Open [The Amphitheater] Gifts Ungiven

[Kirsi Winterflame]

Timestamp: 79th of Summer, 513AV Jorin led the way through the bazaar, seemingly very familiar with the route, and stopped at a stall filled to overflowing with every pattern of fabric imaginable. Kirsi followed behind Krima, slowly, watching the woman inspect the tailoring goods on every side of them. Unable to help herself, Kirsi reached out to brush a bolt of particularly lovely cotton, a deep brown with subtle amber stripes. As Jorin attempted to work out payment details with the vendor, Kirsi watched, interestedly. She didn't haggle. She didn't barter. She selected what she wanted, and then she paid what she was quoted - or, if it was too high, she didn't pay, and shopped elsewhere. She hoped Jorin would haggle with the man, if only so that she might see how it was done. There was no doubt in her mind that if he chose to quibble over prices, his gift with words would stand him in good stead. But they were not quite to that point, yet, and the arranging of payment was not something Kirsi was terribly interested in. Turning her attention back to the fabrics, she reached out to stroke yet another bolt - this one a lovely deep blue that reminded her of her mother's laughing eyes. "I'm not opening a tab, Jorin. This isn't a tavern." The merchant had had his final say, and Jorin seemed to accept the answer. ""No worries, ladies," he assured them, before turning to Krima to discuss her supply needs. The vendor had noticed Kirsi petting his fabric, and beamed a calculating smile at her, "That is a lovely color, and so flattering for you," he extracted the bolt of blue cloth Kirsi had been eying, and held it out to her. "Ah! Perfect! Tell her," the merchant implored Krima and Jorin, before turning his attention back to Kirsi. "My dear, you must buy this. You must wear this color always, to match your beautiful eyes." Kirsi knew the man was flattering her, angling for his sale, and yet his comments only created a more profound interest in the cloth. But what would she do with it? She hadn't even begun to approach Krima about the possibility of a dress for herself, and she hadn't a clue how to sew a dress. Still, her fingers found their way to the cotton fabric again - it was a lovely color. Looking over at the Konti woman, Kirsi heard herself ask: "Krima - would you have time, after Jorin's dresses, of course," she assured the other two. "Do you think you could make something for me, as well? I'm not the Amphitheater," she chuckled before continuing, "but I'd be happy to pay you? If you're interested?"

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 79, 513 AV

"Well, why don't we make it stand out more? Use this shade along with a white ribbon, and then to make up for the color we can only do short sleeves to knock off a yard and a half," Krima suggested. Jorin tapped his forefinger to his chin and considered her offer. It was a tempting one. He was aware that pure white tended to be more expensive, and the hue she suggested would certainly go for less. Jorin had a decent eye for color, but probably not as good an eye as an actual seamstress. If Krima suggested it, Jorin was inclined to believe her.

"Hmm. An intriguing idea," he nodded sagely. Then he gently pulled Krima aside, and murmured to her, "It would certainly save us a good deal of Miza. I wonder though, not being a tailor myself I wouldn't actually know but, would it be possible to use that color over there?"

Jorin indicated a large roll of slightly cream-colored fabric. The fact that it was in the back meant it was not highly prized. The fact there was so much of it mean the merchant might be more willing to haggle. He'd still go for Krima's suggested fabric, but he needed a best alternative to a negotiated agreement, and that was going to be it.

As he turned back to see what was happening with Kirsi, he realized that she was also fingering a very lovely bolt of - uh oh. Jorin knew that look. It was the look that got he himself into so much trouble. Every merchant in the world knew that look, and if he hadn't been made responsible for tallying up the ledger for the Traveling Thespians, he'd ignore it. But poor Kirsi was going to get fleeced, he could feel it.

"That is a lovely color, and so flattering for you," cooed the merchant. Of course it was. Of course it did. Even if the color looked hideous on her, he'd still say it. Jorin strode over, as the merchant began working Kirsi.

"Ah! Perfect! Tell her," the merchant said to Jorin as he strode up, and Krima as he continued to ponder, "My dear, you must buy this. You must wear this color always, to match your beautiful eyes.""

How little you know about Vantha eyes, Jorin thought, before tossing the merchant a carefully crafted smile. Throwing out his arm dramatically, he grinned.

"Well, I am no tailor, sadly, merely an actor, so I would not know about such things," he deflected, before drawing Kirsi aside as well. "Not to worry, friend," he assured the merchant, "We shall return momentarily!"

As he drew Kirsi aside, he gave her a quick look. "Kirsi," he began in a stage whisper, "I probably should have warned you before, but you never display overt interest in product like that. It emasculates your position when you negotiate. You always want to negotiate from a position of strength, if you can."

Jorin glanced quickly at the merchant, who smiled and made a production of smoothing out his fabrics. Turning back to Kirsi, he asked her, "How badly do you want that dress? Because right now, unfortunately, if you want the dress, your best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to purchase something pre-made from Rosela's."

Jorin didn't say this, but it was also his own best alternative. And that was what made it all the more galling. But what Kirsi and Krima told him would determine how he'd try to negotiate. He just hoped debating with his father was sufficient practice for actual negotiations.

[Krima]

79th Day of Summer, 513 A.V.

Krima frowned at the cream color, anything she thought of would require lots of detail, which meant lots of time she didn't have. She slowly shook her head at Jorin.

"That's not gonna work, cream requires detailed patterns, and I'm not gonna have time for that." Krima explained when the merchant started to speak to Kirsi about a lovely shade of blue, working a merchant's trade of persuasion, he insisted on her using the color. The merchant was wrong about the color though. It was a great shade, but it worked better on bringing out the dark completions in skin. Krima was about to correct the man when kirsi spoke-

"Krima - would you have time, after Jorin's dresses, of course," Kirsi began to ask. "Do you think you could make something for me, as well? I'm not the Amphitheater, but I'd be happy to pay you? If you're interested?" Krima's face lit up in delight, totally forgetting what she was about to say. A bit of income, plus helping out a new friend. She could already picture Kirsi in a mermaid tail dress, perhaps a sweetheart neckline? Or maybe a queen anne neckline. Though both would depend on Kirsi's bust, and it wouldn't exactly be the most appropriate question to ask someone she only met today. So she opted to only agree for now.

"Oh, of course!" she began, when Jorin pulled Kirsi aside. As he was speaking to Kirsi, Krima turned to the merchant. "Let's get those another time though, perhaps closer to a formal occasion. Besides, it looks like there isn't enough fabric here to make more than a blouse." Krima gave a quick glare to the merchant, who kept his steady smile.

"But a lovely blouse it could make! But alas, if you are looking for a dress, I'll be having a shipment come in by next week" He explained, not wanting to lose these potential customers. It would be better to make money later than make no money at all.

[Kirsi Winterflame]

Timestamp: 79th of Summer, 513AV She gave the bolt of cloth a lingering look as Jorin pulled her aside, biting her lip as she listened to his counsel. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but he was only reinforcing what she already knew to be the truth. "Kirsi, I probably should have warned you before, but you never display overt interest in product like that... You always want to negotiate from a position of strength." "I know, I do - I just get a little carried away sometimes," she shrugged slightly, enthusiasm waning now that she was being forced to think about the purchase she had nearly made rather than simply buying it on impulse. "Thank you for the reminder." Jorin's earnest warning was timely; Kirsi had been half-tempted to simply buy the fabric on the spot, especially when Krima had agreed so readily to create a dress for her. But they were both right; it was one of the reasons she didn't barter. Kirsi knew that she was clear as glass to most vendors, and if she liked something then they would know it immediately. The honest ones wouldn't gouge her too badly. But many, such as this one, had no scruples and would feel not the slightest qualm taking as many of her mizas as they could. Still, she sighed in disappointment, allowing herself one last stroke of the beautiful blue fabric. "You're right, of course, Krima. This isn't enough fabric for what I had in mind," she declined, glad that the other woman had given her a way out without making her feel awkward about it. Tossing a smile to Krima and Jorin, Kirsi moved a few steps back from the tempting fabrics. Best not to let the vendor catch her petting any more of his wares. Jorin and Krima had managed to intervene on her behalf, but they were here for material for costumes, not to monitor Kirsi's spending habits. She made a show of glancing around at the other nearby merchants' booths while Jorin and Krima decided what was to be done about his replacement dresses.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 79, 513 AV

Jorin frowned a bit when Kirsi finally gave up on her dress. He actually felt terrible for doing that; he never intended for her to give up on the dress completely, he just wanted to gauge her interest level so he'd know how hard he'd need to bargain. Jorin sighed. He supposed it was a good thing in the end; he had enough to worry about trying to get Krima's light-blue fabric.

Krima had also indicated his cream-colored fabric wouldn't work. Well, Jorin didn't have any particular love for that fabric anyway. It just provided a very convenient fall-back in case negotiations went sour, but it wasn't strictly necessary for him to do what he needed to do. Jorin now felt like a tight-rope walker, tiptoeing his way across, without a net beneath him to catch him should he fall. Great.

He turned to the merchant, who was smiling and bobbing his head at the passing customers. Jorin approached, making sure to throw on a neutral, nondescript look. He may not be versed in negotiation but he did know acting, and putting on an act was not difficult.

"We would like that cloth, please," he said, specifying the blue cloth that Krima had indicated. "Enough to make a dress."

The merchant simply shrugged. "Of course, sir, but I might mention that unfortunately, dresses come in various shapes and sizes. I cannot estimate how much fabric you will require unless I have more details."

Jorin's face was still a careful mask, but he swore inside. Petch! He should have asked Krima about that beforehand. He knew that lacking the information would likely cost him in terms of bargaining position, but he couldn't figure to see how he'd be able to get around that now.

"Krima here can give you the details," he replied, making sure not to let annoyance slip through into his tone. "I'd just like to know how much per yard."

The Merchant rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, normally I'd charge a gold Miza per yard," he began, "but for two beautiful ladies like this? I think I can knock it down to nine silver mizas. It's quite a steal!"

Jorin had to work to prevent his jaw from dropping. That was an absurd price! Instead, he gave the merchant a broad smile and said, "I see! Well I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Kirsi, Krima, come on, let's go."

And Jorin turned to leave. He had to make it look like he would really leave, and the best way to do it was to actually leave. The merchant looked like he was warring with himself, before shouting, "Wait!"

Jorin's back was turned to the man, so he didn't see it, but he allowed himself a grin. The merchant had blinked. Now all that was left was the haggling.

"Nine silver mizas per yard is absurd. The entire dress isn't worth that much. I'll do two silver per yard. If the material holds up to inspection." Jorin made sure his tone was hard, but not harsh. He didn't need to play too hard. The other man had already blinked.

"What?!" the merchant screeched, attracting the attention of people around them. "I have to assume that's either an insult or a very bad joke, sir. No less than eight silver per yard. That's my best offer."

Jorin smirked. "You're going to have to do better than that. As I said, two silver miza per yard."

The merchant was turning a fascinating shade of purple. "That isn't how haggling works! I came down in price! We're having a negotiation here!"

Jorin shrugged. "No, you're having a negotiation. I'm dictating the price. And it remains two silver miza per yard. You want to know why?"

The merchant just vibrated with indignation. Jorin shrugged again and continued. "I couldn't help but notice earlier that you'd sold two and a half yards of that yellow fabric over there to a nice Konti who was here earlier, at a price of three silver mizas and seven copper. You wanted it to be eight, but she refused to round up. So I can see that the material is worth approximately one and a half silver mizas."

Jorin fingered the yellow fabric. It was about as smooth as the blue one, but seemed to be of a courser weave. "Logistically, I'm guessing you get product about every week. For you to be haggling over a single copper miza over cloth of this quality implies you have too much of it and need to move inventory, and get as much from it as possible. As it is comparable to the blue, but of slightly lower quality, I calculated an estimated value of two silver per yard."

Jorin shrugged. "Give or take. Two silver mizas per yard, friend. Plus inspection, or we walk."

Jorin was, in fact, prepared to walk. He didn't like going to Rosela's, but at eight silver a yard, she was cheaper and would have the dress ready-made. If the man was so insistent on that price he would not correct him, but then, merchants hated losing customers. There was about half a chime's silence, before the merchant ground out,

"How much do you need," while glaring at Jorin.

[Krima]

79th Day of Summer, 513 A.V.

Krima gave Kirsi a smile back, then turned to the Merchant. She didn't want to tell Kirsi no, but it was true, there would never be enough for a full dress. A nice blouse sure, but that amount of fabric couldn't make it past the upper thigh.

Jorin started to haggle with the man, which she made sure to pay attention to, perhaps she could learn how to haggle herself. She was positive she would need it. "I see! Well I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Kirsi, Krima, come on, let's go." Krima stared at him wildly. What about the costumes? Did he just completely disregard them? Did he come up with a new plan? She sighed and followed him, what else could she do. She was about to ask him what in the world was going on when the merchant behind them yelled for them to wait. Glancing at Jorin she saw him grin, and understood. He had used a haggling tactic, and it appeared to have worked.

"I couldn't help but notice earlier that you'd sold two and a half yards of that yellow fabric over there to a nice Konti who was here earlier, at a price of three silver mizas and seven copper. You wanted it to be eight, but she refused to round up. So I can see that the material is worth approximately one and a half silver mizas." Krima had to mentally make sure her jaw didn't drop. She was shocked Jorin remembered such small details.

"Logistically, I'm guessing you get product about every week. For you to be haggling over a single copper miza over cloth of this quality implies you have too much of it and need to move inventory, and get as much from it as possible. As it is comparable to the blue, but of slightly lower quality, I calculated an estimated value of two silver per yard. She blinked a few times, trying to understand what Jorin had just said. It took her a little to comprehend the logic he went through, and bu the time she had, the merchant was asking how much fabric she needed. Krima thought it over quickly in her head. It would be short sleeves, but there would be a bit of a drapery effect on the skirt. She didn't want to make Jorin pay too much though, so she wouldn't buy an extra two feet like she normally did, in case of an idea or a mistake happened.

Turning to the merchant, Krima gave a small smile and said
"Four and three fourths of yard please."

[Kirsi Winterflame]

Kirsi looked at Jorin, mouth agape, as he turned to walk away from the vendor. Didn't he need that fabric for a dress - by next week? A glance in Krima's direction showed the Konti to be just as confused as she was at the actor's purposeful retreat. What was going on? She took a few tentative steps away from the stall, and suddenly the merchant uttered a hasty 'wait'; Kirsi caught only the edge of a smile crossing Jorin's face, and suddenly understood. He had been acting. Of course. It made sense, now that she had seen it play out; clearly he wanted a better price than the merchant had wanted to give, and so Jorin had pretended that the fabric wasn't of much importance to him. Though she had grasped the concept of Jorin's advice on negotiating earlier, seeing it in action had done much to clarify the process. Kirsi was always worried that the vendors would be indifferent to her leaving negotiations; after all, if she didn't buy an item, someone else surely would. But Jorin was haggling over just a few yards of fabric, and the merchant was seemingly desperate for even that small sale. It was definitely eye-opening, and Kirsi found herself more confident in her own powers of negotiation; her mizas were valuable to her and to the merchants she would do business with. She wasn't sure how well she would be able to apply this newfound confidence, and tonight was certainly not the night to try it. This most definitely wasn't the vendor to try it out on. A small frown wrinkled her forehead; she had really given away her interest far too much when she'd seen that lovely blue fabric. But, Krima had agreed to make a dress for her; surely the two women would put this new lesson to the test when they selected the material for her dress? Kirsi found herself almost looking forward to the challenge.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day XX, 513 AV

XX Bell

Jorin nodded at Krima's estimation of the amount of cloth required. He was not a tailor, so he relied on her expertise in this instance, since he had no idea how much fabric she would need. "Four and three quarters, at two silver mizas per yard, comes out to exactly nine silver and five copper," Jorin announced.

"I thought you said the entire dress wasn't worth nine silver," the merchant grumbled as he went to cut the right amount of cloth. Jorin shrugged.

"I guesstimated," he replied nonchalantly. "I suppose I might have under-counted."

The merchant threw Jorin a dirty look before measuring out the fabric carefully with his straightedge, before taking out a rather large set of shears and set to carefully cut it at exactly four and three quarters yard length. Jorin held his hand up to stop the merchant when he opened his mouth, shaking his head slightly.

"Not just yet," he cautioned, and motioned Krima to come forward a bit. "How's the quality of the material?" he asked her quietly. The Bazaar was "buyer beware", they could not take the fabric back if it was not up to quality. It was why sometimes it was better to go to Rosela's, who at least stood by her product even though she made Jorin feel like a toad sometimes for questioning it. Hey it wasn't him, it was the actresses!

"Are you suggesting my fabric is not of the finest quality?" the merchant fumed. Jorin just raised an eyebrow, but did not reply. The man eventually harrumphed and went back to sorting out the rest of his inventory. Jorin turned to Krima again.

"Make sure there's no tears or stains," he whispered to her, "We can't return it if we buy it."

Turning to Kirsi, Jorin gave the Vantha woman a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry we're taking so long," he apologized. "I promise we'll go look at some nice wood carving things afterwards!"

[Krima]

79th Day of Summer, 513 A.V.

"I thought you said the entire dress wasn't worth nine silver," the merchant fumed at Jorin, with his face turning bright as a tomato. Krima had to suppress a laugh. One look at the merchant and all she could think of was a tomato with a full beard and mustache with little smoke puffs coming out where the ears should be. Picturing it in her head, her lips formed a tight line from her attempts to stay professional.

"How's the quality of the material?" Jorin asked, turning to the Konti. Keeping her lips in a tight line, Krima began to walk forward. Just as she got to the fabric, the merchant let out a shriek that turned quite a few heads

"Are you suggesting my fabric is not of the finest quality?" the mans entire face turned an even darker shade of red, and he truly did look like smoke would start puffing out his ears. She couldn't take it anymore, and let out a small chuckle. Instantly she looked down, trying to hide her laughter. The merchant turned to her, pure rage in his face. Krima slowly looked up, and it took all her might not to wince.

"Is there something funny young lady?" The merchant asked, slowly, almost eerily. A quiet anger was much scarier than a loud anger. She could practically feel the man's eyes burn into her.

"I-I.. I uh, No sir. There is not." Krima stuttered. The man continued to gaze down at her, and she could feel the man's stare as she inspected the fabric.

"Make sure there's no tears or stains, we can't return it if we buy it." Jorin whispered to her, and she gave a tiny nod. Even if there was a tear or stain, she was going to grab that fabric and leave as quickly as possible. Giving a quick inspection of each side, only looking long enough to spot the glaringly obvious, she turned to Jorin and gave a quick nod of approval. She quickly grabbed the fabric and turned to Krisi.

"Okay we're done! lets look at wood carvings yes? I'm sure those will be much more interesting than silly old fabric."Krima stated quickly, totally forgetting the Ribbon and the fact she still needed to buy a sewing kit itself. She hadn't been in Riverfall long enough to figure out where she could purchase one sadly. Still, she wanted nothing more right now than to distance herself from the man at the stand.

[Kirsi Winterflame]

"I'm sorry we're taking so long. I promise we'll go look at some nice wood carving things afterwards!"

Jorin's apology was unnecessary, and Kirsi simply nodded at him good-naturedly, mildly amused by the whole experience. Watching the exchange between actor, seamstress and vendor, she couldn't help but feel a bit grateful that she was no longer even on the outskirts of this debate. Though she understood that it was important to double check the quality of one's purchases in places like this bazaar, the merchant was heavily insulted at Jorin's words, and Krima's laughter. Being on the outside, looking in, Kirsi was able to view the scene in its entirety, and barely contained a grin of her own. Not that she was enjoying anyone's discomfort, but the bartering session had taken on a level of drama that perfectly matched the show the Amphitheater had just given.

Krima seemed to be catching the worst of the merchant's temper, though; the Konti gave the cloth a cursory glance and snatched it up, quickly turning to Kirsi with a harried look in her eyes. "Okay we're done! lets look at wood carvings yes? I'm sure those will be much more interesting than silly old fabric," the words came out rushed; Krima looked as though she wanted nothing more than to be away from the fabric booths. The merchant, overhearing, sputtered with renewed affront at his wares being so summarily dismissed, but Kirsi ignored him and spoke to Krima.

"If you're sure you have everything...? I know of a fantastic vendor; he sells small carvings as well as tools and wood blocks; he's got some beautiful carved buttons, too," Kirsi suggested, a bit uncertainly; it seemed like the other woman might need more than just plain fabric for the dresses, but maybe she had other supplies on hand? Taking a moment to look around, she wracked her brain for familiar stalls in an attempt to orient herself in the bustling market. It wasn't often that she wandered through this area of the bazaar, but after a few chimes she realized they were actually quite near the stall she'd just mentioned.

Relieved that she wouldn't be the cause of an evening of pointless wandering, Kirsi turned back to her two companions with a wide smile. "Well, I'm almost certain we want to head that way," she shrugged, pointing off to the left. The path would take them back past most of the merchants who dealt in fabrics and such, anyway; if Krima thought of anything else she'd need, they could surely stop along the way.

Since Jorin was in charge of paying the unpleasantly red-faced vendor, Kirsi stepped just a bit away from the vendor to wait. Despite the lovely fabric she'd seen, Kirsi doubted she and Krima would come back here when it was time to shop for her own material; the man was too eager to give her a bad deal and too quick to anger. There was no way she'd feel comfortable trying to barter with him, and Krima probably wouldn't mind looking for someone a bit friendlier, either.

With a comforting smile for the other woman, and in a voice too quiet for the vendor to overhear, Kirsi reassured her; "I'm sure we can find another fabric merchant next time, Krima. I think Jorin's beaten this one up too much for him to ever be really happy to see us again - mizas or not." A light laugh accompanied the quip, and Kirsi threw a friendly wink in Jorin's direction. "Are we all set, then?"