Location [Syliras Location] Qayala's Quill

[Komax]

Timestamp: 5th Fall, 511 AV

Komax entered Qayala's Quill and quickly cast a glance around. He had just recently come to Syliras and was seeking some sort of employment so that he wouldn't starve to death. He also intended to purchase for himself, at some point in the future, a personal ship to journey upon the sea once more, now that the Winter's Bite had been destroyed.

He walked up to where Nathaniel was and said rather quietly, "I seek employment, sir."

[Dusk]

Komax The flickering torches that lit the Great Bazaar at all hours of the day and night made the booth that held Qayala's Quill one of the better lit one - due to their work, they had their own torches, lanterns, and candles strewn throughout the booth. Nathaniel turned to stare up at the Svefra - easily identifiable here in Syliras, where they had city docks right on the Suvan Sea. "Well," he said, whuffling through his mustaches, "doesn't that make you a rare specimen indeed?" A bark of laughter erupted from him, but in the next instant he grabbed up a thin little stick and rapped the knuckles of one of the apprentices who sat working on their letters. "You waste another drop of my ink on smeared drivel like that and I'll box your ears. Be careful with your letters! Take your time, get used to the feel of the stroke! Patience, boy, use your damned head." With another whuffle he turned back to Komax and narrowed his eyes. "Well then," he said, "have you any skills I might find useful?"

[Komax]

Komax was glad that he had found at least possible employment, for he had begun to worry if he would ever be able to earn his keep. After the disaster with the Winter's Bite, he'd only escaped with a few possessions and was in desperate need of some sort of job. Being literate, Komax had thought he might be able to find work here. "I can write," he said when Nathaniel asked his question.

The Svefra desperately hoped that he would be allowed to begin working for Nathaniel, because he wasn't sure that he would be able to find another job. If he couldn't, he would have to rely on what he managed to catch on his occasional hunting trips, and as he wasn't exactly the most skilled hunter that would probably not be enough for him to pay all of the expenses that were required to survive in a city like this.

[Dusk]

Komax The man gave another snort of laughter. "So can anyone who's older than ten. Can you write well, boy? That's the question. Have you a steady hand and a bit of patience? Here," he said, snatching a bit of parchment off the table and setting it in front of a chair. "Sit, boy, and show me what you're capable of." It was up to him whether he would be able to earn any coin, but Nathaniel was willing to see if he could.

[Komax]

Pulling the chair back slightly, Komax sat on it and picked up the nearest fountain pen, then held it slightly over the parchment. He thought for a moment, considering what he wanted to write down, then sighed slightly and began to scrawl a few words onto the page. He struggled against his nervousness to keep his hand steady, but reminding himself that if he didn't manage it he would have no hope of getting employed, he managed to get that under control.

Slowly, Komax wrote a single word on one corner of the parchment, making sure to take his time and form the letters as well as he could. When he was finished, the word, his name, was displayed on the paper with gracefully formed, flowing calligraphy:

Komax.

Putting the pen aside, the Svefra turned to Nathaniel and hoped that his handwriting was sufficient to meet Nathaniel's standards.

[Dusk]

Komax There was a bit of whispering from the handful of boys that worked the stall, and they cast curious glances his way that were likely meant to be subtle but weren't at all. As he sat back, Nathaniel looked down with surprise to find the man had only written one single word. "Komax," he sounded out, blinking roundly down at the word. "I've no idea what that means, lad, but one word isn't exactly enough to get you a job." He chuckled, though, and picked up the paper to examine it closer. "Haven't done much calligraphy, have you? See, your lines bleed right into each other, and the ends get scratchy. And this blob of ink here is doing nothing for you. Bit of stutter between the K and the O, you'll need to learn how to transition from capital letters to lower-case without dragging the nib. But you at least have the idea of how to do calligraphy, and that's important," he said with a twitch of a smile. "If you're interested, I'm willing to apprentice you. The pay is two gold a day, and you'll be required to take classes to improve your work, as well as do copying here to earn your keep. We have calligraphy at fifth bell, copying at seventh, and ethics at eleventh bell. Then we break for lunch, and you'll be expected to work the afternoon here. Daniel here will be kind enough to show you where my quarters are," he said, hitching a thumb to the boy he'd rapped on the knuckles, who jumped to his feet with a sheepish smile. "So. Does that sound like a good deal to you?" OOC NoteAs a note, you'll probably want to change your skill of Writing to Calligraphy. The Writing skill is more the ability to write a story (as in creating fiction or other works) than the physical act of writing things down. Also, with only 5 points in the skill, you'll do nothing gracefully.

[Komax]

Komax had been worried about whether or not Nathanial would be willing to apprentice him, and for the past few moments he had been absolutely sure that he was going to get rejected. The scrutinizing comments certainly did not raise his hopes, but when Nathanial finally offered to apprentice him the Svefra inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. After hearing the offer, Komax knew that this was almost exactly what he had been hoping for. Not only was he being given a job, but at the same time training with which he might eventually manage to get an even better job.

"Absolutely," Komax said after taking only a few moments to think about it.

[Dusk]

Komax Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, but chuckled a little and nodded. "Don't say much, do you? Well, that'll be a relief from the chattering of these kids all day. We'll see you first thing in the morning then," he said with a pat to Komanx's shoulder. OOC NoteSorry it took me so long to respond! You are now employed at Qayala's Quill. I will start a Storyteller's Secret thread for you and PM you the link. Welcome!

[Crypt]

29th of Fall, 512 AV

Crypt looked around for someone to help, gazing at some of the finest pieces of calligraphy mounted on the wall. Just then, a man tapped him on the shoulder from behind, making him jump. Maras snorted in amusement.

“Goodness me! I nearly jumped right out of my skin! Well, m'name's Crypt, I'm here to buy 3 bottles of black ink and some parchment, if you have them.”

Nathaniel smiled slightly, and replied in his clear and refined voice. “Well met, Crypt. I am the proprietor of this fine establishment, Nathaniel. My apologies for startling you. Will it be simple black ink? That would cost you a total of 3 silver mizas. We don't quite sell parchment here, but I've just had quite a large shipment of particularly high-grade parchment, so I am willing to sell some to you at the price of 2 silver mizas per sheet. I'll even give you a basic quill for free.”

Crypt fiddled with his money pouch for a while, before taking out 10 gold mizas and 3 silver mizas.

“Alright, I'll have 50 sheets of parchment.”

Nathaniel took the coins and nodded his head. “Please wait while I take the items.”