Norbert stood there momentarily, having not expected that reaction from the woman. Processing what she was saying, Norbert stood still as the hammering stopped from behind the counter. The smith walks out, and a wall of a man stands there, looking down at Norbert.
In one of their hands, Norbert saw a hammer the size of his head silently swinging in the air. Gulping down, not wanting to get his brains splattered, the annoyance of needing to heal it up and possibly annoy his previous party any more.
Nodding his head, Norbert left the mask on the table. I do not see a point in picking it back up if one of the only people who could quickly repair it would refuse to do so. Giving a final wave Norbert walked towards the door, having one last look at the equipment there, none that he would ever get to use.
They opened the door and saw the street, with several people walking about in this city area. It's not one of the busiest sections, but still, people are crossing. Talking the last step out of the engraver's domain, Norbert closed the door behind him, hearing it slightly thud as it firmly closed.
Feeling heavy with the loss of his mask, not having it on his face making him feel naked already, before when he had a choice to put it on, and it never felt the same. Standing there, on the last step before walking off, his plan was in shambles for headgear as he mentally rearranged what he would need to do, now thankful for the extra day.
Walking down the street, Norbert headed to Martitia, hoping she might know someone in this city who could make a helmet and inspect the candy he now held in his coin pouch. He placed his fist in there, felt it around, and confirmed it was in there, not crushed, not knowing if that would make a difference.
Hearing a voice shouting behind him but dismissed it as he continued walking down the street, the shouting continuing. Someone came straight to him, waving him down in front. Stopping, Norbert turned to the man, not recognising anything about him, not his finely pressed blue silk clothes or the small hat on his head.
“Excuse me to interrupt, but I believe that man is calling for you.” He spoke, a deep voice reverberating out of his mouth. He pointed behind Norbert, turning around as Norbert followed the man in a blues gesture.
Standing at the shop, Norbert saw the smith shouting and waving him down. Waving back at the smith, Norbert turned to the man in blue, giving a nod in thanks as Norbert went back to the engraver's place.
Seeing as Norbert was returning, the smith walked into the shop, the door closing behind him. Several moments later, Norbert opened the door and stepped through before closing it, hearing the sound from outside snap shut; everything from outside was gone. Changing his vision to magic, Norbert saw along the walls, runes now alight, where previously he never saw anything.
Changing back to normal, not wanting to see something that could blast his eyes out, Norbert looked across the counter. He saw the smith standing behind the engraver, thankful that the hammer was no longer in hand.
He breathed in, holding the air in as he prepared himself for whatever was to come. He knew he wasn’t going to get thrown out, and maybe he could convince them to repair the helmet pieces so it could serve him once again.
Not seeing a seat anywhere on this side of the counter, Norbert stood there, waiting for them to begin. He looked between the two of them, his eyes drifting as he waited for one of them to start the conversation.
Hrrmph, the sound coming out of the smith standing there.
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Beckia gave in as she took up the mask again, holding it in front of Norbert’s head like it would be on him. Watching as the runes in the back flared momentarily, she nodded in approval.
“The Kreevss know you’re here?” She asked Norbert, unable to stop her eyes from flicking to the door, checking that nobody would burst through.
“Of course not. I have no clue where they think I am. Hopefully, they think I'm still back in Colosseum City,” Norbert said.
“Coliseum City, you mean Libitina?” She questioned.
Norbert is standing there, stunned, unable to speak.
“Have you been calling it Colosseum City or something?” She asked him.
Norbert remained silent as he stood there, trying to remember if he had ever heard the name. He could not even remember when he read it on the globe that Victoria had brought.
The smith laughed over Beckia’s shoulder, Breaking Norbert out of his stupor as he looked between them. The voice coming out of the smith said, “See, Beckia, I told you he wasn’t malicious.”
“Just incompetently malicious”, Came out under Beckia’s breath. Sucking it in, rapping her knuckle on the mask at the table, she spoke to Norbert, “We will repair your helmet.”
A wave of relief swept over Norbert that it would be repaired, able to use the helmet again as intended. Nodding his head, Norbert saw that the engraver would speak more.
“Any changes to the helmet or issues that you had?” She asked him.
Norbert narrowed his gaze, momentarily silent as he thought about what had happened. The seal was still working fine and breathing as intended. “For its functions, it works. But how much more can you add to it without requiring magic from the user?” he asked the engraver.
Seeing her pause momentarily before nodding, she said, “I forgot that detail about you. Just hearing what you did, surviving a decapitation isn’t a small feat.”
“A what?” Norbert asked her.
“Surprising, well not surprising that you don’t remember. In the last fight you had with the Grimm, before you slumped to the ground, you were decapitated. Everyone thought it was over, including the commentator. The surprise is when your head comes back together, and you tore through everyone, truly like a beast.”
Norbert looked between them in amazement, shaking his head as he remembered being passed out. “Not surprising that happened. I'm a bit annoyed that card was shown, but oh well,” Norbert said, shrugging at the end.
“And yet, out of all that, only this damage has been shown. Quite some good work the two of you have done.” Norbert continued, rapping his knuckle on the mask's face. A dull clunk was heard as the metal tried reverberating the sound but could not do so correctly.
Receiving a nod from work, the smith reached forward, took the two pieces off the table, and lifted them to examine them himself. Conjoining them together with a tisk before walking away from the front, heading towards the back of the shop, hearing two soft clangs before the sound of air rushing from heat.
Turning back to Beckia, asking “So, you will do it?”
Receiving a nod in response, Norbert places a silver coin on the counter. Seeing it get whipped up immediately, placed into a draw before Norbert could properly register, “How long?” He asked as he began walking away.
“Three days, and it should be as good as new. Hard to find time with all the other orders from The Frontier, but it’s a quality problem to have.” Beckia said to Norbert as she turned away from him, picking up what she was working on. Hearing the room pop again, the faint sounds from outside could be heard again.
Remembering something, he returned to the counter, pulling out the candy from his pouch. “Do you have any idea who could examine this? They might be able to cure a sickness, and I might need more.”
Beckia looked at it briefly before shrugging, “No clue, not my area. Generally, I would assume one of the temples, but other than that …” She left the sentence hanging, going back to her work.
Closing the door quietly behind him, happy that one task was completed, Norbert turned down the street and began whistling as he walked. He moved away from the tree that occupied the city, idly looking up at the airships moving about in the sky.
Wondering what the point of those was about, especially with the gates set up everywhere. The amount of time it would take made him think of the amount of coin being spent to whisk him around all over the place.
His tune was nothing special; he continued to whistle, hoping that if Obsius or the white fox were about, either would locate him. Taking out the piece of paper again, Norbert looked down at it; nothing else special about it or any indication of where he would meet up with the blackbird in the city.
Going with his original idea of heading to the tavern Martitia used as their base, hoping two of his questions could be answered.