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 Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 11:39 pm
Now THAT was a good topic! Money was something Dusty was always eager to get in on, and examining the bracelet (and particularly that lovely little pearl... did he have one in his collection? He didn't think so), his mind was instantly working on some way to input.
"Oh yeah? I make some money too, here and there," he offered casually, still peering at the pretty little thing. "Allowance, mostly. Other stuff, too. Mostly I buy comics, sometimes new stuff for my collections.... People really buy this stuff from ya, huh?" Abruptly changing the subject back to Caoimhe's handiwork, the deerkitten seemed to be thinking something over. "And you find all of the bits just layin' on the beach?" There had to be some way that he could take advantage of this situation- wait for it, wait for it....
"Hey, why don't you just let me sell some of that stuff for ya?" He questioned suddenly, eyes lighting up with the force of idea. "Hear me out a sec- look, so, you make your stuff and sell it, right? But then your Guardian takes most of the money. So what you oughta do is, when you make your stuff, you and me can meet up, and I can go downtown and sell it for ya- maybe by the college or somethin', there's gotta be a good crowd for this sorta stuff. And then we can split the money, and if we don't let your Guardian know about it, she can't take any of your money, right?" The enterprising Fa'e grinned. "Completely win-win, right?"
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Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 11:56 pm
Dragging an idle finger over the smooth shells, Caoimhe listened to Dustin's proposal, blinking methodically as she took it all in. A partnership? Just as she opened her mouth to interrupt, she was silenced by his further insistence. Hm... technically, the selkie had some kind of business deal with the boutique that Gristla worked for so that only they could sell her stuff to increase the demand. Still, if she didn't called the trinkets "Jewels of the Sea" with Dusty, then how would they find out? The prospect of having more access to the money was definitely appealing, not that she knew what she would buy. Food, probably. Maybe some more clothes and books. Oh, or her own television! She needed to learn more about those things anyway.
But this was fishy. How would she know if Dustin was giving her a fair share? And how could she stop him from running off with her goods? And how was some kid going to sell her stuff to a bunch of kids older than her? So, she voiced her concerns. "Yeah, it sounds good. But what kind of cut are we talking? And how can I know that you are giving me all my money? Or stop you from running off with my merchandise! I know what embezzlement is." Well, she kind of did. If she was going to trust Dustin with her finances, then she needed to let him know that she was quick enough to be skeptical.
Of course, she wouldn't admit that she really enjoyed making the jewelry, and it had almost a $0 production cost. Practically pure profit. Even if he did rip her off, it wouldn't be much of a burden. Plus, with her mouth watering at the idea of a friend, even one that might just be using her--well, the girl was starting to feel desperate. Which she was doing her best to keep hidden. No, she had to make him need her.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 12:12 am
"That's okay, 'cause I don't," Dusty replied cheerfully. Half a lie- he had a fuzzy idea that the word had something to do with money, but it certainly wasn't a bit of vocabulary his Guardian had thought to teach him just yet. Probably because she was afraid that if he knew what it was, he'd find some way to commit it. And maybe she'd be right, who knew?
For now, though, the word wasn't the issue. Caoimhe needed convincing- and how was Dusty supposed to persuade her? "Look, I can write all the numbers out and keep track if you want," he offered. As much as he might detest his math class, he did study it- and when money was involved, his interest mysteriously multiplied. "Keep track of all the numbers, so you can see exactly what sold for what and how much you get and how much I get, right? And I told you where I live, so 's not like I could just disappear!"
In his mind, Dusty was already thinking of the new rocks he could add to his gem collection. If Caoi was as good at finding pearls and stuff as she claimed, maybe she could even help him fill out his collection, too! Ohh, or maybe they could expand the business and make some real nice stuff, too- Dusty could probably get his Guardian to use her connections to get them in contact with some jewelers in the city, figure out their suppliers, maybe start small with copper wire, build up....
"C'mon, Kee," he pressured, "it'll be great! I got a head for business, trust me. This's just the sorta thing I'm good at!... well, one thing, anyway." Grinning in as charming a manner as he knew, he stuck out one hand. "So, whaddaya say? Wanna give it a try?"
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 12:28 am
God, it was win-win. It was entirely win-win. In fact, Caoimhe immediately wished she had thought of it. In her mind, against her wishes, a tiny tally appeared under Dusty's name. Damn. Still, he hadn't given her numbers. This wouldn't be some 50-50 crap if she was doing all the work. 90-10 sounded better. Maybe she'd go as far as 70-30, but she wouldn't tell him that. Better yet, why discuss it now? She could let him get excited about the idea of having the money at all and then drop the price break down. Yeah, that would be good.
So, having thought it out much longer than most things that she thinks about, the selkie Fa'e extended her own hand and shook--hard enough to let him know she meant business. "Alright, I'm in," she said before adding, "so long as you really move my merchandise." If she could, Caoi might have tried to sell it herself, but her social skills weren't exactly top notch. She was just as likely to hit a customer as sell them something. It was in her interest to let someone else do the talking.
Sure, he was a kid, but most of the time, so was Caoimhe. How bad could he screw it up? The paper with all the numbers sounded like a good check, and again, the selkie wasn't one to really see all the loopholes there either. Unfortunately, math was nowhere near the Fa'e's strong suit, but she was willing to pretend the opposite if she had to at least. "When does this start?" Her naive eyes hardened as she tried to look as serious as possible in front of her business partner.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 1:01 am
Perfect perfect perfect! They were in business! The ecstatic approval read clearly on Dusty's face as they shook, his grip reflexively matching the power in her hand before they broke away. The smirk on Dustin's face was at least friendly-ish, but it couldn't be more obvious that the Fa'e thought he was getting the best of the partnership. Then again, good partnerships left each participant with that feeling, wasn't that right?
Of course, how he was going to fit this new venture into his loaded schedule, the youth wasn't quite sure yet- but hell, he'd make it work. Anything important, he could always find time for. Just took a little bit of craftiness, and that wasn't anything he lacked.
"Well! I s'pose that depends on how soon you can get some to me to sell!" He replied with a laugh. "Tell ya what- you know where I live now, right? You wanna come by this Saturday, maybe 'round 4, and we can get everythin' smoothed out and stuff. And maybe play some video games and eat pizza or somethin' after?" If Dusty had learned one thing in life, it was that it never, ever hurt to hedge one's bets with promises of gaming and junk food. At least, that always worked on the neighborhood kids....
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 10:52 am
First things first, Caoimhe would need to sharpen her knowledge of money. It had taken the girl long enough to learn that you can't just take things in Gaia. You have to pay for them. It didn't make much sense to the girl, but after being excused of theft and chased several times by police, she had forced herself to go by their rules. Besides, other than food, clothes, and material for making her jewelry, the girl didn't get out much.
Yes, this business venture would be good for her on many levels. If she paid close enough attention, she might even become a little business savvy. Maybe. Truth be told, Caoimhe already had some stuff she could give to him back at her house. Her other business partner only wanted the fancier-looking stuff made with silver chains and more expensive materials so she had a lot of left over goods made like the bracelet she wore. She'd start Dustin out on those until she knew she could trust him.
"Yeah," she said, pretending to check her schedule in her head. "Hm, I could come by probably. Like around 4:30 though." She wanted to put things on her terms. Of course, she had no plans that day at all, as per usual, but he didn't need to know that. Frankly, at the word pizza, she had almost fallen out of her chair. She wasn't really sure about video games, but she could probably figure it out. A grin pulled at the corners of her mouth, and the Fa'e said, "This has been a productive day at the park." She hadn't exercised, true, but with nothing on her schedule, she had plenty of time to run off her excess.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 4:40 pm
There was no practical difference between 4 and 4:30, so far as the younger Fa'e were concerned. "Four-thirty it is, then!" He agreed cheerfully. The enterprising youth was already looking forward to their next meeting, he could hardly wait for it!... but whoops. This one wasn't quite ended yet, and he'd better make sure it ended on a positive note before he got too excited for their next.
Hopping back onto the ground, Dusty brushed off the back of his khakis before speaking again- "I'd better get goin', anyway. I got some-" he wrinkled his nose, "- stuff I gotta get ready for." An exaggerated shudder implied some unpleasantness on the horizon, doubled with a long-suffering sigh for emphasis. "So Kee, I'll see ya Saturday. Don't forget or nothin'!" Copying the lazy two-fingered wave his Guardian had performed on too many occasions, Dusty signaled farewell and headed back the way he came, enormously pleased with how things had gone.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 7:31 pm
Dustin's enthusiasm was infectious, but the guarded Fa'e only allowed herself a satisfied smile and matter-of-fact head nod. She didn't want to get too excited, in case it didn't work out. But it really did seem like it was going to--hell, they were already talking about pizza!
As the other Fa'e got ready to leave, Caoi got to her feet, stretching her arms above her head. She still had a run to go on. Lots in fact. If her fitness potential was anything like her growth spurts, it shouldn't take too much to get back to her normal shape. "Yeah, I need to..." Caoimhe pointed toward the path, letting the gesture finish her sentence.
Returning Dusty's wave with a quirk of her wrist, she watched him walk off, wondering why he had come to the park in the first place. She was there to run, but he had just kind of strolled in, met her, and left. What an odd kid, the kind she liked. Smiling to herself, the selkie Fa'e faced the path and took off at a light jog. She wouldn't be able to tell Gristla about the reason for her visit to Dustin's on Saturday, but she was certain her guardian would love to see her getting out of the house.
Yes, this had definitely been a good day.
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