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Description

"A knife!"

Razia turned her head sharply. "A what??"
Seste was clambering around on the crates in the Trading Post warehouse as she and Razia took stock of leftover inventory. Most of the crates were empty, ready to be stowed away, broken down, or restocked with goods to go back on the ship in preparation for its next voyage. But they needed to account for how many there were available before they could even start putting aside loot to trade away up north. And they also needed to make sure nothing had been missed. Every now and then an item or two would get forgotten at the bottom of a crate.
"There's a... knife in here!" Seste called, leaning way over the edge of a crate stacked up high, nearly wholly inside it with a foot up in the air.
"Really?" Razia asked as she came over. She thought aloud, "I don't remember bringing any small weapons back on the last voyage."
"Yeah it was mostly raw materials right?" Seste replied. She pulled herself back out of the crate, bracing her feet on the top edge of the one it was stacked on. She offered the knife to Razia, who started to smile as she reached out to take it.
"I wonder if one of the sailors lost this?" Then she tsk'd, a chuckle coming out as she said, "...I bet one of the sailors dumped it in there."
"What? Why would they do that?"
"This iron dirk's seen some action, the cutting edges are a little dull. The grip is well worn too. They probably just got a replacement once they got back to port. Or maybe got a new one while they were up north."
Seste thought about that for a second, then chortled. "Huh. I like the grip already broken in like that, it's more comfortable. ..So. Then you don't think they'll want it back?"
"Probably not, it's already been so long since the ship came back in anyway, and nobody's reported this missing. I can put it in the office though, keep it around in case someone does come by looking for an old dirk someday."
"..Hey. Can I have it?" Seste asked.
Razia looked up at Seste, hanging like a bagworm off the top crate.
"You want a weapon?" she asked, smiling almost skeptically.
Seste nodded, then she hopped back down to the ground, looking at her feet.
"Even here on the islands, you know, it's... not that safe."
Razia's playful smile disappeared.
"And, you know. It's not just me, it's my friends too." Seste felt a cold chill grip her insides as an unwelcome memory suddenly flashed through her mind, the horror story of what had happened to Castor at the hands of a Hylian pirate with a vendetta.
"A-And even with all the people trained to fight..." Seste shrugged off her stumbling line of thought, pulling herself out of the bramble of negative thoughts she'd stumbled into.
"I just... Well next time we're attacked again, everyone who can fight already has enough to worry about.. than trying to protect helpless people like me... You know! I don't want to be... just another problem on top of all that. I mean, maybe I could even... be a little helpful too...? Next time this happens."
Next time, Razia's expression was sad. Nobody liked to consider how inevitable pirate raids were, but... they were. Even if nobody said it, even if people weren't consciously acknowledging it, everyone knew.. The pirates would attack the islands again, and again, and again...

"Seste, I teach self-defense courses," Razia offered, and her smile tentatively returned. "Why don't we work on that together? We can fit it around your shifts. And tell you what, an iron dirk is fifty rupees..." She handed the iron dirk she was holding back out to Seste. "Just get me that money when you can, and I'll teach you how to use this, if you really want this hand-me-down one. I can even clean the edges up for you before we have our first lesson, so you'll be working with a weapon like new. How's that sound?"
Seste had already brightened up even before Razia finished talking.
"Oh I'd love that!" her usual smile returned. "Yes! Yeah I like this one! I'll get the money to you. How often are we gonna train? When can we start?"
Razia chuckled again, "Slow down there, we'll get it all sorted out soon. Let's finish up here in the warehouse first, and then we can sit down and figure out a schedule."
"Okay!" Seste skipped around and darted back to her accounting task.
Even just the prospect of having some ability to fight and defend herself filled her with courage and hope. When push came to shove she wanted to believe she would stand strong with courage and not shrink away in fear. But if she was being realistic...

Seste thought back to the very first pirate raid she'd been in the South Sea for, remembering the tiny glimpse of it she'd gotten, just a few kargarocs they'd had to chase away from the safe house windows. It was nothing compared to what she'd come to know of the pirates now. She had felt so confident back then... Her ignorance had been a shield. Now learning the truth had only crippled her. The feeling of helplessness was despair inducing.

She wanted to rise above that and feel strong again. And she already did, at least a little bit. Simply signing up for self defense was already restoring a little of that confidence that had gone away, and that was a great feeling.

When work was done for the day, just as promised Razia and Seste headed together into the office of the warehouses and got to work. Seste puzzled out her work shifts and came up with a new regimen, training in the morning going immediately into her warehouse job, a few days a week. No more sleeping in, she thought to herself. But it was worth it.

As she figured that out Razia had the iron dirk in one hand and a whet stone in the other.

"There," Seste said, how's this look? Can you do those times?" She passed her marked-up schedule back to Razia who scanned it over carefully. Razia nodded.

"Works for me. And how does this look?" She held up the iron dirk and it flashed when it caught the light, the blade polished to a razor sheen. Seste's eyes sparkled with the sight of it.

"It looks like brand new!" She took it back from Razia, already feeling distinctly attached to it. This was her knife.

"Well Seste, it's official then. Starting next week I'll see you bright and early for some proper self-defense training."

Seste nodded enthusiastically, and got up from her seat to head home for the day.

"Yes, I'm really looking forward to it! And.. thank you so much Razia. This makes a big difference."

Razia grinned back. "Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes!" Seste trotted out with a wave of the knife and a happy, "Good bye!"

----

I got myself all bungled up on training in BtGS but I'm back on track with it now! I really wanted to be able to show how Seste's work - employed with the Gerudo Flotilla and working under Razia - led directly to her having this opportunity to do some self-defense training. This is gonna set her on that path now. Razia is gonna be a prominent character in Seste's development as far as gameplay mechanics go, cuz she teaches a bunch of skills for the Vendor class, plus is Seste's supervisor at her work. And hopefully they can also become friends..~ Between her and Rupia Seste has some good characters in her corner to teach her the ropes.

I completely made up the warehouse. I went for a very simple interior design because it needs to have a lot of space to store stuff, no fancy ornamentation like columns or tiles that could be damaged or broken, and no paint or patterns on the walls cuz it would just get covered up by storage anyway. But I wonder if it is too boring... hmb. At the very least the windows have those jalis in them for a little visual interest. I'm not exactly good at all at designing architecture :,D Fill it with crates and junk and nobody will be the wiser

----

Seste

Razia

Description

"A knife!"

Razia turned her head sharply. "A what??"
Seste was clambering around on the crates in the Trading Post warehouse as she and Razia took stock of leftover inventory. Most of the crates were empty, ready to be stowed away, broken down, or restocked with goods to go back on the ship in preparation for its next voyage. But they needed to account for how many there were available before they could even start putting aside loot to trade away up north. And they also needed to make sure nothing had been missed. Every now and then an item or two would get forgotten at the bottom of a crate.
"There's a... knife in here!" Seste called, leaning way over the edge of a crate stacked up high, nearly wholly inside it with a foot up in the air.
"Really?" Razia asked as she came over. She thought aloud, "I don't remember bringing any small weapons back on the last voyage."
"Yeah it was mostly raw materials right?" Seste replied. She pulled herself back out of the crate, bracing her feet on the top edge of the one it was stacked on. She offered the knife to Razia, who started to smile as she reached out to take it.
"I wonder if one of the sailors lost this?" Then she tsk'd, a chuckle coming out as she said, "...I bet one of the sailors dumped it in there."
"What? Why would they do that?"
"This iron dirk's seen some action, the cutting edges are a little dull. The grip is well worn too. They probably just got a replacement once they got back to port. Or maybe got a new one while they were up north."
Seste thought about that for a second, then chortled. "Huh. I like the grip already broken in like that, it's more comfortable. ..So. Then you don't think they'll want it back?"
"Probably not, it's already been so long since the ship came back in anyway, and nobody's reported this missing. I can put it in the office though, keep it around in case someone does come by looking for an old dirk someday."
"..Hey. Can I have it?" Seste asked.
Razia looked up at Seste, hanging like a bagworm off the top crate.
"You want a weapon?" she asked, smiling almost skeptically.
Seste nodded, then she hopped back down to the ground, looking at her feet.
"Even here on the islands, you know, it's... not that safe."
Razia's playful smile disappeared.
"And, you know. It's not just me, it's my friends too." Seste felt a cold chill grip her insides as an unwelcome memory suddenly flashed through her mind, the horror story of what had happened to Castor at the hands of a Hylian pirate with a vendetta.
"A-And even with all the people trained to fight..." Seste shrugged off her stumbling line of thought, pulling herself out of the bramble of negative thoughts she'd stumbled into.
"I just... Well next time we're attacked again, everyone who can fight already has enough to worry about.. than trying to protect helpless people like me... You know! I don't want to be... just another problem on top of all that. I mean, maybe I could even... be a little helpful too...? Next time this happens."
Next time, Razia's expression was sad. Nobody liked to consider how inevitable pirate raids were, but... they were. Even if nobody said it, even if people weren't consciously acknowledging it, everyone knew.. The pirates would attack the islands again, and again, and again...

"Seste, I teach self-defense courses," Razia offered, and her smile tentatively returned. "Why don't we work on that together? We can fit it around your shifts. And tell you what, an iron dirk is fifty rupees..." She handed the iron dirk she was holding back out to Seste. "Just get me that money when you can, and I'll teach you how to use this, if you really want this hand-me-down one. I can even clean the edges up for you before we have our first lesson, so you'll be working with a weapon like new. How's that sound?"
Seste had already brightened up even before Razia finished talking.
"Oh I'd love that!" her usual smile returned. "Yes! Yeah I like this one! I'll get the money to you. How often are we gonna train? When can we start?"
Razia chuckled again, "Slow down there, we'll get it all sorted out soon. Let's finish up here in the warehouse first, and then we can sit down and figure out a schedule."
"Okay!" Seste skipped around and darted back to her accounting task.
Even just the prospect of having some ability to fight and defend herself filled her with courage and hope. When push came to shove she wanted to believe she would stand strong with courage and not shrink away in fear. But if she was being realistic...

Seste thought back to the very first pirate raid she'd been in the South Sea for, remembering the tiny glimpse of it she'd gotten, just a few kargarocs they'd had to chase away from the safe house windows. It was nothing compared to what she'd come to know of the pirates now. She had felt so confident back then... Her ignorance had been a shield. Now learning the truth had only crippled her. The feeling of helplessness was despair inducing.

She wanted to rise above that and feel strong again. And she already did, at least a little bit. Simply signing up for self defense was already restoring a little of that confidence that had gone away, and that was a great feeling.

When work was done for the day, just as promised Razia and Seste headed together into the office of the warehouses and got to work. Seste puzzled out her work shifts and came up with a new regimen, training in the morning going immediately into her warehouse job, a few days a week. No more sleeping in, she thought to herself. But it was worth it.

As she figured that out Razia had the iron dirk in one hand and a whet stone in the other.

"There," Seste said, how's this look? Can you do those times?" She passed her marked-up schedule back to Razia who scanned it over carefully. Razia nodded.

"Works for me. And how does this look?" She held up the iron dirk and it flashed when it caught the light, the blade polished to a razor sheen. Seste's eyes sparkled with the sight of it.

"It looks like brand new!" She took it back from Razia, already feeling distinctly attached to it. This was her knife.

"Well Seste, it's official then. Starting next week I'll see you bright and early for some proper self-defense training."

Seste nodded enthusiastically, and got up from her seat to head home for the day.

"Yes, I'm really looking forward to it! And.. thank you so much Razia. This makes a big difference."

Razia grinned back. "Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes!" Seste trotted out with a wave of the knife and a happy, "Good bye!"

----

I got myself all bungled up on training in BtGS but I'm back on track with it now! I really wanted to be able to show how Seste's work - employed with the Gerudo Flotilla and working under Razia - led directly to her having this opportunity to do some self-defense training. This is gonna set her on that path now. Razia is gonna be a prominent character in Seste's development as far as gameplay mechanics go, cuz she teaches a bunch of skills for the Vendor class, plus is Seste's supervisor at her work. And hopefully they can also become friends..~ Between her and Rupia Seste has some good characters in her corner to teach her the ropes.

I completely made up the warehouse. I went for a very simple interior design because it needs to have a lot of space to store stuff, no fancy ornamentation like columns or tiles that could be damaged or broken, and no paint or patterns on the walls cuz it would just get covered up by storage anyway. But I wonder if it is too boring... hmb. At the very least the windows have those jalis in them for a little visual interest. I'm not exactly good at all at designing architecture :,D Fill it with crates and junk and nobody will be the wiser

----

Seste

Razia