Chapter 5: I Accept (3)

'Maybe saving beauties does pay,' thought Ryker with a grin.

Before even touching the watch, Ryker wiped down the tip of his fingers with alcohol. He didn't like the feeling of having a separation between him and his work, so he abhorred gloves. This, then, was the next best option.

A shimmering set of silver tools rested on the large wooden box. One after another, Ryker brought them out, never using a general tool for something that could be done with a specialized one.

'A beautiful pocket watch.... It has a standard tourbillon design perfect for pocket watch, unfortunately there seems to be some damage to the escapement. The fix shouldn't be difficult, the most tedious part will be the cleaning and oiling.'

Ryker immediately got to work. Despite its small size, the watch had over 70 components. Remembering them all, cleaning them individually, and finally oiling them one by one was a tedious and monotonous task that required an absurd amount of skill.

The small mirror bobbed up from Ryker's side to hover before him. A faint light came from its surface, magnifying the image of the watch's mechanism for Ryker to see.

Ryker forgot that he had a business to run. The money he gained here always went toward his meals, it was the only reason he came to this place to begin with. He was unable to hunt on his own with the small mirror's obvious weakness, so he had no choice but to play his role as humble merchandise seller.

This, though, was meaningless to him in the face of something so fascinating.

The hours of the morning ticked by. Many passed Ryker's shabby so-called stall, but without any wares to show, none stayed.

"Ryker?"

Ryker blinked, suddenly feeling that his eyes were quite dry. He had a terrible habit of forgetting to blink when he tinkered.

Two beauties stood over Ryker and his large wooden box. One wore a bright yellow sundress of fabric so light it wrapped a little too well around her curves. As for the other, her outfit was far more intentional in its provocation, showing of her long and slender legs.

Ryker recognized these two quite well, he had one of them to thank for the bone bruises he was nursing at the moment, though he didn't mind. Now that he got to have his fun with the old man's pocket watch, wasn't it worth it?

These two women had a striking difference about them that set them apart from the others frequenting this marketplace aside from their beauty, and that was the two odd creatures that followed them.

The yellow-dress beauty held a fluffy white bunny in her arms which had a small red horn poking out from its forehead. It was no larger than two palm lengths and chubby cheeks that seemed perpetually stuffed with food.

The beauty's companion, though, carried around what looked like a fluffy yellow furred duck. The only difference was that it had a silver beak forged of metal and large than normal palmate.

Ryker recognized both Spirit Beasts with quite some ease, but paid them little attention. They would at most be Second Circle Talents upon growing out of their Infant stage. They weren't a worthwhile investment for anyone serious about having a future as a Mythical Master.

Ryker chuckled to himself when he had this thought. Both creatures were still far better choices than the small mirror floating before him now.

"Hold on a moment, Rosemary. I'm almost done with old man Bowan's watch."

Rosemary, the yellow-dress beauty, blinked in shock. Her grandfather had allowed someone else to touch that antique? Even for her, someone he was used to pampering, hadn't been allowed to even once.

Ryker ignored the two women and focused on the last pieces.

A snort came from the short-dress beauty, "It's just a watch. Can't you take a few minutes away from it?"

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Ryker didn't seem to hear this at all, his hand and mind having entered a state of focus once again.

"Sofia!"

Rosemary pulled her friend back with a hushed whisper. She knew how important this watch was to her grandfather. Nothing could ruin it.

It was enough of a surprise to her that her grandfather wasn't watching Ryker like a hawk from start to finish.

"What's the big deal? The street is making more noise than me by a mile," Sofia spoke with dissatisfaction.

First she had been ignored, and now she was being reprimanded. Plus, she wasn't the biggest fan of this place to begin with. She had no idea how Rosemary, with her family background, could possibly have a grandfather who lived and worked a shop here. Just the dirtied streets and concentration of people made her skin crawl.

"Done."

            Ryker looked up with a smile, sliding the casing back over the watch and shutting it. After placing it back in the box, he looked up toward Rosemary and handed the box over to her.

"Ah…"

A feeling of anxiety came over her as she accepted the box, shifting the little bunny in her arms.  She was very much afraid of dropping it and ruining everything.

"Well, aren't you two looking quite beautiful today." Ryker beamed.

Rosemary flushed, but Sofia only snorted again.

"At least you know."

Ryker clicked his tongue, "I might have to take away a point for that attitude."

"What did you say to me?!"

Rosemary panicked, stepping forward to mediate between the two. Her slender arms struggled to juggle her Spirit Beast and the pocket watch, her face flushing with hints of anxiety.

"Don't fight! Ah, I, um… Ryker, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. How about I treat you to a meal?"

Ryker's amused expression morphed into a bright light.

"A meal? I accept!"

He had already been wondering where he would get his meal from today. Now that such an opportunity had fallen into his lap, an invitation from a beauty no less, how could he not accept?

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