Chapter 2: Rainy Days are a Bummer

Kaden soon returned to shop after finishing his coffee and eating some food he had stored, noting that a grocery store visit would need to happen soon. He flipped on the store lights and the store fully revealed itself to anyone willing to enter on a day like today.

Guns lined the wall behind the counter and hung on a few racks around the room as display pieces. Laser rifles, typical guns, high caliber rifles, you name it the shop probably had at least one somewhere within. Kaden prided himself on his ability to work on weapons and figure them out with almost no oversight from the owner required. He mainly repaired and refurbished older weaponry, but on occasion a hunter from the guild or a guard working for the city would buy something from the store.

He made enough money to make a living while also continuing his personal research. For someone who couldn't use magic, integrating it with tech was a no brainer but the struggle of doing so was a proponent of why no one had yet to crack the code. Experiment after experiment ended in failure but Kaden never truly gave up. His passion was unending and he always strove for excellence in his conduct.

The door swung open as a blonde haired girl walked in, a squelching noise happening with every step. She was panting as she walked past Kaden and behind the counter, placing a bag in the opening to the workshop.

"Morning Claire, you look like you're trying a new style today." Kaden couldn't help himself.

Claire shot him a glare, "Of course you would say that, look can I go grab a towel from upstairs? I can't work in the shop like this." She motioned down at her clothes, soaked to the brim in rain.

He tossed her the keys, "Sure, knock yourself out. Just don't take anything."

She caught the keys, "Like you have anything to take." She smugly retorted as she walked up the steps.

As Kaden heard the upstairs door open and then close, he relaxed a bit and went to dry off the floor where she had been dripping.

Claire was a part-time hire that Kaden had brought on only a month prior. Her demeanor was prickly but he couldn't deny her work ethic when it came to brass tacks. She was good, maybe even better than him. Her ability to work on energy weapons was unparalleled and Kaden had questioned her on where she got her knowledge, though she always answered that her family was good at it which he found odd. You would think that a family that skilled with energy weapons would open a shop, especially in Lastation, but Kaden shrugged it off since there could have been circumstances that he wasn't factoring in.

As he didn't want to pry, Kaden never did ask her. But he had a feeling she would avoid it, considering how she never talked about her personal life outside of her older sister who she seemed to get along with but also resented. He just assumed it was a sibling thing and didn't ever question it.

Hearing her footsteps down the staircase, he looked towards them and caught his keys as they came flying back at him. "Thanks for that. I didn't even expect there to be rain today."

"Really? You strike me as the kind of person to meticulously plan ahead."

"If I could do that, I wouldn't be working at this shop." She shot at him.

"Oh, well you could always quit. But I wonder what your sister would think, she is the one who told you to get this job, right?" He smirked at her.

Her face twisted into a blush and she closed her purple eyes as she turned her head away in a huff. "Yes, she did. And you should be grateful I decided to work here of all places."

Kaden mockingly bowed, "Ah, how could I forget. I as a lowly gunsmith is not worthy of your presence in my shop. Truly the goddess has blessed me with an employee like you"

"..."

He stood back up with a smug look on his face as he stepped past her into the workshop. Her face was a mix of satisfaction and frustration as he clearly got under her skin with how condescending he sounded, yet she was mildly delighted with his praise with how often he criticized her work on traditional weapons. She might have been skilled in one way, but she lacked in others to compensate.

Grabbing some tools off of the bench, Kaden looked at the piece of work he had been trying to complete for a week now. A pistol sat on the workbench with etchings carved into its casing, a new prototype. Claire followed him as her violet eyes glanced down at the gun and then back at him.

"You still haven't given up on this, have you?"

"Of course not, can't give up now. Especially with the advice you've been giving me." He smiles as he puts on his glasses and leans down to examine the markings. Intricate as they are, making sure that there isn't a single mistake is crucial.

Claire sighs and walks up to the front counter, waiting for customers to arrive. She sits there in thought as Kaden continues to work on the pistol, his focus becoming intense as he works. Each movement is practiced and calculated as he completes the finishing touches on the engravings. Satisfied he stands up and walks over to Claire who is just sitting at the counter on her phone, but she doesn't seem to notice him. He peeks quickly at what she's doing, but it just looks like she's texting her sister, nothing too special. Disinterested, he leans over the counter and looks towards the door. Evidently, the weather was definitely the cause of the shop being empty, the rain had only gotten worse since he had arrived home and he could barely see a few feet outside the windows.

As he leans back behind the counter, Claire sighs. "So… any ideas for the expo?" She seems to be attempting conversation, clearly not her strong suit.

"Well, if we get this pistol working, I think I'll be showing it off."

"Oh? And how would you demonstrate your lack of magic to prove it's working?"

"...I haven't thought that far ahead?" He scratches his head. "I mean, I could get the Goddess to check, she would be able to tell, right?"

She scoffs at the notion, "Ah yes, the goddess of our beautiful nation who clearly would have enough time to visit a rinky-dink gun shop owner's booth."

He chuckles, "Hey, miracles happen. You never know."

Claire waves her hand, "Sure, sure. And when you meet her, you can tell her all about me." She lightly hits his shoulder.

"Oh, I'll be sure to mention my apprentice who can't seem to get a traditional weapon together on her own. I'm sure she'll love that one." He smirks as he pulls out his phone to browse the internet.

"Hey!" Her face is slightly red. "At least I can use magic. Unlike some poor saps."

"Wow, Claire. That's a low blow." He jokingly chastises her with a disappointed look.

"Well…" She looks like a combination of sorry and upset at the same time.

He pats her head to try and lighten the mood. "Hey, it was just a joke. You're improving and that's what matters. You know?" He has a half smile to make up for his words.

She doesn't respond but she relaxes a bit as he pats her. He does eventually pull away as he sees someone approaching the shop and as the door opens.

"Welcome to Monument Weapons, how may I help you?"