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Zhol wasn't sure where Khara had gone, and that worried him. True, she was under no obligation to tell him anything, and if she wished to have secrets from him, Zhol respected her privacy enough not to pry. It wasn't the secret that concerned him though; it was the mere notion of Khara venturing off into the market without him. It was perfectly safe of course, and if anything bad were to happen at the market, Zhol was sure that Khara would be more than capable of defending herself - as much as she might want it, Khara didn't need Zhol's protection, per se - but it wasn't just harm that Zhol longed to protect her from, but discomfort and upset and anxiety as well. No amount of respect for Khara could assuage the concern and helplessness he felt, nor stop the torrent of worst case possibilities that began to stream through his mind.
It was those thoughts that distracted Zhol, and stopped him from haggling with Tordon over the price; those thoughts, paired with his complete lack of negotiating skill. It was strange, he supposed, considering where he had grown up. In Endrykas, most transactions circumvented coin and currency. The Drykas would rather trade the produce of their craft with one another, or trade services in exchange for goods for directly, instead of merely shuffling gold and silver around from person to person. For Zhol, that service had been taking care of horses for those who lacked the time and inclination, or lending a pair of unskilled hands to menial and unpleasant tasks. In Endrykas, Zhol had understood what his services were worth, how much effort went into a task, and what he could expect to ask for or receive in exchange. With coin though, the values were meaningless. Zhol received the same pay as any other Avora; a season caring for horses earned him the same as a season forging weapons, or a season hunting in the Unforgiving. Zhol didn't understand that; couldn't comprehend that. He could do the mathematics, calculate the numbers, work out just how much he had done to earn each pinion; but whether that pinion's worth of work matched a pinion of a carpenter or a blacksmith's time, Zhol had absolutely no idea. It was entirely baffling; and if that was the price that the artisans felt was appropriate for the time and resources involved, he hardly felt knowledgeable enough to disagree.
Tordon himself added to Zhol's confusion. Rather than simply take Zhol's order and deprive him of his pinions, Tordon had sought clarification. He'd explained how training dummies were made, the number of different craftsmen involved in making the various parts, and the time it would all take; and then he'd suggested an alternative, a training post instead, quicker and simpler to make, yet arguably more versatile, and a steal at half the price. Zhol found that hard to fathom - why was Tordon trying to separate him from less of his money? Perhaps the simpler design meant that fewer parts from other artisans were needed, and so the Hot Hammer kept a bigger portion of the profit; but Zhol was too wary of the merchant's possible motives to enquire.
With Khara still not back by the time Zhol had finished his purchase, he found himself faced with something of a dilemma. On the one hand, he could set out in search for her, but he was so determined not to disrespect her right to secrets and privacy that he barely managed to allow himself to glance around and see if she was nearby, lest he accidentally see whatever it was she didn't want him to see. He'd snuck a covert glance at the adjacent stall and, satisfied that Khara was not there, he'd wandered over with the intention of casually browsing. That had been a mistake; approaching a stall without a clear intention had ensnared him within the merchant's web. Worse, it was no ordinary stall: apparently a shipment of fine wine had arrived in the city a few days before, and remembering how much Khara had enjoyed the bottle they'd shared in the Hideaway on her birthday, wine became too plausible a possible purchase for there to be any hope of Zhol walking away from there still in possession of all his pinions. At least he'd had the fortitude to only buy one bottle, and it wasn't like he would have spent those ten pinions on anything else any time soon, and technically it was for Khara as much as it was for himself, but still: as Zhol stood there gripping the glass bottle by the neck and trying in vain to understand the writing scrawled across the label - he wasn't even sure what language it was, let alone what it might have said - he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself. Hopefully Khara wouldn't be as well; his stomach sank as he imagined the way her eyes would look at him if she were.
That thought fresh in his mind as Zhol finally glimpsed Khara emerging out of the crowd, he panicked, and not-very-subtly hid the bottle behind his back, hoping she hadn't seen.
OOCPaid six pinions instead of five for the "training post, simple"... because it wouldn't be a Zhol shopping thread if he wasn't slightly overcharged for something!
Zhol wasn't sure where Khara had gone, and that worried him. True, she was under no obligation to tell him anything, and if she wished to have secrets from him, Zhol respected her privacy enough not to pry. It wasn't the secret that concerned him though; it was the mere notion of Khara venturing off into the market without him. It was perfectly safe of course, and if anything bad were to happen at the market, Zhol was sure that Khara would be more than capable of defending herself - as much as she might want it, Khara didn't need Zhol's protection, per se - but it wasn't just harm that Zhol longed to protect her from, but discomfort and upset and anxiety as well. No amount of respect for Khara could assuage the concern and helplessness he felt, nor stop the torrent of worst case possibilities that began to stream through his mind.
It was those thoughts that distracted Zhol, and stopped him from haggling with Tordon over the price; those thoughts, paired with his complete lack of negotiating skill. It was strange, he supposed, considering where he had grown up. In Endrykas, most transactions circumvented coin and currency. The Drykas would rather trade the produce of their craft with one another, or trade services in exchange for goods for directly, instead of merely shuffling gold and silver around from person to person. For Zhol, that service had been taking care of horses for those who lacked the time and inclination, or lending a pair of unskilled hands to menial and unpleasant tasks. In Endrykas, Zhol had understood what his services were worth, how much effort went into a task, and what he could expect to ask for or receive in exchange. With coin though, the values were meaningless. Zhol received the same pay as any other Avora; a season caring for horses earned him the same as a season forging weapons, or a season hunting in the Unforgiving. Zhol didn't understand that; couldn't comprehend that. He could do the mathematics, calculate the numbers, work out just how much he had done to earn each pinion; but whether that pinion's worth of work matched a pinion of a carpenter or a blacksmith's time, Zhol had absolutely no idea. It was entirely baffling; and if that was the price that the artisans felt was appropriate for the time and resources involved, he hardly felt knowledgeable enough to disagree.
Tordon himself added to Zhol's confusion. Rather than simply take Zhol's order and deprive him of his pinions, Tordon had sought clarification. He'd explained how training dummies were made, the number of different craftsmen involved in making the various parts, and the time it would all take; and then he'd suggested an alternative, a training post instead, quicker and simpler to make, yet arguably more versatile, and a steal at half the price. Zhol found that hard to fathom - why was Tordon trying to separate him from less of his money? Perhaps the simpler design meant that fewer parts from other artisans were needed, and so the Hot Hammer kept a bigger portion of the profit; but Zhol was too wary of the merchant's possible motives to enquire.
With Khara still not back by the time Zhol had finished his purchase, he found himself faced with something of a dilemma. On the one hand, he could set out in search for her, but he was so determined not to disrespect her right to secrets and privacy that he barely managed to allow himself to glance around and see if she was nearby, lest he accidentally see whatever it was she didn't want him to see. He'd snuck a covert glance at the adjacent stall and, satisfied that Khara was not there, he'd wandered over with the intention of casually browsing. That had been a mistake; approaching a stall without a clear intention had ensnared him within the merchant's web. Worse, it was no ordinary stall: apparently a shipment of fine wine had arrived in the city a few days before, and remembering how much Khara had enjoyed the bottle they'd shared in the Hideaway on her birthday, wine became too plausible a possible purchase for there to be any hope of Zhol walking away from there still in possession of all his pinions. At least he'd had the fortitude to only buy one bottle, and it wasn't like he would have spent those ten pinions on anything else any time soon, and technically it was for Khara as much as it was for himself, but still: as Zhol stood there gripping the glass bottle by the neck and trying in vain to understand the writing scrawled across the label - he wasn't even sure what language it was, let alone what it might have said - he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself. Hopefully Khara wouldn't be as well; his stomach sank as he imagined the way her eyes would look at him if she were.
That thought fresh in his mind as Zhol finally glimpsed Khara emerging out of the crowd, he panicked, and not-very-subtly hid the bottle behind his back, hoping she hadn't seen.
OOCPaid six pinions instead of five for the "training post, simple"... because it wouldn't be a Zhol shopping thread if he wasn't slightly overcharged for something!
"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
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