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Customizing || Bow
Luck Stat || 20+2
Item Durability || 11
Rolls Needed || 60-100
Rolled || 86
Outcome || Success
Resulting Item Tier || Tier 4

Dyakida set the spherical-smoothed crystal into a socket in the bow carefully. She'd made sure that the bow could handle the socketing, but one couldn't be too careful in crafting. There was always the possibility that it would

“Hey, is that the crystal I brought you last time?” The Iceling's voice held an almost teasing grin.

“It may well be.” Said Dyakida. She had no idea – if she failed to mark it, one high quality piece of crystal melted into another.

“Has to be. Only my Ma and I know where to find crystals that white.”

“If you say so.” The Iceling was a merchant friend from Neued. He brought her Zenan crystals, bone, stone, and mammu tusk. Most of all, he brought her high-quality Zenan leather. They'd made some very exclusive deals, and she knew that her weapons only gained in quality from association with him. His name was Nereseud, and he had told her that he was 'rakishly handsome', or something. She'd felt his face out of curiosity, but was not convinced... not that she knew what 'handsome' or 'attractive' meant in a man. “Any news out of Zena?”

“Sure!” he said, “The festival went well! Really well. Me and my family sold off a lot of stuff. Our best festival yet – we're set for this year, storeswise.” She imagined that he winked, “... But you know me, I came all this way just to make my favorite customer happy.”

“I doubt I'm your favorite. Your only regular Alkidike, likely.” she protested, smiling. The crystal fit neatly in it's socket and she manipulated it to make sure it stayed there, held by glue and by the closeness of the wooden socket itself.

“Same thing!” he said, laughing. “Oh, also, I heard that councilman's halfbreed daughter – you know, the half shifter? She had half water babies.”

“Oh?” The water tribe was certainly starting to make modest forays into the blood of other tribes, wasn't it. She knew of Alkidike-water children in Matori, and had heard of Shifter-water children in Ast, of course, and she'd heard that Fire-water hybrids were common in Oba. But quarter-blood ice and shifter with half matori blood? That seemed a little too far.

“Well, baby. It's not even much of a scandal, but it's still news.”

“Hmm.” How could such a child even have an identity? Dyakida knew that Aisha sometimes bloomed flowers that were more mixed than that, but at least then, regardless of what earthling inspirations they may have, they were still born of Aisha. Her life force flowed through them. It was who they were. But when they were born of an Earthling mother, like Zoraida had been, did they still feel a bond with one of their races, or were they born alone in their identity? “What was the name of the woman, again?”

“Zumi, Zur... something.”

“Zuri?” the name was familiar even as she said it, and she remembered, suddenly, that she did know someone of that name. Someone who had left the jungle long ago.

“Yeah! That's it.”

“Aha.” She did indeed know that name... The once-wife of Biroki, her once-friend. Hadn't she also had a talent with magic? Or was she doing something different? “Do you, by any chance, know this 'Zuri?'” she asked the merchant.

“No, why?”

“I was hoping I could send a letter off with you. I may have met her once... unless there are several half-shifter Icelings in Zena. Named Zuri..?”

“Probably not. She's the only one I know of... I could take your letter up, sure.” said Nereseud, “You know her?”

“Possibly. Once.” She returned to the bow, finishing it off before testing a bowstring. She'd requested it from Nereseud – it was supposed to be treated with magic-condusive solutions. It strung well and, when she summoned what little magic she could muster into it, she felt it take to the string easily. “Ah, beautiful!” she said, pleased.

“Would I ever sell you the wrong stuff?” he asked, proudly.