Open A Tale of Frostfawn

[Abyda]

Abyda could have almost cried at their attention, though of course she composed herself, crying in front of others was a weakness. Nobody apart from her mother had ever been that concerned for her. She struggled to sit up.
"Im fine, thank you for your concern. I...No. Nobody hurt me these are all just...accidents." she assured them rather unconvincingly. She tried stand. "I apologise for disturbing you both. Have good day." Abyda turned to walk away hoping that would convinve them when she felt the male Vanthian's hand on her.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit frowned, unconvinced. She gazed over the ragged girl once more, eyes stopping slightly at her wounds. "Accidents, huh? You sure must be clumsy..." She stated, and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. It was probably best if she stayed sitting, after what had just happend. But seeing that she really wanted to leave.... she let go, and let her walk away. She looked pretty young... maybe her age, and slightly unhappy... well, there was nothing she could do.

[Kent]

Kent stared through the young girl's eyes and saw past her obvious lie. Those weren't just "accidents" they were inflictions. Whether they were by someone else or self incorporated, he didn't know. And by the looks of things, he would never know, because now she was getting up to leave. He stepped back to give her space, and nodded as she excused herself. "Take care of yourself then." He added: "Stay warm" which was a pretty retarded statement, he realized. Being that they were in Avanthal in the early spring and all one could do was hope to stay warm, he shook his head at his poor choice of words.

His eyes left the girl's retreating figure and rested on the sight of his torn saddle once again. Damn that thing.... he thought to himself. If he had to pay more than 3 gold mizas to get it fixed, he would ride Gavine bareback. Heh. Bareback. He closed his eyes to imagine the sight of him and his horse galloping through the snow, while he barely hang on by squeezing his legs around it's stomach. No, that was too ridiculous. The saddle needed to be fixed. There was just no way around it. He smirked at his foolishness, and then remembered the young Vanthan girl who had offered to help him. He turned to face her. She looked about 15 or 16, and had the wide, clear, color shifting orbs common to Vantha. She stared up at him with a curious gaze, and was pretty enthusiastic about helping.

"My name is Kent." He said in response to her inquiry of his name. "The man with the torn saddle," he held it up in mock pride.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit felt a pang of pity as she saw the girl walk away, then turned back to the boy, attempting to push the event out of her mind. It wasn't her business.... but still, that girl really should get help... but maybe she wasn't the person to give it. Coming to that conclusion, Spirit relaxed visibly, feeling less responsible. Finally turning her complete attention to.. Kent was his name, as he'd just said. He had calm blue eyes, and platinum blond hair, unusual here. He was pale, and fit, so maybe he had some job working with large heavy things? Or as a warrior... Finally noticing his recent statement, she grinned, noting his sense of humor. "It's magnificent." She replied, also sarcastically "Though perhaps more useful if it was fixed... do you know where to go to get it fixed? I probably could find you a leather worker..." She offered, turning slightly more serious, but still happy again. Just proof that the girl had left her mind completely. Or not. Scolding herself for going back to that topic, since it wasn't any of her business, she continued, giving a small smile "Are you from here? You don't look like a Vantha."

[Kent]

Kent sighed as he lowered the saddle, slinging over his back again. "Unfortunately, I do not know where to find a leatherworker in Frostfawn. I'm beginning to wonder if such a person even exists in the Hold." He wiped the snow from his brow in frustration, and frowned as he stroked his jaw. His eyes darted up quickly at the sun. Time was wasting. Traveling to another hold in search of a leathersmith would not only be time consuming, but a complete drag. He didn't want to be a burden on the young Vantha girl--


That's right! She had offered to help him!

"I'd appreciate any help I could get. It's important I get this fixed as soon as possible and then search for a place to settle the night. Thank you, friend.", he said sincerely. As he began to take a step back into the thick of things, he turned to look after the mixed blood who had collapsed at their feet only moments ago. It looked as if she was nearly gone by now. He truly wondered what had inflicted those wounds on her. And how they hadn't become infected in a place like Frostfawn, where healers are limited. Perhaps she was a foreigner? Just as he was pondering her origins, his new little Vantha friend asked about his.

"I was born and raised here, actually. My family was invited here years ago, to this very city in fact. Frostfawn is my heart. Avanthal is my home. Taldera is my spirit." His eyes twitched curiously. "What do I call you, friend?"

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit grinned, forcing herself to forget the girl when Kent had turned to look at her. It wasn't her business... She found his history interesting, but it did make sense. She nodded her head slightly, her black hair moving with it, then winced. She'd forgotten to introduce herself. Where were her manners... "Oh! Sorry, I'm Spirit Frostfawn!" She stated, filling in the gap. She leaned forward to poke at the saddle and investigate the destruction. It was pretty messed up... "I'm sure there's a leather worker around here somewhere... someone has to fix all the other broken saddles and stuff" Spirit smiled widely at this. Leather stuff got broken all the time here, and yes, most of it had to do with animal equipment. She began looking around, though not quite sure why. It wasn't exactly as if someone was carrying a sign around, stating 'leather worker here!', but still... "Hmmm..." She muttered thoughtfully, "Come with me..." She walked away, picking up Kent's saddle, forgetting that he might not like that she was taking it. She walked up to a resident she knew slightly, and asked them if they knew any leather workers. The reply was that yes, there was a young man called Nikomas who could do the job. After a quick description, Spirit looked back at Kent "Alright! I know who we can find.... sort of! You're coming, right?" She asked, unsure if he wanted to find someplace to stay while she got this fixed. Truthfully, she wasn't quite sure why she was helping him. Maybe she was bored. Anyways, after shouting to her 'new friend', she began looking around the area for any sign of the boy she had just been told about.

[Nikomas]

Nikomas had watched the situation unfold with great amusement. Okay. Perhaps amusement was a poor choice of words. Enjoyment? Delight? Whatever. Regardless, there was a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye as the fair-haired young man and his new found friend made their way about the general commons of the Hold, looking for, well, him. Standing, the young Vantha made his way to a far more prominent location, ironically, not too far from the spot that the unlikely pair had initially met and collided with that other young girl who needed more help than all of them combined. What was that all about anyway? The poor thing seemed lost, and in more ways than one. Oh well. Whatever. She wasn't his concern. Fussing with his thigh-length, leather coat, as well as his perpetually mussed hair, he made sure that he presented himself in the best possible light. If they were going to hire him to repair the saddle, he needed to assure them, in advance, through his appearance, that they would get their coins worth. A tidy craftsmen, meant a tidy repair. Granted, he would probably do it for free. He needed the practice and, from what he could tell, the young man needed his coin more. So, more than likely, a deal would be struck, perhaps a discussion of price would occur, but in the end, he would simply do it and send him on his way.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit wandered around for a bit, attempting to find the man she had been told to find. The description of him hadn't been very detailed, so it would be particularily hard to find him. Looking all around her, she finally spotted someone who looked similar to who she had been told about. Ironically, he was standing quite nearby where she had begun to look. She looked at him and raised a hand in greeting, to get his attention, only barely managing to hold on to the saddle at the same time. It slipped slightly, causing her to lose her balance for a few moments, but she recovered. "Are you Nikomas?" She called to him, beginning to walk in his direction. She had slightly forgotten about Kent, now almost thinking that she wanted the saddle fixed for herself. Looking at him, she saw that the leather worker was well kept, almost as if he knew they were coming and had readied his appearance... Spirit shook her head and shrugged mentally. Again, it wasn't her business. Moving closer, she jogged slightly, but went back to walking. "I need this saddle fixed, and I heard you were a leather worker" She continued, smiling.

[Nikomas]

"I am indeed and, sure, I can give your saddle a look," Nikomas replied as he took a step closer. "Although, I don't usually keep my tools on me. So, if you need the repair completed today, we would have to head back to my arvinta. It's not too far from here." Moving closer still, he made a gesture to the girl to set the equipment down. He wanted to get a better look before they went any further. He was skilled, but only in the most basic of repairs. Hopefully it was nothing more serious than... "Two snapped stirrups," he announced in a positive tone. "That should be fairly easy to repair," he added, before tacking on four little, yet very important words, "...for the right price." Okay. He probably wasn't going to charge the poor girl...or guy...or whomever was the rightful owner - seeing that he needed the practice more than the coin - but he still liked to haggle just a little. At some point down the road, if he wanted to make a living for himself, he would need to be good at it. "So? What's your best offer?" he asked as he now stood and looked the girl down with the brightest of orange hues roiling around in his eyes.

[Kent]

Kent stared in surprise as his new friend yanked the saddle out of his hand and bounded off enthusiastically. He was truly grateful...but now he needed to keep up. "I'm coming," he called after her. As he strode to catch up, he noticed the smell of roasting meat nearby. He recognized it by the scent. It was woollie. Not exactly the highest quality meat, but it always sat nice with him. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until then. He'd make it a point to eat something after this. Perhaps he'd buy something for the girl to thank her for her kindness?

He had barely caught up with her when she had started moving again. Someone had given her a description of a leatherworker, a young lad by the name of Nikomas. He had never heard of him, and when he asked for the description again, he was drowned out by the sound of passing horses and livestock. Whatever. He turned in pursuit of Spirit, tapping his sword as he continued.

"Spirit?" He boomed. "Where are--oh, there you are." He saw her standing next to a stocky, well built lad who was exceptionally groomed. Even his leather jacket seemed professional. Spirit asked his name, and Kent patiently awaited a response, nodding happily went he found out it was indeed him.

Nikomas expertly took the saddle and reviewed it carefully, identifying the snapped stirrups. He said it was easy to repair...but then he asked for a price. Damn. This was the tough part. Kent honestly had never damaged his saddle before, and didn't know the standard price for something like this. But he didn't show it in his body language. He kept an authoritative heir and held out his hand to the man.

"I'm Delvin Kent, the owner of this saddle. To be honest, Nikomas, I haven't heard much of your leather working skills. I don't mean to sound as if I'm too good for your service, but how am I to know you are experienced enough? Can you show me some things you've done at your arvinta? I'm willing to offer your 2 gold mizas for this fix...unless you can impress me further." Kent knew the lad would. He no doubt had done hundreds of jobs like these, and had haggling experience. This would be good for him. He could fix his saddle, and help Nikomas practice his trade. He checked his pockets and made sure he had brought his money. He was prepared to pay Nikomas anything within reason really, because he respected hard working lads like he.