[Shop Thread] Gathering Supplies.

by **Ariadne** on July 27th, 2012, 3:58 am

Timestamp: 15 Summer, 512AV

Stepping out of her shelter - a shanty that was formerly the shack (generously called, of course) she had grew up in, Ariadne loosed a satisfied sigh. With literally the clothes on her back and the possessions in her bag, she would be leaving the house (now that was just delusional) that had served for her home for many years. And all those years were haunted by ghosts better left buried than lived nightly as she came back to this place. All of that was soon to change, though, as she had submitted her application for a new living quarter today. She still smiled whenever she thought of living somewhere else rather than the place that she had literally grown up in, and leaving all the memories it contained.

The house was more now of a lean-to shelter, the storm last spring decimating the poor dwellings she had lived in all her life. Two walls were still standing somehow, a feat she tribute to luck more than craftsmanship. A third wall had been halved, and the fourth was missing completely. The roof was slumped in some places and missing in others, and no matter how often she cleaned the floor of debris it seemed that the following day there would still be some to remove. The most embarrassing part was that it looked poor. Ariadne could live poor (though she absolutely hated every minute of it) but for Rhysol’s sake, appearances were everything to her.

Ariadne looked over her former home, and didn’t quite understand the emotions that surfaced. Jubilation, certainly – she had been waiting for this for so long, holding onto her dream of escaping those four walls with a nearly vicious tenacity. Yet others rolled under the joy she felt, however. The expected nervous fear that all children felt when they left the roost: this was her childhood home, and regardless of the less-than-satisfactory childhood she had, there were good memories scattered among the sour ones. Panic, though she lumped that with the fear. And a strange, reflective disquiet filled her, the overwhelming yet subtle sensation that was the culprit for her hesitation. The young woman could not begin to understand what would spur such a reaction, but she learned a long time ago how to combat it – alcohol. Or some other such substances that could offer the same oblivious escape.

With one last look Ariadne left without looking back, falling into the rhythm of a brisk walk. Dwelling on such unpleasantness was a waste of time, and she had errands to run today. In particular hitting a few shops and making some purchases. Absentmindedly her hand crept under her fitted hip-length coat to feel the reassuring weight of the gold mizas contained within. Since the robberies following the storm, she had to recuperate some of the lost items – some cosmetics and perfumes, perhaps another outfit, a small knife. The knife especially – it had a habit of making pick-pocketing easier.

After a little walk she found herself outside of the first shop on her agenda. A carved sign hung above the door, the only object outside the storefront to be called “plain,” and in simple script declared the shop “Odds and Ends.” The shutters had been thrown open to reveal colourful merchandise inside, no doubt to catch the eye of a passing customer-to-be. Ariadne could not deny that the tactic was effective - she operated in a similar fashion, as it were.

Ariadne walked in and was immediately greeted by an extremely large man holding a make-shift weapon of thick wood and iron spikes. Although she had expected him, the man still managed to shock her near wit-less. Ariadne offered a beauteous smile and was utterly ignored after he glanced at her once. She had been expecting that as well and dismissed the large man to walk deeper into the shop. She didn’t need to go far to find Gloria in her usual place. The woman was a little shorter than Ariadne and significantly rounder than the young woman. She smiled warmly at Ariadne and greeted her, waiting patiently until Ariadne might need assistance. The young woman walked around the store, taking in the shelves and racks that lined the walls from floor to ceiling and were laden with items from shovels to belts, the array of colours mildly dizzying. Elsewhere, tables, crates and chests were crowded with other items. Ariadne took her time, curious hands feeling fabrics and leathers and countless others until she came upon a table with sundry beauteous items laid out. She found a kit that contained various cosmetic items – kohl for the eyes, paint for the lips and eyes, and powder for cheeks. Ariadne picked it up, intent on purchasing it, when she espied another need-to-have purchase – a bottle of perfume. She picked it up and unstopped the cork, smelling the opening inquisitively. The perfume smelled common, a simple mix of something sweet yet slightly spicy. She put her finger on the opening and upped the bottle briefly, and dabbed the perfume onto her wrist. She smelled her wrist, and although the perfume smelled cheap, it also had a slightly alluring scent to it. Not something she would normally wear, but considering her depleted supply Ariadne supposed that beggars really couldn’t be choosers. She added the bottle to the cosmetic kit.

Not finished with her shopping, Ariadne looked around until she found a pair of leather pants, complete with corset ties up at the top. In rapid succession she collected a red linen chemise and a pair of leather gloves. She stopped at a chest full of copper jewelry, briefly tempted to look through the collected treasures. Unfortunately, there was more to buy and no spare mizas for frivolous purchases.

Ariadne walked up to the desk, Gloria still patiently awaiting her. The young woman placed her treasures on the table for Gloria to tally up. Once finished, she gave Ariadne the final price and with a repressed wince Ariadne unstrung her purse and thumbed out the appropriate amount while Gloria put her purchases into a sack for easy transportation.

Ariadne collected her belongings and left the shop, heading to her next destination.

by **Ariadne** on July 27th, 2012, 10:44 pm

From Odds and Ends Ariadne walked, looking for a shop far showy than Gloria’s. Still located on the Docks, it didn’t take long to find the place – completely nondescript, only a sign hanging above the door gave any indication at all that the small building was indeed a shop. No windows decorated the outside, giving the shop a distinctly mysterious air. It was flanked by two larger buildings and attached to a warehouse. The rough, worn board swinging listlessly above read “Tine’s” in equally rough and worn script. Ariadne pushed open the door and walked into the Tine’s Exotic Goods.

It was as if the extravagance of the interior shop was making up for the lack of anything on the exterior. From one end to the other exotic goods (hence the name) lined the shop, so many so that merchandise from spilling into the warehouse at the back. Ariadne glance around, taking aback by all of the cluttered merchandise. She had need of one specific thing – how was she going to find it in all of this?

[color=#BFFFFF]“Ahhh, welcome to my game, would you like to play?” A man’s voice asked. Ariadne smelled his putrid breath before she saw him, and turned to find a man nearly as short as she very close to her. The young woman took a step back, having a keen fondness of personal space and those not needlessly invading it. She took in the hefty man with his rotten-toothed smile, feeling vaguely uncomfortable with the question. Ravok was a wondrous city, there was no doubt about that, but she had her seedy underbelly a bit more exposed than most of the cities in the world. And Tine had the stench of illegitimate activities clinging to him. Just the kind of man she needed, which made her weary.

“I’m looking for something,”she said, her voice sounding confident in spite of the nervousness she felt. “A small knife, perhaps only two or three inches long with a slender, shape blade.” She indicated the size with her slender hands – she only needed a small knife. “Maybe something that can fit snug to the wrist and gain little attention. Do you have anything similar to that? Something easily concealed but sharp enough to cut through… purse strings?”

Tine squinted at her thoughtfully before nodding. He left her standing at the front for several minutes and returned with a petite knife. The shopkeeper then handed her the slender set. She pulled it out to find a slender three-inch blade made of iron. Experimentally Ariadne ran the edge along her thumb and felt the skin part relatively easily. She shivered at the sting and nodded her head. “This will do very nicely.”

“I may have something else you’d be interested in.” Tine said shrewdly, and Ariadne looked up at him. He gestured for her to wait and left her to go to the back of the warehouse. He returned shortly after, carrying a folded cloth a little larger than the length of her hand. When Tine returned to his spot he opened the cloth up to reveal tools made for entering a home uninvited. Ariadne coolly cocked an eyebrow and stepped closer to inspect the kit. It included two skeleton keys; several long metal picks and pries, a long-nosed clamp, a small hand saw and a wedge and hammer. Ariadne’s own set had not been nearly as fine as this one – her’s had been second-hand and well used, but thieves stole it nonetheless.

“How much is it?” She asked. She didn’t often break into homes to levy the owner of their belongings, but she would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

“Thirty gold mizas.” Tine said, followed with a stern, “Non-negotiable.”

Ariadne winced, thinking of her purchases already. She would really rather replace her stolen kit as soon as possible, rather than needing it later and regretting not picking it up now. She sighed, knowing that her purse would feel lighter after this transaction. She would just need to levy more pockets of their gold, is all. And not get caught.

“I’ll take it.”

She exchanged her gold with Tine after retrieving the right amount and put her new belongings in the sack Gloria had provided.

With her business concluded, Ariadne walked back to the cubicle she rented from the NHC.