Casual Distractions

[Kysis]

"Follow me then."

Kysis was pleased with her pleasant reaction, a real grin upon his lips now.  Where she had been leading before, Kysis took to steering, changing their direction across the way.  It as not far from where they were, really.  The storefront was bland, plain as plain could be.  The sign was not up yet, and with good reason.  The "unveiling" would be the day of the demonstration.  Marcos had been talking with the lieutenant.... Freddy, if Kysis remembered correctly.  It was all set up, just a matter of completing the place on time.

For the first time in a while, he released her hand, knocking on the door.  There was nothing for a few seconds, then a thump, a female voice cursing loudly.  Kysis stiffled a laugh as the door was flung wide, a short and short-haired lady standing there all covered in soot, "Not open.  Come back--- oh me!  Lord Liari!"  She dropped in to a curtsey, which looked strange and ungraceful, seeing as she was wearing breeches and an overlarge man\'s tunic.  One might mistake her for a young man had it not been for the voice.

"Might we come in?"

"Of course!"  The girl moved out of the way, a big toothy grin on her dirty face.  It looked like something had caught aflame on the interior, and that the girl put it out using her own body.  Strange, but so was she.  Kysis looked over the main room with doubt.  There were very nice display racks on two of the walls, a counter on the one opposite the door.  Kysis could see the tops of a few heads from behind said counter, working on something or another.  It seemed the girl had dropped her broom to get the door, "Sorry itsa mess, Sir.  We um... like dark wood?"

Kysis shook his head.  The chest full of weapons had not been emptied yet, all those proud pieces sitting in a box for none to see.  The girl went back to sweeping, the two hired workers doing whatever it was they did.  Kysis motioned for Lam to enter first, though he wondered if that was at all safe...

[Existentially Odd]

Lam walked in with a broad grin, feeling slightly awestruck that she\'d be invited for a preview.  Honoured, at the least.  She dropped her cowl and undid the buttons running up the front of her cloak as she looked around, scrutinising every detail as if she would have to report on each feature after the fact.  Her gaze flitted from racks to counter to boxes, trying to imagine what would go where, what would be the most eye-catching position in which to place something, wondering what their centrepiece weapon would be.

"It looks great!" she enthused after she\'d opened her cloak up and parted it slightly, standing and surveying everything with hands on hips.  "I mean, I know it\'s still under construction and everything," she allowed, shrugging her right shoulder nonchalantly, "but the skeleton is enough to go by.  And this is where I\'ll be able to find you each day, at work?" she grinned, raising her eyebrows enquiringly.  It would be very easy to call in on him here, though she couldn\'t imagine him standing around in a shop all day, either.  She could hope, though.

[Kysis]

"Oh, on some days, right after the exhibition, I suppose.  Ryanna here,"  Kysis motioned towards the boyish girl who was singing some song to herself as she worked, "is going to run the store for the most part."

"Mister Dinaris told me yew would be in with \'em nobles.  No work for yew."

The young lady went back to singing as if nothing had happened, eliciting a laugh from the two workers.  After a moment they lifted up a rather odd shaped rack, fastening it to the wall.  Kysis knew exactly what was going on it, too, but preferred to keep the flail as much of a secret as possible for now.  Luckily he had kept the piece at home, otherwise he was sure the workers would have hung it up right then and there.

"These racks over here are going to be for swords."  Kysis walked to the left, pointing out the rather plain but nicely constructed shelves on one side.  He was trying to ignore Ryanna.  She was wayward at very best, but Marcos had hired her and Kysis had more pressing matters than sitting around the shop all day, though he might end up spending a lot of time in there, "And over there is for other weaponry, such as axes, maces, the like.  Back by the counter..."  Kysis strode over there, giving a little tour.  It felt good, showing this place to someone, "is going to house the special pieces.  Exotics, customs, the like."

Kysis was most proud of the strange weaponry his family concocted.  There were some very out there ones, which seemed to lack function at first, but Kysis was determined to learn the use of them all.  Thus, his stubborn attitude towards the flail.  He had to figure out how to use it since it was made.  There was no question.  It was that way with the other exotics, too.  Kysis hoped to have quite a few in that section when the store opened.

[Existentially Odd]

Lam raised her eyebrows as the woman interjected and it ocurred to her then - quite shockingly - that the odd lady had referred to Kysis as Lord Liari.  The reference to \'Mister Dinaris\' was what jarred her into the recall and she frowned, wondering how the woman might know so soon, whether Kysis\' father might have told her but... that just didn\'t seem rational.

Perhaps the title had been introduced with their staff early for a reason, who knew?  Either way, the captain couldn\'t imagine the unusual little female selling weapons to anyone with any great authority.  Kysis would be lucky if the woman could add the silvers she\'d accept and get an accurate answer, but she supposed there had to be a reason she would run the place whenever Kysis wasn\'t around.

She knew it wouldn\'t be appropriate to say anything in front of Ryanna - and her blonde companion was already enriching her vision of the store by leading her around and explaining what was to be seen in each spot - so she put the matter aside for the time being.  The weapons placements were all very intriguing and had her nodding at each feature he explained.  She leaned on the counter when she was led there, taking a moment to let it all sink in and her imagination to align.

Looking up at the rack that had most recently been fastened to the wall, she tilted her head, trying to figure what might go there.  A sickle was hardly likely to be hung here though... was it?  "Exotic indeed," she mused, turning to grin at him, her body rolling with this change of direction so that she now leaned comfortably back on the counter on her elbows.  "I bet you can\'t wait to see it all complete," she grinned at him, happiness on his behalf lighting her eyes.

[Kysis]

Kysis nodded happily.  The place was a lot more together than he had expected, dispite the slight fire issue.  That could easily be repaired, as a large amount of money had been set aside for the building and furnishing.  Kysis knew for a fact that most of it had yet to be invested to anything.  It was reassuring, that the place was well under way when he was receiving it.... though he also wondered about the title.

"Ryanna, if you don\'t mind me asking.... How long have you known?  About... the title?"

The lady stopped sweeping, all the ashes and soot in one pile.  She shrugged, crossing the room to the weapons chest and pulling the first piece out.  Soon she was seated cross legged on the floor, polishing the sword in preparation of getting it up on the wall.  Kysis was about to dismiss his own question when she finally piped up, "Uhh, Mister Dinaris told us last night.  Where were yew?"

Flinching, Kysis drew his attention back to the mention of exotic weaponry, "The demonstration is next week.  This place will be finished by then and open up for business... We have quite the show planned."  In all truth, Kysis had no idea how he was going to manage the display.  Originally he was going to demonstrate all the weapons, but as time went by and more practice came with the flail, the use of some pieces brought pain.  Kysis was finding it hard to swing his sword on most occations, and when he actually did, it only tore the slices across his hand back open.  It didn\'t stop him.

[Existentially Odd]

"I\'m sure you do," Lam mused, her mouth twisted as she tried to hold in a smirk.  It was almost comical, the little start Kysis had given when being questioned on his whereabouts the night before - she could see why, for that matter.  Not only was it common knowledge amongst his shrewish family that he\'d been gone all night, but now they found out that urgent news had been ready to be delivered to him, but been shared via workers instead.  So everybody knew he\'d not been in his own bed, but no-one knew details.  Fantastic.

"I can\'t wait to see you in action," she told him guilelessly, giving him an intimate and playful look that only he would catch (still fighting that smile).

[Kysis]

"Would you like to get lunch now?"

Kysis had noticed the scrutinizing glares he was receiving from Ryanna and the two workers, suddenly very uncomfortable in the shop.  Ryanna\'s word had been part curiousity, part accusation, and with his family... No wonder Arna had been snappier than usual.  It made him wonder just how much of the family and employees knew or where wondering what he was up to.  The ones who had followed from Kreos knew about the botched betrothal so...

"Or something?  We should leave them to work."

"Aye, yew sneakin\' away again?"  Ryanna lifted a sword up to the window\'s light, pleased with the shine.  She put that first sword up on the rack then returned to start sparkling up an axe, "Yew know, I\'sa be hearin\' that yew were at a tavern--"

"Ryanna, get back to work."  It was mean to snap that way, but Ryanna was really grating on his nerves.  Marcos claimed she was a walking weapons dictionary, but Kysis had yet to see it and was very untrusting of her.  The woman had her ears and nose stuck in too many places.  Hopefully she would keep herself out of too dirty of afairs; Kysis was not likely to bail her out of anything.  And for now, he just wanted to get away from the boyish lady, turning back to Lam with a begging expression, "Please?"

[Existentially Odd]

Wilson cleared her throat (to swallow the laughter) and nodded at Kysis\' request, keeping her gaze riveted determinedly on the floor she was crossing.  Busying herself with the re-buttoning of her cloak as she walked meant that it looked perfectly natural and friendly for them to leave the shop without touching but she was fighting the urge to nudge him or poke teasingly at his shoulder as she passed him.  It felt quite good to know that she wasn\'t the only one whispered about; it was something else they shared.

Suddenly, the day seemed much brighter when they exited the shop and she headed for the spit with a much renewed desire for food, thinking that it was funny how a little lightening of a mood did wonders for the appetite.