From Rags...

[Karuka]

Radasanth. Already it had been a city beyond the girl's wildest dreams. The very way the name flowed from the mouth promised adventure and glory. The name of the world sounded the same way, too, only less bright and more mysterious. Althanas...so different from Ireland, full of strange and wonderful people...some of them wicked, but many of them good.

If I ha' t' give th' place a rune t' describe i', 'twoul' ay be Thorn. Th' city o' gateways, where paths are open an' shut.

She'd just left the Citadel, and was in the mood to wander around the city. She didn't look too different from a beggar. A flimsy sword was strapped to her left hip with string, and at the other end of that string was a little pouch. Her clothes were in tatters, her feet were bare, and everything she owned was tucked into a beat-up leather satchel she carried on one shoulder. She was also overly scrawny, as if she weren't a skilled beggar.

That's where the resemblance to street scum ended. Though ragged, the girl was clean, and her honey-brown skin looked healthy, although it bore a few scars from her life experiences so far. The hair was a splendid and peculiar shade of deep red, with gold skittering through every now and again. The face was sweet and delicate, and big radiant blue eyes sparkled under a small red dot. The pomegranate-red mouth seemed to be almost permanently upturned in a cheery grin, and that was only enhanced by the slight bounce in her step.

Karuka Tida might LOOK a mess...but she was in high spirits.

A sign caught her eye...a Bazaar. I've ne'er ay heard o' a Bazaar before. She grinned even wider. But since I've ne'er heard o' i', tha' makes i' a WON'ERFUL time t' go see.

The little bare feet turned into the center, and Karuka's eyes widened as she saw what it was, this Bazaar. I've ne'er seen so many shops all t'gether in aon place a'fore!

She looked at her satchel, and considered. She had some wee bit of money from things she'd done up to this point...and having so many of the heavy gold coins weighed her down.

I coul' do miself a favor an' get some good clothes an' shoes, an' get rid o' th' extra weight.

Grinning, she looked around until she spotted a door that just...felt right. She entered the little shop, looking around. There were all sorts of fabrics and clothes in here, and she saw the leather for boots.

'Tis been an ay long time since I've ha' somethin' decent t' wear. The charming grin that she had come in with just grew wider...if she could afford any of this (no telling what the prices were), she'd be better suited for traveling than she had been. That, more than anything, would be good for her, since her dharma showed no signs of letting her stop traveling any time soon.

She saw a supple, shiny material, and couldn't resist going over and touching it. She admired how wonderful and smooth it felt on her hands, and she wanted it...oh, but she wanted it. She'd never seen or felt a material like it before.* Unfortunately, it was flimsier than she needed.

'Twouldnae be practical t' travel in. Sighing, the girl reluctantly let it go and turned back to the other end of the shop, looking for something better.

Her eyes fell immediately on what looked like a good sturdy linen, and she went over to inspect that. It felt good and sturdy, and she liked the look of the cream-colored shirts and the oak-colored pants.

'Twoul' ay be perfec'...but 'tisnae quite linen.

Turning slightly, she looked at the shopkeeper behind the counter. "Excuse me," she began in the lilting accent that made her both wonderful and troublesome to listen to. "What d'y' call this fabric? An' how much fer an outfit o' i'?"

*Common silk. She lived in Ireland before trade with China had begun. She knows about stuff like linen and wool and fur, not cotton or silk, or derivatives of such.

Translations!

>>>If I had to give the place a rune to describe it, it would definitely be Thorn. The city of gateways, where paths are opened and shut.<<<

>>>I've never heard of a Bazaar before. But since I've never heard of it, that makes this a WONDERFUL time to go see [what it is].<<<

>>>I've never seen so many shops all together in one place before!<<<

>>>I could do myself a favor and get some good clothes and shoes, and get rid of the extra weight.<<<

>>>It's been a very long time since I've had something decent to wear.<<<

>>>Wouldn't be practical to travel in.<<<

>>>This would be about perfect...but it isn't quite linen.<<<

"Excuse me, what do you call this fabric? And how much for an outfit made of it?"

[Artifex Felicis]

Lionel had watched her since she walked in, somewhat sleepy on the counter where he usually sat. The day was slow, and it was also the type where it normally shouldn't have been. The cat merchant was bored as well, instead simply trying to busy himself with the most minute of details. This included trying to take a nap, a wide on draped over his face until his ears heard the girl come in, where he slowly pushed the hat back, watching her and hoing she would at least make a sale soon. He wasn't dissapointed.

Lionel stared at the young lass in front of him, fitting the words in his mind. It was diffrent from what he normally heard, and seemed to almost be like another language with the way she dropped off sylables and added others on without any rhyme or reason. The words clicked in his head quickly enough though. For all the people who went into the cat merchant's shop, she was the first to ever speak like that. He took the cloths from the girl, the familiar feel of the material between them told him exactly what they were, as well as the price of them. It was a sign he had been a merchant for too long.

"We call that vlince around here at least," the merchant explained. He drew a small knife, one often used to show the quality of his wares. It was sharp, but made only out of copper. Most of the time it could barely scratch his more expensive wares such as these cloths. He pressed it down on the fabric, then lifted to reveal no mark on the shirt at all. To help his point, he almost casually dropped it, the blade quivering on the counter as its point was stuck in the wood. "For the full outfit, it costs around 400 gold pieces. Worth it though if you can afford it."

[Karuka]

The merchant who had been behind the counter turned out to be...a Pookha! At least, that's how Karuka thought of it.

Pookhas were cousins of boggarts, but less malicious in their pranks. And they didn't tend to haunt families.

He showed her how strong the fabric was, and that was more than a little amazing. The knife couldn't stab through it...although it was a copper knife...but if a little drop like that could stick it into the wood...it was definitely an impressive piece of cloth. It would be perfect traveling material...but she couldn't help but be distracted that she was in a shop...with a Pookha!

He looked like a giant kitty cat...and it was really hard to not reach out and pet him.

"Four hun'red? I think I ha' tha' much."

I canna b'lieve this...

Her hand finally reached out and started to scratch the pookha shopkeeper's ears, under his hat. She grinned somewhat sheepishly, and stopped after a moment.

"An' how much woul' i' cos' t' add on a sturdy pair o' boots?"

Translations for my kitty!

"Four hundred? I think I have that much."

>>>I can't believe this.<<

"And how much would it cost to add on a sturdy pair of boots?"

[Artifex Felicis]

Lionel grinned at the ustomers answer, getting back intothe swing of things for his job. He liked being a merchant, especially since it was far more quiet than being an adventurer. Still, there were certain benifets about being an adventurer. He used to never really have to worry about much, though now he did. Also, life never got bring for long periods of time for him. Compared to being a merchant, it was great. Lionel tired of most of it though, instead finding joy in the more simple life of being a merchant. Granted there was one paticular thing he didn't get as often as he would have liked.

He was taken aback when the girl began to scratch him, though it wasn't something he minded. On the contrary, it felt good. He grinned, angling his head so she had a better reach towards his ears as he purred slightly. The scratching stopped after a moment, and a blush appeared on his feline face after. HE grinned sheepishly at it.

"Since you're buying cloths I don't sell that often, I'll let some good leather boots go for 20 gold. They'll see you to Salvar and back before they break," the cat merchant explained. He pointed towards his shoes. Lionel kept the smile. "Actually, just make it a flat 400. That'll be fine by me."

[Karuka]

Karuka grinned even wider, opening her satchel to get out her money. She set it on the counter in four rows of ten coins, each stacked ten high.

Then having paid for the clothes already, she took her time about finding a shirt and pair of pants that fit, as well as a sturdy pair of boots that wouldn't chafe her feet. There was a little area at the back of the shop that allowed patrons to have a decent measure of privacy while changing and trying on clothes.

I canna remember th' las' time I ha' a new set o' clothes an' a pair o' shoes.

Finally changed into her set of new clothes, Karuka stuffed the old rags in her satchel -- she'd wash them and cut them up for bandages later. She also took the time to carefully adjust everything -- tuck in the edges of the tunic, arrange how the pants fell around the boots.

Tears of joy began to well up in her eyes...it was so wonderful to finally have something like this. But she'd only barely begun to feel the slight burn in her sinuses when a harsh voice sounded from her past.

What's this? Tears? I'd best never catch you with tears. The gods reserved those for humans, and Indian FILTH is not human.

Damn y', Calhoun.

She sighed softly, then grinned again and stepped out. New clothes seemed to have wrought an immediate change in her. No longer was she walking along, trying to avoid being seen. There was a new air of confidence -- and even a certain sass -- around the honey-skinned red-head, now that she looked respectable.

She went over and gave the Pookha shop-keep a tight hug. "Thank y'." She pulled back after a moment.

"How d' I look?"

Translations

>>>I can't remember the last time I had a new set of clothes and a pair of shoes.<<<

>>>Damn you, Calhoun.<<<

"Thank you. How do I look?"

[Artifex Felicis]

The cat merchant mostly spent the time while the girl was in the dressing room counting the coins. He lifted each small stack, coutning the shiny golden coins as they fell from his fingers into a smaller bag. From the bag they went into the barrel where he kept most of the purchases. Not that it mattered much, the bareel was constantly being filled and empites and without the recourds Lionel never made he never really knew if he was in the red or not.

He looked up as the girl came out, having finished the counting of the golden coins a minute or so earlier. The girl looked good, a lot better than what she looked like whens he first came into his shop. He smilied at the question, looking her up and down to make sure everything fit the girl. It was good, and it was another well satisfied customer.

"You look great," the cat merchant commented turthfully. He wasn't a fan of the tailless feminine form, but she still looked good. He blushed at the hug, then sent the girl off. "Be careful now. Those cloths don't look good dirty."

((Transcation complete

Karuka loses 400 gold, 120 remians at time of thread completion. Also gain 100 exp.))