"CLOSD." Came the now-familiar raspy voice, though it sounded far more strained than normal. Glaring up from the back of his shop, the man's crotchety and grumpy expression softened instantly upon seeing Jigano. The lines on his face were still deep and his frown remained fixed in place, but his lip quivered thoughtfully as she stared at the young man. "I ain't seen ya', bu' I assume its been yew placin' tha wood outside every mornin'?" Fumbling with a cloth, the man tried to wipe the grime clean from his hands. It was relatively unsuccessful, the obvious signs of his craft more or less stained permanently into his skin now, but the effort was a genuine one.
Snaking out from behind the counter, the man limped over and offered a rather shaky hand towards Jigano. His gnarled and twisted fingers danced with age and arthritis, and though shaking the young man's hand was likely something that would cause a twinge of pain to race through his old bones, still he persevered.
Snaking out from behind the counter, the man limped over and offered a rather shaky hand towards Jigano. His gnarled and twisted fingers danced with age and arthritis, and though shaking the young man's hand was likely something that would cause a twinge of pain to race through his old bones, still he persevered.
