She smiled as the man's eyes roamed over the shield and she watched his roving eyes, all thoughts that she would be able to sell something to him dimming into an ember, as she remembered the fire and stoked the coals into a more workable flame, feeding it like a ravenous hearth-wolf. It was never satiated, but could at least feed contentedly on the wood, gnawing the bones in sharp snaps as its ravenous jaws bit into the bark, consumed the meat beneath, blackened the white flesh beneath. While she watched the flames she listened and heard that he hadn't seen her in Halo before.
"I am Brokkrid Deft-Hands." She said, "The title that I was given by my master when I was apprenticing under him for smithing." She explained and turned her eyes to him looking at his hand she tilted her head, then extended her own, not knowing what was in store for it. She hadn't shaken anyone's hand before, having not been raised in the higher society of nobility. She wasn't an established merchant, didn't belong to a guild, and so she usually worked with people who had little to no military experience. Being visited by a lord, and having the custom of shaking hands thrust upon her was a new and alien experience.
"Why do you greet everyone in your region?" She asked, part curious, part suspicious. She hadn't even been in the town long enough to set up entirely, much less cause any trouble. If she was sent packing now, she would have no money to show for it, and would start off worse than she had in years. She usually tried to at least make enough money to settle into a new area, but had wanted to catch the airship since she had the money for it to Halo. If she were put out of the territory, she didn't know where she would sleep. With winter fast approaching, it wasn't just uncomfortable, she had seen people die of exposure in their sleep on the side of the road, their belongings picked through by passers by, and their bodies worried by wild dogs.
The suspicion played across her face like a musical score while the fear of the repercussions of not being able to do business danced in the back of her gaze as her smile hardened into a half-desperate mask. Hopefully this man, who she assumed to be a guard, would be on his way sooner rather than later, and wouldn't escort her from the territory. This shift happened in the time it took her to extend her hand, waiting for him to initiate his strange greeting.
"I am Brokkrid Deft-Hands." She said, "The title that I was given by my master when I was apprenticing under him for smithing." She explained and turned her eyes to him looking at his hand she tilted her head, then extended her own, not knowing what was in store for it. She hadn't shaken anyone's hand before, having not been raised in the higher society of nobility. She wasn't an established merchant, didn't belong to a guild, and so she usually worked with people who had little to no military experience. Being visited by a lord, and having the custom of shaking hands thrust upon her was a new and alien experience.
"Why do you greet everyone in your region?" She asked, part curious, part suspicious. She hadn't even been in the town long enough to set up entirely, much less cause any trouble. If she was sent packing now, she would have no money to show for it, and would start off worse than she had in years. She usually tried to at least make enough money to settle into a new area, but had wanted to catch the airship since she had the money for it to Halo. If she were put out of the territory, she didn't know where she would sleep. With winter fast approaching, it wasn't just uncomfortable, she had seen people die of exposure in their sleep on the side of the road, their belongings picked through by passers by, and their bodies worried by wild dogs.
The suspicion played across her face like a musical score while the fear of the repercussions of not being able to do business danced in the back of her gaze as her smile hardened into a half-desperate mask. Hopefully this man, who she assumed to be a guard, would be on his way sooner rather than later, and wouldn't escort her from the territory. This shift happened in the time it took her to extend her hand, waiting for him to initiate his strange greeting.
