“What was the person’s name again?” Yuki asked.

He was sitting in a train cart, Akira next to him and Erica on the seat in front. They were on their way to meet with a metallurgist that Erica knew. 

“His name’s Jeremy,” Erica replied. “I call him Jerry.”

“Did you contact him already?”

“Well, I tried,” she shrugged. “But he didn’t pick up which was pretty typical. He gets engrossed into his work pretty easily.”

“Mmm. I’ll let you knock on his door then,” Yuki said. He looked at his watch, noting the time. “We be there in twenty minutes.”

He leaned back into his seat and stared out the window, watching the scenery blur past him. The place this “Jeremy” lived was quite a distance from Junction and even further away from Fenrir. But he found that he couldn’t take a transporter to go over there since the town didn’t have a station. 

Initially, Yuki wasn’t even planning to go with Erica to meet with her metallurgist friend. Akira was the only one that was going to leave with her. However, he changed his mind later and told them that he was planning to meet with the person as well. Though he was going to be taught by Akira, having the advice of someone that was doing it for possibly hundreds of years would be invaluable.

He passed the time by looking through his watch to see if there was anything that he needed to tend. When he finished, he simply stared outside, emptying his thoughts. A small ding pierced through his peace and he saw a notification at the door of the train cabin telling him that they were about to reach their location.

Stretching his arms, he nudged Erica with his foot who had fallen asleep. She woke up with a massive yawn, rubbing her eyes. 

“We’re here?” she asked.

“Almost. A few minutes,” Yuki replied. 

A few minutes later and the cabin opened up, a small message telling the group that they have arrived. Yuki swiftly made his way out of the train, nodding to a staff member that waved them goodbye. 

“Lead the way,” Yuki said, glancing over at Erica.

She looked around for a bit before setting off in a direction. Yuki followed her closely behind with Akira beside him. They wove their way through the small town, attracting the attention of many around them. 

‘It’s not everyday a small town like this gets visitors, I guess,’ Yuki thought.

“Here we are,” Erica announced with a smile. “Jerry’s place.”

They stopped in front of a wooden door reinforced with black iron. There were two windows but had so much grime that Yuki couldn’t see past them. The only thing they let out was a dull light that told Yuki that there was someone inside. A sign above the door proclaimed in faded letters “Jeremy’s Smithy”.

“He’s a craftsman,” Yuki noted. “I guess that would make sense. It would be weird if a metallurgist just made materials.”

“His work is pretty good,” Erica said. “He makes more practical items though. Cups and whatnot. I have a little mug from him that’s been holding up for quite some time.”

“Mmm. You said you knew more people?”

“Yup. Why?”

“Does one of them make jewelry?” 

“I think so. Are you planning to buy some jewelry?”

“No. I’ll have some more questions for that person so when you plan on going to them, tell me and I’ll come along,” he said.

“Oh, okay,” she nodded.

“What y’all dawdlin ‘round Jerry’s place for?” a voice drawled them from behind. Yuki glanced behind him and saw a woman. The small wrinkles on her face hinted at her age. “Y’all have some business with ‘im?”

“Yes we do,” Erica replied with a bright smile, her voice taking on the same speech mannerisms as the woman. “Just chattin’ a little, that’s all.”

“Jerry’s pretty lucky to have a pretty lil’ missy like you visitin’ ‘im,” the woman said with a small smile. 

Yuki noticed that her gaze seemed to be shifting rapidly, almost as if she had to make a conscious effort to keep them up. He followed her gaze and saw that it landed on Erica’s chest area. She was wearing a lower cut t-shirt today that revealed much more than she normally did. She told him it was because she checked the weather and saw that it was going to be hotter than usual.

“It ain’t like that,” Erica said with a laugh. “It’s business. Just want to ask him some questions. Buy some things.”

“Well, if you’re plannin’ to stay the night, I have an inn down the road,” the woman offered. “I wouldn’ mind it if you took a room and we could chat. And your friends as well.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Erica smiled. “Now, if you don’ mind us, we’ll be goin’ in.”

“Of course, of course,” the woman nodded. “See you around.”

She waved, her fingers curling lightly and walked off. As she did, her eyes lingered on Erica for a bit longer, flicking up and down with a hungry gleam.
Then her head turned and she left.

“I don’t trust her,” Akira said after the woman had walked a safe distance away. “She doesn’t look like she’s doing this to be kind.”

“You’re right. She’s doing this for her own reasons but they’re nothing evil. I think I know why people were staring at us,” Yuki commented, glancing at Erica. “I thought it was because we’re visitors, but apparently not.”

“I’m sorry,” Erica replied, an embarrassed grin on her face. “I can’t help it. I have my bracelet on, but it only suppresses. It doesn’t completely mask.”

“If that was suppressing, I kind of want to see what happens when your entire aura is released,” Yuki said. “That would be interesting.”

“That would be tiring,” she laughed. “I’ve done that for years. I could barely walk out of a building without being stopped by someone who wanted to talk or buy me a drink.”

“You know that woman had a ring?” Yuki asked. “You’re turning straight girls into spaghetti.”

“No,” Erica replied, shaking her head. “She’s not straight. While my aura is suppressed, it isn’t strong enough to do that. I think she’s bi.”

“I see. Planning to meet her later?”

“Of course not,” she laughed. “I don’t do those types of things. And plus, she’s not my type.”

“You don’t like older people?” 

“No, it’s not that. I’m perfectly fine with older women. I just like people that aren’t as lusty, if you understand what I mean.”

“Perfectly. Anyway,” Yuki said, switching topics. “Let’s head on in?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

Erica opened the door, a small bell ringing as it swung open. Yuki let Akira enter before him as he held the door open. 

“Welcome!” a cheery voice greeted them. “How may I help you today?”

In front of them was a young girl sitting behind a counter. There was a register on it as well as a few jars with little trinkets. Yuki glanced around the shop and noticed the multitude of shelves attached to the walls. There were mugs, cooking knives, pans, pots, and a number of other items. There were also a few statues, but from the small number of them and the fact that each was different from the others, it seemed that they were made just for fun.

“Hi,” Erica greeted in reply, smiling. “Is Jerry here right now?”

“Oh, he left a while ago,” the girl replied. “He’ll be back soon though. That’s what he told me.”

“How long ago?” Erica asked.

“Oh, about two hours?”

“He should be back soon then.”

“What do you want from him? If it’s something I can help with, I can do it right now,” she offered.

“I want to purchase some materials,” Erica said. “And my friend here wants to ask him some questions.”

“Oh, I can’t touch the materials,” the girl replied sadly. “Jerry won’t let me. He said I might break them. I told him that it’s metal so how am I going to break them and he replied with you’ll find a way.”

“Sounds like him,” Erica laughed. “Anyway. We’ll wait for him. Mind if we look around?”

“Help yourself,” the girl smiled. “And if you have any questions, you can just ask me.”

Yuki was already examining pieces being displayed. The mugs were made from common metals like copper and steel. There were also a few clay and porcelain ones as well. The cooking knives were more unique, using metals that were stiffer and held their edge better. They seemed to be alloys of sorts. 

‘It seems that this person really is a metallurgist,’ he thought.

The cookware was even more interesting. They were made out of metals that Yuki couldn’t identify. He knew that they were alloys but the individual ingredients were impossible for him to distinguish because of how finely them were mixed together. The alloy seemed to be specially made to transmit heat better and evenly. There was an outer layer in the pots that seemed to be the exact opposite and acted as an insulator.

‘Interesting.’

He went around, picking things up and looking at them carefully. Akira did the same, passing by him every so often inside the small store. Erica was busy chatting with the girl at the cashier desk.

Soon, a bell rang and the door to the shop opened up. A man walked in, holding a barrel in one arm and a bag in his other hand. He was well built, his muscles pronounced. His face was well kept, a neatly trimmed beard and combed short hair.

“Oh, customers?” the man asked, his voice pleasant and soft. He sounded completely different from the woman from before and even the girl at the register. “I didn’t think we would have anyone today.”

He looked at each of them, going from Akira to Yuki, giving them each a nod. Then his eyes alighted onto Erica and widened. A smile broke out on his face, displaying his white teeth.

“Erica!” the man greeted. “What are you going here?”

“Jerry, you remembered me?” she replied.

“Of course I do. How can I forget?” he laughed, his voice booming. “Who are your friends here?”

“I’ll introduce them to you,” Erica smiled. “But can we speak some place a bit more private?”

“Yes, yes. Come, follow me,” he gestured as he walked past the register. “We’ll speak in my workshop.”