Kazune was stumbling through the crowd of people within the kingdom walls looking for a blacksmith. He had helped Karin as much as he could the night before but after dinner she fell asleep before finishing the bed or playing with him. He in turn slept as well, curled up beside her. When morning came, Kazune had gotten a ride into town from Saul. They'd talked a bit but Saul was much less talkative in the morning. He seemed only half awake.
Now that the sun had risen, the town was much livelier. Kazune stopped to ask for directions and promptly started off in the direction he was pointed in. It was going to be a long day of spending money. Kazune could now hear the clanking of tools on metal mixed in with the hum of the crowd. The blacksmithing shop was filled with burly men covered in soot. There were various things for sale and one man was helping a customer.
"And what can I do for you, young man?" He said as Kazune approached.
"I need some tools for building furniture... mainly nails, a hammer and a drill. Anything else you could recommend would help me greatly."
"Hmm, well let's see here." The man spoke gruffly as he ducked behind the counter. "Here's a box of 2,000 nails, another 2,000 screws, one hammer, and one drill." He looked at Kazune with a confident smile and a wink.
"You gonna need any doorknobs or drawer handles?" He asked.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me." Kazune got flustered at his own forgetfulness.
"No problem. I've built a few things in my day. It is the little things you forget."
"Could I get some hooks and two of those curtain rods as well?"
"Sure thing." The blacksmith gathered up all the items Kazune could see that he thought that he'd need.
"How much do I owe you?" Kazune asked as he reached for the pouch with his money.
"$140. Do you need help getting all that home? That is an awfully large amount of metal to carry home. We have carts you can borrow."
Kazune thought for a moment. He probably should have come here last.
"Is there any way you could hold on to these till I come back later? I have a lot of errands to do today and I will have a ride home."
"Let me ask the boss." The man went to the back of the room to an old man who was pounding on an anvil. The man had a long grey-ish white beard and a scarred face. He was also very muscular. He shot Kazune a glance before the sales man came back.
"He says he'll hold onto it for you. We close at 5 so, come back before then and get it."
"Thank you. I'll be back in time." Kazune was about to leave but stopped and turned around again.
"Do you know where I can find an upholsterer and fabric store?"
"Oh sure, if you go down this road, at the end is the fabric store. This is the craft street so everything you'll need that deals with craftsmen and smithing will be here. If you want more trade items, go one street over to the east. They have all the clothing, jewelry, dish wear and home stuff. You want food, one street over to the west." The man was overly helpful but Kazune was grateful for it. The new town was huge and would take him time to get used to.
"Thank you." Kazune turned and headed to the fabric store.
"Better to start at the end and work my way back." He thought to himself.
The fabric store was filled with any kind of fabric and pattern Kazune could dream of. He wandered through the shelves looking for the fabric colors Karin said she wanted for the sofa and chairs. Kazune got to choose the bedroom decor since he was most excited about that room. The living space was to be earth tones with green, brown and gold colored fabrics. Their room would be reds and blacks. The kitchen would be some sort of floral while the bathroom would be blues. Kazune thought the house was turning out much more colorful than he'd imagined but he did like the different feelings the rooms would give off.
He bought rolls of the fabric he wanted as well as a few neutral colored towels for whatever they might need them for.
Next was the upholsterer to get an estimate for how much it would cost to have the fabric put on the furniture. Conveniently, the upholsterer was just a little ways up and across the road. Kazune crossed and entered the building. It smelled like leather and thread.
"What can we do for you? A man with a monocle asked him.
"I wanted to know how much it would cost to get patterns cut from this fabric and have the fabric upholstered to some furniture I am building."
"Would that be a house call or would you bring the furniture here?"
"It would be done at my house since many of the things are too big for me to cart over."
Kazune pulled out the plans for the furniture and showed them to the man. The list had a sofa, loveseat and five chairs.
"For that many pieces of furniture, a house call, I would say the cost would fall between $375 and $400. $150 for the sofa, $100 for the loveseat and $25 per chair."
Kazune's jaw nearly dropped. He could afford it but it would eat up all of their money.
"I will get only two chairs upholstered then." he decided.
"Very good. When would you like this done? We can make a reservation." The man pulled out a pocket book and a pencil.
"I will have to wait until the furniture is closer to being finished to give you an answer, but I'll try to be back next week." Kazune told the man. This did not seem to please him however because the store keeper looked up at Kazune with skeptical eyes, sighed and put away his book.
"Glad we could be of help to you and we look forward to your business in the future."
Kazune swiftly left.
It was mid-afternoon now and Kazune was getting hungry. He decided to find a place to sit and eat his lunch and the garden wall looked inviting. As he set down his things and shuffled into a comfortable sitting position, a girl walked past him. Kazune paid it no thought until he realized that she was going to come talk to him.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked.
"I don't think so. I just moved here." Kazune began to feel uneasy.
"Are you sure? I feel like I saw your face somewhere." The girl thought about it, looking him over as Kazune fidgeted. He was still unsure if he had a bounty over his head. The war was over but he could still be in trouble. Suddenly the girl gasped.
"You're that boy from the west country that I used to play with!" She exclaimed.
Kazune became confused. He'd never played with any of the town's kids. He hated them. He wondered if she could be mistaking him for someone else when a memory came flooding back.
Kazune was seven at the time and had just started to learn how to use his magic powers. His parents had died the previous month and life was rocky. He had been walking home from the hellhole they called school when a clump of dirt hit the back of his head. As he turned he'd seen a group of 4 or 5 kids all holding dirt. Their leader was a tall girl who wore a devilish grin.
"Show us some of your magic tricks!" she yelled.
Kazune was stepping backwards, ready to run away, but tripped and fell on his butt.
"If you don't show us something cool, we'll throw this dirt at you."
"W-why?" Kazune had asked in a whimpery voice.
"You use it when you get mad, like when you burnt the teacher's clothing for getting a timeout!" A boy in the group cried.
"He won't do it." The tall girl said looking smug. "He's too much of a goody-goody two shoes!"
A clump of dirt hit him in the face before he could tell who did it. There was a roar from the group of kids as they ran at him, pelting him with dirt. Kazune had curled up into the fetal position, covering his face from the onslaught. Dirt turned to rocks as the kids ran out of ammo and Kazune was gaining more and more injuries. They eventually ran off laughing while Kazune lay there unsure of how to feel. He had wanted to cry but was too angry to.
Back in the present, Kazune looked at the girl again. The old feeling of complete humiliation and spite welled up in one burst. Kazune began to smolder and black smoke left his mouth as he spoke.
"You think that was fun?" his voice growled. "You think that was play?" He yelled.
The girl began to shrink away as she realized his fury. Kazune grabbed the front of her blouse, burning her skin where his knuckles curled under the fabric.
"Do you even realize the torment and years of psychological mess you put me though?" Kazune's eyes were burning red, his breath felt like the doorway to hell itself. The girl couldn't speak, she was so terrified. He was so much taller, stronger and scarier than he'd been when she'd last seen him.
"You threw dirt and rocks at me, you hung me from a tree, you desecrated my family's grave and you nearly drowned me in a river. Yet here you are saying it was all fun and games because we were kids, right? We didn't know any better. Well I've got news for you. I've had my revenge on that bastardous country." Kazune let go of her shirt and she stumbled backwards, trembling.
"You're still insane..." she said with a shuddery breath.
Kazune was beginning to calm himself down for fear of destroying everyone around him.
"I am not, nor ever was 'insane'." Kazune shot her a death glare. "I was just pushed too far by people like you."
"You... My father will hear of this! You'll be arrested!"
Kazune began to laugh. "Your father burned with the rest of them! Have you not heard? You? In your simple, pleasant life in a large kingdom? The West country is no more, burnt to the ground by yours truly and frozen over into a wasteland of death and despair by the northern country."
The girl's face went grave.
"Of course with no living family to contact you, it is only natural that you were not informed." Kazune smiled as he gathered up his things. His face soft and calm at the knowledge that he had broken her.
"Farewell, I hope I never see you again." He said with a wave. "No, I WILL never see you again because you will never approach me again. Do you understand?" He opened his eyes and willed her to defy him.
She said nothing but her eyes screamed that she wanted him dead.
Kazune tuned on his heels and walked across the road to the jewelry street. He did have to see about setting the sapphire in something more permanent after all. Feeling a new weight lifted, Kazune was actually quite happy. He entered the store and a bell rang.
"May I get this stone priced?" he asked the woman at the front.
"Certainly, sir." Kazune slid the stone over to her as she took out a magnifying eye piece, scale and measuring tool. After looking at it for a few moments she spoke.
"With its rare cut and size, the stone prices in at roughly $2,000." Kazune nearly fell.
"Thank you. And, how would you suggest I set the stone?"
"That depends on how you wish to display or use it. If you want to use it for magic purposes, I suggest a standing amulet, ring or placing it in the tip of a wand. For decorative use, any jewelry will work."
Kazune thought about what he would like most as far as a setting. He decided a ring would be most practical.
"May I see your ring setting designs?"
The woman pulled out a box with hundreds of designs. They were ordered from most expensive to least. Kazune spied a filigree pattern in white gold. It wasn't too expensive, about $300 for the setting.
"I would like this one to be made to fit my stone." Kazune pointed to the setting.
"We can do that for you in a week. What size ring would you like?"
"Size 5 please."
"We will have it ready in a week. Here is your confirmation. We require payment up front but if we damage the stone somehow, you will be given that money back."
Kazune gathered up the paper and left the sapphire with them. The sun was getting low. He decided he'd better go get the metal goods from the blacksmith and wait for Saul to pick him up.
He was welcomed back to the blacksmith and given his items just as Saul was riding up.
"You got a lot done today, didn't you?" Saul smiled and tipped his hat.
"You have no idea. I'm beat." Kazune dropped everything into the back of the cart and sat up front with Saul.
Their ride home was pleasant. The cold air brushed Kazune's hair. It was sunset by the time they got back. Kazune waved back to Saul and his wife and soon arrived home. The path had been lined with lanterns by Karin. He saw that she was finished building most of the furniture. The inside of the house looked almost furnished. Karin was cooking stew over an open fire. It smelled heavenly.
"I'm home." Kazune called out. It sounded weird to him but it made him happy.
"Did you have a good trip? Karin asked as she ladled stew into a cup for him.
"Yeah, I got to know the town a little better. Aside from a run in with an old bully, everything was pleasant."
"An old bully? That sounds upsetting." Karin leaned over and pulled Kazune's cheek to her lips.
"I got to blow off steam. She was shaking when I was done." Kazune smiled as the warm food slid down his throat.
"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Karin asked in a warning voice.
"No, I just scared her a bit." He took another bite.
"Well, while you were off having fun, I finished the bed and two of the chairs." Kazune cut in for a moment.
"Right, don't make the other three need upholstery, it is too much money to upholster all of them."
Karin looked at him with a bored stare. "Alright, let me finish telling you about what I've done today."
"Sorry." Kazune drank the broth.
"I made the path lights, as you probably saw and I talked to a wood sprite. She helped me gather food and welcomed us to the forest."
"That was nice of her." Kazune placed his hand on Karin's back. "I promise, tomorrow I will be around to help you all day but I am very tired. Is the bed ready to sleep on?"
Karin's eyes looked a little pained.
"Do you really have to sleep right now? I've been waiting all day for you to come home..." She trailed off. "Never mind, you did get up early. I shouldn't make you stay up." She laughed.
"Thanks, sorry."
"The bed is ready but, you have to sleep on a mat still." Karin's voice lifted as she stood to show him the room.
It was a beautiful bed. Kazune probably could not have afforded one similar.
"I will sleep well on this." He said with a smile, kissing Karin on the top of the head.
Kazune walked over and crawled under the blankets. Karin watched with a solemn face. Her heart felt heavy and sadden at the lack of interest Kazune seemed to have in her since they got here. She tried to chase the thoughts out of her mind as she left the room. Of course they would be busier than usual. Things would calm down once they were settled. Still, Karin could not push the idea that their relationship would change. Would Kazune become too comfortable with her and eventually she would fall to friend status? Does he know that this will happen and that is why he told her they could not be lovers forever?
