The Customer's Always Right(Solo)

[Sosicly Magnolia]

14th of Spring, 513AV There was a subtle shift the in the room whenever a person came to Weft and Warp that was not a student. It always started at the stairs, the soft padding following by the soft swish of the silk curtain. This was followed closely by the steady ebb in work, starting with the teachers and shop proprietors gauging who it was then the students gauging who would go and help the newcomer. It all happened within a chime and finally a soft crescendo of work starting up once more and the faint swishing of robes as one made to assist. And for the only part of their day that truly consisted of talking after the morning it was most common for Sosicly to help. The irony was not lost on her but she stood quickly and smiled blankly to lead them to a separate room, ink vial in one hand book and quill tucked under another. With a grand sweeping gesture, Sosicly parted another curtain to their side and nodded her head gently for the other Symenestra to enter the side room. He was a good foot taller than her, his silvery hair plaited over his shoulder and tunic having an almost black purple silk weaved in at the edges. He had his back turned to her while his hands were already contemplating fabrics. Using the moment Sosicly flipped through her book to the standard pleasantries. I am Sosicly, I will be helping you. “These look fine enough…” there was a pregnant pause as he look from the book to Sosicly and back once more, seeming to hesitate with speaking now, hand still petting the fabric. She stopped herself from making any facial expression but inside she scowled and rolled her eyes. Turning the book to herself she scratched out a few words, best to move things along. You would like the cloth then, Krova? Tilting the book back towards the customer, she watched his eyes scanning the page and the older symenestra seemed spurred back into speech though Sosicly had already dubbed him more foolish than the children in the class. “Call me Veladra. And no, not that one, a few color choices, then I only need a few hand spans. I’ve not seen you in here before…” Seeming to take her silence as reason to continue, as many did the man chattered and Sosicly nodded as she worked, not really listening to anything he was saying but hearing the faint noise of chatter. He did have a good eye, the reds in the particular weave he’d been handling only showed in a certain slant of light some purple and green stones they would make for an elegant shift, thin enough cut pieces of the stone and she might even be able to make a comfortable wrap with it.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

“Bittaly how often—“ She dropped the fabrics onto the table firmly, cutting off the flow of his words and scratched onto the paper with a polite smile that she was not that young. But he only smiled and switched, leaving Sosicly to shake her head. “Sibealy then, how often do you study here?” Ignoring the question as kindly as possible she wrote out again, These colours all look to be a different shade in the light. We only have green and red. Which do you prefer? We can use both for the dress if you’d prefer. “The green and you did not answer my question.” Nodding she placed the read back, sliding the book back to herself and measuring out a few folds of the cloth and holding them up for inspection. Then she looked up, silently asking him if this was enough but he gave a slight wave of his hand, “Three more folds, wrap and dress if I can get it out, though considering how short the intended is there won’t be a problem.” I work and study here, Krova. Is this all you will be needing? “No, I changed my mind,” he grinned disarmingly at her and she subtly shifted away, “just for more of your company I will take the same amount of the red, Sibealy.” Setting aside the book once more she made to pull the fabric down again, proceeding with the measurements only to have him stop her with a hand on her arm. “Changed my mind, that one, if you please, Sibealy.” Re-wrapping the fabrics and ready the one he pointed to, this time she managed to nearly start cutting, his chatter becoming a hum in the background when his hand stopped her again. “Are you nearly done for the day, Sibealy? And I’d like the red one again instead, my apologies.” Nodding coolly and watching with wary eyes the way his eyes sparkled back in response she fetched the red sheened silk. She had dealt with worse, she could deal with him, he would get bored eventually, with the names and thread. She’d be lucky if he purchased anything at all.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

“I must be a bit frustrating but I think that another choice would be better.” She had practically unrolled half the roll of fabric before he had come to this conclusion but she nodded and pointed to one of the other pleasantries pre-written and began to roll back up the silk. “’The customers always right’, you carry this motto well then, Sibealy. I don’t feel so bad anymore. The next one.” Her nail nearly pierced the fabric but she slowly uncurled her fingers, and released the fabric with a thud. Then pulled out another three assorted colours and this times different patterns just to show all the options beforehand rather than stop halfway through. Again. Will this cloth be the same length as the green or longer? “Oh much longer. Have you been to the Blue Grotto lately?” She shook her head in a negative fashion, and he pointed to two more of the fabrics before continuing, “Well, perhaps you should, you seem a bit…” The fabrics slapped a bit harder onto the table, and he smiled wider, “…tense.” Both of these? The writing was sharper than usual. “Yes, both. If you could measure out enough for wrappings, a dress and two tunics for each. Did you weave any of these?” Again she shook her head negative, this time gesturing behind her to where the next room was. She had a few pieces of cloth she had trimmed with beads. But he shook his head, “Oh, no I wouldn’t want any of your weavings.” Sosicly paused in her measuring, knowing how to reply to that but sure she was no longer smiling too brightly, and settled for a curt nod to both agree and hide her slight scowl while she moved onto the next fabric. For a few blissful moments there was an easing of her shoulders before he started to speak again and Sosicly wish she had forgotten her book or that every quill in Kalinor was horribly maimed (or he was) or that her muteness was contagious.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

Sosicly was enjoy the second bout of silence as the young Symenestra seemed to actually consider the fabric for once. His eyes roving, his hands puling the fabric here and there until he smiled at her and she felt the muscle in her jaw twitch with the phantom urge to scream. “Would you mind draping it over you? The woman I intend to buy it for and you share a…uncanny resemblance, Sibealy.” Cautiously she held a section over her shoulder, no longer keeping up a smile but a very red in the face blank look, “Very pretty, looking at it I can see a dancer. You’d be a much prettier dancer than weaver…oh, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You’re quite pretty just standing there.” Taking a rattling breath Sosicly, and forcing a brittle smile she made a sharp gesture with both hands that told him precisely where he could put his comments, and heaved the roll of fabric at the table. Shaking fingers plucked up the scissors and made to snip the plain thread, an obvious dismissal on her part but the man wasn’t done just yet, his eyes still twinkled. “And we wouldn’t want you to fall to the bottom during a dance.” Slamming the scissors down in an attempt to make the man jump she jerked her quill into the vial, nearly spilling it and then thrust the harsh words under his nose. Shouldn’t you be in another city? Like a Harvest? Or are you staring too hard at the pretty men? The quill had nearly snapped with the force of her writing and ink splotched the page as the only giveaway that her patience had reached its long overdue end. She was sorely tempted to lodge the book at his head. He only raised a brow and plucked the books out her hand and strode from the room. It only took her half a chime to realize what he had done but by the time she made to stand and get the book back he was already in the room with a disapproving Alessa. “I thought it inappropriate for her to…talk to a customer this way.” Sosicly said nothing though she was tempted to show him what other gestures she could make, but he turned with that smile again, his finger pressing between her brow. “There we go. A much more interesting face than that plain old smile, all is forgiven Mabdasa, excuse my intrusion.” Turning the look on the young man though he looked anything but contrite, Alessa nodded, “Very well, please come to see another employee on your next visit.” Alessa left the room as quickly as she had come, it was obvious she would not appreciate another incident such as this, and neither would Sosicly. A small hand smacked away the larger as Sosicly turned to clean the mess of fabrics, “Don’t look like that either, if you’d come home more often I wouldn’t resort to this.” The muscles in her face smoother painfully slow with careful thought, she was angry that she had done precisely what he wanted, “The cloth was for mother, but her tastes are too strange to pick. See you, Bittaly.” Eyes burning into her brother’s back, she finished up and stomped back to her loom cursing him, knowing perfectly well that he likely new exactly what she was thinking. Viciously she wished he had left with their eldest brother like he usually did but wouldn’t return.

[Poison]

THREAD AWARD!

Skills: Observation 3

Lores: Customer: Veladra, Dealing with a difficult Customer

Notes: An enjoyable little thread! Unfortunately there wasn’t much in the way of XP and Lores I could give you as you were mostly talking (and listening).

If you have a problem with the way I graded your thread, feel free to send me a PM!

P.S.: If you regularly want to use your brother as a NPC, you should apply for him in the Help Desk!