Locked in a Cage (with GaiusGermanicusBloodsoak)

"Okay" Yanaike responded. She waved slowly with her tail. She still wasn't sure whether she could trust Reginald or not, but if he insisted on giving Yanaike food, there was no reason she would say no. Yanaike grabbed the cabbage from the floor of the escape vehicle and she quickly followed Reggie.
 
Why did she insist on bringing the cabbage? Out of mere curiosity, he wanted to ask, but figured that it wasn't his place to ask. "Hm, where to go, where to go?" He asked himself, not really bothering to get Yanaike's input on the matter. He finally decided on a simple cafe that looked like the food would be rather decent and appetizing. "Come on, this place looks good." he said to her as he opened the door. Inside, the cafe smelled of coffee and baked goods, and it was the most welcome smell that he could have hoped for today. Although it did remind him that he probably smelled of oil,sweat, and various forms of grease. "Pick out what you want Yana" he said as he looked down at her.
 
Yanaike walked in the cafe that Reggie had chosen. She placed the cabbage on the table where they seated.
"Pick out what you want Yana" he said.
Yanaike nodded. She took a quick glance at the menu.
"I can't choose" she concluded. There were a lot of options on the menu card: all sorts of pastries, breads, cakes and much more. Everything on the menu looked so delicious, that she wanted to try all of them. Then again, she knew he little stomach would never be able to try so many things. Also Yanaike didn't really like the idea of Reginald paying for her food, while she was also able to summon her own food. "I think I stick with this cabbage" she mumbled finally as she pulled one of the leaves from the crop.
 
Reginald looked at her curiously, "Are you sure? We're in a cafe with real food, and you wish to eat the cabbage?" He shrugged his shoulders, "If that's what you want..." Yanaike certainly was a strange girl. Setting that thought aside, Reggie ordered some coffee and a few sweet rolls. He now turned his attention back to the girl. "So, Yana, do you mind telling me about yourself? After all, I am rather curious."
 
Deep down Yanaike wished Reggie wouldn't agree on it and would insist Yanaike taking something, however with him choosing something nice for her. But he didn't and Yanaike was left with her simple cabbage. She took a bite from the leaf she just pulled from the crop and started eating. It was tasteless and boring. Yanaike looked desirously at the sweet rolls that Reggie ordered for himself. Why did she have to be the polite little girl that turned down Reggie's offer?
"So, Yana," Reggie mumbled before taking a bite from the sweet rolls. "Do you mind telling me about yourself? After all, I am rather curious."
Yanaike was still focused on those delicious looking sweet rolls. Her tail wagged gently as she tried to imagine the taste of those sweet rolls.
"I uhm… I am… Well I am Y-Yanaike and I am… hungry" Whoops! She immediately realised she'd flapped something out she shouldn't have. She turned her hands in front of her mouth.
"Sorry" she said. "I am uhm… Hihi" She giggled nervously. "Well uh… I'm a blacksmith. I make these iron-steel-armour thingies and uh… in my free time I collect valuable stones."
 
"Stop for a moment Yana." Reggie said as he slid two of the four rolls towards her. "Do you honestly think I would let you munch on that pathetic cabbage. Why do you think I ordered extra?" Reginald wasn't that much of a jerk, and couldn't sit idly by while someone ate cabbage, of all things. Blech, who would even dare eat the stuff? "Hush and eat, then, try again." Throughout all that, his tone was soft and a little playful. "When you think you can speak, why don't you continue with the armor, and go from there." Curious little creature, wasn't she?
 
A twinkling could be seen in Yanaike's eyes and her tail wagged around cheerfully as she eagerly grabbed one of the sweet rolls and took a bite from it. She came to the conclusion that she'd been hungrier than she thought at first. On top of it all the sweet roll tasted delicious.
"Thank you" Yanaike said slightly timid. He wanted her to continue with the armour. A background story that she made up purely based on improvisation with the only purpose to cover her previously made blunder.
However as Yanaike loved fooling people a bit, she continued trying to sound as convincingly as possible:
"Well" she mumbled. "Like I said. I make armour for people: shields, helmets and that kind of stuff. However lately I've been busy creating machine parts for fabrics as well: engine parts, gears and that kind of stuff. A couple of days ago I even had a client who wanted me to create a mechanical arm to replace his wife's missing body part. Again, a small tinkling appeared in Yanaike's eyes. Even though she just made that idea up, it sounded pretty cool.
 
Reggie arched an eyebrow, curious about the mechanical arm. "Tell me, if you are a blacksmith, where is your shop? I would be very interested in hiring out your services." Wait, a mechanical arm? How would that be controlled? Weren't there some sort of things that were hooked up to your brain? Oh well, if she really knew what she was doing, she must've found out a way. Although, she didn't really have the physical definition that was prevalent among almost all the blacksmiths he had come across. He took another bite from his sweet roll and took a sip of his coffee. All he needed now was a cigarette and things would be perfect.
 
Yanaike greedily ate from the sweet roll. She emptied her mouth before answering Reggie's question. Where was her blacksmith located? That was an easy question to improvise.
"In Midinga" she responded. It was the last city where she stayed and since the city was shaped like a labyrinth, one that she knew pretty well, it would be easy to come up with an unfindable place in the city. That was if he even heard of Midinga.
She took a last bite from her first sweet roll, before starting on the second one. Meanwhile she fantasised about the mechanical arm. She had no idea yet how it could work, but she'd became pretty founded with the idea of building a mechanical arm.
"What do you need my services for?" Yanaike asked as she took a first bite of the second sweet roll.
 
"Midinga?" he asked, "Yana, that's really vague, the place is huge and confusing." he finished off his coffee and started on his other roll before continuing. "Why do I need your services? Simple, when I get another ship, I'll need someone who knows how to work metal so that they can be off assistance in repairs and other matter." Another ship, that was what he was dreaming about. A big, heavy, luxurious ship, armored and armed with cannons, machine guns, the works. That was the only way to travel. "So, what do you say?" He was a little suspicious as to whether or not she was telling the truth, but if she was, he would gladly keep her around.
 
"Yeah I know" Yanaike said at Reggie's remark of Midinga being vague. "But that makes it even harder to explain where my shop is located. If you have some paper I could draw you a map though?"
It was difficult for her not to start laughing, but Yanaike kept serious and still tried to sound as convincing as possible. Wasn't it obvious Yanaike was not a blacksmith? Maybe she had to drop some more obvious hints in her story and made the things she told Reggie even more far-fetched.
"I've got just the thing for you!" Yanaike said triumphantly. "There is this metal called 'Skythal'. It's famous for being so light but still pretty strong and thus it gets used in lots of airships. My backpack has some skythal parts in it as well, that's why it is easy to carry it around to various places."
 
Reggie narrowed his eyes at her, quickly pointing his finger at her. "Gotcha, games up!" he said playfully. "You can stop bullshitting me now. I know for a fact that there is no such thing as skythal, otherwise my ship would've been built out of that." He didn't really care that she had been lying to him, as he had been pretty sure for a good part of it that she was making stuff up. "Alright, now, I'm going to ask again. Will you please tell me about yourself, this time without the lies." He was half tempted to tease her with the threat of being put back in a cage, but decided that wouldn't be a wise choice.
 
Yanaike was slightly disappointed, Reggie found out she was lying already. She kind of hoped to fool him around a little longer. Well, guess he was just a bit too smart to be fooled around. Yanaike took another bite from the second sweet roll.
"What exactly do you want to know about me?" Yanaike asked Reggie in response to his question. She wasn't really the type to tell a lot of things about her, except if they were a lie.
 
"Well, for starters: how old are you?" That seemed like something that would be nice to know, on account of how she looks somewhat like a child. As he waited for her to answer, he refilled his coffee from the pitcher and finished his sweet roll. "Also, I would kind of like to know what your intentions are. I mean, are we going to part ways, or will you be sticking around?"
 
Great! Now Reggie was asking her about her age. Everyone always seemed to have prejudices, estimating Yanaike younger than she was in reality. She was like: 'I'm twenty-one' and people always responded to her like: 'Ooooh, really? I estimated you a lot younger!' Yanaike took a last bite from the sweet roll, looked to Reggie and trying to sound as convincing as possible she said: "I'm fifteen and I don't know if I'll stick around or not. What are you planning on doing next?" Yanaike never really liked staying at the same place or with the same people for too long, so she kind of prefered taking seperate ways, however Reginald might be up to something intresting.
 
"Fifteen huh? Well then, I suppose what I would have to say wouldn't interest you to much." If anything, it was more of a business plan, albeit not the most legal, that he was going to propose. "My thoughts were to somehow get another ship, and live my life as a pirate. Sounds a lot more fun and profitable than going back to being a merchant. Besides, word about what happened has probably already begun to spread. I wouldn't be able to get the business anywhere near what it once was with a reputation as a man who makes off with precious cargo. Also, are you lying again?"
 
"Nope" Yanaike responded pretty confident. "I'm fifteen! You do see that I'm still a young little girl, don't you?" However while she tried to convince Reginald into believing she was younger than she actually looked, she became pretty curious in this plan of Reggie. Becoming a pirate indeed sounded like fun. But if Reginald put an age restriction on joining his crew, she might be left out of all the fun.
Then again. She remembered Reginald talking about thieving before. He literally said: 'I don't really want to resort to thievery' or something like that.
"Wait" Yanaike said, a huge smile slowly appearing on her little face. "You're the one lying right now, aren't ya? You said you didn't want to resort to thievery a bit earlier. Isn't that just the thing that pirates do?" Yanaike wagged around with her tail cheerfully. She was pretty sure she'd caught him on a lie.
 
"Am I lying? No. Did I change my mind? Yes. Soon enough, my former co-workers will make it nearly impossible for me to find work, so I'm going to have to resort to the very means I previously wished to avoid. Now, are you going to lecture me, or are you going to join me?" Hell, she was fifteen, she was old enough, and at least seemed to be mature enough. He lowered his head and dropped his voice. "If we're going to go through with this, here is not the place to discuss this matter."
 
"You don't look like the type that easily changes his mind" Yanaike mumbled questionable. "So... you're still a merchant and you still hate thievery." Yanaike nodded determined. "Also, I can not admit you changing your mind. That would be unfair!" If everyone changed his or her mind like that, there was no telling anymore what was right and wrong. The one moment you would trust someone into being your best friend and the next moment that same person could just abandon you, just because he changed his mind. No! No mind changing allowed. Even though, Yanaike had to admit she changed her mind a lot of times as well. And Reginald seemed pretty serious. Maybe he hadn't lied at all. Maybe he really insisted on becoming a pirate?
"Okay" Yanaike admitted. "I've changed my mind. From now on, mind changing is allowed, and I don't think you're lying anymore" Sometimes Yanaike just floated away in her own thoughts, philosophizing about the weirdest things. "Also" she quickly added. "I'm twenty-one, not fifteen"
 
Okay, so maybe she was going to lecture him,although she eventually left things along. "Alright, now that that's settled, what say you we head on out and discuss matters further." That being said, Reginald proceeded to pay for their food and started to head for the door, waiting for Yanaike as he opened it. The next place that he wanted to go was a manufacturing plant so that he could discuss with someone the possibility of having a ship built. Over the years, he had accumulated quite a bit of money in his bank account, so paying for the ship would be no problem. "Did you get enough to eat?" he asked her, figuring that he would just let her little lecture drop for the moment.
 
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