Changes

Focusedheart

Focusedheart

Through all, smile. Through the worst, smirk.
It was a long standing tradition of fighting and killing. It was always done but it was the means in which it was done that always changed. Those used to do such things, always changing. The dark underbelly of the world was never the same, yet the unwritten laws and morals of it seemed to always been kept in check. Nothing wrong with a little check and balance going on with killers and thieves. It kept even the darker ones at a respectful mindset.

Never had to be in the darker part of the world to understand what they were once they reached it. Everyone just seemed to know. There was one killer that seemed to be in charge of the rest but there was always killers that were growing in strength and rising through the shadows. So long as no one reached for the top, everyone got along. So long as no one crossed another, everyone got along. It was that simple. If one got a job, they did the job. It was work but it was also a lifestyle that couldn't just be taken off when one showers. It was stuck to them like a second shadow. Some were even born into it, into the life that was nothing but shadows and darkness.

There were many who had been born to that underbelly so it wasn't a surprise when another family was reported to have another child on the way. It was rare for a family to survive so long in the darkness of killers but then again, they didn't bother anyone. They did their work and went home. It was a job.

They had one child already who had succeeded in reaching the age of twenty. All members of the family trained until that age before being allowed to take a job, no matter how good their natural talent was. The boy had become a man after his first job. He had completed it with no faults. A good start.

A second child was gifted to the family. A girl who when born, hair was black as night. As she grew, she showed strengths in many parts of her training but as she grew older, that long black hair began to change. It became lighter. By the time she had reached the age of twenty, her hair was pure white with soft hints of grey in it. There was no reason for the change, the doctors couldn't figure out why it had happened. She was a health female in all regards.

By this age, her mother and father were elderly and no longer taking on jobs. They had retired in peace up in the mountains where no one bothered them, letting them be as not many in this life reach such an age. Her brother had disappeared from her life only two years prior to her coming of age. It was time for her to take a job and she did just that. One after the other. When she reached the age of twenty five, she had already completely over three hundred jobs. No one remembered what she looked like anymore, just that she had white hair. She kept to herself, kept away from the underbelly but still accepted the jobs when they came across her way.

In plain view of the world, she owned a small store that sold various items from books to antiques. Her home, right above it. It kept her busy and away from the jobs that truly didn't need her attention. Her name was Serina but in the underbelly, white tiger, or white dragon was often used. Names she often ignored. She wasn't ashamed of who she was or her family but simply lived. Lived simply. Jobs were good but she enjoyed her little store.

Yet being apart from the underbelly for so long, things had begun to change that she wasn't aware of. Dangerous things.

It was early fall and the leaves had not fallen yet. Their colors matching the night sky as the sun drifts down. It was a wonderful sight and one she had a clear view of from her store windows. It was time to do some dusting so in her old jeans and her comfy t-shirt, she started the task of dusting the entire story. She didn't have other employees and that suited her. With her mind on the task, she let it distract her while she waited for any customers to turn up.
 
The cool night air nibble at the pale exposed hands and face of the young dark haired woman that strolled down the seemingly empty street but she didn't feel it. Not that she paid the cold much mind any ways. A dark grey wool coat hung off her shoulders like a cap as she hadn't bothered with putting her arms through the sleeves. Her arms were crossed just under her small breasts. Her over all frame was small and slight. Maelith wasn't sure what drew her down this way. She never traveled over here. Her pale green eyes danced over the street and the buildings that lined it.

It was late in the evening so she did expect to see any places open. The light that poured from a store's front caused her to pause and take in the structure and the items in the windows. It was quaint she mused to herself. Moments later she was pushing the door open and stepping into the room. Out of habit she tapped the dirt off her shoes on the door step. A careful hand smoothed over her pale blue shirt and over her black pants. Slowly she made her ways about the room taking in this and that.
 
The dusting had taken up more time than she had thought it would but then again she had more items then she remembered half the time. She didn't mind though. It was nice to have things and for the few customers that entered who enjoyed them just as much as she did. She was up on a ladder dusting a bookcase that was filled with books who's bindings were worn and some needed repairs, the titles almost faded now and to difficult to read. Her clothes were now covered in most of the dust that had come from the items. It was why her long white hair was pulled back into a braid and a bandanna was in place to keep the loose strays from getting into her silver eyes.

It was the sound of the bell that hung above the front door that drew her attention. Pulled from her thoughts of dust, she climbed down her ladder and walked to the front as she wiped her hands clean. "Hello?" She smiles as she finds a woman walking through the store looking at everything. "How are you today?" She asks, it was never about pushing a sale for her. It was better she found to let the items sell themselves and to let someone be when shopping. She didn't need the sales that badly as it was from all her jobs, money wasn't a concern. This place was a hobby and where she shared her curiosity with others who enjoyed the items as much as her.
 
Maelith was leaning over a glass case examining the finery kept at a safe distance from grasping hands that might wish to examine them closer without consulting the keeer of the shop. The greeting made the female tear her gaze from the case and land upon the other in the room, "Greetings," She returned, "I am well and yourself?"

She straightened to her measly height of 5'1" and took in the other carefully. From her white and grey hair to her shoes, there was little she missed, "A fine shop you have here," She offered a soft smile that showed off her normal looking dule white teeth. Her gaze was drawn from the woman to the shelving of books. There were many and it made the female wonder if it was possible she had read them all.
 
Serina smiled softly at the compliment about her shop. She did enjoy her little place here. "Thank you very much. I try to stuff it with items I find from travels around the world." Shrugging softly. When the other woman looked towards the book shelf, she nods softly as if reading knowing what the question was in the female's eyes. "Yes, I've read them all." She smiles warmly to her then motions to her rag. "If you need anything or want to look at anything that's out of reach, just let me know."

With that she returns to the shelf to start cleaning again. She didn't want to crowd the woman and did have a lot of cleaning to do. Her mind was focused on that task once more but always aware of where the other woman was at.
 
A surprised arch of her left brow was the female's response to the other's statement that she had read them all, "Time is something I see you have a lot of," She murmured as she glanced back down at the case she had been musing over before they had started speaking. There was a hair pin that caught her attention. It was asian in design, constructed from plum wood likely enough and jade. The end curved around with a gentle florish that was made to looke like leaves.

"Might I see this hair pin?" She asked softly to the woman pointing without touching the glass which kept the object from reach. The object reminded her of a friend from her childhood she no longer kept in touch with.
 
"I grew up with little time, now older, I find it nice to enjoy every second." She smiles softly to the female then nods as she hears her request about the pin. Moving to the glass case, she set her rag down and wiped her own hands on another rag she had hanging from her pants. Once she was sure her hands were clear of dirt, she slide the door open to the case and gently pulled at the hair pin in question.

She hands it to the woman and smiles softly. "I got that two years ago in China. Hard to find them some times."
 
Maelith looked the peice over slowly and smiled, "It's very beautiful. What is the asking price?" She questioned softly. The female figured she could get it for her mother who enjoyed collecting hair pins and many other odd objects. She was likely the reason the girl found peice in being in old buildings and digging through someone else's trash.
 
Serina smiles softly to the woman. "Twenty dollars." She knew the price was very low for the item considering how much she had paid for it. Yet she didn't feel the need to over charge the woman for the hair pin. It seemed like it would be a good fit and that was more of what Serina looked for when it came to selling her items.

As she let the woman look the item over some more, her store phone started to ring beside the register. She smiles softly to the woman and says "Excuse me, just a moment." She walks to the phone and picks it up. As soon as she heard the voice on the other end, she smiled softly and responded with. "No longer interested thank you." She hung up. Something must be going on for them to call her for the third time in a week for a job. Usually they would use someone else why keep calling her.

She looks to the woman and smiles softly. "Sorry about that. Telemarketers." She says by way of explanation.
 
Maelith had thought that the item would be much more expensive. It likely showed up on her face as a slight hardening as she narrowed her gaze slightly at the woman before her before the phone surprised. Her eyes flew over to stare at the object making noise. A nod was her response to the woman excusing herself to go answer the call.

While she waited she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her wallet. Moments later she withdrew a hundred. When the lady returned she handed the bill over then tucked the hairpin into her breast pocket of her jacket for safe keeping, "It's worth more than that and we bother know that. Keep the change she stated as she glanced over the shop again. Was there anything else she wondered that might interest her?
 
She blinks a bit when the woman handed her the hundred. Normally she would have argued but it was something about the woman. The look in her eyes possibly but Serina found herself respecting the woman. It didn't happen often but she did.

Smiling softly she nods to the woman and puts the money in the register. She could see the woman looking around as if making sure she had seen all. There was one room that she usually kept locked up, yet she felt this woman would appreciate the items. All old antiques that she had collected over the years. Some she was still researching and others with to interesting a past to give up.

"I have another room. I usually don't open it to others but I think you would enjoy the items. Would you like to see?" She asks. It wasn't about the sale to her ,just wanting someone to enjoy the items and history as much as she did. Besides she could deal with the underbelly later. She'd already told them no several times. It would mean a trip to see the boss to get it all straight but she needed to check a few things because something was changing. For now she would enjoy a moment of normal.
 
Hummed softly as she found herself staring at a vase with a scene on it of a river in blue ink. The words from the woman drew her attention, "If you are willing to show me then I would be happy to veiw what you have," She states softly as she stayed where she was. History was something that she had always enjoyed. Everything ever made had a story even if it was short and very boring. It was just how she veiwed the world around her.

Without the mundane you couldn't enjoy the rare and exciting.
 
When the woman said she did, she smiled and nods. As she walked out from behind the counter, she headed to a door that was towards the left and lead to the back of the building. Down a short hall there was another door, opening it up it revealed shelf after well kept shelf of items.

Each had a description with it that told the reader what research had been found on it. The items ranged from more hair bins that were full of detail to weapons of various kinds.

She smiles a bit. "Still doing some research on some things but others are complete." Just as she would have added to her words, the phone rang again. A sigh left her lips. Looking to the other woman. "Please have a look around. I'll be right back."

She leaves the room and heads for the phone once more. It was getting to the point she was going to kill them if they didn't take no for an answer.

"Hello." She answers.

"Boss is dead. Be wary." Then the phone disconnected.

She tenses and glances around. That wasn't what she expected. The voice she recognized as her brother's but that was all from it. A warning. If boss was dead then all chaos would break out in the underbelly.

Clearing her thoughts she heads back to the room to check on the woman.
 
Maelith blinked at the wide arrangement of items. Some of them she didn't even want to know how the other had come to possess of them. A few more hair pins drew her attention. One in particular she found herself staring down at made blink a few times. It was clearly forged from silver with swirls that formed an asian dragon that coiled around the object the head raising off the stem of the hair pin towards the larger part. In its jaws was a red orb.

The ringing of the shop keeps phone was a distant sound she found she could barly hear. The pin held her attention.
 
Once back in the room she found the woman at one of the shelves where the hair pins were kept. As she realized what one had drawn the female's attention, she smiles a little. "That particular one, I haven't been able to find really anything on it. Every time I try ,I get nothing. Even some of my Asian studies experts have been baffled but they do confirm that it's of one of the ancient families. Just can't find a trace.

She gently picks it up and holds it so that the woman could have a closer look or touch it if she wanted.
 
She turned slightly to look at the woman as if being broken from a spell she wasn't sure she didn't want to be under, "It reminds me of a dream I had once," She admitted softly with a thick swallow, "Silly I'm sure."

When the shopkeeper held the object out to her she reached out to touch the shaft before letting her finger trail down to the point. It was strangly very sharp and could easily peirce skin if handled as a weapon. It was oddly warm to the touch and surprised her slightly, "I really like it."
 
She could tell by how the woman was responding to the hairpin that it seemed to be calling to her. It wasn't a hard decision to make as she nods to the woman. "I've never felt such a call to it as you have. Please, take it, as a gift. Maybe you can find out more about it's history than I ever did. " Gently she places the hairpin into a box that was engraved with matching marks. She then hands it to the woman. "This is the wooden box that came with it."

Serina wouldn't take no for an answer. "I rather the items here go to those who will enjoy them and be as curious about them as I am." She smiles a bit. "So many do not believe in the old tales and the creatures of the past. Some of these items tell those stories." She looks to the hairpin box, "I just wish I could have figured out that story but maybe you are the one who is supposed to figure it out."
 
Maelith blinked in utter surprise at what the woman said to her. She opened her mouth to say she couldn't accept such a gift but found the look on the other's face to be far more convencing. With a murmur of deep thanks she accepted the box which held the pin, "It's a defensive weapon," Softly she murmured to the Serina, "I'm Maelith, by the way," She felt the need to at least give her name to the other.

She pulled the box to her as if it were something she had lost at some point, "Myths aren't supposed to be understood."
 
Smiling warmly she nods softly. "I'm Serina." There was something about this woman that she found fasicnating and intriguing. "A weapon? That could be why I couldn't find anything about it when I was doing my research." And looks around a little at all the items as she heard her speak about myths. "That is very true and I know I should respect that at times but I get so curious." She shrugs a little. "Suppose I'll learn that lesson one of these days." She smiles softly.

Then looks to Maelith again. "Have you been in this city long?" She asks curiously all of a sudden. Wanting to know more about this woman that had come to her shop today. If things were really going bad with the boss being killed then she may need someone to take over her story and care for the items. She would rather it be someone that cared for the items as much as she did. The woman before her just might be that person.
 
Maelith gave a smile, "I've lived down on Martin Ave for a few years now," She told her softly as she let her left hand idly trace the patterns over the box's lid. The swirls that reminded her of clouds relaxed her slightly, "Yourself?"

Maelith had moved to the city a while back after her father pasted away under tragic terms. Her boyfriend at the time that she moved hadn't cared really and stayed behind in that small town where nothing ever happened. She had been in the city for four years. Her mother took it hard but chose to support her child no matter what. Maelith kept to herself for the most part.
 
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