Window Shopping

Damascus Arms was on the wrong side of town. In fact, Jude was pretty sure it qualified as being on the wrong side of the wrong side of town, because the whole thing was so shady that if Jude hadn't personally known Donny, he'd probably have left before he even reached the store. He was pretty convinced he was about to get mugged at any moment, an entirely unfamiliar feeling, and he kept his walking speed pretty fast to deter anyone watching him.

He didn't have much to take.

He supposed he didn't have that much to worry about considering that Annie was with him, a tall, thin woman who looked more or less average except for the fact that she had a very large assault rifle slung across her back.

She also looked distinctly bored as Jude pulled the shop door open, stepping into Damascus Arms for the first time and looking around.

What. What? Jude actually stopped a few feet away from the counter, halting for a moment before squinting at Donny.

"What?" He actually said out loud, feeling like his brain was trying (and failing) to turn over. "I'm not trying to kill anyone. Do you only sell guns to assassins, or something?"

What? He didn't...

Okay. Maybe. Maybe he did, and he grimaced really hard, sparing a glance to Annie, who seemed absolutely unfazed by Donny's comment.

"Sup," she said, drifting away from the conversation towards a display case.

Jude mostly ignored her, still focused for a moment before he shook his head.

"I'm not planning to kill anyone," Jude said. "I grew up with guns. I was trained in them, but I can't own them. Except..."

He spared a glance to Annie.

"Now I have a power that lets me summon them. But only guns I can touch. I was hoping we could work something out, where I... I don't know, do work at the shop or something for a chance to get my fingers on some of your guns. You came highly recommended, after all."

A water pistol. A water pistol. Jude didn't even have time to get properly offended before Annie was halfway in between them, reaching out to pick up the water pistol, placing it on the counter with a firm look in her eye.

Jude legitimately hadn't seen Annie look that anything since he'd met her. Normally she didn't care, and now she seemed to... care? She almost seemed intense.

"Don't taint his power with that," she said. "He needs real guns."

She flipped her hand to the side, taking almost the same position she'd just held the water gun in, and then suddenly there was a second water gun. It was an exact replica, and she flipped it around a few times to demonstrate.

Jude watched the not-squirtgun, observing as it fired towards the ceiling and considering it. As cool as it was? Jude was kind of wary. He dealt with bullets and projectiles, not flamethrowers, and-

"It wouldn't work for him anyway," Annie said. "I can replicate more complicated projectiles, but he's only just started. He's going to get bullets of varying calibers, but the mechanics and setup required for a flamethrower wouldn't have worked in the first place. The same thing with magic - it won't work for him."

Jude hadn't actually known that, and he cringed a bit in response. Annie probably could have told him, and instead he'd gone in not even knowing.

"Well," Jude said, cutting in to avoid letting Annie talk over him. "I can't immediately. I have elections running through Tuesday. But after that, I'd be fine with working here. It would be good experience, and... well, I always kind of liked this kind of store."

Maybe not the area it was in, though.