[Mkguild] First Steps (9/?)

[Nathan Pfaunmiller]

Another part is now ready for your reading pleasure.

-LurkingWolf

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	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.