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orphans
09-12-10, 03:59 PM
A clean fall breeze washed through the white hair of the small girl Azza. Instinctively, she reached up quickly and held onto the spots where her budding horns had begun to poke out. Luckily, she had managed to hide it from both Stephanie and Jensen, her adoptive parents, for the time being.

But luck could only carry the girl so far and somewhere in her heart, she knew that some day, they would see. However, delaying the inevitable seemed to be the only thing she should, and could do.

Today would have to be the day. Stephanie had promised to bring her to Underwood today, and being the model mother, she held true to the promise. As they neared the orphanage, the drifting of autumn leaves in the air did little to dampen the greetings received by both Stephanie and Azza.

Mother Holly wanted to hear how life for her former charge has been from Stephanie, and so, the two women went to sit upon the bench by the well. Azza decided that it would be now or never, so after waiting a few minutes, the girl wandered over and informed the two adults that she was going to visit some people in Underwood.

She had always wandered Underwood when selling flowers, and now that she was older (and perhaps wiser), the two women saw no reason why she shouldn't. With a bright smile and a wave, Azza ran off quickly knowing exactly where she wanted to go.

It was a small store at the end of market street that sold clothing from rough work clothing to fine dresses worn at festivals. Azza even remembered delivering flowers once or twice to the owner, but the two had never actually talked.

When she opened the door, the sound of a crisp chime sounded from somewhere within the depth. Right away, Azza found what she wanted: A simple and large straw hat. It was the kind usually worn by field workers to stave the sun off their heads, but also did a convenient job of shading the shoulders.

Picking up the item, she then wandered over to the counter and tip-toed up to peer over it. Seeing and hearing no one yet, she let out a soft, "...hello?"

Taskmienster
09-25-10, 01:35 AM
The shopkeep smiled at the small girl. Confused about her choice of hats. "You want that hat? Are you sure? I have hats that are puffy and soft, ones with pretty red feathers as long as yours arms, and even some with brims as large as that with silk ribbons on them. You don't want a prettier hat?"

orphans
09-25-10, 06:34 PM
The maroon eyes of the girl wandered the shop once more at the mention of " a prettier hat." After, she still returned to the straw hat she held in her hands. It was tempting to think getting a prettier hat and Azza liked pretty things, but Mother Holly had always taught the children practicality too.

That, and she didn't want a prettier hat to attract more attention to her head. The girl figured that something simple would be enough. So, with a bit of stubbornness and a smile, she held up the straw hat for the shopkeeper.

"Thank you mister, but I like this one."

Taskmienster
09-25-10, 07:11 PM
"That ones so plain..." the shopkeeper turned his head sideways and smiled a wide grin. "What if I painted it? A dull yellow color. Maybe tied some leather to the sides so you can strap it to your head. Pad the chin so it's soft. Add a bit of tassel... glitter..."

The hatter smiled at the little girl, but it seemed that she was not as interested in his ideas as he was. "Or that one. It's lovely. How much for it? 10 gold."

orphans
09-25-10, 07:25 PM
Mention of painting the straw hat a dull yellow color made Azza giggle softly as she placed the hat onto the counter. It was already a yellowish brown, and she wasn't exactly sure how it could be dulled anymore.

But that was beside the point.

The two were discussing business and though the girl was young, she had a decent enough sense from her days of selling flowers and medicinal poultices in town. However, brutal honesty had also been instilled into the girl by the orphanage keeper for the past twelve years.

"The tag says eleven gold."

Taskmienster
09-25-10, 09:10 PM
"I thought I was the only one that heard the tags..." The hatter smiled and rubbed a hand through his greasy hair after removing a non-existent hat from his head with the other hand. He placed the invisible cap back on and looked at the girl. "Well, between me and you, the tags tend to fib quite a bit. I hear 'em tell me things all the time, but most of it's not true. How about we call it ten. And if the the tag tries to back talk you, you just pull it off and throw it away. I do that sometimes myself. Keeps 'em from saying much when they're at the bottom of a bucket in a corner." The shopkeep laughed and tilted his head back as he did so. "So?"

orphans
09-25-10, 09:39 PM
The smile on the girl's face brightened brilliantly and was accompanied by a vigorous nodding. Opening the small satchel she carried everywhere, she dug out and counted ten coins to place on the counter. Satisfied, Azza lifted up the hat from the counter and dropped it upon her head.

"Thank you mister!"

Taskmienster
09-26-10, 12:10 AM
[[Transaction completed. Orphans loses 10 gold and gains... dun dun dun!... 25 exp.]]