The Leatherworker (Solo)

[Ariel]

25 Winter, 510 AV

Ariel awoke as soon as the sun had risen. The air was still crisp and cool, and the kitten was still sleeping soundly at her side. Ariel pet its soft fur, and the kitten yawned, exposing all its front teeth.

"Come on you silly sleepy head," Ariel laughed, "it's time to get up," she said, as she slowly got to her feet, and watched as the kitten started to flutter its eyes awake.

Ariel rolled her eyes. What a lazy bum, she thought to herself, as she rubbed the crumbled mass where her wings used to be. They were still sore, and if she moved her body too quickly, it would send a shooting pain through her spine and what little remained of her wings.

Ariel rubbed her eyes, as if to get the sleep crystals out, and then reached into her bag, which hung at her side. She pulled out some clay, and began to munch on it furiously as she got to her feet. Ariel knew that upping her intake would allow for a speedier recovery. "Silly kitten," she mumbled under her breath as she looked up at the sky. There were very few clouds today, and the sun was still fairly low. There was only a light breeze this morning.

Ariel walked along, hoping the kitten would simply follow, which, it did, after a few minutes of her walking along. She would need to get a saddle, or a harness, or something for it if she intended on riding it in the future, which she did.

Even though the kitten had kicked her butt, and mistaken her for a chew toy, she had grown rather fond of the creature. Ariel smiled as she took another large bite of her clay.

Ariel walked along until she had reached a long line of tents with various goods on display. She walked, ever so slowly and painfully past a few that sold items that were positively useless to her- large piles of meat, various garments, (made for giants, she was convinced), and weapons, (also crafted for giants).

Eventually, she found what she was looking for, a leather worker who had various saddles, (some for horses some for ponies), on display. "Hello!" Ariel called up to the tall Drykas man, who was wearing only brown leather suede boots, and brown-pants held up by a leather belt. The buckle was of a horse's head.

The man was rather built-up. His tan skin glistened in the sunlight, accentuating his muscular build. He had well-toned abs, and big arms, that looked like they could easily squish anything that came across their path. His eyes were a deep brown, and his long black hair was left down, and fell just below his shoulders. His arms were tattooed with a series of intricate black knots.

When the man heard Ariel's voice, he looked around wildly, wondering where it came from. "Down here!" Ariel called, waving up at him.

The man looked down, laughing, "sorry, didn't see you there," he said, in a deep voice. "What can I do ya for?" he asked Ariel.

"I was hoping you could make me a saddle, or even a harness, for my kitten," Ariel replied, looking behind her, and seeing the kitten no where in sight. "Now where did it get to?" she mumbled, as the leatherworker looked down at her.

"Just hold on a sec," Ariel said, as she turned all the way around on her heels, just to see her newfound furry friend peeking its head out from behind a tent. "Ahhhh, there it is!" Ariel pointed proudly, as the kitten jumped out from behind another merchant's tent.

Ariel turned back to the leatherworker. "So, yeah, I need you to make something that would fit that kitten."

The man laughed. "Sure, if I can get a look at it, I can make you anything you want, as long as it's made from leather."

Ariel chuckled, scratching her head. "Um... ok," Ariel said, glancing over her shoulder to find her kitten chasing some tiny bug that was flying about in the air. Ariel sighed.

"Would you mind catching him for me? It'll probably be easier," Ariel said. The leatherworker nodded, walking over to the kitten and picking it up, gingerly. He brought the mewling kitten back over to his tent, and studied it, turning it over this way and that in his hands, as if measuring it, how much material he would have to use, how long it would take.

Ariel took another bite of clay. "So can you help me?" Ariel asked. The leatherworker nodded, putting the kitten back down, who immediately walked to stand behind Ariel and hiss up at the leatherworker, baring all of its large, pointy teeth. The man laughed, "yes, actually, I may have something for you." The man walked into his tan tent for a moment, returning a moment later with a miniature saddle, a tiny piece of cloth, and set of reigns, "another pycon came by last year for a saddle for his dog, but he never did come back, think he may have forgotten..." the leatherworker said, but Ariel knew better. He had probably wanted to say, "but he got smushed," and didn't want to hurt Ariel's feelings. Well, that was kind of him, she thought, as she watched the leatherworker bend down and fasten the saddle, and the reigns onto her kitten. The little bit of cloth had been placed beneath the saddle, as a sort of make-shift blanket or padding, so it wouldn't hurt the kitten.

The poor thing was protesting, mewling wildly, and batting at the leatherworker with its paws, claws extended. But the leatherworker didn't seem to care, or even to notice. "Ohh be nice you!" Ariel scolded the kitten, as the leatherworker finished fastening the saddle and harness onto the kitten.

The harness was a perfect fit, but the saddle was a little big, and hung low to the ground, especially because it had a little saddle bag tucked under one of the flaps, (near the tightening belt). The leatherworker wound up having to punch more holes through the tightening strap at the bottom to get it to work right. After that, it was a pretty good fit. "There ya go," the leatherworker said, as he got back up. The man was smiling down at his work. "Thanks," Ariel replied, as she looked up. A shadow had formed over her body. "There you are old friend," Ariel said, smiling up at the Drykas woman she had befriended ages and ages ago. The woman had agreed to carry Ariel's money for her during the exchange. "Thought you had gotten lost."

Ariel's friend smiled, and handed the money over to the leatherworker, before turning on her heels, "see you later Ariel." Ariel nodded, and called "thanks" after her friend.

The leatherworker was counting the money that rested in his hands. Everything seemed to be in order, so Ariel called up to him, "thanks again!" she said as she waved her good-bye, before Ariel grabbed the kitten's reigns and led it away.

OOCI know that there aren't exactly true "giants," in Mizahar, but just about everything in Mizahar is far taller than Ariel, other races included, so she tends to view them all as giants.

Also, I don't know how much everything would be, I figured it may be cheaper than a horse's gear since it would require less material to fashion a saddle and harness for a kitten than for a horse. So I'll wait for your opinion before I deduct the money from my ledger.

[Mixcoatl]

The Lord of the Hunt is Pleased! The Lord of the Hunt showers you with gifts in joyous celebration! Ariel Experience None Lore Growing Fond of Fluffy Creatures Being Saved by the Charity of Strangers Additional Notes: Sorry this took me so long to get to, and once again, sorry we had to have that little fiaso about coins in Chat. Subtract four GM from your ledger for the purchase of the saddle. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don'ts hesitate to send me a PM!