The Post Exchange.

[Wyfind]

2LT Maverick Wyfind walked around the bustling bazaar in a dignified manner. He carried himself well and was not afraid of this new world in which he had been placed. His tan combat boots brought him inches closer to a stall whose signs were readable and coherent. Wyfind was an officer and was certainly intelligible but could not manage to decipher the chicken scratch that was found on other stalls. He made a mental note to attempt to pick up the local language. However, he had an inkling that it would not be easy. The languages that he had seen written looked to him like a kindergartener’s hand-paintings. Realizing this, the second lieutenant walked towards the one stall that he felt most familiar and comfortable with.

The stall was simple and made of ordinary material. It was a tall kiosk that looked lightly worn. It appeared that the local people have shunned this shop, as it did not seem to have relinquished much of its stock from what Maverick had deciphered about the store. The kiosk seemed to remind him of the bases back home in Arie; it was like a post exchange. The person managing the store seemed to be quite friendly and the kiosk appeared to have everything that he could ever need. The stall had signs that read, “ALTHANAS BAZAAR.” It was quite simple and right to the point, something that the military had never gotten wrong. Yet, he knew that this shop was run by a civilian. The second lieutenant felt admiration for this unknown shop keeper; he knew the intricacies and the benefits of military precision and pragmatism. Knowing this, he walked closer to the stall, finally within earshot of the keeper of the store.

“Hello. I’d like to stock up on some provisions. Do you guys accept gold pieces?” Maverick had been given lumps of metal that he soon recognized as gold. It was a precious metal recognized universally and apparently throughout other worlds and planets as well. The Sons of the New Republic had left him some gold, although it was not too much. He had counted 500 pieces of the metal. Maverick Wyfind made a mental note allocating 300 of the gold pieces for this latest purchase. Realizing that he had not made any further inquiry for a minute or two, he added, “I need to purchase an iron rapier. You guys have this in stock, yes?”

The officer had recalled the days of his basic combat training back in his homeland. He had enlisted to protect the monarchy and all that they had stood for. Maverick Wyfind held a great honor in serving the crown and those that knew him often said that he carried himself with a certain dignity and flair that was quite regal. Many that knew him often said about him that they would not be surprised if they had found out that Maverick held some royal blood within his veins. Wyfind saw many members of the Royal Palace with rapiers. He now regretted never having bothered to ask for lessons. Yet, he did recall the basic intricacies of swordplay and had some of the footwork down. Wyfind would need to practice with the rapier after purchasing it, yet he knew that he could use it to the best of his abilities, despite it being quite ordinary and mediocre.

[Moonlit Raven]

A young girl of 16 stood behind the counter of the kiosk, boredom made her sway tiredly where she stood. Blinking, he noticed a foreign looking man approaching. The novelty of some coming to purchase wares from her father’s shop shocked her into stillness. A moment to two later the surprise wore off. Unable to help herself she giggled. Flushing in embarrassment she nodded.

“Welcome. We carry weapons of all types. Papa can make anything you wish. I’ll, I’ll just go get him.” The girl hurried off, calling for her father. The sound of a hurried conversation drifted up to the front, the word muted and indistinguishable. Moments later a slender man walked up to the counter. Scarred and muscled arms braced the man as he leaned his whip thin body against the counter.

“Please, excuse my Kari’s actions. I’m afraid she gained her mother’s flighty nature. You wish to purchase a rapier in iron. That can be handled very easily, Sir.” The man turned away and pulled out a slender book. After skimming a few pages and jotting down a line he looked back to his customer.

“A rapier in iron will be 50 gold. You could upgrade it to steel. The price would be 100 gold.”

[Wyfind]

The lieutenant stared blankly at the small girl that looked back at him behind the kiosk. She could have been his little sister. Judging from the way she looked and acted, she was definitely not of age to enlist. Males could enlist at the age of 17 whereas females could only enlist at the age of 18; she definitely was not 18 years of age. Maverick sighed, as he felt that this storefront was the only place in which he could receive intelligible service. Maverick did not understand the local customs or its languages, which gave him a heavy disadvantage when it came to bartering. He did not want to offend the local people nor did he want to be ripped off. The lieutenant did not like this; he felt vulnerable.

Despite this possible setback, Wyfind put on a face of determination. He would not let his weakness show. Yet, before he knew it, the girl had disappeared muttering something quickly about her father. The lieutenant stood at attention, looking straight forward and ready for anything. However, it was for naught. He saw the brief outline of another man appear; instinct soon took control and the lieutenant stood at ease.

The man seemed to recognize his rank; he had addressed him as sir. Without another thought, Maverick’s mouth quickly moved and uttered, “Stand at ease soldier.” Realizing this, he smiled and did not look embarrassed at all. “Yes, you wouldn’t surprise me if you were a soldier. Your shop seems to be well tended to and everything seems to be in neat order. You run a fine shop.”

Maverick addressed the man, “Yes, I would like to purchase a rapier. I would prefer the rapier to be steel after all. I believe that I would need a more heavy duty metal than iron and steel seems perfectly suitable. I want the hilt of the rapier to be made of gold or to be plated in gold, whichever would be easier. I do not want it to look cheap.” The lieutenant looked the man sternly, as if he was addressing some of his non-commissioned officers, “I’ll give you 125 gold pieces for this rapier, and would that be suitable? Furthermore, I would like to purchase leather gloves. I would rather wear gloves while using my rapier, you see.”

[Moonlit Raven]

“I fought in my share of battles, if only to earn my peace.” The man agreed, taking the small praise of his stall in stride. After all, if things were not ran efficiently nothing would get done. Unsatisfied customers were unhealthy, for business and the general welfare of his family. Amusement flickered through his mind at the young man's stern words and stare. This one is too serious for his own good. Ah, well, he’s young still. For now it may do him some good.

“For a 125 gold, the hilt would be plated gold. Susceptible to scratches and chipping. I could take 150 and make the basket of the hilt solid and plate the handle. I'll be using ten karat gold so it's not as soft.” The man looked down at the sketch of a simple rapier he had drawn. Symbols indicated what metals to be use. The charcoal stick hovered over the paper to make the last notes.

“The leather gloves will be 25 for plain sturdy gloves.”

[Wyfind]

It was with a stern look did Maverick Wyfind accept the man’s offer. However, he paused for a second to look at the storekeeper’s eyes communicating without words how sorry the man would be if his workmanship was shoddy. The second lieutenant did not play games nor did he appreciate being made a fool of. Wyfind had never been made a fool of and he did not plan on allowing a storekeeper be the first.

The officer counted out 175 gold pieces and laid them out on the counter. “I will accept your offer of 150 gold for the rapier, as I had specific earlier,” pausing to make sure that the man understood. The lieutenant then continued, “I will also take the pair of leather gloves. These look up to par and fit for an officer. Do you accept this offer, sir?”

The second lieutenant smiled; he did not want to seem rude. His handsome visage stared back at the male. A battle-worn face looked back at the gruff merchant. Brown eyes stared at the man turning from a strict gaze to a more comforting warmth. The face of the soldier had given away that Maverick no longer sensed that the man had ill intentions. Wyfind knew that he eventually he would have to be less serious but years of military service had taught him otherwise. Old habits do die hard.

The man’s mind soon began tinkering; the inner workings of the man soon began to scope out the area. The officer had let his intuition take control once again and he did not mind, as it had served him well time and time again in countless battles, operations, and dealings. “I have come along way, as you may have very well noticed. I am a smart man and would definitely say that I am not a fool. I will take advantage of your shop’s provisions and supplies. I could use some more supplies and you could very well provide them for me. I need some sort of armor. I need something that is small and could be concealed under my uniform. I do not want it to be known that I am wearing armor. It should be quite inconspicuous. Could you provide this for me, and what would you recommend?”

[Moonlit Raven]

The charcoal was laid aside and the shop owner stared at the younger man for a moment. Calculating and studying the clothing the man wore.

“You would need an cotton under shirt to keep your skin from chafing. A splint mail shirt would be pretty much invisible beneath your uniform. The leather could be worked into suppleness before the metal is added. I could offer you a fitted splint mail shirt and the cotton under shirt for 200.” The man pulled out a secondary sheet to sketch on laying it aside he reached for a stack of papers.

“A full chain mail shirt, that would show under clothing or it could be worn over the uniform. It provides a little more protection against stabbing. It provides the same protection from slashes. The cost would be 225 for the chain mail and the undershirt. For the chain mail alone 200. Your choice.”

[Wyfind]

The butter bar looked ahead at the man; he was awaiting a reply to his inquiry. The second lieutenant returned to a position of at ease, his hands folded plainly and comfortably on his lower back. The man kept his face looking forward at the shopkeeper until he put aside the piece of charcoal that he had been using to design the items that Maverick wished to purchase. The man was competent and Wyfind, never liking to dawdle or waste his time with incompetent people, appreciated this.

“I wish to keep the element of surprise on my side, sir. I would prefer the previous chain mail over the latter, as I do not wish to allow anyone the chance to one up me. I take my safety quite seriously,” the officer paused. The soldier continued, “I do not need a cotton shirt, as I am already wearing one.” The officer unbuttoned the top two buttons on his uniform to reveal part of his chest hiding behind a tan cotton undershirt. “I can offer you 175 gold for the chain mail. Of what metal would it be made?”

Intending to display that he was quite ready to make a transaction, Maverick Wyfind counted out pieces of gold laying them on top of the counter. He counted aloud to further make his point, “I will take the steel rapier with the solid gold basket and plated handle for 150 gold. In addition, there is 25 gold for the pair of leather gloves for a total of 175 gold.” Wyfind looked at the man, pausing for a second to re-button the top two buttons on his uniform, “The grand total will be 350 gold pieces. I will give you 175 gold for the chain mail. This seems fair, yes?”

[Moonlit Raven]

The man watched as the young lieutenant count out the gold while listing off each item. Nodding approvingly, he quickly finished the sketch and materials needed.

He paused and looked up at the younger man, appraising the lieutenant’s physical fitness. “You look sturdy enough. You might find the chain mail shirt a bit weighty at first. The chain mail will be made of steel.”

Two invoices were filled out both he turned around to face the lieutenant and held out the charcoal pencil.

“I need you to sign you name on both documents. Keep one for yourself and return in three days. Your items will be ready for you then. Make sure you have the invoice with you.” The man smiled for the first time and bowed his had slightly.

“Sorry for the rudeness, the name’s Jerald.”


You can split your post and write in Wyfind as coming back three days later

[Wyfind]

The lieutenant watched as the storekeeper finished his sketching; it was to the soldier’s liking and so he nodded approvingly. “Yes, that would have to do,” the man said courteously. Maverick eased up a bit and strayed a bit away from his military courtesies for a second. He began to take the character of an ordinary civilian — he had loosened up. Yet, there was one thing that he had not changed in the short meeting: his confidence. “I do not think that the steel chain mail will weigh me down. I’ll take some time to get used to it but it won’t hamper my skills. I am an officer, a trained soldier, a competent and intelligible man.”

Yet, he did not want to seem rude. Maverick looked the man in the eye and calmly spoke, “My name is Second Lieutenant Maverick Wyfind. It is always a pleasure to deal with competent and intelligible people. You do good work and I am happy to be your customer.” The soldier smiled back at the man, took the charcoal pencil from the counter and signed his name on the invoices; it was an extravagant signature. The signature was of large print: it was not small or of ordinary size; however it was not large enough to seem obnoxious or arrogant. It was curved and elegant, the W looking more like a crown than a letter. Having felt satisfied with the signature, the officer looked up at the man. “Thank you sir.”

[Moonlit Raven]

Jerald looked at the elegant signature on the invoice. After a moment he nodded.

"A pleasure doing business with you. Please return in three days. Your items will be ready for you then." Jerald turned and went inside the kiosk. He ready the supplies needed to make the gloves, sword and armor.

[Wyfind]

Three suns had fallen. Three moons had risen. 72 hours had passed and the second lieutenant made his way back to the stall in which he had visited three days prior. The black wool beret hung over his right eye shielding it from the bright sun. It was a hot day, a day that seemed to make any ordinary task arduous, tedious and painful. Alas, the officer had to go and pick up his supplies from the Post Exchange. He was eager to lay his hands over his new possessions. Maverick knew that they would be getting frequent use, although he could not say how much in particular. The lieutenant knew that he would have to do battle while in Althanas, it was almost imminent or preordained. During the three days, he had heard about how the planet is infested with assassins, bandits, and criminals, breeds of people which the soldier was far superior to.

The handsome human walked slowly, taking his time and allowing his tan combat boots to feel the soil crunch under each step he took. Maverick adjusted his beret; he looked elegant, strong, and confident. The uniform was neat, tidy, and orderly; it fitted him well and accentuated each of his body’s features. The man spoke, “Jerald, I have returned. I believe my items are awaiting my arrival, yes?” The soldier smiled ready to retrieve his items.

[Moonlit Raven]

Jerald looked up from the slender dagger he was sharpening. The whet stone and dagger laid aside Jerald hurried back into the kiosk. Moments later he reappeared carrying a awkward bundle wrapped in brown cloth. Untying the string he rolled the bundle out flat on the counter.

“All your items are indeed finished. Take care of them and they will take of you when you need it.” Jerald laid out the pair of gloves, chain mail shirt and the rapier. The rapier he held out to the man, hilt first.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you lieutenant. I hope you’ll return next time you need more armor or weapons fashioned.”


Transaction complete. Wyfind loses 350 gold. Wyfind gains leather gloves, steel rapier with solid gold basket and gold plated handle. Wyfind also gains a steel chain mail shirt. Gold remaining at end of transaction 150. Wyfind also gains 100 EXP for good IC interactions.