The security guard glared at her. Kiri glared right back. They’d been going on like this for a good ten minutes now. The line waiting to pass through the security checkpoint had simply detoured around them. Both were proving just how stubborn they were, and neither looked like they were going to move any time soon.
“I’m not. Giving up. My guns,” Kiri stated calmly, although there was an undercurrent of frustration bordering on anger in her voice.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I just can’t allow you in to the airport carrying that kind of firepower,” the guard replied, just as calmly.
This was why Kiri never flew. Ever. For one, she hated airplanes - always made her sick. For another, getting her guns through was always a nightmare. She’d even tried to hide them this time, but it had been no use. This time, though, she had no choice. The paper Black Diamond had given her had been very clear - the last known location of her target, Midas, was Lumo Bay. Kiri knew Lumo Bay, she’d worked there for a while. Bit too close to the wizard city for her tastes, but not a bad place. It was also, unfortunately, halfway across the world from Onsen, up on the northern corner of the continent. Driving there wasn’t feasible - not only would it take a month at least, but there were two mountain rages and the Mist Plains between here and there. Onsen wasn’t near enough to the coast to make sailing a possibility, so the only choice left to her was to fly.
At least if there’d been an airship dock she could have travelled in comfort. But no, all Onsen had was a dinky little airport, barely big enough to deserve the name. It was basically just a refueling stop for flights coming south out of Port Antil. At least the tickets were cheap.
Kiri continued to glare at the security guard, but it was becoming more hopeless with every moment. Her flight left in less than an hour, she didn’t have time for this. And besides, with the wonderfully heavy money bag now hanging at her waist, she could buy new - better - guns once she reached Lumo Bay. So, with muttered curses that would have made a sailor blush, she unsnapped the two holsters, drew the pistols, and tossed them on the table next to her.
“There, happy?” she grumbled. The security guard smiled, nodded, and stepped back to let her pass. “Bastard…” she muttered as she shoved past the young couple waiting in line, through the obediently silent metal detector, and clear to the other side. Snatching up her pack, which had been waiting for her on the other side of the scanner, she stalked off across the airport without a backwards glance.
After that, the rest of the day proved uneventful, which is often the best thing that can be said about travel. Kiri ordered as much alcohol as the stewardess would allow her before the plane even left the ground, and successfully drank herself to sleep for the rest of the flight, neatly avoiding her tendency towards airsickness. Twenty-two hours later, when the plane made a smooth landing at the airport on the outskirts of Lumo Bay, Kiri had to be shaken awake by the flight attendant, who bore an unmistakable look of disgust.
“Miss, please, you have to get off now. We’ve landed.”
“Hm… wha…? Landed? Oh… right.” Kiri blinked several times, trying unsuccessfully to clear the fog in her head. She did manage to lurch to her feet, grab her pack, and stagger off the plane, only to collapse in the nearest chair a few moments later. It took the better part of an hour for her head to finally settle enough to allow her to walk. No sooner did she stand up then she made a beeline for the restroom.
Gods above she hated flying.
Comparing Lumo Bay to Onsen was, well… there really was no comparison. The technology level was, frankly, terrible, since it was just across the water from Blowin, wizard capital of the world - and wizards, of course, can’t stand technology. However, the people were friendly, the inns were luxurious, the shopping was excellent, and the food… Beyond description. True, there were a few too many horses and wagons for Kiri’s taste, but at least you didn’t get choked half to death by clouds of exhaust when you walked.
The air was much colder than it had been in Onsen, which made sense considering she was several thousand miles further north. She actually had to unpack the leather jacket that had been made for her by a good friend many years ago and shrug it on. The brown leather was supple and soft, worn from many years of use, but still the warmest jacket she’d ever found, yet it never seemed to be too warm in mild weather.
Her mental to-do list was growing longer as she walked, but top of the list was securing some new weapons. Fortunately, the nice young man at the airport concierge desk had been able to give her directions the the largest weapon dealer in town. She was almost there. In fact, just around the next corner in front of her she could see the top of the building, towering a story taller than any of the houses around it.
When Kiri stepped through the doors of Luko’s Weapons and More, as the sign outside proclaimed it, it was like all her dreams had decided to come true at once. Guns of all shapes and sizes adorned the walls. There was an amazing selection of swords and blades as well, but Kiri pointedly ignored that side of the store. Swords were so… stupid. Primitive. People who used them were almost necessarily idiotic, and had an absurd sense of honor. Now the guns, on the other hand… Kiri let herself take down a few of the nicest models and run her hands over them, savoring the perfect balance and beautiful lines of the carefully forged metal. Even with her new-found wealth, though, she couldn’t afford them, so after a few moments she moved to the guns that were more in her price range.
Their selection of pistols and other handguns was somewhat more limited than the heavy artillery section, but the moment Kiri lifted the Magnum revolver off it’s stand, she knew she’d found her match. It fit so wonderfully into her hand, and the click of the safety was music to her ears. Holding it up to the light, she savored the way the light played over the wood grain of the handle and gleamed off the worked metal of the barrel. This, this was true beauty. She bought two, along with a nice, but simple shotgun for more heavy-duty work. The thrill of new weapons put a spring in her step as she strode down the street afterwards. A sign on one side of the road caught her eye - a firing range! Perfect.
The door of the main building of the firing creaked loudly as she pushed it open. She winced. Gods she hated that sound. It did serve the purpose of summoning the attendant from the back office to the front desk. He was an older man, and looked askance at her as she sidled up to the counter.
“Y’here to shoot, or just gander?” he said gruffly.
“I’m here to shoot, just point me in the right direction.” Kiri was used to responses like his. She didn’t exactly look like much, at barely over five feet and skinny to boot. Normally, it bothered her, but with three shiny new guns she just wanted a target to shoot at.
“Fine, fine… s’three gold for an hour, targets are through that door,” he replied, pointing down the hall. She tossed the coins on the table and strolled off down the hallway without granting the man even another glance. Down the hallway, through the door, and into the large, open, empty space of the range itself. Inhaling the smell of gunpowder and hot metal with relish, she stepped into one of the individually separated booths and took the earmuffs of the hook, slipping them on over her ears. In such a confined space, it was a good idea to keep one’s ears covered… unless you liked vague ringing sounds for hours afterward, that is.
The next few minutes were spent tending to her new gun - cleaning it, checking it, loading it. Then she lined up the first shot, breathed in, then fired on the exhale. The bullet flew true, striking dead center on the target. Kiri grinned. New guns, a new place, a job… life was good. For the first time in a long time, she was moving forward again. She fired the gun again, relishing the shock that ran through her from the shot. Yes, life was good indeed.
When she finally left the firing range several hours later, after working through multiple clips on each of her new guns, the shopkeeper eyed her with a newfound respect. Must not be every day someone went in and hit a bullseye with every shot. Then again, that was Kiri’s specialty after all - they didn’t call her a sharpshooter for nothing. She waved to the man idly, calling “Thanks!” as she pushed through the door out onto the street. Next order of business was to find an inn to crash at, then start into her favorite part of the job - info gathering. It usually involved copious amounts of alcohol, and hanging out in bars and taverns chattign with strangers until she got a lead. In other words, what she did every day, just with a purpose.
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