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 Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 7:35 am
T’arn – At His Stall
“Anali, then.” He returned her amiable look with a breezy smile and a self-effacing shrug. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’m Benden born and bred, and some old habits die quicker than others. It’s a half-mark for a dozen of the big ones, and a quarter-mark for the little ones.”
More people were coming by, and he now had two people admiring the sets of talon sheaths that he’d put out on display. The smith visibly brightened at the compliment to his work – he’d put a great deal of time and effort into them, and it was always nice to be recognized. “Sturdy enough! They’re made of high-quality steel, and I had Tahmoth bat my prototype around a bit to make sure they’ll stand up to wear and tear. Still, I’d caution you that these aren’t battle-proven. They’ll need some field testing before you go running off to Trine with them.”
Turning to Jessan, he added, “They’re four marks per set, and that’s just barely covering materials and time spent. Naturally repairs and maintenance are free. I’m always looking to improve my work, so if you discover a fault in the design just come back to me and I’ll sort it out.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:03 am
[[SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG AAAAA]]
S'aak - Liana's Stall
4 3/8 marks
"Um, Faranth. Decisions, decisions...let's go with ovine, and then plain tuber-and-cheese." S'aak grinned at the crimsonrider. "Well, I'm happy to be your first customer of the day, and I'll let people know you're over here," he said, still smiling as he reached out a hand to take the pastries he had ordered. "It's shaping up to be a throng already, so I'll wager you'll get customers enough."
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tetrachrome generated a random number between
1 and 30 ...
28!
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:04 am
Toska - T'arn's Stall
4 3/4 marks
For a bit, Toska wasn't quite sure where she was headed. She wanted to talk to the leathercrafter at some point, but she wasn't about to brave the mob that had surrounded the man just yet. Hopefully there'd be some ebb to the crowd and she's actually have a chance to get at him later. As it stood, though, she was just...strolling. She'd need to eat something at some point - the wine had been warm to begin with, and she could feel it going to her head a bit.
But before she could turn in the direction of the Bakers, Tosk snorted and pulled in the direction of one of the stalls. Saw something shiny, she said quickly, glancing over her shoulder once. Come on, Tosk's! We go look!
"Okay, okay -" and Toska pulled up alongside Jessan at the behest of her gold, smiling sheepishly at everyone around her. "Um. Hi."
Pretty! Tosk was peering up over the table already, sniffing at the tray of gemstone pendants with an attitude of utmost interest. Look! She had turned back to her handler, nudging Toska rather aggressively. Stones! Pretty stones, right?
"Yes...they're pretty," she murmured, digging through the tray of yellow stones looking for something that would approximate her wher's color. "Do you want one?"
Yes!
"One that matches your hide, or a pretty one, like blue or green?"
Um. The wher paused, eyes whirling confusedly as she considered. They didn't see much in the way of color, Toska realized belatedly, which was probably a major part of Tosk's confusion. Eventually, though, the wher came to a conclusion. Not-gold. If it's gold, no one will see it!
Well, there was no arguing with that logic. Toska shook her head and dug through the bins, eventually emerging with a handsome turquoise pendant and a beautiful, rich pink stone. What do you think, pretty girl?
Not pink!
Blue it is. And Toska turned to the stall owner. He was talking to the other woman about the talon sheathes, and Toska listened curiously, watching the two of them. When there was a break in the dialogue, she leaned forward, holding up one of the pendants. "This is a bit of a weird question," she said sheepishly, glancing at the smith, "but...is there any chance I can get one of these on a very long cord?"
-----
Linfon - Lucky Dip
7 7/8 marks
She had polished her armguards for the occasion.
This was the closest Linfon got to formality. In a tidy leather vest over a simple linen shirt and fitted trousers, all of it a rather uninteresting shade of monochrome grey-and-black, the Smith was clean, not pretty, and that suited her just fine. She was late to the Gather, in theory - showed up in time to have missed the speeches and some of the action, apparently - but there was still plenty to do. There were...silly games.
Well...why not, right? Lin approached the Lucky Dip a little suspiciously at first, but as soon as she worked out the principle of the game, she shrugged, handed over an eighth-mark, and dug her hand into the box.
"Red. What's that mean?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:18 am
"Nice arm... things!" the stall keeper exclaimed, peering at the unusual accessories and then grinning at their bearer. It was sort of nice to see somebody within perhaps two decades of his age playing rather than the usual crowd of kids, not that he minded youngsters but it was a nice change.
"Red means you're very lucky," he added with another grin as Linfon drew out the token. "That's the last red token that was in there, and it means you win this!" The stall keeper lifted up the last firelizard egg in its pot and set it down on the table before the smith. Small dark brown, unassuming other than its delicate white stripes - it had been one of his favourites of the clutch but he made a point never to keep eggs. Once he started he'd never stop and he had no desire to end up as the crazy old flitt man.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:34 am
Linfon - Lucky Dip
7 7/8 marks
"...Well." That was...unexpected. Linfon blinked once, handing the token over to the stall holder and reaching out to take the pot. "I...thank you." Firelizard egg. What did you do with firelizard eggs?
The answer to that, of course, was hatch them. Did Linfon need a firelizard? They didn't seem particularly annoying, though she knew people who hated them, and there were some potential uses. If she could send messages long-distance without having to borrow other people's flits, that wouldn't kill her. "Yes, thank you," she repeated, giving the man a firm nod. "Clever setup you have here." And she gave him a brief half-smile. "Hope you're still going to make marks, even if the eggs are all out," she remarked. "It'd be a pity if you couldn't rehome all these...wher plushes?" Slight, amused shake of the head. "Cute. And thank you again, sir!"
Now she had to go figure out what she was going to do with a flit.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:43 am
Jessan - T'arn's Stall5 marksA few other handlers decided to come up and look at the sheaths for their whers. A gold handler appeared as well, her wher in tow. Jessan spared the beast a glance. She ought have a gold, would have if Jessask didn't demand such a large egg. Still, Jessan had her darling girl, her wher-pit vicious brute of a lovely. Life could be worse. Now the goldhandler... the goldhandler was a different story. Jessan smiled at Toska, expression as warm as she could possibly make it in public without it being creepy. "Hello there, handler. Aren't the wares beautiful? They would look wonderful with your bondmate." But, distraction, beautiful wher clawed distraction. Jessan ran her fingers over the smaller of the two claws, lips pursed into contemplation. "Naturally. They really are lovely. I'd have never thought to put something like this on my girl while she's out and about. She fights, you see," Often. Violently. "I'm sure she would enjoy something prettier than blood on her claws in the meantime or perhaps see how they are in combat...? Red compliments silver so well."
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:47 am
T’arn – At His Stall
And then there was a gold wher. Specifically, there was a gold wher’s head, sniffing enthusiastically at his tray of pendants. T’arn looked puzzled and briefly alarmed for a moment, but then took this in stride as it became clear that the young wher was a customer.
“Of course you can,” he told Toska cheerfully, “give me just a moment!” From behind the stall he pulled out the neatly rolled coil of leather cord, a pair of scissors, and a small wooden box. The scissors and the box were set down on the counter, and T’arn stood up and strolled around to the front, kneeling down in front of Tosk. “The turquoise, then? An excellent choice, miss, it’ll look wonderful on you.” He spoke to the young wher in the same tone he’d address any Lady Holder’s daughter, even as he held up a loose loop of cord in order to approximate length. To Toska he added, “I’m going to add a few extra inches to accommodate her growth – it’ll hang a bit long now, but then you won’t have to get her a new one in a month.”
In one smooth motion he stood up, cut the cord to the length he’d sized, strung the pendant on it, then plucked a simple hook-and-loop fastener from the little wooden box and attached it to the cord. “There you are, one lovely necklace for a lovely girl. That’s a quarter-mark, if you don’t mind.”
Turning back to Jessan, T’arn smiled at her. “They’d make wonderful decoration, or even as intimidation against her opponents. If you’d like to pick it up to feel the weight, feel free – just watch the claw tips, they are sharpened.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:59 am
Toska - T'arn's Stall
4 3/4 marks
"Thank you so much, sir, you have no idea how much this means -" Toska was talking quickly, and she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as T'arn came out from behind the counter to loop the leather cord around Tosk's neck. While the smith worked, she looked over at Jessan. "If I were you, I'd buy them. With customer service like this, I doubt our smith friend will have anything left over at the end of the day, and something that beautiful will probably go fast. What color's yours, by the way?" She recognized Jessan in a vague sort of way, but not enough to know her name; Toska was still new to wherhandling.
And then Jessan said she, which probably meant green, because Toska was fairly sure she'd met all the golds at Benden, and pit, and Toska realized why she hadn't met Jessan personally before. She had nothing against pit whers, really - they were what they were - but her feelings on the matter were...conflicting. And for someone to be talking so casually about murder...that wasn't what Toska wanted for Tosk. The gold was probably too fragile to do well in the Wherholders' gladatorial combat, and Toska was quite convinced she'd be just as bad at it. But she didn't hate it.
Oh, speaking of Tosk and her delicate sensibilities... "Do you still want a collar?"
Tosk paused, clearly considering this with a strong modicum of seriousness. Her eyes under the tinted goggles whirled a cacophony of colors as she thought, and Toska could distinctly feel the wherling's hunger for pretty things warring with her desire to not be greedy. Maybe, she tried tentatively, still unwilling to give up the idea of a handsome leather collar that Toska was still carrying in the back of her mind.
"Well, this was only a quarter-mark. If we find something we really like, I don't mind buying it for you," she said with a smile. "But first, I want to look at his work for myself, sweetheart."
...all right. And Tosk curled up at her feet again, content to watch the Gather go on around her.
For her part, Toska selected a turquoise pendant to match her wher's, then picked up the playful wher figurine, turning it over in her hands. "If I were to buy this, her pendant, and a pendant for myself...what would that run me?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 12:11 pm
Serdek - Vakus' Stall
5 1/2 marks
She didn't respond immediately to the leathercrafter's words, mentally going over her finances as she considered what she'd need in a saddle. Sersk wasn't exactly intended to be a mount so much as he was a stonehauler who could fight if necessary, so Serdek wasn't particularly looking to ride into battle with style.
Actually...Serdek waited for a break in the conversation before stepping slightly forward and speaking to Vakus again. "My boy and I do a lot of stone-hauling. My craft, you understand. Would there be any way to incorporate some degree of weight-bearing harness into a saddle? I'd be willing to pay extra."
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 12:27 pm
Ellanfer – Vakus’ Stall
2 marks
“A plain saddle is fine with me. I’m just going to be sitting on it in the dark anyway,” Ellanfer said with a soft laugh, handing over the marks. “I can see you’re busy, can I come back a little later to schedule a fitting? Come on, Ellansk, let’s let some other people in...”
He was a lot of wher, and he was kind of in the way, standing as they were right next to the booth. The big brown snorted a bit in disappointment – he’d been having fun flirting with the gold! – but with a good-natured rumble he backed up carefully and flopped down on his haunches a bit further back from the stall. Now there would be room for people to go around him and approach Vakus more easily.
Ellanfer’s smile faded just a bit at Kesin’s question. “He was... he was Norsk when I got him, actually. He belonged to someone I loved, who died in the Revolution. Now we stick together.”
V’ell – Wandering
1/4 mark
V’ell had spotted the back of D’ei’s head briefly, but she’d been buried in amongst a knot of people all gathered around the leatherworker’s stall. V’ell had no desire to fight her way past several people – and what looked like two large whers – just to say hello to her weyrmate. Better to hang out by the food and wait for D’ei to come her way...
And there she was. “Hey there, lover!” V’ell called, loping over with a catlike grin firmly in place. “I got you something. I think you’ll like it.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Jessan - T'arn's stall5 marksJessan did as requested, taking the smaller claw sheaths in hand. Her smile widened even further, the other hand smoothing over the curve of the steel. "It feels... well, I'm quite impressed. The look of it says they're wickedly sharp. Jessask would love them." Like any person that pampered their pets, Jessan wanted to drape her wher in the prettiest of things. Toska's comment did not go unheard: Jessan laughed and looked back to her, the claws still in her possession. "It's true. Excellent service and wonderful craftsman ship, did you see the detail in this?" She lifted it to be a bit more in view for the gold handler, still smiling. "She's a green, an absolute brick wall. We've been together nearly half my life. And, well, I'd not feel right about myself if I didn't at least attempt to haggle, even for a bargain like this gem. "What do you say, good sir?" Jessan turned back to T'arn, batting her lashes in a purposefully joking manner. "Take off a half mark or so for the free advertising or perhaps for making a very angry wher very happy for once in her life?" D'ei - Wandering1 7/8 marksAfter all this time, D'ei should have started to anticipate her lanky lover to surprise her out of nowhere. She stifled a surprised hiss when V'ell's voice rang out so close, pausing and turning to face the quickly moving greenrider. She grinned instead, a fleeting quick one, and grabbed at the hem of her weyrmates pants to tug her in. "Tell me it's not a puppy. You're enough of a handful." As if to prove her point, D'ei's hand dropped a bit lower and behind for a little squeeze. It dropped completely in order to avoid an indecency claim in public. "I have something for you too. Is that why you left the weyr early?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:33 pm
Peya
Peya made a 'humm' noise and nodded to Ralla. "Maybe this is more your style?" Stooping for a moment she reached under her stall, soon straightening back up with a bone-handled dagger in a black leather sheath with brass fittings. Drawing the blade she held it flat on her palms hilt out to Ralla, showing that the quality of the blade was just as fine as the more ornate weapons. "If minimalist beauty is more your style how about this? Three marks to you." Actually it was a blade a friend of hers had ordered, but friends could wait when there was business in the air.
[New One of a Kind Item: Minimalist Masterwork Dagger!]
Lucky Dip
"Look after it for me, and thank you! I'm sure I'll do just fine," the stall keeper grinned in return to Linfon.
Vakus
Vakus sucked his teeth thoughtfully but soon nodded to Serdek. "Yes, I don't think that would be a problem. I do harnesses for dray beasts, it would just be a matter of working out how best to incorporate the two. For a plain saddle harness combination... I like a new challenge, call it three and three quarters?"
Ellanfer's payment and offer of returning later got a brightly flashed grin from the leather worker. "Thank you for your custom! I look forward to seeing you later on."
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:33 pm
Anali -T'arn's Stall
4 1/4 marks
"Nothing to forgive," she assured him, sympathetic to the difficulties presented by old habits. "We all have our fair share of stubborn old habits."
"I'll take a dozen of each, please, in anticipation of learning something new." Anali handed over the asked-for marks with no attempt to talk him down. The price seemed quite reasonable to her - though, admittedly, she didn't know nearly enough about what she was purchasing to know for sure. And besides that, he'd been quite patient in explaining them to her.
The wherhandlers who'd begun to gather, interested in his other wares, she acknowledged with a polite nod. "If I ever find myself in need of more, may I come to you?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 2:04 pm
Ralla - Peya's Stall
4 marks
"Oh, now that is more like it," Ralla appreciated, leaning forward with a gleam in her eye that had been conspicuously absent when she'd examined the flashier dagger. Who needed an emerald-eyed feline head on their dagger when you could have simple elegance and just as fine a blade? Not to mention significantly less chance that someone would want to take what wasn't theirs.
"Three marks? You have a deal!" She wasn't about to argue price, not with the smith offering her something that hadn't been on display. She wanted it, and wasn't going risk losing it over half a mark or some such. The greenrider offered up her marks without hesitation.
Kesin - Vakus' Stall
2 1/2 marks
"Midday it is, then. We'll be seeing you soon!" This was exceptionally exciting - an exquisite, custom saddle for an exceptionally low price. Low enough that she still had half her marks left! Ooh, so many possibilities...
Hmm. So the handsome wher was a re-bond, then? Quite a few of those in the wake of the Revolution. "I see. Whatever his origins, he's a fine fellow. Do you live here at Benden, or at Malvren? Ah, right, I'm Kesin, by the way. You?"
Kesisk was somewhat dismayed when the brown moved away. Why was he going over there? She honked an objection at him.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 2:12 pm
Serdek - Vakus' Stall
1 1/2 marks
...The woman with the eye-patch - she had said something about reImpressing her brown. Serdek glanced over at Ellanfer and then at Ellansk, and her expression changed from its typical sullen neutrality to one of interest. A kindred spirit here at Benden...she would have to make a point to talk to the woman. But for the moment, Vakus was addressing her, and she had to pay attention to that.
"Three and three-quarters is fine," Serdek said, inclining her head with a smile that almost touched the rest of her face. "And if it turns out it's going to run you more than that, I'd be glad to pay the difference at any time." Quality workmanship was quality workmanship, and Serdek was willing to pay whatever she needed to for work that'd stand up under pressure. And Sersk...was surprisingly good at putting a lot of pressure on even good work. Reaching into her pocket, she drew out the marks and the measurements. "I'm Malvren and far's I know the big fella's never flown, so we might have some trouble getting over there. Took his measurements today, though," she said, handing over the folded paper along with the marks. It was a neat sketch of the wher, each dimension precisely labeled.
Never let it be said that she didn't have an analytical mind. "We'll be there for the fitting if you need us, of course, but it may take a while to accustom him - so feel free to leave this project for last."
"And for your trouble." A quarter-mark tip to the man and a smile. "Buy the flits something nice."
And then she turned, moving slightly closer to Ellanfer and Kesin but stopping a fair ways out of her personal space. "Excuse my interruption, but your brown's a reimpression, too? My Sersk lost his first handler in the coup."
-----
Linfon - Jorman and Jossi's Stall
7 7/8 marks
The smell of fried food was beguiling, and though Linfon tended to avoid anything that was made of primarily fat, bread, and sugar...well, she was at a Gather. She could afford to enjoy herself for a day. She had already won a firelizard egg playing a silly game, how much further could she really fall?
(And besides, the crowd around the smith's stall didn't quite seem to be ebbing yet. If it was who Linfon thought it was, she couldn't even feign surprise. Peya was like that.)
"Afternoon," she said calmly as she stopped and leaned a hip on the bakers' counter. "How's the..." She paused to look at the offerings. "...sweet dough? And do you have klah?"
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