Smile, Nod, Sell (Solo)

[Aehra]

25th of Summer, 512 AV Aehra wandered into the General Store, glancing up when the small copper bell perched above the doorframe jingled to signal her arrival. She glanced around cautiously, searching for a sign of the shopkeeper. She'd been here a few times before, and during, but she'd avoided the shop as much as possible after. The place was dripping with old memories, and she felt as though any moment now, her father was going to step up behind her and laugh while he pointed at the jars of (mostly) dried food sitting quietly on the countertop. "What d'you suppose this one is, Aehra?" "Some sorta nut, I should think." "You know, I think you may be right, old girl." "That's 'cause I'm always right." "Did you say something, dear?" Aehra jumped at the sudden appearance of the storekeeper. Mr. Clarke had appeared at the top of the steps leading to the storeroom, carrying three large jars of dried fruits and nuts in his arms. "Oh, nothin'." She frowned as the man attempted to maneuver his way down the narrow staircase with the jars in tow. "Don't you usually have someone t'help you with that?" When the storekeeper reached the bottom of the staircase, he walked to the plank counters just in front of Aehra and set the jars down, carefully switching them with the older ones that were mostly empty (and the contents of which seemed unlikely to sell). "Well, you know I would, but it seems that I've gone and scared of my last clerk just this morning." He gave her a thin smile. "But that's not why you're here, is it? We just got in a new pair of boots you'd like, what with all that running you do." Aehra's confusion must have shown on her face, because the man went on without any vocal prompting. "Don't think I haven't seen you runnin' by my storefront, chasing thugs as often as bein' chased yourself."

[Aehra]

"Um," Aehra spluttered intelligently, "No, no, I mean-- I don't chase thugs, I mean, tha's not why I'm here. Here for somethin' else. The clerk," she added, "that is." Mr. Clarke's bushy eyebrows raised slightly behind his spectacles. "You knew Henry? Well, after you buy your boots, you be sure to break 'em in by chasin' that boy down an' tellin' him that he left his cloak up in the store room." He frowned and pushed his glasses up from their precarious perch on the tip of his nose. "On second thought, don't bother. He lost me a pound of hazelnuts last week, and it gets a bit drafty in there." "Speaking of the clerk position--" "Were we now?" The storekeeper turned and marched dramatically over to the shelf currently housing bolts of cotton, a few scratched belts, and-- unsurprisingly-- a pair of high boots, looking to be a good size for Aehra. She looked them over while the older man pulled them down, and guessed that they would probably be a bit too tight, but they would at least stay on her feet once she'd gotten them on. The store keeper turned around with a small grin tugging at his lips. "I thought we were discussing the sale of these fine boots."

[Aehra]

Aehra twisted her mouth. "Tha's very kind of you, Mr. Clarke, but I've already got boots." The storekeeper looked down at her feet and then back up at her, his eyebrows raising comically. Aehra similarly dropped her gaze to her feet, where her old leather boots were practically falling apart at the seams, barely clinging to her legs at all. A blush quickly bloomed in Aehra cheeks when she glanced back up at the older man, who was grinning smugly at her with a playful glint in his eyes. "Well, maybe I'll get those." Now that she thought about it, she hadn't bought any food in a while, either. "And a halfpound a' hazelnuts?" The storekeeper nodded and moved behind the counter while Aehra dug into her coinpurse. She pulled out a gold miza just as the Mr. Clarke was setting a small bag on the counter and filling it meticulously with hazelnuts. Aehra set her coin on the counter and grinned in thanks when she took her change. "Don't s'pose I could get the clerk job s'well, could I?"

OOCLedger: -1 GM, +4 SM, +1 Low Boots, +.5 lbs of hazelnuts. Will add to CS as soon as the thread is graded.

[Aehra]

The storekeeper paused in his movements, and when he looked up to meet Aehra's eyes, he was wearing a frown. Aehra hadn't ever had a permanent job, but she didn't really think that was a good sign. The man opened his mouth to respond, but Aehra rushed out her words before he could say anything. "I'm a hard worker, Mr. Clarke. I'll do anythin' you ask, just say the word, swear it, I will." The older man sighed heavily. "I know you are, kid, believe me. I jus' can't have a clerk who always runnin' around, throwin' punches at every left turn. Bad for business." "I'm not! I'm really--" As Aehra's voice escalated, she began to instinctively gesture wildly, and she threw her arms out wide enough that it sent a sharp pain bolting through her ribs. She immediately pulled her arms in and wrapped them around her middle protectively, as though it would somehow help her injury. The storekeeper looked at her pointedly, and his gaze dropped to her neck, which she knew was still covered in ugly purple blotches. The bruises, which she was sure should have healed by now, had barely faded from their indigo hues, and the smaller ones were only just now rushing to turn a sickly yellow color. Next to the still-purple (still painful) larger bruises, they only served to accentuate her injury. Under the store keeper's scrutiny, Aehra fidgeted nervously, a blush darkening her cheeks. "I could stop. I would, I mean. I will." Her shoulders slumped. "Jus' gimme a chance, yeah? I can stop all this. I will."

[Aehra]

The store keeper looked at Aehra appraisingly. After a moment (which Aehra passed by holding her breath under the scrutiny), he pulled off his glasses and breathed against them, fogging up the glass before he wiped it against the cloth of his shirt. When he placed them carefully back on the bridge of his nose, he stared at Aehra with a twist in his lips. When he stayed silent, Aehra squirmed, and when she opened her mouth to say something (not that she had the faintest idea of what, in fact, she was going to say), he interrupted her. "You'll need new clothes. I just got some shirts in, although they might be a bit too big for you. I can't have my clerk lookin' like she just dragged herself outta fight, now can I?" Before Aehra had even finished processing what sounded an awful lot like an acceptance, he barreled on. "And 'nother thing: no fightin'. None. If I catch one whiff of a word that you been hittin' some little thief on them streets, you'll be on the streets. You take care'a yourself. Do I make myself prefectly clear?" Aehra nodded numbly, and the older man harumphed. He left, disappearing up the stairs and into the storeroom, returning moments later with two thin (but fairly clean) shirts in his arms. He held them out, and after a moment of confusion, Aehra realized that he wanted her to choose between them. They would both be too large for her small frame, there was no doubt about that, but while one was only a bit too large and a sort of nice off-white color, the other was a disturbing shade of brown-green and made for someone three times Aehra's size (not to mention the fact that it was obviously made to be worn by a man, where the other was more of a blouse). Without thinking much, she picked up the white one to check for tears. It wouldn't fit perfectly, but she had a vest that she'd hardly ever worn but that fit her snugly, and it would help to keep the shirt from looking too ridiculous. Mr. Clarke nodded, seeming please as he took back the green shirt. "Fair choice. One gold miza." Aehra dug in her coinpurse again, slapping one miza on the counter while the store keeper returned to the storeroom to tuck away the green shirt. Mr. Clarke took the money happily, and although he didn't smile when he looked up at her, there was an undeniably pleased quality about his features. "Very well then. Come in tomorrow morning, at dawn." Aehra nodded eagerly and scuttled out of the shop, pausing only to try and gather her jumbled thoughts before she headed home, suppressing a smile the whole way.

Ledger-1 GM, +1 linen blouse. Will also subtract from ledger after grading.

[Arcane]

Rewards and Treasure! Experience Points +1 Persuasion Lores Zeltiva: General Store Mr. Clarke the Shopkeeper Mr. Clarke the Boss Rules of Keeping Aehra's Clerk Job in the General Store Employment at Zeltiva General Store Miscellaneous Ledger: -1gm, 5sm, 5cm +Inventory: Half-pound of Hazelnuts +Inventory: Low Boots +Inventory: Linen Blouse Comments Feel free to describe how your new clothes look like in your CS/appearance It's entirely optional though, just to let you know that the option exists