Shopping

[DarkStorm]

"She's right Lillian." Aiden smirked. "You look like your parents were both made of Flour."

Turning his attention back to Erin, he smiled. "I'm Aiden by the way. And thank you. Chance, what were those two words that you read about, and told me you liked?"

"Hoarfrost and Hailstorm!" Chance replied. Somehow, he had sidled up to Lillian, and handed her a cookie. Aiden knew what was coming, but by the time he had opened his mouth to stop the boy, it was too late. Having taken the cookie from the young boy, she had left a strategical gap in her defenses. Chance's hand rose, and pinched her bottom.

[Ataraxis]

Even though the shop owner had spoken out of kindness, Lillian had automatically stood at attention, her back stiffer than a board as she nodded frantically, sprinkling frigid powder over the floorboards. “Y-Yes ma’am!” With taut, scissoring strides, she took for the aforementioned heat stove, feeling a wave of delectable heat wash over her, feeling like the strangest mix of summer sunlight and the splashing waves on the coastline. “Oh, this feels wonderful,” she moaned almost inappropriately, shame rushing to her cheeks when she realized it. It was only then that she saw Chance handing her a cookie, and without her usual suspicion, she took it with joy.

“Oh!” She squealed, almost dropping what she had been given, sensing pain in a place that wasn’t accustomed to the feeling. Jumping where she stood, Lillian spun to look at the little boy, this perverse devil that never missed a moment to fondle her. In the span of three days, it had stolen her first two kisses, groped her bosom at least thrice and had now proceeded further downward. “Why you little bag tart!” she hissed, her arm reaching out to his nose, but the little devil was quick on his feet and had already skittered away, leaving her red and raving. In anger, she devoured the cookie whole, chewing it down difficulty.

When she had calmed down, Lillian turned back, still wary for any suspicious shadow or sound around her, letting both arms droop at her sides and her hands bend slightly to cover her bottom. A safety measure. Unknowingly, she had walked near the counter, where the dish of baked goods Chance had mentioned was still steaming a delightful effluvium, one that smoothly intruded her nostrils and tickled her fancy. They had been used to trick her, but that bitter taste notwithstanding, they were righteously delicious, and she wouldn’t be shy about taking one or two more.

As she reached for the platter, she asked the shopkeep about her future purchase, almost as an afterthought. “Oh, I’d like to get something for myself too, if that’s not a problem!” It logically shouldn’t be, considering how this was the very nature of her work. She knew it well, but she was exaggeratedly courteous with strangers, to the point where the words she put to her thoughts never quite matched. “I’d like a set of throwing daggers, if possible! Very small ones, blade and handle crafted from a single piece of metal, with jagged edges so that once they’ve pierced something, they’re harder to take out. Oh, and I’d like the handles to have holes in them, enough for my fingers to fit!”

“Oh, and how many could I get for a 270 gold coins, if I want them to be made with Prevalida?” She hoped that she could get at least two, but at worse, she would be ready to pay the difference.

[Moonlit Raven]

Erin shook a playful finger at Chance as he darted away from the girl.

"Now now, one of these days that sort of tom foolery will get you into trouble. Besides, its not nice to grope that young lady, or any lady of any type." Erin smiled and returned to her book. She flipped one page and immediately found what she was looking for.

"A small dagger made of prevalida will run you right at 360. Oosh, what a cost for just one little dagger. The make of it won't be a problem for John. As I keep telling the man, he could turn out a sword fit for a god even if all he has is brass." Closing her book she padded down to the end of the counter. Leaning against it she grabbed one of the still warm cookies.

"I could recommend several other metals. The majority are strong but not as strong as prevalida. I know of one metal that is stronger but the cost of it would make a king flinch." Erin smiled kindly at her customers before she took a bite out of her cookie.

[Ataraxis]

It may have been inappropriate to gawk, but at mention of a single dagger’s price, Lillian couldn’t help herself. How could something so small that she could fit twice in her palm cost so much? The design she had in mind was in fact so minuscule she though the Prevalida from a single one of Chance’s bracers would be enough to forge at least a quintet of the weapons. The girl sighed, tapping nervously at her money pouch, wondering if she would pay for two. It wasn’t that she was a cheapskate, but… no, she was a cheapskate.

“I know!” she exclaimed in a thunder of triumph, the gears of her mind having reeled in harmony to find some sort of budgetary escape. “Would it be possible to split the dagger in half? I needed at least two to throw for what I have in mind, and since I don’t think I have enough money for that, buying a single one that can be divided symmetrically would be the next best thing!” Lillian hoped she was a good enough liar, and hoped even more dearly that the woman would find it in her heart to do her this small favor. “I think it’s a viable design, if it uses a basic clamping mechanism on the tang. Nothing too fancy!”

“I’m sorry for being so picky, though. I just really want to try out what I have in mind!” Her chin was lowered, and her fingers were nervously knit together. She was afraid the shopkeep was already fed up with her, a prospect that gave her an awfully downcast demeanor.

[DarkStorm]

Sorting his gold, Aiden made several stacks of twenty coins, until he had gathered Erin's requested sum. Smiling, he pushed it across the counter top to her, being careful not to scuff it. When he was done he hefted the bag, tied it shut, and tossed it to Lillian.

"That should help." Turning his attention back to the shopkeeper he indicated the Bracers. "Anyways... Hoarfrost on one, and Hailstorm on the other. And we appreciate your helpfulness. It's nice to meet a merchant that is willing to cut you some slack, rather than try to steal everything in your coin purse."

Aiden tried desperately to ignore Chance. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the boy scooting sneakily toward Lillian again.

[Moonlit Raven]

Erin turned and drew out a sheet of paper. Quickly sketching out the bracers and jotting down notes on the side.

"You said Hoarfrost and Hailstorm on them? Curious words, but you're the customer." Erin tittered to herself as she made the last few notes for Chance's bracers. Scooping up the gold she placed it aside carefully.

"No worries, love. You know what you want. The new design would be a bit of a challenge for John but I'm sure he can work it out. The idea for a split dagger is a clever one." Erin grinned. She noticed Chance's creeping back towards the girl and shook her head a little. Catching Lillian's gaze she tilted her head towards Chance's direction in a subtle warning.


"Right then, Chance, you and your father need to return in three days. Your bracers will be finished at that time. Sweetie, I'll need half of the gold for the dagger up front. Your dagger, or it is daggers? Mmm... any who your item will be done the same day as Chance's."

Just split your next post and write in your characters returning three days later. The bracers for Chance are wearable for the time being. As he ages and grows the bracers will have to be reforged into a larger size or sold.

[DarkStorm]

Aiden smiled, and nodded his understanding to Erin. "Yeah... But the boy wants what the boy wants." He shrugged. The words made little sense to him either, but Chance had said that's what he wanted them named.

"Thank you, Erin. We'll be back in three days."

Before they left, Chance ran over to the woman and gave her a tight hug. On his way back to the door where Aiden waited, he snatched another cookie from the counter.

Outside, the snow still swept over the landscape.

In case the last post wasn't understood, what's left of my gold goes toward Lillian's purchase. I'll lose all gold, and she'll receive a discount of the same amount.

[Chance]

The day had dawned cold and bitter, the wind still whipping snow about like a frozen lash. Bundled as they were, Chance and Aiden felt little of it, but still enough to hurry through the swirling torrents of white. Remembering how cold it had been the last few days, the boy had actually followed his father's advice this time, and had worn the small, fur lined coat.

This time, Chance was the first one into the shop. When the door had closed behind him and his father, the boy leaned over and shook his head like a dog just out of a storm. Snow fell like a curtain from his sandy blond hair. He grinned as he straightened, then ran toward the counter, obviously looking for more cookies.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeerin!" Chance called, standing on his toes to look over the counter.

[Ataraxis]

With a smile, Lillian accepted her friend’s money pouch, knowing that the man had never been a fan of finances and economies. As long as he had enough for food and travel, all was good in the world. Still, Lillian would not use all of it. She was greedy with her money, but not with that of her closest companions.

Lillian couldn’t hide her glee when the woman called her clever, and felt very much like a student who’d been praised by her teacher. Seeing the uncharacteristic tilting of her head, however, reminded her of a danger that she could feel creeping in the small of her back. Before Chance could even attempt anything, Lillian had spun the face him, the frills of her dress in counterpoint to the elegant sway of her hips. The boy was positively disappointed that his approach had been discovered. To further taunt him, she stuck out her tongue and hummed in derision.

“Oh, right!” she tilted, and scuttled to the counter. Rummaging through her own bag, she picked out three Salvaran doubloons, each with a value of fifty gold coins, as well as another handful of smaller disks for the remaining thirty pieces, and placed them carefully on the wooden counter. “That’s 180, I believe!” She still had a total value of ninety gold coins that had been given to her after her last visit in the Citadel, which she planned to use for her scheduled return at the King’s Armory. “Thank you again, ma’am!” Chance had told her the shopkeep’s name was Erin, but the girl was too timid to casually call an adult by her first name. With a wave, she turned back and took for the door, shivering from the emergent cold as she walked over the doorsill.


It had been three days already, spent mind-numbingly near the hearth fire of an inn, where she had curled under a fur blanket and vegetated in a lethargic bliss. She only worked up the strength to move when her stomach growled agony or when she needed the bathroom, but most of the time she endured the pain until breaking point. Today, however, she had no difficulty getting off that velvety couch and discarding a blanket she had come to love dearly. It was, after all, the day she would finally have her daggers!

Chance had darted into the store before all others, and Lillian was close in pursuit, her little head peeking from behind the gaping door. “Hello? Madam… erh… Erin?”

[Moonlit Raven]

The chime of the door's bell caught Erin by surprise. Flushing and hastily shoving the book she was reading on to a shelf behind the counter she turned to greet her customers. A wide smile split her face at the sight of the children.

"Hello, my ducks. How have you been these last three days? You are just in luck John finished the bracers and dagger just a hour ago. I have them waiting for you here." Accepting the rest of the girls gold she inspected the voucher and shook her head, muttering about paper money under her breath.

Chance loses 450 gold and gains prevalida bracers. Darkstorm loses 600 gold. Ataraxis loses 360 gold (270 voucher and 90 gold) gains prevalida dagger(s) and gains 110 gold from Darkstorm. Chance, DarkStorm and Ataraxis gain 100 EXP for good IC interactions.

As stated before the bracers for Chance must be sold or reforged upon out growing of char as he is a child and the bracers were sized to a child.