Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Come on, Eon," Andarien called his Eevee. "Stay close, okay?"

Eon responded by trotting right alongside Andarien, barely far enough away to prevent being stepped on.

Earendil smiled. Eon was very obedient. It was a good start. He only hoped it would stay that way.

The cobbler was in the fourth level of the city, and so it was a bit of a walk for them to get there. It was a shop that Earendil and Lin had rarely visited, and had not yet taken the children there.

The outside of the shop was somewhat plain and simple - a mere wooden sign and window display advertising footwear of all sorts - and the inside was not much different. There were shelves of displays of boots, shoes and sandals in different styles and sizes, clearly showing off the skills of the cobbler for any potential customers.

Earendil opened the door and held it for the rest of the family, and a bell above the door tinkled cheerfully, announcing their presence. They were greeted by the scent of leather and polish, though the smells were not overwhelming.

Andarien was the last one in, other than Earendil, and he looked around interestedly, his hands clasped neatly behind his back. He rather liked the smell of this shop - it was, in some ways, similar to the scent of Tink's shop back in Gaia.

"Welcome," a woman standing behind the shop counter greeted him all. Tall and slim, she had a gentle and welcome gaze. She had one hand resting on a shoe on the counter, and in her other hand she held a cloth. She bowed respectfully to the family. "It's been a very long time since you've graced us with your presence, Your Highness."

Earendil smiled warmly at the woman. "I've been away. But now we have need of your husband's services. Ah, but first. Claress, my wife, Princess Lin, our daughter, Princess Miyuki, and our son, Prince Andarien."

"Hello!" Andarien waved cheerfully.

The woman bowed again at each of them, her smile never leaving her face.

"It is an honour to meet all of you," she told them sincerely. "For many years now we have seen you passing by in the street, and finally word came that you were wed. We have been eager to meet you. We have heard many good things about you."

Earendil chuckled softly. "I apologize for not bringing them sooner, Claress. We shall be seeing quite a bit of you for the next while, though, I believe. We are in need of many pairs of shoes and boots. We're going to be traveling again, for an unknown amount of time. We don't know what sort of terrain to expect, so we shall need good, sturdy footwear."

Earendil thought about it, then shook his head.

"Judging by how Andarien's growth took Helen by surprise, I think it would be wiser to simply order new boots when he grows again. That way they fit properly. Some clothes don't matter if they're a bit big or small, but footwear has to be perfect or else it will only damage his feet."

He paused. "As for Miyuki ..."

He didn't know. "Are her growths pretty predictable?" he asked Lin.

Earendil shook his head again. "Then I would suggest simply getting footwear for their current sizes, and worry about the future when it comes," he murmured. "She doesn't wear much footwear anyways, and if we get the wrong size for her we won't be able to use them. Not much point to that."

He eyed Miyuki and Andarien both. "So how many, then? I would suggest three pairs of shoes and three pairs of boots for Andarien, but since Miyuki doesn't wear shoes then boots only for her ... and how many?"

"There we have it, then," Earendil nodded. He turned to Claress. "I'm afraid it's going to be quite the order. Three pairs boots and three pairs shoes for Andarien; three pairs boots and one pair sandals for Miyuki, three pairs boots and three pairs shoes for myself, and ..."

He broke off and looked down at Lin. "Ah, forgive me ... I didn't ask what you would like," he murmured, blushing with embarrassment.

An order of that size was unprecedented, but the cobbler's wife didn't show any signs of being alarmed by it.

"As you wish, your Highness," she said simply, bowing her head. "Please, take a seat on a stool. I'll come around to measure you."

She set down her cloth and reached down beneath the counter, pulling out a sheet of paper and a quill and inkwell. She set them onto the counter as well, then pulled out a measuring tool.

Andarien took a seat on a smaller stool and called Eon into his lap. While he was waiting for the woman to come and measure his feet, he removed the shoes that he was wearing. He remembered how Helen had measured his feet only a few days previous, and he wanted to be helpful.

The measuring did not take long, and after the woman had taken many notes, they talked about styles. After all, not everyone wore the same types of footwear - if something was going to be made custom for a person, why not make them truly individual as well?

Andarien of course asked that his shoes be made similar to the ones he was already wearing, and boots that would match the style of his clothes. Earendil requested his usual (which was more or less plain).