My Duty [korrasami]

Chapter XXXIX

Kai swiped his forehead with his sleeve, his arms were starting to ache and the heat wasn't helping him at all. Making these small parts for a flintlock were so difficult, how did Hiroshi Sato even come up with something like this? It was all very impressive. He had been working on this small piece all morning, this was his second attempt. He knew what he was doing, he just couldn't get it right yet. Kai lowered a piece of hot metal into a bucket of water, he left it in there for a while so it could cool down. Whilst it was doing that, the blacksmith moved over to the smelter; slipping on his leather gloves in the process. With the clamps in his hands, he gripped tightly onto the metal that had been resting in the hot smelter for a few minutes. He swiftly placed it onto the anvil and started hammering away, like he normally did. Moulding the melt into a shape that he needed.

Suddenly, the door to the workshop flung open. The loud noise made the man jump, the hammer almost hitting his own hand in the process. Kuvira quickly stepped inside, slamming the door shut as she pressed her back onto it.
"Kuvira! How many times do I have to tell you!" Kai shouted, placing his hammer down.
"You'll break my door if you keep doing that."

The taller woman tossed a small bag onto the wooden table, taking the blacksmith off guard completely. Inside the bag, the gold coins clinked together as it dropped onto the wooden structure. Kai's eyes widened at the sound.
"Where did you get that?" He asked, it didn't look like a lot of money but it was certainly enough for the two of them.

Kuvira huffs, the heat from the smelter already started to make her sweat. She hadn't slept yet, she had been trying to get the coins all night. She had come to the conclusion that there wasn't a lot of coin in Zaheer's office than she thought; only this bag and a few expensive pens and quills. She didn't bother with those obviously. Zaheer seemed to keep all of it in his room, there was no way she was risking that when this bag had enough for them.
"We need to go before Zaheer finds out."

Kai gasped and pointed to the bag of coins.
"You stole from Zaheer!"

Kuvira rushed over to the man and clasped a hand over his mouth.
"Keep your voice down you twit."

"Sorry." Kai responded, his tone of voice was a lot quieter now. Kuvira took a seat, finally letting her legs rest after a long night.
"How much is in it?" He asked, taking a seat opposite his friend.

"I've not counted it yet, but it seems to be enough to atleast rent a room for a week or two." Kuvira said as she stretched out her legs, satisfied when she heard her joints pop.

Kai took the bag in his hands and tipped the coins out onto the table. He flicked the coins towards him, couting each and every one. There wasn't much at all.
"I know an Inn that has cheap rooms.. but it's located in town." Kai explained as he begun to start placing each coin back into the bag.

Kuvira nodded.
"We should go there, get a room until we can earn enough money t-"

"Kuvira you're not thinking about this properly. I will have to get a job. You can't. You're a wanted woman remember?" Kai said.
"We need to be smart about this."

Kuvira clenched her jaw and slammed her hand onto the wooden table.
"I don't care! We just need to get out of here and fast!"

A knock was heard at the blacksmith workshop, which caused Kai to groan in annoyance.
"Not now, come back later." He called, crossing his arms. However, the door opened without his permission. Kuvira got to her feet as Zaheer stepped through the door, she stood inbetween him and the bag of coins so he couldn't see.
"Oh, I'm sorry sir I didn't know it was you." Kai apologised, flashing him an awkward smile.

Zaheer completely ignored him, his eyes fixated on the taller woman.
"Kuvira, I would like a word with you."

Kai slips the bag onto his lap as Kuvira takes a step towards Zaheer. The woman nodded, looking over her shoulder to her friend before she left the room, shutting the door gently for once. The two walk through the halls, she occasionally was given glances from the other guild members as she passed them. They were worried, no. Shocked? Was she in trouble or something? Did Zaheer find out about the missing coins already?