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The Shining Diamond was a lonely little store set well back from the
busy merchant center of Zintia. A small whitewashed stone shop with a
simple sign that denotes a faucet diamond. Madeira had happened upon
the place almost by accident in her many explorations of the city when
she landed. From the outside it did not look like much, but inside was
a wealth of treasure.
A bell tinkled musically as the Spiritist let herself inside. A fire
was burning in a hearth in the corner, its light reflecting off of the
glass cabinets placed strategically around the room. Otherwise the
room was somewhat dark and musty smelling, with dust motes dancing in
the one window that never seemed to be open. An old man, the
proprietor Guancho Li, was lounging in a splendid but worn armchair by
the counter nearest the door, and he stirred as Madeira entered but
didn't bother himself to rise and greet his customer.
It was a wonder the wealthier people of Lhavit ever bothered with the
gloomy little shop. But you had to see what was in those cases to
understand. Gold and silver and jewels of every cut were laid out. The
beautiful creations of the master jewel crafter hardly needed light to
show off the faucets and brilliance, and the metalwork was as fine as
Madeira had ever seen. In her last visit she had recognized the
quality and leapt at the chance to put Rosie, Jomi's bizarre gem
laying red hen, to good use. In the end she had commissioned two
stunning pieces, and now she was back for more.
"Mister Li", she approached the armchair and smiled as she extended a
gloves hand. "I believe I have an appointment."
Guancho looked up at her, his jewel crafter eyes as sharp as a hawks
even in the low light. He took her in, from the beautiful yellow silk
dress she wore, with its loose laces to compensate for the rounded
belly beneath, to gold choker at her throat and the crown of braids
she wore behind her head. Of the offered hand she watched him gauge
the delicate lace gloves patterned after a spiders web and sparkling
like new rain, and judge the two rings she wore on her right hand, one
of carved bone and another a worn and weary confection of chipped
amber and gold.
After making his observations he took the offered hand and shook it
politely before climbing laboriously to his feet. The man was old and
stooped, with wiry white hair and a long tangled beard covering his
chest. For all the finery he makes none could be seen on his body. He
was rumbled and bedraggled in his simple suit and beaten leather
shoes.
"Mmm," he hummed as he matched her face to a memory. "Craven, was it? This way."
He led her behind the cabinets to an tall and polished mahogany door
leading to the Appointment Room. The intimidating iron lock imbedded
in the door clicked loudly as he unlocked it with a key from a heavy
brass ring and pushed it open. He motioned silently for her to sit.
This room was, if anything, even more sparsely furnished than the
front room. it contained only a desk with an armchair on one side and
two plush visitor chairs on the other. The walls were set with locked
drawers that Madeira assumed contained the more expensive wares that
Guancho didn't keep in the front room, but she had never seen them
opened.
"I have a few more commissions for you, sir" Madeira started, knowing
the jewel crafter was not much of a talker. "And I have an idea of
what I want, but I would greatly appreciate your opinion on the
designs and cuts."
From her pocket, fishing them out from between loose jade kina and
stray beads, the Spiritist surfaced with six polished and gleaming
precious stones. Three were diamonds as clear as glass, one was a the
deep liquid blue of a blue emerald, one was a speckled fire opal with
shifting rosy highlights, and one was the clear delicate blue of a
rare blue diamond. All were smooth and shaped like chicken eggs.
Guancho, who had seen this customer and her magic trick before, could
not be taken aback a second time. But his bushy brows did raise as his
dark eyes met to hers.
"Is there any point asking where these came from?"
Madeira laughed as she leaned forward across the desk and spoke in a
dramatic whisper. "Magic, mister Li." She arranged the stones
neatly in a row on the desk before him. "I lived in Riverfall for a
while and made fast friends with a miner there. He ships them to me
aboard one of the few merchant galleys headed this way and I pay a
very good price for them. All I need is someone on this end to cut
them for me." She shrugged her shoulders, and the teardrop diamonds at
her throat threw shifting patches of light across the ceiling as they
caught on her collarbone.
It was an easy lie because there was believability. Riverfall was
known for its mines and if he bothered himself to check Guancho would
find she had arrived to the Lhavit on a ship departed from Riverfall.
Yet any person with half a brain would see the glaring holes in her
story. Riverfall produced many of these stones, but not all of them.
And aside from the fact that her miner friend had shipped not the raw
stones, but ones polished and perfectly uniform, she would have to be
exorbitantly rich to ship stones from so far away, even at a 'very
good price'.
Yet she had to lie, because refusing to answer would only fester
curiosity and telling the truth would be the fastest way to get Jomi's
favorite magical hen stolen.
To bolster the lie, Madeira's hand wandered to her cheek. She dragged
forth her own dijed to sit along her fingers even as the glove woke
with the movement. A simple suggestion of trust me rolled from
her glove as she traced it delicately over the apple of her cheek. She
pushed it out and willed it to fill his doubts with faith.
WC: 1056
busy merchant center of Zintia. A small whitewashed stone shop with a
simple sign that denotes a faucet diamond. Madeira had happened upon
the place almost by accident in her many explorations of the city when
she landed. From the outside it did not look like much, but inside was
a wealth of treasure.
A bell tinkled musically as the Spiritist let herself inside. A fire
was burning in a hearth in the corner, its light reflecting off of the
glass cabinets placed strategically around the room. Otherwise the
room was somewhat dark and musty smelling, with dust motes dancing in
the one window that never seemed to be open. An old man, the
proprietor Guancho Li, was lounging in a splendid but worn armchair by
the counter nearest the door, and he stirred as Madeira entered but
didn't bother himself to rise and greet his customer.
It was a wonder the wealthier people of Lhavit ever bothered with the
gloomy little shop. But you had to see what was in those cases to
understand. Gold and silver and jewels of every cut were laid out. The
beautiful creations of the master jewel crafter hardly needed light to
show off the faucets and brilliance, and the metalwork was as fine as
Madeira had ever seen. In her last visit she had recognized the
quality and leapt at the chance to put Rosie, Jomi's bizarre gem
laying red hen, to good use. In the end she had commissioned two
stunning pieces, and now she was back for more.
"Mister Li", she approached the armchair and smiled as she extended a
gloves hand. "I believe I have an appointment."
Guancho looked up at her, his jewel crafter eyes as sharp as a hawks
even in the low light. He took her in, from the beautiful yellow silk
dress she wore, with its loose laces to compensate for the rounded
belly beneath, to gold choker at her throat and the crown of braids
she wore behind her head. Of the offered hand she watched him gauge
the delicate lace gloves patterned after a spiders web and sparkling
like new rain, and judge the two rings she wore on her right hand, one
of carved bone and another a worn and weary confection of chipped
amber and gold.
After making his observations he took the offered hand and shook it
politely before climbing laboriously to his feet. The man was old and
stooped, with wiry white hair and a long tangled beard covering his
chest. For all the finery he makes none could be seen on his body. He
was rumbled and bedraggled in his simple suit and beaten leather
shoes.
"Mmm," he hummed as he matched her face to a memory. "Craven, was it? This way."
He led her behind the cabinets to an tall and polished mahogany door
leading to the Appointment Room. The intimidating iron lock imbedded
in the door clicked loudly as he unlocked it with a key from a heavy
brass ring and pushed it open. He motioned silently for her to sit.
This room was, if anything, even more sparsely furnished than the
front room. it contained only a desk with an armchair on one side and
two plush visitor chairs on the other. The walls were set with locked
drawers that Madeira assumed contained the more expensive wares that
Guancho didn't keep in the front room, but she had never seen them
opened.
"I have a few more commissions for you, sir" Madeira started, knowing
the jewel crafter was not much of a talker. "And I have an idea of
what I want, but I would greatly appreciate your opinion on the
designs and cuts."
From her pocket, fishing them out from between loose jade kina and
stray beads, the Spiritist surfaced with six polished and gleaming
precious stones. Three were diamonds as clear as glass, one was a the
deep liquid blue of a blue emerald, one was a speckled fire opal with
shifting rosy highlights, and one was the clear delicate blue of a
rare blue diamond. All were smooth and shaped like chicken eggs.
Guancho, who had seen this customer and her magic trick before, could
not be taken aback a second time. But his bushy brows did raise as his
dark eyes met to hers.
"Is there any point asking where these came from?"
Madeira laughed as she leaned forward across the desk and spoke in a
dramatic whisper. "Magic, mister Li." She arranged the stones
neatly in a row on the desk before him. "I lived in Riverfall for a
while and made fast friends with a miner there. He ships them to me
aboard one of the few merchant galleys headed this way and I pay a
very good price for them. All I need is someone on this end to cut
them for me." She shrugged her shoulders, and the teardrop diamonds at
her throat threw shifting patches of light across the ceiling as they
caught on her collarbone.
It was an easy lie because there was believability. Riverfall was
known for its mines and if he bothered himself to check Guancho would
find she had arrived to the Lhavit on a ship departed from Riverfall.
Yet any person with half a brain would see the glaring holes in her
story. Riverfall produced many of these stones, but not all of them.
And aside from the fact that her miner friend had shipped not the raw
stones, but ones polished and perfectly uniform, she would have to be
exorbitantly rich to ship stones from so far away, even at a 'very
good price'.
Yet she had to lie, because refusing to answer would only fester
curiosity and telling the truth would be the fastest way to get Jomi's
favorite magical hen stolen.
To bolster the lie, Madeira's hand wandered to her cheek. She dragged
forth her own dijed to sit along her fingers even as the glove woke
with the movement. A simple suggestion of trust me rolled from
her glove as she traced it delicately over the apple of her cheek. She
pushed it out and willed it to fill his doubts with faith.
WC: 1056
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