A Better Fit

[Corsana]

Well, this sure beat the village market.

Corsana looked around the bazaar with something just a notch higher than wide-eyed astonishment. She’d never seen nearly so many shops, and that wasn’t even taking into account the legitimate street vendors and questionable hawkers.

Caught up in foot traffic and peering eagerly into every window, Corsana made her way slowly down the main stretch. A knife shop, a book shop, a dressmaker’s – they had everything here. She paused in front of a large window displaying strange leather and metal contraptions which Corsana could not, for the life of her, identify. That looks like a . . . oh. A blush rose to her cheeks as understanding snapped into place and, quickly, she turned away and kept walking. They really did sell everything here.

After only a few more minutes, though, she happened upon a shop that looked promising. Its window display held a full set of gleaming leather armor and the sign above the door was carved in the shape of a shield. Smiling, Corsana stepped inside.

She looked over the visible stock – shelves of polished leather shields and helms, carapaces and boots – before turning her attention to the shopkeeper. “Good afternoon,” Corsana said, brightening her smile a notch and tugging a bit self-consciously at her scuffed and over-sized breastplate.

“I hope you’ll be able to help me. I’m in need of some new armor. I’m looking for either a leather breastplate or a leather carapace. I’d like it to be dark brown, the color of damp earth, and fit me . . . well, better than this one does.” She stuck her thumbs under the shoulder straps of her armor and lifted it up for effect. It rose a solid two inches before she dropped it back down. Definitely far too large for such a petite girl. “I’d like it to not be extremely heavy, but it has to be sturdy enough to withstand a glancing sword blow or a minor spell.”

Not that she’d yet to encounter a glancing sword blow or a minor spell. It wouldn’t hurt, though, to be prepared and she didn’t want the merchant to think her a total novice.

“I’m not sure which would be best for me though, the breastplate or the carapace. I’m on a rather strict budget at the moment. Any advice?”

[AdventWings]

Miri nodded understandably as she surveyed her customer's physique, mentally preparing the materials needed for the traveler's gears. A breastplate would be enough, though leather armour could barely be considered on the same protection level as a metal one. Perhaps not as effective, but better than none.

"I'm fairly certain my wares should be within your budget range, miss." The leather worker stated, nimble fingers marking off the materials needed for the armour. "A leather breastplate should cost you around seventy-five gold pieces, custom-tailored and fitted. For the carapace, may I ask for one hundrend gold pieces?"

[Corsana]

Corsana smiled. “A carapace, then,” she decided. “A little more protection is well worth the extra twenty-five gold.” Or so she figured. To be perfectly honest, she hadn’t quite figured out exactly what a good deal was in the city.

Still, this was well within her price range. She set her satchel by her feet and removed her breastplate, only struggling a bit with the straps.

“You must do very good business,” she said, as she placed her pack by her feet and began to remove her breastplate. “It’s so busy around here, and there are so many people in armor. Do you help a lot of adventurers?” She tried to keep the note of eagerness out of her voice, but was sure that she only half-succeeded.

After fumbling a bit with the straps, she finally removed her breastplate and was ready to be measured.

[AdventWings]

The leather worker smiled calmly as she took out her measuring tools, proceeding with her job as a respectable tailor was required.

"Oh, not terribly so." She replied, roping the measuring strip around the adventurer's waist. "About ten or twelve people visit me monthly, but my revenues come mainly from the army's orders. I could only imagine how those infantry would feel wearing items not made to order."

Putting away the measuring strip and writing down her measurements, the leather worker was ready to begin with the first construction.

"It's not a terribly good business." Miri smiled, handing Corsana a reservation slip. "But I do have the chance to meet many interesting individuals. Anyway, I should have the initial work done in three days. Please drop in after then and we will begin the final fitting."

[Corsana]

Three Days Later . . .

Corsana re-entered the armor shop with a smile on her face. This was, after all, her first piece of real armor. It wasn't used, it wasn't a hand-me-down, and it wasn't stolen from her brother's trunk. It was hers.

She practically beamed at the shopkeeper. “Good afternoon,” she said. “I'm here for my final fitting. Is the carapace finished yet? May I see it?”

Again, she removed her breastplate. Again, she fumbled awkwardly with the straps. This time, though, she was a bit too giddy to feel embarrassed.

[AdventWings]

"Welcome back to Miri's Leatherworks. Please step this way to the fitting room."

Leading the traveler to a roomy fitting room, Miri set to work putting the leather carapace on her customer and checking the armour for the best fit. Taking her time in trimming and adjusting, the leather worker soon proceeded to draw the leather strings around the back of the piece of armour and tied it off at the bottom, finishing the lacing with a neat bow.

"There we go. The lacing in the back should help you if you should ever have a need of taking it off. You could do it by yourself with enough practice, I suppose, but having a helper to do it would be a great way of maintaining the fit. So, how do you like it?"

[Corsana]

It fit wonderfully.

Or, at the very least, it fit much better than her hand-me-down breastplate ever had. Corsana smiled and ran her hands over the smooth leather. "This is excellent," she said, excitement brightening her voice. "I'll have to practice with the laces, like you said, but I'll get it. I want to be able to do it myself, just in case I'm ever alone and need it off or on in a hurry."

She grabbed her satchel and fished around for a moment before pulling out her coin purse. "One hundred gold, right?" She counted out the pieces, offering to the shopkeeper as she went.

[AdventWings]

"Thank you, miss. And good luck to your adventures as well."

Miri smiled as she accepted the payment before placing them in a safe deposit box behind the counter. Some of the workers nearby, almost old enough to be her mothers and grandmothers, cleaned up after the fitting and returned to their respective places among the wardrobes and sewing tables.

"Is there anything else you would like to purchase?"

[Corsana]

Corsana shook her head and ran her hands, again, over the carapace. "No, thank you. I have everything I need for now." She picked up her belongings and headed for the door. "Thanks again," she said, smiling as she stepped out onto the street.

[AdventWings]

"Thank you for your purchase. Please come again."

Miri replied, smiling as the young adventurer departed from the store. Taking a short sigh of envy, the maiden resumed overlooking the management within the leatherworks. It would be a long day ahead before she would pass the shop on to her heir. And if anything, she would make sure to have a line of returning customers ready for her descendants to attend.

In a little shop called their own.

((Transaction Complete.

Corsana loses 100 GP for the purchase of a lace-up leather carapace.

Corsana also receives 100 EXP for good role-playing.

See you next time in the Bazaar!))