It's been a while.

[Tshael]

The bazaar was a place that Tshael hadn't seen in a year, at least. Now she came to it again, naked and concerned. Ignoring the stares she received as she made her way through the crowds, she found the store she was looking for. Nestled between an artificer and a rune-master, a small shop stood, bearing a legend above the door.

The Waye of Woodes

Stepping into the doorway of the small log hut, she was surrounded by armor and weapon, all crafted from various lumber around the globe.

"Hello?" she called out, stepping up to the counter, her eyes still searching for what she sought, but she could not see it.

[AdventWings]

The Bazaar was busy as usual, thought the young store-keeper as she tended to her wares. Ellen was just another young lass from Underwood trying to hold down a part-time work while her father worked in the woods. For far, all her customers were the usual groups of wandering mercenaries and errand boys from the Coronian Army.

Until she came in.

"Uh- Er, yes! What can I help you with?" Ellen stammered as the Dranak wandered in, eyeing the weapons and armor littering the walls and shelves.

"Er, oh! Yes! Welcome to the Waye of Woodes! Is there anything I can help you with, Ma'am? Er, Ma'am?"

She had heard of the half-equine creatures, but to see one for herself was an eye-opener. Even more as a customer.

[Tshael]

Tshael eyed up the young girl, welcoming an accent that was so like her own Concordian lilt. She stepped forward, careful that her hooves didn't damage the fine redwood flooring. A smile spread across her face, and she leaned forward on the counter, looking around again.

"Please, call me Tshael. Ma'am is a word for old maids." she commented, still not seeing what she sought. Surely something so simple would be among the wares?

"I am looking for a staff. Oak, and shoulder height would be favorite." She looked back at Ellen, bowing her head slightly. "I had been hoping that a simple thing could be found among the finely crafted items in here? Your father has only gotten more talented as the years have passed."

[AdventWings]

Upon hearing the half-equine's request, Ellen snapped out of her stunned silence and immediately went to work.

"Um, yes! I will get right to it!" She chirped up, shuffling to a rack of poles and browsing through the different staves.

"Here you are, a finely-crafted five-foot oaken staff. Made with the best quality of wood and handicraft, this staff can last through quite a many traveling. This will cost about 60 gold pieces, Miss Tshael."

The sturdy staff was simple in overall design - a straight, cylindrical piece of wood shining faintly against sunlight seeping through the store windows. It was nothing extraordinary in design, though a trained hand can feel the balance and strength flowing through the grainy brown wood.

"I have a few more wares you might want to see, though they are a bit longer and different in design. If you wish."

Ellen beamed, knowing that she was fulfilling her position as a merchant well. Soon, she might be able to save up enough money to open her own store... After her father's approval, anyway.

[Tshael]

Tshael balanced the staff that was handed to her in her hands. It was the mark of Corin Branchbender that the staff was perfect, though not quite what the woman had in mind. The perfect cut and sanding to a cylinder was too man-made for the dranak.

"I have an utmost need for oak," she said, placing the staff on the counter. "If you have something that looks more natural in the curve and bumps of the wood, I'd like to look at it. If not, then this will have to do."

She smiled, even though her dissappointment was threatening to show, and scratched her chin thoughtfully.

"Ellen Branchbender, how old are you now?"

[AdventWings]

"Ah, yes. I believe we carry those kinds as well. Please wait one moment, please."

Ellen smiled and treaded lightly across the sunny room, now more comfortable with the Dranak than she was a few minutes before. Disappearing into the backroom, the merchant girl immediately went down to work.

Umm... Let's see... Natural Oak... The brown-hair girl browsed the shelves, looking for the kind that her customer wanted. Natural Oak Sta... Oh!

"I hope I did not make you wait too long, Miss Tshael." Ellen returned to the counter a few minutes later, bearing the solid staff in her hands.

The elegant craftsmanship could be seen throughout the uneven bumps on the staff, its length reaching from the floor almost to the top of her brown locks. The odd knots where the smaller twigs would stick out had been sanded down and molded, leaving smooth bumps all along the length of the light-brown wood. One end was also a touch larger and heavier as if it was cut straight off the tree.

"Here it is. This will cost you only 55 gold pieces."

The lass beamed as she waited to see her customer's response.

"Oh, umm... I'll be turning 18 in a few days, miss Tshael." The girl meekly replied, wondering what the half-equine purpose was for asking.

[Tshael]

"Ah, this will do perfectly," Tshael said as she was handed the second staff. As always, the quality was superb. While it looked as if it could have been found anywhere on the ground, to the touch it was smooth. The heavy staff reverberated in her hand, and she knew she'd found exactly what she was looking for.

"You know, the last time I stepped into your father's shop, I had just come out of Concordia for the first time. I had never been outside of the forest; I didn't even know it had a name!" She pulled her bag of coins from her side and set them on the counter. "Your father was very kind to me, and pointed me in the direction of the blacksmith that shoed me for the first time, to help protect my hooves from the cobbles of city life. It was an embarrassing situation, but your father helped ease the humiliation. I do believe I remember you, running around his legs. You would have been about six years old back then. You have grown into a fine woman, Ellen." She stepped away, and left, leaving her bag of gold on the counter, filled with 100 gold pieces.

"Keep the rest," she called as she left, "I have no use for them now, and I believe I owe you twelve birthdays worth of presents. I hope they help you along."

[AdventWings]

The response hung in the air for a moment before it finally dawned on her. Indeed, this was not the first time she saw a half-equine being in her life. She remembered seeing one, who was actually the same Dranak before her today, all those years ago when her father still tended the store. The merchant girl turned a blushing red for her inept memory as a child, hoping that the Dranak customer would think little of her folly.

Ellen returned a meek smile as Tshael left, the irregular staff in her hand and a bag of gold on the counter. The young girl sighed quietly to herself and called out after her customer, trying to sound as cheerful and uplifting as she could.

"Thank you for your visit! We look forward to seeing you again!"

- - -

Transaction Completed.

Tshael loses 100 GP in exchange for an excellent-quality oaken staff with odd bumps and knobs from the store The Waye of Woodes.

100 Extra EXP reward for good IC interactions.