Solo A Vial for the Vile

[Kanri]

Timestamp
20th of Spring, 513 AV
11th Bell, The Glass Reverie

Kanri's bottles had all cooled from her previous session of glassblowing. However, one of them looked kind of lopsided. The strange thing was she had used a mold for all of these bottles. Had something gone wrong when she had carried it? She didn't remember anything at strange when she was making them. Well, it didn't matter now. She would be more careful in the future. The question was, how did she deal with it now? She supposed she could make another to replace it. Then what should she do with this one? Well, it was hers now. She could do what she liked. The first thing she would do is try to fix it. And when it didn't work, because she wasn't optimistic, then she would go on to make another.

She borrowed a fire torch and, using jacks to hold it, began trying to reshape the top so it leaned straight up more. It was tilted and that was her main problem. She used the jacks and started trying to nudge it into a more upright bottle. But it ended up looking very wavy and far less straight than it had before, with each nudge of the jacks putting yet another dent in the bottle. It was useless, she realized. She would have to make another. She packed up the completed bottles and placed the wavy bottle, which she could probably come back and just use for her own purposes, back into the annealer to cool. With that done, she got her blowpipe, put on gloves, and found the metal mold she had used the other day for glass bottles. Placing the mold at her marver, she then went to the furnace to get a slug of glass.

Upon returning, she blew the glass into the mold. It was much easier than free working. It had been a while since she had last a mold but it was still much faster. She could feel the molten glass pressing itself on the wall of the mold. She kept up the pressure a while, to try to keep the glass from collapsing on the inside. Eventually, when she thought it would be cool enough to hold its own shape, she pulled back the mold and took the well shaped glass bottle to a break box and used a pair of shears to knock it off carefully. She picked it up with her gloves, but she feel the warmth flowing off of it. Perhaps that was where all went wrong last time... But this one looked fine, so she placed this in the annealer as well. With that, she was done for the day. It was a market day, and she wanted to go out to buy some things in celebration for the new year. Maybe even some new clothes, since she had been in possession of her current set for a while.

As she exited the Glass Reverie, a strong, firm hand grabbed her arm and dragged her aside. While she initially struggled, to free her arm, she saw who it was quickly. His sharp eyes gave him away and today, he was in his black assassin's clothes. She still did not know his name but last fall, had tried to kill her. But, he had decided she wasn't worth the effort or the money, but he asked for a favor in return, a big one. She was in his debt and feared what would happen if she tried to pretend she wasn't.

His soft, smooth voice alone was dangerous. "I need a favor from you, Kanri," the assassin said.

[Kanri]

Kanri found herself short of breath as she stared into his piercing eyes. She wanted to look down and run away. But she felt like she couldn't drop his gaze. His grip was locked around her upper arm and she could not have broken free anyway. She swallowed hard and replied.

"You need a favor from me? Why?" Kanri asked in a high, quiet voice.

"Oh, you remember," the man answered. "I spared your life. I don't drop commissions often. You owe me."

Kanri swallowed hard. "I remember." And she would have to do it or else she might finding herself falling off cliffs or into furnaces. She remembered very well.

"You are very tense. Are you going to run?" the man asked placidly.

Kanri shook her head. "No, I'm staying." She forced herself to calm down and took deep breaths. He was not going to kill her today.

He let go of her arm and her breath came easier. He reached into a pocket, pulled out a vial of something green, with white liquid settled on the bottom, and held it out to Kanri. After waiting for a moment, Kanri realized he wanted her to take it.

"You just made some bottles today. I will be taking one. Put this in the bottle. Then, get two drinks from Inclement Weather, without ice, and put them in here, The Fury and the Fuzzy Squirrel. Then, I want you to go the Market, go to the Food Shop and ask for Elderberry juice. They don't carry it on the shelves so you may to pay extra. That should fill the fest of the bottle. In fact, ask for roots if you can. Will you remember that?" the man listed.

Kanri repeated nervously it after him, worried what would happen if she said she couldn't. "The Fury and Fuzzy Squirrel at Inclement Weather... without ice! Then, Elderberry juice, and roots if I can, at the Market Place."

"Good. And I am not paying for any of this so it's all on you," the man said, satisfied.

"Aren't Elderberries deadly?" Kanri asked before he walked away.

He nodded. "I suppose they are in large amounts. But only if you consume them. Do not planning on drinking this."

"No, not at all!" Kanri agreed eagerly. She looked at the ground, uncertainty plaguing her. She had another question for him but she was not sure he would like it, let alone answer.

"Spit it out, Kanri," he told her with his velvety voice, reading her body language perfectly.

"I... was just wondering if you would tell me who hired you in the first place. It has been bothering me ever since," Kanri blurted out.

"Ah, I will. Your father got drunk a while back and starting harassing some of the drudges with his drunken friends. This was back when the Dek were acting out, and they somehow managed to pool together the money to get you killed. It wasn't very much, as you might imagine, and you such are a harmless little thing, I thought I would let it slide," the man explained.

It sounded like her father. While it didn't sound like the usual meek Dek caste, they were really acting strange last Fall and it had culminated in an even odder manner. Relief flooded her because the question of any additional threats was gone.

"Wow... thanks," Kanri barely managed to say. "Um, I still don't know your name."

The man smirked. "I have told you enough. I expect to meet you in front of the Tisuma Baths at the twelfth bell. Be there."

With that note of finality, he slinked away.

[Kanri]

After getting one of the glass bottles for her commission out, resolving to remake it later, she set out to get the ingredients for what was surely poison.

She headed for the night club first. Kanri wondered if Inclement Weather was even open at this time of day. But she headed there first. She looked at faces she passed and wondered where they were going. It made her feel isolated. No one had her problems. While she wasn't in danger any more, she still felt alone sometimes as she walked these halls. She was not quite sure why. But something inside her just told her she as different from everyone else in Wind Reach. Maybe it was all in her mind. Maybe she was just a moody, depressed teenager. But she still felt that way sometimes...

She arrived at Inclement Weather and found it empty. It was eerie to have such a large space empty and silent, aside from her own footsteps. She slowly moved in. No one else was there. How was she supposed to get those drinks now? She didn't dare fail to get those ingredients. And if she brought him something fake, he would undoubtedly know. And she would pay. She moved over to the bar on her right and started looking for a menu. What if she made the drinks herself according to menu but paid for it? Then it wouldn't technically be stealing. She didn't know how she felt about that.

She stared at Fuzzy Squirrel and the Fury on the menu. While she thought the Fury looked like she could mix it up, the Fuzzy Squirrel sounded extremely difficult. If only she knew what each thing behind the counter was, maybe she would be more willing to try. Nothing was labeled very well, probably because of the dimness of the light in the bar. She wasn't familiar enough with alcohol to make any guesses either.

"Can I help you?"

The voice snapped through the air suddenly. Kanri jumped up and looked at the woman who now stood in the doorway. She had a mid-range voice and she looked gorgeous, but she also looked very suspicious of Kanri. Kanri had a dreadful feeling in her gut and she knew then she wasn't supposed to be there.

"Hi, I'm sorry, I was just looking for some drinks... but not to drink! It's for someone else and he will be really furious with me if I don't get it before noon," Kanri blurted out.

"At this time of day? We don't sell anything until night time," the woman answered dubiously, approaching Kanri quickly. Kanri didn't know if she should run now or take her chances trying to convince the woman.

If she did not get those ingredients, she would be his next victim.

"Yes. I will pay you extra if I have to," Kanri affirmed. "I need them both in this bottle. And not iced."

She decided not to mention the vial of separated, green-and-white liquid.

The woman still looked really suspicious but when Kanri offered to pay extra, she sighed, went into the bar, and began to prepare the drinks.

[Kanri]

Kanri left a few minutes later with the two drinks in the same bottle. The woman had not been too hard on her but Kanri knew if she had stayed any longer, there would be have been trouble. She headed back up out of the depths of the mountain and into the bustling market. It was a crowded day there and lots of people were in a festive mood. The Inartas found any excuse they could to celebrate, after all.

Kanri wandered in slowly. She had a bad feeling because she hated spending money. She was frugal, but that often led to her having more money than she knew what to do with and she never bought anything. However, she knew she needed to finally buy some things. She needed a new set of clothes, because her older clothes were getting just a little worn down. Especially since she had gotten them wet in the snow and never bothered to properly dry them. She also wanted to try to get out of Wind Reach more in the coming season, as her profession combined with her more laid-back, or lazy, nature kept her in the city. When she was younger, she had owned a smaller bow but she out-grew the bow and, incidentally, broke it. She had never bothered to get another. However, if she had a bow, then she could go out more and try hunting sometimes. Maybe Ardal could take her.

Kanri initially planned on going to the Food Shop first but then she passed the clothing shop and decided it would be alright for her to stop in. Just to look, she told herself, even if that was not quite true. The shopkeeper, another beautiful lady, was flirting with a young man and trying to convince him to buy a set Bryda that were a flashy green. Kanri chuckled and began to look through the impressive collection of clothing. She was always drawn to grays. It was considered drab by some people but Kanri liked it. She was told it melded well with her darker colored hair. Kanri cared as much about her appearance as much as the next Inarta, but as opposed to trying to be fancy, she wanted to express herself.

She found a Vinati in darker gray. It was like the color of the underside of storm clouds. But, unlike most Vinati, it had a bit of a collar on it, like the blouses she saw some foreigners wear. It was different. Was it really new or really old? It seemed like someone already had the sense to pair it with mossy green Bryda that popped in comparison to the dark of the Vinati. Kanri thought it looked too big for her so she was about to leave.

"Do you like that? Different, isn't it? It's something I thought I'd experiment with it."

Kanri sighed. She was ambushed. "I don't know if I can afford a whole outfit right now. I have some other things I need to buy first," Kanri tried to say, moving towards the exit.

The shopkeeper laughed lightly. "Please, why don't you let me take some quick measurements of you so I can resize this for you? You can pick it up in a few days."

Kanri sighed. She liked them and she did need the new clothes. She just hated spending money. What would she do if she needed it later? She couldn't do anything about that now. Besides, she could deal with that later. She reluctantly agreed.

[Kanri]

After the woman efficiently and quickly took Kanri's measurements, Kanri escaped the shop and resolved not to spend any more money before she needed to. This must be why she avoided spending money! Because once she opened up the possibility of buying even a little something, then she ended up spending all of it on things she only sort of needed. She was not very good at saving money. She would hoard it, letting the quality of her life drop, then spend a bunch at once. Maybe, she should ask some of the older Inartas for tips. But then again, many Inarta seemed just as, if not more, reckless than Kanri with their money.

Kanri went straight to the Food Shop from there, refusing to get sidetracked until she had gotten what she needed from there. She hurried there, practically putting blindfolds on the sides of her vision to prevent her from becoming distracted again. She arrived but there was a long line forming there. It was to be expected. Especially as lunch time drew nearer.

In the meantime, Kanri began to space out. A long time ago, she had met a Akvatari, she thought the woman was called. But she was so strange, with Wings on her back and the tail of a seal. It was so unusual! But the Wings were so beautiful and they fluttered as the woman spoke. And her voice filled the hallways with strange new songs, unlike anything Kanri had heard before. And the harp she had played was so gentle and soft, like the sound of Wings protecting her heart.

What if Kanri had Wings like that? Or even better, feathered Wings like the magnificent Wind Eagles? How would it change her? She could Fly! And then she could go anywhere and she would not have to worry about anything because she could just Fly away. There would be no more people that were disappointed in her or people she annoyed because she would be so marvelous, they would have to respect her. She could almost feel it now, the way she could just cling to the wind and trust, knowing she was one of the most wondrous creatures of Unforgiving.

"Hey, are you even awake?" a rude voice yelled at her. She woke up from the day dream and remembered she was only standing in line at a food stall. People had so many things to say about the unfocused, Inartan girl. An Inartan girl who Did-Not-Have-Wings and was Not-So-Magnificent...
"What's taking her so long?"
"What a weird girl!"
"I hope she's okay!"
"She's nuts!"

Kanri shook it off and approached the two ladies behind the counter.

"Hello, I was wondering if you have any elderberry roots or elderberry juice?" Kanri asked nervously.

"No, we don't. But we have elderberries we can crush up for you, if you'd like," the younger woman answered.

"That will be fine. Can you put it in here?" Kanri asked, feeling a little relieved. She stepped to the side as they continued to serve people in the line, while she waited for the younger woman to crush the berries up for her.

She took just long enough that Kanri started feeling bad about doing this. She was helping that man kill someone. Yes, she owed him a favor. But did she really have to help him kill? Why couldn't he just leave her out of this!? Admittedly, the person probably did deserve what was coming to him. There was no doubt that it was a poison Kanri was making, especially with the elderberries. She did not dare defy her assassin friend. However, she hated the thought of having to kill someone, even if it was a Dek. All she supposed she could do was hope the putrid liquid forming in that vial was strong enough to kill them quickly, without much suffering.

The young lady handed it over to Kanri, to which Kanri passed over the Pinions in reply.

"That does not look so great, you know. I hope your recipe turns out better at the end," the young woman offered. It was a nasty brown color, slightly foaming, and slightly distilled.

"It's, um, supposed to be like this," Kanri answered. "I hope, anyway..." she added to just herself.

[Kanri]

Kanri headed to the bathhouse as quickly as she could, realizing it was later than she had initially thought. She had been hoping to arrive early, so he could not possibly accuse her of being late. She would just have to hope he would not be angry.

Too late. The man stood near the door, looking just a bit annoyed. Kanri took a deep breath and approached.

"I have your bottle," Kanri offered hopefully. She held it out for him.

He just glared at her. "You know what annoys me? Tardiness. Being late. What don't you understand about time? Do I need to send you back to your first year in the Yasi center? I have a schedule too. And, I expect that when people say they can do something, for instance meet me at a certain time, that they do so. I'm not asking you to do something ridiculous, I gave you a simple task and a time limit to fulfill it in. I expect people to respect their promises," he ranted maliciously.

"Maybe it is not my fault! Did you forget that it isn't lunch time? Did you forget that Inclement Weather doesn't do a whole lot of business right now?" Kanri protested angrily.

"Are you yelling at me?" the man asked softly. He had shifted his weight forward, just so slightly, that he could have pounced on her right there.

"Ah! No, I'm not. I'm sorry..." Kanri apologized quickly, before he decided to make her chug the drink right there. He snatched the bottle from her and turned to walk away. Abrupt, even for the Inarta. Kanri did not say anything right away. She didn't know if she should risk it. If he got mad enough, there was no telling what he would do.

"Kanri, you need to be less scared of things. You should do whatever you like," the man said suddenly, stopping to look over his shoulder. "It doesn't fit with the rest of your personally. Or the Inarta."

What a strange comment! Kanri nodded anyway. He started to go again but Kanri interrupted him.

"You have to tell me what is in the bottle. I helped you make it so I have a right to know," Kanri declared.

The man stopped and turned back again. He slowly walked towards her. "Really? Do you have the right to know? Because no one can enforce that right for you. You have NO right to pry into my personal business. You are doing this so I don't shove you into the glass furnace."

Kanri bit her lip nervously. But she decided quickly to speak. "But I refuse to be part of killing another person, just because you said so."

"I'm not killing anyone and I am not asking you to," the man snapped back firmly.

"But I won't help either. If I have to, I'll just break that bottle, right here and I don't care what you do to me. I'm not going to let something I do help you kill someone!" Kanri said firmly.

He threw his arm up in exasperation. "Since when did shampoo kill anyone?"

"What?!" Kanri gasped.

"I have to take baths too, you know! Just because I'm an assassin doesn't make me any more immune to taking baths," he pointed out.

"I thought it was poison!" Kanri exclaimed, relieved.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't ask you to do something like that. Especially if you did it wrong," he assured her dryly.

"But then why the leather armor? I was under the impression you wore that when you were on the job," Kanri continued.

"It looks nicer. Is there something wrong with me wanting to look nice?" the man asked rhetorically.

Kanri could tell he was not lying. "But why do you care? This is just too weird."

He paused for a brief moment, putting his hands on his hips. It almost looked like a sign of nervousness. "I'm meeting a lady-friend of mine later. And that shampoo works best on my hair. I usually make it but I was in the middle of reading such a good book this morning..."

What? He had asked her to make shampoo so he could go on a date! And he was too lazy to make it himself because he was reading a book! But it was so ridiculous, there was no way he could be lying.

He quickly recomposed himself from his slight nervousness. "Now, you better get to work on finishing up that glass order. You just gave one to me, remember? Don't look so disappointed! The debt is paid so I won't ignore you anymore."

With that he walked into the bathhouse. Kanri, bewildered, wandered back to the glass reverie. What a strange day! She could go get her clothes from the stall after she finished her order of bottles. She probably should have gotten lunch first though...

[Stardust]

Kanri

Skill	XP Earned
Glassblowing	4
Negotiation	2
Rhetoric	2
Socialization	2

•	Lores Earned
•	The Joys Of A Lopsided Bottle
•	Dealing With An Assassin's Demands
•	Following Instructions
•	All THAT for Shampoo?!!

Dream On

Ahahahhaaaa! I was not expecting that ending. Great thread Kanri! That was awesome and quite entertaining! Thanks for the suspense and then the laughs. Remember to subtract the pinions from your CS! And good job writing!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.