Skin of the Beast

[Revenant]

A chorus of hails and offers of service assailed William from every side. Not normally claustrophobic, William couldn’t help but feel somewhat antsy in the center of the crowd that milled through Radasanth’s merchant district. The dusty streets of rainbow hued merchants wasn’t one of William’s common haunts. In general, he tended to avoid all areas with large crowds of milling people. But today’s efforts were long overdue, and William would be damned if he let a little murderous social anxiety keep him from his errands.

He had already passed half a dozen stalls hawking wares that would suit his purpose but gave them no mind. Any merchant who needed to loudly proclaim the quality of his wares to the crowd likely didn't have the true skill which William's errand required. In the end, William's decision was made for him as he simply entered the first clothier’s shop that didn’t have anyone yelling deal prices and sales at him.

This particular shop was wide open with a low slung ceiling made even lower by the various swaths of colored cloth that hung everywhere in loose arcs. A simple stitched quilt near the shop’s entrance declared that “Hattie’s Clothier” specialized in custom tailoring for whatever wool, leather, or silk, fashion bug happened to have bitten the tasteful and knowledgeable patron. Even William, not the most fashionable minded person, had to admit that the offerings lining the wooden display mannequins showed that the tailor’s at Hattie’s had quite the eye for quality.

Even so, it was more the line about “clothing enchantments” in the quilt’s knitted welcome message that held William’s attention. While Hattie’s lack of barking monkeys drew him into the shop, it was the shop keep’s more exotic abilities that would keep him here.

“Good afternoon,” William called out, brushing a particularly low-slung bolt of some exotic fabric aside as he proceeded deeper into the shop. A soft breeze rustled through the clothier, causing the fabric around William to dance, and the Revenant wasn’t sure if any of the movement was errant or caused by someone else in the shop.

“Anyone here?” he called out again, waiting for a response, “I have some business that I would like to do.”

[Revenant]

Hearing no response the Revenant sighed and pulled a heavily bundled parcel out of his backpack and set it on the counter top. It was obviously heavy and it was just as obvious that the weight hadn't really been bothering William. Still, there was no sense burdening himself if he didn't need to. Especially when said heavy parcel was the package that William was hoping to have worked at this particular location.

Although maybe there would be another, more responsive, shop to be found in another area of the markets.

Still, William figured he would give Hattie's Clothier one more chance. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden table in impatience while he gazed around the shop. Fabrics of all sorts hung in loose bundles or were tucked carefully away in selected cubbies. There were piles of plain burlap heaped next to bolt of the whitest Salvaran samite, and everything in between. William had traveled long and far across Althanas and had seen some of these fabrics adorning the richest and most wealthy patrons of many lands. He was fairly certain that there was even a square yard of N'Jallian Spider Silk tucked away in a glass case, carefully guarded under lock and key. The wares of this shop, even a small section of it, must command a high price.

William wondered just how much money would be going up in smoke if he had to burn the place down.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, he thought and rapped the table near hard enough to crack the hardwood surface. Measuring his temper, William leaned far back across the counter and called out again.


"Shop keep, I have business for you," he yelled into the back, hoping to finally catch someone's attention.

[Cards of Fate]

An ancient old lady wandered out from a backroom, clinging tightly to an ancient walking cane as she hobbled towards the counter. "I...heard you the first time sonny!" she squawked. "I thought my good for 'nothin grandson would answer....these legs don't walk like they used to..."

As she approached the counter she very gently raised herself onto a stool hidden out of William's sight and cranked on a hidden lever until she had been raised to the proper level. "How can I help you?"

[Revenant]

William watched the crone seat herself with a critical eye, frowned, and then shrugged it off. He was here on business. If the woman could meet his needs then her age didn't matter. And if she couldn't then it also made no difference. Still, he paused for perhaps a breath too long as he glanced just over her shoulder at the door to the back room. An impatient rap of gnarled knuckles drew his attention back to whom William could only assume was the shop's titular Hattie.

"I've got this rather large bit of tanned beast hide," William gestured to the package on the counter. He pulled at the twine holding the package together to reveal yards of finely tanned leather. It was thick and tough, but oddly pliant. "Tore it fresh from some large beast that was tearing through the streets of Scara Brae City. Now, I'm not familiar with your art but I believe this is enough material to fashion a heavy cloak for a man of my size with a bit left over."

William allowed the leather to unfurl and gave the woman some time to inspect it.

"If that's the case," he continued while she looked the skin over, "Then I'd be willing to trade what's left to you to help defray the costs of getting the cloak made." He paused for a moment, looking at the bottles of strange inks and bags marked with alchemical markings on the shelf behind her.

"And I was wondering if you're able to bind some enchantments into the finished product. Not sure if your shop does that sort of thing."

[Cards of Fate]

(ooc link me where you got all the leather?)

The wizened crone took a simple glance at the man, and then the leather before her, shaking her head slightly. "I could do it...it might take some time though..." she held up her trembling fingers. "My age has slowed down my craft quite a bit you see...but It is possible. Leave the leather with me and come back in a week or so and I'll give you a price when it's all done. I'll have to see how much is left over."

[Revenant]

Spoil approved here. Description is shown in post above and has been in my profile for too damned long. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?21657-The-Beast-With-A-Thousand-Backs&p=176717&viewfull=1#post176717)

A grunt escaped William's lips and he nodded. As a craftsman himself, he knew that quality products took time. Patience wasn't exactly his strong suit, but he could muster the effort to wait when it was called for.

"Alright," he said in agreement. He pushed the leather over to Hattie and gathered up the rest of his things. "I'll be back in a week to take a look at it. Hopefully then we can discuss the enchantments that I need, or else you can point me to someone who can do them."

[Revenant]

William once again found himself filled with annoyance as he walked through Radasanth’s merchant district. By all accounts he should be in a jovial mood. He’d just come from the Citadel where he’d spent a half an hour stalking some unfortunate prey through a cemetery arena before tearing the poor woman’s sword from her hands and staking her to the ground with it. He’d toyed with her for several minutes before she’d passed out and then he’d pushed a headstone over on her own head. A fitting end to his sport, he’d thought. But now he was surrounded by the bright colors and the boisterous shouts and all he could think of was hot blood on his claws.

“Calm yourself,” he muttered, just barely managing to hold back from putting his fist through the jaw of a particularly brazen merchant who’d simply come up and slung a heavy knit scarf around him. Instead he wrenched the clothing from around his neck with a speed that was nearly unfollowable to the untrained eye and tucked it into the back pocket of a passing adventurer’s pack. The merchant had stared at him stupidly for a moment before shrieking and running after the hapless adventurer. Now if he could only remember where that damned store had been.

Another thirty minutes passed, with William becoming increasingly agitated, before he found Hattie’s Clothier once more and entered the shop. It was just as he remembered it and William idly wondered if the ancient seamstress had had any other customers. This time he was lucky, as was the shop, to have a young man sitting behind the counter. Was this the son, no grandson, that Hattie had mentioned? Shrugging, William approached.

“Welcome to Hattie’s Clotheir,” the man said with a smile. The smile faltered somewhat as he spied the murderous frown on the revenant’s face, but with the practiced ease of a true professional he maintained it. “H-how can I help you, sir?”

“I’ve business with your grandmother,” William said, waving towards the back room that Hattie had emerged from a week before. “I left some particularly tough leather for her to work at for me a week ago. It should be ready by now. If you’d be good enough to fetch her, we can finish the business and call it a day.”

And maybe I can find another opponent in the Citadel, William mused.

[Cards of Fate]

The old woman hobbled into view with a monstrous cloak billowing behind her. He hopped onto her stool and plopped it down on the counter before the man and beemed. "I was pretty liberal with the leather and still had plenty left over, so you're practically paying nothing!' she cackled slightly before continuing.

"I'm only gonna need fifty gold sir..."

[Revenant]

William nodded. That seemed very reasonable to him. He dug through his pouch until he had found the right combination of coins then paused.

"Are you able to weave enchantments into it?" he asked. "I've a somewhat odd relationship with fire and I need to make sure that the cloak doesn't burn."

He set the coins on the counter despite the voice in his head telling him to shove them through the old seamstress.

"I'm not trying to be difficult," he said, holding his ire back. "If that's beyond your ability I understand. I can always look elsewhere."

[Revenant]

Perhaps the woman hadn't heard his question. Still, the more William thought about it, the more time and preparation he needed before entering into a bargain with this woman over exactly what enchantments he needed.

"Nevermind the question," he said. The coins clanked heavily as he pushed them across the counter and took his new cloak. It was excellent quality, and would serve to cut a much cleaner figure than the tattered old thing that he was currently wearing. All in all, he was satisfied with the transaction.

"Unless there's anything else here, I believe our business is concluded?"

[Revenant]

William finished bundling his cloak and looked down at the old woman. At first, her lolling head made William think that she had passed away right in front of him. It wouldn't have been the worst thing to happen to him today. But closer inspection revealed that the woman had merely nodded off in the middle of the transaction. Sighing, William rapped on the counter, hoping to wake her so that he could finish his transaction.

[Cards of Fate]

The door behind the Revenant opened and closed quickly, and two furry creatures skittered past the man and scrambled onto the table.

"Gee Spud, it looks like Granny-Bot needs some repairs." One of the rather large otters squeaked as he inspected the old lady's neck."

"I think this man crashed her system with his abundance of requests..." Spud, the other otter who seemed to be wearing a bright orange jumper commented as he popped the ladies face plate off to reveal an abundance of gears and crystals.

"Sir, if you would just like to go all we need is 50 Gold." The unnamed otter finished, turning to the Revenant. "If you need some enchantments well...I'm sure we can find someone who can do that for you."

[Revenant]

This was an unexpected turn of events. William froze at the sight of the hairy creatures and their clockwork clerk, all thought of violence forgotten for the moment.

"Oh, uh," he hemmed, looking from the old woman's open face to the coin he'd already put down on the table. "I think that'll be all."

[Cards of Fate]

The otter named spud snatched the coins from the table and gave one of them a test nibble. Satisfied that they were genuined he squeaked and pocketed them all in his orange jumpsuit.

"Have a nice day sir!"

[Cards of Fate]

Transaction complete~

50 Gp to be deducted from Revenant, link here as proof of purchase!

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Transaction complete!