An Unexpected Encounter (Private- Lance Knighthunter and Sayuri)

The port city of Lavanitir was outside the range of Sayuri's usual wanderings. She usually stayed in Fiore proper, and especially on Crystalli itself. The floating ship, home to her guild Crystal Saw, had recently become her safe haven of sorts. Still, it had to be said that it was best to get out of your comfort zone from time to time, and she was definitely out of hers here.

Sayuri had heard many things about this city over the years. It was actually independent from all the major governments, and she'd heard that they didn't care who came here, as long as they were willing to spend money and didn't cause trouble. It was rumored to be popular among dark mages, who could show themselves in public without fear of drawing the attention of the governments they were wanted by. That made her nervous, all things considered. The last thing she wanted was to run into any dark mages. She'd already done so during her very first job with her new guild, and it hadn't been much fun.

Still, this city had another reputation too. It was a trading city, and it was said you could find all sorts of interesting things here. The main thing that interested Sayuri, though, were their magical artifacts. Or more specifically, their weapons. Sayuri's magic didn't exactly do much damage, so she relied pretty heavily on her weapons. She had two swords to her name, but they were both just ordinary steel. She'd come here looking for a magical weapon that would help her in her jobs to come. Not that she would be able to afford anything too powerful, of course, but she ought to be able to find something.

And so she wound her way through the crowded streets of the market, trying not to pay too much attention to those around her. She didn't really want to know who they were, as long as they didn't start any trouble with her. She scanned the stores and booths as she made her way past, searching for anything that seemed it could be what she was looking for.

There! She spotted a small stall across the street that had a variety of swords, axes, and knives for display on the tables. She didn't know if they were magic or not, but it was worth a shot, and she began quickly making her way across the street. However, she was so absorbed in her target that she accidentally blundered into someone else, almost knocking herself over in the process. Her face turned bright red as she realized her mistake.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I guess I wasn't paying enough attention. Are you okay?"

Sayuri restrained herself from making a retort to the sharp glare the man shot her. Well, that was unnecessary. Sure, the collision had been her fault, so she was in the wrong here, but that reaction was a lot more unfriendly than it needed to be. Still, at least he didn't make any rude comments, so she refrained from responding. Especially since she didn't know him, so she had no idea what he could be capable of.

Instead, she turned back to her intended destination, making her way over to the weapon stall. Surprisingly, it appeared that the man she'd collided with had the same destination in mind, although she supposed that explained why their paths had crossed. She began studying the weapons intensely before a few caught her eye as possibilities. She turned her gaze to the shopkeeper.

"May I?" she asked, her gesture toward the weapons making her meaning clear. After all, if was rude to handle the merchandise without permission. The shopkeeper just shrugged, which she took as permission.

She picked up one of the weapons that had caught her eye- a sword, of course. She was rather proficient in swordsmanship, so they were her primary weapons. However, no sooner did she picked the sword up then she placed it back on the table and drifted off to the next weapon. This one she held for a moment, flicking her wrist experimentally to test the weight and balance out before doing test slashing and stabbing motions, although in a very subdued manner, careful not to get anywhere near to the other people around her. Then she replaced the sword again and moved on. After she repeated the same process with the next sword, the shopkeeper finally decided to address her.

"Why do you keep putting the swords back? Are you not happy with them?

Sayuri shrugged slightly before responding.

"Oh, they're not bad weapons, don't get me wrong, but I'm looking for something similar in weight and balance to the sword I have now. It'll make it easier for me to use. That sword was a bit too heavy for my taste. This one was too front heavy- the center of balance was farther forward than I'm used to."

The shopkeeper seemed to puzzle over her words for a moment, but he didn't really seem to understand. She supposed he probably wasn't a swordsman himself. He knew the process of how to make them, and to make them well at that, but he didn't understand exactly why certain characteristics were good or bad in a sword. He just knew that they were. Then he gestured at the very first sword she'd picked up, the one she hadn't even tested.

"What about that one? What's wrong with it."

"The handle is too wide. I have small hands, see?" She spread her hands out to emphasize her point. "It would be hard for me to wield. Mind you, it's perfectly fine for someone whose hands are bigger than mine."

That point he seemed to understand, namely since it had nothing to do with sword-fighting techniques, and he lapsed into silence, allowing her to peruse his selection some more. Sayuri noticed the man from before was also examining some of the man's swords. It seemed they shared a common interest. She wondered if he might be someone worth getting to know a little better. Well, she might as well try and start up a conversation, right? She flashed him a friendly smile.

"So anyway, I'm Sayuri. What's your name?"

Sayuri frowned deeply at the boy's harsh comments. That was totally unnecessary. Mistakes happened, and she was sure he'd done the same before. She was just trying to be nice. Still, she wasn't going to let herself get upset about it, so she just brushed it off, going back to surveying the wares.

A minute later, though, he spoke again. For a moment she debated ignoring him, but she just didn't have that in her, so she turned back to him, shrugging.

"I'm a sword person myself. Done knives a few times, but I like the longer reach, and I prefer to specialize in one weapon and be the best I can."

She went back to her browsing, testing out another sword. Huh, not bad. It had a pretty good balance, at least. Then she looked at the price and set it back down. Yikes. Maybe something else... She sighed. Why was this always so difficult? It was hard to find something that worked for her. Then again, perhaps her standard were just too high.

She glanced back at Lance again. Well, he'd offered to help, but she wasn't really sure how he'd go about that. And besides, she had a feeling he didn't actually want to do it, he was just trying to be, well less negative. Then she shrugged. Oh well. It was up to him whether he was going to stick around or leave.

Hmm... Sayuri considered his suggestion for a moment. She was sure she ought to be able to find someone who could enchant the blade, if it came down to that. The blade was pretty close to what she used, she supposed. She picked it up, testing it out like she had with previous blades. Lance was right, it was certainly light-weight. It also had a pretty decent balance to it. She smiled.

"It's not a bad choice, although finding something with magic already would definitely be ideal. I'd like to see what else they have before making any decisions."

She continued poking through the pile before adding on to her previous comment.

"So do you like swords then? Perhaps we could practice together sometime. I haven't had a good sparring partner for a while now, and training by yourself just isn't the same."

She wasn't sure if he was the sort of person who would even consider meeting up at a later time, but it was worth a shot. He seemed like an interesting enough person, if a little odd, and she thought it would be nice to get to know him a little better.

Still, her search wasn't yielding much else. There was a wide variety of weapons here, but she was just interested in the swords, really, and most of those were more akin to heavy weaponry than what she was looking for. She supposed most of the man's clientele were closer to armored knights than her. She was just a girl who happened to have magic and liked to play with swords in her spare time. She shrugged.

"Well, I suppose this one seems to be my best option, then. Do you by chance know anyone who enchants weaponry?"

As she was speaking she paid the man for the sword, which thankfully wasn't too pricey. Any magic she had added to it would probably push her a bit over budget, but she was sure it would be worth the price.