Completed [Lady Eya's Outfitters] Rags and Riches (Tim)

[Jed Radacke]

26th of Spring 514AV

As Jed entered the shop, a small bell chimed above the door. Jed stepped aside so that the two slaves that followed him would be able to enter as well. He stood for a moment, taking in the small shop and the clothes that lined the racks. Even with the midday sun shining through the windows, a dreaded feeling came into Jed's mind. It was inevitable that he would arrive in this horrid place at some point or another. His damned cousin was having a wedding and of course it was of the utmost important that Jed attended. His mother was still convinces she'd find him a bride, but Jed could not stand the settle with one woman and so all of his mother's efforts to show him off to the other Dynasties would be in vain. Unfortunately that was a battle Jed would rather wage. The task before him, the task of looking fashionable was far worse. "Matilla. We will take care of the boy first. He needs proper work clothes, the customers are staring." Jed glanced to the old Kelvic beside him, not bothering to address the boy. "Get him what you like, but he also needs a good pair of boots and an apron for staining. He won't fit mine and I don't want him dirtying them either."

He didn't need to look to know Matilla had rolled her eyes at him. "You're stalling, Jed." Jed could hear the amusement in her voice. The pelican knew him too well, years of serving him had done that. On a second thought, Jed eyes the boy. The child would have seen Matilla's comfort with talking as Jed's equaled well as her lack of respect in the past few days. It would greatly contradict what Jed had told him directly after purchasing him. He was to refer to Jed as 'Sir', never speak out of turn, and do everything Jed commands and nothing else. Three rules were all that Jed had given the boy, and he witnessed Matilla break all of them so often. Jed never said a word to the boy about it, deciding to let him either learn the hard way or understand that Jed had favorites. "Whatever you say Matty, try not to spend too much of my mizas."

Matilla nodded eagerly, the old woman hobbled off, disappearing into the jungles of fabrics that she enjoyed so much. It took Jed a second to follow her. A fleeting smile was the result of his favorite slave's joy. One glance at the child beside him pulled the freon off his face immediately. The boy had yet to see Jed's scary side and so the friendliness may not shock him as much yet. "Be prepared boy, she will tear you apart." Jed chuckled, placing a hand on the boys shoulder, steering him into the racks of clothing. Of course the woman would have nothing but motherly kindness for the boy, but Jed enjoyed confusing him.

PC/NPC Talking -- Common -- Thoughts

[Timothy Mered]

26th Summer 514AV

Tim followed the old woman into the store, trying to brush the stray flecks of sawdust nestled in his hair and glued to his arms, off. The shop owner, a tall, thin women with the countenace of a squeezed-out lemon, sent a disapproving look his way before she regained her act and smiled happily at Master Jed. Ignoring her, Tim stepped into further into the store and just a feet behind his master.

The lovely, bird-like chime of the bell did little to increase his pace or remove the downcast expression. Not even the dashing colors and endless racks of beatiful garments could force his eyes fully open. Six days had passed now and he still wore the same clothes as he had on the day he'd been sold. Time had went by at a snail's pace, his first splinter seemed months ago, and his newfound collection of grazes appeared weeks ago. He wasn't even sure what day it was anymore. Not that it mattered, every day was the same.

Except for today.

He had never shopped before and doubted he would ever shop after this, unless Master Radacke commanded him to. On their way there, many other shops had caught his eye. Kenash wasn't very big, not as big as Sunberth and the people weren't all that different either. Everyone was caught up in their own business, allowing him to send a few curious looks the bakeries, butchers and other shops they had passed. Out of all the lovely things he'd smelled, this particular shop wasn't all that interesting. Aside from the bell at the door of course. If Jed hadn't stood so close to him, he would've walked back to ring it again and listened to the gentle tone until it would fade away.

It was a good thing that Jed didn't look at him all that often, for then he could rest a bit and let his shoulders drop. When they had walked, he hadn't felt his legs much, but now that he stood still he worried that he wouldn't be able to move them anymore. Time and again his chin would sink to his chest, before his head would shoot back up, glancing around to make sure no one had seen him falter. Stay awake, he told himself. Just walk and nod, that's all.

The old woman had the same mark on her face, he'd noticed. So she had to be a slave. Yet Master Radacke appeared a different man in her presence, almost as if she was family that just so happened to follow his every command. Maybe she is his grandmother, Tim thought to himself. It was an amusing thought, and it was funnier still to see a grown-up man the size of an ox be told off by this frail, aged figure.

His frame tensed as Jed laid a hand on his back and for a tick he thought that perhaps Master Radacke, somehow, had heard his internal sniggering. Tales of violence were rife amidst the other slaves. Few dared to speak to each other and when they did it was always in a hushed, secretive manner. Besides, he didn't get to see many of the other slaves, aside from those he saw in the hut they shared. By then, however, his arms and eyes would be too heavy and dawn would be far too close to waste even a chime on talking.

"Be prepared boy, she will tear you apart."

He cocked his head and looked at the aging woman as if she was some odd, featherless bird, waddling through the sea of colorful clothes. "I don't think so, Sir, she seems rather nice." Then he considered that perhaps he wasn't supposed to reply at all and stopped himself from stepping out of line further.

[Jed Radacke]

"I don't think so, Sir, she seems rather nice." Jed laughed, rustling Tim's hair once. He made a note to himself to get Matilla a cane. The thought saddened him, he always though of her as younger than him, but the fact that she aged much faster than him made his heart ache. The day was coming soon and they both knew it, but Jed refused to accept it. Putting the thoughts out of his mind, he let his hand drop to his side.

"Well go on, she can't pick you out clothes without your size. Good Gods, get yourself something presentable." Jed grinned turning away from the boy. Maybe if he could snag a few things, Matilla wouldn't force him to try everything on. He knew the boy would be in and out of the changing room, trying on every piece of commoner's clothing until Matilla was satisfied. However the boy got clothes to work in was good enough for Jed.

After a few chimes of flicking though the fine clothes in one of the men's racks Jed sighed to himself. He was hopeless without his favorite slave. He didn't really bother too much either, used to the Kelvic handing him things and he would just buy it and wear it. Bored with doing his own shopping, Jed wove through the racks to the back of the store to check on Timothy. One his way his picked out a lady's summer dress. Jed stepped in view of the two slaves in the middle of selecting clothes. He raised this dress to cover his body and then put on his best imitation of a dynasty lady. Bending a knee and sticking out his hips, Jed fluttered his eyes and slipped into a shrill tone of voice. "Oh dear! Can you believe this! That wretched freeborn selected pink. Such a horrid color for summer! Someone have her fired!" He then stuck a lip out and pouted, what he thought to be a convincing imitation of his loudest sister, Ismerilda.

Still holding the dress to his shoulders as if he were wearing it, he reached a hand out to snag a blue child's dress off the girls rack. "Now this is more fashionable, don't you think?" Jed kept the annoyingly shrill voice on. He held it up to Timothy, trying to make the child giggle and leaned down, he let his bum stick out, again imitating his sister. He shook the garment at the boy waiting for him to take it. Winking for the boy to play along, he turned to Matilla. "What do you think dear? Should we risk it and start a new fashion trend at the price of our heads? What to you think ... Timalla?" Jed couldn't strain his voice all that long, blue eyes watching the old Pelican as she shook with laughter. It was a fun time, however rare, where he could play with his slaves. He could pretend they were all equals for once and things were less strained. It was great.

PC/NPC Talking -- Common -- Thoughts

[Timothy Mered]

26th Summer 514AV

So he does laugh , Tim thought. It was a strange sensation to be touched, almost affectionately, by the same man that bought and branded him like cattle. For once, his master had exposed a warmth, through his laughter, that Tim hadn't witnessed before and was unsure how to deal with.
"Well go on, she can't pick you out clothes without your size. Good Gods, get yourself something presentable."

Tim nodded vigorously and no sooner than Jed had left his side, Matilla guided him towards a rack in the corner. Even to his untrained eye it was obvious that the clothes had been put in the corner, and out of sight, for a reason. The fabric was coarse and there weren't as many colors. Still, anything was better than the dust-stained, unwashed clothes that had him looking like a beggar, albeit a very young one.

"Time to get rid of those rags,” she said with a warm smile. “See anything you like?"

His eyes slide over the countless options presented to him, but Matilla had no patience for his wagering. “No? You’re just like him,” she chuckled. “Can’t discern a smock from a shirt…There,” she said as she forced his arms down and began piling clothes on his outstretched arms. Not a chime had passed before he couldn’t peer over the growing pile anymore.

"Alright try those first," the elderly woman commanded with great authority. Her wrinkled finger pointed towards a small room with a curtain in front of it. Tim understood he was supposed to head into the room but failed to grasp the purpose of doing so. Unsure what to expect behind the curtain, he hesitated to go inside.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tim whispered.

“My eyes! In all those years I’ve never seen someone so…”

He never got to know what she hadn’t seen in all those years. Instead, the elderly woman shook her head at him and steered him inside. “There you go. Now undress and try those new ones on, then show me,” she instructed. “And you’re not leaving until you’ve tried them all.”

Eager to get his tattered rags off, Tim did as he was asked and revealed himself in a green, long-sleeved shirt and tight, white trousers. “No…no, that’s not quite it,” Matilla judged. The browns he tried elicited a gasp and a look of horror, the reds were “less fashionable than a brick” and most of the blues he tried received similar criticsm.

One after the other, Tim tried different smocks, shirts, jackets until almost the entire rack of common clothes rested at his feet. "We’ll have to stick with plain colors,” Matilla said when he turned up in plain, grey, three-quarter trousers and a vale, yellowish smock to match. “Yes that’s much better. Now for a vest and some shoes. You might as well walk bare-footed with those,” she said as she pointed towards the remains of his old bluchers.

"Oh dear! Can you believe this! That wretched freeborn selected pink. Such a horrid color for summer! Someone have her fired!"

Tim’s eyes grey wide with amazement. Before he knew it, his was doubling over in laughter and struggled to keep himself on his feet. When he had remotely recovered, his Master held a dress up to him and for the briefest of moments horror flashed across his face. Was he supposed to wear that? Tears rolled down his flushed and lively cheeks. Not of pain or misery, but pure and untainted joy. Unstifled, Tim risked the most posh accent he could recall, took the dress in his hands and shook his head vigorously. It took him surprising little effort to imitate a young girl’s voice. “It’s but a rag for dusting! I want the stuff Queens wear on Sundays!”

He tossed the dress back at Jed and, in pretend-rage, pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it at Jed’s feet. “Even that stinking thing,” he pointed at the smock, “is better than those horrid, horrid blues!” And with that he stamped back into the changing room and yanked the curtain shut, only to re-appear ticks later in another uncontrollable fit of laughter. "I am sorry," he breathed as he wiped his eyes.

[Jed Radacke]

Jed grinned at his favored slave and then glanced at the boy, who was wiping a single tear from his eye. Leaning down to scoop up the raggy shirt, Jed threw it at Timothy's head, a grin still on his face. Matilla had been laughing so hard she held onto a rack and tried to calm her chest. Jed stepped once closer to her, ready to extend an arm for her to lean on, but his eyes gravitated towards Timothy. He was used to behaving with Matilla as he would a freeborn. Not necessarily in public, but she was rarely beaten or treated as an actual slave. Except he had to set new precedents. Children were ever so impressionable. It was true, he was kinder than the rest of his family, but he had his own cruelty and it would be best for everyone if the kid remembered that.

It only took Jed a few ticks to calm down. Suddenly aware of how odd he was behaving. Clearing his throat, Jed turned slightly away from the boy. "Ahem. Okay. Shirt, pants, boots and some undergarments. Can't have you stinking up the place. Matilla, I need clothes now. Very important wedding!" He grinned at her and urged her as if his new outfit was more important the boy having any sort of clothes at all, and to Jed, it was. As soon as Jed turned around his lips turned down, a sour look on his face as he heard Matilla start to move behind him. It didn't like it. Laughing with his slaves. He wasn't used to the feeling of camaraderie with his subordinates. Jed made a mental note not to treat the new slave like an actual child. He would become spoiled like one and throw tantrums. Things that Jed simply didn't have time to deal with. He would train him and then he expected nothing but work form the slave. He only had one use, and it was not amusement.

" Blues, Silvers, maybe some black. I need something that is nice and safe. But also flashy. I want to stand out but stay within boundaries." Jed grinned to himself. He knew that Matilla was rolling her eyes behind him. He knew nothing of fashion. His sister had remarked to him earlier in the season how it was necessary to have those colors, but he didn't know much else. He stopped in the center of the men's racks, surrounded by silk and cotton. He turned to see Matilla already pulling out garments form the rack, and Jed let his eyes wander towards where the boy was. Blue eyes connected with green ones, but Jed showed no emotion. He didn't quite know what to think of the boy yet.

But then he remembered that he didn't actually care. So it didn't matter.

"Come on Matilla. Just a shirt and a vest, here we go." Jed dropped the boys eyes, turning back to Matilla, who shoved a pair of clothes at him.

"Cut the boy a break. He is just a kid." Matilla lowered her voice so that Timothy wouldn't hear. She understood the need for examples, but she still held the Radacke in line. He simply winked at the small Pelican and she let the clothes drop in his hands.

"I'll go try these on. You keep the boy occupied." Jed turned on his heels immediately with no intent of putting the clothes on. Matilla always had his size right.

"But they fit ... " The old Kelvics voice petered off, unsure of how to deal with his retreat. Jed was acting unusual today and it was showing more and more.

"Well, how do you know?" Jed pulled the curtain aside and slipped in.

"I've been dressing you my entire life! Sir!" He could hear Matilla's frustration, it wasn't meant to be a long trip at all. In and out. At last second Matilla remembered how to properly speak, and he grinned a bit. Deciding he might as well try on the shirt at least, Jed began unbuttoning his own. Maybe it would give Matilla more time for accessories. Although she would likely take the boy, Jed felt uncomfortable leaving the small slave alone in the shop. He had never been actually sure whether he was trustful or not. He could stuff a brooch in his pocket easily. Jed flew out of the changing room, buttoning the single button he had undone. "Timothy!"

OOCI'm not quite sure how ling this will be, but eh, your turn

PC/NPC Talking -- Common -- Thoughts

[Timothy Mered]

26th Summer

Tim let out a final bubble of laughter as he caught the shirt thrown at him and put it back on. Some of the exhaustion had washed away and for the first time in weeks he could feel that unfamiliar tickle in his bones and he was filled with glee. Then, as soon as the fun had started it was brought to an end. Jed’s features had hardened again and he knew that joy had fleeted past. No words, whispers or silent gestures were needed, he returned to his attentive pose on his own and kept a respectful distance away from Jed.
Yet the situation bothered him. Jed had always appeared a serious man, hard-working and with little capacity for enjoyment. In fact, Tim couldn’t recall a single instance during which the man had laughed, smiled or otherwise shown some form of happiness. There was only an everlasting, perpetual frown on his face, and sometimes Tim wondered if live from Jed’s point of view was even more dreadful. Maybe it was. No effort was required to recall Jed’s face, or Matilla’s or even Sander’s, but to guess their thoughts was like trying to kill a Granidile and those at least had a known weak spot.

Snap. As soon as Tim tore free from his thoughts his eyes collided with Jed’s. In them he saw a strong man, a leader possibly, but his eyes lacked the lively spark they’d shown just minutes before. These were the eyes of a master, demanding his slave to known his place and stay well put within it. Almost simultaneously, their gazes dropped and they resumed to live in their own worlds. His and the one Matilla and Jed lived in. No matter how much the elderly lady took care of him, seeing Jed and the old pelican together always hurt him. For reasons he struggled to understand, she was exempt from all the rules Jed had so firmly imposed on him. Then he reminded himself of Yahal and cleansed his heart from impurity with a quick prayer.

I will see through your tests, Yahal. I don’t want to become bad, I wish to be a good person and good persons are never jealous, so I will not be jealous of them anymore now and try not to ever be again. With a smile he added, thank you for the happy moment. I hope I can make others happy too, just like you do.

Thinking that it would be quite some while before Matilla would allow Jed out of the cramped shop, Tim decided to do some exploring instead. Thoughtlessly, he let his fingers slide over the fine silks, stopping once or twice to feel the soft textures again, or listen to the rack rattle when he bumped it lightly. In the back of the shop there stood a closet, or at least, that was what he thought it was. He’d never seen anything like it before. One could call it a table, only with a sloped box nailed on top and glass covering the whole. The glass lid reached just above his belly button, marvelous jewelry rested underneath. Jewelry was for girls, he knew that much, but still the glistening of the ruby red and kohl blue stones captivated his eye. Quite forgetting about Jed, he looked for a way to open the glass cabinet. Soon enough, his nimble hands found a small keyhole and he crouched to examine the small, golden-rimmed opening further. He didn’t really mean to open it of course, he only wished to see what stood between him and the treasure. Down on one knee, trying to fit his pinkie inside the keyhole, Tim jumped up when Jed called out.

“Timothy!”

His shoulder slammed into the cabinet as he stood up. One hand desperately clutched the fragile whole and prevented it from falling to certain destruction. But he struggled to maintain his footing and the expensive display was beginning to slip out of his hands…

“Help!” he cried.

[Jed Radacke]

As soon as Jed reached the boy, he realized he was just paranoid, but as his eyes processed what was happening, Jed realized he might not have been. Whatever the boy had been doing, Jed had scared him, causing the cabinet he was peering into to topple over. "Help!" The boy squeaked as it was obvious he wasn't going to hold up the weight of the glass. With one stride, Jed stepped forward, placing his hands on the cabinet to prevent its impact with the ground. Gently, Jed tilted the cabinet back in place, examining the expensive wares inside to make sure nothing broke. As soon as it was steady, Jed hooked his arm around the boys head delivering a blunt blow to his temple.

"What are you doing?" Jed growled at the boy as Matilla rushed up beside them.

"Jed!" She whispered sharply to him, eyeing the shop owner who was not happy with their antics. Jed glanced once at her, she had his clothes in her hands with a pair of shoes and a brooch as well as all of Tim's clothes. Jed rolled his eyes, huffing out a breathe. Without her speaking, Jed knew what she was going to ridicule him about. The boy didn't know, he couldn't punish the boy for a rule he didn't know.

"Don't touch anything. Ever." He growled at the boy. Running a hand across his beard once, Jed let his eyes glare at anything but the boy, attempting to calm his temper. "Look, Tim. When you touch things, this happens." Jed motioned towards the cabinet of jewelry. "Just don't, okay? I take care of you, you work hard, that is it. Nothing else. You won't get special treatment, you won't get anything you don't earn. Now, I bought you all these clothes, lets go back."

Jed turned, deciding to let the boy follow as he calmed down. Jed wasn't sure if he had scared the boy, their relationship was still rocky. It was also likely that Jed made a bigger deal out of it than he needed to. The boy was looking at jewelry. Jed honestly doubted that he had seen anything like it, and if he had, not much of it. Curiosity was okay, but Jed wasn't as cruel as he was used to being. He didn't know what made him that way, but the boy was getting off easy. Matilla waddled beside him, he again, Jed thought he would need to get her a cane, or make her one. She babbled to him about what she got him, trying to ease the tension that hung in the air. But as they neared the counter, she quieted. Jed let her place the items on the counter, pulling the appropriate amount of Mizas out of his wallet and placing them on the counter. He glanced back once at Timothy, the closest he could come to an apologetic look was an emotionless stare, which seemed to be all that the boy got of late.

Receipt :

Item	Price
Indigo Silk Brocade Buttoned Vest	12 gm, 4 sm, 5 cm
Silvery/White Silk Buttoned Shirt	3 gm, 6 sm, 5 cm
Black Leather Belt	7 sm
Black Leather Buttoned Ballroom Shoes	4 gm, 5 cm
Tan Breeches	2 gm
Indigo Silk Scarf	2 gm, 6 sm, 5 cm
Silver Brooch w/ 30 Carate Landscape Agate	7 gm, 5 sm
Total	33 gm

And then whatever Tim got will be deducted from my ledger as well.

PC/NPC Talking -- Common -- Thoughts

[Timothy Mered]

Date here

“What are you doing?”

He would’ve answered truthfully if Jed hadn’t knocked the words off the tip of his tongue. His frame recoiled from the blow, and he clutched onto Jed’s arm for fear of tipping over and destroying the encased fortune yet.

“Nothing,” he said. It was the easy answer, not very true, but not entirely false either. After all, he’d only been looking. And touching. The latter, he soon found out, was not part of his ever decreasing list of rights and he wondered not if, but when Jed would forbid him to sneeze or breathe.

"Just don't, okay? I take care of you, you work hard, that is it. Nothing else. You won't get special treatment, you won't get anything you don't earn. Now, I bought you all these clothes, lets go back."

Tim nodded, but silently disagreed. Jed’s plentiful simple rules, which mysteriously didn’t apply to Matilla, had shown that he was getting special treatment, just not the good kind. And Tim wondered what he’d done to earn his new clothes. He doubted he’d earned Jed much money yet, not enough for the clothes and damn well short of the three hundred and thirty golden mizas he’d been sold for. If 'taking care' meant 'knock you around' then 'working hard' would mean 'be as tardy as possible'. With those rules, he could agree, yet he knew that there was some truth to Jed's words. So far, he had gotten a roof over his head and food in his belly and now, a pile of clothes on top of it all. Yet no gratitude showed in his features, no smile came forward, and no apology rolled off his tongue.

Rubbing his temple, Tim followed after Matilla. With every step, his spirit fumed more and more. It would be good form to apologize, he thought. But if he hadn’t called, I wouldn’t have knocked it over. It’s as much his fault as it is mine!

Quite awake now, he threw his clothes on the counter, making little effort to display grace or gratitude for he considered Jed nor the sour lady who owned the shop worthy of either. Yet, after this brief defiance, he reassumed a more formal and appropriate pose. Back straight, hands folded in front of him and a respectful pace or two away from his Master. The bastard.

Clothes :

1x Blouse	4gm 5sm
1x Red Neckerchief	1sm 3cm
1x Fancy Pants	3gm 2sm
1x Fancy Shoes	1sm 5cm
3x Everday Shirt	2sm 1cm
3x Everday Undergarment	2sm 1cm
1x Carpenter's Low boots	3sm
1x Leather Apron	3sm
Total	8gm 9sm 10cm

Blouse
8sm
X1.25 (Cotton)
X10 (Buttoned)
= X11.25
50% (Size: children)
= X5.625
8sm x5.625 = 45sm
= 4gm 5sm

Neckerchief (scarf)
1sm
X1.5 (Dyed red)
X1 (Linen [N/A])
= X2.5
50% (Size: children)
= X1.25
(12,5cM) = 1sm 3cm (rounded up)

Fancy Pants
8sm
x8 (Superfine wool)
50% (Size: children)
= x4
32sm = 3gm 2sm

Fancy Shoes
3sm
50% (Size: children)
= 1sm 5cm

Everyday Shirt
1sm
x1.25 (Cotton)
50% (Size: children)
x0.625
= 6,25cm = 7cm (rounded up)

Everyday Undergarment
1sm
x1.25 (Cotton)
50% (Size: children)
x0.625
= 6,25cm = 7cm (rounded up)

Everyday Low boots
3sm
x2 (Leather)
50% (Size: children)
x1
= 3sm

Apron
3sm
x2 (Leather)
50% (Size: children)
x1
= 3sm

[Vice]

Jed Radacke :

Skills

• +3 Observation
• +2 Socialization
• +2 Leadership
• +1 Acting

Lores

• Self: Useless without Matilda
• 'Imitating a Dynasty Lady'
• Lack of Trust in Tim
• Saving Tim

-42GM

Timothy Mered :

Skills

• +4 Observation
• +1 Rhetoric
• +1 Socialization
• +1 Meditation

Lores

• Lady Eya's Outfitter's: Pretty Bell Sound!
• Sassing Master
• Jed can Laugh?
• Master Jed's Funny!
• Prayer to Yahal
• Bad Special Treatment
• Jed: A Bastard.

Shared lores:

Location: Lady Eya's Outfitters
Moments of Equality

Commentary: An interesting little thread. It kind of went all over the place.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a PM, and we'll discuss my reasoning behind why the grade given was received. Please make sure to edit any posts in the grading queue to 'graded' and update your CS as soon as possible. Enjoy! ^.^