Wandering With Different Eyes

[Reaver]

Valdis smiled sweetly, lips pursing together as she purred, "What e\'er was to givin\' that away?" She winked at Rico again, her suspicions about the captain and one Lord Liari confirmed. Not surprising, but a dissapointment for her. This Rico seemed too, happy?

"I\'m pretty much t\'being Magnus\' sister." Valdis blinked. "Y\'don\'t go worrin\' that he\'s after your business. Magnus is t\'being a good man. Nothing like that vile brother of \'is." Pouting, she planted her hands on her lips and did her best puppy-dog eye impression. "I\'ve been to hearin\' all sorts of paranoid stories, and don\'t you go not speakin\' te\' a fine lady like myself o\'er it."

She did finally nod and give up the cute act, however. "One of Magnus\' top officers. An\' not just for bein\' his near sister. I carved myself my rank lad." She smiled sweetly again, but with out as much flair. She also couldn\'t help but itch for a fight around so many fine weapons.

"I\'d like t\'be meetin\' this captain Wilson of yours." Valdis murmered, admiration dripping from her tone. "Any gal who can be threatenin\' a lad like yourself must be somethin\'. A drinkin\' partner if she\'s able and willin\'."

[Kysis]

Kysis sighed, wishing Rico would just be a good little Retainer and stay out of it.  That would likely not happen, ever, especially with their past history.  Which was entirely his own fault.  Damn.  Kysis could not hold back a smile when Valdis mentioned wanting to meet the Captain, a little twinkle sparking in his eyes as well.  Whatever rumors Valdis had heard about Lam and Kysis, they were probably true (well, except for the one Lady Blake was spreading about Kysis being no more than a bed ornament and a screwtoy).  The King knew about the engagement, so Kysis was sure word of it had spread rather quickly.

However, Kysis had to hold back his excitement and keep his mind on track.  Nothing about the wedding was set in stone yet, not even the date.  He had to keep calm until then.  So, taking a deep breath, Kysis tried removing his smile but failed miserably, its still tugging up the sides of his lips.

"Well, if you are around the Guardhouse much, you will be bound to see her sometime.  Have you met anyone around there yet?"  Some interesting characters.  That last part went unsaid, as Kysis did not want to be rude.  Lieutenant Frederickson was one of those interesting characters, who could be a pain in the ass at times and very helpful at others.  Getting the permit for the sword at his side had been like pulling teeth.  Kysis would rather not recall the event.

[Reaver]

Valdis smiled innocently. "Y\'two boys are t\'being the first two interestin\' people I\'ve met in Oberon. Sort of." She certainly wasn\'t going to mention Ryanna to Lord Liari. If Ryanna ever mentioned meeting Valdis, grand. Otherwise, she wanted nothing linking her to Ryanna\'s ongoing plans. Just another coincidence, right?

She was planning on stopping by the guardhouse soon, perhaps within the week. She wasn\'t sure about it, though. Guards had rules. Soldiers had orders. Mercenaries just got told who they would be paid to kill. Anything extra was simply business. Sure, she didn\'t want to go around killing everything. Just a few fights would be nice. Guard life, though? She had done that duty several times on their campaigns, even commanding the camp guards at times, and it was dull. Bearable with good company, and if they offered constant training she might be fine. Or drinks.

"O\'course, if y\'d like t\'be goin\' and introducin\' this fine gal to anyone, please do." She winked again just for extra measure, and glanced at the counter. "I\'ll tell y\'know, the spatha is t\'lookin\' fine t\'me. I\'ll be t\'getting one from you one way or another." She murmered warmly. "On one condition."

[Kysis]

Rico was interesting?  Perhaps it was just Kysis\' opinion, but he was rather irritated and fed up with Rico.  Yes, they had been friends for forever, and lovers a few times, but that hardly made him interesting.  Bah.  Kysis completely cleared that chain of thoughts from his mind, trying to concentrate on deciphering what Valdis was saying.  If it weren\'t for Ryanna\'s terrible English, Kysis might not have understood a word that came from Valdis\' mouth.  He missed Greek.  It was far more straight forward than English, and the slang was all the same, from Kreos to Athens to Crete.

One way or another?  Today was getting stranger and stranger, moment by moment.  Every time Valdis said something.  It was nice to know Valdis did not work with that wretch, Dag, but still.  She was a mercenary.  Was she hinting at something?

"Condition?  Like what?"

A condition to her getting a sword made Kysis worry.  What kind of condition?  Why was she making conditions to purchases?  What was even going on for that matter?  Kysis was not all that sure, but he asked anyway.  Better know than be blindsided later, right?  Right.  That Kysis was sure of.  Rico was watching Valdis again, seeming to be intrigued by the statement of a condition.  Rico was always looking for a way to get Kysis away from Lam, so it was no surprise the ingrate was taking such a particular interest in Valdis.  But it wouldn\'t work.  Rico should just give up already.

[Reaver]

Valdis wagged a finger at Kysis, pursing her lips again. "Hasty \'asty." Tugging her pack off her shoulder, she reached in and pulled out one of the bundles, thick cloth masking the twin-horse carving within. It balanced precariously on her palm, easily twice the size. "The condition is t\'being this." Tilting her head to one side slightly, she paused to make sure he was listening. "Y\'must look at one of my carvins\', an\' be tellin\' me what y\'are to b\'thinking of it."

It was her last chance to bait him into a purchase. Perhaps even spark his interest for a future sale. After this she had, perhaps a small chance with Rico, and after that, she would have to find a price for her piece in the market. Perhaps the next day. A pity she couldn\'t spend the night convincing the pair. Chuckling, she held the carving out for Kysis to take, eyes wide an expectant. It was one of her finer pieces, but she wasn\'t sure what sort of quality Oberon boasted. She hadn\'t been here long enough, even with some of her sales done with.

[Kysis]

Immediately Kysis was curious when she started pulling something out, watching carefully as the piece was balanced on her hand.  Wow.  Kysis blinked a few times, turning his head just slightly to the right as he looked at it.  It was great carving, and lovely wood.  In fact, Kysis could not place what kind of wood it was, peeking his interest even more.

“It’s amazing.  How much would such a piece cost?”

He was asking because he really wanted to know.  The two horses reminded him of Atropos and Captain.  Kysis could remember when those two horses first ended up together, they had been extremely competitive, would not let one get ahead of the other.  It was like a pissing contest, the whole time he and Lam were trying to have a nice, relaxing ride.  It really reminded him of those two horses, and Kysis wondered if Lam might like something like that.  Kysis knew his mother would hate it, so he would have to figure something else for her, but that was not a problem.  There was a good glass-blower in Oberon who might have some delicate piece his mother like find more to her taste.

Kysis was calculating how much he thought, but was still clueless about the trade, so he stopped pondering that which he had no idea of.  Well, Lam had liked that glass prism he gave her, so perhaps… Or he could just get it as a decoration to replace some of what Alia had put up.  Seeing her glass flower arrangements now was still a touch too painful, that wound still sensitive.  She had been buried not long ago.  Yes, it would do, for either purpose he decided.  Just how much?

[Reaver]

Valdis struggled between frowning and smiling. She was proud of her work and Kysis\' interest, but wasn\'t really sure of the price. She hadn\'t expected him to leap to that. "Piece like this is usually t\'feedin\' me a week." She let her shoulders droop a bit, relaxing her back and trying to work the tension out of her body. It was fustrating to not have an exact idea on the Oberon economy. Was that the right word? Magnus used it all the time.

"I wouldn\'t be t\'asking much though. I\'ve plenty coin, and I like you. Men like yourself are t\'being rare, hard to catch too." Valdis winked at Kysis, although the sentiment was obviously just a compliment. She had lost interest in him the moment Rico confirmed the stories about the captain. That line of thought sparked another idea, and she nearly dropped the carving. "Your gettin\' married."

Looking intently at the piece, she leaned on one leg again. "Be naming a price. Y\'get a discount (again, she wondered if it was the right word), I won\'t steal coins from a man who\'ll be t\'needin\' them." She wagged a finger at Kysis, condensating frown barely holding back a grin. "An don\'t be goin\' and saying you can\'t be doing that. I\'ve more than enough coin to be filling my stomach this week and that piece has gone unsold awhile."

[Kysis]

Was she suggesting--- Kysis decided to ignore her saying he would need the coin more than her.  He doubted it.  Especially with how much she said the piece would normally cost.  Either way, he decided not to take offense.  Valdis was just trying to be nice.  If it was a noble of Oberon, or a full out merchant who said such a thing, Kysis definitely would be offended.  Name a price though?

And what the hell was that about rare and hard to catch?  Was he that strange looking?  Kysis glanced over at Rico, seeing that the Retainer was having trouble holding back laughter.  Rico was biting his lip and straining a little not to burst out laughing.  Ass.  Kysis looked back at the piece, eyes scanning over the details.

It would be nice.  Kysis tried figuring out how much food for a week would be.  Being that he did not buy his own food, it would be a hard calculation, and he refused to even talk to Rico at the moment.  Would five gold make him sound desperate for a gift?  Oh, Kysis did not care.

“You are an artist.  Take some pride in your talent, which others do not have.  I would say… five gold.” Kysis glanced to Rico again, who was blinking.  Alright, maybe it was a bit high, but Kysis could definitely afford it.  He did own a city in Greece, after all.

[Reaver]

Valdis blinked, mentally noting that she had preserved her dignity and kept her jaw in check. Did he say five gold? The most she had recieved on any piece was two, and it was twice as large as this one. A gold coin could keep her fed a week, two could keep her fed and drunk. A third might get her a new book, maybe she could even pay for that one Magnus was going to pick up. What would she even do with the last two? Wood was easy enough to get when Magnus simply had people back at the estate search their stock or get it from his network of previous employers. Even if that failed, she could make a plea case to Dag and get something from his merchants for cheap, simply to shut her up.

Realizing that she had to say something, and before she did lose control of her jaw, she blinked again and took a deep breath. "That\'s t\'being too much m\'lord. Call it three (the most she figured she could bring herself to spend, anyways) and ye\'d be t\'having yourself a new carving." It was still more than she would normally accept, but she couldn\'t use the marriage plea twice, it would seem like she was calling him on being more in need of coin (which she doubted, the man had his own shop, after all) and he did make the offer.

Didn\'t merchants try to get their prices as high as possible? She had to hold her breath to keep from laughing at the irony of it all.

[Kysis]

A platinum brow arched up, Kysis glancing from the carving back to Valdis. "One merchant to another, you never haggle down your own price." A laugh followed his rather serious words. "If you do, the customer might think you know of a flaw they cannot see, and not want to buy at all.  Lucky for you, I am as new at this as you are, and will overlook that slip."

Kysis went back to staring at the carving, smiling quietly to himself.  His mind was not on the piece, in all reality, not that anyone outside his brain would be able to tell.  Kysis was thinking of Lam, of the baby, happy things of that sort.  Lately his mind had not been straying to Alia\'s death so much.  It still hurt when he thought of it, but the pain was starting to dull.

Two horses, like Atropos and Captain... Kysis nodded. "Take my damn gold and stop bitching.  Seriously." Kysis loosened the stings on his purse, opening it up, tips of his left hand fingers brushing against the gold pieces in there.  No silver found its way into his purse, or copper (ever).  On a few occasions he ended up with a gem or two, Kysis having no clue how he got them, but it worked well as currency as well.  The fan Kysis had purchased from Lady Maracatte for Alia\'s birthday was paid for in gems.  She didn\'t mind.

But it was just gold today, Kysis picking out the five coins of it, offering them out in his hand.  Rico sighed from behind the counter, staring at Kysis.  The young lord had always been stubborn.  Anyone who had been around the Liari family knew that fact well.  Very stubborn.  That, and Kysis was used to getting his way.  Being noble (and owning a town) had that effect.  Rico tried ignoring it, as the thought only irritated him more.

"She doesn\'t seem like the type to like pretty things."

"I\'m the one who\'s marrying her, not you Rico.  I would know." Kysis snapped back immediately, not even looking at Rico.  As far as Kysis was concerned, Rico could go to Hades in a hand-basket.

[Reaver]

Valdis laughed, slipping the five coins into a concealed pouch. She had no trouble taking money if that was the way Kysis wanted things. After all, he gesture at reducing the offered price was one of respect, and it would be disrespectful to return any of the coins at this point. She\'d just have to be sure to purchase a sword from him sometime.

Speaking with a wink, she passed the carving over, along with the soft cloth it had been wrapped in. "A man who\'s t\'having his way, ought to be careful that he knows where he\'s going. You seem t\'being a man with both well taken care of." Gaze slipping along the walls to gather in all the points and edges, she let a whistle out between her teeth and shrugged. "I\'ll definitely be t\'buying a piece from you sometime, I just need t\'be finding my own path first lad."

Nodding to the carving, and ignoring the tension between Kysis and Rico, "Just be sure t\'be telling people who made that. A gal always likes pretty things, whether she admits it or not, and a guy always likes a pretty girl. Lucky for my customers, I\'m t\'being a pretty gal they can gawk at as they lose their jaws and coins to get pretty things for their darlins\'."

[Kysis]

The winking was throwing him off.  Kysis was confused by it, but he probably shouldn’t have been.  Lam had opened his eyes to a lot of things, and once he remembered that, it did not seem so strange.  People winked and were friendly.  Some people were just naturally flirty, like Rico, for instance.  Rico flirted with people without even realizing he was, but Kysis had written it off as part of his charismatic personality.

However, Valdis did have a good shred of wisdom there, Kysis cracking a smile at that.  He did know where he was going, and was sure of his footing in going there.  Nothing had come up to jar him from his path yet, so Kysis remained confident that nothing would.  It was that confidence which allowed him to keep his head up during his whole conversation, hair out of his face, eyes determined and sure, voice measured and clear.  A few months prior Kysis had just seemed aloof, closed off, quiet.  Now there was a completely different presentation.

And that last part drew a laugh, short but real.  Kysis could not help it.  It seemed Valdis had had a little confidence boost of her own, which would be good for her business.  So, Kysis decided to deliver a bit more of his recently gained mercantile knowledge to her, for her own betterment in business.  However, he could not get his eyes off the carving, now in his hands, as he spoke. “The market you are looking at in Oberon is the nobles, as they are the ones looking for decorations for their manors.  A high price can draw their interest just as keenly as a pretty piece.” Kysis nodded at this.  It was stupid, the local nobles confused him, but that was how it went. “Nobles like to brag about how expensive their décor is, so definitely set the prices high.  You won’t scare their coin away.”

That was the most he could really give, in the business sense.  Kysis was interested in some day selling her a sword, if she was still interested.  If her business caught on, she would definitely be well financed enough to afford one of the nicer blades.

“I suggest you seek out a woman named Lystra Maracatte.  She is a noble and might be interested in commissioning a piece.  She actually ordered a metal sculpture from me, despite the fact my forge does not specialize in those things.”

[Reaver]

Valdis nodded, slowly. Nobles tended to be foolish like that. The lord residing over them in Norway had spent his entire fortune on his mansion. When it burned down the next year, nobody could tell him. He had died of starvation.

At least some nobles were intelligent enough to save some coin for the necessities. Considering the prices she had seen on some of the wines and other products about, the nobles were both rich and in the very least, of some intelligence.

"Thankin\' you for that bit of information then lad." Valdis said with a purr, ideas bubbling behind her glittering eyes. "I might be t\'having a bit of fun with these nobles." She had no clue what she would do if she actually sold a piece for that much; she had little use for coin. Considering Kysis was giving her the advice, she figured he wanted her to buy a sword. That she would do. Perhaps more. Would he have shields? She shrugged the idea off, something to worry about later when she actually had the coins.

Valdis perked up at that name. It wasn\'t familiar to her, so she\'d have to run it by Magnus to see if he or his network could find anything about her. If Kysis knew her, she could be someone to use against Dag. Possibly. Or perhaps entice Weiss to keep him occupied once he arrived.

Commission? another word she\'d have to have Magnus define for her.

She kept the grin off of her face and chose a simple, sweet smile as she spoke, "Exactly the kind of noble I should be t\'looking for, I suppose. Purchasing goods I don\'t even make, could get me a pretty coin on specialty." Simply tell Lystra that what she wanted was special (especially if Valdis had no clue how to make it, or simply never tried to before) and that she needed to invest in the best tools and supplies for the purchase. "Would be nice to b\'seeing my carvings sell more."

[Kysis]

Kysis returned what smile he could, considering how Rico was looking at him, that was rather hard.  The young Retainer\'s lips were pulled into a mock frown, his leaning over the counter with elbow planted, chin in his hand.  Rico\'s eyes were laughing, which was what bothered Kysis.  What the hell was so funny?  Kysis tried ignoring the Retainer, otherwise it would sour his mood.  He had been in a good mood lately, so no need to make it ill all of a sudden.  Damn Rico.

"I am glad I could help." With that statement Kysis nodded, glancing down at the carving again, wondering.   Perhaps...  Hmm, yes, that sounded like a very interesting idea. "If ever you want, you can set up your carving in front of my shop.  I know some merchants get angry if someone does business in front of them, of if someone is doing business without a permit for the spot they are using, but honestly, any more eyes drawn to this place is welcome."

That was not the only reason Kysis offered her the ability to use the rather large space Kysis had permit to in front of his shop.  Kysis\' shop was already rather well known, and with the exhibition soon to come, it would become even better known.  If Valdis had any intentions of staying in Oberon for an extended period of time, she would definitely be needing the coin that setting up there, where people looking for odd things already went, would give her a fighting chance at that coin.

However, Kysis kept that reasoning to himself.  He had noticed the momentary blankness at the mention of commission, a word he, himself, had learned not too long ago (the English version at least.  He had known the Greek one for a while).  Enough business talk though.  Kysis was sure she could get a good tutoring from Magnus (or Dag) anyway.

[Reaver]

Valdis grinned and did her best to restain from leaping onto Kysis. Neither he or his retainer would likely... well, actually. His retained might find that amusing. Her spot in the markets at the moment, was only available when it\'s rightful owner wasn\'t about. "I would be t\'loving to set up there. Thank you Kysis." Valdis said with a short, polite bow. She wasn\'t sure how else to thank him.

Quickly moving on with a renewed grin, "I\'ll t\'being sure the space is kept tidy and doesn\'t disturb your shop any." Considering how famous Lord Liari was, it would certainly be of benefit to her to have her wares available nearby, and her efforts displayed as well. She wondered if she could even slip a carving into Kysis\' actual shop... for... display purposes.

Holding back a giggle, something she rarely did and couldn\'t quite understand why she was so ready to, she clasped her hands behind her and shifted her weight, leaning on her other leg. "So master Gulbrand," sarcasm barely held in restraint, "hasn\'t been t\'giving you much trouble, has he?" A mischievous grin split her lips to bare teeth. Dag had crafted the fine sword she had packed away with her stuff, but the man himself was a egotist with little to have an ego for.