms of her body height, so even stuff in her own shop she could not always reach.
“Can I?” Kiki asked, without commenting on it.
Namari nodded, watching Kiki take the weapon of its mounting.
The woman weighted it in her hands with the practice of someone who was used to holding a weapon like this. “I like this one. It is fairly light.”
“It does not have that much draw weight, though,” Namari said. “I have another one that should be about the right size for you in the back. If you excuse me for a moment.”
“Sure,” Kiki said.
Namari went through her forge and then to the back, where she kept some merchandise in a room. Rather than laid out it was sorted into trunks and shelves back here.
It might appear chaotic, though in the end there was a system about it.
She found the weapon she was looking for after a moment, pulling it out. The crossbow was not strung in the moment. Keeping it like this while in storage would just ruin it on the long run.
She still got it, making her way back to Kiki.
“Here,” she said. “This one.”
Kiki took the crossbow, weighing it in her hands, before holding it up. “This is a dwarven design, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Namari said. “Makes reloading smoother.” She paused for a moment. “I can string it up properly if you like.”
“That would be nice, yes,” Kiki said.
“I also have targets in the back.”
Kiki smiled and nodded and watched as Namari did indeed string up the crossbow – even though she had to look for the right kind of bowstring.
“I still don’t get over you just losing your bow,” Namari grumbled, as she took the tallman woman out to the little improvised shooting range she hat in the back.
Kiki smirked at that. “As I said. Long story.” She loaded the crossbow and aimed it. She waited a moment, clearly trying to get a proper feel for the weapon. Then she shot, the bolt hitting the target a moment later – not quite in the center.
Then Kiki reloaded, the crossbow snapping easily into the right position. She lifted it again, and shot. This time she almost hit bullseye.
“I think I like this one,” she said, when she put it down. “Did you make it?”
Namari rubbed her nose. “No. Got it from another dwarven trader. You know. I am more for axes and blades.”
Kiki did not instantly reply.
“I can sell it to you. With some fitting bolts,” Namari said.
“That sounds good.”
“You are going back to… travel?” Namari kept talking, mostly because she felt just a bit awkward, as she guided her former companion back into the shop.
“I am not sure,” Kiki said. “I have been with the Tansu’s since I was a child, you know? And Kaka…” She paused. “I have been thinking recently…”
“Yeah?” Namari asked.
“I have been thinking to stay here and just…” The tallman woman shrugged. “Maybe start my own business. Maybe as a trader. Or maybe…” She paused. “It will just be strange. To be without Kaka.”
“I guess.” Namari went over to her register. “Though I think that’s normal, right? For siblings to at some point go their different ways.”
“I know,” Kiki said. “Maybe it is just because we are twins, or because…” She stopped herself from ending the sentence, and Namari was too careful to further ask.
“If you wanna go into trading, I can probably help you get set up,” Namari said. “I know folks who are trading and stuff. Probably could get you connected.”
Despite her dark skin, there was some blush noticable on Kiki’s face. She evaded Namari’s gaze. “I… I might pick you up on it.” Then she smiled. “You are kind.”
“Eh. I just know…” Namari shook her head. “Forget about it. This is gonna be eighty gold pieces.”
“Sure.” Kiki loosened a leather bag from her belt, before starting to count the pieces.
“I mean it though,” Namari said. “If you need help…”
“You would just do that?”
Namari took the money now being put onto the register, counting it herself. “Maybe not for free.”
“Oh.” Kiki’s shoulders sank down just a bit.
“I would take the story,” Namari said. “The long one. About the crossbow.”
It was clear that Kiki did not instantly understand what Namari was saying. But as she did, she could not help a giggle. She took the crossbow, and smirked at Namari. “It really is a long story though.”
“Sounds about right for hot summer nights,” Namari replied.
Kiki paused still, but then she shouldered the weapon. “I will consider it.”
Namari grinned. “Well, then I will be waiting.”
