Sprin 6th, 514AV, The Majestic
Gad groaned and cupped his down cast face in his palm. "You're breaking my balls here, Doler!" The rancid smell of rat crap, fetid, and festering, permeated the air. Gad grumbled his throat clear and his eyes darted around to the numerous but seemingly empty webs billowing about in the open air shop. He'd have to be sure not to bring any of those denizens home with him, as he had enough unwelcome pests trolling about as it was. "You literally want me to give you an arm and a leg!" Doler grinned in a sort of ignorant incredulity.
"Pssh. Hahaha, it doesn't have to be your arm and leg silly. Come on Gad. I'm not insane." This said from behind a thick and inscrutable plane of Shielding magic that let none in but Doler, and might as well have let none out either, considering Gad had never seen, nor heard of the young mage outside of this setting.
"Oh. Really. Hm. Just, out of curiousity, still being conspired against by forces unseen and unseeable?"
"What!? No. Why? What've you heard? Did they send you!?"
"Calm down. Look, listen. I just don't think you're being reasonable with this request. I mean, I can get you an arm and a leg that are still, y'know, attached."
"Attached?"
"Yeah, to a nice girl, you know, sweet, nubile beauty from over at Brega's-" Doler seemed unimpressed, "-Ruby's-" the same unamused look persisted "The Muted Maiden? That's- that's actually about what I'd expect from you."
"Unless you're going to to send someone with a bone saw and something to stop the screaming, I don't think so. Besides, it has to be a man's."
"Well, I can get that too, but-"
"-A dead man's. Come now, is that really so hard? Just fetch them from the plethora of corpses that litter the streets. Isn't this the kind of thing your people do?" Gad raised a brow. "Oh, don't go getting hurt by it now, sensitive. Look, you wanted- what was it now?"
"Something to do up my glyphs with."
"Yes... 'Something to do up your glyphs with', I think I can manage that, but this isn't all about what you need. What about what I need. What I need is an arm and a leg, don't worry about 'for what', I'm not asking what you're glyphing for- if you could call those children's scribbles glyphs at all- I'm just willing from the kindness of my heart to offer you some very valuable and rare inscribing ink from my own personal affects, and all I ask in return is a little cooperation in retrieving some minor trinkets on my behalf. Buuut, if you don't want it..." Gad sighed.
"I'll consider it. But would you at least consider something else? Isn't there anything else you need? Food? Soap? That stool looks awfully uncomfortable. There's gotta be something else."
"Ever hear of a Storm Gem?"
"A- what? What's that?"
"Mmno, I'd expect not. Do you happen to have any Skyglass lying around?" Gad was silent. "Whelp, in that case, looks like your going to be getting me that arm and leg, or you're going to be glyphing in the mud for the rest of the season. I more than happy to share, you've just got to share with me as well."
"Yep. I'll share all those corpses I've just got lying around. Ugh. You know, that's fine. I can do that. Shouldn't be too hard."
"That's the optimistic spirit! There ya go! Have fun now, ta!" Gad turned to leave. "Wait, before you go. You see that pebble right there?" Gad looked to the ground and spotted the small rock. "You tapped it with your toe when you bumbled in here, would you mind lining it up with those other ones right there for me? Those ones, by the wall." Gad spotted them. He bent down and picked up the pebble delicately, and started to move over to the line of arranged rubble by where Doler had pointed. "Yes, I do like them in some kind of order, but it's difficult because I can just step out there doing the day. The snipes, you see." Gad had no idea what a 'snipe' was supposed to be but he nodded and smiled amicably.
"Oh, of course, I'm the exact same way. Here?" Gad gestured.
"Mhm. Yes. That's..." Doler squirmed in his stool "That's enough for now." Gad nodded and smiled and set the stone down. He moved to turn around, but made the appearance of just having remembered something, and he swung around, dragging his foot across all the previously arranged stones. Kicking them to and fro, and totally annihilating any semblance of order among them. Doler's eyes went almost white with how wide they grew and how small his pupils went, his face was contorted in a spasm of fear that looked like he was screaming but only vague choking noises rattled out. Gad laughed from deep in chest, a laugh of utter joy and simultaneous contempt. A small victory, but perhaps it'd teach the little shyke to high-ball him in a deal. Now, it was off to the graveyard, to give Jebediah a ring. |
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