COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 13: Staz (Part 5/5)

I forgot to do this with the last update, but Cobs hit 1.5k views, woooooooo~ But that' wasn't me, that was all you guys - from fans to silent readers - so thank you all so much for staring at this dreadfully long story! I hope you all continue to enjoy it in your own way.

          The locksmith was a smaller shop, nameless, yet labelled with a simple lock painted on a plaque of hanging wood. It was tucked into a shaded corner only accessible via a tight alleyway. If Mariel hadn't been there before, the group would have been aimlessly lost in the older patch of town, a portion piled with quaint hutted shops and houses infested by an unruly swath of flowering vines that snaked through the old stone walls. 

          The crowds of shopping students was dead in the cracked streets, a few clean dressed loiterers that called the town their home barely paying the group the small price of a couple stares. Intrigued, yet ignoring the earthly fabrics Káel was flaunting. 

          As soon as they entered the shop, the muggy heat of the outdoors dried out, and the subtle smell of flowers lingered in the small space. The shopkeeper popped his head up at the faint jingle of bells, carefully sheathing the knife he'd been sharpening and placing it in a drawer behind his counter. With a wave of calmness he leaned back into his chair, fixing the tangles of curly brown hair that had cascaded over his forehead while he was working.

          Truvius greeted the man with a good morning and was met with a silent nod.

          Locks and their appropriate tools only decorated a small square of the shop. The first thing Káel had actually noticed about the space were simple sets and pieces of fresh leather armour tacked to the walls for display, along with complimentary swords and daggers, with a bin of bows hiding in the corner. Locksmithing seemed to be one of many professions the concealed shop catered to, the others spiking enough worry in Káel's gut for him to be more cautious of Alestra. 

          He glanced at a glassed over display of corked liquids and pouched powders, anxiously rubbing his fingers together while he followed his group.

          "I smell danger," Phantom hushed, looking around the small shop with a bemused chuckle. He didn't have to move much, since he was tall enough to peer over all the shelves, and he wasn't the least bit unnerved by the space.

          "Looking for something in particular?" the shopkeeper said, passively watching the group of teenagers as they hovered over a shelf packed with various lock picks and kits. "I could speed things up." 

          "We need a lockpick," Leon replied, picking up a fat spike of steel that would never jam into the tight grooves of Puff's cuff.

          The shopkeeper popped out of his chair, rounding his thick counter to join the teens. "I gathered that much." He snatched a random pick, wiggling it between his fingers with a nearly taunting smile. "What are you trying to open?" 

          Káel kept from locking gazes, forcing his sights to the ground where he noticed the thinner garments of leather the shopkeeper was wearing. Attire worrisomely similar to the merchandise covering every wall.  

          "Actually," the man's voice had dropped, the suspicion leaving no room for teasing chimes as he skimmed the kids. "I should be asking all your ages first."

          "Don't worry, nothing illegal," Mariel cut in, pulling out her ID crystal and flashing a tiny swirling emblem carved into the corner. "Mariel Strylez, second tier Breaker. The lock pick is for legal purposes."