[Bronze Wood] Only my Wit is Sharper than my Dagger (Eris)

[Tyuru]

Tyuru rolled her eyes in an exaggerated motion, then smiled. “No, I haven’t forgotten,” she sighed dramatically, reaching into a skirt pocket well hidden within the loose folds. She drew out a red drawstring bag. It clinked with the heavy sound of money.

“Okay, from all the training I’ve received, I suppose the lesson is worth…”

Tyuru wasn’t the best of people at handling money. She was a bad judge of the worth of things and would spend lavishly on something she deemed worthy of money. On the flip side, she could be very miserly, clutching on to money like it was her life’s blood.

Mentally, Tyuru counted what she had. About 94, maybe 95 gold mizas? She shook some coins into her hand, counting each one/

“…sixty mizas?” she concluded, tilting her head to one side and looking expectantly at Eris for an answer. “Sorry if that’s too little, I don’t mean to insult you, I’m just not good at working with money…”

[Eris]

Eris’s mouth opened, then closed. She was sure she had done a thorough job of teaching the girl. And her time was worth quite a bit of money, of course. But this was too much. Surely, Tyuru might have need of those sixty mizas in the future. What is wrong with you? You’re being offered at least a month’s vacation and you’re having second thoughts? What’s gotten into you? Her old teacher’s voice practically screamed in her mind. Eris ignored it, her eyes focused on the shiny coins in the girl’s hand.

You earned it. Take it! Hell, she didn’t pay Joel anything to teach her and here she was asking for payment for her own lessons. You didn’t pay him, but you did his dirty work for the entire time you were with him.

Eris decided she couldn’t argue with herself any longer. It was becoming confusing and frankly, just a little bit scary. There is only so long a person can talk to themselves before they start feeling crazy.

“That’s very generous of you,” she said, trying to keep her voice level, “But, you’ll need all that money in the future… I’ll only require thirty mizas.”

It was still a lot of money, but Eris felt much less guilty about it.

[Tyuru]

“Oh, okay,” Tyuru said, grimacing. “I’m really ignorant when it comes to money.” She counted out the coins quickly and tipped them into Eris’ hand. Tyuru was oblivious to Eris’ argument with herself, like she was oblivious to most things. Her thoughts were on what she would do now. She had no lodgings and would need to use her money to keep Horse in the stable. Maybe she would go retrieve him and bring him back outside the gates to stay with her while she camped there. She didn’t know where she could stay or how she would support herself. Truthfully, Tyuru wasn’t worried; she still lived with the childish belief that as long as she kept steady and believed in something, everything would be alright, and no harm would come to her. She felt a pang of homesickness for the first time.

“Thank you for the lessons. You have no idea how much it means to me that you took time to teach me.” Tyuru bent to retrieve her cloak and belongings from where she had dropped or thrown them. She slipped the money bag into her pocket and her dagger back into her waist belt. She could feel the cold metal through her tunic. She wasn’t that afraid of it any more.

“Will you walk to the gates with me? Or,” she glanced toward where Eris’ horse was, “do you have some other engagement?”

((Sorry I was away so long... studies, etc. ^-^'))

[Eris]

Eris simply nodded in reply to Tyuru’s thanks. She wasn’t good with all this happy, emotional stuff. She picked up her satchel and swung it across her shoulder, simultaneously dropping the coins inside. She gave a brief, low whistle, which got the attention of her horse, who has been enjoying the abundance of grass during their training session. Rhine gave a little whiney of protest, but trudged over to Eris, nonetheless. Eris grabbed the bridle loosely in her hand and started off in the direction of the road.

“I’ll walk a little way toward the gates with you, but I won’t be entering Syliras. I’ve got some business further down the main road,” she said with a slight shake of her head.

“Where are you staying in Syliras?” she asked out of curiosity.

((No worries. =] Oh and don't forget to put a time stamp on the first post.))

[Tyuru]

“Er…” Tyuru grimaced and gestured vaguely in the direction of Syliras. “I camp outside the gates. Sometimes, if I think I can get away with it, I’ll sleep inside Syliras, on the streets. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. I don’t really need luxury, anyway,” she shrugged.

Her foot caught a root and she stumbled, flinging out an arm to catch herself on a tree. “Ow,” she winced, rubbing her ankle once she was stable again. “Honestly. How many times will I injure myself today? I just don’t understand it. Maybe I’ve done something to upset a mysterious god of misfortune.” Gingerly, she tested her foot on the ground. It hurt slightly but she could still walk without too much difficulty.

“Anyway,” Tyuru said, matter-of-factly, continuing on like she hadn’t tripped at all, “I’m not really worried about myself. I’ve faced worse, trust me,” she grinned, and it was obvious she wasn’t trying to make herself look strong. She really had faced worse, and it really didn’t bother her. “What about you? Doubtless you’ve got a really nice place somewhere. You seem to be familiar with this area.” Again she made a sweeping gesture toward the looming walls of Syliras.

((Ohh, okay. I knew I was forgetting something. ^-^))

[Eris]

Eris suppressed a laugh – the girl seemed to be a real lure for bad luck. Tyuru’s changes in mood were extraordinary. When Eris started to brood, the mood would typically hang over her like a dark cloud for the remainder of the day. If she had taken as many scratches and bruises as Tyuru had, she would most certainly be brooding right now. She had to commend the girl for her ability to bounce back so quickly. But she had already given the girl too many compliments today, so she’d just hold onto that one.

“Yea, it’s really nice,” Eris snorted, thinking of her cramped, little room in Traveler’s Row. “I rent a room in a local inn – Traveler’s Row, it’s called. I’m surprised to hear you’re not settled there as well. It’s only one silver miza a day and considering you were willing to give me sixty gold mizas for one lesson…”

Eris let out an annoyed sigh as she tugged on the bridle which had suddenly become taut as Rhine decided to stop for a little snack.

“How much grass does one horse need?” she muttered irritably as Rhine got moving again and the Syliras gate gradually came into view.

[Tyuru]

The sarcasm wasn’t missed by Tyuru. “Maybe I will… if I can get around to it. Something about this city makes me awfully lazy. Maybe it’s the heat. And yes, I was prepared to give you sixty gold mizas. The lessons were awfully helpful.” And so they were. The slight weight of the dagger near Tyuru’s navel was now comforting rather than frightening.

A thought hit her as she watched Eris tug her horse onwards, spurred by the sight of the animal. “Is there a… oh, what’s the word…” Tyuru bit her lip and gestured helplessly with her hands. “A place that works with leather and makes things using it. I had the word a moment ago, it was on the tip of my tongue… is there one in Syliras?” A sudden excitement grew in her chest. Issak used to make beautiful things out of leather. He was the one that made her belt. She remembered him producing a flower from behind it, as if by magic, making her laugh, then showing her the secret pocket he had included. Absently she traced the knotwork designs with a finger, placing her hand on her abdomen and gently feeling the grooves in the leather.

Suddenly they were in front of the gates, looming above them, intimidating and impressive. Tyuru looked up at them in deep thought. She could only pray that if there was such a place in Syliras, that Issak would be there. If not… the warmth in her chest became cold and she pushed the hopelessness away. She would find him. She knew she would.

[Eris]

“Yes there’s a place like that, though the official name escapes me at the moment. In Syliras, it’s known as the Leatherworks – run by a Myrian from Faylander. I believe his name is Nabinu or something to that effect. He makes everything from saddles to gloves. The shop’s in the northern corner of the city. It’s pretty big and oftentimes, there’s a tiger guarding the front porch. You can’t miss it,” Eris concluded.

“Why are you so interested in leather all of a sudden?” Eris inquired, arching an eyebrow.

They stopped a few yards away from the gate and Eris pulled herself up onto the horse’s back, settling herself comfortably in the saddle. She would head down the road from here, off to meet a new client. Yet, before leaving she waited for the girl’s answer, curious to know why someone would get so excited about leather.

[Tyuru]

“The man I’m looking for, Issak, he worked with leather. He made beautiful saddles, boots, belts…” again Tyuru traced the elegant knotwork embossed on her belt. The pattern was so familiar to her, she thought she could draw it in her sleep. “I don’t know where he went, but maybe he came here. Maybe he managed to find a job in the Leatherworks.” The absurd hope had presented itself to her and she clung to it fiercely, determined to have some kind of direction to take to find Issak. The hopeless wandering was slowly eroding her and the slim chance she could find him was like a life raft to her, raising her above the weathering waves she had been floundering in.

Tyuru looked around at Eris and found herself face to face with a horse, instead. Startled, she looked up, a bemused smile growing easily on her face. “You’re off, then? Thanks for walking with me. Who knows what kind of bandits live in that forest.”

[Eris]

Eris nodded in understanding as she listened to Tyuru’s hope of finding this Issak. She understood the sentiment very well and wanted very much to be able to warn the girl against becoming obsessed with her search, against letting it take over her life… But she knew that no matter what she said, she would not be able to change the girl’s mind. After all, she was unable to dispel her own drive for finding Locke, so who was she to advise other people? She could only hope that Tyuru would know when to stop looking.

“I wish you luck in your search,” she said rather stiffly, remembering belatedly that goodbyes were never her strong suit.

She allowed a small smile to snake its way to her lips as looked straight at Tyuru. This girl might have shown her something she hasn’t seen in a long time. She personified all the qualities that irritated Eris beyond belief and yet, she somehow managed to illicit some positive emotions from Eris. Eris hoped the girl would be able to manage on her own, because she really, really did not want to start feeling protective of her.

“Thank you,” she added, not knowing what she was thanking her for, but knowing that it needed to be said.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she pulled on Rhine’s reins, turning the horse around abruptly. In a few seconds, the two were already far down the road, galloping away at breakneck speed.