The Daily Grind (Open)

Lena let out a sigh as the guy stormed off; good riddance to bad rubbish. In his place, came a somewhat creepy-looking guy approached her. Fortunately, Lena wasn't the type to judge a book by its cover, and his request seemed innocent enough. Or, at the very least, he didn't seem like the type to run around stabbing people. "Not sure what kind of knife qualifies as a skinning knife, but I do have a few in back. A hunter had requested they be made, but he canceled at the last second; apparently had extra set he forgot about. They were already close to being finished, so I went ahead and completed them. Gimme a sec..."

She excused herself for a moment, heading into a back room and returning just a few seconds later. With her, she had a long box, which she placed on the counter. Opening it up, she revealed a set of six knives; two general hunting knives, two fishing/filleting knives and two of the skinning knives that Vladimir had come to her in search of. All of them were well made, despite Lena herself not knowing much about the knives or what they were generally used for. "Knives like this aren't really my area of expertise, but I made them according to the client's specifications and I think they turned out pretty well...probably."

She then looked up at him, deciding it wouldn't hurt to ask what was on her mind. Her tone wasn't accusatory; rather, it was simple and genuine curiosity "If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan on using these for? Like I said, this isn't really my thing, but it'll be good to know for future reference...y'know...in case anyone else comes in looking for them"

Lena couldn't help but smile when Vlad told her that the knives looked well-made. Since she was more used to weapons and farming tools, she wasn't quite sure if they were up to snuff. This was part of the reason she didn't immediately put them on display when the order was cancelled at literally the last second. The other was because she wasn't sure how much such a set could be sold for. The guy who commissioned them offered her a fairly generous price for them, to the point that just the advance he'd given her ended up being more than enough to cover the cost of making them. Still, she wasn't 100% sure.

She had planned on heading to Kakariko and asking her father's advice, since he'd likely know a little more them than she would. Nevertheless, she appreciated the info that Vlad was able to tell her. Between that and what she'd already learned through making them, she was confident that she'd be able to make them even better the next time around. "Tell you what. If you want 'em, they're yours...no charge. The guy who commissioned 'em gave me an advance that covered the cost of making them, so it won't be a loss, and I'd be lying if I said I knew what a fair price would be to charge someone for 'em." After pausing for a moment, she continued

"So consider them a thanks for the info; it'll come in handy if I ever end up making any more of 'em, and by then I'll have a better idea of how much such knives are actually worth. Oh, and of course, if you ever need any other tools fixed or replaced, you're welcome to stop by...those won't be on the house, though."

She blinked as the man suddenly produced a book and offered it to her, explaining what it was and why he was giving it to her. She could at least appreciate the sentiment, but it wasn't until she took the book and skimmed through a few pages that she realized just how valuable this book really was. With this, she would have absolutely no trouble figuring out the best way to make such knives; once she figured out the most efficient way to make them, figuring out a fair price would be much easier.

"Y-you're sure I can have this? Because this seems pretty important, and I'm definitely not gonna say no" After waiting for a confirmation, she nodded, setting the book aside for the time being. She wasn't going to have the time to do it now, but she was definitely going to start reading through it later that night. And if there was anything she still wasn't clear on, she'd still be able to ask her father for some advice. Though she preferred to save that for only when she was really stuck.

"Anyways...you're timing is pretty good, because I was already thinking about closing up for the day after that last guy showed up. And...if you don't mind me saying, I kinda get the feeling you're not from around here. Call it a hunch, but I can't help but sense that feeling of jitteriness you usually find from someone who isn't used to large and crowded places like the Castle Town...I sure as heck know the feeling; I was born and raised in Kakariko, and living here really took some getting used to."

She let out a soft chuckle, remembering how awkward she was in the early days of her working here in this shop. She still wasn't entirely used to living in such a bustling place, but she was far better off than when she first started.

"Either way, it's getting pretty late, and I definitely don't recommend traveling through Hyrule Field at night...it's dangerous enough without a bunch of undead roaming about. Dunno how long you're planning to stay here, but at the very least, I can show you around a bit and point you to the nearest inn." She normally wouldn't go out of the way for a stranger like this, but it probably went without saying that receiving such a valuable book as "payment" had put her in a fairly good mood.

@vladimir