093 – Batting Cleanup

Roxanne met him at the hotel door. “How was it?”

“Tiring. And I go back for a bit more tomorrow.”

“I get to go to my outfitter as well. I have been with the weapon smith and Master Eklund getting some adjustments made for my gear. My arrows are a day or so out. As is most of the rest of my stuff.”

Once in their room Steven pulled the coat’s belt open, opened the vest and coat, and then realized that the whole set was still hooked together. He pulled the belt out, and then looked at his arms and legs.

“Uggh,” he moaned.

Roxanne giggled. “Here. Let me.”

She opened the vambrace's, and the gauntlet gussets on one arm as Steven opened the few ties between his vest and coat with his free hand. Rox removed the gauntlet, then opened the sleeve; then she worked on the other. Finally Steven dropped the laden vest to a chair, and Rox pulled the coat off, and set the coat over the back of the chair.

“They did a good job. It looks like everything fits.”

“Yeah. And all it cost was some bruises, a set of BDU’s and a gi.”

“It looks like you need a good meal. Nice trousers, by the way.”

She watched as Steven stood up and moved around a bit, stretching and shaking his hands. He swung a leg up onto a chair back stretching a bit, then switched.

“The new boots get picked up tomorrow. They fit like the gauntlets do, with a grieve up to here.” He put his hand just over his knee. “Lets go get dinner.”

He unrolled the new cloak, and Roxanne got her own, and they left the room.

Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 125

The shopping is done! To my surprise I will be packing heat again. Rox and I are leaving some of our things here, and setting out more native than I would have considered. We ordered things for the kids that will help them blend in; that is due for pickup later today. No clue what they are up to or how they are holding up. Caspian says they are still moving and healthy but cannot give any more information than that.

We have been here, including our side trip back home, for about two weeks. Time to get moving again. My question is, how much more walking is there?

Steven entered the shop alone, and went right to the back room. It was just after opening, a few women were buying, and one was gossiping. She had been in here every time Steven had come, but she seemed more interested in talking, than in shopping.

On the table, Steven’s belt-gear had been left in a bit of a jumble, as though someone had been loading and unloading it. As he looked it over, and put on the choker and ear piece, he noticed his gun and all three magazines were unaccounted for in the pile. As was the sword he would be using.

He stood there for a few moments, when the young female elf and the very old one came in. The crone leaned on her stick that looked as gnarled as she did, for all that she looked Steven in the eye while bent over. The younger woman carried Steven’s boots. Both wore aprons. Steven had learned the night before that this was Mother Mundrl and one of her granddaughters, who was the niece of Master Mundrl. Obligingly, Steven got up on the pedestal, and removed his boots. The old crone elf said little, but commanded attention.

The boots had significant work done from the night before. The seams were closed and sealed up to the top cuff. A grieve that had been sized the night before was attached to the inside seam, and the straps and buckles that would secure it were also attached. Steven took the boot in hand and pulled as the girl wiggled the end onto his foot. Steven reached in and smoothed the cuff of his trousers and the gusset around his leg. Next he smoothed the boot a bit, and pulled on its gusset strings, tightening it up over his foot, across his ankle, and up to the cuff that rested just under his knee. Holding the ties tight, he slid a locking grommet tight, and folded the cords down. He then folded the grieve over the cords and gusset, and threaded the straps for the grieve into their buckles. Once all three were secure, he started at the bottom, and tightened them to comfortable. Steven then repeated the process for the other side. He then stood up and settled his feet, and moved around a bit.

“These feel very good.”

“The seams have been sealed, so water will not leak through.” Mother Mundrl spoke with great pride, as though threatening the seams.

A woman with the girdle from the night before came in. Steven hopped up onto the pedestal again, and this time the girdle was put around him. It did not have the hardware on it yet, so Steven held it around his waist as its position was adjusted and finalized. Steven noticed it had pouches and straps attached all the way it, but was not given time to examine these. The woman took the girdle away and left again.

The old crone and the young woman had disappeared while the girdle was worked with.

Steven removed his new coat and vest as he had begun to warm up slightly, and set them on the table. He moved around the room kicking and punching at the shadows. He was working his way around the table when Master Mundrl entered with the finished girdle.

“Try this on. It should fit.”

Various pouches and straps were attached to the girdle. On the left was the frog to hang his sword scabbard from. What was right in front of that surprised him, as did a specific pouch on the back of his right hip. A quiver for his crossbow bolts hung on his right side. After putting the new coat and vest back on, Steven worked around connecting things with the straps that passed through to the belt on the trousers.

“All right. Where is it?”

The tall, older elf handed Steven his gun. Steven pointed it up as he checked the empty chamber. He then put it into the holster at the back of his right hip and closed the flap, which completely covered the gun.

“Keep it closed, and the gun will stay dry, even under water.”

Steven found that the flap completely covered and concealed the butt of the gun.

“The same for these.” The magazines were handed over, each one empty. The ammo was in the box of stuff under the table. One magazine went into the gun, the other two into a pouch on the left, where he expected to find them. These also had flaps that completely concealed them.

Because of the scabbard frog, his knife butt sat at an odd angle, but was otherwise where he expected it.

“You have done a wonderful job. It all fits and moves well.” Steven finished packing all the odds and ends into the belt.

Steven shifted and shook things to settle them and moved around the room again. The crossbow bolts rattled until he pulled the drawstring on the top of the cloth cover tight around them. The stiff leather hampered things a bit, so he was working to loosen it up. At some point Master Mundrl had left again. He returned, with the old sword in a scabbard.

“This completes your costume.” The elf knelt and attached the loops in the scabbard to the frog on Steven’s belt, then stood back.

Steven found the hilt rested just at hand level, under his left hand. His ka-bar knife in front and a bit above, at nearly the same angle. And things now felt complete. He drew the sword, it came smoothly out, and went just as smoothly back in. The crossbar locked into the top of the scabbard properly, unlike the scabbard he and then Abey had stitched together for his other sword.

Master Mundrl's son had returned, and for a half minute, he and Steven sparred to make sure all was good, and did not interfere or bind as he moved. That finished, Steven turned to the older elf.

“Thank you, again.” Steven bowed slightly, having picked up that this was a sign of respect in this community.

“You’re welcome. Please bring your children by, on your way back through.” Master Mundrl pulled out the box of rejected stuff from under the table and left it on the table. He then went out front to help some other customer. Steven shouldered his crossbow, took the box and left.

He got back to the hotel room in time to meet Roxanne for lunch. Steven left his pack and cloak behind, wearing the coat and vest with all its attached equipment to get used to it, and loosen the stiff leather up.

After lunch they picked up the stuff they ordered for the kids from Master Senisith, spending some of the money that came from the gold dress and jewelry Steven had acquired. Instead of putting magical pockets in the costumes, they made stuff sacks that were a bit larger on the inside, that held the kids clothes and a few other things. These were later put in Steven's pack.

Rox went off to her lesson with Master Iver, and Steven took the shopping back to the hotel. He put it aside to sort out later. First he turned to other things. Using the tripod, and the camera’s timer, Steve took a few pictures of himself in his kit. The tripod was then packed back up in a pouch for it on the side of the stuff sack.

Steven then went to the weapon smith that Rox had gone to for arrows and a quiver. While there, one of the journeyman elves showed Steven how to better care for and clean his sword. Some of the lamination on the blade was showing, where it had been resharpened and nicks smoothed. Steven got a better honing stone for his troubles. The Master Smith looked the sword over and commented that it was almost purely functional, with the gold and bronze being secondary for decoration.

They presented Steven with the two dozen local-made broad heads for Rox's arrows. Rox had left the arrows so the heads were all mounted, and had been shot twice for test. The local made heads showed a different coloring pattern and polish level to the ones from Terra, but were otherwise visibly identical. The twenty wood arrows had the local narrow blade arrow heads slotted into the the rounded ends of the wood shafts and secured with tight wraps of wire, and feather fletchings with winds of wire holding them to place. These had also been test shot.

The quiver for Rox had two separate slots for the arrows, as the wooden ones were longer than the aluminum ones. There was also a set of loops on its front/downward side to put her staff into if she wanted. It also had a cloth top with a drawstring to secure the arrows on each slot. Last, the quiver had loops for hooking to a belt, with an adjustable shoulder strap to go across Rox's body; it could be set to hang at her hip, or across her back. The whole thing would hang almost straight down, with a slight forward tilt to keep the arrows from rolling far from easy reach at her hip.

Steven hung the quiver next to his sword, and slung the bow across the other direction, put his boony hat on and went back to the hotel. He garnered a few interesting looks as he went.