I woke up early the following day and started my day by making my favorite breakfast. It consists of bacon, hard-boiled eggs, toasts, and a cup of hot chocolate.
I better load up my stomach before starting the day. I had many things that need to be done today, and I feel like I don't have enough time to finish everything within the day.
The first thing I had to do is empty out the storage room since mom is gonna use it for something. I don't know what for, but I'm guessing it's for work. I don't really care.
Meanwhile, I also had to arrange all the mess in the garage where my mom's newly bought weapons and equipment are stacked. Again, I don't know why she had to buy that many. They're all sort of things in there that you don't even wanna know.
Lastly, I had to plant all the newly acquired plants Lilianna, and I got from the woods. Of course, I'm not gonna neglect my garden just because I am going through something. Although I must admit, I haven't really been there since 2 months ago.
I probably have a lot of cleaning and weeding to do. I can't really complain since it was my fault in the first place anyway.
However, I need gardening supplies first and foremost. So, gardening might need to be postponed until later in the day or tomorrow in the morning.
I have to go to town and get the supplies first, and while I'm in there, I should also pick up Lilianna's thing from the Blacksmith Shop.
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Now that I was done cleaning the storage room and arranging all the things in the garage. I still had to go to town, but I'm already beat.
It's still two in the afternoon.
I sat on the front porch and rested my head sideways on the wooden railing, and closed my eyes. I just want to rest for 5 minutes, then I'll go and take a long shower.
I feel so dirty and itchy with all this dust stuck to me like glue.
After recharging for an hour, I slowly made my way to town.
I just want to lay in bed after taking a shower, but I can't postpone any of this.
I made my way towards the blacksmith shop at the far end of the entrance to the village. I just need to get what Lilianna asked me to get.
I entered the door, and darkness welcomed me. Is Pockey's Blacksmith Shop always this dark.
"Hello? Is anyone here? Mr. Pockey, are you home?" I asked nonstop, trying to see in this darkness.
I tried to look around to see the interior of the shop, but it is entirely dark.
I guess Mr. Pockey isn't here.
Just as I was about to step out, I heard a door open somewhere to my right, then I heard footsteps, and the lights turned on. My eyes adjusted a little bit quicker, and I saw him standing there still in his sleepwear.
"Uhh... sorry about that, I was just sleeping in a bit more. Worked late last night," He yawned.
"Did I come at the wrong time? I can just come back tomorrow," I implied that he could take his time if need be.
"Oh no, no-no. It's okay. I'm actually up," he shook his head, reassuring me. "Erm... Can you wait just a minute? I have to change out of these clothes. They're really unprofessional," he mumbled, a bit embarrassed being caught in his pajamas.
"Oh, sure! No problem," I reassured him while he walked back towards the room he came from.
Now that I'm alone, I decided to take a quick walk inside the shop— occasionally looking at the display as I waited for him to finish changing. I can see different kinds of things, varying from weapons, tools, and other stuff.
It was stocked piled in the room— old and new mixing together. It was as if it had been years since someone bought anything in here.
However, the craftsmanship and the handiwork he put in couldn't be mistaken. Even if I am no expert about all these things, I can still see the excellent outcome and the hard work that Mr. Pockey put in while making all of these things.
Wow! Mr. Pockey made all of this?
He is a really skilled blacksmith since he can make a lot of things. He's not just the best, but he's the only blacksmith in Phena Village.
Honestly, I don't understand why he still wants to stay in this desolate town. With his skills, he can make it big anywhere other than here.
I don't really know him that much since I don't hang around town anymore. I also didn't have the chance to properly meet him when I was young since my grandmother forbids me from going anywhere near this place.
She says it too dangerous for a child to be in.
I was also only focused on pleasing the adults that I meet. Being the perfect child is the only thing that mattered to me. Plus, I never really paid much attention to other things that don't interest me anyway.
Actually, this will be my first time going in here ever since my family moved here. This place is super cool.
I like it. I wished I've visited sooner, especially when we started our training. I could use some knowledge from Mr. Pockey in choosing the best weapon for me.
When I turned my head from looking at the glass display in front of me, I saw a dagger hanging onto the left corner of the room.
That dagger got my attention. It was the prettiest thing I've seen from all the assortment of items back home. I immediately reached out and picked it up from its holder.
I gently felt the dagger in my hands, and as expected, it has the perfect weight— not too light and not too heavy.
Honestly, it doesn't shine that much, and it looks rusty. But when you actually hold it, the blade is so smooth that it can cut into anything it touches.
I wondered if I gently touch the sharp edge would my finger bleed?
"Sorry for the wait, dear customer. What can I do for you?" A voice interrupted my ongoing thoughts, startling me to immediately place the dagger back in its place and turn around instantly.
He smiled at me and continued speaking. "And if you were to touch the sharp edges of that dagger, you will get hurt. That's how dangerous that dagger is. It's why it's above there and not down here with the rest of the display," he explained and pointed to the glass display containing the different types of daggers.
He clearly saw what I did with the dagger when he came out. How embarrassing.
"Oh, I was just curious since it's very pretty," I muttered in a small voice, trying to cover up my embarrassment.
It was actually better if I just stood there calmly— it's not like I was about to steal it or anything. But no, I just had to fumble like a thief and get caught doing it. That's just so embarrassing.
"You're the second one to say that," he stated as a matter of factly. "People often dislike this pretty boy since it looked old and rusty, but only those who have a keen eye can see its potential," he had a delighted look in his eyes while he talked more about the dagger on the wall.
"When I was in my twenties, I went venturing out in the forest, and I fell in a hole which leads to an underground cave. That's where I found the materials I used to make this beautiful dagger. I never thought..." he continued talking about it, but I got distracted by the dagger and zoned out.
"I feel like this dagger will become a problem in the future," I softly whispered to myself.
"So that's how this dagger came to be. Isn't it an amazing story?" He finished his story, and as expected, I haven't had the slightest clue what it was about.
"Oh yeah," I agreed mindlessly.
I just hope he won't ask me anything about it later.
I faced him and noticed the clothes he's wearing. He wore a proper blacksmith attire— fit to hammer some metals.
He looked like he's just a foot taller than me and I am 5'7". He also has a fit body that's not too muscular nor lanky. I'm guessing he's about in his early thirties.
I thought he would be difficult to approach and talk to, but I was proven wrong by my first impression. I felt that blacksmiths are very muscular and grumpy that they don't communicate properly, and are very stubborn people.
But Mr. Pockey is the complete opposite of that. He's like a mixture of Baddock and Milvard. He's not overly easy-going as Milvard, but he's also not hard to approach like Baddock.
"So, what would you like to buy, dear customer? Would you want that dagger?" He inquired and pointed at the dagger hanging on the wall display.
He seemed to be too enthusiastic in selling that dagger.
I shook my head. "Oh, I'm just here to pick up something."
He put his hand on his chin as he began thinking. "Hmm... wait a minute, I'm sure I don't have a customer like you..." he trailed off as he looked perplexed.
"Oh, yes! No, I was just picking up something from my sister's. She's the one who ordered it," I clarified and pulled out the gemstone from my satchel.
Pockey's eyes immediately widened once he saw the gemstone. He seemed speechless that his eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets.
It was kind of funny to see his reaction because it probably mirrored my own reaction to his.
All I can say is that my sister is built differently. She's so awesome and great that she can literally do anything she wanted in her life and get anything she wanted.
"Wha—wha—what..." he stammered while disbelief painted his face.
"Umm, yeah. My sister said to give this to you in exchange for the item she asked you to make," I happily said and willingly handed him the gemstone.
He still couldn't believe his eyes. His hand was shaking when he tried to reach out to get it.
He slowly and shakily held the indigo-colored gemstone in his hand. He gasped when he took a good look at it. I was also mesmerized by its beauty since It has a very unnoticeable sparkle on it.
When you stare at it long enough, you'll notice the dots on its surface, which was the reason for its sparkle. However, It doesn't light up like a glow stick and glows like fireflies at night.
Mr. Pockey was turning around the gemstone over and over again. If a renowned blacksmith was smitten by that gem, it just proves its worth.
"Lilianna is your sister?" He suddenly asked.
I was not surprised he knew my sister. Lilianna probably went here frequently.
I smiled at him and nodded at his question. "Yes. Lilianna is my sister."
"I never really thought you're Azalea, the sister she talked about. You don't look like you're the weak type. I'm Pockey, by the way, " he continued babbling while his eyes were only focused on the gemstone.
I was surprised to hear what he said. Lilianna was talking about me behind my back? I don't really put her to be that type of person. She usually confronts the people she had problems with.
Do our cold shoulder treatment to each other resulted in this situation? I'm dying to know what she had been saying behind my back.
"Uh..." I didn't get the chance to finish what I was about to say when he suddenly interrupted me.
"Hmm. Let's see here," he walked towards his desk and rummaged through some papers.
I followed him there and stared at what he was doing.
He didn't even notice.
It's whatever.
I was still bothered about what Lilianna said about me, that I blurted out the question even before I could process what I was about to say. "What weird things did Lilianna say?"
He immediately looked up from the stack of papers he was rummaging from and started laughing at me.
I gave him a questioning look— confused on why he was laughing out of the blue.
"Sorry... Sorry," he breathed in, trying to regain his composure. "You two are really sisters," he said but didn't elaborate further.
"What do you mean?"
He started to rummage again on the stack of papers on top of his desk— completely ignoring me.
"Aha! Here it is," he exclaimed after he found what he was looking for.
He picked up a piece of paper from the stack. But before proceeding, he placed the gemstone inside a drawer and locked it. He then moved to open another drawer and picked something in it.
All the while, I was still waiting for his reply.
"You see, she talked about a lot of things. Honestly, it's probably an estimated 10-20 words maximum of talking. Your sister ain't a talker," he resumed talking while uncovering something that was packed inside a medium-sized bag.
"Oh..." I replied, a bit disappointed.
I already know Lilianna is a cold-hearted person. She doesn't even talk to me, and I am her sister.
"These are your sister's customized throwing knives," He took out a leather holster from the bag and placed it on top of the table.
I was curious to see what it was because It seemed like it can fit 5 daggers in it.
He unwrapped it, and I took a quick look. The knives looked very sharp and light to carry. It's tiny in size compared to an ordinary throwing knife. It also had an intricate design on the handle that greatly help increase the grip. The blade is dark gray in color— almost close to black.
"That's so cool," I looked at the weapon with sparkling eyes.
"D'you know why I said what I said?" He questioned, and I shook my head, indicating that he can continue talking. "Because I feel it."
Feel what? Is he just messing with me?
"Feel what?"
"Both of your presence are insanely strong. I feel that both of you will defeat anything that comes your way."
"What? But I'm nowhere near being strong." I knitted my eyebrows at what he said.
I was in disbelief. I would have believed it if Lilianna was described as that, but me?
"Strength doesn't always mean physically invincible," he confidently stated and pushed the leather holster towards me.
I instantly understood what the words mean. It's being strong inside.
I hesitantly shifted my eyes between him and the holster. "I... I... I guess I'm somewhere in between." I mumbled.
I was not sure if he heard that, but I don't want to be here anymore.
Those words reminded me of the past. Someone close to me has said that same exact words to me too.
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•
TO BE CONTINUED...