[Flashback] Smoke and Mirrors (Nai'shee)

[Razia]

The thought of delving into the wilderness enticed her. She nodded, tossing her head back and parting her lips to release a long, loud yell in Nari. After a moment, a response call echoed high above, and Razia glanced back down at the girl. "I know just the place to go." She said, walking past her toward the western edge of the city. OOC : Alright, I will warn you ahead of time if I'm going to have a difficult week!

[Nai'shee]

Nai'shee was surprised. Is it possible that Razia, who was a newbie in this city - she couldn't stay more than moth without Nai'shee noticing her, especially as a thief - knew that much about this city. She might had friend to introduce her to it's secrets. She definitely wasn't the only sneaky bastard here. She turned and followed, looking at the dark sky in search for a bird who's yell she just heard. She yawned, already tired of the whole thing. She usually sleeps in the afternoon and stays awake rest of the time, but she had to spent this day looking over that place... They were walking for a while. Moon was behind them, on the east, the night was still young, yet, that much happened. She enjoyed walking towards Zeltivan streets, as she haven't been here few hours ago or as she was about to leave. Everything felt a bit strange. She spent her whole life here, yet, what did she knew about this place? Navigating trough it, even if it was impossibly good navigating, was nothing. She enjoyed the nostalgic energy of this place, without talking. After a while, she got tired of deep thoughts she barely had, so she asked: "Are we there already?"

[Razia]

"Not quite." The chimed response was hurled over her shoulder as Razia rushed through winding alleyways and lifeless streets. Though she did not know the city very well, this route was very familiar to her. An indirect and unsuspecting path from the heart of the city- the docks- to the very edge at which he nested. Eager to find herself in that familiar, hidden place. After years of travel, Razia had found a way to make her tent invisible in the underbrush, planning tentatively to place it in the perfect location. Now, living near Zeltiva, she found a place that was close enough to walk quickly, yet too far to be noticed flying overhead. It was also on the outskirt of a large clearing, perfect for Anthion's needs. It was nothing impressive, but somehow, she could call it home. Rarely would Razia allow others near her nesting place. Though she was not leading Nai'shee directly to it, she would be close enough to spot it easily. In less than an hour, they made it to the edge of the city, facing the dark wilderness that surrounded it. Without a second thought, Razia delved into the forest, finding her footing easily in the dark. Not ten minutes later, the deep woods opened into a small clearing, and Razia slowed her pace, sauntering to the right edge, where the remnants of last night's fire lay dying. Kneeling beside it, she poked at the ashes, glancing toward Nai'shee, "We'll need to find a bit of wood and kindling, but we should be able to start this up in no time. How much gold do you have on you?" As she spoke, she stood, making her way toward her tent, which lay at the opposite side of the clearing.

[Nai'shee]

Nai'shee was already tired of walking, or waiting, she wasn't sure. When Razia said they need wood she immediately started to run around picking dry pieces around her. It might not be enough, but the forest was before them, so there was nothing to worry about. "I don't know, I think I have about 10GM, if we're lucky and I haven't remembered to hide it before this..." She checked her pocket while holding wood in her left hand and nodded her head with a smile. While collecting the kindling she spotted a empty space within bushes, carefully hidden from untrained eye. She guessed this was where Razia hid during night. That would explain why she didn't realized she was in city for so long while. She smiled for herself and placed wood with these Razia collected, trying to reach GMs in her pocket again.

[Razia]

The Inarta knelt beside the heap of wood, daintily setting them to lean on each other to form a sort of teepee. She scooped her flint and steel from the ground where she had left it, striking it together with a rough clap to produce a flash of sparks. They fizzled out, drifting down onto the wood and bringing to life small embers underneath. In a few moments, the fire, though wavering in the night breeze, sprung up. Razia reached into the pouch on her hip, producing a handful of gold mizas. The glinting coins clinked about in the palm of her hand as she trotted over to her tent, withdrawing a large pot from within. It took a moment to position this over the fire, using spare bits of rope that were scattered across the clearing to string together a post to hang it. After it was in position, Razia held her open palm over the pot, reluctantly allowing the coins to trickle down into its depths. She shot a glance toward her new friend, cocking a brow, "It'll take a while to melt them down. We'll have to carve a mold in the mean time." Though the Inarta woman had never created a weapon before, she thought herself clever to think of a way so quickly. Though it would probably not work as well as she envisioned it, it was worth a try. She dove back into the woods, searching out a wide branch and carve.

[Nai'shee]

Nai'shee just sat beside the fire, tired and excited. She was awake most of the afternoon and night, so she was really tired by now, but she knew she should stay with her guard on for now. They didn't stole something little, they might come searching for them. She imagined melting a lot easier when she first thought about that, but now she realized that they pretty much need to melt gold down to liquid and then collect it and use it before it cools down again. It was too much for her to think about now and she was sure Razia had something already, so she didn't bother. She was staring at flames, feeling her skin awkwardly hot. If this was hot she couldn't imagine burning. She hoped she won't fight any Reimancier, at least not in near future. With a sight she continued watching flames licking Mizas, silent. Fire was beautiful, indeed. But nothing like water. It might had the same shine, but fire was something destroyable, thing that belonged to time and passion. Water was eternal. It made it's way trough everything. Just like her, fighting her stupid life. And stupid sailor. Remembering him fired her up again, so she asked a child's question: "How much more?"

[Razia]

The Inarta didn't go far from the clearing, and her companion's voice traveled to her. Crouching beside a log, she cocked her head to the side, searching beneath it for some smaller piece of wood. "I'm not sure, actually," she tried elevate her volume enough for it to carry back to camp, but no further, "I've heard that gold melts quicker than other metals... Met an alchemist who wouldn't be paid in anything else for that exact purpose." She chuckled to herself at the memory. He was a quirky fellow, tall and gangly, with awkwardly long arms, dusty hair, and a sharp nose. His eyes were a bit too far apart. But he'd traded her reliable information, and in the midst of conversation, taught her a thing or two. Catching sight of a rotted branch, Razia reached forward, scraping at it with her fingertips. Just a bit too far. "I think it may still take a while, though." She yelled, sinking to her knees to stretch her arm further beneath the log. "It is metal, after all." With that comment, she caught a good hold of the branch, yanking it from its position and jumping back as the log groaned. She took a few retreating steps, eyes glued to the log as if it would pounce up and attack her. However, it stayed, still and silent, and she turned away from it, heading back to the camp. "Now, are you any good at carving?" She asked, marching up to a nearby tree and retching a dagger free from it. The crumpled and stained map that it had originally held in place floated to the forest floor. Razia strode back to the fireside, plopping down on the floor and setting the branch in her lap. She hacked off the twisted ends with a few heavy swings of the knife, then turned it on its side and began sawing the thickest part in two.

[Nai'shee]

Nai'shee sighted, falling back and looking at the starry sky. It was somewhat strange that nobody noticed the smoke. "Hey, wait a minute", she had to interrupt her, "what about the smoke? You think they'll check?" It was quite possible, but still if Razia used this kind of fire for warming place up or cooking it probably became usual. But still... She kept her sight at the sky, suddenly aware of every step her body made: every blink, breath, heartbeat. What we won't experience while we're bored? She didn't move at Razia's question. She got few moments of silence before Nai'shee finally replied. "No, I'm not any good at it", she said in cold tone. She couldn't blame Inarta for being practical and asking, but this night made her feel more and more useless. This is exactly why she wanted to learn everything that's offered to her. You never know what you'll need.

[Razia]

Razia cursed quietly, eyeing the wood with a look of distaste. "No, the trees are tall, and its dark. No one will notice." It couldn't be that difficult to carve something, right? But, what if it caught fire when they poured in the gold? Would it just dissolve into ash? Letting out a soft sigh, Razia shot a glance toward the fire. This would take ages. She dropped the wood into her lap, frowning. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea. Her eyes trailed over its rough surface and the dent where it met the iron dagger in her hand. She stared at the dagger for some time, defeated. Suddenly, her features changed. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened, and her lips stretched into a smile. "I know what we can do!" She leaped from her seat, shuffling over to the fire and bending over it. The gold pooled slightly at the base of the pot. It would not be long now. She scurried to her tent, diving in to produce a handful of paintbrushes. They were long bits of carved wood with fine horsehair tips, used to paint colorful feathers back in Wind Reach. Hurrying back to the fire, she dipped a brush in, retracting her arm as the heat of the fire licked at her skin. She quickly pulled up the dagger, painting a stripe of gooey shimmering gold onto its blade. It dried quickly, morphing the shape of the metal slightly, but maintaining its appearance. Ecstatic, she held it out to show Nai'shee.

[Nai'shee]

Nai'shee blinked few times when Inarta jumped up excited. She stood up back into sitting pose again and she didn't have to wait mere few seconds for Razia to come back with finely made paintbrush. She succeed to dip it into melted gold without damaging the brush, but obviously burning her own skin a bit. A line she painted was perfectly straight on dagger because she didn't use too much gold. It meant this will come out good, but her skin will be in burns. "Are you okay?", she asked excited woman, wondering if she even cared of consequences. Well, the amount was worth few burns if you look at it like that. And mocking that idiot was even more worth! Nai'shee smiled as the dagger became gilt.