Exhibition

[Kysis]

Preparations were a terrible thing, trying, tiring, unending.  The manor felt empty, yet there was always something going on, some dire scrambling to get everything in place.  Kysis felt as though he was failing miserably, though the sales had hiked as of late, and there were custom requests coming in.  The process for such orders was painstakingly slow, the request sent out to Kreos, then a responce coming back with basic drawings.  The customer then sent back which they liked best, what modifications they would like made, etc.  There was even dabbling in the hue of metals going on, making colorful display pieces that would look interesting on a wall or distracting in battle.  The forge refused to make anything that could not withstand combat.

The guards were all bustling about in anticipation, excited to be included in this demonstration.  Originally only one of the three Liari guards was going to be used, but now each of them had something to do.  Kysis had made sure of it.  Now he was only handling one exhibition personally, the one that only he could manage.  It was hard, continuing to practice with the wayward flail, keeping communications flowing between the business in Oberon and Kreos, managing all the orders and customer relations.  Kysis felt overloaded.  Yes, someone had been hired for the store, a chipper young lass with a heart of gold.  Yes, Alia was handling all the finances, reporting back to him once a week.  It helped substantially, yet there was still so much to do.

The arced blade flashed out, flying straight forward, wobbling in the air.  An armored arm shot up, hitting the chain, causing the blade on the end of it to swing suddenly to the left.  Kysis turned with the motion, yanking the main handle in the process. The blade flew past him, a bit too close to comfort, but hit the next target in the circle.  He jerked the handle back again, and when the blade neared him, his left arm moved out again, swinging the chain and blade right.  It was hard.  Kysis had every target plotted out, exactly how he was going to hit them all, how fast it needed to be done.  It did not feel right, though.  Yes, he was going at half-speed, standing stationary for the most part but...

Kysis sighed, pulling so the blade came back towards him, left hand going for the catch.  Though his mind told him to close his hand, Kysis waited a second, barely missing the blade, hand going around the hilt that protruded from its inner arch.  The thing was shaped much like a crescent, making it really hard to catch.  It inspired a bit more awe with it too, but Kysis had nearly lost his hand enough times to make such a manouver dangerous, perhaps not worth the risk...  Kysis shook his head, coiling the long chain and placing the whole flail on his desk, which was a new introduction to his otherwise bleek room.

In two hour\'s time, he would have to be in the markets.  That was when the demonstration would be.  There would be members of the city guard there to make sure no one tried stealing anything.  The Liari personal guard would be there too, more to help with the show than protection.  Kysis was getting nervous.  He could hear the guards going out of the manor now, departing for the markets to get the area ready.  They were making a lot of clamour carrying all the equipment out.

Straps were retightened on his armor, the little bits which he had.  Pauldrons, greaves, fingerless gauntlets, they were all secured as best as they could be.  Finally the helm was lifted from is stand, tucked under his arm.  As he walked he tied his hair back at the nape of his neck, keeping it neat and out of the way.  The last touch was his signet ring, on a chain which was dropped around his neck.  Though he did not feel ready, he was, nothing else able to be done.

+ + + + +

It was time, and everything went off without a hitch.  There were a few long swords shown, the steel bright, sharp and fast.  There was a decorative mace which was taken to a rather thick suit of armor, the large guard giggling like a little school girl as he played around with both.  Kysis watched the entire time from the background, arms crossed before his chest, eyes focused more on the crowd than what the guards were up to.  They had rehersed this enough to be trusted with it.

It was not long before all the pieces were gone through, guards stepping off to the side.  Kysis was originally going to give a speech explaning the next piece and thanking everyone for coming, but seeing a few people turning to leave, he strode from the shadows.  That got attention immediately.  Kysis was only partially armored, helm now over his face.  The chain was coiled in his right hand along with the handle on that chain\'s end, the blade side with its hilt in the left.  Some people were eyeing it with confusion.  It was like a flail, but the chain was a lot longer.  It was like a pendulum, but much smaller and not for execution.  Kysis felt the exhibition would be a lot more explanitory than anything he could say.

Kysis launched in to action immediately, the arced blade spinning out in to the air around him.  The chain was yanked back by a gloved hand, blade whizzing back behind him, nailing the first target hard.  With a jump and a spin, Kysis kicked the blade out of the wooden block, tugging the handle to send it flying in a wide arc, slicing through two more. Suddenly, he went to one knee, arm up to catch the chain and change that motion again, blade flying in a straight line to strike the third.  His arm wrapped about the chain, tugging, spinning again as the blade grew in distance from him to cleave a wide arc in all five.  And then came the part Kysis was worried about.

He pulled once again, blade flying straight for him.  That gloved left hand closed, catching the end of the blade but landing firm on the hilt none-the-less.  Kysis flinched, that momentary twist in his face hidden tactfully with the helm.  Breaths were coming hard.  All of that had happened in a minute, and he was burning up because of it.  Slowly, shaking a little, Kysis came to stand, recoiling the chain as he bowed.  Hopefully no one noticed that his hand was dripping blood at an alarming rate.

[Existentially Odd]

Applause erupted from the gathered crowd and, through the cheering, Lam watched Lieutenant Frederickson step forward, to Kysis\' side.  He clapped as he walked, an enormous blonde bear of a man wearing his dress uniform  and grinning from ear to ear, towering over the smaller, armour-clad one at the centre of the spectating circle.  Freddy clapped an arm on the warrior\'s shoulder and waited for the wave of adulation to die down before he addressed the crowd, introducing in hearty tones the man behind the helmet - and the fabulous weapons seen today - Lord Liari himself.  He gave a brief rundown of the stranger\'s origins (as supplied by Kysis, for he was following a script the two had concocted together) and the foundations of the business.

Lam hooked her thumbs into her belt and took the chance to observe the crowd, looking in one particular spot but... he\'d gone.  Lord Dagger had been at the demonstration, almost completely opposite where she stood with her legion of guards (Freddy at her side), catching her eye immediately.  They\'d exchanged another polite smile and nod of acknowledgment and her gaze had strayed to him once or twice throughout the demonstration, only to find he was watching critically.  She\'d sighed and continued to watch, too, wondering where Kysis could be.

It had been a bit more than a week since they\'d last had contact with each other and she wasn\'t surprised at how eager she was to see him here today.  She\'d missed him.  They\'d parted late into a second night together and things had been... well, arousing and complicated for a start.  They\'d found some interesting trinkets at the market in the end - crystal clusters that caught the light and threw it onto the wall in a rainbow.  She had hers sitting on her bedside table, even though it didn\'t catch the light there.  When she woke up looking at it, she thought of him, though - and headed back to her place in the late afternoon.

By that stage, Matthew had been home and they\'d chatted while he prepared dinner for all three of them, then it had been a natural progression onto eating and more chatting (she\'d been impressed with how easily he\'d adjusted to conversing with both a man he barely knew and had no airs about the fact that she spent so much companionable time with her servant, treating him as an equal), before she and Kysis had retired to her weapons room.

She\'d talked in greater detail about each piece, fascinated by his perspective and knowledge on matters, until they\'d overloaded their brains with facts and postulations, discussed manoeuvres - and even demonstrated a few - \'til they\'d blurred into one large routine.  And Lam had stood on Kysis\' foot, of course.  She\'d assisted him back into her room and then they\'d lain on her bed while he recovered, just hugging and discussing more serious things such as his business and what his first few steps were likely to be.

It had all become too heavy in the end and he\'d looked at her with that particularly poignant look he\'d mastered - an I am strong and in control of my destiny... but would you mind terribly telling me what day it is? look that spoke volumes about how lost he was - and she couldn\'t stand it any longer.  She\'d tickled him, finding out quickly that he couldn\'t maintain a statue-like pose in the face of a neck onslaught, and laughed uproariously as he\'d eventually responded in kind.  They wrestled around on the bed until she\'d been pinned and her only option had become dirty tricks.  So she\'d kissed him.  What had begun as playful had quickly turned heated, though, and gone on for... well, long enough that she ached desperately for consummation by the time he somehow managed to drag himself away.

It had been after midnight, they\'d both had work the next day (... for the next week, as it had turned out), she didn\'t want to ruin the friendship... whatever it was they\'d said had eventually seen them parted with another fiery kiss at her door, and then nothing while he threw himself into preparing for this exhibition and she got on with her job.

Seeing him step out into the circle with his unusual weapon had caused her heart to skip a beat and an impetuous smile to dominate her lips the entire time she admired the fluid way he moved.  Now that he was done, she noticed the blood and whispered for her nearest guard to quickly go and obtain a towel (she couldn\'t be seen walking away from the demonstration yet, after all - it would give mixed messages about the guards\' support), while she listened to Freddy introduce Kysis, who had an important announcement.  All eyes turned towards him, all comments suspended eagerly, as no-one wished to miss a word.

[Kysis]

Kysis remembered to remove his helm before speaking, platinum hair having come loose in one spin or another.  It now fell in a chaotic halo about him, sweat beading his brow, giving a glisten to his tanned face.  He was still breathing a bit more heavily than usual, but forced a smile, trying to get his voice to co-operate, "I wish thank you all for giving me such a warm welcome to Oberon.  Today, I wish to return the favor the only way the Liari Family knows how.  Our weapons shop is now open for business and viewing.  Please, take a moment to look."

Public speaking was not his thing.  Nor was presenting himself as a charming young lord, which he seemed to be pulling off.  Kysis breathed a sigh of relief as people started chattering, moving towards the door of the place.  Ryanna was cleaned up and ready to greet them all, speaking in the tones of a lady.  It was hard to believe she was the same girl of the other day, but she could be propper when needed, could read, write, do math.  Oh, and she really was a walking weapons dictionary, as Marcos had suggested.

One of the Liari guards approached Kysis, taking the flail and wiping the blood from it as he hurried to hang it upon its stand.  Kysis was excited.  It seemed things were going right and good, though...  He flinched as he flexed his hand.  Every time he moved his fingers, he could see his muscles moving within the deep canyon of a cut.  This one was worse than before... but Kysis tucked his hands behind his back, holding them out a little so none of the blood would drip on himself.  The young lord was sure he\'d be approached for people, and hoped like hell he remembered to extend his right hand to shake, not the left.

Finally, his breathing was somewhere close to normal, though he was antsy.  Five people had already tried making small-talk with him, and it was irritating.  Kysis hated the mindless palaver he was hearing from them, noble and commoner alike.  He sorely missed that last day spent with Lam and...  He spotted her quickly in the crowd, smile a bit more genuine when he did.  Good, she had made it.  Kysis was relieved.

[Existentially Odd]

She was by his side as soon as she could get there, smiling indugently as she moved through the circles of people wandering off or attempting to touch a bit of fame by talking to him, because he wasn\'t handling the attention at all well.  She even caught raised eyebrows as one woman turned away, like she was surprised and unsure of what to think about Kysis\' response - whatever it had been.

She pressed the towel her gaurd had got for her into his hand, and leaned over to speak in his ear, her left hand resting lightly and almost possessively on the leather of his armour of his chest as she did.  "You really shouldn\'t bleed so profusely in public; it will give everyone the notion that your weapons are dangerous," she whispered, before pulling back to grin at him.

She wore her dress uniform as well, her hair drawn back into its usual bun, but her eyes were dancing in a very unprofessional manner as she looked at him.  "Congratulations, Lord Liari," she told him more formally (and with greater volume, so that those who gave her interested looks when she moved close to him would be able to hear the non-intimate tone of her voice now... she hoped), inclining her head slightly, "on an excellent demonstration and a very promising career begun, here in our illustrious city.  Should we... see how the shop is faring?" she mused, tilting her head and watching him carefully.

Even now, she could feel the pressure of merchants and nobles wishing to have their turn at speaking with him, and she knew she should bow to that; but she couldn\'t help wanting to stay near him after so long.  Couldn\'t help wishing they weren\'t in a crowd, either.

[Kysis]

Kysis took the towel thankfully, loosening the gauntlet he wore so the glove could be removed.  Wow did his hand look horrid, right now.  The sight of it brought this all to a bitter sweet level, Kysis loath to stop his swords practice but knowing he would have to soon.  More blood gushed forth until he pressured the towel to it, covering that flow.  Lam had just offered a great excuse to get away from the swarming people and googly eyed women, though, which was a welcome relief.  Perhaps his guards would get lucky?

"Captain Wilson, fancy seeing you here.  How could I refuse?"

A charming smile was plastered to his lips, a playful glint to his eyes.  The pain could be ignored.  It was no where near what his chest wound had been, so there was no issue with dealing.  Kysis could even try to be ingaging and keep up this \'distanced and formal\' approach Lam had taken for the public.  It actually sounded like a fun game and a way of mental torment.  A nice change from the past week, never-the-less.

"Please, follow me."

Kysis managed a half bow as he turned, long and airy strides carrying him with a noble confidence.  This was what he had been groomed for since birth.  Marcos was counting on him, the entire family was.  Most of all, Kysis wanted to make his predicesor, Ryos proud.  So, with a deep breath and a nod to Ryanna in passing, Kysis lead the way in.

The shop had gone through a grand metamorphasis.

The floors were dark and rich in color, with a glossiness to them that just was not natural.  Latterns straight from Kreos, bronze and intricate in their details hung from various parts in the wall, giving a lovely glow to the entire place.  Gorgious metal stands had replaced the wooden ones of before, a last minute addition.  They looked more like artistic statues than things to hold weapons.  And the weapons... Each one was resting on a bit of cloth to highlight it against the metallic stands, deep reds and blues in velvet.  The Liari guards were standing at attention, watching everyone hawkishly.

Kysis was pleasantly surprised when he first saw the finished project the night before.  He was damn proud of it too.  This had his stamp on it, all the way to the tapestry hanging behind the counter, dipicting a battle scene at a tournament, the perfect backdrop for such a place.

"Hopefully it is to your taste?"

[Existentially Odd]

She\'d frowned down at the fresh blood and visible hand internals as he inspected it, knowing that it was quite badly damaged.  Worry continued to knot her brow as she followed him, catching a few envious looks from women she\'d hardly expected to be here today.  Pretty young noble daughters, eligible and popular, at a weapons demonstration?  With a start, she realised she was getting looks because Kysis had spoken to her.  The worried look melted into one of bemusement as she watched him walk from behind.

The ladies always loved a warrior.

The shop caused her to gasp.  There was a crowd in here now, but not so many that she couldn\'t see the stark improvement in the store.  "It\'s lovely!" she grinned at him, touching his arm reflexively as she looked around yet again.  She was surprised to see the flail up on the wall.  "You\'re selling that?" she asked, turning her gaze to meet blue eyes.

[Kysis]

Kysis let out a relieved sigh at her pleasure over the place.  It was like a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders, and he stood a little straighter.  However, he had to keep up this little game, seeing as most of the eyes in the room had turned upon their entrance.  A few went back to the weapons, the displays, the one exotic in the store.  Kysis wished suddenly there weren\'t so many people watching him like carrion birds circling a carcass.

"I highly doubt it would sell, unless a collector waltzes in and is willing to pay the high asking price.  It really is a display piece... with quite the edge on its blade, too."  That edge was quite aparent from the display.  No doubt people were looking at the wooden targets and noting just how large of chunks had been taken cleanly off them.  It was a very dangerous display piece.  Kysis could not help but take another peek at his hand at the mention of the flail, knowing he would either have to wrap it up or sew it up soon, "It is one of a kind, after all."

He heard a noise and glanced over his shoulder, seeing how a few people were staring.  The first thought that came to mind was the question of his hair, and Kysis suddenly wanted his helm back.  Next was what Lam had said about him being... what was the terrible word again?  Oh yes, beautiful.  Kysis almost wanted to flash his literally open hand to scare them off, but knew it would be bad for business, so resisted.  An eyebrow was cocked, though.  Hopefully this was not a herald coming to explain Kysis\' newly found reputation?

Being young and single had its downfalls, that was for sure.  But such a subject would put a grimace on his face, so Kysis put it aside, keeping his dashing show up for Lam and Lam alone, "Captain, might any of my merchandise come in handy for your guards?  Or perhaps a... personal collection?"  Kysis knew he was being horrible with the emphasis on the words, not that anyone but Lam would catch it or know the inuendo hidden there.  Of course, to any onlookers, he was just trying to do his job, get the head of an organization that needed weaponry to take interest in what was offered.

Work and play could be mixed on occation, right?

[Existentially Odd]

Her smile was only barely held in check as her eyebrows rose, the twinkle of affection still in her eyes.  "Oh, I imagine so," she told him cheekily, "but tell me; how equipped are you to take bulk orders?"  She tilted her head playfully, attempting to look like she was interested in his answer, from a purely professional perspective.

From the corner of her eye, she caught stillness where everywhere there was movement, and she glanced beyond Kysis to find Freddy staring at the two of them, taking in her body language.  He knew.  Suddenly, she felt like the worst of criminals, a blush creeping to her cheeks as she straightened her head immediately and looked down at the beautifully hued floor, swearing beneath her breath.

It didn\'t matter to her that her closest friend knew she had more than a passing interest in Kysis; it mattered because of the expression on his face, the hurt and confusion in his eyes.  Worse though... the worst of it was the resignation and the understanding she\'d seen there.  He\'d been in love with her almost as long as she\'d been in love with Dagger, they\'d both known it and had had a mutual understanding in their unrequited relationships.  There was still the matter of the unanswered marriage proposal between them and with her breakup, he\'d begun letting himself hope...

Lam hadn\'t said anything to dissuade this thinking (nor had she said yes, mind you), for the proposal was years old, delivered another time she and Dagger had \'broken up\'.  It didn\'t help that she and Freddy were ocassional lovers, and that she went to him for comfort, when it was lacking elsewhere in her life (such as a couple of months back, when the final severing of her heart had taken place).

Freddy knew about Kysis now and he was seeing that he still would have no chance.  Not knowing quite what to do, Lam scratched vaguely at her temple, then glanced up, over Kysis\' shoulder, relieved to see that her Lieutenant was gone, but saddened, too.  Love never worked out in anyone\'s favour as far as she could tell.

"Will you have some more spare time now, do you think?" she asked quietly, looking back at Kysis now, her smile resurrecting slowly.  She\'d been saving her days off, hoping to take one when he had some time.

[Kysis]

"Bulk orders?  Our forges are quick, but it takes time to deliver messages to Kreos, then the merchandice back.  Completely possible though."

Trying to keep a business face on was hard, especially with them poking at each other back and forth.  How many people were paying really close attention?  Kysis noticed that quick change, wanting to ask what, but when he glanced back, he saw no one.  Perhaps just someone she recognized, Kysis trying not to be too paranoid.  They were only friends after all.... friends that ended up in the bedroom some, but friends none the less.

Someone asked about the weapon on the wall, Kysis forced to turn and explain a little about it.  Steel blade with bronze detailing, it was inspired by Egyptian columns, the lotus ones.  Yes, it really was sharp.  No, they could not see his hand.  This went on for a little longer than Kysis would have liked, but he tried answering all the inquiries without getting angry or flustered.  People were hard to handle.  Kysis hated it, but knew he had to.

Finally the person departed, to admire the flail again.  Kysis was wanting to get far far away from the store, where the display had taken place, from the public eye.  Did people not know it was rude to stare?  Luckily, Ryanna hopped in and saved Kysis from a few more question-ladden people, leaving the opportunity to finally answer Lam\'s more personal question, "My schedual is entirely flexable, as long as the work gets done some time.  Now that I have this mostly figured out, I should get some time free."

It was true.  Kysis got to set his own hours on his own terms.  He was the head of the business, so if the paperwork got done in a timely fashion, he was in good shape.  Alia handling the finances aided emensely in this.  She kept her own schedual and her own guard (who was a eunich), doing as she willed, not that she did much.  The young lord was just glad to see that sales might have another hike.  The flail, as much as he was attached to it, might even sell.  Kysis did not mind, especially since it could cover the wages of all the Oberon staff for a month, if not longer depending on what the exotic was set at.

No matter, Kysis had a far more... friendly subject matter to be broaching, "And you, Captain?"

[Existentially Odd]

When he was done with his adoring fans she looked back, having found herself a bit useless while he explained again what she\'d heard many times before.  She had to be patient, though; she\'d wanted to know these things herself.  She began to feel a bit agitated, knowing there was work she should be doing, not wanting to leave him with that open wound.

"I\'m due for a day off.  I was thinking I might go for a ride; it\'s been a while since my horse got to stretch his legs.  Think you would like to accompany me?  We could make an early start - tomorrow, perhaps? - and spend the day with me showing you the outlying area and discussing your... manufacturing abilities."

The sooner the better, her eyes said, and maybe we can start out from the same location.  Say... my place?

"Perhaps you\'d like to come to the Guardhouse and have our physician look at that hand this afternoon?" she offered politely - as she would to anyone - thinking he probably had his own plans for the wound regardless.

[Kysis]

"It sounds charming."  Going out on a horseback ride?  Kysis liked the idea.  It had been a while since his own steed had gotten to run about, since he moved to Oberon, actually.  He missed the horse in all reality, but had been too busy to go visit.  This would be the perfect chance, one he had been searching for in all reality, "Sounds great, actually."

It seemed she had gotten him at his own game, though, with that bit about manufacturing.  A slight blush touched his cheeks though Kysis tried willing it away.  Things were not that easy.  The look Lam was giving him hardly helped matters, Kysis taking a quick look about to be sure none saw his sudden flash of crimson.  Apparently most had given up by now, Kysis not feeling quite so bad for ignoring them... Alright, he probably should not have been ignoring them, not on opening day, but the young lord needed a break lest his head explode.  He could really feel it coming to that, too.

"Ah... oh.  This?"  There was a large red spot on the towel he still pressured to his hand.  Though Kysis had planned on just stitching it up the first moment he got away from these people, Lam\'s seemed the better and safer of the ideas, and the one less likely to end with Kysis loosing his hand all together.  It was bloody painful (no pun intended), and Kysis wanted to use a sword again some day, "I guess I probably should... not that I know the procedure of seeing such a person.  How would I go about that?"

Kysis remembered the medical staff in Kreos.  They were very snobbish and refused to see anyone without an appointment.  The doctor that sewed Kysis\' chest back together would not see the young man until a large amount of coin had been shoved his way, and even then he had been reluctant and bicker about it.  The scar might not have been so large had the doctor not protested so much, just helped out like he was supposed to.  Kreos was a world away from Oberon, though, despite some of the similarities.  Perhaps the guard\'s physician was nicer?

[Existentially Odd]

She grinned broadly.  "If you\'ve no other committments, you could accompany me back to my office now and I\'ll arrange it.  All you have to do is agree."  She dropped him a wink, plainly because it wouldn\'t matter who saw her joking about these things - in fact, there was an air of her indulging the ignorance of a foreigner in her tone as she leaned slightly towards him, thumbs still hooked arrogantly through her belt, and said: "Procedure is somewhat of a non-event when you\'re with the Captain of the Guard."

She relaxed her posture then, waiting for him to figure out if he had any procedures to follow through on, or whether they could leave.

[Kysis]

Kysis could take a hint when one was given, the young lord signalling for Lam to wait a moment as he hurried over to where Ryanna was.  She said she could handle the store just fine, should not worry, so Kysis rushed back to Lam, perhaps a bit more quickly than he should have.  Either way, this was a great excuse to get away from the crowd, which he was just dying for.  He\'d have to thank her once they were away from prying ears.

"Ryanna can manage.  Thank you, for extending the offer.  If you could... lead the way?"

The way to the Guard House was one of the things Kysis had learned early on.  When first moving to Oberon, it was a place of interest, the way to it memorized from various parts of town.  Kysis hardly needed Lam to lead.  The others in ear-shot, however, had no business knowing that.  In fact, he would like to keep all of his personal affairs as private as possible, if it even was.  There were some people who would be privy to more intimate details, but.... those were few and far between at very best.

Kysis knew he should have asked about treatment for his hand immediately after the exhibition was over, but his stubborn self had held it off.  Hopefully he did not suffer too dearly for such a choice.  His sword-hand was very important to him.