Cześć! Back again are we? That's a nice surprise o3o/ a good one to be sure. Thank you though! Have fun!
Passage Two: Girl of the Garden and Meeting of the Forgemaster
The two of them quickly spun around, spooked by a young woman holding a bunch of different colored flowers in her arms. It looked like she had lilies, sprigs of lavender, daisies and sunflowers. Dirt was smudged on her fair skin and mostly on her pale blue tank top. Fox like teal eyes stared at Nami and Luffy quizzically. She was about the same height as Nami, slightly taller with a semi-stocky yet feminine build. Underneath her right eye were two moles like teardrops. There was a large leather belt around her waist that held gardening tools and a small pouch on the side. She moved a few loose ashen blonde strands of her shoulder length hair behind her ear as she asked the question again.
"Can I help you guys?"
"O-oh right. We're looking for Tahgu and Kirsi. The mayor said they'd be able to help us," Nami told her. "She told us the two live up on the hill where the forge is. This is the right place right?"
The girl nodded. "It's the only forge in town. What do you need exactly?"
"Someone to look at our ship."
"This is a blacksmith forge you know."
Nami was slightly taken aback by her sharp reply. "W-well I know that! The mayor said these Tahgu and Kirsi people could help us."
The girl laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to sound rude sorry. But Tahgu isn't anywhere near being a shipwright. Neither is Kirsi."
"How would you know?"
"Because I'm Kirsi. The old man is my teacher."
Nami just stared at her. From how the mayor described them, she was half expecting two buff men that could squish a man's head with their bare hands and not feel and ounce of regret doing it. The young woman Kirsi smiled at her and gave Nami a knowing nod. A "I-know-that-kind-of-look" nod. She set the bundle of flowers on a table that was directly in the sunlight and dusted her hands off on her charcoal colored capris.
"The description better fits Tahgu. He's a bit of a grumpy old fart that makes me run errands in town. He probably won't help you, but make me do it instead. You can talk to him anyways if you want."
Luffy finally decided to join in on the conversation after chasing a butterfly and got right into Kirsi's face. "You're a shipwright?! You need to join my crew!"
"Weren't you listening you moron?" Nami snapped and shoved his face away. "They aren't shipwrights."
He pouted. "Then why are we here? I'm hungry."
"Because they might be able to help us."
"We do have shipwrights," Kirsi stated, getting the attention of the two pirates. "They aren't professionals though, but their skill is adequate enough to help those that arrive and are in need of repairs."
Nami nodded slowly. "That's what Berta said. What about payment?"
"Let's talk to Tahgu first before we start throwing numbers out."
Kirsi motioned for Nami and Luffy to follow her inside the storefront of the forge. It smelled of fire and burning metal. Inside was a large wooden counter with a doorway behind it. Along the sides were barrels and boxes filled with tools, nuts, bolt, nails and the like. What looked like iron ingots were laid before the counter neatly. There was loud banging coming from the back.
"Where does all this metal come from?" Nami asked.
"Mainly trading. But there are mines here. They're located on the southern side of the island among the hills. You might have seen them when you arrived. This town mostly deals with the trades," Kirsi explained. "The southern and western towns provide the goods. Wait here a while I get Tahgu."
Kirsi vanished through the doorway behind the counter as Nami sat on the bench near the front entrance. Luffy started poking around, oohing and aahing at anything he laid his eyes upon. He picked up a ball-peen hammer and used the polished head as a mirror, making weird faces as he did so.
"If you break anything, you have to buy it."
The deep rumble of a voice spooked Luffy which caused him to drop the hammer, missing his foot by mere millimeters. He quickly picked it up and placed it back where he found it, standing at awkward attention after he did so. The new person was a large bald man, standing above six and a half feet with the build of a bear. He crossed his arms as his stern gaze pierced through the two newcomers. It was very obvious to Nami this was not a person she wanted to get on the bad side of. Kirsi popped in behind him with a smile. She was wearing a dark teal colored jacket with short sleeves.
"This is Tahgu, the master blacksmith. And this is..."
It took a moment for Nami to find her voice. The old man was beyond intimidating. "I'm...I'm Nami. And that's Luffy the captain." Luffy did a sloppy salute.
"Pirates?"
Nami nodded.
"Ship repairs?"
She nodded again.
"I'll supply anything you need if you pay. Kirsi will do the rest."
He left without another word. Kirsi let out a sigh. "Of course he would. My skills are no where near Tahgu's, but he just doesn't like dealing with people whether they're pirates or simple merchants. I'll help you out the best I can though. I'll look over your ship and determine what needs to be done and how much it's going to be. Then you pay me and I'll take it from there."
"That's it?" Nami questioned with a suspicious tone.
"Yup. It sounds like a scam doesn't it?" Kirsi chuckled softly. "It's not don't worry. That's how it's always been. Though if you plan on running, you'll have to deal with Tahgu. He is not someone you want to mess with."
"Yeah no thanks. What else do you need from us?"
Kirsi tapped her chin with her index finger. "There's a lumberyard at the northern end of town. Tell them your situation and that I sent you. They'll understand. I won't know how long it'll take until I see the damages, but it could take up to a week. So enjoy our lovely town for the time being."
The smile on the blonde's face was bright like the afternoon sun. Nami couldn't help, but feel at ease and that she could trust her. She said her thanks and grabbed Luffy by the shirt collar to leave.
"Where we going now?"
"Does everything just go in one ear and out the other? Is your head really that empty?" Nami muttered under her breath. "Kirsi told us to go stop by a lumberyard to talk to some people that will help us."
"We going to find a shipwright!"
"No you dolt."
They left the for the path and when the two reached the carriage, the driver looked relieved to see the pirates still intact. They climbed back in and left for the mayor's house.
"How did things go for you?" the driver hesitantly asked.
"Tahgu is terrifying and Kirsi was very kind. She's nothing like the old man."
"She? Kirsi is a she?"
"You didn't know that?"
"I don't think many people know about Kirsi. When you have someone like Tahgu, it's a surprise anyone works for him."
The navigator let out a hum. "She's more of an errand girl for Tahgu."
"Wait...does she had ashen blonde hair and two moles under her right eye?"
"Yes she does."
"Oh! I've met her then!" exclaimed the driver. "Never asked her name, but she comes by every once in a while for supplies and to talk with traders. This is a big town that's spread out so it's easy to forget the people that have been living here their whole life sometimes. The other two towns are well connected to here and quite a few seem to come and go between them."
He chuckled before continuing. "People from all over stop by here. Mostly merchant ships and pirates. We hardly get Marines which I suppose is good. They cause more problems than you might think. The pirates aren't all that bad. Once they see or hear about Tahgu, they behave."
"He was..." Nami trailed off for a moment, "frightening. But he seemed willing to help as long as we pay."
"Business is business."
Nami silently agreed and leaned back in the seat. Luffy was bouncing around next to her like a puppy on his way to his new family. Sometimes being around him drains her energy. The rest of the ride was quiet save the whistling of the driver. Clouds were rolling in with the brisk breeze. Nami knew a storm was coming. She can feel the unusual static in the air along with the scent of dampness.
When they reached the mayor's house, Nami thanked the driver again and left with Luffy. Berta was sitting outside in the gazebo with a teacup and several cakes, mini pies, cookies and donuts. She smiled her shining smile when she noticed the pirates. She waved them over to joined her for a late afternoon snack. Luffy didn't hesitate at all and started shoveling what pastries he could get his hands on in his stretchable mouth. Nami sat on the bench and accepted a cup of tea.
"Glad to see you back. Did you get everything organized?"
Nami took a sip, finding the tea warm and sweet. It was refreshing, relaxing even. "We did yes. You were making it sound like they would be difficult to work with."
Berta chuckled. "Apologizes. Tahgu yes. Kirsi is the more reasonable one and very kind. She often comes by to tend to my flowers."
"It seemed like you didn't know her when you first mentioned her."
"Many would find it strange a young girl like her works as an apprentice blacksmith. I can tell you were surprised weren't you?"
Nami felt her cheeks redden a little. "I was."
A louder laugh erupted from the rotund woman. "You aren't the first person to have acted like that. After my husband passed away five years ago and I became the new mayor, I've found enjoyment from people's reaction when discovering the other half of the blacksmiths is a young woman. Don't be fooled, she is skilled in her craft. Now is there anything else you need?"
"Kirsi asked us to go to the lumberyard and talk with the people there for help. Then she'll take care of the rest. Do you know how long the log pose takes to set?"
"Only a few days. You'll be able to leave in no time once Kirsi and Tahgu are finished. Our amenities are at your service."
Berta held out her hand which Nami shook with a grin. Any doubts of the place were disappearing. She quickly grabbed ahold of Luffy before he ate the mayor's office dry and left back for town to look for the lumberyard. Kirsi said it was north which would be to the right of Berta's office.
Sanji and Chopper were waiting for them with the reindeer pulling a small cart with several boxes and bags when Nami and Luffy reached the end of the hill path. The cook twirled around like a spinning top seeing Nami again. Luffy immediately went to the cart to investigate the newly bought food.
"My dear Nami-swan! It's so good to see you gorgeous face again! How did everything go?"
"We have it all figured out. Kirsi will let us know how long it'll take once she checks the damages."
"She?" That piqued Sanji's interest. "The blacksmith is a girl?"
"She's only an apprentice. A scary old guy named Tahgu is the actual blacksmith. She seems to be the one sent out to do errands and requests while her boss stays at the forge. She'll be here in a bit. We're headed to the lumberyard right now."
"I'll go with you my dear! Chopper take the food back to the ship then come back. We might need your help again."
Chopper nodded. "Leave it to me!" He trotted off much to Luffy's dismay.
"Why are we going to the lumberyard?" Sanji questioned Nami as he dragged the disgruntled Luffy behind.
"Kirsi told us to go talk to some of the workers there for some help. They aren't any professional shipwrights here so Kirsi and Tahgu are in charge of ship repairs. From the sounds of it, a lot of pirate ships pass through here. That's why the people here don't seem bothered."
"It's weird to be honest. Seeing people being nice to a pirate. And all the ladies are so pretty and pleasant here!"
"Yeah yeah you can go play with them later," Nami sighed. "We still have some things to do first so let's go."
Nami stopped for a moment and glanced up. The clouds were still few, but the air had a stronger static charge and felt colder. A storm was definitely coming. She hoped they would be able to leave before it makes land. Sanji asked if she was alright and she brushed him off with a yes and continued walking to the north end of town. The storm was going to be big. She looked over to the ocean, noticing the waves had gotten larger. Not by much and wouldn't have been noticed easily, but Nami saw. And back to worrying she went.
Yea another chapter. If it's slow for you I'm sorry. If my dyslexic brain missed mistakes I'm sorry. If you came here looking for cookies I'm sorry. Beginnings are kind of hard I think. But that's okay! There's still plenty more story to come. Have a weebtastic day you lovely snowflakes owo/
