"Leo", Ghishu says, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. As you can see, I'm still in one piece. A stinking wet piece, but a whole one non-the-less. Anyway, I got the job after being through some uneasy experiences. I just have to go and see Max to finalize the small details and then we can head out of here."
"By the way", he says as he is searching for Max, "I can get an apartment on the third floor for $250 a month. What do you think? It's a problematic neighborhood, but we can use until we find a more permanent place."
Leo does a double take at Ghishu's appearance, then another one at his suggestion to rent an apartment here. He glances around at the repulsive dump surrounding them, then back at Ghishu. His gaze clearly says: An apartment that looks like this?
"Uh... I'd have to see... Maybe we should talk about it
with Kitty and Bruce," he answers cautiously. "For now, I'd like
to get to Flowers before
we hit closing time. And we also had a few errands to run, as
I recall." Another significant glance for Ghishu.
Ghishu nods in agreement to Leo's comments. "You're right", he says, "We do have some things to attend to. We can decide on it later." He then walks over to Max to inform him that he'll be here tomorrow at 4pm to start his shift, and to ask if anything else is needed of him.
Ghishu heads over to where Max is once again behind the desk. As he approaches Max tosses him a policeman's hat, and a badge.
"Always wear it when you're on duty," he says simply. "If you where it when you're off duty people in the barrio won't mess with you. If you are feeling particularly suicidal you might consider wearing it outside of the barrio, where some other gang will be more than happy to wipe the street with your ass for it."
"Also, free advice - go over to Gun Metal and buy yourself some gear - a kevlar vest, a truncheon or something to beat perps with - stuff like that. Lotta stupid gits come inta this job, think that the baboons can handle anything. Word to the wise - if someone chucks a brick at you from a third story window, the baboons will NOT save you if it hits you inna head."
"Now, get lost, I got a shift ta run here."
On the way out of the building, Ghishu consults Leo as to where to continue "Do you think we can afford a detour through Gun Metal, or would you rather prefer it if we went straight to Home Brew?"
Leo smiles lopsidedly. "Oh, I think visiting Gun Metal is a good idea," he comments. "I'm not the most aggressive guy around, but it seems we need to be more... prepared for what The Edge throws at us. For one thing, I need to replace my throwing knives that C&I confiscated; they were just juggling and throwing knives, not fighting weapons, but I would hope that the average mugger will at least pause if a couple of these whiz past his ears. And with your new job, you definitely need something too!"
He pauses, thinks for a second. "What kind of weapons would you normally use? Would you go for, um, what are they called -- nunchaku, or is that the 'ninja' stuff that Norbert was so unhappy about at the dojo? Incidentally, I'm going to try to take his capoeira class on Wednesday nights. That was *SO* cool!"
He chuckles.
Ghishu checks the badge Max had just gave him while Leo is talking to him. He attaches it to his belt and tucks the hat in his rear pocket.
"The nunchaku is a fine weapon. The idea is to keep it moving in high speed and then to strike when the opponent poses an opportunity. It's not my favorite weapon, though. I like the jo-stick much better. It's a simple stick of about 1 meter long, and it's usage combines techniques of various other weapons."
"But when I think of the streets here on Al Amarja", he continues, "I think I will go for a weapon with a little more punch. I think that I'd like to find myself a samurai sword or a ninja sword. The Katana - the samurai sword - is much better but usually costs more and is a little longer and harder to conceal. If they won't have the swords, I would definitely go for a jo-stick. Also, I would like to get myself a few shurikens - those star-shaped metal plates, which are the equivalent of the knives of the western world."
"Aren't shuriken ninja too?" Leo asks. "And don't you have some objections to ninja stuff, like Norbert? He certainly seemed to feel strongly about it! As for a sword... it seems to me you might attract every two-bit bully in the area, rushing to take your measure. I guess a concealable one would be less of an invitation to brawl, at least..."
"Regarding the armor Max suggested I'd take, I think I'll pass on that. I think that I'm better off with the extended maneuverability I have without the armor. It's very cumbersome and I'll feel much more comfortable without it."
Leo nods his agreement.
"You know", Ghishu stops and turns to Leo as though what he is about to say is a little more important than the casual conversation they had until now, "I can teach you some basic jo-stick maneuvers. It would be a good opportunity for me to practice and for you to learn some basic self defense. What do you say?"
Leo stops too, interested. "Jo-stick, you call it? Sure! I can deal with a stick, though I'll try to stay away from things that look too obvious, like nunchaku. I'd love to get some coaching from a pro!" He pauses, struck by inspiration, and his face lights up. "Say, I have devil-sticks -- they're juggling and trick props, about about two feet long whose ends widen slightly. They're manipulated using two thinner handsticks to tap the devil-stick backwards and forwards in front of the body."
He mimes the movement for Ghishu's benefit. "I have a couple of
regular ones and some fire-sticks, that's devil-sticks with porous ends
that can be dipped in fuel and set on fire for really spectacular tricks
at night. That reminds me, the C&I jokers also took my fuel,
I need to replace it. Anyway, I was thinking if I used a jo-stick
as a devil-stick, no one would even notice I had a weapon until I needed
to use it." He grins at Ghishu, pleased with the subterfuge.
Across the street the pair observe a sign hanging above a rather nondescript looking storefront, its windows covered with plywood. A sign in the shape of a pair of handcuffs hangs above the door. The word "METAL" can be read in the middle of one cuff, and "WORKS" in the other.
This particular portion of Four Points seems amazingly quiet. There is absolutely no traffic on the street.
"Any preference?" Leo asks Ghishu. "It seems that throughout the tourist brochures Gun Metal always has the glitzier publicity too. I guess it must also be more expensive. Sort of like Total Taxi and Giovannni's Cabs, maybe?"
He smiles a bit, thinking of Ghishu's personal appreciation of at least one cabbie.
Looking at the sign across the street, Ghishu feels like he's came across the name somewhere before. Then his face lights up as he is reaching inside his pocket searching for something. A couple of seconds later he pulls out a wrinkled piece of paper with a victorious expression on his face. He shows it to Leo:
"Metalworks"I got it from Ms. Rigatoni", he explains, "who is the lady that interviewed me at the Deadly Temptations. I'm not sure why she gave it to me, although I suspect that it was her way of trying to help me find the Dog Faces. Maybe she meant that the store is close to them or maybe she meant that I should ask there for directions. Or maybe she just wanted me to pay there a visit. I have no idea. This island is confusing me with all the ambiguous meaning everything has."
593 Pogrom Lane
Four Points."
"Whatever she meant, I suggest that we go there and see what they have to offer," he concludes.
Leo nos his agerement. "Alright," he says, "discount weaponry it is." He gives a wary glance at the boarded windows of Metal Works, and starts across the quiet street.
Leo
and Ghishu stroll across the reasonably deserted street and into Metalworks
without incident. The interior is dim and grimy, and smells of mildew
and cigarette smoke. Scattered about on pegs and tables is a large
selection of restraint gear for both law enforcement and entertainment
purposes.1
Behind the counter is a young man with punked out hair who is smoking a big joint of cannabis.
"Can I help you?" he asks in a rather bored voice.
"Mmm, just looking 'round for now," he answers the charming clerk.
He examines the merchandise with a look of disapointment. "Well, it's more the equipment to deal with prisoners once you've caught them," he sighs to Ghishu. "I think you need to stuff to catch them first!"
He points to a complex-looking straightjacket with multiple locks, straps, and chains. "Those are annoying. It can take five, ten minutes to wiggle out of 'em!"
Ghishu looks around the store with shocked, yet a little interested look on his face. "I guess you're right", he replies to Leo, "This is not the stuff that we're looking for. I think that the place across the street would fit our purposes much better."
Ghishu and Leo depart Metalworks, chased by a friendly "Well go fuck
off then," by the clerk.
Turning to Leo with an I-don't-feel-like-fighting-whatever-this-thing-is expression on his face, Ghishu points towards Gun Metal. "Quick! into the shop! I hope this thing won't follow us in there. And if it will, we'll have better weapons to our disposal once inside."
On the one hand, Leo has seen worse in his life. Maybe this is just a proactive panhandler, after all. On the other hand, Ghishu is right: they came here to shop, not to explore the fauna of Four Points. Nodding his agreement, he hurries along with his friend towards the neon sign of Gun Metal.
"Sorry, no change!" he says, loud enough for the approaching shambling figure to hear.
The dynamic duo sprints across the street, their nemesis in hot pursuit, hooting and moaning unpleasantly.
"No change!" it bellows. "No change! No! Change! No change no! Change no! Change no change!"
Leo feels rather guilty at running away from someone who may simply have a speech impediment, or some other handicap(s). But then again, in this place, it could be Frankenstein's creature.
Flinging open the door to Gun Metal, Ghishu and Leo screech to a stop. Instead of finding that they have access to the interior of the store itself, they discover that there is only a small foyer inside, with a large metal door on the other side. The door has no obvious handle (it's one of those that is opened and closed remotely) and the only other items apparent are a half-dozen television cameras mounted at various angles on the ceiling. There are two lights over the door, one green and one red. The red one is currently lit. There is a small speaker grille mounted in the wall next to the door, which is emitting a low, static hiss.
Leo makes sure that the first door shuts behind him before glancing around. He feels reasonably confident that this place will not be assaulted by whatever poor creature was pursuing them. He looks at Ghishu with raised eyebrows, then shrugs. Turning to the speaker grille, he says tentatively: "Hello? Anyone in there?"
While Leo is trying to communicate with whoever is behind the metal door, Ghishu holds the handle of the front door making sure that no one tries to open it, while looking outside through the glass to check out what's happening on the street.
The main thing going on in the street is that tha apparition reaches the door and begins tugging on it with incredible strength. "Open! Oh pen! Pen! Oh!" it screams while attempting to wrench the door out of Ghishu's grip.
Meanwhile, the speaker grille crackles to life. "Welcome to Gun Metal," says a male voice, badly distorted, from the other end.
"Uh, we'd like to do some shopping," says Leo, sparing an anxious glance for the commotion at the door. "Can we get in? The sign said 'Open'..."
Ghishu braces against the expected pull as he watches the apparition throw itself at the door. Thankfully the hideous creature seems to be attacking the door, rattling it, rather than applying its strength to open it. Even so, the martial artist notices that it is taking quite a bit of his strength to hold the door closed.
"Radford!" the creature keens. "Radford!" (THUD THUD) "Let in Radford!" (RATTLE, RATTLE) "Radford inlet!" (BANG BANG) "Let Ford in, rad!" (RATTLE THUD) "In Radford let!" (BANG CREAK).
As Ghishu struggles to keep the door closed the voice from the grille says "I'm sorry, but its against store policy to risk letting deranged mutants into our store. We have enough problems without people running amok with out merchandise. Once that thing outside goes away you are more than welcome to shop with us, however."
Leo shakes his head with an uneasy grimace and glances at Ghishu. "Well, I can tell your new job in Four Points is not going to be restful if you have to deal with that kind of customer. But at least he seems to be a confused, misguided lunatic with abnormal strength, rather than a homicidal, clear-thinking lunatic with abnormal strength."
Apparently having no other options but to go out and get rid of the 'problem' that's prohibiting them from entering the store, Ghishu silently mouths an "oh, well" and get ready to open the door.
"Stay behind, Leo. If you want to follow me outside, wait until we're at a safe distance from the entrance." Ghishu warns Leo before he lets go of the door, taking a step backwards and getting ready to jump at the beggar (or whatever it is) in order to push him away from the entrance.
Leo readily lets Ghishu take the lead, since he has no intention of trying to police Four Points, but stands ready to help his friend. He follows him out, staying out of the way since Ghishu is much better than him at this, but stands poised, his gangly limbs held loose and ready. He takes a better look at the misshapen troublemaker, wondering if they have met before.
"Give!" screams the apparition, tearing the door open. "Give! Give! Give! Not take, give! Give to Radford!" It advances into the entryway, still reeking and acting in a menacing manner.
Maybe its the small size of the enclosure, or maybe its just the bad smell of the intruder and his grimy nature which disinclines Ghishu to actually tackle him, but rather than moving in immediately the martial artist spends a few seconds guaring his opponent and jockeying for position.
For his part, Radford continues to simply block the door and moan, "Give! Take! You give! Radford take! Take Radford!"
Just at that moment, as Ghishu warily studies Radford, and Radford continues to act generally weird and threatening, there is a *POOF* sound. Ghishu doesn't really get a chance to look around, having to keep an eye on his opponent, but Leo notices that two medium sized white paper bags have materialized in one corner.
From them wafts the unmistakable smell of General Tso's Chicken.
He puts the bags down with a different kind of caution, that reserved to appetizing food rather than to pipe bombs, and checks the contents of the second bag, which prove to be similar. The containers are labelled with cryptic notes, such as 'GEN', 'PS', '<=', and 'MB'. A menu in chinese and english is stapled to one of the bags, advertising Madam Chan's excellent cuisine. The whole meal is entirely tangible and all too real; there is nothing insubstantial or illusory about it. There is also nothing to explain its arrival.
Still going with the flow (though keeping a distracted eye on the events just outside the door), he opens the container marked 'GEN' and stares at what is obviously an order of crispy, golden General Tso's chicken dripping with sauce. He picks up the smallest piece and tastes it -- perfect! Hurriedly, he walks beck to the door, bringing the container with him. He pushes the door open.
"Hey, Ghishu," he calls, "we have dinner!" The misshapen Radford is still gesticulating and bellowing. On an impulse, Leo fishes out the largest piece of chicken and throws it in an elegant arc to the shambling mound. "Hey, Radford!" he yells. "Dinner for you too!"
Radford stops as the piece of chicken sails by, then - inexplicably - puts his pale and bony hands on his hips. "What the hell do you think I am - a trained seal?" he says.
Leo pauses fractionally, then shrugs in typical Leo fashion. "What?" he retorts. "I catch stuff, and I'm not a seal -- though I am certainly trained. Ghishu, you gotta try this chicken!" He hucks a piece to his friend in an easy throw, keeping an eye on Radford as he does. "There's potstickers, fried rice, and Mongolian beef too, but for that we have to sit down and use utensils." He takes a third piece of chicken out and bites into it, watching the next developments.
"Fine," says Radford. "Just put some in a container and I'll be on my way."
Leo stares at Radford. His expression changes, from his fairly customary cheerfulness, to a dark scowl. Leo is getting fed up with Al Amarjan manners. "Beg your pardon?" he says coldly. "Do I look like I've just applied for a new job as your slave? I was trying to be polite, you could do the same."
"Sorry," replies the apparition, sounding not at all sorry. "I guess throwing food at people must be polite wherever the hell it is you come from. Now, please put the food you are offering me in some sort of container, one not filled with motor oil or any other noxious substance - regardless of how polite that might be in your home town - and we can both be on about our business, ok?"
"Get your own damn food," Leo snaps back, unmollified.
"What do you think I'm doing?" replies Radford. "You think I go around doing this for fun? I've been going easy on you so far 'cause you're Burger. Now how about you hand over some of the food before I expectorate on you or something."
Leo stares at the loony for a long moment, with a cold expression that is not seen often on his face. Very deliberately, he picks up another piece of chicken and pops it in his mouth as his eyes remain on Radford. "Awesome chicken," he comments.
He takes a step backward through the door he was propping open, bends down (managing to look something like a paper clip due to his stringiness) and picks up another container. He turns back to Radford and throws the unopened container.
Radford snags it out of the air with the speed of a striking snake.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot you're not a trained seal," Leo says without sounding sorry at all. "And I'm giving you the food not because of your threats or your graciousness, but because I offered it before. Now sod off."
Radford just shrugs and opens the container, peering inside with interest. "Hey," he says, "don't bother me none. If I was proud I'd be in another line of work." He starts to amble off, then stops. "You got a fortune cookie and some rice to go with this?" he asks. "And maybe one of those little pouches of soy sauce you could spare? And did they include some chopsticks or..." he pauses a moment.
"Hey!" he says, "where the hell did all this food come from anyway? You didn't have it when you went in, and Gun Metal ain't exactly a restaurant!"
"God sent it to me because I'm righteous," Leo snaps back. "Now, scram!"
Of course, Leo doesn't really have a clue how the food got there, but he's past caring about both dinner teleportation and panhandling mutants.
Radford shrugs and departs.
They watch the shambling mound shuffle away, munching on chinese food. Once it appears the annoying intruder is not coming right back, Leo turns to Ghishu. "You know," he says in a low voice, "I hate to admit it but I have no clue where this food came from. It just popped out of nowhere. I sure hope it wasn't a supernatural delivery for someone working here..."
He steps back into the small antechamber to allow Ghishu in, and grabs the container marked PS -- which proves, unsurprisingly, to be an order of potstickers. They are fried to perfection, golden and lightly crisped, without being overly greasy.
The speaker grille crackles to life. "Excuse me," says the voice on the other end, "but if you aren't going to come in, I'm afraid I will have to ask you not to block the entryway. There is no food allowed in the store, by the way."
"Oh, yes sir", Ghishu replies towards the speaker, "We'll come in."
Turning to Leo, he says: "I hope you don't mind, but we can leave the food here and eat it later. And if it will disappear like it appeared, we'll get something else to eat at Home Brew - it sounds like a place where we can something to eat".
"Sure," says Leo, shoving one last potsticker in his mouth and licking
his fingers. He plops the bags in a corner and allows the door to
shut, following Ghishu.
The interior of Gun Metal looks like a cross between a jewelry store and a high security bank. There are numerous display cases running along the walls, each of them containing some type of weapon. Knives can be seen in profusion, along with various types of baton, clubs, brass knuckles (both spiked and unspiked) mace, pepper spray, etc. All of the cases are protected behind inner walls of thick wire mesh, broken in only a few locations by security drawers for passing wares in and out. Three doors exit the main showroom, all of them with neatly lettered signs above them. The first says "Armor", the second, "Exotics" and the third, which is behind the wire mesh and inaccessible from the main showroom, reads "Employees Only."
Behind the wire mesh screens, near the cash register, is a young woman of around 16. She is dressed in black leather and wears mirrorshaded sunglasses, even though it is not particularly bright inside the building. She is well built and muscular without being bulky. Her hair is lustrous brown, her skin tone creamy.
"Welcome to Gun Metal," she says, with a voice that radiates supreme confidence, " how can I help you?"
Leo glances around with curiousity, before looking back at the sales person. He takes a few steps towards the counter and smiles in his usual cheery manner. Apparently, his annoyance with the shambling Radford did not permanently sour his mood.
"Hi! I'm looking for some throwing knives, something showy enough for performance art but of professional quality, particularly regarding balance. My friend here," he waves Ghishu forward, "is looking for a... a jo-stick, a katana, and shuriken, also professional quality." There is a small pause when he tries to remember his friend's weapons of choice, but he rattles off the shopping list alsmost flawlessly.
He looks around again, trying to spot suitable knives to replaces those he has lost to C&I watchful eyes -- and prying hands.
"Certainly," the girl replies. "Martial arts weapons are through that door," she points to the door labeled "Exotics" as she walks around and opens a case. "Jo sticks are over there in the case on the left," she points to another case with one hand while reaching into the case in front of her with the other. "All our jo-sticks are manufactured on the premises, so what's in the case is just a sample of course. Sizes range from 36" to 72"."
Ghishu eyes the "Exotics" door with interest. After waiting patiently for the girl to finish telling Leo about the knives, he says "Leo, I think I'm going to look at the martial arts weapons that they have to offer. If you'll need my opinion on anything just call".
Ghishu strolls through the door marked "Exotics" and discovers that, well, they aren't kidding! In addition to martial arts weapons (almost anything that isn't a simple club or cutting implement is in here, so you can find ashiko, blowguns, cestus, flying guillotines, garrotes, hankyu, jitte, kama, kusarigama, manriki, nunchaku, sai, etc. etc., but not staves, swords, tantos, etc. The division is somewhat arbitrary) there are a wide variety of oddities - a two headed battle axe, a chainsaw, several sizes of taser/cattle prod, large and small crossbows (quite a selection, incidentally), elbow spikes, knee spikes, and other such weirdness.
Behind the mesh screen is a large, bulky Mediterranian looking man wearing a black exercise outfit. He has the sort of body build that says "professional athlete" and "steroid abuser" at the same time. Like his coworker out front he is wearing mirrorshaded sunglasses. He nods to Ghishu as he walks in, but says nothing.
Ghishu enters the small chamber and looks around with unhidden excitement. He walks over to the martial arts weapons and briefly studies the large variety that's on display. He then turns to the guy behind the mesh screen. "Hi there. I'm interested in buying a katana and some shurikens."
"Katanas are in the front room, but I've got some real beauty shuriken here." The man moves over to a display case, opens it, and reaches inside. He pulls out a couple of jet black throwing stars. "Classy weapons - easy to carry, easy to learn. These are top of the line stainless steel, blackened to reduce reflection to almost nothing. They're lightweight, carry a wicked edge, and have the highest tolerance for balance and aerodynamic quality of any shuriken you can find on the market today. They're pricey - $25.00 a star - but you won't be able to put your hands on a better product short of spending forty years learning smithing and metallurgy."
Ghishu looks at the shurikens with interest and says, "Although they're a little expensive, they look professional. But I'll need to feel them out before I decide. Can you pass them over so I can check them out?"
"No problem," comments the man, "hang on just a second." He walks over to a wall mounted intercom and presses a single button. "V to Exotics please," he says. Then he reaches behind one of the racks and removes a light crossbow. He winches it to the "cocked" position and drops a bolt into the well, then sets it on a case.
About this time Ghishu notices a slight hum in the room, like a fluorescent light. There is also a slight flicker of movement, which is perpetually seen in the corner of his eye, as though there were something moving just out of his line of sight no matter which way he turns his head.
"Don't worry about it," says the man, "It's just Vorpal, our security guy." He drops two of the shuriken into a security drawer, slides it open on Ghishu's side, then picks up the crossbow.
Ghishu is obviously disturbed by all the fuss resulting from his request to check the shurikens. "Well, this is a little... ummm... disturbing", he comments, "But I can understand these precautions, with all those weird characters hanging around your neighborhood."
He takes one of the two shurikens in his hand and weighs it. "This is a very good shuriken. It's light weight and has a good balance to it." He then closes his fingers around the shuriken to make sure that it can be concealed in his hand, and nods to himself with acknowledgment. "Yes. This will do fine."
Returning to shuriken to the drawer he says, "I'll go and take a look at the katanas now and come back for the shurikens later. Where in the front room did you say the katanas are?"
"Front room, right hand side, wall rack." replies the man without hesitation.
Once the shuriken are back on his side of the wire cage he unstrings the
crossbow and puts it away. The humming, buzzing noise disappears.
"Now," she removes from the case a leather sheath, which she unfolds to reveal six matched throwing knives. "This is our top of the line set - the Hibbon 6-piece set. Each knife is high quality stainless steel, 8.25" long, guaranteed to keep edge and point for one year or your money back. This is probably your best buy, although..." she reaches into the case again, "if you are looking for absolute top of the line equipment and want more than just something to show off to your friends, I would recommend the Hibbon Thrower III - ten inches worth of your next opponent's worst nightmare. It's a bit heavier than the ones in the set, but it has better stopping power and more intimidation value. I won't kid you that it's more expensive at $23.95 for one, as opposed to the set that is $39.95 for six, but ask yourself this - the next time some punk has you cornered in some filthy alley and is coming after your liver, how much satisfaction are you going to get out of that money you saved by skimping now? Plus, I gotta tell you, the Thrower III is a very sexy blade."
During the pitch the girl pulls both of the items under discussion out of the cabinet and shows them to Leo, but does not pass them through the wire as yet.
Leo nods with interest. "Yeah," he agrees, "Hibben are good knives, although I see your prices are... hmmm, unchallenged by competition. But I'd rather like something double-edged, something like the Hibben Lightning Bolt Thrower, or maybe like Dragon knives, and short enough to keep in a sleeve. And I'll want to try the balance."
"Of course," replies the young clerk, nodding knowingly. She walks over to a small intercom on one wall. "V to main sales please."
Over his shoulder, Leo glances at the corner where the jo-sticks are displayed. "And you say you make custom jo-sticks? That sounds interesting. I was just discussing that possibility with my friend."
"Yes, we make all of our jo sticks here on the premises to order. You can choose from a variety of lengths and from circular or octagonal cross sections. Custom carving on the sticks costs extra, of course, so if you want the mon of your school put on then we have to charge a bit more."
The woman walks over to the cash register, reaches behind it, and pulls out a light crossbow. Like the beefy clerk in the Exotics room did before, she winches it to the 'cocked' position and drops a bolt in the well. Then she tucks it under one arm and walks over to one of the knife cases. She removes one each of the Hibben Lightning Bolt Thrower and a Dragon Knife, walks over to one of the security drawers, and drops them in.
At about this time Leo notices a slight buzzing noise, rather like that made by a neon light. He also notices a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. No matter how he moves his head, however, the movement remains just outside of his field of vision.
The woman slides the security drawer open on Leo's side, then raises the crossbow, pointing it vaguely in Leo's direction. At about this moment Ghishu returns from the other room.
Leo weighs the Dragon blade and the Lightning Bolt, comparing the balance on each. He tries a few flips, some rapid overhand and underhand tosses, and ends by balancing each knife on the tip of his forefingers (hilt down, he's not inclined to lose a finger). All in perfect symmetry, despite the fact that the twoknives are balanced differently.
"Mmm, the Dragon in flashier but the Hibben has better balance," he comments. "How about the Rigid Thrower? do you have that in stock too? I'd like to compare it to the Hibben." He puts the Dragon knife back into the drawer, but continues balancing the Hibben on one finger.
Ghishu looks at Leo knife-play with admiration. "Wow! This is cool!" Noticing that Mr. V is around, he decides to take the opportunity and check out the katanas that they have to offer. He turns right and looks at the wall rack where the Katanas are supposed to be. He waits for the clerk to accommodate Leo's request and then asks her if she could show him the katanas.
"Could you please place the Hibben back in the drawer, sir?" the woman replies, the crossbow not wavering at all. "You can retrieve it along with the Rigid Thrower once I get it out of the case."
Leo shrugs and drops the Hibben in the drawer. The clerk spares a glance in Ghishu's direction. "Is there anything I can get for you, sir?" she asks politely.
The humming sound continues, as do the flickers of movement.
"Yes", Ghishu answers the saleswoman when she turns to him, "I'd like to see those katanas. Can you recommend any of those in particular? I'm not looking for the most expensive one because I will probably not be able to afford it, but I'll also stay away from the cheap ones. What I'm saying is that I'd like something a little more professional, but which also costs a reasonable price."
The young woman opens up the security drawer and pulls one of the knives out of it. She turns her mirror-shaded gaze in Ghishu's direction.
"I carry a katana myself outside of the shop, so I guess you just got stuck with my one-minute lecture on swords. In my view there are exactly two categories of katana - costume katanas and weapons designed to kill people. I'm not saying that you can't kill someone with a costume katana - some of them can be made fairly sharp - but there is a big difference between the best costume katana on the market and a katana designed specifically to kill someone. I can get you a costume katana for $50.00 - it's a hunk of steel sharpened on one edge and made in the shape of a katana. For that price the metal isn't folded, there is no interior core, what you get is essentially a very large pocket knife.
"For maybe $200.00 I can get you something that will hold an edge and won't break when you hit something relatively solid with it. It will be well-balanced, but it still isn't a quality weapon. In a fight against a real katana you will rapidly find yourself holding a hilt and nothing more."
"If you want a real katana - the kind that is meant to kill people - the kind that is a weapon first, and not a piece of costume jewelry - that will run you around $1,200.00 minimum, less if you are willing to take something that is a bit worn."
Leo, listening to the "lecture on swords", gives a low whistle and glances at Ghishu with a grimace.
The sales clerk pulls another knife out of the display case and drops it in the security drawer, then slides it open so Leo can get to it.
The circus artist picks up the Hibben Ligthening Bolt and and the Rigid Thrower. He weighs them carefully, then starts flipping them as he did earlier. He hums to himself absent-mindedly as he compares the virtues and faults of the two knives. Finally, he places them back in the drawer and listens to the clerk's sales pitch to Ghishu, waiting until it is time to get down to business.
When Ghishu hears the $1,200 price, he tries not to show his disappointment but fails. "Well, I guess it's a little too much for me," he concludes after a minute. "I guess I'll stick to my jo stick. Three feet feet long will be fine. And I'll also have 3 of those shurikens the guy in the next room showed me."
"A 36-inch jo runs $23.48 including carrying case. We like to give twenty-four hours to process the order. Will you be wanting circular or octagonal cross section?" the woman answers promptly. Still hefting the crossbow she walks over to the intercom and pushes a button. "Joe? The customer would like three of those shuriken you showed him. What do they run?"
"Twenty-five dollars each," responds a static distorted voice.
"OK, I'll ring him up. I have another customer at the moment, though."
"No problem," responds the voice, "I'll bring 'em up."
"OK, thanks," responds the woman. She steps away from the intercom.
"Your shuriken will be up in a minute. Your total comes to... $98.48."
Leo waits until Ghishu is finished with his purchases and the sales clerk's attention is freed. Then he moves up to the counter and leans a bit so he can see through the wiremesh protection.
"Both the Hibben Ligthening Bolt and and the Rigid Thrower are suitable for my work," he comments. "Right now I'm leaning a bit towards the Rigid Thrower, but either will do, depending on cost. What do you sell them for? I would also need arm sheaths in addition to the basic carry-case."
A thought seems to strike him as he speaks, and he adds: "You know, I'm pretty handy with those things and other throwing knives. Does Gun Metal ever hire performance experts to demonstrate new equipment, or do they rely entirely on in-house expertise? I can do some tricks that the more business-oriented clientele is not familiar with..." He smiles winningly.
"A Lightning Bolt will run you $12.39, or you can get a set of three for $28.79. Rigid Throwers are $34.95 each, or you can get a set of two for $61.95. Black nylon belt sheath is included, but we don't make sheathes - you might want to try Metalworks across the street - they do custom leather work. I assume that you will want to go for the cheaper Lightning Bolts, but just so no one can say I wasn't doing my job I'll point out that the Rigid Throwers are a full inch longer for better penetration, 1/16th of an inch thicker which makes for a bigger hole in whoever you hit, and they come blackened."
She regards Leo for a moment. "I really couldn't say whether we are hiring anyone for demonstration purposes at the moment. I could give you an application, though."
Leo's face crinkle into another smile. "Actually, I believe I'll take a set of two Rigid Throwers as well as a set of three Lightning Bolts. I sure wouldn't want to be throwing away perfectly good Rigid Throwers on unworthy targets," he chuckles. He slips a hand in a pocket and pulls out a cheap ball-point pen. From the latter's tube, he extracts a $100. bill rolled up very tightly. Carefully, he rubs the bill to a semblance of flatness, and drops it into the drawer.
"I would appreciate that application form," he adds. "And I'd love a chance to show my skills." As an afterthought, he raises his eyes towards one of the surveillance cameras and waves. "I'm not a nut case, I don't attack my employers, my public, or passers-by," he continues, "and I have very good references." He winks.
The woman's eyes, hidden behind the mirror shades, give away nothing as she moves to the cash register. She reaches underneath, pulls out a form, and passes it through the security drawer to Leo.
The guy from the other room comes in carrying a small cardboard box.
"All right," says the woman. "Let me explain how this works. You pass the cash into the drawer, and we pass you out a package with your stuff in it. You are allowed to open the package to verify the contents before you leave the store, but not to remove anything from the package. We're really serious about this - if you pull so much as a throwing spike out of that package while you are in the store, Vorpal will drop you where you stand. If you have any problems with the merchandise you can bring it back, but tell the clerk over the intercom before you walk in - don't just waltz in here and pull out a weapon so you can show us that the blacking is scratched - that's a really quick way to die. You probably think we're all paranoid nutcases, but that just goes to show that you're Burger - you haven't seen anything yet. And one last thing - when you walk out that door with your purchases you aren't going to be Burger anymore. Everyone on the island who sees you armed is just going to assume that you are both able and willing to use what you have. If you aren't ready to give up the protection of being a tourist then I'd advise you to just walk away right now and head back to Sunken for a cocktail."
While the woman speaks, the man just nods once or twice. There is a pause of several seconds, then the woman directs her gaze at Leo. "That'll be $90.74." she says.
The strange hum and the flicker of movement continues.
Leo listens attentively to the sales clerk's admonitions, nodding occasionally to show he understands. He is clearly less than thrilled, but it's damned if you do, damned if you don't. He picks up the application form from the security drawer and leaves his $100 bill in it for the clerk.
"May I have a pen to fill the form?" he asks politely.
As he waits for her answer, he checks the contents of his multiple pockets.
The woman takes the money, goes over to the cash register, and rings up the purchase. The man drops the package (presumably containing the shuriken) off by the register, sketches a wave at Ghishu and says "Have fun, throw straight," and departs towards a back room. The woman drops the knives into a cardboard box, picks up a pen from behind the counter, and puts the box with the knives, the pen, and the change in the security drawer, then hefts the crossbow again.
"Will there be anything else? she asks, glancing at Ghishu.
The humming continues.
Ghishu fumbles through his pockets, and after a minute manages to pull out a few crumpled bills. He straightens them out and takes his time in selecting the correct bills that will give him a sum of $100. He recounts the bills to make sure that he didn't make any mistakes and then shoves the remainder of the bills back into his pocket.
"There you go", he says as he places the $100 bills in the drawer, "and I'd like the jo stick with a circular cross section. When can I come by and pick it up?"
"Any time tomorrow would probably work, but I would recommend afternoon or evening," replies the woman. "We normally do our special orders up after closing time, but sometimes we get backlogged."
She makes change, then sends the two packages out through the security drawer. "Thank you for shopping at Gun Metal," she says, "please check to make certain that your purchases are in order before leaving the store. Do not remove your purchases from the box until you leave the store."
There is a soft "bzzzzzzzz" from the back, and a previously unheard
voice from a back room says, "Welcome to Gun Metal. Please put your
hands on top of your head and turn slowly in a circle."
To Be Continued...
http://www.cssecurity.com/Return
http://www.h-tmfg.com/
http://www.TheFantasyMall.com/
http://www.hallucinet.com/retailslut/