"Debt collector's agency?" Gale echoed. He hesitated. "There is such a thing... but I didn't know your father had any debt. Next time they stop by, send them to me so we can work out a deal. You've worked hard for Portia, so it's the least we can do."
Kahli sighed. "Thanks," she muttered. She couldn't believe it was true, which is why she came to the mayor as soon as she could. But it seemed that there was a very real possibility that it was true, and that her father had left her to clean up his mess.
"You should also have a talk with Martha," Gale continued. "She had to deal with some debt when her husband passed. Maybe she can give you some legal pointers?"
It was better than nothing, and it gave her a chance to see more of the town instead of being stuck in a workshop without a clue as to what to do. She followed Gale's directions until she found Martha. After introducing herself, she explained the situation to her.
"I'm so sorry to hear that you're dealing with your father's debt," Martha said, sounding sincere. "Though, from what I can remember, he didn't seem like the type who'd be in debt. I've had to deal with the debt agency before. The point man around Portia is actually Mr. Isaac, so they're very easy to deal with and very fair. Don't worry too much!"
"Isaac?" Kahli echoed. She raised a brow. "That's not who approached me."
"That can't be right," Martha started. "Unless something happened that I'm not aware of. Mr. Isaac should still be the sole representative in our town. Maybe you should talk with him. I'm sure he'll set the record straight."
It seemed she would be spending the day running around town. But at least she could put off ruin diving for another day.
The older gentleman wasn't hard to find, and to her surprise, he confirmed what she so desperately needed to hear.
"What are you yapping about? Your father didn't have any debt. Heck, I'd even classify him as a penny pincher during his time here. Whoever came to you wasn't from the debt agency."
"They called themselves Agent T and Agent H," Kahli explained.
"Tuss and Huss!" Isaac growled. "These two buffoons are at it again!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Those two idiots are brothers from around Portia. They're bandits, or at least they try to be. They make some trouble now and then, but they're mostly just a pair of imbeciles."
Kahil wanted to feel relieved that there was no debt to be paid, but she wasn't sure how much trouble these two men would cause her. "What should I do?"
"Well, I'd ignore them, but that's just me. Maybe you can have the Civil Corps do something about it."
Kahli sighed. At the very least, it seemed the people of Portia were familiar with these two. Hopefully they would be dealt with swiftly. The last thing she needed, however, was an enemy making trouble for her in the future.
Kahli found her way up the hill toward the Civil Corps building. Arlo was standing outside at the stables, grooming his horse.
"And what do I owe this pleasure?" he said in greeting.
"I hear you can take care of problems," Kahli said.
Arlo grinned. "Maybe I can. What trouble have you gotten into already?"
Kahli explained the situation to him, and Arlo laughed.
"Huss and Tuss? Doing what? Ha! That's pretty clever of them."
Kahli crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Hysterical."
Arlo cleared his throat. "How much time did they give you? A week? I'll be sure to show up that morning as well."
"That's it? You're just gonna show up and tell 'em to piss off? I could have done that."
"They're harmless," Arlo assured her. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it. No damsels in distress on my watch, hm?"
"Listen," Kahli sneered. "I'm not a damsel." She stuck her nose up at him and turned away. "Next time I see 'em I'm punching their lights out."
"You know, you really shouldn't tell me that, because then I'd have to arrest ya."
"Do it!"
Arlo folded his arms over his chest and grinned as she stormed away.
She wasn't exactly thrilled with his response, but then again, it was a relief that he wasn't more concerned. Maybe they were harmless, but still, it was not the way she wanted to start her day. She wanted to hit something. Hard.
She stopped in front of the ruin in town. Guess she would be doing some mining after all. A perfect way to take out some of her frustration.
It was easy to lose track of time in the dark ruins. And to her surprise, she didn't tire as quickly as she thought she would. It was getting late in the evening when she finally stepped out, her bag full of what she hoped would be enough copper and tin to start smelting the bars she would need to being work on the bridge.
She dropped her materials in the workshop and, feeling like she had a successful day, she turned in for the night, sleep taking over as soon as her head hit the pillow.
To her relief, Huss and Tuss did not make an appearance the next morning, and she was left to her own devices, puttering away in the workshop as she attempted to work the machines. Like the ruins, she lost track of time in the run down building, and by the timer her stomach reminded her to eat dinner, she had enough wood planks, copper pipes and bronze plates to being construction of the bridge.
The following morning, she began the process of lugging the materials down to the river. She dumped everything on the ground, and with her hands on her hips, she stared at the river. She had a general idea of how to being building the bridge, but as she looked at the space between the shores, the task seemed daunting.
She sighed. All she could do was just begin. And the most logical thing to start with was the legs of the bridge. Which would need to be placed in the water. How convenient.
With a hammer and nails and a bag full of tools, she rolled up her pants and set to work. It took her the majority of the morning to get two of the four legs completed, and it was only after losing many nails in the sand and a lot of cursing. She banged her thumb so many times she thought it would be flattened by the end of the day. Still, she wasn't about to give up. She had nothing else going for herself. The least she could do was prove she could build a damn bridge.
Then again, if she ended up a total failure, maybe she could convince Huss and Tuss to help her fake her own death so she could leave town forever.
She was finishing the second leg of the bridge when she heard the sound of trotting hooves coming near. She bit her lip, ignoring whoever was coming up the road, and focused on keeping the leg anchored down in the water. She squatted and leaned forward in an attempt to reach the piece she needed, but the sand slipped from underfoot, and with a shout, she fell into the river, completely submerged.
She cursed when she broke the surface and coughed out the water she accidentally swallowed in her surprise. She pushed her wet hair out of her face, and when she blinked the water out of her eyes, she met Arlo's gaze, a grin plastered on his face.
"I know you're not a damsel in distress," he started. "But can I at least offer a hand?"
"I'm swimming," Kahli said stubbornly.
"Fully clothed?"
"What? Were you expecting me to be naked?"
His cheeks reddened slightly. "Most people wear a bathing suit."
"Well, I guess I'm not most people," she muttered.
"No. I guess not." He stretched out a hand, and Kahli begrudgingly took it, letting him pull her out of the water.
She groaned and looked down at herself. She pulled her hair into a pony tail and sighed. She sat on the ground, her arms folded across her chest.
"Are you... pouting?"
"No!"
Arlo sat beside her. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Kahli watched his horse graze, his tail swishing listlessly in the breeze.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Kahli finally said.
"Sure."
"I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."
Arlo smiled. "You fooled me."
Kahli rolled her eyes. "Shut up."
"You know," he started. "No one expects you to solve the world's problems or anything."
Kahli sighed. "I can't even build a damn bridge."
"For someone who has never picked up a hammer in her life, I think you're far exceeding anyone's expectations."
Kahli blew a wet strand of hair out of her face. "I'm not my father," she said. "I think everyone assumes I am."
"No one thinks that."
"Good," she said. "I'd never want to be compared to him."
Arlo glanced at her, hesitant.
"Whatever," she grumbled. She got to her feet and turned to stare at her work so far.
"Can I help?" Arlo asked, standing at her side.
Kahli scoffed. "Please. You go ride into the sunset and leave the tough work to the damsels."
Arlo laughed. "Suit yourself," he said, turning away from her.
"Wait." Kahli hesitated. "My thumb really hurts."
"I'm not a doctor."
"Just," she snapped, then sighed. "Can you please help me figure this shit out? I can't hammer my thumb any more..."
Arlo smiled. "Alright," he said. "But I want credit for this. I want my named carved into this thing and a plaque."
"You can have a piece of pie."
"Deal."