Everything's Better with Leather (Garran)

by **Garran Frostfawn** on May 7th, 2013, 12:43 am

Garran only smirked at Laria’s brusque dismissal of the notion that he needed to be given any special treatment. He wasn’t as amused at her similar dismissal of the younger Frostfawn, but he held his tongue, merely going over to the counter and looking over Nikomas’ handiwork. Sometimes it paid to just go with the flow – even if the flow was about as smooth as a landslide of craggy boulders. Garran didn’t want to mess anything up for the would-be employee, so he simply concentrated on finalizing things, as Laria seemed intent upon doing. His eyes scanned the repair work and it looked excellent, to his well trained eye. He fiddled about with leather tack every day of his life, and the stitching looked far smoother than Laria’s rather wrinkled frown. More importantly, it looked like it would hold – and yes, eventually the whole damn thing would need replacing. But not today. Today he could get on with his work, with no time really lost. Perfect.

“Perfect,” he said with a satisfied nod at the strap. “How much?”

Laria named a sum and from the corner of his eye, as he handed over the amount requested, Garran saw Arvas basically shooing Niko out the door. That didn’t sit too well with the trainer, but again, all he could was try to bolster the good impression that he hoped the guy had made on the furrier.

“Quick and skillful – I think you’ve got yourself a keeper there, Laria,” Garran said pleasantly, and sincerely. “ I know where to come for my repairs – for the stables.” There, the message was planted. Hopefully it would take root and grow. The White Elk stable could bring her a lot of custom. She was a canny business woman – she’d understand.

But Laria only turned her tight set lips to him and nodded curtly, with a terse, “And I thank you for that, Garran, Is there anything else you’re needing today?”

Doing his best to look…persuasive…Garran added in a softer tone, “Not today, no. But…I’ll be back.” Lower still, he added, “If you’re smart – and I know you are – you’ll hire him, Laria.”

He gave her a warm smile, one that held promise and potential, and then turned and walked in his businesslike way to the door. With a nod and a good-bye to Arvas, he stepped out into the dull sunlight. As he had hoped, Nikomas had not made it too far, and he hailed him with a bright, “Hey, wait up!”

Coming up to the young man, Garran gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s good – excellent,” he said, holding out the mended harness. “You have a talent. She knows it. Don’t worry. She’ll hire you. She has to. She needs someone like you.”

by **Nikomas** on May 20th, 2013, 12:42 am

Nikomas felt like a failure. An absolute failure. He had done his best, and yet, he was being sent on his way, only to have to wait for a reply, which was most likely going to be thanks, but no thanks.

What could I have done differently...done better? he now thought as he made his way away from the shop. Should I have used a different name? What would they have known? Huh? I could've said I was a Skyglow. No one keeps track of these things. Do they? Why was I so stupid to think that she would ever want...

"Hey, wait up!" he suddenly heard someone say, which caused his heart to race. Had Laria made up her mind already? Was it Arvas calling for him?

Oh, wait, no...it was just Garran.

"Thanks," was all Nikomas was able to say at first as the older Vantha tried to reassure him with both kind words and a pat on the shoulder. However, the more he stood there listening to the man, the more he wanted to just break down and cry. This felt like such a huge disappointment to him, and not for the simple fact that he thought he had done well, but that he had somehow let the Frostfawns down, too.

"I just...I thought I had it. I really did. I did my best. I did. But I guess that wasn't good enough. I mean, sure, I'm to come back tomorrow to find out what Laria wishes, but every bone in my body is saying that she's just going to point and laugh at me and call me a fool. Did I really think I could just walk right in to my parents greatest competitor and have them hand me a job? She'd be right in calling me a fool. She would."

He rambled now as he always did when he was either nervous or upset. One didn't need to look at his eyes to know when Nikomas was having a rough time with something. It usually came out in his words. That was part of the problem with being a storyteller. The words just flowed, even when they weren't really needed.

"I...I'm sorry. You don't need to hear any of this. If I go on, you'll just think I'm a fool, too. Worse yet, you'll think I'm a wicked fool if I were to tell you the real reason I wanted to work for Laria."

by **Garran Frostfawn** on May 24th, 2013, 5:54 pm

The look on Nikomas’ face said it all. Garran saw the disappointment there, and his heart went out to the guy. Laria had really blown the younger Frostfawn off, and Garran could easily see how Nikomas was taking her dismissal, despite his own encouraging words. The words that poured forth echoed the greenish-gold, anguished color of his eyes, and Garran listened sympathetically.

"I just...I thought I had it. I really did. I did my best. I did. But I guess that wasn't good enough. I mean, sure, I'm to come back tomorrow to find out what Laria wishes, but every bone in my body is saying that she's just going to point and laugh at me and call me a fool. Did I really think I could just walk right in to my parents greatest competitor and have them hand me a job? She'd be right in calling me a fool. She would."

The older Vantha shrugged. “You’re disappointed in her reaction – That’s understandable. Being blown off like that is hard. I think she’s just yanking your chain – and in the end, maybe that’s not the type of person you’d want to work for anyway. But all you can do is ask yourself if your work was good, or not. If you can answer yourself truthfully with ‘yes’ - that is what counts, because then you know it’s her spite against your parents that has lost you the job – not your own skill.” Garran gave Niko another smile. “But don’t lose hope yet. Laria can be a bitch, but she isn’t stupid. She needs help – and she won’t get any better than you.” He gave the harness a pointed little shake, to show he meant that he knew, Nikomas had talent. “If she doesn’t hire you, then she’s the fool.”

Nikomas appeared to be only halfway listening – that is, he seemed much preoccupied by his own pessimistic train of thought. As Garran watched the younger man, Nikomas seemed a bit…stricken, and added, "I...I'm sorry. You don't need to hear any of this. If I go on, you'll just think I'm a fool, too. Worse yet, you'll think I'm a wicked fool if I were to tell you the real reason I wanted to work for Laria."

The horse trainer’s eyebrows moved up a fraction of an inch on his forehead at this confession, and he wondered what in the world Nikomas meant by it. He couldn’t fathom it at all, and he felt under the circumstances, as Nikomas had brought it up, that it would be alright for him to ask directly (which might also prove highly satisfactory to his rather nosy nature).

“Well, I’m never one to say I can’t be convinced of something, given the right arguments.” He added a wry smile as he asked, “So tell me what these wicked, foolish motives might be, that have you dying to work in a furrier’s shop?” He made it almost sound as if Laria’s establishment was some den of iniquity – not to mock Nikomas, but to try to add humor to a situation where the young man might be taking things a little too seriously.

by **Nikomas** on May 31st, 2013, 3:23 am

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you must swear to never repeat what I say, like, ever. Especially if I actually do get the job. Laria must never know. Got it?"

Nikomas waited now, watching the older Vantha closely, and when it appeared that he would not say another word, he told him.

"Because my family sort of, well, doesn't want anything to do with me, as you may already know, seeing that you and Ziv are friends...er, were friends...whatever, well, I was hoping to maybe, just maybe..."

The young Vantha paused now. Was he really going to tell this perfectly good stranger something so personal, so soon after meeting him? What right did he have in knowing such a thing? What if he told Ziv? What if he told Laria? What if he just laughed?

Oh, petch it!

It mattered not. He probably wasn't getting the job anyway. Why not tell him? Then they could have a good laugh and go get a drink or something. That could be fun.

"The real reason I want to work for Laria is..."

He took one more deep breath now and ran a hand through his unruly locks.

"Iwashopingtobeapartofsomethingthatremindedmeofmyfamily," he spewed without taking another breath.

Phew, he inwardly exhaled at the same time he actually exhaled, happy to have that out of the way. However, the look of utter confusion on Garran's face caused a moment of panic in the young Vantha. Actually, was it confusion or disgust? Maybe it was just gas? Oh, for the gods above! He thought him a fool, just like he said he would! An utter fool!

"What? What's wrong? I...it...it's a silly notion! I knew it! I just knew it! You think I'm a petchin' fool!" he openly lamented as he literally began to stagger away in total embarrassment, his head hung low.

Great, Niko, you really did it this time. He's going to go off and tell every Frostfawn he can find that they should stay away from the crazy leatherwork that nobody wants.

by **Garran Frostfawn** on May 31st, 2013, 7:32 pm

Garran felt a small, subtle quiver of uneasiness settle about them - Nikomas with that serious look and distraught tone . He braced himself for what the younger Vantha was going to reveal. At the leathercrafter’s insistence that he not tell a soul about this dark secret, Garran gave him a steady, frank look, and nodded his head. “You have my word, Niko. It won’t go any further than here.” The solemn expression on the other’s face made Garran’s jaw clench a bit, willing himself to keep a neutral expression himself, no matter what the substance of this dire communication might be. He couldn’t for the life of him think of any explanation for Niko wanting to work for Laria that was so very black – unless it was to be close enough to his parents’ rival to stab her through the heart with an awl – but that seemed a little over the top. Still, the boy’s face was tragic, and Garran prepared himself to hear something pretty god awful.

Even with that assurance of silence unto the grave, Nikomas hesitated, looking almost ashamed, and Garran’s brow knotted into a little bit of a frown. Avanthal was a small place – the type of city where rumors flew like wildfire – he was living proof of that. And he couldn’t recall having heard anything really super bad about this young man – though he never went out of his way to listen to such gossip. So he might have missed something – if there was anything to miss. What on earth could this youngster have done to warrant that look of excessive anxiety, as he hemmed and hawed, saying only something about his family, sort of…disowning him? Garran could well imagine that being the case, based on all Ziv had ever had to say about his younger brother – and very little of that good. Still, how did that play into this…moment of angst?

And then it all came spilling out and Garran did indeed allow his eyebrows to shoot up – despite his intention to maintain a carefully neutral, but caring, façade. What the hell? It made no sense at all to the horse trainer – not substantively and not by implication. If Niko wanted something like his family – why not just go work for them?? Surely no bridges had been that badly burned yet that he could not rebuild them? And what in the world was wrong with wanting something so simple – so…elemental? Being with one’s family – having that love and acceptance – well, that was like air and water and food, wasn’t it? Vantha families were vast, complicated and pervasive – the Vantha were all about family ties and their Holds. So why would Nikomas take any shame in wanting what most Vantha wanted? And why would he act as if this was so utterly impossible a goal?

Garran’s mouth had just opened, ready to spill out a load of unsolicited advice – and comfort – but Nikomas beat him to it, looking back at him having seen the confusion on the trainer’s face. To his little explosive expostulation – all self-denigrating – Garran snapped his mouth shut, taken a back for a moment. What he saw in those eyes was rather heart breaking – such a world of hurt! He had to wonder furiously what this rift was that had so completely cut Nikomas off from his family – it must have been a doozy. He racked his brain trying to recall anything that Ziv might have said, way back then, but of course, Nikomas had been little more than a child then. So it must have been in more recent years…

Quickly though, as Nikomas physically was turning away and began to walk off, Garran called out, “Wait, Niko – hold on…!” The younger Vantha though kept right on walking, fast. Garran had the impulse to go after him, and try to tease out the strands of this family schism – to reassure Niko and maybe offer some words of wisdom. To comfort him, because he knew what it was to hurt and not be able to walk around with that pain in plain sight for all to see. To have to keep it hidden, fearful of telling anyone the real truth. But he stopped himself, almost as his boot began to move forward. Watching the back of the retreating young man, he rethought what was really called for here, and he decided – if Niko needed space at this emotional moment, who was he to barge in and thrust himself on the poor guy?

Thinking that sometimes, less is best, Garran just sighed, watching Niko for a few moments longer, before turning away, onto his own path back to the stables. He wasn’t letting it drop, exactly. He was only determined to approach this sore subject at some better time, when Nikomas might let him know, one way or the other, that he wanted to talk about it.

Le Fin

by **Noblesse** on July 9th, 2013, 2:40 am

Nikomas Frostfawn :

Garran Frostfawn :

True nobility lies in being superior to your former self

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out. Heehee.

Closed Everything's Better with Leather (Garran)