[Mkguild] First Steps (9/?)

[christian okane]

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: mkguild-bounces at lists.integral.org
[mailto:mkguild-bounces at lists.integral.org] 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.
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