Having tracked Mikkel down, they visit his shop, hoping he can help them. Although, internally, Daniel struggles to ask him the question he holds in his heart.
Killua managed to track the town's location down. It was far from the airport, which was a good thing. If they were to travel via transport, it was about a six-day adventure, meaning… if they ran it like, how Bisky forced them to do so during their training, making them run to and back from Masadora, it'll take at maximum, hopefully… a day to arrive.
Killua wasn't about to force them to do that. The last thing he wanted to force his sister, or Daniel if he's being honest… the boy wasn't used to staying awake for long periods of hours, to run for a full day with zero breaks. So, he'll rather they take their time.
They didn't need to worry about Victor for the time being. He was being held down by an all-seeing eye, one that knew when he'll be on the move, including the direction he's headed. Until he exorcises whatever they did to him, they're safe.
Killua had an initial goal in mind. They'll split their travel over two days. First, they'll head for Khaphai, stay the night, then wake up bright and early to go to Evlarbridge on the second day. It was a sound plan in mind… one that shouldn't have delayed their travel.
There was only one glaring problem he hadn't counted for. Upon arriving at their first stop, the town was in the middle of a festival.
As much as he needed to, Killua couldn't say no to his sister. This would be her first festival experience, besides the event, Eifion had planned for the school to experience. He couldn't be the bearer of bad news, not while her big puppy dog eyes were pleading for him to be able to stay and experience the festival.
They eventually found a hotel that wasn't completely packed, a single room open. The problem was once they opened the room, Killua's features fell, "Damn…" he muttered under his breath from the single, double-size bed. They won't have space to fit all three of them, which means… one of them will have to sleep somewhere else and that won't be Alluka.
Alluka ran into the room, falling backwards onto the bed.
Daniel looked over the room before offering a solution, "I'll take the couch."
"Uh- uh…" Killua waved his finger dismissively, "I'll take the couch; you can share the bed with my sister."
Daniel shook his head, "You know I'm a hugger in my sleep… I'll take the couch."
"Oh, and you think I'm not…" Killua argued with a smirk, "I blame you for that." You made me like that… all that constant hugging made it impossible, for me to not return the gesture…
Daniel agreed, even though Killua had acted like an octopus when they experienced their first sleepover at Gon's house, it was the constant holding that made him clingy in their sleep. He'd bring that up, but there was one point, that would sway his partner "Siblings holding each other isn't weird… a sibling's partner holding their sister…"
Killua understood what his partner was saying, "Alright… Alluka, we're sharing the bed."
Alluka cheered, "Yay, it's been so long since we shared a bed. We used to do it a lot when we were kids… before…" She fell silent.
Killua hugged his sister, a small kiss being pressed into her forehead, "I know…" He gave her a warm smile soon after, "We'll make up, for lost time… I promise."
Daniel laid on the couch, the furniture feeling more like a brick than a cushion. This isn't going to be a fun night… He thought before his eyes were being drawn to the window, "The festival starts in two hours. I say we shower and get dressed."
Killua gave a nod, "I think we should also get some supplies for the road, we're only halfway there. Plus, I don't think we should be sponging off Mikkel, so we should find a place to stay once we arrive."
Daniel agreed with the sentiment. They shouldn't accept his hospitality, not just because it'll be considered rude… it was based on a 'what if'. Even though Victor couldn't personally follow them, there was still a possibility that Victor had someone else watching them, for him. So, they should act per that mindset.
Always be in and out… at least when it comes to visiting Vastorie's acquaintances.
Daniel having a pair of underwear thrown in his face brought his mind back to reality. Rather than glaring at his partner, he found the humour in the situation, laughing from being brought back to reality, from the brink of overthinking the scenario because he got hit in the face with something soft, "Alright…" He calmed himself down before throwing it back at his partner who merely dodged the lame excuse of a throw.
Having missed his target, he instead lied about the article of clothing "by the way… those were yours."
Killua looked in the direction of the undies, frowning after falling for an old trick, "No they're not… I have better taste in clothing."
Daniel burst into laughter, only to receive a light jab from Killua in response.
The three of them got ready, this time relaxed, rather than stressed.
"~"
Killua and Daniel had fun with Alluka, jumping from one game to the next. All the classics were here, and none of the booth owners was prepared, for what was about to come. Even if one of them were a Nen user, unless they were a Pro, there was no way they'll foresee the damage these two could do.
Daniel pointed at an airsoft cork gun, taking note of the pins lined up. There was no way these would have the power to naturally knock the pins down of the first go. But someone experienced with Shu and the Emitter category would be able to bend the situation in their favour.
They perused the toys, Alluka finding none of the toys of interest.
They moved onto other games until they found one with a line of toys she did find of interest. It was one of those water-clown games, a line of people already purchasing a seat to win the prize.
Daniel opted to stay back, watching over his partner's sister as Killua took a seat. He swivelled the gun around, gauging if the one he initially picked had a stiff base. If the clown decided to move around too much, a stiff swivel base wouldn't work that well in his favour.
When the game started, Killua aimed perfectly at the mouth, as it started to move around, he followed it with precision, years of playing darts giving him the necessary experience to always hit his target.
Eventually, the round ended, him claiming victory with a smile. He picked the one his sister's eyes were zeroed in on, the large grey Siberian Husky, with big blue eyes.
They moved on, his sister smiling widely as she held onto a stuffed toy twice her size while they inspected the other games.
They always aimed for games with things Alluka liked, the boys alternating with who played with the intent to win. Alluka also played some games, and while she wasn't as competitive as her brother and his boyfriend, she still had fun playing them…
To Killua, seeing her smile, mattered to him the most.
They were able to have some fun in the end, neither one worried about if they were being watched or not.
"~"
They made it to their initial destination, the town, Evlarbridge. It looked peaceful, serene and comforting in a way. Kids could be heard laughing as they played games, tag from the look of how they were running away from each other. The town also looked like it belonged to a middle-class, the citizens dressing in conjunction with their class.
The three of them stuck out like outsiders, they may need to go shopping for clothes if they were going to need to blend in with the citizens.
But before then, they'll need to make a pit stop at a hotel and check-in first, before they think to do anything else. Hopefully, the man wasn't closed on the day they arrived.
While Alluka stayed in the room unpacking, Killua making sure she doesn't open the door for anyone, not even someone posing as them, they scoured the town for Mikkel's shop. Eventually, they were able to find someone who would direct them to shop.
It was a medium-sized building, a sign with a hammer smacking an anvil, Mikkel's Smithery. Daniel opened the door, the bell chiming as they entered.
From the back they heard a hammer hitting metal, the sound stopping only so the owner could talk. A small gruff voice eventually spoke up, "Sorry, just a minute." The hammering returned.
Daniel answered the man's response, letting him know it was okay, although, he probably couldn't hear him over how loud the clanging was. But from what he could tell, the man's aura was most likely being dispersed between every strike.
Maybe it linked to Mikkel's Nen ability, how he worked his aura. They might be able to seek out that information, provided the man would let them see his Nen ability in action.
Instead of waiting, Daniel decided to perused what was on the shelves, the mock weapons. There were different styles, all manner of weapons from multiple countries. However, they all shared one thing in common… all the weapons had blunt blades.
Hopefully, not all, of his weapons were like these and what we're on the shelves, were for decoration purposes, or at least for references on what he could make.
Eventually, the clanging came to a stop, the man once more speaking, "Alright… sorry for the wait, so what can I do for you."
Daniel turned towards the doorway to the back, no one coming out. He raised an eyebrow, confused until a rather short man rounded the counter, stopping in front of the boys. He rubbed his hands with a seemingly wet towel, pinkish skin peeking from under the towel every so often.
The man spoke with a raised eyebrow, a little confused as to why there were two teenage boys in his shop. Sure, kids came to look at his works of weapons on display, but these two kids felt… different to him. There was a sense of aura flowing between them, interlinking with one another.
It showed that they were aware of Nen, but it hadn't explained why it looked like they meant business "Oh… I wasn't expecting you."
Both boys looked at each other in concern, Killua speaking up for the two of them, "You know who we are?"
"Not a clue…" The man quickly answered. He hadn't intended to sound like he knew who they were, but from a second glance, the boy with jet black hair looked eerily familiar, "but I guarantee I'm not the shop you're looking for. The toy shop is three doors down." He pointed towards the door, "I'm kinda busy kids."
Daniel frowned, "You are Mikkel, right…"
"The names on top of the shop, so yup."
"Mikkel Clausen, right…"
"Yeah…" He turned his head slightly, "may I ask why?"
"Sure-" Daniel was about to speak up, but the man butted in "Why…?"
Daniel rolled his eyes, "That was rhetorical. This is Killua…" Daniel held out his hand to his partner, "and my name is Daniel Darkscryer, and-"
"Wait, you're his kid…" That's why he looks familiar… his Vastorie's kid. That means he's the one I made Wolfbane for. However, I don't see it… maybe he left it back at his place, seeing as a teenager holding onto the weapon would look strange.
"Yup!"
The man beamed brightly, "Then you're the kid who has gotten Wolfbane. How is my little beauty, although…? I don't see her with you."
Daniel tried not to look guilty, but his shifting eyes gave away his intentions to lie.
The man frowned, "What happened…"
"Wolfbane… she… got shattered into fragments."
"From what exactly…?"
"An Enhancer… They… I used it as a rope, to bind them, but their strength ripped through the chain links. Them throwing out their arms caused the weapon to break apart…"
A vein protruded at the top of the man's head, lips turned into a shaking pout. He was frustrated, frustrated at Vastorie for not listening to his advice at all "I…" Hands pressed into his hips, he yelled his frustration "I told that idiot that he asked for the wrong materials. Resmian is great when it comes to strength, but sucks at high impact. As for Ashuim… don't get me started on that! I'm not surprised someone was able to rip it apart, it's flexible… not durable. I'm not making another one from the shards and threads if that's why you came here."
Daniel waved his hands dismissively, "Oh, no… No… I didn't come for that reason."
"Then why would you come here… just to tell me my work is shoddy?" When he saw the kids grimace, he slapped his belly as he burst into laughter, "Relax kids, I'm just joking with you. Not so much about the materials it's made from… or the shards for that matter…" He eventually calmed down with a smile, "Your father is a friend of mine, so I won't hold anything against the user… Although since he made the request, I'm still mad at him."
"That's… why we came. We're, I guess you could argue we're gathering information about him. Stories… if you will."
"Oh…" Mikkel rests his body against the counter, "There's not much I can tell you about him. I don't know much about his private life."
"We here to find out your history with him."
"Well, in that case…" He sauntered to the front door, flipping the sign over to say he was closed. Pinking another piece of plastic, up, he slapped it on the door. It was a notice to say he was on break and be back "Come on inside." He led the boys behind the counter, Daniel's eyes falling onto the large pile of plates.
"Yeah, it's a request from your father."
"He asked you to make plates?"
"I'm almost done too… just seventy to go." He waved the boys to follow him to a back room. It led to the kitchen; a part of a house connected to his shop. Doesn't look like the man needed to travel far for his job.
He pulled out a step ladder, reaching into a cupboard, "I don't have much when it comes to beverages, so I'm going to assume tea." Daniel and Killua gave a node, the man pulling it down before turning the kettle on, "So what you want to know…"
"How did you meet exactly?"
"Hmm…" The man scratched his chin, "Well, I was an apprentice at another smithing shop. We didn't interact much, but I worked on a few of his crafting requests. Eventually, he approached me with the boss at the time… he liked my work, and was hoping to offer me harder work to test my skills."
He paused when the kettle went off, pouring three cups. He brought them over to the table, taking a seat for himself, "Careful, it's hot."
Killua touched the cup, taking note of its scolding hot temperature.
The man noticed Killua's reaction, the boy pulling his hand away without a complaint, "Anyways, he'd watch me work sometimes as if gauging my work, like, a professional smither would. He wasn't that, but what he was… was far greater."
"A Nen trainer…" Daniel spoke softly.
The man gave a nod, "He helped me refine my skills, giving me harder, more expensive materials to refine. This guy was pissing money down the drain, just to teach me how to master my skills. It was fun… honestly… I got to work with so many, rare materials… creating unique and bizarre products at times. Much like Wolfbane… It was a shame it broke. But… I did warn him."
"You said Resmian doesn't work well with high impacts, right?"
"Yup, it's strong… don't get me wrong. But, how… it's refined, it makes it a little brittle. A focused strike would've shattered it… but it had to be a really, hard impact strike though. Like from a rocket. You said an Enhancer broke Wolfbane, correct?"
"Yeah… she tore the weapon apart"
"Makes sense…" The man took a sip of his drink, "I can't make it again though…"
Killua shifted his gaze to his partner, "Why not though?"
"Oh, I can make the pieces… and I would use a completely different material to do so. But the mechanisms, itself… Yeah, I can't do that. I'm not skilled at Inscription. You'd need someone like… Rosalia Servedio, to achieve something like that."
"Right…" Daniel responded in a deflated tone.
Mikkel frowned "Anything else you'd like to know?"
Daniel shook his head, "No, that's all."
"That's a shame…" The man found himself scratching at his chin, annoyed at how the situation turned out. It sounds like he was bummed that not only was the weapon a dud, a new one couldn't be made to replace the old one, "Well, if you got no lodging, you're welcome to stay here for the night."
"Nah, we have a place. But… you wouldn't happen to know where I can find Rosalia?"
"I have a shipping address to her place, as well as her number. I can even pass off a message to say Vastorie's son is coming to visit if you'd like…"
Daniel thought about it, wondering how they should go about it. Eifion said Mikkel could help them protect themselves, but he was far from a Nen practitioner. The man said so himself, but the thing that has him worried the most… what he's looking for… Mikkel couldn't achieve on his own.
He couldn't make the weapons he wanted…
However, that wasn't the only thing… He broke the last weapon Mikkel made for him. He broke Wolfbane…
Now sure, the man said it had flaws when he crafted the weapon, but he still broke it… that weapon cost ten million… could he afford to make another three? He couldn't afford to make a mistake.
Killua poked his partner under the table, suggesting his boyfriend bring up the other thing he they came for. Daniel wasn't looking for Wolfbane to be remade, he had other ideas about what he wanted.
Three separate weapons to be crafted…
If he discussed it with this man, made he could make the mechanisms and the weapons itself, then when they go to Rosalia, she could make the finishing touches.
Daniel had other ideas. He needed his desires fleshed out. If Vastorie can make a mistake as large as that one, he needed to be more prepared. So, he sat upright, "Thank you for the information, can we have the number and address?"
"Sure…" The man got up leaving the room to gather the information the boys needed.
Killua smacked his partner on the arm after the man left, "Why wouldn't you bring it up?"
"I'm… not ready, I guess. I don't have my idea completely fleshed out."
"Why don't you ask him then… clearly, he knows more than he's letting on."
"What if I make a mistake…"
"This isn't a life-or-death situation. Making mistakes is how we should be learning when it comes to these sorts of things…"
"But such a mistake could cost us in the long run. I just need a little more time. I just need more time to think about the basics, before I could even think to ask more advanced questions."
"Alright…" Killua sighed, "But we're staying in this region… I guess."
Eventually, the man came back with a piece of paper, the address and number written down, "Here you go. I also wrote my direct number down for you, if you need to get in contact with me, of course. Anything else I can help you with…?"
Daniel shook his head, "Nope… We'll be staying around the area for a bit longer before we move on."
"Alright, come over or give me a call if you need anything else. Just… please don't do what your dad does. Call in the middle of the night for a job offer."
Daniel snickered, "I'm usually dead during those hours. Killua could vouch for that."
Killua gave a smirk, "Dead and drooling…"
Daniel's face flushed with embarrassment. Did he still drool while he was asleep… or was that Killua getting back at him… getting back at him for not asking Mikkel for assistance? Especially, when the man was open to helping them out.
The question was, was he doing it because of who he was related to…
Or was he doing this because he's a man willing to help another?
"~"
When the boys left, Mikkel waving them off, he frowned when they could no longer see them. He overheard them fighting amongst themselves, Daniel hesitant with asking him questions to what sounded like he could provide answers to.
Something he said, clearly made the boy hesitant to ask questions.
His phone buzzing forced him to answer the device, "You reached Mikkel's Smithery, how can I assist you?"
"Hey-"
Mikkel pinched his nose, "I'm almost done… don't get your knickers in a twist."
"But I usually go commando…"
The man frowned in response, "I didn't need to know that. What you want anyways?"
"Before you rudely interrupted me, I wanted to make sure my son arrived safely to you."
"He did… he also broke Wolfbane."
"I'm aware…"
"And what did I tell you…?" The man gave a questioning hum at the end of his sentence.
"I made bad choices…"
"You did…" Mikkel put one hand on his hip, "Your son seemed hesitant to ask me to make another weapon."
"About that…"
"NO!" Mikkel stated in a matter-of-fact tone. He's still busy with his original task Vastorie gave him, "I will not make another weapon for him, especially… if you're leading the project."
Vastorie scoffed at the response, not just because Mikkel accused him of being horrible at his choices, not because of the assumption he made… he doesn't want himself to make it… Daniel wouldn't even accept the weapon as a gift. What he wants is Daniel to choose for himself. He wants the man to push his son, to choose for himself, "I've… no, it's not important. What I want from you, is to press Daniel… to make him want another weapon crafted from you."
"No…" The man said defiantly, "I'm not going to push him… it doesn't even look like he's ready to ask anyone for help. Except, maybe the kid he walked in with… Killua, I believe his name was. That's a strong bond he's got there with that kid."
Vastorie opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off again, "No… I don't want to hear it. I'm busy. If he wants help, he can ask me his damn self." He hung up before Vastorie can justify the situation. He spins and weaves so many truths, it's sometimes hard to figure out if he's lying or not… whether it was justified… or not.
Daniel will ask him when he's ready…
Not before then…
