Shopping

The Nisshoku Plaza was a busy place, as evidenced by the crowds of people moving up and down the busy street during the late afternoon hours of the day. The air was a bit nippy given the countries proximity to the Land of Snow but overall wasn't all too bad and the various shop owners and hawkers in the streets shouted out about 'deals' and 'bargains' with excited glee as children ran through the crowd playing games with each other while dodging the adults who moved around them. Tamwyn moved through the crowd, a small, almost imperceptible, smile on his features as his amber eyes took in the scene. He was out here for a specific task, he needed the equipment necessary to have a personal smithy within the basement of his home. That meant an Anvil, forge, and all the tools necessary for the space including the work bench, hammers, tongs, barrels of water, barrels of oil, and the like. It was going to be a large undertaking to set up before the day was out but the Seraph was set on the task. He wanted to begin work this very night on his equipment.

His guide was showing him toward the shop he needed and he was following them closely to ensure they did not get separated because of the crowd. He felt the constant presence of eyes upon him, not staring, but a great many idle looks. He figured it was because of the similarities between he and Kara that had initially driven Kara to look into their possibly shared bloodline. Although he did not exactly have a window to gaze into their thoughts with so he could of course be wrong. As he moved he would speak to his guide, his voice a tad wry but a bit agitated due to the close proximity of so many people. "You're said this shop owner can ensure everything is ready by tonight? Not that I don't trust you, I just find it a tad difficult to believe given the late hour." He would say, trying to ignore the crowd. He didn't relish the idea of being seen by the public at the moment although few would be able to guess why.

[1]

Priya went straight to the Nisshoku Plaza, Tamwyn keeping pace with her. The Plaza looked like it did everyday; busy and full of people. It was an excellent place to buy anything you could dream of while simultaneously keeping a low profile. She noted the looks that people gave them as they maneuvered through the crowds, and she expected that they were directed at Tamwyn and not herself. It seemed Tamwyn noticed them as well, as when he spoke there was an undertone of agitation to his voice. Which could have simply been owing to the swaths of people surrounding them, or the attention. Either way something about their current situation was unpleasant for him so she hurried along, doing her best to keep his attention and distract him from any discomfort.

“Absolutely. There’s no better engineer than Kaylee Frye, at least if you don’t count Kara.” She wove through the crowds and towards a large building with an adorable wood cut sign that had no name, only a colourfully painted parasol. Pushing open the door the gentle tinkling sound of a brass bell could be heard as she turned briefly to look at the white haired man behind her before they entered the shop. “And you trust me, do you? Interesting choice considering you know nothing about me. But I won’t hold it against you.” With a quiet chuckle Priya walked into the shop and called out in a stern voice. “Who even runs this place?” The interior of the shop was filled with all sorts of tools and machines and pieces of furniture. Some were completed and others were not, showing various options for their goods and services. Every tool and workbench imaginable was present in some form or other, and beyond a wall to wall counter was rows upon rows of shelves that contained small boxes and trays that held even more tools and components.

From somewhere in the back of the shop came a cheerful voice and swiftly upon its heels came the owner of said voice; a short woman wearing coveralls and more grease than any person in a shop probably should. “Coming!” Seeing Priya the woman would stop and place her hands on her hips, a look of mock anger on her face. “And what have you broken this time?” The two women stood ‘glaring’ at one another for a beat and then both broke into laughter. Turning to Tamwyn, Priya would introduce the two and then step aside to let them do business. “This is Kaylee, there’s nothing she can’t make or fix. And she specializes in setting up and maintaining workshops and construction sites. And Kaylee, this is Tamwyn, he'll tell you what he needs. Oh, and we like this one.” With a wink to Tamwyn, Priya found a table in the corner of the room and perched upon it, seemingly suddenly interested in a magazine that sat on the surface of it.

With a happy smile, Kaylee would pull a well used rag out of her pocket and attempt to wipe the grease off of her hands before extending one of them to shake Tamwyn’s. If he accepted her hand she would shake it heartily and if he didn’t she would just shrug and put the rag back in her pocket. Either way she would greet him with an unusually friendly manner. “We like him. . . oh! Shiny! Nice to meet you Tamwyn, now what can I help you with today?”

He would nod his head at her words, acknowledging that she backed the woman named 'Kaylee Frye' and when she commented on him barely knowing her he would shrug. "If I can't trust the woman my sister put in charge of guiding and keeping watch of me to ensure I'm alright emotionally and mentally than I'm pretty much done for now aren't I?" He would ask, his voice completely reasonable. He wasn't trying to make light of his mental state, he was just trying to be honest about it. When they arrived at the shop he would enter in right behind her. Looking around he would see a startling array of equipment, machines, tools, furniture all in various stated of completion. Priya would call out and a 'Coming' would be heard as a young woman came to the front. Shore wore grease stained coveralls, a layer of sweat clung to her from the hard work she had been doing and more grease seemed to emanate from her. Tamwyn took stock of the woman and nodded, she was certainly pretty, but clearly had a love of getting her hands dirty that many woman would stick their noses up at.

The two women devolved into fits of laughter at each other just before Priya made introductions. When she said 'we like this one' Tamwyn would blink at the wink and then Priya would be off, sitting on a table again. Kaylee would reach for a pocket for a rag and attempt to wipe the grease off of one hand. Tamwyn would reach for a hand, grease covered or not and shake it firmly. He'd had far worse things staining his hands and such things wouldn't bother him. Her greeting was bright and chipper and she would ask him what she could help him with today. Amber eyes would blink between the two women. "I feel like I'm missing an important undertext, but I'll refrain from asking about the secret language of women." He would say, his tone one of wry amusement before clearing his throat and getting to business. "Right, I'm new to Darhkvale and have moved into one of the large mansion in the Black Tortoise district." He would begin, turning toward Priya with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if she was able to be anymore specific than he had been. He hadn't gotten his bearings quite yet so she would be best able to identify specifically which one Kaylee needed to know of. "I myself quite enjoy the art of crafting and maintaining weapons and armor and am in need of a fully equipped forge down in the basement. I need it as quickly as can be done, I hope to get started on my personal equipment tonight. Priya told me you were the woman to come to with such a need. I'll pay whatever is required." He would say, finishing off the request.

[2]

When Tamwyn commented on the important undertext of the conversation and how he might be missing it, Priya just smiled into the magazine she was idly flipping through. Kaylee gave a bright smile, one that could be described as innocent, and shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing to worry about, not for you at least. Today is your lucky day, Priya brought me a customer. . . that’s you. . . that doesn’t need to be taught any lessons.” Kaylee tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear while she spoke, it had escaped while she had been working and her efforts to put it back where it belonged did little to disguise the disheveled mess that was the owner of the shop.

As Tamwyn looked to Priya for assistance regarding his new home, Priya looked up briefly towards Kaylee and spoke in another language. “IIl possède maintenant le Palais des Ombres, sur ordre de Kara. Donnez-lui tout ce qu'il veut.” Kaylee would nod and look mildly impressed, rummaging around under the counter until she found a scrap piece of paper and a pen, then she would write down the address of Tamwyn’s home while she more or less interpreted what Priya had just said. “The Shadow Palace huh? Shiny! And on Mistress Kara’s tab no less, you must be pretty important.” Once Kaylee had written down Tamwyn’s address she kept scribbling notes as he explained what precisely he needed from her. As she wrote bits of grease and grime smeared across the scrap of paper, not enough to make her notes unreadable but enough that it was noticeable.

Standing up straight she would eye Tamwyn up and down while chewing on the end of the pen she’d been writing with. “Hmm. . . by tonight. Alright, I can do that but it won’t be cheap since I’ll have to hire some extra people to help. But that’s no problem, I’ll get you set up here quick as a bunny. Best engineer in the ‘verse right here, but uh. . . don’t tell Miss Kara I said that.” She didn’t actually look worried when she asked him not to repeat her boast to Kara, she looked mirthful and like the type of person that could appreciate a good joke. “About the only thing I can give you a definite price on right now is the anvil, a paltry twenty five thousand. Just stocked that one,” she would say as she pointed to the clearly brand new weapon and armoring tool. “So I can have that sent up immediately and the rest I’ll have done before dark if everything goes according to plan. Sound good?”

Tamwyn would shrug at her explanation, accepting it and when he looked toward Priya for assistance would find surprise widening his eyes. He didn't know any other languages and to hear her speak one all at once made her more interesting and exotic at the same time. His eyes would turn back to Kaylee to see her nod of understanding and a mildly impressed look upon her face as she wrote things down. The grease from her everything smearing somewhat but by no less making it impossible to read. 'The Shadow Palace'? What an interesting, and ominously foreboding name. It also seemed to reflect his mood overall and he idly wondered if Priya had chosen it for partly that very reason. His expression turned solemn for a moment as Kaylee eyed him up and down, biting the end of her pen before agreeing to his request. However her specific wording would bring a startled look of realization across his features. 'The Verse'? He had only known one crew to talk like that and all at once memories of working with the crew of the Serenity ran through his head like a marathon runner. Returning medical supplies, a party, destroying an alliance town with Kikoho. Malcolm Reynolds, Jayne Cobb, Wash, Zoe, Simon, River, and..Kaylee!

Tamwyn's mouth would open a bit and a strangled gasp would escape his throat as he got himself under control. "K-Kaylee!" He would cry out in recognition. His eyes wide as he began to try to explain "It's me, Tamwyn?! Remember?" He would ask, his eyes narrowing in thought before widening again in another burst of realization. Reaching into his pouch he would grab a scroll. Not the one with Yenn, although his hand did brush it and he paused, a grief stricken look flashing across his features before he pushed on for a different one. He had three on him at the moment. The one with her in it, the one with the money Kara had given him, and finally, the one with something that might help Kaylee recognize him. Pulling it out he would unfurl the scroll and unseal a single item. The rest of his armament was on him except this one piece. Within his head, visible now behind the clearing smoke, was his old signature hat. He placed it upon his head and looked back at the grease-stained engineer with his amber eyes. Lightning danced around him as he brought his chakra to the fore and an etherial glow would come over his eyes as the chakra he was so intimately familiar with caused them to brighten and glow. He would hold it for a moment, before letting the chakra die down and his eyes return to their normal intensity. "Remember me now? How has Mal and the others been?" He would ask, his voice more normal than it had been thus far. Reaching into his pouch he would pull out some ryo and set it aside on the counter. 25,000 the normal going figure for an anvil. The rest would have to be discussed later. "Here's this, for the anvil. We can discuss the rest later. Name your price and it's yours." He would say, his tone still riding the waves of surprise.

[3]

Neither Priya nor Kaylee had been expecting Tamwyn’s cry of surprise and recognition. Kaylee stared at him a moment in confusion, watching intrigued as he pulled a scroll from a pouch and put his signature hat on his head. Then her eyes would widen in surprise and recognition as she remembered him from their adventures years before. “Tamwyn! I remember you now! Sorry I didn’t recognize you without the hat.” She gave him a mischievous grin as she tallied up the ryo he left her for the anvil.

With the money put away she would lean on the counter, hunching down so that her torso was almost leaning on it although she stayed supported by her forearms. “Wow, it’s been quite a while hasn’t it? The Captain is good, you know we’re still out fightin the good fight and all. Doin crime. . . er. . . not crime. Yeah, totally legitimate and sanctioned activities that coincidentally happen to be fairly lucrative as well. And I didn’t mean to, ya know, flirt.” Kaylee felt a bit guilty having checked him out considering that she knew now that he had Yenn. Or at least had when they’d spent time together before. Awkwardly trying to cover for her error, she made an attempt at reminiscing. “So uh, how’s Yenn? Mal asks about her a lot, he really took a shine to her ya know? I mean, so did the rest of us too, not sayin we didn’t. It was a fun several weeks of adventures.” While she rambled an assistant came out from the back and she would hand the scribbled notes to him, the young man took the note in hand and rushed into the back to begin preparations for the creation of a forge and workshop.

Kaylee's own eyes would widen in surprise and recognition before she spoke and she shot him a mischievous grin as she counted the ryo in a quick and efficient manner. Once she put it away she would proceed to lean on the counter using her forearms. She would give him a brief update on the rest of the Serenity crew and apologize for flirting with him. An apology he would quickly wave off as unnecessary. However her next words would cause the motion to stop, and his smile would fade immediately. Disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Yenn had also been an important factor in those missions. She had been on every single one of them with Tamwyn and their time with the Serenity crew had actually made up a large amount of the time they had spent together before getting married. He would turn his eyes away from the engineer, unable to meet them as he spoke. "She's gone Kaylee. Eight months now, I died in an attempt to fight a greater chakra entity. She committed suicide soon after. I was brought back, but she was not. I found out the other day." He would say, the words coming out in short bursts.

He felt the anguish slash into his heart and he felt all sense of warmth and happiness leave him. What little he had gained since leaving the village anyway. Reaching up he would take the hat off of his head and idly toss it into a corner. He couldn't wear it anymore, couldn't bear to look at it any longer. "You can keep that if you want Kaylee, to remember better times. I can't seem to look at it anymore. Listen though, it was good to see you. Come by the mansion for dinner tonight if you want. I know you'll have to be around to work on the installation but if you have time to slip away for a bit I certainly wouldn't mind hearing more of what you and the rest of the crew have been doing. I've gotta get going though, I need to find something, anything, to take my mind off of things." He would say, turning to leave. His tone would be utterly polite and respectful, and he would sincerely mean every single word. It really was good to see her again, he really did want to see her later to catch up. However the sudden, brutal reminder of Yenn was too much to bear at the moment. He hadn't expected to see Kaylee, or any of the Serenity crew again and he had not prepared for having to explain it to any of them. Especially not so soon. Whether or not Priya joined him he would make his way toward the mansion, intent on exploring it thoroughly and getting a feel for the grounds. Perhaps enjoying a hot bath, he hadn't had one since before he'd left to go find Yenn after all.

[Potential Exit]

Purchasing 1 Anvil for 25,000 Ryo.

Priya winced as Kaylee asked about Yenn, and regretted not being better informed about Tamwyn and his previous activities. She hadn’t known that the two had known each other, and if she had she would have warned the well intentioned engineer. Kaylee looked mortified and even from across the room Priya could see tears welling up in her eyes. Kaylee could only manage to get a single whispered word out before Tamwyn tossed his hat on the counter. “Gone?”

She managed to gather her wits before Tamwyn left however, and she would call out to him as he exited the shop. “I’m sorry Tamwyn, I’m so sorry.” And then he was gone. Kaylee looked towards Priya and shook her head in disbelief, gingerly picking up Tamwyn’s discarded hat and holding it to her chest as she tried to keep from sobbing, giving the hat the embrace she wished she could bestow on the grieving widower. “Priya. . . I didn’t. . .” Priya would follow after him, but not before stopping to have a quick word with Kaylee herself. “You didn’t know, don’t beat yourself up. We’ll see you tonight, yes? For the commission of course and hopefully for dinner. I think he could use the extra company.” Kaylee nodded in acquiescence and then Priya would vanish into the street as well.

She would catch up with him easily, it was difficult to miss the tall, white haired man, even in a crowd. She watched him for a moment before making her presence known, her heart heavy as she could practically see the anguish following him like his own personal storm cloud. Somberly and with less of her forced enthusiasm Priya would speak quietly as they walked back to the mansion, filling the air and time with unimportant facts about the land they were in. She didn’t expect him to answer, she knew it was probably better if he didn’t, she just provided some background noise to help take the edge off his grief.

[Exit Thread]