Inside, the air was a dense cocktail of coal smoke, hot metal, and ozone. A small, simmering crowd of customers had formed, their patience wearing thin in the sweltering heat.
Disgruntled Man: "Come on, girl. I'm just here to pick up some gauntlets!"
Impatient Woman: "I got here first! Still waiting on my damn blade. What's taking so long in there?!"
Deeper within the bowels of the workshop, amidst a labyrinth of humming machinery and glowing forges, a young woman with a storm of freckles across her nose fought a losing battle with a pneumatic clamping rig. Her ginger hair, pulled back into a messy bun, was already escaping its confines in damp tendrils.
Young Woman: "GODS DAMN THESE CLANKING THINGS!"
With a snarl of pure frustration, she grabbed a heavy wrench from a nearby rack and gave the rig's articulated arm a vicious smack. A bolt, sheared by the impact, shot loose with a high-pitched zing, ricocheting off a steam pipe with a sharp clang that disturbed a nearby ball of sleeping fur.
Platinum-and-Onyx Fox: "Yiip!"
The pressure in the clamps finally released.
Young Woman: "AH-HA! Finally...!"
Sword in hand, she rushed towards the front counter, sidestepping the now-stirring fox.
Platinum-and-Onyx Fox: "Grrr..."
The low growl was more of a disgruntled sigh.
Young Woman: "Sorry Lele... Didn't mean to wake you!"
The small fox gave a pointed flick of one ear before settling back down, tucking its nose beneath its bushy tail. The chaos of the front desk was, apparently, beneath its notice.
Disgruntled Man: "What a disgrace this place has become... I never had to wait this long when Clavia was in charge!"
Impatient Woman: "Some apprentice this one turned out to be... Can't run this thing even with all those machines doing her work for her."
The young woman finally skidded to a halt behind the counter, her breath coming in ragged bursts.
Young Woman: "Many apologies...! We had a bit of a malfunction back there. Here is your sword, sir."
She presented the blade not as an apology, but a statement. Its surface was polished to a mirror shine, its edge honed to a razor's sharpness. The man, broad-shouldered and clad in practical leathers, took it and gave it a thorough, critical inspection. A grudging grunt of approval escaped him.
Disgruntled Man: "Well... Good to see the quality's still what it used to be."
He slapped a hefty leather pouch on the scarred wooden countertop.
Disgruntled Man: "That should cover the blade's price, as well as clear my tab. If anything's still missing, you know where to find me."
He turned, casting a look of grim sympathy towards the remaining customers.
Disgruntled Man: "... Good luck to the rest of you."
The young smith snatched the pouch before it could be reconsidered, stowing it beneath the counter.
Young Woman: "Thank you, and come again!"
Angry Customer: "Well, I for one know I won't set foot in here again unless I get the gauntlets I ordered weeks ago...!"
The woman offered a deep, formal bow, a gesture of practiced placation.
Young Woman: "You have every right to be frustrated, good sir. We have been especially busy in the eve of the Grand Melee... Our production speed has not been able to keep up with the demand. I deeply apologize!"
Angry Customer: "Hah! Save your excuses, Rota. Have you thought of not taking so many orders, if you can't deliver in time? Learn to do your job right."
Impatient Woman: "Seriously... If your teacher could see you now, what would she say?"
Rota (Young Woman, thinking): "She'd be telling you all to form an ordered line or fuck right off..."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
She turned her back, forcing a polite smile as she headed into the workshop's depths once more.
Angry Customer: "You better not take another half hour just to grab them!"
Rota: "No sir, don't worry!"
Lele's ears twitched as Rota stormed past.
Rota (muttering): "Fucking sons of a whore all have to come in at once... If you're in such a damn hurry maybe don't drop in during rush hour right before lunch, huh you idiots...?! Gods..."
In her frustrated haste, she snatched the promised gauntlets from a shelf, knocking over a tray of intricate gears and a can full of wrenches in the process.
Rota: "Already have them, coming right back!"
She passed Lele again, pausing to crouch beside the snoozing fox.
Rota: "Since your beauty sleep is already ruined, care to give me a hand...? Made a bit of a mess back there..."
Lele's ears flicked, but the fox remained stubbornly still, pretending to be deep in slumber.
Rota: "Ugh! Be like that, then."
She resumed her march to the counter. As soon as her back was turned, Lele's eyes cracked open. With a theatrical yawn, the fox gave her a long side-eye before gracefully rising and trotting towards the spilled tools.
Rota: "And here they are! Please do give them a try, make sure they fit."
The man eagerly pulled on the steel gauntlets, flexing his fingers.
Angry Customer: "Heh... That's what I'm talking about. They fit snug, alright! Here ya go."
He dropped a half-dozen silver coins into Rota's outstretched hand.
Angry Customer: "Right, I'm outta here then. Have a nice lunch, you two!"
Rota: "You too! Please come again, and sorry for the delay once more!"
Finally, the impatient woman -- stern-faced and wearing the uniform of the city militia -- stepped forward.
Rota: "Good morning miss --"
Impatient Woman: "It's good *afternoon* already. I'm just here to grab what I dropped off a couple days ago."
Rota: "R-right... Couple days ago. Please remind me, it was...?"
Impatient Woman: "... A shield. The grip needed to be adjusted, it was coming loose. You said I could drop it off the day after. Figured I'd give ya two, instead."
Rota: "Mhm... Let me just check in the back."
The woman raised a skeptical brow as Rota spun on her heel and dashed back into the workshop.
Rota (muttering): "Fuck, fuck, fuck... I think I forgot about the damn shield...!"
She passed Lele, who was now surrounded by a faint, pewter-grey aura. The spilled wrenches and gears were lifting from the floor, suspended in the air, and drifting silently back into their containers.
Rota: "Oh, good girl...! Thank you, Lele..."
Lele (Platinum-and-Onyx Fox): "Yip."
The fox gave her another unimpressed side-eye as Rota sprinted past, her heart sinking.
Rota: "Fuck me."
There it was. The shield, abandoned on a workbench, untouched.
Rota: "I forgot, alright..."
She snatched it up and carried it to a nearby machine, her movements now a blur of practiced efficiency.
Rota: "Gotta get my shit together... Have to."
She expertly inserted the shield into a cavity, where several hydraulic arms clamped it firmly in place.
Rota: "Textbook. Textbook."
Rota grabbed a heavy, pistol-like tool from its rack and, with a few sharp bursts, undid the bolts holding the loose grip. She pried them off by hand.
Rota: "Let's see..."
She pulled open a drawer, rummaging through boxes of sophisticated-looking bolts, each featuring a novel locking mechanism. Finding the right length, she pulled two out.
Rota: "Ugh... Need to hold this in place."
She looked around for a jig that wasn't there.
Rota: "Dammit. Lele...! LELE!"
The little fox sighed, the sound almost human, and trotted over from the other room.
Lele: "...?"
Rota: "Be a sweetheart and hold the grip riiight here for me, please?"
She positioned the new grip against the shield.
Lele: "Yip yip..."
The pewter-grey aura enveloped the animal. When Rota let go, the grip hovered, held perfectly in place by an invisible force.
Rota: "Awesome."
Holding the two new bolts between her lips, she slapped the side of the tool she'd used. The barrel flipped around with a satisfying click, revealing a different nozzle.
Rota: "Almosht dhone!"
She took one of the bolts from her mouth and slotted it into the tool. With masterful aim, she pressed the nozzle against the topmost hole and squeezed the trigger. A loud ka-chunk echoed as the bolt shot through, its locking mechanism springing open on the far side with a sharp snap, clamping it securely in place.
Rota: "Last one before lunch..."
She repeated the process. Satisfied, she hit a release valve on the machine, and the clamps retracted. Grabbing the shield by its newly secured grip, she gave it a series of violent tugs, testing its strength as she hurried back to the front.
Rota: "Here it is, here it is...!"
The woman uncrossed her arms, taking the shield.
Impatient Woman: "Oh... I see the new bolts you were talking about."
She gave the grip a few experimental yanks of her own. A wide, impressed smile spread across her face.
Impatient Woman: "Man, that's one good grip. Seems your teacher didn't do such a bad job, after all..."
Rota bowed, a flush of pride warming her cheeks.
Rota: "Thank you for your kind words...! And again --"
Impatient Woman: "You apologize for the delay, yeah yeah... How much do I owe you?"
Rota: "Oh, just a couple of silvers!"
The woman paid, nodded once, and turned to leave.
Impatient Woman: "That's all from me, then. Hope to see you at the tournament!"
Rota nodded eagerly.
Rota: "Of course! Wouldn't miss it!"
At long last, the final customer was gone. Rota slumped against the front counter, every muscle in her body aching.
Rota: "Holy shit... This is getting impossible...!"
Lele padded silently to the front, hopping onto the counter before curling into a tight ball, ready for another nap.
Rota: "We're almost through this purgatory, Lele... Only a couple more days until the tournament!"
Lele let out a soft huff of air, already drifting off.
Rota: "Anyway, time to grab a bite before --"
A series of loud dings echoed through the workshop. The sign out front, connected to the grand clock behind the counter, automatically flipped. It now read 'OPEN'.
Rota: "OH, COME ON!"