Chapter 27: Chapter 25 – Bright lights

Iris: "Miss Illivan?!" I exclaimed with a surprised expression. The person who just entered the store was unmistakably Illivan, the wo(man) that made my armor. She jumped at the sound of an unexpected exclamation and held her chest as she looked at me with equal surprise.

Illivan: "My word! Iris?! Is that you? My~ I'm so glad to see you well~!" She said, rushing towards me and scooping me up into a bear hug. Breathe... Its hard to breathe...

Iris: "Miss... You're crushing me..."

Illivan: "Oh dear, sorry little Iris~" she said before setting me down and getting on one knee. She really was quite tall... Even kneeling down I barely matched her height. She was wearing a coat over a moderate travelling dress, and a short hat with a bag slung over her shoulder. "Still, I'm very glad you managed to escape the chaos of Gravel 13. And might I say, you look fantastic in that dress." She said with a bright smile. If Illivan wasn't so manly, I might be inclined to think of her as a mother...

Iris: "I wanted to say the same thing. I asked around on the airship but I hadn't heard of you being on board. I was worried about you the whole way here. Where were you? If you evacuated on the train, how'd you get here so fast?"

Illivan tilted her head before responding "Fast? I would assume you got here yesterday if you took the airship."

Milane cleared her throat and answered our confusion. "About that, we got here slower than we should have because the pseudo drake damaged the engines on the airship when it rammed us."

That made sense. Illivan finally acknowledged the other two with a questioning, and worried, expression. "Pesudo Drake? Before that- Who are you two?"

Iris: "Ah, this might take a while to explain. Shall we move somewhere else?"

Illivan: "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." She said while standing up, and the four of us moved into the backroom of the store. There, I explained who Christy and Milane were, what happened at Gravel 13, and our journey on the airship. Illivan quietly listened through all of it and greeted the two properly. She looked shocked and concerned when I told her about the pseudo drake, and a little proud when I told her how I dealt the finishing blow. I still got scolded though.

Illivan: "Hah~... You are so much more impressive than I imagined, Iris. You'll certainly grow to be a beautiful and powerful woman one day. That said, would you show me your armored dress? You said it needed to be repaired and refitted already."

Iris: "Of course, here." I took out the armored dress from my bag. It was cleaned with magic already, but the damage was substantial. I also took out some plates of reaper chitin from my bag and placed them on a nearby table while she examined the damage.

Illivan: "My word... You really should treat yourself better, dear. This thing is almost destroyed... I can fix it up, but it'll take until later tomorrow."

Iris: "No problem, I came here to get a dress to wear while it repaired anyway. I'm just glad it's you and not someone else doing the repairs. Actually that reminds me... What are you doing here? Are you the owner of this shop too?"

Illivan: "Of course. This is where I made my shop originally, before opening up shop in Gravel 13 to capitalize on the frontier hunters needing special armor."

Milane looked surprised to here that, but I just nodded. "I see, then would you happen to know if Lira is here too? Or another reputable weaponsmith? I've been thinking about getting some more tools."

Illivan: "Hm~ Well, Lira doesn't have a workshop here, but I imagine she would be back at her old man's place now. Here's where you can find them~" she said, giving me directions. Her old man huh? Wonder who that could be. I could only imagine a mountain of a man with a scarred face, a head of greying red hair, and a stubborn, stoic personality.

Iris: "Well, thanks for everything Illivan. I'll be back tomorrow." I said, as me and the other two got up to leave. Illivan smiled and waved us off, and we left the building. Next was the weapon smith she told me about.

Christy: "Even though you told me, I was still surprised... So that's Miss Illivan huh? I can see why she's called eccentric."

Iris: "I know. Still, If either of you need good armor, she can definitely make it. Even if its a dress."

Milane: "Well, I'll keep it in mind, but... Not really my thing."

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Iris: "So you prefer the boyish look huh?"

Milane: "Boyish-! ugh, well, you're not wrong."

Looks like I wounded her pride. Me and christy giggled at the banter as we went on our way. Walking through the brightly lit city was incredible. The buildings towered over us and I got to see many interesting things. The people certainly seemed wealthier in general here, and many of the storefronts I saw were selling various kinds of goods or curios or inventions. I should look around tomorrow to see if I can find anything interesting. We circled around the inner sphere of the city and went eastward, where more workshops started cropping up, and eventually we came across a larger storefront called "Steam & Steel". It seemed like both a weapon smith and a gunshop.

I went in and was greeted by the clerk, a young man in his early twenties with slicked back hair, wearing a black apron over a white shirt.

Iris: "Hello. Would you happen to know If a woman named Lira is here with her father?"

Clerk: "Oh, you know miss Lira? Sure, one sec." He turned around and knocked on a door leading into the back rooms. "Hey, Lira, someone's here to see you! Looks like they know you!

A moment later, a familiar scene played out and a voice rang out from behind the door. "I just bloody got 'ere and already got someone comin' through?! Can't a girl get some time to 'erself before gettin' bothered!" The door flung open to reveal a familiar face, Lira. "Aight, who is it then? Wait- Iris?! It's you!" She beamed, and rushed over. I felt it coming, but of course, another crushing hug. But this time I might suffocate before having my ribs crushed.

Iris: "Can't... Breathe... Again..."

Lira: "Ahh~ Sorry, sorry. Got too excited seein' a friend" she said and put me down. She wasn't as tall as Illivan but was still a good couple heads above me. Maybe Christy was just small. Speaking of, those two looked to have troubled smiles as they laughed off the situation quietly.

Iris: "Haah... No worries. Anyway, sorry to get straight to business, but I'd like to discuss getting a new tool made for my arsenal."

Lira: "Geez, no catching up with you, huh Iris? Then you can tell me next time as payment."

I nodded, but before I could tell her, another familiar face came out from the back rooms.

Patton: "Did I hear little Iris is here? Ahh, she Is! How've ya been, Iris?"

Iris: "Old patton! I didn't expect to see you here. Wait... If Lira's supposed to be here with her old man, then..."

Lira: "Oh, you two know each other? Yeah, Patton 'ere's my old man. Technically my pa, but 'e raised me when my parents passed away."

Patton: "Aye, but I hadn't known ya two knew each other. Guess ah should'a recognized the craftsmanship of the blades you 'ave on ya."

Iris: "This must be the most surprising even yet today. Anyway... I wanted to discuss adding a new tool to my arsenal. And maybe patton can help too."

Lira and Patton looked at eachother, then back at me, as I detailed what I wanted from them. When I finished, I could see the spark of creation in their eyes. Lira nodded before answering. "Come back sometime tomorrah, then. We'll have something for ya by then."

Iris: "Thanks, you two. I expect great things." And with that, we parted ways and I left the workshop with Christy and Milane, who also split ways with me and Christy, saying she had fun but had to get back to Harpy's Feather.

Now it was just the two of us, under the bright lights of the City of Wealth.

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