Closed [Seaside Market] Clammed Up (Nellie)

[Caela Dorin]

9th Fall 514AV

There were rumours circulating about the strange people that had pulled themselves out of the waters of the Bay and they were too vague for the dancer's liking. There were words like Dhani and shapeshifter flying around the place, some even talked of them as being some new monster never seen before. Caela didn't know what was going on exactly but she wanted to get to the heart of the matter. What better place to find out about them than to where they'd come from, or at least close to it? The young woman decided that a visit to the market was in order.

The dancer had set out from her room a little after the eleventh bell, purse filled with a mixture of mizas in case coins needed to change hands in exchange for the information she desired. She didn't carry too much and carried more copper and silver mizas than gold, the rest of her savings either hidden in her room or kept in trust by Merv. Her purse had been hidden beneath her blouse and partly under the waistband of her pants, the material of the former falling over the pouch. Considerably more conspicuous was the dagger scabbard that was secured at her right hip, the hilt of her dagger protruding from it. She might not be able to use it effectively yet but she could at least show that she had a means of defending herself.

The young woman was hassled by anyone as she made her way down to the market although she received many of the stares and glances that she was used to and paid little attention to them. Such attention was garnered less and less as she neared the water, the amount of foot traffic less than normal and those she saw hurrying about their business while shooting furtive glances back towards the Bay. It made the blonde uneasy. Whatever had come out of the water had obviously frightened those who had need to frequent the Docks and their surroundings and she wondered if it might not be wise to follow their example. It might be better to turn around and head back into the heart of the city where it was safe, or at least where she knew and understood the dangers. There was no sign of any monsters though and so she pressed onwards, promising herself that she'd run for it at the first sign of anything unusual.

The Seaside Market with its hustle and bustle was a welcome sight. Not as busy as usual perhaps but there were still plenty of people there, shoppers and sellers not deterred by what might lurk in the waters. Well if they were still here and unharmed then it was surely safe for her to be here. She made her way in between the many stalls, navigating her way through the drier patches as well as the wet, the tidal waters lapping around her ankles making the dancer glad that she'd had the forethought to wear her slipper shoes and roll up the bottoms of her pants.

The young woman didn't even know who to look to get the information she wanted but she scanned her gaze over each stall, examining the wares and the vendors to judge how much they might know. Her curious looks raised many a plea to buy the "best wares 'ere" but the dancer always smiled and shook her head before moving on. She intended to see all there was to see in the market and then go around again to find her targets but her eyes caught on a fish merchant and decided that one of them would probably be her best bet. They worked in and around the water so there was a chance that one or two of them would know something or even have seen the strange people that had emerged from the depths.

Caela was reaching the far side of the market now, the outskirts and so she doubted that she was going to have many fishmongers to interrogate. The woman made a beeline for the man who had first grasped her attention. Green eyes appraised the wares that he had on offer as he tried to convince her that she wanted to buy here rather than anywhere else. "This 'ere fish is the best fish 'ere today. Caught jus' twenty chimes ago. Good an' fresh. Ya can't go wrong wi' a bit o' fish." The dancer tried not to laugh. The man didn't sound half desperate. If as he said they'd been caught twenty chimes ago then she was sure that'd look more wet, glossy maybe but these were dull looking and while the dancer didn't know a lot about fish she was fairly sure that they weren't supposed to look like that.

"It's not hard to get fresh fish then? I would have thought that people would have been too scared to fish out there after what came out of the water." The young woman's comment was said idly as she examined the fish before her. Her gaze flickered up just in time to see the man's Adam's apple bob up and down as he gulped. His eyes were bulging out of his head much like the ones in the fish he was selling. "Ah well... me competitors are scared but not me! That's why me fish is the best. All the rest'll sell you old fish." He obviously assumed that she didn't know much about buying fish as he was still trying to hoodwink her. Well she hadn't left his stall so he must know that she was clueless. He still watched her nervously, either worried that she'd call him out or else made uncomfortable by her line of questioning. She wasn't here for his merchandise though and so she pressed him.

"Did you see anything when you were out there? Anything that doesn't belong? Those people or things or whatever they are." He shook his head, his demeanour showing his discomfort with the question before his words did. "'Ere I'm not talking about 'em. Are you gonna buy me fish or no'?" The young woman sighed. He wasn't saying another word on the matter and so there was no point in sticking around. "No thanks. I don't think your fish is as fresh as you say it is." The blonde turned from him, moving onwards even while he called after her offering her great prices for the fish that he still claimed to be fresh. The girl took no notice of him.

It was her ears that drew her to her next target rather than her eyes. A woman's voice offered clams and fish for sale, the voice crying it over and over in her attempt to attract a customer. The blonde searched for the source, finding the young woman that it belonged to at a plain, old stall at the outskirts of the selling place. There was one other fish seller in sight but the dancer made her way over to the girl instead of her competition. She knew to be more subtle in her line of questioning this time. "Hello. What have you got to offer? Something better than that one over there." She gestured back towards the man who she'd approached before.

[Nellie Hawkins]

From the corner of her eye, Nellie watched her competition: it was nearly as uneventful as watching her own stall. The man had only one customer, and she didn't appear to be doing much more than talking. It seemed people simply weren't interested in sea creatures today. At least not the kind that was for sale in the market place. Since the arrival of the snaky strangers on the beach days ago, the subject was on everyone's tongues. More people had stopped by her stall to question her than to look at her goods, and a small part of her sympathized with her rival as she watched the woman leave empty handed.

Had she seen them in person? She hadn't. Had she seen their bodies in the water while fishing? She hadn't. Did she knew where they'd come from? She didn't. What they wanted? No. What they looked like? Petch no.

And did she want to know any of that? She sure as shyke didn't.

It was a frustrating situation, but also informative. People were eager to talk, and while she couldn't believe even a fraction of what they were saying, it was enough to put her guard up. She'd avoided her usual beaches for the past few days based on rumors and mystery, which hadn't helped her mood any, and by now she was getting more than a little tired of the disruption to her daily routine. She'd gone out digging clams today out of spite as much as necessity.

A bit angrily, she called out to the people passing her stall without so much as a glance in her direction. "Clams an' fish, fish an' clams! Sea critters you c'n EAT, best in th' market!" If her pointed words found their marks, she had no way of knowing, but the sales pitch itself was almost entirely ineffective. Nellie raised an eyebrow as the woman who'd just left the other fish stall approached her with an inquiry that did not involve invading snake people from the depths of the Bay.

Eagerly, Nellie offered the woman a bright and impersonal smile. "Oy, miss, best clams in th' market right 'ere! 'e's got nothin' on me; guaranteed fresh caught an' tasty an' ready for the cookpot! 'Ow many would you like?" The flow of words was meant to overwhelm the listener with good cheer and confidence, and it was a ploy that worked about half the time. Nellie waited, holding her friendly expression, to see if this would be another such success.

[Caela Dorin]

This girl had all the enthusiasm of her competitor but got straight to the point, pushing her goods on the dancer for purchase. Caela stared back at her, suddenly uncertain about what way to proceed. She hadn't expected the woman to go so quickly for the sell, had expected more time and so now she was left floundering. "Um..." The blonde stared at the fish seller, wide eyed and still searching for words. Buy time, ask questions, buy as a last resort. The decision came from somewhere, from some part of her brain that still seemed to be able to function under pressure.

She flashed a smile, held it in place and began trying to get the girl talking. "I've never had clams before, don't know much about them. I'd be interested in trying them but while I'd like to believe you when you say that they're fresh, I know that you sellers like to exaggerate. You wouldn't poison me on purpose but you know, your friend over there was a bit desperate. Say he'd have a hard time getting anything new what with our new visitors." The blonde gave the seller a knowing smile. She'd put the idea of the snake people out there now, maybe the other would snatch at the bait without any more prodding but she'd keep going anyway, hide it in amongst the rest.

Her gaze fell on the clams, bending slightly so that she could get a better look at them. She had no idea how to tell a good clam from a bad so if she asked about it, she wouldn't be lying. Mix lies in with the truth. "How do I know that your clams are safe to eat? Where did you get them from? Do you get them out in the Bay? Sorry, I'm probably saying all the wrong things. You can tell that I really don't know anything about clams. Don't know how to cook them or anything. I'll take them off your hands though if you can tell me a bit more about them." The dancer reached a hand to the waistband of her pants, uncovering and detaching her purse in the process. The coins clinked off one another letting the woman know that she wasn't all talk. She was willing to buy.

If the few fish that the woman had on display were anything to go by then her clams were probably as fresh as she said. This fish looked markedly different to the man's as if it had been alive more recently. She'd never been overly fond of fish but perhaps clams might be to her taste. If she bought the food then she knew that she could get it cooked at the Pig's Foot. Merv had told her so before and so there would be no harm in actually buying the girl's wares. It didn't have to be a front and it might help loosen the girl's tongue. If she didn't know about the Iyvess then maybe she'd know someone who did. "So what can you tell me?"

[Nellie Hawkins]

Nellie scoffed dramatically at the mention of her rival's difficulties in acquiring fresh fish. Leaning forward conspiratorially, she winked at the woman, "Well, he 'as a bad time comin' up with quality fish on a daily basis! I wouldn't swear to it, but don't it look like he left 'em fish out in th' sun all day yesterday? He calls 'em seasoned." She scoffed again, to add to the drama, and gestured to her own scaly display.

"Now, my fish," she paused, making eye contact with the woman, "As fresh as you could ask for. Pulled from th' bay this mornin', at great personal risk, mind ya." The woman's reference to 'visitors' had not gone unnoticed, but Nellie was determined not to let this one get away without making a purchase, so she played into her customer's obvious interest in the latest gossip.

The other woman's gaze had shifted while Nellie spoke, and rested now on the clams. Confusion was evident on her face, pretty features twisted, but not unpleasantly so, as she puzzled over them. When her hand went to her purse, jiggling it so the coins within could be clearly heard, Nellie's pulse jumped a bit, and she switched subjects easily. She was partial to clams, herself, so the enthusiasm in her voice was only partly sales pitch.

To begin with, to bait the woman, Nellie feigned a hurt look, and a mildly offended tone, "Safe? Of course my clams are safe. I'd eat 'em myself if I didn't have my own expenses ta pay! These clams," she thumped one with her forefinger for effect, setting it and the nearest ones to it shaking with her emphasis, "are just as fresh as my fish - dug from the sandy shores of th' bay just chimes before you yerself set eyes on 'em!"

Inwardly, Nellie acknowledged the slight exaggeration; while the clams were fresh, it had been more like a bell or so since she made it to the market stall. But she suffered no twinge of guilt over the tiny untruth, reasoning that it was expected and she'd done the woman a favor, giving her room to haggle a bit. It was an opening for barter, if the other woman should choose to take it. If not, well, Nellie would be more than happy to sell at an inflated price - especially given the woman's next question, which was obviously not referencing clams or fish.

With a speculative look, Nellie stared at the horizon, setting her face into serious lines and pausing a moment for effect. "Its a sad day when a simple fisherman like myself comes under attack fer tryin' ta provide 'er neighbors with th' freshest of foods. I venture down ta th' bay, riskin' life an' limb, what with those bloodthirsty invaders havin' only just come ta wreak havoc in th' city. Spent bells fishin' up these beauties," another pointed wave at her fish, sleek and shining in the late morning sun, and then to the clams, a muted but no less appealing display. "Spent another bell diggin' these from th' sand, tense an' shakin' with fear th' whole time, nothin' but my clam shovel ta protect me should they come again..."

Here Nellie offered a bone-deep sigh, as though wearied and disheartened, before turning sad, dark eyes back to her customer. "If even half of what I 'eard is true, I could've been captured, or killed, or worse!" She shuddered delicately, letting the implication fall where it may on just what fate might be worse than death.

" An' then you'd be forced ta buy that day old scrap from across th' way."

[Caela Dorin]

A smirk graced the dancer's lips at the woman's derogatory remarks concerning her competition. It was to be expected in such business. You were obviously going to put your competitors down in the eyes of your customers but Caela knew that there was truth in her words. There might be some exaggeration certainly but that was the way of things. She waited for what was sure to come next, the words that would set her own goods above those of others. When it came, a full grin split the young woman's face. She couldn't fault the girl's sales tactics. They were tried and tested, something that was often used in the market but the sincerity of the seller's tone was probably a better hook for customers than just the words alone.

The sales pitch continued as the girl switched her attention to the clams as Caela did. There was no slighting of her competitors this time but a personal endorsement of her stock. She would eat them herself if she could. She might just buy after all. The girl was eager to get her stock off her hands it seemed and maybe if she was less burdened with goods it'd make her tongue lighter and all.

There was no purchase or even further questioning needed, the other's tongue flapping all on its own without any real incentive. Well there was the money, that was incentive enough, and with the snake people planted in the girl's head she'd probably realised what Caela was really after. The young woman couldn't say that she was put out with not having to go to any real effort to pry information from her. Her ears were open to any tidbit of information that might fall but really the fishmongers words were empty. There was nothing about the new visitors. It was a tale that was meant to make her feel pity and horror for the situation that the girl was in, something designed to play on her interest as well but yet there was nothing tangible in it. In the end it came back to how her competitors goods were inferior.

The dancer played along all the same, effecting a look of wide eyed horror and wincing when the girl shuddered. The wince wasn't completely faked though. The idea of what could be worse worked unpleasantly upon her imagination as she conjured up unspeakable horrors of scaly people doing things to poor unfortunate young women. There was no other victim conjured up in her mind, only the one type that she could relate to herself and that only made it worse. If it had been a man tormented in her mind then she wouldn't feel that same stomach churning dread that she'd felt earlier as she approached the marketplace.

"Oh I can only imagine how terrifying that must be! I was scared half to death on my way over here. You see I've heard so little about them-I'm not even sure if they're like us-that I was thinking all sorts of things. If the stories are as bad as you say though," the dancer shuddered, "well than I'm almost glad I haven't heard them. Although they say that your mind comes up with worse. Maybe it's true because let me tell you, some of the things that I was thinking-" She cut herself off with a shake of her head, offering an apologetic smile to the young woman. It sounded like a ramble that she'd caught herself in but really the dancer had planned it with care, leaving bait for the other to jump on if she so chose. She continued as if she was really only interested in business.

"Sorry, you don't want to hear me rabbiting on. I wouldn't normally talk so much but this has my nerves frazzled. Now these clams... how much would you take for, shall we say, four?" The purse was pulled open and angled towards her, the young woman inserting her fingers into it as if she was fishing for some appropriate coin, which was exactly what she was doing. She pulled the few gold in the purse from under the others to the top and pushed some of the silver over the copper coins so that she seemed to have more money than she really did. The purse was lowered, angled slightly towards the other although the young woman didn't look down at it, pretending that she hadn't noticed.

"I should hope that you aren't going to fleece me. You can't exactly charge me for light gossip," she laughed lightly.

[Nellie Hawkins]

Nellie nodded sympathetically, understandingly as the other woman rambled on. Privately, she thought the blonde was overreacting. Though she herself was prone to play victim if it meant a greater sale, the woman had nothing to gain. She certainly couldn't think Nellie would offer her a discounted price on the highly valuable and difficult to acquire clams, especially since she'd gone to so much trouble to lay it on thick about her difficulties that very morning.

In fact, she was glad when the woman stopped herself, as Nellie had precisely zero interest in the horror stories the woman had been conjuring up in her mind. Having heard several variations on the perils of the snake people, everything from physical danger to disease to magic, Nellie had no shortage of awful visions to entertain herself with. Still, a friendly and commiserating ear might loosen the purse strings a bit, and she forced herself to find an appropriately comforting phrase.

"Oh, I know! Its jest a bit worse fer us women than fer th' men, don't ya think? We've got more ta lose, more ways ta be" she paused delicately, before whispering, "damaged." Shaking her head, as though to ward off the unpleasant thoughts, she continued, forcing a more casual tone, "but enough of that. Talk like that'll ruin yer appetite. Four clams, did ya say?"

With a speculative glance into the clam bucket, Nellie pretended to give the matter great thought. The other woman used the time to fish around in her coin pouch; the tiny clinking sounds were music the merchant's ears, drawing her attention to the slightly open container and its shadowed contents. Though she tried to be unobtrusive, the glint of coin in the woman's pouch begged to be inspected, as well, and the comforting hints of gold and silver were her reward for her effort. Slowly, as though against her will, Nellie began the back-and-forth of the bartering process.

"We-e-e-ell", she began, her tone reflecting her apparent hesitation, "now, any other time, understan', I'd 'ave to charge ya at least a gold, even just fer the four of 'em." The young woman flashed dark eyes to her customer apologetically, "I couldn't do less, now, could I? I'd be run out of the market quicker'n one of them snakes could bite ya."

Looking around quickly, conspiratorially, she leaned a bit closer to the other woman. In a lowered voice, Nellie continued, "But, seein' as 'ow we're both women, an' we both understan' how truly dangerous things are right now, what with 'at new threat comin' outta th' water an' all..." her words trailed slowly off, sincerity shining from her eyes. Nellie had fully committed to her story now, and was giving it her best effort; normally she didn't spend this much time sweetening a sale, but business had been slow and she was eager to have some coin to show for her time.

"I s'pose I could give 'em to ya fer 8 silver. As a favor. One woman to another." It was a ridiculous price, fair would be a fraction of that amount, but Nellie was counting on the woman not knowing the true value of the clams. She'd obviously had little experience with seafood, or was doing a petchin' good job of acting like it, anyway. Who only bought four clams at a time? It was hardly enough to make a good meal, only a dent in what she had to offer that day. If the woman bought, Nellie could still get a decent price for the remainder of the bucket - if not here, then at one of the grubby little taverns in the city.

[Caela Dorin]

The girl was right; there were so many ways for a woman to be "damaged". Considering the kind of damage that the clam seller was most likely insinuating though they didn't need some strange visitor to carry them out. If that was the horror that the other was most focused on then she'd obviously never come across such actions from the perfectly ordinary men of Sunberth. A critical eye was thrown over the youth although she tried to do it as covertly as possible. She wasn't much to look at really. Nothing spectacular about her appearance, nothing to draw the attention of most men but a decent enough looking wench all the same. The horrors she alluded to were only ideas that spawned such sentiments within her, she'd never come close to them in reality. Caela could say that in a way she envied her.

A quiet sigh was breathed as the dancer jingled the coins in her purse like bait. There was no doubt in her mind that the other would have noticed the sight already without her additional auditory signals but it would only make it all the more enticing she hoped.

The price she laid before her sounded outrageous. A gold for four clams? They didn't look that large and usually things grew smaller when they were cooked so they would be a pitiful amount of the edible part of the shellfish left over. The meal that she'd bought Eleazar the previous season had cost her two golds and while she hadn't been the one to eat it, it had still been worth the coin; it'd been no small portion. The blonde didn't know a lot about shellfish but she was fairly sure that the girl was trying to fleece her. Sellers normally tried to sell things for more than there worth so this youth was no exception. Sure, she set a "deal" on the table but Caela was sure that that was probably more than the clams were worth as well. Maybe she wouldn't work the other down but see how much she could get for the same money instead.

"Really, eight silvers?" Her fingers dug into her purse as if to retrieve the payment but only drew out one silver before she paused. "That's two silvers a clam though. I would have thought that I'd be able to get a clam per silver so at your price I'd have to get eight clams for my coin, wouldn't I? I know someone that has a liking for clams who said they got them for that. At that price it sounded tempting but I never got around to buying any. Maybe... I should wait until another time. Maybe I was wrong to think about buying them in these dangerous times." The young woman made herself seem doubtful, the silver coin clinking as it was dropped back in to join its fellows.

Caela had no idea what the clams should be worth and she'd never had a conversation with anyone who ate them. She was perhaps closer to their true value - maybe under it - but she was fairly sure that the girl would try to get her to reconsider with the introduction of a slightly lower price. The joys of haggling. It wasn't an art that Caela was particularly good at though. Men could be manipulated instead but this young woman probably wouldn't respond to such tactics. The other was already offering her the clams for a price that she could profit by so if she lowered it a bit she'd still be doing all right for her labour. Plus the dancer doubted that the woman had ever really been in any danger so she wasn't going to give into such a price.

[Nellie Hawkins]

Nellie listened carefully to the tinny clinking of coins, the sound only slightly muffled by the other woman's coin pouch. It was a noise designed to draw her attention, she knew, but nevertheless the ploy worked. The sale was the thing; the initial offer had been made, and now the blonde would counter. The only question was how much time would be spent bartering before those jingling coins exchanged hands?

It was a rare day when Nellie drove a customer away, for she was generally willing to agree on a fair price for her merchandise, if she couldn't get an inflated one. Still, there were times when the customer had offered such an insultingly low payment that she'd simply refused to sell to them on principle. The young woman was happy to hear that today was not going to be one of those days.

Her doubtful tone was to be expected, and Nellie wasn't offended at the implication that she was overcharging. So far, in fact, everything about this transaction was going smoothly, and Nellie was in good spirits. She offered her customer an expansive smile, trying to convey with her eyes the understanding and willingness to cooperate that she was sure would reel in the coin.

"O'course, in th' spring an' summer, clams are much more easily found in th' market. When its warm, everyone can try their hand ta dig fer 'em. Once it starts gettin' cold, though, and the wind chills yer bones, only a stubborn few are devoted enough ta th' citizens of Sunberth ta risk catching a chill providin' foods from th' sea." Her dark eyes lowered modestly as she made her claim, all but plainly stating that such dedication ought to be worth more than the clams alone. "Ta say nothin' of th' special circumstances just lately."

She looked up again, locking stares with the blonde woman and seemed to be considering heavily what she was going to say next. "But ya say you've never 'ad clams before? I might be able ta let ya 'ave a few more, fer th' 8 silver." Nellie paused, and her eyes took on a distracted look as she pretended to be doing some mental calculations. After what seemed like an appropriate few ticks, she nodded her head decisively.

"I could give ya 6 clams, an' not break my heart, for that 8 silver. If ya wanted ta budge up ta a full gold, though," she began, her smile taking on a keen edge, "I could double it."

Twelve clams out of the bucket would leave her with enough to sell at the tavern, still, or even keep for herself. She hadn't been lying when she'd mentioned the colder weather; lately it was more than chilly enough to keep a pot of clam chowder for a day without worrying about spoiling it. The idea of having a warm dinner cooked and enough left over for the next meal or two was tempting, and the more she thought about it, the better the idea sounded.

[Caela Dorin]

The dancer waited. She could be patient, she could listen to all the spiel and wait for her cue to continue negotiations. It was all talk she knew, all designed to make her reconsider accepting the price that had already been put forward. What this girl said sounded like excuses to Caela, reasons designed to make the dancer pity her; it wasn't working. Purse clasped tightly in her hand she folded her arms across her chest and waited. One of them was going to have to give in first and it wasn't going to be her.

They locked gazes and the blonde waited.

The young woman couldn't prevent a smirk from sneaking onto her face at the other's new price. She was glad that her haggling - if it could indeed be called that - had worked out well. The number offered was quickly thought over. Six clams for eight silver wasn't too bad. Not quite one clam for every silver but not too far off it. Not that she even knew if it was a good price or not, how could she? The blonde didn't know how much they should be worth. The seller surprised her though by giving her a second offer. Sure it was to this girl's advantage in some ways. Twelve clams would get rid of a good portion of her stock and she probably wasn't selling it off at a loss. At only a gold though it worked out as a clam for less than one silver each. That seemed like a very fair price. Should she push it further?

"Sounds pretty fair but you'll still have some left over, right? I can't buy them all obviously, I can't eat that much and I might not even like them but what will you do with them? Wait for someone else to come along here and take them off your hands or sell them at a tavern? I could help you, you know." She let her words sink in. If the other did indeed sell to taverns then the dancer could always put in a good word with her employer. The seller might not know anything about the snake sea people or whatever right now but what if she learned something? If she sold in the market then she was likely to hear some gossip from time to time. Eleazar didn't have to be her only ear to the ground after all. Why not acquire another one if she could?

"I can put in a good word, maybe get my employer to buy the rest off you. He'll be sorting the cooking of the ones I've bought already so why not add a few more? Would you be interested? I'll pay you for the twelve clams here and now whatever you decide but I'm sure that you'd prefer to get rid of the rest of them, right?" A gold miza was fished from her purse and waved under the girl's nose. She had no idea if the girl would go for the bait but she was sure that she'd be curious about the cost of such a deed. "I'm Caela by the way."

[Nellie Hawkins]

The woman's words sparked a quiet excitement in Nellie; it sounded like she had decided to buy, which meant the hardest part of the sale was done and all the was left was small talk until the coin actually changed hands. Unexpectedly, the blonde changed the game a bit, offering to help Nellie offload the rest of her catch. Nellie's mind flashed on the idea and she narrowed her eyes speculatively, thoughtfully as she considered this new angle.

"With what's left - after yer purchase, o'course," she nodded in exaggerated gratefulness, "I'll prob'ly stop in at a tavern ta sell th' rest. I can't expect ta get a very good price, o'course, since most of th' taverns aren't too picky when it comes ta quality. Most of 'em don't mind a bit of the more questionable stuff, as long as they can get a whole bunch at once." That wasn't strictly the truth, of course. Surprisingly, most of the taverns she sold to were much more concerned with the freshness and size of the seafood she brought in. But the white lie gave her a good opportunity to express her 'outrage' at the idea and reinforce the relative value of her own clams yet again.

"But how can ya help?" Nellie kept her tone deliberately casual, not wanting to give away any trace of excitement at the prospect of a better deal. This was just another kind of bargaining. She was pretty sure that the woman wouldn't be able to offer her anything she wasn't already able to get for herself, but it was worth listening anyway. Although she had a decent network of steady customers and rarely had to visit more than one or two taverns to sell off whatever she managed to catch in a day, if there was a chance to gain a new connection that would pay her more, or even just more steadily, Nellie might be willing to take advantage of it.

She fell silent as the woman explained further; she worked in a tavern. Doing what? Nellie eyed her appraisingly, trying to gather more details. In light of their earlier conversation, she immediately dismissed any type of guard work. Maybe a waitress - but the blonde didn't have the rough and wearied face common to girls who spent their days catering to drunken whims. Dancer? Singer? Deciding that it didn't matter anyway, what the woman did, Nellie dismissed her musings and focused on the words.

Extending her hand, not for the coin, but rather a handshake, Nellie offered a serious look. "Nice ta meet ya, Caela. I'm Nellie. Don't take this wrong, but why'd ya want ta help me sell my clams? Not that I'm against a bit of help, or anythin'." Even to her own ears her words were blunt and lacking any sort of finesse, but she was eager to get to the heart of the offer. It was a rare day in Sunberth when a stranger offered to help purely out of the goodness of their hearts, and Nellie was no fool to readily agree without understanding all the details.