“Here you go?”

“What’s this Svana?”

“A purse that I made.”

“Hmm. Must’ve taken a lot of work but aren’t this for women? You can wear it.”

“Nonsense.”

She giggled as the muscled Atlantean in his light leather armor made from jellyfish skin layered 100 times to make a tough but light armor. Nabih was riding his steel warhorse while the sun glinted from his back.

“This is unisex soldier man.”

“I w-will wear it next time. If I have a need to carry anything extra, I promise.”

A few days passed with Nabih declining to wear it each time. This didn’t dissuade Svana. The whimsical idea of tailoring a bag just for fun had become a quest to make one of the leader figures of the camp wear it.

On the 4th day, ground down by her perseverance, Nabih threw up his hands and surrendered.

“Fine. I’ll wear this satchel.”

“A purse.”

“The two have the same looks and function. It’s either way so I’ll call it a satchel.”

“Why can’t it be a purse?”

“…”

Nabih wore it daily for the next five days whether it was for training or arenas. The other candidates made fun of him of course since it looks a bit weird and he was embarrassed. Like all trends however, they usually start with people hating them but when they see the usefulness they convert.

Soon, people were sporting vest and fanny packs. They add extra storage with the vests and large rucksacks. A few extra morphine or a vial of increased blood clotting or ammunition helps a long way. Now, who had the best equipment configuration, comfort and sleekness was fashionable in camp.

Svana and a few tailors began creating pouches and all sorts of bags when they had time. She would even listen to an audio reading of her favorite books at this point.

One day, she entered Nabih’s hut to check if he was there. She didn’t expect the sound of clattering and a hastened closing of one his drawers. The man was red and looking intently trying to discern something from her face.

She never found out what this action was about and this made her curious. Svana staked out the next day, a half hour before when she visited Nabih’s hut.

Tired from a day of battling, Nabih came out in casual clothes while carrying a rucksack that was slack.