Sera was walking down the streets of Vale when she was suddenly approached by an old friend. She was finally taking Qrow's advice on trying to customize and upgrade the sword he'd gifted her, and she figured the best way to do that was going into Vale to pick up what she'd need. Ruby told her about several weapon shops that could help her, and if she asked for it, she even offered to help modify the sword since she was so into weaponry.
The amnesiac huntress sighed in relief when she finally found the weapon shop that sounded the most interesting to her: Iron Maiden. But before she could walk through the door, a familiar voice caught her attention.
"Sera? Is that you?" someone said, and Sera turned to see none other than Cerulean smiling at her. Her team was with her, as well. Meallan, Harlequin, and Antonio stood with their team leader and looked at Sera with neutral expressions.
"Uh, hi," Sera said, glancing between the four other students. Meallen looked unimpressed, like usual. His blue eyes regarded her with cold eyes and looked her up and down. She didn't know Harlequin and Antonio too well at all, but so far, she wasn't sure what to think.
"What're you doing in Vale today?" Cerulean asked warmly.
"Just looking through some shops. You know, seeing if I can improve my equipment," she showed them her simple sword. Cerulean grinned and put her hands on her hips. "It's about time! It's kind of painful to see you spar with other students with just a normal sword, what with how just about everyone else has some kind of complicated weapon that can transform into like ten different things."
Sera forced a laugh and leaned against the store's wall. "Yeah, well, I was getting tired of it, too. So that's why I'm looking around. Plus, I mean, I've got this now to help," she drew her short double-barreled shotgun and showed it to her. "I just want my sword to be more useful."
"Right," Cerulean nodded, then she beamed, "Oh, I know! Do you want some company? You know, a second opinion on whatever you're wanting to do with your weapon?"
"That… would be pretty helpful, actually," she rubbed the back of her neck. In truth, she didn't know what the hell she wanted to do to her sword. She just knew she wanted it to be cool. "Plus, it's been forever since we've hung out."
"Yeah, like, weeks," Cerulean said, then turned to her team. "You guys go on ahead, and I'll be back to the room later." Sera stifled a sigh and relaxed her shoulders when she heard that the rest of team CSHL wouldn't be joining her. Not that she didn't like them all, but new people generally made her uncomfortable. That's why besides her two teams and Cerulean, she didn't really make any friends outside of them. Unless you count Velvet Scarlatina, but they only met once when Sera helped her by getting team CRDL off her back.
"Whatever," Meallan shrugged. "Don't stay out too late, you know how Goodwitch is about curfew."
"Yeah, yeah," Cerulean waved them off with a smile. "Just don't get lost without the help of your all-knowing leader." Then the three other students wandered off, occasionally glancing back at the two girls.
"Well, this is the shop I was about to go into," Sera gestured to the blacksmith shop.
"Cool! Well, let's go!" she marched into the store with Sera close behind. When she saw the inside, the amnesiac gasped. The walls were covered in weapons of every kind and several that were so ridiculous that she didn't even know how to describe them.
"Wow…" she said. "Is that a goddamn chainsaw katana?"
"I think so. You wanna use that as a weapon instead? Cause I wouldn't blame you if you did," Cerulean said.
"As tempting as that is, I think I'll have to pass," Sera chuckled. "I'm kinda attached to this sword now," she hooked a thumb to her weapon.
"Welcome!" a voice boomed, and they turned to see a tall woman in a blacksmith's apron behind a counter. Sera had to do a doubletake when she saw the woman. She was easily far over six feet tall with rippling muscles and tanned skin covered in tattoos. Long black hair was tied into a loose ponytail and her hands and forearms were scarred and worn from working the forges. "How can I help you today?" she asked kindly and set a heavy-looking hammer on the counter.
"Uh…" Sera trailed off, looking up at the taller woman with. "I was hoping to add some additional parts to this sword," she unsheathed the weapon Qrow had given her. The woman held her hand out, and Sera handed it over. She inspected the blade, rubbing her thumb along its edge to test its sharpness and examining the craftsmanship.
"Who made this sword?" she asked curiously, trying to shake the cross guard to see if it would loosen.
"I'm not sure. It was a gift," Sera half-lied. She wasn't sure if Qrow had made it himself or simply picked the weapon up and gave it to her. "Sorry, this is all I could come up with in the time I was given," the huntsman had said.
"I see," the smith said and looked down the sword's edge with one eye. "And you were wanting to add parts to it?"
"Yes," the amnesiac confirmed. She glanced to the side to find Cerulean scanning the rows of weapons on the walls.
"And you're a huntress, right?" the woman looked Sera up and down and quirked an eyebrow.
"A student," Sera nodded.
"…I see," she said. Sera raised an eyebrow and watched her inspect her weapon. It was a fairly large sword, but compared to this large and muscled woman, her weapon looked like a toothpick.
"Is there a problem?" Sera asked.
The blacksmith handed her sword back to her effortlessly and leaned onto the counter. "It's just that if you want this sword to be modified, that would take time—more time than there is in the rest of the day. You wouldn't have your weapon if you needed it at school. Since this is such a simply designed sword, you can't simply just attach parts to it. No, I'd have to completely reforge the weapon."
"…Oh," Sera's shoulders sank in disappointment. She did have her new shotgun that Qrow had also given her, but she didn't want to rely on the gun alone in combat. Especially if she had to spar with another student.
"But I have a far better idea," the woman said with a kind smile. "Just commission a new weapon, and I can forge it while you hang onto that sword until I'm done."
"That's… a pretty good idea," Sera blinked, sheathing her sword. "I could ask for a whole new weapon for you to make? Like, to my design and everything?"
"Exactly," the blacksmith nodded.
"So, what're you gonna make?" Cerulean appeared at Sera's side and bumped their shoulders together. The amnesiac thought for a moment. She had never thought about what she would use if she could design her own weapon, but then again, she only knows how to use one type of melee weapon: a sword. With that thought in mind, a tsunami of ideas flooded her mind as to how she could design a multi-functional sword. She even thought about other huntsmen's and huntresses' weapons and how she could improve certain aspects of them. Then a broad smile spread across her face.
Her idea was simple yet had a literal ton of potential if used right. And it all centered around the uses of Dust.
"I think I know just what I want," she smirked and put her hands on her hips. Cerulean grinned and patted her shoulder.
. . .
Twenty minutes later, Sera was finished with her design. The blacksmith, who'd introduced herself as Janis, had given the huntress a drawing pad to design her new weapon and to write down any details about it. Once she was finished, Sera grinned at her handiwork and brought it back to Janis to look at.
"Hmm," the blacksmith put a finger to her chin while she looked over the sheet of paper. It wasn't the easiest to read, due to Sera's hasty handwriting, but she could make it out well enough. As for the rough sketch of the sword, well, she'd have to ask the white-haired student to explain it. "This is an interesting design."
"Bad interesting or good interesting?" Sera asked nervously.
"Just interesting. I've seen many different weapons that used Dust as a main function, but I'm not sure I've ever made one like this. And you don't want it to transform into anything?" she asked.
"No," the amnesiac shook her head. "I've already got another weapon to use, so I don't really see the point in having it transform. Besides, I uh, can't really think of anything to transform it into."
"Uh-huh," Janis read over the page again. "Well then, how would you like to forge this weapon yourself?"
"Huh? Myself?" Sera blinked. "But I don't know the first thing about weapon smithing."
"Is that so?" Janis asked. "It's tradition that a huntsman or huntress forge their own weapon, but you didn't craft either of the ones you have?"
Sera shook her head. "They were both gifts."
"Someone gave you not one, but two weapons instead of you making your own?" Cerulean raised an eyebrow.
"Moving on," Janis cleared her throat. "In all honesty, I'm afraid I might not be able to craft this weapon to your exact specifications, so I'd rather you be here while I forge it. I can walk you through the process and show you everything you need to know to create your weapon."
"Not to sound rude, but isn't it like, your job to forge weapons to a customer's specifications?" Sera asked. Janis grinned and leaned across her counter and towards the white-haired girl. "Kid, I'm offering to show you how to make your own weapon, and you're giving me sass."
Embarrassment washed over the huntress while she rubbed the back of her neck anxiously. "Sorry," she apologized.
"That's okay, you can make it up to her by taking her offer," Cerulean grinned and patted her on the back.
"R-right," Sera stammered. She didn't like the idea of having to spend her time forging an entire weapon with this woman she'd just met, but it looked like she wouldn't have any other choice. If she wanted her new weapon to be perfect, she'd have to work for it. "Okay," she nodded. "I'll do it."
"Great!" Janis smiled. "We can start early tomorrow morning, and we should be done by the end of the day."
"That quickly?" Sera blinked.
"It doesn't take as long as you'd think, these days," Janis shrugged. "I can get a weapon or two crafted in one day, but since it's your first time at the forge, you can take your time."
"Works for me," Sera shrugged. "How much would all of this cost me?"
"We can discuss that once the weapon is made. I don't like to price my work until it's finished," she replied.
"Right," the amnesiac said, already regretting agreeing to this. The blacksmith chuckled and spun a pair of tongs on her finger. "If that's all you two need for today, I have more work to tend to. And I'll see you tomorrow… what was your name again?"
"Kass-" she started to say before cutting herself off. "Sera," the huntress answered.
"That's it," Janis snapped her fingers. "Sera. I'll see you tomorrow morning to forge your weapon."
"…Right," she said again, trying not to sigh. 'Why can't she just make it herself? That's why I drew it, and this is her job, after all'
She mentally groaned on her way out of the shop, but she tried for an upbeat smile when she caught Cerulean looking at her funny. "What's up?"
"What was that back there?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Sera blinked.
"When she asked you your name," Cerulean said. The two of them had started walking down the street, heading nowhere in particular. Sera averted her eyes and stared ahead with Cerulean still looking to her for an answer. "You didn't say 'Sera' when she asked, you started to say something else."
"I think you might be imagining things," Sera chuckled.
Cerulean crossed her arms. "Uh-huh."
An uncomfortable amount of silence passed before Sera decided to speak again. "So, what do you want to do now? We have the whole rest of the afternoon."
To Sera's relief, a smile spread across Cerulean's face. "I thought you'd never ask."
. . .
The next morning, Sera showed up at Iron Maiden bright and early in her usual white coat, a violet crop top, and a pair of white jeans tucked into her black boots. With a tired sigh, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, where she could already smell smoke coming from the forge. Sharp hammering noises rang through the shop and drew the huntress in.
"Janis?" she called out, walking behind the counter and peeking through the door to her forge. She could see Janis facing a large anvil and striking a red-hot piece of metal with a hammer, facing away from her.
"Wow," Sera commented as she looked at the impressive forge. It had an enormous bowl-shaped structure made of thick brick with a ton of hot coals inside, bellows, and a long trough of water to cool the hot metal. Several pairs of tongs laid about the forge and a few work benches were pushed against the wall. Hanging all over said walls were thousands of Lien worth of tools made for crafting any kind of weapon imaginable. Dozens of molds were lazily stacked in a corner, and a large speaker rested on one of the work benches and easy-going classic rock played through its speakers.
"Hey!" the huntress tapped the giant woman's shoulder. She wasn't going to admit it, but she had to stand on the tips of her toes just to reach that high. Janis whirled around mid-swing and nearly took Sera's head off.
"Whoa!" she blinked behind a pair of circular goggles and set her hammer down. "Holy Dust, kid! Don't do that!"
"Sorry!" she apologized. "I don't think you would've heard me!"
Janis went over to turn down her music and set her goggles on her forehead. "I take it you're ready."
"About as ready as I'll ever be," the huntress spread her arms slightly. Janis smiled and showed her the hunk of metal she was hammering on. "Good, I've already started," she said, then tossed Sera a thick black apron. "Here—you'll need this to work the forge."
The amnesiac inspected the worn-down cloth and at the scorch marks covering it. Uncertainly, she removed her coat and put the apron over her head before tying it behind her back.
Janis walked around her in a circle, looking her up and down. "Maybe you'll be better off than I thought," she commented, lifting Sera's arm and examining the lightly toned muscles on it.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
The blacksmith dropped her arm and returned to her forge. "Most kids I see in the huntsman academies are pretty wimpy-looking. If the wind blew hard enough, they just might blow away. Don't get me wrong, you're short, but you look sturdier than the average teenager."
"Thanks?"
"It takes strength and endurance to work a forge, kid," Janis smirked at her. "We'll see if you're up to the task."
After she was dressed for work, Janis calmly explained the process of forging a blade. Since she'd already began on it, Sera only had to hammer out the rest of the metal and shape it. The huntress stepped up to get into position, holding Janis's hammer tightly with one hand and setting a clamp to hold her would-be blade still. Then she raised the hammer and struck it. At first, she was unsteady and awkward, but after some instruction from Janis, she became steadier and more confident. She got into a rhythm, striking the hot metal over and over until it flattened and began to look more and more like a blade. The process took hours, and Janis watched her quietly with her large arms folded.
Sera wiped the sweat from her forehead and breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling from how much she'd exerted herself and also from the scorching fire in front of her. Sweat covered her entire body, and she was glad that she'd taken her coat off.
"This is what you do all day?" Sera said finally.
"Yep," the blacksmith nodded and pumped the bellows.
"It's kinda fun," she said, causing a small smile to spread across Janis's face.
"I'm glad you think so, because it's almost time to cool the metal and get to work on the rest of it," she pulled out more metal and a couple of molds. "The good news is that all we have to do for the hilt and cross guard is to set a mold. Because of your design request, I only have a few molds that can suit what you wanted. So, pick one," she laid out two sets of molds, with three molds in each set. They looked like large stone squares, but the insides were hollowed out in the shapes of different styles of hilts and cross guards. After a few moments of indecision, she chose the molds of a long hilt and a thin cross guard.
Next was to lay set the mold encasings up for the liquid metal to fill the molds and set them aside to cool. Once that was completed, Janis coached Sera on how to shape her blade to her liking after once again heating it. The huntress smiled at her handiwork as she gazed across the rough blade. It was leaf-shaped, and when it was complete, she knew it'd be the most beautiful sword she's ever seen.
Sera stuck the red-hot blade into the water trough with a pair of tongs and grinned when the cool liquid made it hiss and billow steam. Then once Janis gave her a nod, she took the blade out and examined it.
"Nicely done," Janis commented. "Fine work."
Nodding gratefully, Sera set the blade aside and wiped sweat from her face with the back of her hand. "Okay, what now?"
"Now, we break those molds."
"Say what now?"
Janis smiled. "Did you think we could just remove the encasing? No, we have to break the metal out of it." She tossed a double-headed hammer at the huntress, and Sera caught it instinctively. "So, get to work."
Sera exhaled and walked over to the molds. She experimentally poked one to see if it was still hot, and luckily, it wasn't. Then she raised her hammer and swung. It cracked against the mold and chipped its stone. After several hard whacks, the stone crumbled, and she banged off the remainders of the mold that still clung to the metal. With a grin, she lifted the steel hilt out of the stone wreckage, then went to work on the cross-guard's mold. Once that was free, she took her pieces of the sword and returned to Janis.
"They turned out well," she noted as she inspected the metal objects. "These'll do nicely. Now, we attach these and the tech you need for proper Dust functionality to the tang of the blade, then you can sharpen it, then finally, polish and paint it."
"Paint it?" Sera asked.
"You didn't think it'd stay as this bright silver color, did you?" she asked.
"…Maybe I kind of did," the huntress said, and the blacksmith laughed.
"I like you," she smiled broadly. "You remind me of myself."
"Thank you?" Sera said uncertainly.
"You're welcome! Now, give me a minute to put your sword together."
"Aren't I supposed to do that?"
Janis shrugged. "This part is kinda delicate. If you do it wrong, you might have to start all over. Don't get me wrong, you've done well so far, but I'll handle this bit."
"Whatever you say," the amnesiac's shoulders sank slightly. She was enjoying this, making her own weapon from nothing. It was like she was forging a bond with the sword while forging the sword itself, and she felt like the final thing she'd need to perfect it is to put it together. But she'd trust Janis's word. This was her job, after all.
Janis gathered the pieces of the sword and set them on a workbench, then turned her back to her customer. Sera could only wait and try to peer around her while she worked. Finally, Janis turned around and held aloft the completed weapon.
It looked amazing in the huntress's eyes, and its blade shone in the light of the fire. The sword was massive, with a leaf-shaped, doubled-edged blade, a plain hilt with an ornate pommel, and resting in the center of the cross guard was a silver skull with its mouth hanging wide in a silent scream. Sera wrapped her hand around the smooth hilt and was amazed by how perfectly it fit. It just felt… right.
"Wow," she murmured and raised the sword to her face for a closer look. There was a tiny switch under the cross guard, and when she flipped it, a small hatch opened up at the end of the pommel. She could fit her entire pinky inside of it, and she quickly realized what the slot was for.
She quickly sharpened the blade against a wheel-shaped grindstone powered by a pedal that spun the stone, and soon enough, it was sharp enough to cut a sheet of leather with ease by only gently pressing it against the edge.
"You wanna test it? To see if it works, I mean," Janis asked with a hint of excitement.
"Extremely," the huntress responded. With a grin, the blacksmith tossed her a narrow red Dust crystal. Sera smiled and slid the Dust into her sword, then closed the slot. She held the sword out and away from them, glanced at Janis, then flipped the switch in the opposite direction. Immediately, purple fire danced upwards until the entire blade was engulfed in flaming violet.
"Uh…" Sera gazed at the flames. "It's purple?"
Janis grinned and put her fists on her hips. "I wasn't sure if that'd work. Experimental tech that can change the color of a Dust crystal's effects. Purely cosmetic, but I figured you'd enjoy that little feature." She winked.
"It's pretty damn cool, actually," the huntress admitted. "And it works with other types of Dust? Ice? Electricity?"
"It should," the blacksmith said. Sera switched the fire off, then gazed down at the weapon. "Don't worry about that Dust crystal, you should be able to keep using it until it runs out of juice."
"And how long does that take?"
Janis shrugged. "Depends on the quality of the Dust. Better Dust should last longer. They may be a bunch of fascist dickheads, but I'd recommend using some of the SDC's Dust."
"Oh, I have the perfect hookup for that," the huntress smirked.
"I'm not even gonna ask," Janis held her hands up. "You ready to paint it? Plus, we'll add a wrapping for that hilt so its not just metal you're holding."
"Sounds perfect," she inspected the skull on her new weapon. "I have another addition in mind, also."
Half an hour later, her sword was painted. Thanks to modern technology, the weapon looked like the metal actually was the color it had been given. Its hilt and cross guard were almost black (Janis said the color was "shadow cast") and its blade remained a bright steel color. Its sharp edges were painted violet and shined in the light, but what Sera loved was the addition to the cross guard. The screaming skull now had a pair of purple jewels residing in its eyes. When she tested a shard of electricity Dust on the sword, she noticed that the "eye jewels" glowed while the Dust was in use.
She grinned the entire time that she wrapped a strip of violet-colored leather around the hilt. The huntress gave it a test swing, then experimentally sheathed the sword into its new home on her back.
"This is incredibly awesome," Sera giggled and drew the sword again, running her thumb along its edge.
"I'm glad you think so," Janis said warmly. "Now, about payment…"
. . .
"Twenty-thousand Lien?!" Sera's jaw dropped. "I made it myself! Doesn't that get me a discount? You know, since you didn't have to do much work?"
"That's with the discount included," the blacksmith shrugged and held up her hands. Sera blinked and checked her pockets. She didn't have much left of the Lien that Qrow had given her, and what she had didn't even cover a quarter of the price.
"Uh…" she trailed off when she pulled out a pair of Lien cards. Janis saw the dejected look on the student's face and smiled kindly. "Tell you what, I'll put it on your tab."
"My tab?" she asked, confused. "I didn't know blacksmiths had tabs."
"Mm-hmm, some of us do. You keep that nifty sword you just made, and you can pay me back later for it."
"But why?" the huntress asked.
Janis shrugged. "Who knows? Just don't worry about it for now, kid."
"I don't know what to say," she said.
"Don't say anything," the blacksmith said. "Just take it."
Sera nodded and sheathed her sword beside the shotgun on her back. She hadn't bothered carrying her other sword with her that morning, it was still sitting in her locker. Now, she wasn't sure what she'd do with it.
"Thank you," Sera said to the giant blacksmith.
"Don't worry about it, I had fun making it. It's been a while since I've crafted something with another person," she shrugged. "How about this—if you've ever got nothing to do or are just bored, swing by here and I'll show you a thing or two about making different types of weapons."
Initially, Sera would've refused her offer. But since this woman was kind enough to teach her how to make her own weapon, then give it to her for "free," she was obligated to accept. Besides, she had fun working the forge and making something with her own two hands.
"I think I might just take you up on that," she allowed a smile to spread across her face. "I appreciate it."
"No problem," Janis said. "By the way, have you thought of a name for that thing? Every good weapon deserves a name, especially one you made yourself."
Sera blinked. She hadn't thought about it. Hell, Qrow had told her the exact same thing when he gave her that first sword, and she still couldn't think of a name for it. She drew the newly forged sword and held it with both hands, gazing down at the weapon with hard eyes. She scanned its blade gleaming in the light and the screaming skull between the cross guard, then to the dark hilt. She remembered the way the blade ignited into a violet flame when she inserted the flame dust.
Suddenly, it clicked.
"Amethystus Igneous," she thought aloud. A smile spread across her face, and she spun the sword in her hand before holding it out to catch the sunlight along its edge. "Means 'amethyst flame.' Could call it 'Igni' for short," she shrugged and smoothly sheathed it.
"Not the worst name I've heard," Janis nodded approvingly. "What about that shotgun there? Did you pick a name for it, too?" she pointed at Sera's double barrel.
"Oh, that's just my Boomstick," she said.
Janis blinked. Then blinked again. "What?"
. . .
Sera thanked Janis again for the deal she gave her for the sword before heading back to Beacon. Weirdly enough, she felt more comfortable walking with it than she had with Qrow's sword. It didn't really come as a surprise, but she still thought it was interesting.
She was about to turn onto the road that led to the nearest airship docks when a thought occurred to her. Thinking about her current location in regard to the rest of the city, she wondered if she could make it back to a certain nightclub, and if she could ask a certain gang leader for information regarding a certain purple-eyed girl with memory issues.
Then again, it'd be pretty irresponsible of her to go by herself to a nightclub full of dangerous gang members who'd all recognize her. What if she got hurt?
Sera laughed out loud and turned on her heel, heading towards the nightclub that she and Yang nearly tore down just weeks ago.
In no time at all, she was standing in front of the flashy club with an eager light in her eyes. A couple of the gang members were standing out front on either side of the entrance. If they carried any weapons, they were well hidden. She just strolled right up to the door and walked on through. When one of the gangsters tried to stop her, she just pushed his face away and kept on her way.
"Hey!" another gang member said when she walked past the front desk and through the doorway leading deeper into the club. She pushed the large double doors open and cracked her knuckles, a smile spreading across her face.
"Oh, boys~" she called. Almost everyone in the large room turned to look at her, and she scanned their faces until she found who she was looking for. Junior was hastily throwing items into a black bag by the bar, looking up every once and a while to glance at Sera. She grinned and made her way to him. Just about every goon in the place cocked their guns and pointed them at her, but she didn't let it damper the cocky grin on her face. It did make her skin crawl just a little.
The gang leader was about to take off when she got to the bar, but Sera just grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him into a barstool. "Junior!" she went behind the bar and drew her shotgun, then double checked to make sure it was loaded before slamming it onto the bar between her and Junior. She glanced up at Junior's goons to see them closing in on the bar, and they got especially jumpy when she brought out her gun.
"So, Junior," she said as she brought out two short glasses from behind the bar and set them down. Grabbing a tall bottle of dark brown liquid from the shelf behind her, she uncorked the top and partially filled each glass before pushing one of them towards the gang leader. Junior looked kinda uncomfortable, which was understandable given that a huntress in training was pretty much holding him hostage while simultaneously pouring him a drink. She didn't really intend on drinking hers, it was really just for show. But if she had to… she might just have to suck it up.
"Minors shouldn't be behind the bar," Junior told her. "Or in this club." Nevertheless, he took a sip of the top-shelf whiskey that she just poured for him.
"Come on, Junior," Sera set the bottle aside and rested her palms on the bar. "We both know that you've done far worse than allow a little underage drinking. Hate to think of other things you've done with minors." She looked at him with hard eyes. Junior's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but Sera kept talking. "But I'm not here to talk to you about that," she smiled.
"What do you want then?" he asked warily. Sera kept an eye on the black-suited goons to make sure they didn't try anything, but surprisingly they kept their distance.
"Well, like I said, you're the guy to go to for information."
"If this is about Blondie's mom, then you can tell her—"
"It's not about Yang," Sera held a hand up. "This is about me."
Junior raised an eyebrow. "And what's to stop me from just calling my guys on you and kicking you out of my club?"
That's when Sera snatched her shotgun and put the barrels right against Junior's forehead. The black suited henchmen rushed forward with weapons in hand, but Junior raised his fist to stop them.
"Because you know that even with aura, buckshot to the face doesn't feel too good," she told him. Junior lowered his fist slowly, flicking his fingers back, and his guys backed off.
"What do you want to know?" he asked. Sera set her gun on the bar again and leaned forward.
"Let's just say that I have a little memory problem, and I need help to remember a few things," she told him.
Junior scoffed and took another sip of his drink. "What, you lost something and forgot where you put it?"
The corner of Sera's mouth lifted into a smirk. "Something like that."
"And what was this thing you lost, friend of Blondie?" he asked.
"Everything."
Junior nearly choked on his drink. "Excuse me?"
"I have amnesia," she finally admitted. "Someone offered to help me, but they're taking a little too long for my liking."
"So, you're looking for some additional help to pick up the pieces," Junior concluded.
"Bingo," Sera nodded. "And unfortunately, you're the only person around who can help."
"How flattering," the gang leader scoffed.
"Do we have a deal or not?"
"What's in it for me?"
"Need I bring out the Boomstick again?" she gestured to the shotgun.
"Sweetheart, you need to work on your business tactics. You don't ask something of someone without offering something of equal or greater value. We shake hands, then go on to deliver on each of our agreed terms. So—what's in it for me?" Junior asked, then tapped on the edge of his now empty whiskey glass. Sera rolled her eyes and filled his glass, then set the bottle aside and watched Junior take a drink. "What do you want?" she asked.
"Now, you're asking the right questions," Junior set his glass down. "Well, let's think. A huntress in training could be pretty useful for our kind of work. How's this? I'll look into this for you, and let's just say that you owe me a favor and I can call on this favor at any time, and you have to come running."
Sera rolled her eyes and quietly considered her options. It was a good deal, and she knew it. She just didn't want to help these goons with whatever dirty work they'd need "help" with. Finally, she let out a groan. "Fine."
A smile spread across Junior's face, and he held his hand out. She took it, and they shook once. The gang leader pushed her untouched glass of liquor towards her then picked up his own. "Well, super huntress, what can you tell me about yourself so I have something to go off of?"
"The name 'Kassandra,'" she replied, taking the glass in her hand.
"That's it? Do you realize how many of those there are? I could throw a rock down the street and hit ten Kassandra's," Junior said.
"Try looking into other huntsmen academies—I have a feeling that might be the best bet," she said.
"Fine," Junior sighed. "I'll look into it. But remember we have a deal now. I'll dig up anything I can on you, and you have to come running when I call."
"Yeah, yeah," Sera grumbled. Junior raised his glass, and she mentally prepared herself while lifting her own glass. Their glasses clinked together, then Junior downed the rest of his liquor. Sera took a second to stare into the brown liquid, then knocked hers back as well.
The liquor was bitter as hell and the most disgusting thing she'd ever tasted. It burned her throat as it traveled down, and when it stopped, the liquid sat in her stomach like a brick.
She stifled a gag, but she knew Junior could see the discomfort on her face. "I'll check back here later to see if you came up with anything," she holstered her shotgun. "Thanks for the drink."
"Anytime," Junior smirked and stared ahead, allowing the huntress to leave his club.