With Kelwindre

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka and Kelwindre turned the corner into the market and stopped for a moment. "So, what do you want to get first?" Kaldaka asked Kelwindre. "Plenty of places to go."

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

Kelwindre looked around the marketplace with excited eyes, taking in everything. There were obviously some shops that were too expensive, but all she wanted was something a little nice to wear, to try and blend in a little more.

"How about some clothes," she said quietly, seeing quite a few places that would work. "I'm getting tired of these clothes." She then saw a shop that looked like it had some nice clothing in it, and excitement took over before she could control herself. "Over there," she said with a smile, pointing to the shop.

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka's face broke into a genuine grin for the first time in a long time as she headed over behind Kelwindre, shaking her head. Very excitable time she was having, more than in a long time. As she walked into the shop, the owner looked up with a measure of alarm in his eye and then relaxed when he saw that she was just being a guide for another person. "Let's see..." Kaldaka mused, going through the racks of clothes. "What sort of clothes would you like, Kel? If you don't mind me calling you that. You can call me Tash'ma."

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

Kelwindre looked about the shop excitedly, nodding at the traveller, Tash'ma, to show she was okay with the re-arrangement of names. This was still exciting to her somehow; even if she couldn't afford a lot of the things there, it was all nice, especially by the standards of her old village, and it was pleasing to even see it.

"Something nice," she answered quietly, finally gaining control of her excitedness, "light, both weight and color," she said, adding the latter part on the thought that the people of the city, especially the aristocracy, would probably be more prone to talk to her if she looked more formal and, in the words of some of the villagers of her home, "as light as the clouds, and as white as an angel's wings." It was a very popular style where Kelwindre was from, specifically because of the rarity of such fabrics in the village.

Something suddenly caught her eye, and she quickly moved across the small store, stopping in front of it, a nice outfit, but to the point, it was exactly as Kelwindre had described: the cloth was almost magically light, and the color was a bright, pinkish-white.

"Perfect," she said with a smile, wheeling around to see if Tash'ma was behind her. "What do you think?" Kelwindre asked, smiling her playfully happy smile, and cocking her head ever so slightly, letting her red hair run in front of her eyes slightly. For some reason, the sight of the market district had rendered Kelwindre from the mature adventuring sixteen-year-old into a kid again, or worse yet, a kid given free reign too look about and a small bag of gold to barter with.

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka watched Kelwindre shop with a smile on her face. Suddenly, Kaldaka realized that she was having fun! She never had fun shopping. She blinked and then realized that Kelwindre was talking to her. "Yes, it looks good on you," she said, appraising the garment that Kelwindre had chosen. "It does your figure very well, Kel. Even with the pinkish tint." Kaldaka cocked her head as well to see the garment from a different angle. "Yes, it still looks good." She smiled and took the garment, checking the price-tag as she did so. "Unless you're going to keep looking, let's get it!"

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

Kelwindre smiled and nodded, quickly taking the clothes she had grabbed to the shop's owner, who began to write down the information that was on the clothes' tag, presumably, Kelwindre guessed, to keep track of supplies.

"Very good choice," the merchant said as he wrote, holding up the shirt and taking a moment to look at it and Kelwindre side-by-side, before laying it down gently on the countertop. "You'll look great in it."

"Thank you," Kelwindre said meekly, trying to not seem embarassed at the merchant's compliment.

"These are always the most fun to weave and sew together," the man spoke as he continue writing, "silky materials, they're harder to handle, so more fun when you've spent so long doing this."

"You're a weaver, I take it?" Kelwindre asked politely.

"Twenty-five years, never got out of this small shop though." The merchant finally stopped writing and put his quill to the side and the paper under the counter. "I've even gone so much as to enchant my clothing, although don't tell anyone that."

"Enchant?" Kelwindre asked.

"Yeah, this one here is..." he paused and checked the tag on the shirt, "ah yes, this shirt has been enchanted with a couple things." He looked up and smiled. "I used a special thread, it's not all silk, so it doesn't tear quite as easily. To make up for it, though, I used an enchantment that makes the cloth lighter and flowier, if that makes sense." Kelwindre nodded. "I also added an enchantment for adventurers and warriors, and I take it you fit into those categories somewhere." The man smiled and pointed to Kelwindre's forearm. On her arm was a fainter scar, but one that had been clearly caused by a bladed weapon of some sort, it was too clean to be anything of an accident. "Still, if that's your only scar, little girl, you've done well so far."

"It's," Kelwindre started, running her finger across her scar before turning back up to the merchant. "It's from my childhood, I was really young, and accidentially cut myself playing with my father's sword." That excuse was a blatant lie, but the merchant seemed to accept it.

"In any case, the enchantment I was gonna say was for adventurers and warriors was one of durability: I'd say this shirt probably provides as much protection as some of your thick cloth doublets that some of your mages and assassins and such wear." The merchant smirked. "Of course, this is incredibly lighter and, especially paired with you, much more beautiful." Kelwindre couldn't help but blush. "There's also an enchantment that'll help keep it clean, but it's not fool-proof, so don't expect to never have to clean it."

"I wouldn't think of it," Kelwindre said with a smile. "So, how much do I owe you?"

The man paused for a second. Then his eyes went suddenly softer, and he smiled slightly. "You're from out of town, aren't you?" he asked, although not rudely.

"Yes," Kelwindre nodded. "Clothes?" she asked quietly.

"Well, sort of, that was one thing. You have a little bit of an accent too, but it's quite nice. Also your hair." He smirked. "Nothing like that of the city-goers here. Also, your eyes don't seem...well, they're not typical." Kelwindre nodded slightly, although it wasn't that much of a shot in the dark, anyone could have guessed she was from out of town. "What's your name, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Kelwindre," she answered.

"Do you have a family name?"

Kelwindre paused for a second before nodding shyly. "Shadowheart," she said. "Kelwindre Shadowheart."

"You aren't from around here, in fact, I bet you're from a village to the north, and I'd say probably pretty far north, in or near the mountains by any chance?" Kelwindre once again nodded, saying the village was in the mountains a little ways. "Thought so, and from your family name, and considering the conventions of naming in small villages, your parents were..." he looked at Kelwindre for a second, peering into her green eyes as if they held every answer. But, to his observant eyes, they held the one he was looking for. Despite whatever lack of magical talent that Kelwindre had, there was said to be some magic running in her blood, and it made her eyes, her friends and family had told her so long ago, it made her eyes more brilliantly green than naturally possible.

"Magic, illusionary or...dark."

"Both," Kelwindre said quietly. "How...did you know?"

"Your eyes." The merchant said. "I was...a spy long before a weaver, so I learned to pick up on the inane details everyone misses." He smiled. "Anyway...how does 20 gold sound?"

Kelwindre smiled. Even if she wasn't some sort of spy, she could tell the merchant wasn't charging her what he'd charge a usual, as he said, 'city-goer'. "If that's fine with you," Kelwindre said, grabbing her bag and digging out the coins. Once she had, the merchant grabbed the coins and put them into a bag of his own, nodding.

"Take care of yourself, Kelwindre," the merchant said nicely.

"Will do," Kelwindre replied as she headed towards Tash'ma. "Now for a blade," Kelwindre said to Tash'ma. "You probably know who the better smiths are in this city," she added, knowing that quality was the most important part of the weapon. Still, she couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of having her own weapon, and as she looked down at the new clothes she was holding, she realised she should probably get a "prettier" sword as well. If nothing else, she figured, it'd make it easier to charm people than if she were in rags with a beaten old dagger.

(ooc- That post was longer than I meant it to be, sorry for making you read that >.>)

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

OOC: No apology needed, I love reading your long posts.
Kaldaka listened to the talking between Kelwindre and the merchant. As she turned, she smiled at him. His face turned hard and suspicious as he looked at her and then the back of Kelwindre. "She'll be fine," Kaldaka said, then flipped out and vanished after Kelwindre. "So, a sword next," she mused. "Come on. Let's go this way." As she slipped into a dark alley, she explained, "It's a shortcut. Don't worry, no thief will harm you while I'm here. Despite the fact that I'm not yet an assassin, they're beginning to gain respect for me."

Slowing down, shse continued, "So, what type of sword would you like? Just a sec. Let me demonstrate to you a few of the weapons I carry as an assassin." Pulling out a curved, jeweled daggered, she said, "This, of course, is my dagger. Normally the weapon I actually use when assassinating. Occasionally, though, I use my throwing knives." Replacing her dagger, she pulled out two knives, straight and sharp, with weighted handles. "Those were the hardest to train for," she said confidentially as she replaced them. "I'll be glad to teach you- no matter what branch of fighting you take up."

Finally, she stood up and drew her rapier. "I prefer this to a heavy sword," she explained, "Because one, I'm too short and light to use a heavy sword, two, it's lighter and therefore allows me to move faster, and three, well, I just love it." Sheathing it, she concluded, "I also carry poisoned arrows, etc. Of course, you won't get all this stuff at the beginning. I would suggest starting out with a sword and dagger." She shrugged. "From there on, you can pick which ones you need most." Starting to walk again, she called out, "So, have you decided what type of sword and dagger?" just as they broke back into the marketplace and came up beside a smithy.

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

(ooc- long post warning >.> Kelwindre's examining weapons, and I'm a sucker for adjectives)

Kelwindre listened intently, taking in all the information she could, and studying the glimpses she got of the weapons shown to her. Finally, they stood in front of the smithy, and although she knew she desperately wanted a weapon, she was lost as to which kind, much like a child in a candy store.

"I just dunno," she said quietly. "Well, I need a short sword or something like that, just to make sure I have a weapon on my side." That thought seemed smart to Kelwindre; even if she went with any other main weapon, be it a bow, a spear, or even just a little larger of a sword, it couldn't hurt to have a small sword on her belt for those situations where her main weapon wouldn't work. Besides, it'd be akward-looking at formal events to walk in with a spear attached to one's back.

Kelwindre took a step under the awning of the shop, looking at the examples of work being shown to the public on the market street. Beautifully polished and engraved swords, shimmering in the sunlight, were the first to catch Kelwindre's eye. She smiled and looked at them, seeing herself in the reflection of some of the blades. Finally, she came upon a small curved blade, elegantly engraved along both the blade and the hilt. The blade also had a small ivy design running along the top of the blade, from tip to hilt, and that was encrusted in gold, which glimmered differently than the silver and looked altogether beautiful. The metal scabbord next to the sword also shone in a brilliant silver luster, and had the same gold ivy design as the blade of the weapon next to it. The sword was excellent, and it reminded her of home, as the hunters of the village routinely carried the same style of sword; albeit not as elegantly embellished. But, above the taste of home that it provided, the fact that it was a commonly used style back home also meant that was the first sword style she had trained on, and was most skilled with.

"Right there," Kelwindre said in a near-trance. "It's beautiful." But as her eyes examined the wall more, they also spotted two other weapons that always made her smile. One was a sturdy-looking spear, with some interesting modifications to the spearhead that would allow it to be swung about and carve just as well as stab. The other was a rank-and-file longbow with a quiver next to it. Neither of the weapons, however, had the intricate decoration of the saber, but Kelwindre had a feeling these were battle weapons, not show weapons.

"Looking for a sword, madame?" a man said as he exited the equally small blacksmithing shop. The man was young, maybe twenty-five or so, with a stubbly beard and dark black hair.

"Something like that," Kelwindre answered.

"The saber there is for formal outings," the man said, "a beauty for any kind of gala, especially when attached to the hip of a beautiful girl."

Kelwindre smiled, not only was that the second compliment she had recieved recently, it was also flattering; the way the man said it had made it even more so, to the point of truly embarassing Kelwindre. Still, she quickly regained her composure, although the red in her cheeks didn't die away quite as quickly. "Is that blade battle-ready?" she asked, pointing to the saber she was looking at, regaining her composure as she posed the question.

"That one there isn't, no. The blade is simply polished silver, if it took a good strike from any kind of real, sturdy weapon, it'd shatter." The man walked a little closer, putting his hands in his pockets. "Now, if you'd like, we can smith one of those style swords, with that polished luster, and gold ivy trim, but use a special metal to make it battle-capable."

"What metal?" Kelwindre asked. She knew steel would work, but wouldn't have the same luster, even if polished ten-fold. White gold, as rare as it was, would produce the luster, but hardly the strength required.

"Trade secret," the man said. "I'll tell you, we call it Odivo Ore, named after the alchemist who discovered it, but short of that, it's a secret to how we make it. It's strong, it shines brilliantly, but it is more expensive."

"How much?" Kelwindre asked, hoping it wouldn't be too expensive for her.

"That saber made with Odivo and gold trim, maybe a hundred and fifty gold or so. You're tiny, so we won't have to use as much Odivo."

Kelwindre nodded. She looked at the other weapons, and most of them called her name, but she knew she should probably get some practice in on the sword, and decide on a specialty later. She had time to learn a new weapon later, the sword had to be her first focus though.

"Then I'd like one of those," she said, pointing to the saber. "With the gold ivy and everything, it has to look absolutely presentable, I mean to the point where you'd be proud to have the king look upon it." Kelwindre's voice was a little more certain, but then again, she had a basic idea of how beautiful her own sword would be since she was a little girl first learning how to wield one. The man quickly walked inside, and came back out with a piece of parchment and a quill. "One saber, Odivo ore, gold trim, styled in an ivy across the blade, is that correct?"

Kelwindre nodded. The man smiled and was about to speak when she suddenly remembered something. "Oh!" she blurted out, interrupting the man.

"Yes?" he asked politely.

"This is going to sound really wierd, but bear with me." The man nodded. "When you make the fire to forge this blade, and are setting the wood and everything to feed the fire." She paused and opened the small bag attached to her belt that held her little trinkets. She pulled out a piece of paper, on which were elaborately written letters in a language that was foreign to all except those who hailed from her small village, the only place the language could be heard anymore. "Burn that with it."

The man took the sheet of paper and put it under the piece of parchement he was writing upon, quickly scratching out onto it, "Burn customer paper on forge fire".

"One other thing," Kelwindre said. She looked up the street, gazing at the castle in the distance, a castle-in-a-castle considering the city walls. "When you melt the ore, take a rose, pull off its petals, and put them into the ore." The man gave a puzzled look, but wrote down her instructions. "And it has to be a fresh, beautiful rose too." The man made note of this.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's it." She laughed nervously. "Silly traditions, you know?"

"I do," he said. "As I was going to say, that'll be 150 gold." Kelwindre took out her gold pouch and started to count out the money, finally handing it to the smith once it was counted. "And," the man said, after he had counted the coin and placed it into his own coin pouch, "I will smith it myself, to make sure it's right. I want this to be perfect, since I'm pretty sure this is your first sword, that is all your own." Kelwindre nodded happily. She started to walk away when the man started to speak again.

"No goodbye kiss upon the hand?" he said. Kelwindre turned and smirked at the man's expression and tone of voice. "M'lady, it is only customary."

"How about this," Kelwindre said with a smile. "If, when I come and retrieve the blade, it smells pleasantly of the rose, like the one you smelt with the ore, then perhaps you'll get your goodbye kiss." The man nodded.

"It shall be so," he said, almost disappointed, as Kelwindre started to leave, smirking at Tash'ma, figuring that her friend was laughing on the inside as much as she was, although Kelwindre's laughter was a little more reserved; she didn't enjoy being the center of attention, she never had. The fact that she had recieved lavish praise of her beauty made her uneasy (most likely the result of never recieving such praise at home, where she was beat in the beauty department by half of the girls her age), but also because deep inside, she felt the praise was partly because of the people's anxiousness and worry of offending a foreigner, which didn't please her at all.

(ooc- I swear, I'm gonna start cutting down on these posts >.> soon, soon...)

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka smiled to herself as the conversation between the blacksmith and Kelwindre neared it's end. As they walked out, Kaldaka chuckled to herself for a moment and then said, "Amusing fellow, eh?" Shaking her head, she continued, "Don't get yourself a dagger, Kel. I have a surprise for you when we get to my house." She smiled. "I'm beginning to feel great interest in you. Where to next?"

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

"Not too sure," Kelwindre said, looking about the marketplace. "I have my clothes, and a weapon's being made for me, so that covers the necessities." She spotted a bench and walked over to it, sitting down and watching the people walk by on their own business. "You know, you haven't said if you've wanted to do something," Kelwindre noted. "I mean, if there's something you want to do, then lets go do that."

Kelwindre then spotted a nearby shop, and through the glass of it, she spotted a woman doing another woman's hair into very fine, and quite beautiful, braids, complete with ribbon running delicately through the complex yet attractive braid. She quickly grabbed Tash'ma's hand and sprung up, tugging her along.

"Oh come on, come on," she said giddily, "we're going in there!" She quickly gestured to the shop, all the while tugging on Tash'ma's hand. "Both of us, too!" she said, hoping that her friend would put up little of a fight.

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka looked up at the store window, and she stopped for a while. Then, seeing the hopeful look on Kelwindre's face, she said with a grin and a laugh, "Oh well. I've been beaten." Shrugging, she allowed herself to be pulled into the shop. "But I'll pay for myself," she said to Kelwindre firmly. Picking up a book that showed the styles the woman could do, she placed it between them and began to turn the pages. "So, which hair style do you want to do?" she asked, an almost girlish excitement in her voice.

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

"Truth be told," Kelwindre said, looking over the patrons of the store they were in, "I've always been the fan of a ponytail, personally. I dunno, maybe actually braid it or something nice, but regardless, it has always worked for me." She smiled towards Tash'ma. "How about you?" she asked, curious as to the hairstyle of an assassin.

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka smiled. "Well, I've always preferred braids- both for work and for being fancy. And my hair is long enough to make it feasible to make lots of braids." Taking off her hodd, she started taking down the braids she had on currently, which wer ejust regular braids looped around her head to make a coronet. "My favorite style for work," she explained to Kelwindre as she finished taking her braids down.

[Kelwindre Shadowheart]

Kelwindre nodded. "This place amazes me," she said, pretty much out of no where. "I mean, so many people, with so many skills, and so much talent and ability, it's hard to believe." Kelwindre looked at Tash'ma and smiled. "Where are you from?" she asked. "Were you born in the city, or did you come from someplace else?"

[Kaldaka/Traveller]

Kaldaka leaned back. "I was born in a fairly large parish about 23 miles from the city and lived there with my parents until I was seven. My parents were killed at that time, and I was taken in by my three aunts, who tried to force me to become a lady. I got so mad that I ran away when I was... oh, fourteen or so? I believe that was it. Anyways, I'm seventeen now." She grinned. "Most people don't believe me when I say that, because I look so much older than that. But hard lives bear quick maturity, and that was the fruit of my life."