Yotto – Summer – Ren – Voon (4th Month 11ᵗʰ Day) Year 827 GE
“It's not the right dimension,” Goh pointed to the blueprint on the tablet. “You'll need at least another hand width here to make sure both ends mate seamlessly.” He indicated the place he meant on the drawing.
Kohn shifted the measurement on the drawing as Goh suggested. Then pressed the “display” button at the bottom of the screen. A small 3D object appeared faintly above the tablet, Kohn pressed another button causing the flat pieces to assemble into a tiny mock sword with accompanying belt and sheath. “You're right, it would have been off here,” he pointed toward the sheath, “How long do you think it will take to forge.”
The bell over the front door chimed as someone entered the coffee shop. “Probably about two weeks or so for the prototype, then...” Goh paused, the coffee shop had gone silent, he could just hear the hushed whisper of a pair at the table nearby.
Goh scanned the room; he froze when a young pink haired Hisanni turned around. Red Zitta glowed faintly on both her arms, one of her legs, and on her face, he counted 12 Zitta were visible. A Kander, the shock of seeing a Kander in the coffee shop could not stop his anger rising.
When the Kander scanned the room her eyes paused on Goh's a moment, before moving on. Goh didn't dare breathe when their eyes met. It was a Kander who took his cousin from their family business when he was just a youth. Goh remembered he had been there delivering lunch to his uncle when the Kander entered, his face was painted with three black lines under each of his eyes, and a dot on his chin. It had shocked him; he was only in his 15ᵗʰ year when the incident occurred.
“Y... Y... Your drink... is ready.” The Barista stumbled over her words as she handed over a drink to the Kander, pulling Goh back to the present.
“Thanks.” The Kander took the cup and headed toward Goh and Kohn's table. Kohn was still adjusting the dimensions on his 3D model, having not even noticed the change in atmosphere. Goh was not surprised to see her glance in his direction as she took the seat that would give her a view of Goh and his table.
When the Kander sat she was slight enough the people at the table between Goh’s and the Kander’s hid her from his sight. At first, he tried to push the Kander from his mind, focusing instead on Kohn and his Mastery project, but it was hard to ignore the Kander that was so close, his mind seethed with the memories from his youth.
Kohn looked up, “Did you hear me Goh?” Kohn saw the look on his friend’s face and looked around. “Goh, what’s up?” Kohn clicked a button on his tablet and returned it to his carry case on his hip.
“Kander,” Goh grumbled without taking his eyes from the table behind them. Kohn looked around again at the title but before he could turn in his seat Goh stood up.
Goh's anger was rising, why was this Kander allowed to sit in a coffee shop meant for the regular citizens of the city? His vision was starting to take on a red hue. Before he knew what he was doing his fist slammed down on the Kander's table.
Part of his mind registered the Kander was at least a head and a half shorter than him and had no muscles to show. She was looking back at him now, no emotion showing on her face. If he was still in his right mind, he would have noticed the uncomfortable silence that fell over the coffee shop. Kohn jumped to his feet, knocking his chair into the person sitting behind him.
“Sit back down Duran,” the Kander's voice was emotionless, she kept her voice down, meant only for Goh’s ears. Her tone indicated her words were a warning, but in Goh’s current state he ignored it. “I'm not here for work,” her words made the red haze glazing over his eyes thicken; it was getting harder to focus on the small female before him. The image of his cousin screaming as he was dragged out of the family business, blood dripping down his cheek, flashed through Goh's mind.
“Your kind ain't welcome here Kander.” He grumbled through his clenched jaw.
The Kander lifted her drink up to her lips, Goh could smell the sweet scent of chocolate wafting from her drink. When it was close enough to sip, she stopped and sighed, lowering it back down to the table.
He swallowed visibly before adding, “No one wants you here,” the red haze thickening, dulling his thoughts, as he fixed a glare toward the Kander woman.
“You don't want to do this,” she ran her finger around the rim of her cup. “But if you're so determined,” the Kander snapped her fingers, a glowing purple portal appeared beside him. It took an effort not to jump at the appearance of the casting. “We can move to a safer place.” A collection of gasps came from around the room, as well as a clattering from those at the tables nearest the two, scattering to get as far away from the commotion as they could.
His anger made it easier to keep a straight face when some part of his mind was telling him this was a bad idea. He silenced that part with the memory of his cousin. Kohn had stepped up to his side looking pale with the glow from the purple portal.
The Kander released her drink, pushing away from her table. Kohn stepped back slightly, but Goh held his position, the red haze giving him courage. She headed toward her own portal. Turning back just long enough to ask, “Then, shall we?” with a quick glance at her table she was through the portal, standing on the grassy plains they could see beyond.
Goh looked at his friend, Kohn was staring at him, a silent plea to stop this in his eyes. Goh squared his shoulders and stepped toward the portal, a Kander dragging his cousin from the building cycling through his mind. The red haze of his anger had almost completely blurred out his vision.
He was an Engineer and a Blacksmith, top of his class in their guild's school and now Master of Mathematics. He had no right to take on this Kander. She looked small, but she had trained since childhood for these encounters, his rational mind was telling him. The other side, the side the red haze had moved to the forefront of his mind told him, they took your cousin, you never saw that cousin again. No one even knows why or if there was a reason the Kander came for him that day.
When Kohn stepped through the portal behind Goh, Goh had not noticed his friends support, the portal closing behind him had not registered in his thoughts either as he stared ahead at the Kander. His mind was battling with itself, trying to justify his reason for starting a fight with this Kander while it also tried to talk him out of it.
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Goh squared his shoulders and stepped forward, “So how do you want to do this?” The Kander spoke in a low threatening voice, which gave Goh pause.
Kohn shifted behind Goh, saying in a somewhat shaky voice, “I got your back Goh, but this doesn't seem like...” he trailed off shifting his body behind Goh.
“That's enough Kohn, we'll just deal with her here and head back,” Goh growled toward his nervous friend.
“Yeah...” Kohn was moving around, “So how do we get back if we defeat her? Just in case you missed it, this is not the city.”
Not the city, Goh's mind reeled as he started to look around. There was no portal, no city anywhere in sight. The grassy plain they were standing on; wasn’t anywhere he had been to before. The red haze blocking his eyes and mind wavered slightly before he managed to say with a thick swallow. “We'll figure it out,” to his dismay, his voice cracked with nerves. Anger filled his mind again, how could he be so cowardly, and the red haze thickened.
“Now look here,” the Kander spoke with resolve as she ran a hand through her hair, “I'm 12 Zitta Zira Kander, and I have no intention of fighting you as long as you don't engage.” She swept her hand out, indicating Kohn and Goh, “We can just head back to the coffee shop now, and pretend like this was all just a joke amongst friends.”
She's giving us a way out of this madness, his rational mind told him as his mouth said, “You think you can get out of this?” Kohn reached forward and gripped his friend's shoulder. The contact startled Goh at first, his rage and anger forgetting someone had come with him.
“Man, she is a rank 12, she is giving us a way out of this without fighting,” Kohn swallowed hard “I think we should take it.”
“I'm not just a caster,” the Kander added as she shifted her balance, readying herself for anything Goh and his friend might throw at her. Goh felt doubt at his choice, was this small Kander just bluffing, could she fight as well as she could cast her purple spells? He did not know, but he did know he was easily twice her size with muscles built not only from forging new weapons and armor for the guard, but also from fighting practice in the yards. Which was a requirement for the Blacksmiths Guild. “Look, I really don't want any trouble, I'm just looking to enjoy a good drink, and head on my way. So how about we return to the coffee shop and enjoy our drinks peacefully,” the Kander spoke in a lazy tone. Goh's anger rose again, how dare this Kander think she has the right to enjoy anything in peace when it was their fault the citizens of this world lived in fear each day. It was their fault he never saw his cousin again. Goh squared his shoulders again and shifted into a lower stance that would allow him to charge the Kander. There was no way this small Hisanni woman standing before him could match his superior size and strength.
Kohn was shifting uncomfortably behind his friend, hoping this whole situation would not escalate any further, but knowing the likelihood of that happening was very small.
“Don't do it Goh,” the Kander used his name, causing him to open his eyes wide in surprise. How did this Kander learn his name? Was he next on the list for these enforcers to be picked up, he could only see through a small area that was not covered in the red haze of his anger. He shifted down into a charging stance once again, ready to take down this small Kander who knew who he was. “Use your words,” She added, before she turned to look at Kohn, who stood behind him, she spoke quickly now, “Kohn,” she used his name too. Was it possible he had gotten both himself and Kohn added to the list of those who needed to be dealt with, the thought angered Goh further, causing the red haze to thicken. “You seem to know how this works, if I'm attacked, I have to put the attacker down. Now is a good time to get your friend under control,” at the threat Goh started to move running at full speed toward the Kander. The sudden jerk of his arm caused him to spin in the direction he was being pulled, before crashing into the ground, a weight on his back. The feel of grass scratching on his cheek, and the throb from the impact into the ground caused his mind to come around enough to realize something must have been tangled in his legs, causing him to trip.
“Calm down Goh!” He heard Kohn's voice yelling at him through the red haze. Right, Kohn was there too, he knew that, but some part of his anger had pushed that fact from his mind. “Calm down Goh,” Kohn was now reciting his voice soothing with each chant, without realizing the red haze was fading and he relaxed his strained muscles. As he relaxed Kohn started to release his friend, his voice still chanting for calm. Kohn sat up beside Goh, a stream of words came out of him, chasing the anger completely from Goh's mind. “If you strike at her, she would have to kill you, if she killed you, I would have to avenge you. In which case she would just kill me as well. So, unless you want to get us both killed how about we just say we're sorry, and laugh, buy her a drink to replace her lost one as an apology, and get on with our day.”
Goh had not considered his friend in all of this; he had not considered that not only was he risking his own life by attacking this Kander he was also risking Kohn’s. The thought sobered him, he sat up and stared at his friend, grateful for his intervention. Now that he was thinking rationally, he remembered that even if they had managed to deal with this Kander there would have been others. He and Kohn would have been marked simply because they attacked one of The Goren's enforcers.
The Kander looked down at Goh and Kohn, who were still sitting on the ground, “Does this mean we can get back to the coffee shop?” The Kander looked hopeful.
Goh took a moment, making sure the red haze of his anger was completely gone, he would not risk his life or that of his friends on his revenge. He said, “Let's go back,” with a look at Kohn, he got to his feet, Kohn followed. The Kander snapped her fingers, a portal with that eerie purple glow appeared, showing the coffee shop, right next to the table they had left only moments before. When she turned toward Goh and Kohn, she smiled at the two, the smile made her look like the young woman she was. Goh couldn't help but notice the Kander woman looking at the cup she had left behind on the table, she swept her hand toward the other two, indicating Goh and Kohn enter the portal first. The red haze gone Goh realized what his actions had caused. The two tables near where the Kander had been sitting were turned on their sides, the drinks from those tables still spilled on the floor nearby. Goh noticed the signs of relief as he and Kohn stepped through the portal unhurt and then silence when the Kander followed.
Goh watched as the Kander picked up her left behind drink and considered its contents. Just as she moved it up to her face to smell it or take a drink, Goh didn't know which, he said. “I wouldn't drink that if I were you,” and turned to head toward the counter, Kohn behind him “I would have tampered with it for sure, knowing a Kander could come back for it.”
The Kander slammed the drink on the table, causing those nearby to flinch at her frustration, turning to follow Goh toward the counter, muttering under her breath, “Stupid people tampering with perfectly good drinks.” When Goh glanced back at Kohn, he looked like he could laugh, hearing all of the young Kander’s muttering and likely with a sense of relief that he was still there to hear them.
“We'll have a dark roast, a latte, and...” Goh turned to look at the Kander who was still muttering to herself.
“A children's cocoa,” Kohn added in having paid better attention to the entire situation instead of letting anger dictate his action, “With no whip.”
After ordering the drinks, Goh left Kohn at the counter to retrieve the drinks and went to clean up the mess he had caused, after righting the two tables and throwing away the left behind drink cups one of the workers came to him. “I can do that; you don't have to.”
“It's fine,” Goh took the mop the worker had brought out, “It's my fault after all.” And he cleaned the floor. By the time the Kander and Kohn received their drinks the coffee shop was back to normal. Kohn went back to the table they had sat at before, as the Kander went to the table one away from theirs. Neither Goh nor Kohn were really interested in the drinks they had gotten. Having already finished their drinks before he started the trouble with the Kander, instead they both sat there, listening. When they heard the sigh of satisfaction from the table behind Kohn, they exchanged looks of relief. Kohn pulled out his tablet once more so they could finish the design for their next project.
END