To Make the Shiny's.... (Valegreig's Gem Shop, Charon)

[Roebak As'karri]

TS: 26th of Spring, 510 A.V.

Roebak entered the shop on the second tier and looked about himself. The shops windows, from the outside, displayed many beautiful items made of precious metals, many of which were set with small gemstones.

Inside were more of the artfully made pieces, and he admired the craftsmanship on thier displays before he continued with his buisness. He was hoping that he could make a contract to sell items of his own make here. That would be most beneficial to him, as he planned to make his income in such a way.

His uncle had taught him as much as he could he had said, and it was time for him to support himself fully, through the trade he had chosen. Now Gemo was away on a buisness trip, and Roe was left to make ends meet by crafting jewelry. A thought tickled at the back of his head, You aren't good enough for this. The shopkeeper will laugh in your face!

Roe shoved the suggestion created by his counterpart away angrily, and went to speak with the shop attendant. "Good day sir. Can you direct me to the owner? I have a proposition for him."

[Charon]

The Akalak tending to mounting a beautifully shaped, ruby gemstone into a silver setting on a chain at a bench in the back of the store heard somebody enter and found it odd they kept to themselves at first. Usual patrons greeted him or made some sort of comment about the newest items on display within the first moments of entering the shop, but not this time. Before turning away from his work, he assumed he had never met this customer before. Standing and turning, the first obvious thing he noticed was the contrasting tint of this man's skin to his own. Thinking for a few brief moments, the Akalak could not remember the last time he had seen that hue on one of his own, confirming this new guest was a completely new face.

"Good day to you as well," the Akalak replied in the same genial and even tone. "I am the proprietor of this shop. Operator and crafter. This is my work." His large hands spread apart as he motioned to the shelves creating a U-shape in the store. Almost all of what could be seen had been crafted or at least modified by the man in the store and it was evident he was proud of his work as he very well should be. The quality was tremendous and rather unexpected from a small store in the bustling center of a city inhabited by such a strong race more suited to using their hands to fight than to craft beautiful jewelry. Retracting his hands and placing them on his hips, still studying the new face with a little more interest this time, the blue skinned man asked, "What sort of proposition is it that you're referring to?"

[Roebak As'karri]

Roe allowed the man to introduce himself without comment, but he did compliment the artisan's work that he prided himself in. "And they are very beautiful pieces sir." The blue man before him seemed to gain a little in interest as he studied Roebak's face, and then he asked about the proposition Roe had for him.

The young red Akalak answered politely, "I have studdied something of jewel crafting, under my uncle Gemo As'karri, however he has moved out of the city, and I am left to my own means. My current ambitions lie in perfecting my skill, and would like to sell my pieces either here in your shop, or to you directly." He let that sink in for a minute, very seriously anxious that the shop owner would laugh at him and tell him to leave.

He had spoken very quickly, his strange accent showing very thickly. His accent was not that of a different culture, but had developed in his childhood. He spoke so rarely, even with his uncle who raised him, that when he did speak, he kind of clipped his words, and although his dialect was the same as others raised in Riverfall, he had his own personal accent.

[Charon]

The compliments were nice, but not required. The shop owner and jewel crafter knew his work was the best in the city and therefore the best of anywhere close enough to Riverfall to eliminate any competition. Not that he thought of his craft as a competition--he was in the business simply to give himself a reason to continue his most enjoyed work. He lived off the profits and saved what he thought he needed, but took pride in giving back to his city and community when he could. It was the Council of Elders that allowed him to practice his skills and sell his creations and hire any young Akalak that could use a small job of shopkeeping so it was the city that he spent the rest of his efforts helping.

Listening carefully to Roeback's proposition, the older Akalak did not change his genial face until the red Akalak was finished and the shop owner thought for a few moments. "Well, it is not the way I typically do business, son," he started, but gave pause to consider the thought with a little more effort. "But then again how could I give an answer without actually seeing your work?!" A genuine laugh bellowed from him as he made a gesture with his hands, evidently finding himself quite humorous. It was good business practice, of course, to know what one was getting into before, well, one simply dove head first into it. "Have you brought anything to show me?" Smiling, he waited eagerly and interestingly to what Roe might offer next.

[Roebak As'karri]

Sadly, Roebak did not have any peices created yet. He didnt own all the neccissary tools, and he said as much. "Actually sir, that is a part of why I came to you. I only possess the tools to cut gems, not to shape metal to set the stones in."

He continued quickly so that the shop keeper would not interrupt, and to keep his mind from doubting. "I have the knowledge, and skill, to shape the metal, be assured, I simply do not own the tools, niether the means to obtain them at this time." He stopped there for a moment, and then realized he had not actually answered the Akalak's question, and so he quickly said, "I am afraid I must answer no, I do not have any peices yet to show you."

Roe was seriously nervous now, since this had been one of his more serious concerns before coming. What choice did he have though? He could not purchase the tools on his own, and this was the proffession he was best suited to.

[Charon]

The older and more experience jeweler spread his lips slowly and gently to form a warming smile that seemed more of a facade than an actual attempt to make the younger, red-bodied Akalak feel more comfortable. Though perhaps he was attempting to hide it, not even his skin tone did enough to hide the fact that his nerves were fretting to a point he had feared would happen. "I see," the shop owner said slowly as he mulled the situation over as he slowly made haste in his thought process.

Closing his eyes for a moment, the Akalak finally spoke again. "I can tell you are passionate about what you want to do and who am I to stop you, really? I have no need of an assistant, but if it means you can hone your skills while having some access to the tools you may need, I don't see why I can't talk to the Council about some season pay for you. Of course, you will have to help around the shop other than just practicing your skills." Valegreig hoped the offer would appeal to the younger Akalak. Before he forgot, he quickly added, "The job would not become available until the summer, however. I have some things I need to do around here through the rest of the season and I would want to have adequate time to prepare for your arrival, you understand." The shop keeper raised an eyebrow at Roe expecting him to take a few moments to think about the offer.