He had not been this far into Sally's shop, so there were dirty sheets of canvas hung up over the windows, to keep out the light, keep out the details he didn't need to fill in. He was sitting on something hard and cold, it was too big to be an anvil, so he kept it at that.
She was stoking the fire, he watched her in the glow and wondered if she was too pretty. Hard to tell, past the black smudges, the hair tied back, out of the way. Through what little light there was, he could see the glint of rows and rows of armor, hanging from a chain netting from the ceiling. Was she married before, or was this her father's shop? Who hung all that chain, her? It didn't matter. She was looking at him now.
"It's cold here," he said, awkwardly, his voice loud in that stuffy space, "I mean, out there."
She pulled a hammer out of her leather apron and turned back to an orange molten sliver. He winced from the noise reverberating off the walls, that sharp banging made this place more real.
"What are you doing here?" she said, she yelled over her work.
"I can come here, if I want to," he said.
"You're the DM."
He considered what to say, not wanting to sound like a DM. He was holding a helm in his hands, looking through the eye holes. He wondered if she called them eye holes.
"I know I'm the DM. I'm just here for, whatever. I won't stay long," he wondered why he was apologizing to her.
She picked up the glowing steel in a pair of tongs and thrust it into a basin of water, steam exploded into the room and his nose burned, just like he'd seen in a movie once.
She pulled her gloves off and wiped her face with a dirty rag, "People don't like to see you walking around, that's all."
"No one saw me come in here," he may have been talking to himself.
She took the helm out of his hands and regarded it a moment before hanging it back up, "Is there something wrong?"
"I was just going to talk something out with you, I thought maybe you could help," he looked out a small opening in the canvas as someone walked by outside.
"Did they find out what was going on? With the animals?" She stood above him with her arms crossed, he felt uncomfortable having to look up at her from whatever he was sitting on.
"I think so, well. Rolan and Fema'lei did," he shifted to stand but didn't want to be that near her.
"Loom wasn't with them?" Her face was clearer now. Maybe she wasn't that pretty, he thought.
Finally he did stand up and walked over to the window, looking out into the market place, "I just hope I'm not spinning too many threads again, I've been trying to wrap a few loose ends up."
She didn't reply, or he didn't wait for her to.
"I think I am, I mean, they know what happened to Tohm Deeza, and Bame. They know what Benzel To'Baj is up to, they know there's a bit of a power play going on here...,"
"Does Ackle still...,"
"Ackle still hates Connor Dorian. Ackle wants to kill'im," he turned away from the window, wondering if he had been speaking loudly.
She was pulling her gloves back on, and he could see the scarring on her hands, "Where are they going now?"
"I think they're going back to Devils' Bay."
"I have an aunt there. Do you think they know that?"
He smiled, "They might. I was even thinking about, like, you wanting them to take something to her like medicine or something, I don't know."
She laughed, at last, "More threads to weave?"
"That's why I didn't do it."
"Is he down there?" the laughter was gone from her face.
"Yes."
"Do they know about Void? What happened with him?"
He rubbed his face absently, "I don't know if they remember Void."
She turned back to the fire, "They remember Void."
"Why do you say that? They've never even come across him."
She looked at him over her shoulder, "You've never seen Bastian."
"What? What's that supposed to mean? Are more people saying he's already dead? That he's been dead?"
"No, it's just that this city is full of him. You can feel Bastian in Largo Largo. That's how I know they remember Void, you can feel him some places."
"Right, well. We'll see," he said, picking something up, "where did you get this?"
"Largo's ran by a theives' guild. Most things aren't hard to come by."
He sat it back down and watched the blue fire dim again, "I have to go."
She turned to watch him leave, "Where are you going?"
He didn't want to hear her, he shouldn't have to answer any of her questions.
"You're going to see Sunshine, aren't you?"
He pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head.
"You got him wrong, you know. His size isn't right," she smiled again.
"You think I don't know that?"
"But do they know? Who would know?"
He sighed, "Rolan, probably. Maybe Merghast. Merghast."
"It's not a big deal," she demurred.
He paused with his hand on the curtain that led to the front, "Do you need anything?"
She laughed and told him Spring would be nice, Nefyet.
"What's that mean?"
"You tell me."
When he turned and looked back, she was at the door. "Does Loom think I'm pretty?"
He smiled and thought, I'm sure he does.
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