"Hey…" Rinne's voice tore through the stillness of the air.
Our earlier interaction ended in silence as Rinne retreated towards a corner of the room, looking over items that she had gotten from somewhere. Before I saw the bag containing the items, I thought it was strange that she even had it after coming in with nothing but the ragged clothes on her back.
Now, she was also no longer wearing those raggedy clothes; instead, she was dressed in a familiar outfit. One that Rinara used to wear before she outgrew it. I'm surprised that Margaret kept it. Then again, she collects a lot of weird things, so maybe she thought it would be a good keepsake of old times.
"Before that," I interrupted her. Her scarlet eyes looked at me with annoyance; she bit her lip a little. "When—no, where did you get those items?"
"…" Rinne placed a finger on her chin and pondered for a moment. "I followed you last night." She said in the bluntest way possible.
"And may I ask why?"
A better question would be how she did that. I usually notice even a cat following me in the street.
She gave me a forced, cute expression as she looked away bashfully. "I felt alone. And this dingy place did not feel very safe. I can't believe you would leave a young girl alone like that."
"I can think of several reasons to leave you alone."
"Ew." Rinne's body recoiled in disgust.
"So, what meaningless thing were you gonna say?"
"…" She gave no response. She simply glared at me.
"Sorry, that was a bit far." Given her reaction to me holding a beer bottle, I should at least be more considerate of the things she had to put up with in the past. "I'm all ears."
"Okay…" she muttered as she approached me. I guess that little comment set her trust back, as she kept herself guarded as she moved. "That woman…" I could see her shudder with fear. "Margaret. She gave me these and told me to hand these to—"
Without realizing it, I snatched the gloves from her hands. It was not hard to tell what kind of face I was making by that fearful glint in her eyes. She backed up, keeping a steady eye on me.
I ignored her and focused my attention on the gloves.
This was a gift I gave to Rinara. The first thing I made for her. After a few setbacks, she grew to love these. A pair of fingerless leather gloves that had a large gear-shaped insert in the center of the palm. The sides of the gloves had two broken tubes that led off from the gear insert.
These had long since been damaged and replaced. It would be meaningless to ask why Margaret had also held onto these. Something tells me that she gave these to Rinne to force me to move on. While her antics always had a purpose, I just wished she'd choose something with less meaning to me.
"These are Spiral Gloves." I handed her back the gloves, and she stared between them and me.
"So, I guess these once belonged to my mother, huh?" Before I could answer, she held them tightly to her chest.
She was sharp, either that or I'm too obvious.
She looked back up at me with a small smile. Rinne stepped closer. In a way, she reminded me of a cat: cautious once startled, but she can't help herself against the irresistible pull towards the unknown.
"So, why Spiral Gloves?" She asked. "I mean, the name doesn't fit the design at all."
She was right, but those gloves were part of a bigger picture.
"If you wanna know more, follow me."
I led her downstairs to the workshop where the steam hummed through the pipes that snaked across the ceiling. Towards the back of the workshop was a pile of scrap metal. I could have used these scraps or tossed them, but they had a purpose. A purpose that I now regret having done.
"The name isn't based on the glove's appearance," I said, digging through the pile of scrap metal. As I dug, my hands were stained by the dirt and dust that clung to the metal. "It's a tool that helped your mother use her favorite class of weapon."
The more I dug, the more annoyed I became. I tossed the metal scraps around, filling the room with a thick dust cloud as the echoing wail of metal against metal filled our ears.
"Though," I continued, "those are damaged beyond repair, and I need the blueprint to make a fresh pair for you."
At the bottom of the pile was the golden box I was looking for. Well, it was a wooden box, but inside it would make it seem like it's worth more than gold. I never thought I would have a reason to open this box again.
I picked it up and walked towards a table. With one sweep of an arm, anything on top was sent crashing down onto the floor with an echoing clank. More dust floated into the air, and behind me I could hear Rinne coughing.
"ACK-could you do that differently?" She was covering her mouth as she continued to cough. "Besides," once she caught her breath, she looked at me with an annoyed look as she pouted. "What about the woman upstairs?"
"Kelly? She'll be fine." Honestly, I didn't really care about her. Had I been a sensible person, I would have limited the noise. But the moment Rinne and I made it down here, I sensed something move upstairs. Chances are that she's already wide awake.
I opened the box to reveal a pair of brass cyclone daggers with a copper core lining the center. The handle was held together with a faded cloth that had a gear on either end. They have definitely seen better days, but these were made to break. That was the reason I chose to make them out of brass.
Beneath the knives were notes I had written for recreating the gloves, wrist guards, and knives. I pulled out the notes, reviewing their contents when a thought struck me. Putting them down, I looked at Rinne, who seemed to have been staring at the note from behind my shoulder.
"Yes…?" she said awkwardly, as if knowing I was thinking about her.
She'd managed to get from the Upper to Middle Core in one piece. Sure, she has some wounds and scars, but she's here. The question is how she managed it. Rinne doesn't look particularly strong and, in the short couple of days I have known her, likes to put herself in danger.
But, like her mother, she naturally gravitated towards those willing to help her.
I picked up one of the knives and flipped it over. There was a small engraving on the bottom gear that read Golden Steam. Master and Rinara were experts in using this tool. I wonder if Rinne will be as well.
"Rinne."
"Yes?"
"Put one of the gloves on."
She did as she was told and put one on. Rinne opened and closed her hand a few times to get a feel of it.
"It's a little loose." She said with a troubled face, "And a bit awkward with this metal thing in the center."
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇, it's a little weird to wear. Are you sure this will help me use my knives better?
Seeing Rinne complain about them reminded me of when Rinara first wore them. We worked together to help make the gloves a better experience as it would be her to wear them.
I looked around my workshop for a cotton insert and gave it to Rinne. "Put this inside." She did just that and opened and closed her hand a few more times. Her troubled face disappeared. "Now then." Satisfied with that reaction, I look around the shop for a few more things.
"What are these for?" Rinne asked as I placed numerous items on a worktop.
"Give me about an hour." I said, "It won't be perfect, but I'll create something that will help you at least use one of the gloves."
"Why the rush?" Rinne said worriedly. "You have the notes to recreate them, so why not just get the materials?"
Why the rush, indeed? Maybe I was just excited to see her use the glove that I forgot to consider her opinion.
"I have a hunch that you'll be needing them today." I lied. The chances that she'll need them today would be low. But it would be nice to teach her how to use them should something come up.
"I see." She said distantly.
"Don't look so gloomy." I tried to give her a welcoming smile. "I know that you are still recovering from your wounds, but life can take you in unpredictable directions. So where's the harm in learning something now when you have a breather?"
"I don't understand you." She sighed before looking up toward the top of the stairs. "I guess I'll wait for you up there."
"You can stay and watch if you want."
"Sorry," she said bluntly. "I'd rather not spend any more time alone with you if it's not for a proper reason."
Ouch. But I can't blame her.
"Suit yourself." I turned towards the table and pulled out the small note. "Oh, tell that reporter who's hiding at the top of the stairs that she's welcome to join me instead of hiding."
"How did you know she was there?" Rinne said with genuine shock.
"I have a good set of ears."
Truthfully, I'm more surprised that Rinne noticed she was up there. Kelly hid behind the door, leaving it cracked just a little. The only reason I noticed she was watching was from the slight sound of a pen hitting paper.
"Fine," Rinne said dejectedly. "I'll grab her and come back down."
I turned slightly, watching her walk up the stairs. Why the change of heart? Was it because she knew that someone else was watching?