[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Within her forge, Aurelie hummed happily to herself as she worked on the handle of a historical sword replica, a commission from an ancient history professor who wanted to have it on display in his office. Using her oxyacetylene torch, she heated up the end of the tang where it extended past the conical pommel and then hammered it over the pommel to provide a secure mechanical connection. Every now and then, she looked up at the alarm light and paused to listen for the call bell at the front desk in case anyone visiting the shop might want to talk to her, before continuing with her work.

It was a fun project, and one that Aurelie wished that more people would request from her. The sword wouldn't be hardened, let alone sharpened; all edges and points were blunted, and the broad, leaf-shaped blade was made from common mild steel rather than high-carbon steel. She didn't have to worry about making it a functioning weapon, just a historically accurate and superlatively decorative display piece. It was rather pleasant not to have to make a blade that could slice a falling hair in twain but instead brought joy just with its appearance and attention to detail.

Blowing on the pommel to help cool it the tiniest bit faster, Aurelie tilted her head to one side as she considered the handle. Was the grip supposed to be wrapped in leather, silk, metal wire, or something else? What pattern was the wrapping woven in? The red-haired smith looked around her forge for the reference books she'd borrowed from the local library, but she didn't see them anywhere.

I must've left them at the front desk, she decided. Still holding the partially finished sword in one hand, Aurelie headed out to the shop to find the books. She spotted them piled beside the register, when the sound of footsteps inside the shop immediately drew her attention.

A frowning woman with a Houndoom sniffing around her feet was staring at the display cases of utility and survival knives. Aurelie hesitated for a moment; surely, if this woman had wanted to talk to her, she would have rung the call bell on the front desk. On the other hand, sometimes a little salesmanship and persuasion went a long way toward turning potential customers into actual buyers. She adjusted her eyepatch and took a deep breath.

"Hello there," Aurelie said, walking slowly toward the woman and giving her a friendly smile. "I'm Aurelie, the proprietor of the Iron Lady Forge. Can I help you find something, or are you just browsing?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]I probably should've expected this when I carry a project with me into the shop, Aurelie thought with amusement, seeing the look of interest in the other woman's face as her eyes came to rest on the half-finished historical sword, instead of leaving it in the forge like I should have. In her experience, swords were almost like the charismatic megafauna of blades in general: recognizable and well-known, with widespread appeal and symbolic cultural value (though no one was likely to utilize swords in an activist agenda for the conservation of bladesmiths). It entertained Aurelie to think of the leaf-bladed sword in her hand as the Pikachu or the Jigglypuff of her overall repertoire.

Aloud, she cleared her throat and replied, "Of course, I'd be happy to show you this piece. Let me see..." The red-haired smith looked about herself and settled for laying the half-finished sword flat atop the display case. "Here we are. Please feel free to look as long as you like, though I must ask you not to touch it."

With an apologetic look, Aurelie hastily added, "That's not because I think that you might damage it or anything like that. It's because the sword is only partially finished, as you can see—" She gestured to the bare, blocky wooden hilt, unfinished guard, and matte, unpolished blade with its roughly defined bevels and imprecise medial ridge. "So, I wouldn't want it to come flying apart in your hands and damage you, if anything."

Waving her hand over the sword, she explained, "This is a replica of a short, leaf-bladed sword called a xiphos, used as a sidearm or backup weapon by historical citizen-soldiers from ancient times who fought in phalanxes using spears and shields. It's a commission from an ancient history professor who's planning to use it as a display piece, not a weapon. As such, I've tried to stay close to the historical methods of constructing and shaping the sword to keep it as accurate as possible to the source time period."

Warming to her subject, Aurelie went on, "It has a diamond-shaped cross-section and is quite light, weighing about two pounds. As you can see, the leaf-like shape of the blade with its slightly curving edges would lend itself well to both slashing and thrusting." She mimed raising an imaginary sword in the air and stabbing low and straight. "Classically, this is a double-edged blade, but since this is a replica, the edges will be left unsharpened."

Looking back at the woman watching her, she continued with gentle emphasis, "I don't generally accept commissions for larger pieces like this unless they are for historical replicas. Most of my regular work lies in making everyday tools like the ones on display here."

She smiled then to take some of the solemnity out of her words. "But I like to think of replica swords like this as a teaching tool, in a way. Is that something you might be interested in, Miss...?" Aurelie left the last part hanging, in case the customer wished to introduce herself.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie narrowed her uncovered eye at the woman in her shop, who had bluntly introduced herself as Zelle. A pretty name for a pretty woman, but rather opinionated, it seemed. Still, she seemed to be a fan of knives and swords, which was probably why she was being so abrupt and assertive—and so evidently disapproving of using a sword for historical education. The red-haired smith could absolutely forgive a lot from devoted fans like that.

Taking a deep breath, she made herself smile politely at the other woman. "Nice to meet you, Zelle," Aurelie began, nodding in acknowledgement. "I'm always happy to meet someone else who's as passionate about blades as I am. And you clearly seem very interested in them."

She paused to look down at the unfinished sword lying across the table, feeling a stab of pride in its craftsmanship. "For this particular sword," she went on, speaking at a slow and measured pace, "when I say 'teaching tool,' I mean the sword will literally be placed on display in a classroom. Possibly a museum, in due time. The professor who commissioned it from me will use it to show students what weapons an ancient soldier would have carried."

Putting her hands on her hips, Aurelie considered for a moment. "But I would be open to creating blunted blades as a sparring tool, as well, if it was requested. Such blades would be very useful for teaching a student about the weight, balance, and maneuverability of a specific type of blade, as well as which strikes would work well for that particular blade in combat and which would not."

Then Aurelie shook her head, her smile widening slightly into a more rueful, humorous expression. "It may surprise you to hear this, though, Miss Zelle, but honestly, not that many people ask for such things. For every one person who thinks it would be cool or fun or even useful to have a functioning sword, there are a dozen customers who are far more likely to make use of custom-made chef's knives, hunting knives, or choppers. And with a business like this, I'd much rather have those dozen customers than the one, honestly."

Her gaze turned misty for a moment as she looked inward down the lanes of memory, remembering how she had enthusiastically practiced making swords and axes at her father's side. "I have made swords before, and I greatly enjoy the process. But the amount of work that goes into crafting a beautiful and effective sword—plus the cost of materials and the time involved—results in a lower profit margin than you'd think, even with the higher price I could charge. Especially compared to something like a set of steak knives or diving knives."

She chuckled and shook a finger in the air. "And while profit isn't everything, well, it does mean a lot." Perhaps it wasn't the most graceful thing to say in front of a potentially paying customer, talking about profits and business rather than steel and wood, but it felt satisfying to match Zelle's bluntness with her own.

"But I'm sorry, I'm rambling more than I should," Aurelie apologized. "Let's talk swords, if that's what you're interested in, and maybe we can figure out something along the way. Do you have a favorite type or shape of sword, Miss Zelle?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Ironically, if this woman Zelle had demonstrated somehow that she was part of Rocket, Aurelie would have enthusiastically agreed to craft a custom-made sword for her. Or a more practical combat knife, such as she had made for Zev Harcourt. For fellow Rockets, the red-haired smith was willing to expend the time and energy to create fully functioning weapons to fight with, without asking questions about exactly how they'd be used in combat. For the League, though, she wasn't willing to gain a reputation as a weapon maker or to supply weapons to the opposition, especially if they might be used against her fellow Rocket members.

From what she had seen so far, Aurelie was willing to bet that Zelle was most likely a League citizen, possibly even a Ranger or officer. She certainly exuded a stern, serious soldierly air. Unless she proved herself otherwise, Aurelie wasn't about to bend her weapons-only-for-Rockets policy for her, no matter how sincerely interested she was in purchasing a new sword.

Listening to Zelle's brief description of her preferences in swords, Aurelie couldn't help being reminded oddly of @nikita, somehow. Pretty, posh, and as miserly with their words as if uttering each syllable cost them a hundred Pokedollars or gave them a stabbing headache—they had that much in common, at least from Aurelie's perspective. Maybe they went to the same fancy finishing school or something, she thought with a mental chuckle.

"A side sword," Aurelie repeated after Zelle, pursing her lips bemusedly, "with a complex hilt. I'm not quite sure I understand. There are a few different types of swords that can be referred to as dress swords or swords that can be worn at a person's side. Military swords, sabers, cutlasses, rapiers, foils, dueling swords..."

Running a hand through her hair, she furrowed her brow in thought while she mused aloud, "But since you specified a complex hilt, I'm guessing that you mean a basket hilt or a hilt with curving quillons and a knuckle-bow to shield the user's hand, rather than a simple crossbar. So, I take it you're referring to not a classical thrusting rapier, but a cut-and-thrust-style sword with a slightly wider blade that's either single- or double-edged?"

The red-haired smith nodded sagely, satisfied with her own conclusions. "A very nice choice, if so! Light, maneuverable, and elegant." She tilted her head inquisitively at Zelle. "Are you a fencer, perhaps? I've studied a little of it, but only enough to grasp the general theory."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Seeing the pink-haired woman who'd talked so arrogantly about dealing in functional swords suddenly fumble and find herself at a loss for words when describing her own favorite sword made Aurelie feel rather irritated. In theory, Aurelie could understand someone being more interested in how they used a tool—say, how beautifully an artist painted a picture, how adroitly a driver maneuvered a car, or even how well a swordsman swung his sword—than in the details of the tool itself. In practice, though, she had never met an expert in their field who didn't know what characteristics or features they preferred to have in their tool of choice: a certain weight, a particular length and breadth, a specific material, shape, balance, or other essential quality that made their tool both easy to use and effective.

But perhaps all those things fell under what Zelle called the "technical terms" that she didn't know about her favorite type of sword. Technical? Really? She couldn't hold her hands a certain distance apart to show long or wide it was? She couldn't remember if wielding her favorite sword used the strokes particular to single-edged swords, as opposed to strokes unique to double-edged swords?

Aurelie had to close her eyes and take a deep breath, before dutifully focusing her attention on the photo that Zelle eventually brandished before her. Not everyone cares about the details of blades as much as you do. Remember, the customer is always right, she reminded herself. And so is their money. Especially their money.

Keeping that ancient customer-service maxim in mind, she studied the photo and said in her kindest tone, "Actually, that isn't a basket hilt. A basket hilt is almost like a cage of bars that surrounds and protects the user's hand. Your hilt here just has a knuckle bow, curving quillons, and a side ring around the ricasso..."

She paused and caught herself, shaking her head. "Sorry, technical terms. Never mind."

From the photo, it didn't quite look like the blade that Aurelie had been picturing or describing earlier to Zelle, but it looked reasonable enough. Judging from the proportions of the blade compared to the hilt, she estimated that the blade measured about three feet long, with a rapier-like profile tapering toward the tip, but slightly wider and sturdier to be able to parry heavier blades. At the end, it looked to have a basic nut- or mushroom-shaped pommel to help counterbalance the blade's weight.

For single-handed use, Aurelie wondered if the blade might need a fuller, particularly for a user with Zelle's build. Especially considering she talks about "overwhelming your opponent" in fencing, Aurelie thought meditatively. She sounds like someone who'd favor a super-aggressive, high-speed flurry of attacks, which would need a lighter blade.

"In the interests of salvaging the mood of your Houndoom before he decides to never forgive you," she said at last, clearing her throat, "I think that's all the information that I need from you for now, Miss Zelle. If you could please fill out this order form here, with the deposit for your initial consultation and down payment?" She pursed her lips as she fetched a stack of papers from her front desk. "As this is a special commission, I'll have to keep in touch with you on the progress of your practice sword. It should take me a couple of weeks to complete, assuming no delays or problems with the construction arise."

It felt strange taking an order for something so like a usable weapon for someone who wasn't part of Team Rocket. Yet, it wasn't truly a weapon that this woman could use to fight with or harm someone, just a practice tool, and Aurelie had nothing against a person practicing their swordsmanship if they wanted. Besides, it was just such an interesting commission. And that alone made her want to fulfill it.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT