A Tinker's Job

Chapter 7

"are you deaf? i said take a rest until your hand feels better. we still haven't infused the knowledge capsules yet."

you nodded at him quietly, gently taking your hand back out of his grip, moving to collect some of the tools with your uninjured hand.

"my lord, i have a question."

"go ahead," he sat back down in the chair. "i'll allow it."

"why do you have these things with you? it's not like you need them."

he sighed through his nose, "do you have to question everything? just drop it. i'll see you tomorrow if you feel better."

a sigh left your lips, "alright. i believe azar wanted to come check in with you later today."

"tch. that old geezer. sure."

you looked down, seeing as you couldn't use the tri-clover to glide down like you always did. you heard a hiss, and before you could look back and see what he was doing, you felt him grab your waist and zipline down with you, holding you close to his body before you both landed with ease. a blush took over your face, looking back at him. he looked completely unbothered, standing there with his arms crossed and staring at you.

"a 'thanks' is in store, engineer," he scoffed.

"thank you for helping me down," you said, bowing your head with respect. "i'll be off now."

he nodded, using the tri-clover to go back up to the large robot. you gathered your things, hearing a loud hiss from steam as he put on the wired pieces again. before you opened the door, he yelled down at you. "you owe me."

you laughed, "understood."

when you closed the door, you had an entertained smile on your face. your eyes drifted to your palm that had an electric violet handkerchief tied around it neatly, gently covering your wound. it made your heart beat quicker thinking about it, holding it close to your chest. i guess he isn't as bad as he seems.

as you walked back to your house, you suddenly recalled cyno's words last night. "i'll come back tomorrow. there's something i need."

"what could he possibly mean," you muttered, walking around. "oh that's right, i should pick up my order from the blacksmith."

you ran up past the adventurer's guild and through the market, seeing how activity-filled it was. people were yelling and selling their wares – carpets, meat, fruits, gadgets, almost everything imaginable. you walked to the blacksmith, "hello! i'm here to pick up my order."

"ah {name}," the blacksmith smiled, placing down his hammer. "what a coincidence! i just finished your order."

"oh really? thank you? how much?"

"20,000 mora for the gears."

you pulled out your wallet, about to pay before you heard someone's footsteps next to you, the jingle of mora filling your ears.

"that should be the right amount," cyno said to the man.

"t-thank you general."

"cyno," you said happily, turning to him with a smile. "when did you get here?"

"just now," he said, watching you grab the bag of gears and storing them in your bag. "do you have everything?"

"yep! thank you for paying!"

"of course," he said simply. "let's get going, i still need that favor."

"of course," you chirped. "what is the favor?"