3rd day of Fall, 513AV
Liarra took in a deep breath of the refreshing crisp, pure, cold air of Avanthal. She was in a good mood today, and her eyes were a brilliant green in reflection of her state of being. The past few days in the city, and thus her beloved Frostfawn Hold, the weather had been less than pleasant. As much as the young woman loved her home the blizzards were getting tiresome. The latest blizzard had kept Liarra indoors with her family, and more importantly her bulging pouch of gold rimmed mizas.
She had received her pay for her work during the Summer season, and combined with her savings Liarra had more than a pretty copper miza. Liarra had been keeping a list of all the things she needed to buy, and it had gotten rather long. Most importantly, Liarra needed new clothes. Warm clothes that could better protect her on long days out in the Wastes and Reaches. Also, with better clothing her peers might finally take the eager young woman along with them on the longer trips to study wild animals.
Presently, Liarra was on her way to the Frozen Falls Market and the first shop on her list: Laria's Furs. Her boots crunched in the snow as she made her way into the center of the city. For once, Liarra's hair was not in its trademark braid. Instead, she had tied it up into a high ponytail allowing her hair to mostly flow free in the cold breeze.
By the time she reached the fur shop, Liarra's cheeks were pleasantly flushed from being outside. There's nothing quite as invigorating as a walk in weather as wonderful as this. Liarra walked into the store and stopped for a moment to take in her surroundings. The store was one of her favorites, if not most favorite, of all in the market. It was warm, cozy, and Liarra found it wonderfully inviting. She loved to spend a bell or two when she had the free time, which was rare these days, browsing through and admiring the merchandise.
Recently however, Liarra had been avoiding the store. He had begun to work there, and she wanted to avoid him as much as possible. A scan of the front of the store told Liarra that Nikomas was at least not in sight.
"Liarra!" came the voice of the shop's owner and namesake; Laria.
"Laria!" the younger Vantha responded.
"Liarra!"
"Laria!"
"Liarra!"
"Laria!"
"Liarra!"
"Liarra!" said among a fit of giggles.
"Laria!" the older woman had trouble hiding her own laughter.
"Liarra!"
"Laria!"
Neither woman could contain their laughter any longer. It was a game, now more of a ritual, that the two had played since Liarra was a small child. Back then, it hadn't taken the little girl long to figure out that their names were rather similar. She had protested, telling the older woman that she was Liarra, not her. Thus, the game had grown from there.
"It's good to see you again, dear. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah..." There was a slight hesitation in Liarra's voice. She didn't want to mention the real reason she had been avoiding the shop. "I've been avoiding the temptation of the market in order to save money." That's not really a lie... "For once, I'm actually here to buy something." She smiled.
"Wonderful!" Laria returned the smile. "What did you have in mind?" She motioned Liarra over to the large counter in the shop.
Liarra pulled out a folded piece of paper from within her shirt and placed it upon the counter. The paper was torn on the left side, an indication that Liarra had torn it out from her journal. Written on it was a list of the items she wanted to purchase today. At the top of the list were all the items of clothing Liarra was after today, with extremely detailed notes.
"I really need higher quality, warmer clothing," Laria nodded, even though what the younger woman had said was a little redundant. After all, she was in a fur shop. "What I've got just isn't cutting it, and this is what I've figured I need." LIarra pointed to the specific items on the list.
"I'm thinking pants, a shirt, gloves, belt, boots and a new cloak. All leather and fur wherever possible. I'd also like it to all be dyed white, or even grey. Buckles for the boots and belt, buttons for everything else. Oh, and for the cloak I'd like it to have long tapered sleeves, and a nice hood." It was a tall order, at least in Liarra's mind. Shopping wasn't exactly something Liarra would consider a fun pastime, especially when she had such exact specifications.
Laria had been silent as Liarra went over her list. "All white, hm? Not a problem dear, though some of the furs might be more grey." Even though the young woman had mentioned grey was acceptable, Laria believed in being upfront and truthful with her customers. "I don't know if I have anything on hand that fits your specifications, so it might take a while to get everything made. Let's get you measured, though."
The older woman dug out her measuring tool and began to maneuver around Liarra taking her measurements. When she got to Liarra's hips, she cracked a smile at the size and said, "So how goes the hunt for a husband? It really shouldn't be too hard with good child bearing hips like these." Laria teased, knowing of Liarra's aversion to marriage.
Liarra rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut, which only served to make Laria laugh again. There were many in Avanthal, not just Frostfawn Hold that knew at the very least Liarra wasn't married, and creeping ever closer to becoming an Icemaiden. Many enjoyed teasing her over it, some maliciously, but not everyone. She knew Laria's teasing was only in good natured fun, and took it in easy stride.
"All right, my dear. We're almost all set. All that's left is the payment. Right now, I'll quote you at 34 gold mizas. It might be a bit higher than that, depending on what furs need to be used and how much work everything takes, especially the dyeing. For now, a down payment of 20 gold mizas will suffice until everything is ready for you." Liarra nodded in agreement to the prices. She knew it would be expensive, thus why she had been saving for so long. Without hesitation she reached into her pouch and handed over the 20 gold mizas.
In return, Liarra was given a hug from Laria, which the younger Vantha happily returned. "Thank you so much, Laria. I know I won't be disappointed at all, no matter how much it costs."
"No need to thank me, dear. It's what I do, after all!" Still, there was a large smile on her face, pleased with the praise. "Now then, come back in a few days and I'll give you an update on how everything is coming along."
Liarra nodded, making a mental note of it. She grabbed her list from off the counter, and tucked it back into her shirt. With a wave and a goodbye Liarra walked out of the shop. Once out of view of the store she breathed a sigh of relief. If he had even been there, she had managed to get through her purchase without seeing him.
OOCNikomas mentioned with player permission.
Courtesy of Thayer
Liarra took in a deep breath of the refreshing crisp, pure, cold air of Avanthal. She was in a good mood today, and her eyes were a brilliant green in reflection of her state of being. The past few days in the city, and thus her beloved Frostfawn Hold, the weather had been less than pleasant. As much as the young woman loved her home the blizzards were getting tiresome. The latest blizzard had kept Liarra indoors with her family, and more importantly her bulging pouch of gold rimmed mizas.
She had received her pay for her work during the Summer season, and combined with her savings Liarra had more than a pretty copper miza. Liarra had been keeping a list of all the things she needed to buy, and it had gotten rather long. Most importantly, Liarra needed new clothes. Warm clothes that could better protect her on long days out in the Wastes and Reaches. Also, with better clothing her peers might finally take the eager young woman along with them on the longer trips to study wild animals.
Presently, Liarra was on her way to the Frozen Falls Market and the first shop on her list: Laria's Furs. Her boots crunched in the snow as she made her way into the center of the city. For once, Liarra's hair was not in its trademark braid. Instead, she had tied it up into a high ponytail allowing her hair to mostly flow free in the cold breeze.
By the time she reached the fur shop, Liarra's cheeks were pleasantly flushed from being outside. There's nothing quite as invigorating as a walk in weather as wonderful as this. Liarra walked into the store and stopped for a moment to take in her surroundings. The store was one of her favorites, if not most favorite, of all in the market. It was warm, cozy, and Liarra found it wonderfully inviting. She loved to spend a bell or two when she had the free time, which was rare these days, browsing through and admiring the merchandise.
Recently however, Liarra had been avoiding the store. He had begun to work there, and she wanted to avoid him as much as possible. A scan of the front of the store told Liarra that Nikomas was at least not in sight.
"Liarra!" came the voice of the shop's owner and namesake; Laria.
"Laria!" the younger Vantha responded.
"Liarra!"
"Laria!"
"Liarra!"
"Laria!"
"Liarra!"
"Liarra!" said among a fit of giggles.
"Laria!" the older woman had trouble hiding her own laughter.
"Liarra!"
"Laria!"
Neither woman could contain their laughter any longer. It was a game, now more of a ritual, that the two had played since Liarra was a small child. Back then, it hadn't taken the little girl long to figure out that their names were rather similar. She had protested, telling the older woman that she was Liarra, not her. Thus, the game had grown from there.
"It's good to see you again, dear. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah..." There was a slight hesitation in Liarra's voice. She didn't want to mention the real reason she had been avoiding the shop. "I've been avoiding the temptation of the market in order to save money." That's not really a lie... "For once, I'm actually here to buy something." She smiled.
"Wonderful!" Laria returned the smile. "What did you have in mind?" She motioned Liarra over to the large counter in the shop.
Liarra pulled out a folded piece of paper from within her shirt and placed it upon the counter. The paper was torn on the left side, an indication that Liarra had torn it out from her journal. Written on it was a list of the items she wanted to purchase today. At the top of the list were all the items of clothing Liarra was after today, with extremely detailed notes.
"I really need higher quality, warmer clothing," Laria nodded, even though what the younger woman had said was a little redundant. After all, she was in a fur shop. "What I've got just isn't cutting it, and this is what I've figured I need." LIarra pointed to the specific items on the list.
"I'm thinking pants, a shirt, gloves, belt, boots and a new cloak. All leather and fur wherever possible. I'd also like it to all be dyed white, or even grey. Buckles for the boots and belt, buttons for everything else. Oh, and for the cloak I'd like it to have long tapered sleeves, and a nice hood." It was a tall order, at least in Liarra's mind. Shopping wasn't exactly something Liarra would consider a fun pastime, especially when she had such exact specifications.
Laria had been silent as Liarra went over her list. "All white, hm? Not a problem dear, though some of the furs might be more grey." Even though the young woman had mentioned grey was acceptable, Laria believed in being upfront and truthful with her customers. "I don't know if I have anything on hand that fits your specifications, so it might take a while to get everything made. Let's get you measured, though."
The older woman dug out her measuring tool and began to maneuver around Liarra taking her measurements. When she got to Liarra's hips, she cracked a smile at the size and said, "So how goes the hunt for a husband? It really shouldn't be too hard with good child bearing hips like these." Laria teased, knowing of Liarra's aversion to marriage.
Liarra rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut, which only served to make Laria laugh again. There were many in Avanthal, not just Frostfawn Hold that knew at the very least Liarra wasn't married, and creeping ever closer to becoming an Icemaiden. Many enjoyed teasing her over it, some maliciously, but not everyone. She knew Laria's teasing was only in good natured fun, and took it in easy stride.
"All right, my dear. We're almost all set. All that's left is the payment. Right now, I'll quote you at 34 gold mizas. It might be a bit higher than that, depending on what furs need to be used and how much work everything takes, especially the dyeing. For now, a down payment of 20 gold mizas will suffice until everything is ready for you." Liarra nodded in agreement to the prices. She knew it would be expensive, thus why she had been saving for so long. Without hesitation she reached into her pouch and handed over the 20 gold mizas.
In return, Liarra was given a hug from Laria, which the younger Vantha happily returned. "Thank you so much, Laria. I know I won't be disappointed at all, no matter how much it costs."
"No need to thank me, dear. It's what I do, after all!" Still, there was a large smile on her face, pleased with the praise. "Now then, come back in a few days and I'll give you an update on how everything is coming along."
Liarra nodded, making a mental note of it. She grabbed her list from off the counter, and tucked it back into her shirt. With a wave and a goodbye Liarra walked out of the shop. Once out of view of the store she breathed a sigh of relief. If he had even been there, she had managed to get through her purchase without seeing him.
OOCNikomas mentioned with player permission.
Courtesy of Thayer
