Shopping Around...(Solo)

by **Zandelia** on October 3rd, 2011, 2:36 pm

The Castle Commons Marketplace

Fall 16, AV 511

Zandelia knew enough about Sunberthian economics to know that prices did not work the same way as she imagined they did in other regions – or at least that was what she gathered from the various travellers whom came and went through Sunberth – mostly entering through the gates and leaving through the docks, before being fished out at a later date of course. Still, she had grasped some basics from drunken ramblings and a life of keeping her ear to the ground. In Sunberth, the true currency was not so much the gold mizas that one had, but the strength and intelligence you could slam it down onto the counter with. In Sunberth, only the strong, the feared or the extremely wily ever got a good deal – the rest of the populace being left to either take or leave what they were offered.

I’m not very strong, and neither do I have much to be feared for – and so I trust to wiles and intelligence to try and win out this day she thought to herself as she weaved through the masses of people going about their own purchases, their purses soon emptying under the cajoling gestures from the stall-holders.

That was why she had spent the last two hours looking around for the best places to purchase the mental list that she had drawn up for her needs. It was a simple list really, a few items of armour for protection, some more intellectually-based items for her enterprises and some simple clothing – the only other set she had having been mostly destroyed in her bid to become one of Tua’s word runners. Still, she had no intention of being fleeced of as much of her money as possible over items that – frankly – might not do her much good in the long term as she roamed the dank and dangerous streets of Sunberth. She reasoned that, if she had to keep coming back for more, then the least she could do for herself would be to find the cheapest goods possible. Still, with as much quality to them as possible for the price, that went without saying.

She had compared prices, felt up the clothing items and inspected the items she sought at various establishments and street stalls, looking them over with her keen gaze – her single eye probing and seeking for fault or indications of tampering that might tell her that the place was not the one she sought to purchase from this day. In the end she had narrowed her search to three places, one for each type of item she wished to procure for herself. The stores were indeed store, not stalls – the quality of stall items in Sunberth sadly lacking in credibility for the serious shopper. The stores in question were The Grunt’s Armoury, The Wizened Crone and The Tinker Tailor. Each of them had proven to pass the test for both affordability and quality, at least in Zandelia’s estimation.

“The prices are still high, but we’ll see what we can do about that won’t we?” she muttered to herself as she made her way back to The Grunt’s Armoury as her first stop, wishing to find some protection as quickly as possible, and the more sinister the better.

Strength is power, power is fear and fear…well fear is the motivator. The more intimidating I look, the more dangerous I seem, the better my negotiation position will be. We’ll see if we can’t play these jackals at their own game! she growled to herself as she pushed through the door of the first establishment and let it close behind her.

“Time to buy” she uttered to herself under her breath as the store keeper turned to see whom had encroached upon his domain.

by **Zandelia** on October 3rd, 2011, 3:43 pm

The Grunt’s Armoury

“Oi! You be that lass was in ‘ere earlier. Come back when ye saw I gots the best goods in the commons eh? Eh! Haha! Well, ‘ave a lookie aroun’ then. But don’t try nuffin’ or Caruck ‘ere will be earnin’ his pay early, ya see?” he told her, his manner one designed to be both a generous and intimidating manifestation at the same time. To Zandelia, though, he seemed to be more of an excitable pig who had a trumped up vision of his position in Sunberth.

Still, he’s the one I want goods from, so best to play along she told herself.

“Oh don’t worry about me shopkeeper, I only came to buy and not to cause trouble. Long as Caruck doesn’t give me unnecessary trouble I won’t be giving you none,” she told him with a soft smile, designed to disarm him somewhat. A smile from a reasonably pretty woman did wonders for the atmosphere she found. He merely grunted and waved his hand, face going a little red as if he thought he had stared too long.

Zandelia decided to spur on that small advantage a little, running her hands across her body as if smoothing her clothing about her, but really just letting her hands glide across her curves and onto her hips, drawing attention to that area before pivoting to show the two of them a view of her back – knowing exactly where their eyes would roam as she made her way to the leather accoutrements of protection to be found in the store. She could all but feel their gazes, Caruck’s especially as she was sure he was more than ready to jump up and charge her down at the slightest hint of foul play. Still, she merely ran her hands across item after item, putting on an air of detached observation, letting her hand stop every now and then to inspect the strength of a joint or the quality of the stitching. She knew there was nothing wrong with the items, she had looked them over intently already after all, but she was not about to look too eager to choose.

No, as soon as he knows exactly what I want he will be focused, but as long as he thinks I’m just looking he will merely be speculative she told herself with a small grin.

“You don’t do many women’s sizes shopkeeper,” she informed him as she looked at him over he shoulder as went about her attempts at keeping him unbalanced.

“Oh no, no, no miss. We got’s plenty o’ those! They just aren’t as sought after if ya catch me drift. Most mercs are men these days. But we got’s them out back lass. Ya just tell me whats ya wants an I’ll go get ‘em” he informed her, all pomposity and lecturing – as if she hadn’t guessed that fact already.

“As you say shopkeeper, as you say,” letting him ‘teach’ her and bolstering his generous mood for later, “well I’m looking for a snug fit of one of these studded leather sets. Possibly one of the more aesthetically pleasing ones if you would? A woman’s got to have some attentions, yes?” she asked him with a small flutter of her eyelashes as she padded towards his counter slowly, ending with her hands on her waist and her head tilted to the side in front of him, her hair falling to the side and across her face slightly.

The shopkeeper merely nodded in a partially distracted way, looked to Caruck and disappeared out to wherever he kept his store of items. She mused, as she waited, upon how much he exactly had back there and how many guards she had not seen yet stood over them. She waited patiently, trailing her forefinger in a lazy pattern upon the counter, smiling at the guard called Caruk, as she awaited his arrival – and when he came back she saw that her wiles, and her curved form, had obtained her an item of slightly better quality then the one on display. That was when she knew the price haggling would be that much harder and settled in to play the game.

“There you go lass, the best o’ the best! Can’t go wrong with this one. Best fit for ya, best type o’ leather and studs and the most comfortable to wear. Not form fit quality but good enough for ya needs I’d wager. Whaddya think then eh?” he asked her, a glint in his eyes that spoke all too clearly of gold.

“It seems rather good, though whether it’s as good as you say still remains to be tested. Sunberth is dangerous. Still, I think I could stretch to give it a go, it is rather pretty as well as sturdy isn’t it? I’ll give you 15 gold mizas for the set” she stated, knowing it would be rejected.

“Fifteen! This is worth thirty if it’s worth a one! No less than that” the shopkeep licked his lips almost imperceptibly, telling her it was actually worth less but that he needed to make profits after all.

“Well, perhaps it is worth a one then!” she countered with a grin as wit met wit, “but I suppose that I could go as far as say….20 mizas, gold of course sir” she told him, looking away and feigning disinterest as a ploy.

“27!” the shopkeeper returned with, and that made Zandelia unsure as to whether he was desperate for a sale or whether he just had had enough of keeping items in storage.

“23 and no more than that I’m afraid, a girl’s got to eat eh?” she told him mischievously.

“25 and final offer, take it or leave it lass. You know it’s a good deal” he told her this time, his smile not at firm now.

“Done, 25 gold mizas for the set and here they are” she stated, counting them out onto the counter, but not yet placing them into his hands.

She left them there as she browsed the shelves behind him for the other item she had come for, an item she had been damned lucky to find if she had been honest with herself. She would gladly have paid a fortune for them – Shadowsilk Robes. They would keep her alive just as much as the armour would in her new profession, and no doubt about it. She pointed to them and the shopkeeper turned in mild confusion and fixed is eyes in the direction she was indicating. He cocked his head, looked at her just the once and fetched them down, placing them on the counter next to the armour. He unfolded the material, almost reverently, and was careful not to wrinkle it too much either.

“You have a good eye miss,” he started, and at a flashing look from her that could have melted iron put his hands in the air to state, “not in that way miss! No offence intended I assure ya. These robes is the best items of their kind. Perfect for the…shadowy…type teh be sure. I won’t be partin’ wit these for less’n 35 gold mizas, and you can stuff it if you don’t wanna pay cos’ someone will eventually” he grinned at her, knowing he was making a profit from her and she could do nothing about it this time.

“Fine, 35 it is” she growled at him, counting out more and fervently thanking Akajia for the price as she had expected higher indeed. “Now, you can have your money and I’m going to get changed in that back room there, and you two try anything and I’ll be using your own weapons to gut you” she finished, taking her purchases and giving the shopkeeper his money – his greedy eyes pouring over it and just pointing her to the back absent-mindedly.

A few minutes later and Zandelia was garbed in her new armours, studded leather on top of her casual cotton clothing, the Shadowsilk Robes rippling about on top of the studded leather. She felt quite powerful, and she was sure she looked quite dangerous indeed to the average Sunberthian. This shop had been useful to her, but she had exhausted her options here and she knew it.

[i]Still, not a bad couple of purchases after all, and my survivability is much higher now methinks/[i] she told herself as she gave the two men a sensual little wave before exiting back into the general populace of Sunberth, her next destination already planned in her mind. It was time to start taking her future prospects seriously.

by **Zandelia** on October 3rd, 2011, 4:19 pm

The Tinker Tailor

As she walked the streets to wards her next destination, The Tinker Tailor, she could sense the change in people and the way they now viewed her as they passed with eyes that shifted between herself and the air itself. Before she had been a street urchin, a woman with simple cotton clothing that was both dirty and overly snug – something to be looked at in a leering, lecherous way by the men and a disdainful way by those women who didn’t have her figure. Now, however, now she was a threat. In many ways the clothing did make the man, or woman in this case, and the fact that people now parted for her rather than bumped into her was a pleasant side-effect.

Though the increased attention from the simple thieves I seem to be getting is less than desirable she thought to herself as she opened the door of The Tinker tailor and smiled to herself at the irony of life in Sunberth. There was never just a positive, there always cane a negative to every change too.

She peered around the interior, looking for Estelle the owner of the establishment. It was a simple place, a place of rustic tastes and functionality rather than decadent styles and purposeless embroidery. It held a certain dimly-lit charm about it that was complimented nicely by the owner herself – an overweight middle-aged woman whom loved to natter on about her children, what they were doing and the problems with those stores that sold silks. She had spent a good hour in the place herself, bombarded by Estelle’s good natured charm, trying vainly to keep up with the conversation as it whipped past her at lightning speed. In short, she loved The Tinker Tailor.

“Hello Zandelia, back again are we? Did you not get enough of my nitter-natter earlier then? Or have we come to buy now? Ohhhh I hope you have, you’re such a pretty girl! Remind me of me before the children came along, all sleek and full of energy. Come on, I’ll give you good prices you know I will deary” Estelle’s voice rang out through the store, strong and merry.

“I have indeed come to buy Estelle, though I’m not sure I agree wit the pretty part. Having a huge scar across half my face tend to be a look-breaker Estelle. Not too many want that now eh?” she retorted with a giggle as she made her way to the counter.

Or a woman who might just as well slam her dagger in your throat either she told herself privately as she smiled at the woman.

“Oh nonsense now! Your one eye is a charming shade of emerald now and scars give you character. Tells them you’re no pushover now. Come, come, we’ll get you a good set of winter clothing to go with that new fancy set you’re wearing now eh? Can’t have my girls freezing in the Fall now! Bad for business!” Estelle began, and with that had Zandelia around the entire store, comparing bolt of color to her skin complexion and her hair, choosing some and letting others fall back with a mutter.

Within half a Bell Zandelia had been taken on an all but spiritual journey through the worlds of fabrics, textures and colourings. She had been told of dyes that ran without proper care and bolts of cloth that were far too itchy for sensitive areas of the body. Just when she thought she could not cram much more information into her brain she had been led to the counter and her clothing had been wrapped up into a series of folder pieces of brown paper. Her mizas left her pouch and went into Estelle’s hands and the woman had left her to walk out of The Tinker tailor in a flash of confusion that made her think she had just been drugged.

By Akajia! One day I’m going to get her to teach me how she does it! I can’t ever grasp how. It could be damned useful that would she told herself vehemently as she counted over her memories and took stock of what she had got, and for how much too.

“A fur-trimmed blouse for the coming winter, along with leather glove, breeches and a leather jacket. All wool-lined and snug – apparently” she muttered to herself, remembering that she had paid 5 gold mizas and 3 silver mizas, which was not really an overly bad price at all.

She shrugged to herself, felt a grin for Estelle’s cunning wash across her face, and then set off for her last destination of the day.

by **Zandelia** on October 3rd, 2011, 4:46 pm

The Wizened Crone

Her last stop was not really an essential one in many ways, though there were two items that she felt would be so invaluable to her for the immediate future that they might be considered to be necessary in some ways. Still, the others were just sundries that she had wanted to purchase for some time, and mostly for personal reasons. She was working from a tent after all, and so she had not had much to do with furthering her ultimate desires for her life. Of course, it would only be a small start – a few things here and a little bit there perhaps – but she would drag herself upwards and towards the heights (or depths according to some Sunberthians) of information gathering and/or selling. There had been a reason she had wanted to be a word runner for Tua despite her terrible ordeal of a test to become one. It gave her ideas, let her learn from one of the best and begin to lay down plans of her own for the future.

It was upon entering The Wizened Crone that she would begin her journey, or her attempt at the journey, into the world of espionage and intelligence once more. All those years ago her father had enstilled it in her to follow in his footsteps, and later still after she had freed herself she had seen her desires for such further distilled by Garret – a figure she regretted ever meeting now. Now she was on her own, and had to graft for herself and by herself.

It’ll be a long road it will, but one well wroth the effort if it comes off the way I want she thought to herself as she perused the shelves, looking for what she wanted upon this visit.

She made her selection, not even caring about haggling on these items, as it did not matter. They were all simple affairs that would be used to their fullest and then replaced at a later date – all cheap and cheerful in nature and not worth haggling for, especially not when her future would hopefully be built upon them. One had to spend money to make money after all, and if her desires cost her a few extra gold mizas then so be it. By the end of her jaunt around The Wizened Crone she had taken, and purchased, 5 quills, 2 pots of ink and a blank book for her to record information of interest within for future use. On top of that she had purchased a full map of the street of Sunberth – the item she had deemed necessary as it would make her job much easier and far less dangerous, if only she could memorize it carefully. She also purchased a Map Case to place it reverently into and an empty Scroll Case for her own inclinations.

That done she left the establishment and began to make her way back to the tent that she called home, happy with her progress that day and ready to start fighting back for her own little piece of Sunberth.

And let’s hope Sunberth is damned ready for me! she growled to herself with satisfaction as her new robes billowed about her and she all but vanished into the bustling crowds of the Castle Commons, merely another speck within the mayhem there.

by **Zandelia** on October 3rd, 2011, 4:49 pm

Zandelia’s Receipt :

Zandelia's Skill Requests :

Thank you for your grading time!

by **Archelon** on October 7th, 2011, 7:48 pm

Thread Award

"Awwwww yah' My turtle armyz gotz da armor to! It's awesome!"

And the Results!!!!:

Zandellia :

Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? :