Tools of the Trade

[Earthwalker]

Long legs and powerful strides propelled Leander through the crowds of the Bazaar, though he lacked the purpose and direction he normally possessed when delivering a message. Unfortunately, today's task was not so clear-cut. After a morning of nervous pacing and awkward questions, bouncing from once merchant to another in search of... well... half the problem was that he didn't really know what he was looking for. He had recently found himself in possession of an excess of coin, and decided that a celebration was in order. However, he did not indulge in drink enough to spend his money that way, and even beyond that, his father's practical teachings frowned upon such waste - the money, his dad's voice admonished from the back of Leander's head, should be spent on a solid investment, something that could aid him in the future. That, and drunk people don't win fights, his mother chimed in, raising her voice beside her husband's in her son's mind. Well, unless the people they're fighting are drunker, that is.

Point was, though, that Leander had decided to get something that his father would consider worthwhile. That meant something that he could use. Well, he usually spent his days running between cities with a message for some merchant or nobleman or some such, late on a delivery and without a faster means of getting it there. Perhaps it would be wise, he had mused, to find some way of ensuring the safety of the messages - some bag or pack, or even more esoteric item, cleverly made or magically enhanced to ensure the sanctity of his deliveries. A pack, folded and oiled in such a way to prevent moisture's entry, or with a metal sheet across it's back to prevent puncture. Maybe a lock that would not open to any hand but his, or some method of concealment to prevent observation of the pack itself to prying eyes. It seemed a wonderful idea in theory, but in practice... how could he justify owning such an object? His work as a messenger was mundane at best, and downright plodding at worst - how likely was he to be attacked by any who might specifically desire access to what he carried, and not simply wish him harm in the general sense? And how would he even afford something so complex as an enchanted bag, especially with the horrible inflation merchants tended to inflict upon him when they realized he had no talent for bargaining?

This was a gift, he had reminded himself, from him to him - the practicality at the moment didn't matter all that much, and so long as it related to work, he could throw aside any guilt inspired by his father's imagined words. He required very little to live, anyways, so what good was his money but to spend on things like this?

But back to the present. Having found nothing to which both his appraising eyes and the weight of his coin-purse could agree upon among the selection of displayed goods on the Bazaar's numerous streetside carts, he decided to take his chances in one of the more permanent, enclosed shops in the area. Perhaps, if he got lucky, he'd find a merchant who not only had something interesting, but something interesting and cheap.


OOC: I honestly have no idea what I want. Feel free to seize upon any of the ideas or concepts I mentioned, or to invent something on your own. Something along the vein of delivering a message safely on foot would be nice, though it is not necessary; who knows, I might not even buy anything, if nothing there would catch Leander's fancy. As for the shop, feel free to take care of the description, as it should fit the contents of the shop and the whim of the shopkeep. Also, if I'm doing anything horribly wrong, let me know - this is my first IC post.

[Moonlit Raven]

Erin stood outside of her shop, the slow day and the lack of customers had driven her to her favorite past time, people watching. From the door way of her shop Erin commented on people and giggled. A young man, little more than a child to her eyes caught her attention. She watched his obvious indiscision in locationing anything that he was looking for. Nothing gained nothing lost. Even if the young man doesn't find anything of intrest in my shop, he can at least rest and have a nice cup of tea.

Erin left the relaitive safety of her door way and stepped into the busy streets. It took only a few moments to reach the boy's side.

"Young man, now don't be alarmed, I'm perfectly harmless. I've been watching you wander about for a while now. Come with me to my shop you may find something of intrest, In the very least it will allow you a moment or three of rest." Erin's bright blue eyes gleamed as she smiled and tittered on, talking about everything and nothing, waiting for the young man to speak up. "I sell weapons and armor, magical items and plain items. You could say I sell curiosities of all types."

[Earthwalker]

Leander turned as a matronly woman seemed to materialize behind him. This capacity for sudden appearances that city folk seemed to hold was disturbing - the crowds made it so easy to sneak up and people, and while his eyes were trained and sharp, they were trained for the wilds, not the bustling city, making all the easier for folk to surprise him. However, despite the suddenness of her appearance, her words, her posture, and the laugh lines about her eyes bespoke of kindness, and the gleam of her eyes provided a promise of safety, in a way - those shining eyes, it almost seemed, could ward off the mightiest of mages. Leander was reminded very strongly of his mother. Even the scent of this woman, a strong mix of various herbs with a hint of hard work, bade forth memories of home. Leander was suddenly quite nostalgic, and resolved to return to Salvar soon, and visit his family - they would be glad to see him, he figured, and him, they.

All through the course of these musings, Leander had payed more than half a mind to what this woman - apparently a merchant - had been saying. Seeing an opening for a response, he broke in.

"Ah... I'd be glad to look around. I can't really tell you what I'm looking for, precisely, but I can give you some ideas." Leander paused for a moment, thinking of what first to ask for. "Maybe I can look at some of the magic stuff you've got? My budget's not huge, but perhaps I can get away with something cheap. Lead the way." He mentally shrugged. Their first meeting might have been only moments before, but more than most other merchants, he somehow trusted that this lady would find something he would be interested in.

[Moonlit Raven]

"Oh, how wonderful!" Erin smiled as she hopped in place and chuckled like a girl half her age would. She linked an arm around the young man's and led him to her store.

"How silly of me. I completely forgot to introduce myself, my name is Erin Fawkes. You must think I am some mad woman, completely pouncing upon you out of the blue and asking you to come to my shop. What a brave young man you are, if i were in your situation I'm quite sure I would have ran away by now." Erin opened the door to her brightly lit, crowded shop and stood aside for the boy to enter after her.

"You simply must excuse the mess. trying to keep this place neat and tidy is a complete nightmare. It's almost more than I can manage to keep the shop dusted properly. Perhaps I should hire one of thoes young children that are always running around to help me out from time to time. I'll be right back, feel free to look though things. The magical items section is to your left." Erin hurried off to a side room. The sound of her talking to someone drifted out along with a few muffled thumps.

It was with a large tray loaded with tea, cups and saucers, and several types of cookies that Erin reappeared with several mintues later, a small grey-blue cat following her. Placing the tray on the front counter Erin looked down at the cat twining around her ankles and grinned.

"You're just begging for a creme pastry, you lazy sweet thing." Erin placed a small creme filled pastry on a saucer and set it down on the floor.

"This little beggar is Blue cat, some where around here is Clue cat and New cat. Clue cat has a crook in his tail, New cat is just a kitten. Do call out if you see them. By the by do you have any idea in mind of what you are looking for? Have you a job?"

[Earthwalker]

Leander nodded to Erin as he entered the shop behind her. "M'name's Leander," he ducked his head again, "And honestly, Miss Fawkes, you remind me too much of my mum for me to be fearful of you harming me." Bashful of this admission, he scuffed one of his boots against the floor.

As Erin moved into the rear of the shop, he gazed around at the inventory she had indicated. A host of items met his gaze in an intimidating jumble, daring him to try and sort through them and find what among them he desired. His awe-struck gazing was interrupted by the re-entry of the shopkeep; he closed his gaping mouth, smiling at her offer of tea and cookies.

"That's something my mum doesn't do, though," Leander mused, as he knelt down to scratch Blue cat behind the ears. "I've never seen her do anything but light food on fire when she tried to cook." Rising back to the counter, he addressed Erin once more. "As for your question - I have next to no idea what I'm looking for, and that's half the problem. I've resolved to buy myself something interesting, but I have no idea what I want. I'm a courier by trade, and if you've got anything to aid that profession, I'd appreciate it, but I couldn't make any guesses as to what that things like that would look like, having never seen any." Selecting a cup of tea, Leander blew loudly on it, creating ripples across its surface. Guessing that it was now cool enough for consumption, he took a gulp, obviously relishing the taste, before biting enthusiastically into one of the cookies. "Th'sh 're b'ery good!" he exclaimed behind a mouthful of cookie.

[Moonlit Raven]

Erin smiled and waved away 'the Miss Fawkes'. Chuckling, she took a nibble of a piece of shortbread she she listened to Leander talk. Ignoring the quiet begging mewls of Blue cat as she begged for another creme pastry she laid the shortbread aside and hurried for the magic section of her store.

"Call me Erin, eveyone does Leander. I think I just might have a item that you'll like." Erin's voice quieted down to a soft mummur as she talked to herself while digging through the shelves.

"Blast! I was sure I had a bag that would be useful. There you are you sneaky little thing." Erin plucked a tiny orange kitten off the shelf from its hiding place behind several books. From it's new position on the floor is sleepy blinked up at Erin then at Leander before diseapearing between two shelves.

Waving a hand at the tea and cookies Erin hurried off to the back room, a tide of half formed words drifting after her as she mentally checked over everything she knew was in the shop. Minutes later Erin hurried out carrying a small black bag with her.

"I knew I have this bag somewhere. Recently a mage sold it to me. He said something about it not holding enough for him. Well, before he left I got him to explain how it works. Once you've placed, I think it was three drops of blood, in the bottom of the bag only your hand can open it. If anyone else tries to open it the contents of the bag simply are not there when they look nor can thye place anything in there." Erin opened the bad and looked in it as if expecting to see the webbing of magic laid into the leather and vlince.

"It's a unusal item, but I can let you have it for 480 gold."

[Earthwalker]

A quick check to his wallet confirmed his suspicions - that amount was just under the limit of his funds! Too excited to barter, especially given his fortune of finding an item so similar to what had been running through his head all day, he reached deep into his coin pouch and pulled forth the requisite funds. Shoving the money into Erin's hands, he received the bag in return, spinning about in excitement while crushing his purchase against his chest. A continuous stream of thank-you's swam forth from his mouth, filling the crowded shop with his obvious excitement. "It's exactly what I was looking for!" He swept forward to embrace Erin in a fast but firm hug before swinging the bag onto his back. "It's perfect!" The bag was almost weightless, and it's single strap fit perfectly over his right shoulder, coming to rest lightly at his left side. "This has got to be the best shopping I've ever done!"

Leander celebrated a few moments longer, ecstatic at his purchase, before settling down slightly. As if realizing the inappropriateness of his outbursts, he assumed a slightly shameful stance before Erin once more, pausing awkwardly before asking, "Uh... but you mentioned earlier that you needed someone to dust your shop. I meant to ask you a little while ago, but then you brought out the bag and, well..." he trailed off into another short awkward pause before continuing. "I thought, I don't have anything else to do today, so I could maybe help you out?" What has started out as a statement ended with a question, a hopeful look upon Leander's face. This place was like coming home to him, almost - the only thing missing was the constant banging and heat of his father's forge. Leander knew he must hit the road again soon - especially with this purchase, his money pouch would need refilling soon - but surely he could delay that time a little longer...

[Moonlit Raven]

The suddeness of Leander's gold being shoved into her hands startled Erin a little. No sooner had she spilled the coins into a pouch she kept on her at all times that she found herself swept up into a hug. Giggling, she patted him on shoulder and smiled.

"Goodness, what a cute thing you are when excited." Erin glanced down at the soft furry weight that had just sat upon her foot. Bright green eyes looked up at her from a black and white face as if asking what was going on. Erin just smiled down at Clue cat and watched Leander settle the pack over his shoulder. Holding her crooked tail high Clue cat sauntered over the other two cats that sat high up on a shelf watching what was going on. Once Clue cat had choosen her perch beside the other two, the three leaned in to one another and low murps could be heard.

"Wonderful! I would love the help. You could stay here even without helping me clean the store, I've always loved company. Make yourself at home and don't mind the cats they are curious things. I'll be right back. Tea and cookies are a lovely snack but they can not pass for a real lunch."


Tranaction complete. Earthwalker loses 480 GP and gains 100 EXP for good IC interactions.