"Two of those hard breads, an 'alf wheel of cheese and three of those fine smokeys if you please" Shamus spoke to the young shop girl that worked at the local shop. 

She ran through the list again and then bustled off to fill his order. The owner of the shop was leaning on the low table like he always did, smoking his foul smelling tobacco. He looked over to Shamus with a wry smile and gave one of his little nods, you knew that you were really accepted in a town from little gestures like this. Shamus gave a little nod back and turned back as the shop girl came over with his order. 

"That will be two and six Mr O'Conner" The smile never leaving her pretty face. 

"That seems a tad more expensive than it was last week Jezzy" His face showed he was not pleased by this recent price hike but he was routing around in his purse for the coins. 

The owner tapped out his pipe and looked at Shamus, 

"Price of war I am afraid. The harvest failed again down in the Yoe Valley, foreign armies are abroad and they are still rebuilding most of the fleet after that last storm. If I was of a religious disposition I would say that the Gods had forsaken these lands" Despite his claim at faithlessness he still gave himself a little cross across the chest, a common trait of the locals in the town. 

He placed three coins on the counter and took the change back in his hand. 

"Well we can just hope that our 'betters' sort it out and we can continue with our little lives" Shamus spat out the phrase 'betters'. He never made any attempts to hide his contempt for any of the gentry in the local area, it was something that had earned his fair share of trouble. 

Taking his goods he nodded to the shop girl and the owner and headed back to the forge. 

Shamus liked the town more than most. The people had been very welcoming, even more so once they had found out that he had the skills to help in the forge. The town had been ravaged by an unseasonably strong storm which had damaged a number of the fishing vessels. In order to return them all to seaworthiness they needed nails, rivets, rings and needles, and they needed more than the local blacksmith and farrier could provide. 

As he walked past The Flopping Lightningfish he noted the crashing that seemed to becoming from within. It seemed that things were getting very lively earlier than usual. He had been in the pub a few times but he and the other smiths tended to drink in The Duke of Yoe further up the village, old rivalries that needed to be observed. 

A person heard the forge before they saw it, the iconic crashing and banging could be heard two streets before you came up on the forge. He was set upon by the other smiths, not unlike the gulls that waited for the fisherman down at the docks. They took the food off him and whisked it off to the long table and set the places. As he was about to sit the Master of the forge came over and spoke to him. 

The Master was a good man, he walked with a stoop to his back and needed a stick if he was going any great distance but Shamus had seen few better at the forge. 

"So do you still mean to leave us? I wish you would take up me offer." The Master was stood next to him now looking back into the smithy. 

"I wish I could Master but I have done all I can here. I came here by happenstance and I used what little skills I have to help the people but I have others that now need my help more." 

The Master sank a little at this. 

"But don't worry Master I ain't planning on leaving today. I don't plan on going until the New Moon, which isn't for at least five days yet."

These seemed to appease the Master, for now at least. He beckoned for him to follow him and they went and sat with the others for their lunch before they carried on with the days work.