Shantania/Supports/RaviRuby

"Hey, you, uh...elf guy."

"I have a name." Ravi does not look up from his workbench; he is busily scrubbing the barrel of his combustion bow.

"That's great, so do I, but you don't see me bragging about having one." Ruby just stands in the middle of the doorway, arms folded.

Ravi pauses a moment to glare at her, then focuses back on his weapon. "Ravi. Yours?"

"Ruby. I came to ask you about that thing you're working on." She doesn't hesitate to pull up a stool. It's a little lower to the ground than she'd prefer, but she figures it's probably an Elven thing.

"This is a delicate instrument. I'd appreciate it if you did not distract me from it."

"No, you know, I know what those are. I used to see 'em all the time back home." She idly brushes the hair from her face. "Just about every cop had one."

Ravi finally turns to her. "This is a serious allegation you've brought to me. Where is your home? These 'cops,' are they agents of some shadowy organization? How did they get my designs?"

"Your designs?" Ruby realizes that she may have said something weird again. "So wait...this gun here..."

"It's called a combustion bow." He glances at it again and admires his handiwork. "'Gun' is such a crude name for such a delicate mechanickal piece."

"Huh. You know, I guess that name makes sense. It's like a bow, but it...explodes...or something."

"Your observational skills are apt for a barbarian. But pray tell where you come from that my invention is already so commonplace?"

"Er...actually, can you just forget I brought that up? It's nowhere near here." She hides her face as her cheeks turn a subtle shade of red. "I'm not sure you'd understand anyway."

"I am certain I understand more than you'd give me credit for...tall order, from a barbarian, anyway."

"Y'know, I'm getting really tired of you assuming that I'm some kind of bloodthirsty moron. Just because I fight for a living doesn't mean I don't understand how shit works. That gun of yours, for example."

"Combustion bow," he corrects.

"What-the-hell-ever." Ruby raises a palm to silence him. "You put powder in the breech, stuff that lead ball down the barrel, cram it in a bit with the ramrod, pull the hammer, aim, kaboom, your target has a nice big hole in their face."

"Crude, but not entirely inaccurate...but clearly, you've already read the schematics if you know the nature of this complicated machine."

"I didn't read a damn thing. I just know more than your average slobbering barbarian." She heads for the door. "I was gonna see if you wanted to collaborate on something, but I get the feeling you don't think much of me anyway. See ya."