The Last In The Chamber

Chapter 2: Unexpected Customer

  Tin town, one of the few settlements that exists in Satan's Cereal Bowl. As the name entails Tin Town's building all consist of tin roofing panels for not only the roofs but along with its walls. Save for a few outliers such as trucks, warehouses or the single brick building. The tin panels would range in all kinds of colors, from common browns and tans to sun bleached greens, oranges, and even an eccentric blue. But it didn't matter the housing for the people were always the same, criminals, runaways, big shots of the slave industry. Rarely though there would be a seemingly crazed individual, who wouldn't be there for common "work" such as mugging, paid hitmen, or slavers. No these individuals would come out to the middle of nowhere in search for unknown historical treasures, archeologists. Their drive of curiosity and wonderlust drove them out to the desert to search for an old civilization that has been rumored to exist even before the sands where there. If any regular tenant of Tin Town where to search among the sands they would undoubtedly die. Saving the insane expeditions for the archeologists and any person they would hire to guide and protect them through the desert.

Promises of golds and ancient civilizations meant very little to someone like Grace. With other tenants they could at least escape Satan's Cereal Bowl, but for Grace she had nowhere to run after the world before her. All she had to herself was her weapon, and at the end of the day that's all she really needed. She laid down her desert cloak and sat down on it, disassembling her weapon to its major parts, the barrel, the trigger housing group, the butstock, and the chamber. She cleaned each portion meticulously, ensuring each piece was free of sand and carbon, along with being covered in a lubrication and anti-rust gel. She finished coating the bolt, holding it to the noonday sun that sneaked through the holes of the tin roofing. Satisfied with her work she puts the weapon back together. She was almost finished putting it together sliding the trigger housing group onto the main body pushing in the pin ensuring the trigger would not slide off, but her pointed ears perked up to talking of a familiar voice just outside of the house she lived in. She knew what to do in an instant, her polished reflexes kicking in. She quickly stood, placing her weapon in the closest corner throwing her gear at the base of it, and tossing her desert cloak over it to hide it all. Once her gear was hidden from view she took on large bound towards the other wall of the house where a old practically broken table stood, grabbing an old, faded, dusty apron. She quickly threw it on tying the back and facing the doorway, right in time as the cloth, hanging in the doorway, was moved to the side with Richard's familiar face and slender figure walked through talking with a suffocating amount of kindness directed to another person. A short being, clearly not a human but rather a Gnome, this fact caught Grace off guard, from what she knew of her master he would have no reason to speak to a "lesser being". The Gnome wore fairly fancy clothing, a tan jacket that reached down to the ground with a brown vest, a white shirt, black trousers, and thick spectacles. But no matter the reason he was a guest and Grace was expected to act accordingly. And so she bowed her head saying.

"Good afternoon master, would you like som-" She was quickly cut off by Richards, a usual outcome.

"No, shut up," He demanded "Go get some tea for me and my good friend here." he ordered in such a way that made it clear of what Grace should do.

"Of course master, it will be out in only a few minutes." She said obediently, with a bow as she walked to a small side room. Barely large enough for basic kitchen essentials such as an oven and an overhead cabinet. She reached into the cabinet and grabbed out an old tea kettle, a box of tea bags, and a pair of strangely nice cups that were set aside for special guests.

As Grace vanished into the secondary room Richards turned his attention towards his Gnomish guest. Relaxing his shoulders and with his trained silver tongue says.

"Now that we have tea coming our way soon, let's start business. Come sit!" Richards said jovially gesturing towards the breaking table with 2 equally broken chairs. The Gnome happily agrees and sits down, Richards slithering into the one across from him, never taking his eyes off his guest. Trying his best to keep a solid read on, but Gnomes are famous for being overtly unpredictable and easily swayed.