Closed For The Hunt [Naiya]

[Dravite]

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74 Summer, 515 AV
8th Bell, Morning
Endrykas

He sat up on the bedroll he had been pinned to for far too long now; his leg wasn't healed but slowly mending with a dip were all the hollowed out poisoned flesh had been scraped away and then treated with live maggots. Dravite looked at the dark flesh dressed with a thin layer of skin that would make travel slow. He dressed eventually, donning a pair of loose pants and his leather riding boots, choosing to go without a shirt this morning, his wind marks on display for all the world to see. Outside of the tent he found his spear and packed his bag with the Ixam scales and near new green and black leather tabard that could do with a dye.

The trip to the marketplace was painfully slow after all the energy he had exerted the day before and Dravite realised that perhaps he had made a mistake in venturing out this soon, but his tabard needed to be ready come hunting season and if he didn't commission a piece now the businesses around the city of tents would become too busy making a head start on winter clothing to take on anymore work. "A seamstress," he asked at one of the local stalls who would go as far as to point him to the next; and so it went on for half a bell before someone spoke up.
"Did I hear you say you were looking for a seamstress?"
Dravite turned to look at the man and his young daughter who wore a pretty little flowery headband, "you sure did; I'm looking for someone who takes on commissions for an idea I had in mind... Not sure if it will even work."
"I know a girl," the man admitted, "pretty little redhead that goes by the name Naiya."
"And she is a seamstress?"
"Yeah, made this for my girl, is quite good too; I recommend her to all of my friends, one of the up and coming kinds with a big heart and a lot of determination."
"Do you know where I can find her?" Dravite asked.
"Sure, sure, she works for a little business down the way; is in most days; come I'll show you the one."

Dravite followed the man for a spell until they came to the right place, there they signed their goodbyes and parted ways. "I'm looking for Naiya," he said to the woman behind the counter.
"Naiya Dawnwhisper? She's not in today; would you like to leave some kind of message?"
"No it's kind of important; I'd rather come back another time and see her in person."
"She doesn't live too far, just on the outside of town; here, let me draw you a map."

The horse lord waited for the woman to sketch down the instructions and took the piece of paper with him. He followed the instruction carefully and soon found himself standing outside a pavilion that looked just like any other, if not a little more colourful and rich with livestock. "Naiya?" Dravite called, stepping out through the thick grass in order to draw closer to the location.

"I'm looking for Naiya Dawnwhisper; does she live here?"

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[Naiya]

The morning found her working as usual. The zibri needed combing, a process that took time and patience. Their long hair, while useful for keeping them from getting scratched, and for keeping bugs out of their eyes, was often dragged in dirt and knotted by the wind.

Most mornings took a good grooming for them, a checking of their hooves, and milking for each of the cows. Her comb snagged in Smala's coat, pulling at her skin, and she let her know her displeasure by turning to look at her, her back end moving out of her reach.

"Sorry, Smala," Naiya soothed her, cooing gently until she returned to her side. "Easy now, hon, we are almost done." Reassurance was shaped in her body, as she worked the last of the tangles free.

Her pail was behind her out of the way. She had learned quickly that keeping it too close could end up with a lot of spilled milk if the zibri spooked. The waste was the worst part of such an event, so she had adjusted to a new path quickly.

When the tangles were gone, she retrieved her bucket and returned to her seat, placing it with care beneath the udder. She was becoming better at this part of the process, milking the zibri was an easy enough task, rather they didn't seem to be overly upset by the affair. She took a teat in each hand, scooping with the ring of her fingers, and pressing downwards until the milk splashed against the side of the bucket. She still missed sometimes, the understanding between not pulling, and still aiming was a trial and error basis, but she managed well enough usually.

Today she managed a good bit of milk before she was interrupted, the approach of something stirring the herd and her faithful hunting cat coming to alert her. "Banti, what is it?" She asked the cat who had dropped a heavy paw on her leg. Snorts and stamps from the horses told her it wasn't just her feline being needy, so she rose from beside the cow, hefting the nearly full pail of milk to set in the shade of the pavilion until she could tend to it properly.

When she stood again, facing out to scan the grasses, the disturbance was clear. A drykas man stood waiting. Surpirsed, curiosity overtook the woman, it wasn't often that they had visitors.

"I am Naiya," She called to the man, wiping sweat from her brow. "Can I help you?"

[Dravite]

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Relief, greetings, pride, the man signed; he was of average height or perhaps just a little taller than the average Drykas man with solid shoulders and a lithe waist. The horse lord carried himself with an air of authority that was hard to dismiss and told a story of a man who knew what he wanted and where he was going in life. He was relieved to have finally tracked down the seamstress and approached her, keeping an appropriate distance, especially being so close to a hunting cat; a hunting animal he had a natural respect for though he had never been fond of them. "Naiya, my name is Dravite, I work for The Watch; a man in town recommended you for a piece of work I need done."

With the woman’s curiosity sparked, he got down on one knee with his backpack in front of him and undid the fastenings to take out the folded black and green tabard. Beneath that he had an assortment of Ixam scales, enough to dress the leather in its entirety perhaps twice over. Dravite unfolded the tabard and held it up, "I grew up in a pavilion that hailed from the Emerald Clan but my roots are Diamond tied, my father's name was Cyprine Blackwater; I've recently taken the name as my own again. I was wondering if you could make me something like this? I don't mind if you reuse the material, but the garment must be black."

He reached into the bag to lift up a handful of Ixam scales to show to Naiya, "Ixam," he said, "they're very strong. I was hoping you might be able to combine the two for me, my wives would prefer I wear armour for work," he smiled fondly, "I can pay you for your trouble in gold or by favour," the man admitted. It wasn’t uncommon for Drykas people to take favours over gold, and Dravite was more than happy to offer both.

As the horse lord rose he noticed the hunting cat had ventured close enough to stretch out her body in an attempt to sniff at him and the strange contents of the bag. His eyes went over the woman's camp and reason told him few lived here at a glance, perhaps two or three. Naiya's camp reminded him a lot of his own before the summer had been so kind, though it puzzled him as to why a camp so small chose to set up on the outskirts like they had. "If it isn’t too much trouble I have some small works I would like completed before mid-fall. I will also need someone to make most of my family's winter clothing," in other words, he was promising the woman a lot of work if she could commit to getting things done in a timely fashion.

"I hunt and tan most of my own pelts but I don't mind covering the costs of any extra materials you might need. From my own stores you can choose from wolf, rabbit, deer, goat, olidosapux, or even grass-bear." He didn't have any wool as the man kept no cattle, but it seemed Naiya would be able to help him out on that front.

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[Naiya]

The man was handsome, and he walked with a confidence that would have made Naiya uncomfortable if he hadn't claimed to be a member of the watch. Despite his authority, he seemed wary, and respectful of her space, her camp, and he did not push too far into her territory. She rather liked him, she decided.

He explained his reasoning for coming to call on her in her home, looking for work to be done, her work. She nodded slowly, considering his request. He had other specifications to be met, and Naiya knew that would mean a trip to the market for materials. If she were going to do this job for him, it would need to be outside of her work, they would not do such a task lightly.

She left him a moment, watching Banti check both him and the bag out, judging her response to the man. He sweetened his offer, gold or favor, he said, a big promise on such a project. Further work as well. He may well have been offering to feed and clothe her own family for the season speaking of such works.

Acceptance[ overtook her form, and she summoned her cat back to her side. "You offer me more than anyone has for work you have yet to see, Dravite Blackwater." She informed him, offering caution to the man who placed great faith in a stranger's work. "Please, if you seek my help, don't hover at my door. Come in and we will be civil." She invited, opening her home to him with a gesture to a seat by the low burning fire.

Whether he took the offer or not, she would turn, ducking into the open pavilion to retrieve one of Shahar's shirts, the red one that she had sewn and later hemmed for him. She would find the man wherever he decided was appropriate, at her fire or still out in the grass and offer him the cloth for examination.

"I have been sewing for a long time, but never such a project as you ask. I will take it happily, to serve a member of the watch would be my honor, but I do not wish to do so without you seeing the work I am capable of." She paused, letting him consider. "I don't charge much, although I'll have to ask you to cover the cost of the materials, at least the fabric. The shop I work in would charge you an arm and a leg for such a project, because they know you can not afford to be cheap when your safety is in question. Instead I'll purchase the material separate, and make it here at home."

She considered him a moment. Watching as he examined the cloth she had shown him. "Perhaps we should call this project more simply. If you will buy the cloth, and the wire, I will make you the armor for no extra cost to you. If you are happy with the work, you can pay for the next time you seek my service."

[Dravite]

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Dravite gathered up his things and moved into the camp on invitation, following Naiya into the tent to take a seat across from her with the fireplace set between them. It wasn't long before Naiya offered up something for the man to inspect, a shirt she had been working on, which while not perfect, did not displease him. Dravite was fond of giving his business to real Drykas people, not outsiders who sought to take their gold and use their resources; gold, in fact, held very little value to the man who preferred to trade in goods and services, "these things I can get for you," he nodded, leather, thread, tools, hand gestures accompanied his spoken Pavi, "you can get me a list or simply fetch them yourself to have me return payment later.”

Though the young redhead probably couldn't see it now, business with the man could open up a world of work for her that she just wouldn't get the opportunity to do with the business she was associated with. Again he went over the fine stitching work on the shirt, turning it inside out to look under the arms and around the collar, "fine work," he complimented the woman before offering the shirt back to her, "do you have somewhere for me to leave the scales?" He inquired and poured the scales into the place Naiya pointed out; each scale about as big as the circle drawn when thumb and forefinger connected.

"I agree to your terms of service, Dawnwhisper, and perhaps I will be able to find you more customers from my line of work," he smiled slowly, a knowing smile that promised far more work than the woman could keep up with if she was up for the challenge, "you must come by my pavilion some time in next season perhaps and meet my wives, I know they too will be fond of your work."

Dravite looked as if he were about to make a move when he reached into his backpack to retrieve a folded rabbit pelt which concealed a bundle of porcupine quills, "I almost forgot," he grinned, "my son will celebrate his second birthday early this fall; I have gathered enough quills to decorate a small vest for him, it is fine if you craft something for him to grow into, but it will need to be completed before the first moon," he insisted, "take your time on the tabard, as long as it is ready for mid fall, all is well."

With that Dravite set the quills down in a neat pile and stashed the pelt inside his backpack before making a move to leave, "I'm afraid I must be going as duty calls, but next time I stop by we will speak more at length," he promised; this being nothing more than a flying visit for the horse lord could not sit long on his injury. Dravite ducked out of the door and wary of the hunting cat, who flicked her tail as if something or someone had aggravated her, stepped around the animal.

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[Naiya]

The watchman stated his business quickly, surprising Naiya with his brevity. She nodded along, noting carefully the requirements of this job.

"I will make sure that it is a worthy gift for your son." She told him, choosing the most sentimental project as her first of note, "With these materials, I am sure I can make armor worthy of you both." She directed him back to the first pile, placing all the material together. He was quick, moving about as though standing still wasted too much time. It spoke to Naiya of a strength of character, he would not let things go undone.

"I will look forward to your return, watchman, so that you can judge the quality of the work."

He was gone quickly, Banti's irritated twitching of tail slowing to a halt once the man was out of sight.

"What an interesting man, don't you think, Banti?"

[Ruari Darkwind]

Dravite

Skills

Skill	XP Earned
Persuasion	1 XP
Negotiation	2 XP

Lore

Naiya: Seamstress
Naiya: Takes on commissions for seamstress work
Location: Dawnwhisper pavilion
Dawnwhipser Pavilion: Small, but at the edge of Endrykas

Naiya

Skills

Skill	XP Earned
Animal Husbandry	1 XP
Grooming	1XP
Observation	1 XP
Negotiation	2 XP
Rhetoric	1XP
Planning	1 XP

Lore

Zibri don’t mind being milked
Dravite: Handsome and confident
Dravite: Watchman
Dravite: Grew up from the Emerald clan
Dravite: Part of the Diamond clan

Just Mizahar Things
I liked this thread. It was short, sweet, and to the point. You did good milking that zibri, Naiya, and then there was some pleasant negotiating going on between the two of you regarding costs and the job itself, so yay!

Well done, but let me know if there are any concerns with your grade, and please remember to edit your request in the grade queue. <3