Nice as usual my friend. You have a good story going here. I can hardly wait for the next part.
Chris The Lurking Fox -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nathan Pfaunmiller Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 4:14 PM To: MKGuild Subject: [Mkguild] First Steps (9/?) Another part is now ready for your reading pleasure. -LurkingWolf _____________________ Lucy was fortunately able to find a reasonably comfortable place to stay for the evening with the money that Andwyn had given to her. She was used to sacrificing comfort for economy when it came to buying a private room, but the spymaster had been chivalrous enough to provide her with the money to break that pattern. She spent the first half hour in the room simply spread eagle on her bed, enjoying the warmth and comfort of it in the cold night. She got up slowly when she finally did convince herself that she needed to do other things before sleeping, especially since it was hardly evening yet. She still had several silvers of her own to add to the handful of coppers left from Andwyn's provision, and she had something she wished to attend to. Although she almost forgot in her haste to leave, she also left a message for her father using a simple bauble she had designed for the purpose years ago when she was still in her first childhood. It had a twin which sat in the center of the dinner table; when not in use, its luster provided decoration to the plain furnishings of the room. When activated, it would glow a cool blue to tell her father of the waiting message. The bauble's magic was hardly enough to produce a whisper in her father's ear at this distance, but it would be intelligible at least, and it should allay his fears about her absence well enough, even if she would have to explain it more fully later. With that done, she set off into the village, watching as the light of the sun was replaced, then overwhelmed, by the lights from the town. Bright lanterns were lit, celebrating the coming of the Yule festival a few days before, and looking forward to the coming of the New Year in another few days of time. The city was even busier than usual this year, as the winter celebrations were also the occasion of the Duke's wedding. Lucy wasn't very fond of crowds, but she would not deny others the opportunity to enjoy the celebrations with their family and friends. She just hoped that someone would still be working this evening. It took her some time, but she finally did find a tailor who had his doors open. Even he had an open bottle of dark liquor beside him, with a mug of it sitting on his counter. He was conversing with the arctic hare that was sitting alongside his stall, but the two of them did have the courtesy to acknowledge her approach. "Good Yule to you, neighbor," the man said. His mannerisms were decidedly more female than those of most men, but in Metamor any human man had at least some tells that indicated that they had not always been male. This one just stood out more than most of his fellows. "A good Yule to you as well," Lucy replied with a hint of a smile. "I see you are enjoying it a bit differently than some of your fellows." He shrugged. "A small price to pay for a good roof over my head and my husband's speedy recovery. I thank the gods for allowing us to have Yule's eve together, at least. I'll have the whole season with him next year, once he's back on his feet. Ah, listen to me; I sound like I'm looking for an excuse to rip you off. No indeed! You'll find all you see here is priced reasonably. If it isn't the best price for clothing of its quality, it's close enough that it's worth saving the time walking." A few items were displayed on the counter itself, and Lucy's cursory inspection convinced her that the merchant was honest in his claims. Nothing she saw was what she wanted, however, so she decided to ask about it. "I'm looking for something that would be good for the outdoors," she started. The man was about to launch into his recommendation for her own use, but she managed to stop him before he could get too far into it. "No, not for me. I need something for a man." "Ah! Clothes shopping for your man, eh? Don't worry, I can relate." "No, he's not that kind of a friend," Lucy insisted. Surprisingly, it came quite naturally. She remembered that sort of situation always becoming far more awkward than it was worth. "He's just someone I know." The man nodded. "All right, what are we looking for? Do you know his general measurements?" Lucy stopped and pondered for a moment. "Well. He was thin. And tall, quite tall. Strong, but not really. I don't know, not very big." "So, no specific measurements, I expect?" the man asked. To the side, the arctic hare was snickering. He quietly excused himself, promising to be back later, and went off down the alley to find something else to entertain himself with. "I'm sorry, no." The man sighed, smiling softly. "As a woman who has been through this sort of thing, I think I should suggest knowing a man a bit better before even trying to impress him with some new travel gear." "No!" Lucy sputtered a bit. "I just met him, and he needs them as soon as possible!" The man looked at her for a moment, before nodding. "Ah! So this is serious, no fooling about, trying to impress a boy somewhere?" Lucy shook her head. "All right, I apologize for the misunderstanding. I suppose, then, if this is serious, that we'll have to see if you can pick something by sight for him. Let's just hope your memory is sufficient to help us pick the right thing for our mystery man." The sound of calling him "mystery man" struck a bit of a chord with Lucy, and she smiled. Before long, the two of them were knee-deep in clothes, digging through the merchant's supply while Lucy made comparisons between each of the choices and her mysterious visitor. The tailor took notes as she went through each, finally narrowing down the man's size by process of elimination. "All right," he said, stepping away for a moment. "I think we know his basic size in close enough terms to take a good guess." He pulled a wooden trunk from underneath the counter. "By the looks of things, your friend is a bit slim, even considering some of the changes I've had to work with before. I have some specialty clothing here for such occasions." He flipped the latches dramatically, smiling back to Lucy. "Shall we have a look?" It didn't take long for them to find something Lucy thought would work. It was a dark outfit, leather bound and stitched together in a form that seemed to walk the thin line between armor and casual clothing. It was definitely sturdy enough to survive well in the outdoors, but it would also work rather well in a casual context. "I don't suppose this will be cheap," Lucy said with a knowing smile. "It does represent a good deal of work," the man replied. "My husband had armor in a similar style, and this was my first experiment in copying that design." He smiled a bit. "However, it was an enlightening experience, and I did learn enough from it to know how to make it again without half of the effort. I think I can manage to cut a deal that reflects this." He leaned over and whispered the amount in Lucy's ear. Lucy couldn't believe what she had heard. She started to ask why the man would give her such a price, but he waved her off. "I've had this for too long," he explained. "I originally made it far thinner than I had intended, and so far no one has come along that could even use it. The way I see it, I need the money, and no one else is likely to come along who needs it if I wait until I can ask for more. If your mysterious friend really needs it, then I can help him solve one problem while you help me solve my own. It ends well for both of us." Lucy smiled, and wasted no time pulling out her purse to find the appropriate payment. Despite the welcome price, it still made her have to dig a bit into her personal savings to pay for it. That was all right, though. The moondog Keeper already had enough problems with the chaos that his form would create in the presence of others. If she could help him, even in this small way, it would be worth it to her. "Thank you for your generosity," she said. "I wonder if I could know your name? I would prefer to know whose generosity I am indebted to." The man laughed. "My name's Crys. You can call me Crystal if you like; I've never felt fully comfortable with the change so I make no effort to change my name appropriately. Crys is just what I use for people who aren't comfortable with a man bearing a woman's name." Lucy nodded and smiled. "Well, Crystal, I've lived here long enough to grow comfortable with most little quirks that the Curse causes in our community. Thank you for your generosity." She moved to gather up the clothing, realizing only too late that her small form made it very awkward. Crys noticed quickly and told her to wait, stepping out a side door in his little booth and retrieving a wheelbarrow. "I keep this for deliveries." He placed the clothing in the wheelbarrow, straightening the folds on each article as he worked. "Where does this delivery need to go?" "A bit further than you're willing to let it go, I'm afraid," Lucy opined. "The man is living in the forest a good journey from here." She interrupted Crystal before he could offer more generosity. "Don't worry, I'm a mage. If you can help me get this to my room at the inn, I'll arrange something to let me carry it the rest of the way." "Very good, then." Crystal extinguished the lanterns that marked his stall's entrance and closed the large display window. He then locked the door and put the keys in a small pouch on his belt. "I'll follow you to your room. No one else is very interested in clothes shopping right now, so there's no rush." As they returned to the room, the two chatted amicably. Crystal explained that his husband was still the warrior in the family, and that he had suffered from a poison dart on his last patrol. He was stronger than before for certain, thanks in part to quick action by the patrol's medic, but he was still likely to be resting for a while to be certain that he was able to perform well. His payment for being a member of the military was still present, but there were still medical bills to be paid, and his salary could only just barely cover their cost of living. Lucy in turn related as much of her story as she could in the short walk. She didn't get to explain better about the moondog Keeper who she had met in the forest, but she did have time to explain why she was not living in the Keep proper. The tailor admitted that he did not work much with fur, but he acknowledged that he appreciated the work that trappers did to keep the humans and cold-blooded members of the community warm during the winter. By then, the two of them had reached the inn, and Crystal took the clothing up the stairs to the room. Lucy held the door for her, and the tailor placed it on an empty chest to one side of the room. "There you are," he announced. "Well, I will say a prayer to Artela for your father's traps. If you're ever back in Metamor, be certain to come see me again. You don't even have to bring money; I enjoy conversation just as much." "I'll be certain to bring some of both," Lucy replied with a smile. "I'm certain I could find something for my father in your stock, and I've been pleased with what I've seen of your prices." The tailor laughed. "I'll look forward to it, then." The two of them said their farewells, and Crystal left Lucy to relax in her room. Finally satisfied that she had done all that she needed to do for the evening, Lucy finally allowed herself to lay out on the bed and rest. She considered that she might perhaps get up to do something a little later in the evening, but that was the last coherent thought in her head before she fell into a long, restful slumber for the rest of the night. _______________________________________________ MKGuild mailing list [email protected] http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2180 / Virus Database: 2437/5102 - Release Date: 06/30/12 _______________________________________________ MKGuild mailing list [email protected] http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild
