“You? You!!…You destroyed everything my father owned!” The girl, who was only a few years older than Vesper, was screaming, half in tears. It was understandable, though, for she stood before the half destroyed wreckage that was once a tavern. A month earlier Vesper’s first mission and trial took place here, and she was attacked by Radasanth Thief Guild members, going into a rage and killing everyone inside. In the process she had managed to destroy one of the support beams of the inn and it took down an entire wing of the building. Now, Darith, the Lavinian Thief Guild Master, had sent her on a mission to try to regain some good will from the deceased owner of what was once a sanctuary. Fortunately the owner’s daughter had taken up the call to rebuild the inn. Vesper was to help.
“I…I’m sorry. It… was and accident. I really didn’t mean to hurt all those people, or your father. He was harboring people who my guild hates very much, and they killed my partner and friend. I’m so very sorry. But, I was sent here by the guild to help you raise funds to rebuild it, and do anything else I can do to get some good will back. Please understand, I want to help. Is there anything I can do?”
The girl had stopped crying as soon as Vesper began speaking, and listened very carefully. When she finished, she picked up her skirts and moved down the road to a caravan that was sitting there. Lifting back one of the flaps of the caravan she revealed what appeared to be a ton of junk. A coy smile spread across the newly appointed innkeeper’s face as she voiced her idea.
“Sell everything in this caravan to citizens of Radasanth. Everything here is useful, in its own way, and I’m sure it is a skill you could work on anyways. Also…if you want my good will…don’t kill anyone until you next see me. I’ll trust you, if you say you haven’t.”
Satisfied with her choice, the innkeeper girl turned and strode into her new business place. Slowly she began to work on removing destroyed furniture and junk out of it, with help from some muscle she had hired.
Vesper sighed deeply, but mounted the front of the caravan and drove it into the city. It would be a daunting task, but she was willing to take it on.
- - -
Three weeks later…
“And now I have…” Vesper began to say as she mounted the caravan to check what was left in it to sell, and found that only a small black kettle remained. It was only big enough to make tea for two people inside, but there was a small note attached that read ‘Charmed for Luck’. Groaning, she grabbed it and offered it to the person she had gained the attention of.
“A kettle charmed with luck so you’ll never burn anything made in it!” Vesper managed to say with her most excited voice, despite how dreadfully annoyed and bored she had grown with the task in the days. To her disappointment, the person simply shook his head politely and muttered a ‘No thanks’ before walking off into the rabble of the market. Everyone seemed very anxious about the good weather, following the horrible storm the previous night, but they weren’t so enthusiastic to buy from her.
Suddenly she spotted a man plating an ocarina. For a moment she was entrapped by the spell of the music, the kettle in one hand and her cap in the other. Simply staring blankly at the man, her mind swelled and floated to the beautiful tune, and her awareness drifted slowly back in as the music faded. Then a quick tune was played followed by an otter bounding up to him. The gratified smile on his face at the appearance of the animal made it obvious that the creature was a pet and friend. Something inside her nudged her to introduce herself, so she picked the kettle up and ran across the street to stand before him, holding it out like a golden prize.
“Sir, would you like to buy a special magical kettle? I promise you very much from the depths of my heart that you are the one who it wishes to be owned by!” Her voice, perky as can be, rang out, backed by a honest smile.
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