Featuring: Lexa, Roger and Zea
NPCs: Maura
Date: March 15, 2005
IC Date: June 5, 3931
Summary: Two mongrel crewmembers are asked to go into town and see if they can dig up a bit more information on just where Trinkets and Treasures gets its treasures.

Makara -- Open Seas

The Makara is kept tidy and clean, her rails and deck well tended and oiled, her elegant sails trim and whole. Her rigging is kept clean and open. She sports three thick masts, iron bolstered for strength. The center and largest mast holds the largest of the fan-shaped rigs and above it flies a black flag decorated with a red heart framed by white wings on either side - the same flag that flies above the Amarada.

Lexa emerges from below decks, untying her hair as she does so. By the looks of things she's been on her daily round of cleaning the galley, and she makes straight for the rail, to lean on it and look out over Raven's Cove.

Though the distance between the two ships is hardly worth the effort, Zea flies over to the Makara from the Amarada rather than walk along the rather dodgy-looking docks. She's become rather adept in sneaking around the masts and rigging to land on the ship's deck, now that she does it a number of times each day. There are faint worry lines creasing her brow as she notes the presence of the mongrel woman, and the lines don't disappear as she approaches Lexa. "Ave," Zea calls out as she steps up to the rail at Lexa's side.

Roger emerges from the galley, hands wet from recent washing. His apron is covered with grease stains from various breakfast food items, and he smells faintly of the stove over which he has been cooking since early this morning. He grunts as he makes his way heavily to the rail. As Zea lands, he makes another, more disapproving grunt, but does not let the Empyrean's appearance deter him any further, and he continues on.

The dark-haired mongrel nods to Roger, flashes him a quick grin, and looks up as Zea lands. "Hey." A pause, and a faint frown. "Somethin's botherin' you."

Zea quickly tries to smile to erase the worry lines on her face, but that only makes her look odd. She dips her head slightly to acknowledge the comment and then nods briefly to the hunchbacked cook. "Lexa, I need your help with something, something that I think will be easier for a mongrel to do than one of the purebloods." Zea glances out over the town as she leans on the rail and curls her wings around her. "I need some information from that town."

Roger chuckles, either at Zea or to himself at some personal thought. He finally reaches the rail and leans heavily on it. It creaks a little under his not inconsiderable weight, but otherwise remains secure. He wipes his hands on his apron to dry them and waits patiently for the Empyrean to make her demands. He sniffs thoughtfully and scratches one of his shoulders. "When yer done with 'er," he starts, indicating Lexa with a thumb, "I need a word with 'er too," he says quietly to the winged one.

A wry chuckle. "'M popular t'day." Lexa grins at Roger, shakes her hair back, and turns again to Zea. "'M listenin', hon. Whaddya need?"

Zea glances over to Roger and nods. "I won't take too much of her time, I'm sure you have enough to keep her busy." She looks back over the town and keeps her voice low, uncertain just how far her words might carry. There seems to be some sense of urgency in her voice. "Lexa, a few of us have found some unusual items in a shop here in town, a shop that sells just about anything you could hope to find. I purchased a necklace there that I am sure belongs to a friend of mine back in Parnassus and Valens and Minowa found a couple items as well that they believe to have been stolen. Of course, we could not question the shop's owner about the items, but I am hoping you might be able to speak with her? She might take better to a mongrel. You don't have to declare where you're from or how you got here, but perhaps just strike up a conversation with her and see if you can't get some information out of her about where she gets her goods?"

Roger's bushy eyebrows twitch at the mention of thievery. "Sounds dangerous, it does," he mutters to himself. "Don't like it, don't like it at all, no I don't." It is not at all certain that Roger realizes that he is saying these things out loud, and for the moment, he looks on helplessly. He starts wringing his meaty hands in his greasy apron.

A mischievous grin from Lexa. "I c'n do that, sure." She runs a hand through her hair, purses her lips, and stares out at the town. "Mmm. That th' place near th' tavern with all th' junk in it? I peeked in, but I don' have much t'spend, so..."

Zea nods as a bit of relief comes over her. She wasn't sure how Lexa would take to the idea, but it has to be done. "I'll give you a few coins to take with you. The shopkeeper seems to be able to sniff out money and she might be more willing to chat if she knows you have a few coins to spend. Yes, it's that little shop near the Mermaid, looks more like someone's forgotten storeroom than a real shop, but I am starting to suspect there's a reason for that." Her pale eyes drift over to Roger, though she doesn't turn her head from looking out over Raven's Cove. "It might be dangerous, but I doubt it, at least for what Lexa has to do. She's just asking questions, that's all. Might help us figure out what happened to those other two ships."

The hunchback shrugs his shoulders with a pained grunt. "'Ere," he says to Lexa. "If yer goin' in t' town, mebbe ye kin pick me up a new footstool. Th' one I got's gonna fall 'part any second." He digs out some money from one of the numerous pockets in his apron, and is about to hand it over to the tall mongrel when he pauses. "Er mebbe I should go in wi' ye. I may not look li' much, but I kin hold m'own in a fight, I reckon, yes I kin." He pulls back his hand and grins a toothy smile.

Lexa chuckles. "'M a nosey cow when I wanna be." She nods to Zea. "I c'n do that fer ye." A nod at Roger. "Might not hurt. 'Long as y'leave th' sweettalkin' t'me." She winks at Zea, stepping back from the rail. "It *is* what 'm good at."

Zea gives a slight shrug at the cook's suggestion. "There should be no problem with Lexa having some company. In fact, it might help to have an additional pair of eyes and ears." The mongrel's wink makes Zea smile a bit as she laughs. "It is why I've asked you to help with this rather than one of the more seasoned sailors, it seemed more of your kind of task then theirs. I appreciate it, Lexa, I really do."

The boat rocks slightly, and Roger shifts uneasily as he adjusts to keep his balance. "These eyes ain't real useful, no they ain't, but least I kin make a diversion if she need t' make a quick 'scape, yes I kin." He grins again, but his deep-set eyes bely his slight trepidation. "'Sides, I don' wanna lose no help, now, can't 'fford t' lose none." He grunts and twists slightly, trying to loosen a cramp. "I gotta be back fer lunch-time, so this best be quick-like." He pulls the apron off over his head and ties it on to a nearby post.

Lexa nods. "An' I have t'be back t'clean up yer mess *after* lunch." She grins at Roger. "Shall we go?"

Zea takes a step back from the railing and stretches her wings a bit. "Don't mention you necessarily know me, or any other purebloods. Best to appear as ignorant as possible, I have no idea who this woman is or who she knows." Zea fishes around in the small purse at her waist and draws out a few coins, brought along just in case Lexa agreed. "Here you go, just in case," she smiles, holding out the coin for Lexa to take.

The dark mongrel takes the coins, with a wink for Zea. "I'll try not t'spend 'em all."

The hunchback makes a sort of animal-like *whuff* sound and shuffles over to Lexa, taking an oddly protective posture. "Let's go," he grumbles, not trusting Zea as far as he can throw her. Without her wings.

*Travel*

Trinkets and Treasures - Town Square - Raven's Cove

At first glance, this shop might be mistaken for a disorganized storeroom. Shelves and counters are littered with hundreds of objects that do not seem to be in any kind of order. Children's toys are stashed with jeweled boxes, books and smoking pipes. It seems wherever one looks there is something new to discover. Surely there must be a method to this madness. All available wall space is taken up by wooden shelves or hooks on which hang clothing. A small counter near the rear of the store holds a long glass case containing what are obviously the shop's more precious items such as jewelry and fine silver and gold pieces.

A couple of small windows steal some of the shop's precious wall space, allowing curious passersby to glance in as well as provide necessary illumination to the shop. A couple of carefully placed lanterns supply additional light when needed, and they are kept well out of the way of any of the shop's merchandise. A doorway at the rear of the shop, behind the only clear counter in the shop, likely leads to the shop's real storeroom and office.

The shop is exactly what the sign indicates, though it appears as if the treasure chest exploded and everything inside rained down on the shop, left where it fell until some curious customer picks it up. There is an odd smell inside; a combination of dust, incense, old perfume, and some other smells that are from an undeterminable origin. Seated near the back of the shop among all her treasures is the mongrel shopkeeper. Her dark curls spring out in a hundred different directions, making her look as haphazard as the shop in question. Currently she's sucking on the end of a quill and peering over a scroll. Every so often she takes the quill out of her mouth and scratches out a few numbers and then back into her mouth it goes.

The hunchback is about as conspicuous as they come, or at least, he is trying to be for the moment. He enters the shop, huffing noisily as if it were taking him great effort to walk. He mutters something incomprehensible under his breath, perhaps cursing for no other reason than the world is still there. His wide hip bumps a wooden sculpture on a shelf, and he grunts as he turns to steady the object. "Sorry," he grumbles.

Lexa follows the hunchback in, pushing back the hood of her dark cloak as she does to reveal a fall of night-black hair. Mongrel she may be, but exotic-looking she certainly is. The coins in the pouch at her belt jingle satisfyingly as she adjusts the cloak, and she makes a beeline for some of the nicer looking jewelry, with a warm smile for the proprietress should she look up.

Whether it's the presence of potential customers or the jingle of coin that alerts her, the effect is still the same. Maura looks up and quickly drops the quill and scroll, giving Roger and Lexa a wide and welcoming smile. She jingles herself as she hops from her stool, the abundance of jewelry on her makes noises whenever she moves. "Welcome ta Trinkets an' Treasures! I'm Maura, ye humble shopkeeper, iffn there be anythin' I can help ye with, jus' let me know!" Her eyes nervously look to Roger but she's quick to wave off the disruption of the statue. "Don' worry yerself ova that, good sir, jus' wood an' all." As Lexa draws closer she gives the mongrel a long look up and down, smiling even brighter if that's possible. "Aye, lovely lass, comin' ta find somethin' tha' might be as lovely as yerself?" She chuckles and spreads out a hand towards the jewelry. "Reckon that migh' be difficult, but I do 'ave some lovely pieces here."

The hunchback nods curtly to the proprietress, and quietly starts making his way around the perimeter of the shop, examining the 'treasures.' He stops for a moment and picks up a nice little writing implement that catches his eye. He turns it over in his enormous hands and watches the proceedings out of the corner of his sunken eyes.

Lexa knows how to respond to being admired, an almost casual flick of her hair and a subtly struck pose, before making her way over towards the items indicated. "Mm. I was kinda lookin' fer somethin' silver, or mebbe... I dunno. A bracelet, or somethin' like that." She inspects one of the finer looking pieces. "This is beautiful."

Maura leans over the glass case holding the jewelry at the one Lexa indicates and nods eagerly. "Aye miss, tha' woul' look lovely on ya, though I'd challenge any piece I've got to not look more beautiful when yer wearin' it." Her dark eyes lift to look at Lexa and she adds, "Would ye like ta see it?" Already her heavily ringed fingers are holding onto the edges of the case, just waiting for the signal to open it and get the requested piece.

Roger smirks to himself at the mongrel clerk's transparent attempts at flattery. He replaces the trinket on the counter and moves along the edge towards a stone statuette of an erotic encounter between some sort of beast and some other sort of beast. He makes a disgusted face and moves along until he finds a sturdy-looking chair. He tests it by pressing it gingerly with his hand, as if he expects it to collapse into pieces at his touch.

Lexa tilts her head to study the piece, then nods. "Please." One hand pushes hair off her face again, and she watches as Maura opens the case. "Where'd it come from?" She leans in to watch, closer.

Maura withdraws the bracelet as if she was handling a queen's personal collection. It's all a big show and something she's likely been doing forever. The bracelet is held out to Lexa to try on, but now her eyes narrow slightly on the woman, as if she expects the mongrel to bolt out of the shop. The question, however, is airily answered. "Oh, ya know, here an' there. Can' say fer sure where it come from, I's just a lil resident of Raven's Cove, never did ever go nowhere else."

The hunchback's ear twitches at the change in tone, but he says nothing. He then ventures to try to lean on the chair, to see if it will bear his hefty frame. The chair slides across the floor, making a loud squeaking noise and possibly leaving a few marks. "Oops," he mutters, but does not make any apologetic motion. He twists his shoulders a bit, then shrugs and moves on to the next distraction.

Slim fingers take the bracelet, and Lexa turns it over, examining it with a few little cries of admiration, before trying it on, and holding it up for Maura to admire. "What do you think?" She holds her wrist this way and that, admiring it herself. "It's so pretty." She can do vapid with the best of them, if she chooses. "I bet it's Empyrean or something. I just love it."

Maura's head pops up at the unexpected sound, ignoring Lexa for a moment. "Now now, good sir, bes' be careful there. Don' wanna have a hurt customer on me hands. Tha's a good solid chair though, hol' a man bigger than you, it will." Always trying to sell something, isn't she? But Lexa is her main focus now, especially when she's got that jewelry around her wrist. "A stunnin' piece a work, miss. An' on a stunnin' woman as well, iffn ye don' mind me sayin' so." She tilts her head a bit. "Ye new in town? Lookin' fer a job? I bet th' boys woul' love ta have a pretty thin' like yerself over at the 'Maid, if yer so inclined. Make some good money ova there off stravin' young sailors, could have lots a pretty stuff like this, that's fer sure."

Nothing was actually further from Lexa's mind, but she was half-expecting the suggestion sometime during this conversation, anyway. She giggles. "I could, I guess. Do you get lots of stuff like this?"

The hunchback grunts and takes a seat. The chair groans a bit, but holds his weight. "Piece o' junk," he mutters, then he gets up out of the chair and wanders over to a pile of other furniture stacked in a corner. He starts picking through it, trying not to create an avalanche. Wooden frames of various pieces start to creak ominously. "Damn crap, all o' th' local stuff," he mutters.

Maura casts the hunchback a glare as he seems to disregard the obvious quality of all her items for sale. She shakes her head and looks back to Lexa. "Ye'd be popular, a pretty thin' like you, and new as well. Yer new ta town, aren't ya? Neva seen ya here before." She gives a nudge of her chin towards Roger. "He yer sweethear'? Lemme tell ya, there be lots a men here, ye coul' take her pick." She hoists herself back on the stool and leans forward on the counter. "Oh yea, I get lots a stuff like this. Get lots a traders in 'ere that are lookin' fer somethin' pretty fer their girls back home, ya know. They sell me some stuff they got and look fer somethin' more exotic, ya know? Gots stuff from places I bet ye have never even heard of before." She reaches into the case and draws out a black pearl necklace. "This here comes from a place down south, or so the trader tol' me. Waters of the Pandion, guess tha's some kind of them fishie folk."

Oh look, there might be something useful here after all. The hunched mongrel manages to disentangle a broad footstool with sturdy legs like small tree stumps. "Now this what I lookin' fer," he says with a tooth-gapped grin. He sets it on the floor and peers at it from several angles, sizing it up and apparently trying to decide if he wants to buy it. He is apparently oblivious to any disparaging remarks made at his expense. Either that, or perhaps the words roll off his enormous back like water. It certainly wouldn't be the first time someone has taken a crack at him. "How much y' wan' for this piece o' junk?" he growls out to Maura, probably interrupting her. Clearly no regard for etiquette, this one.

Lexa frowns, worrying on a finger tip. "I ain't heard of th' Pandion. Heard o' Parnassus, but that's a mite nearer." She lets the necklace drape across the back of her hand. :"That's real nice, that is." A helpless shrug. "Kinda spoilt fer choice. I c'd really go fer either, an' I bet y' got more." She considers, and Maura's earlier question filters through. "Aye., 'm new. W... what are th' men like here, mm?"

Maura puts the black pearls back and shrugs, "Couldn' sell this one to ya anyway, holdin' in from some Atlantean miss who said she'd come buy it once she got paid. Some sailor girl, not countin' on seeing her again. Though she did brin' in a bunch a purebloods who spent their money pretty free." She gives Lexa a knowing wink. "Town full a mongrels, but then ships bring in them purebloods wit' their money and they as eager as chil'ren to spen' it on whatever you have ta sell. Town's men aren' bad, for the mos' part, but it's the visitors that'll give ya the bes' coin. Easy as anythin' to get it from 'em too." Her dark gaze swings over to Roger as he brings forward the stool. She tries not to scowl as he picks one of the cheapest items in the store. Money is money after all. "That's a fine stool there, fine stool. Though not as fine as some others I have, iffn ye be wantin' the truth. I can give that to you for six coppers. Fair deal I'd say."

A pout and a chuckle from Lexa. "Aww. I c'd see me in that." She admires the pearls again, sighs, and turns the bracelet on her wrist. "I... guess. I heard rumours that some of the visitors y'got here were a bit..." Eyes *wide*. "Y'know. Rough?"

The hunchback draws himself up to his full height and toddles over to the counter where the ladies are chattering. "Six??" He scowls down at the stool. "I ain't givin' ya more 'n four fer this thing. Might 's well make m' own if yer gonna charge six fer this thing, yes I might." He starts grumbling, and then picks the stool up easily and heads towards the teetering stack in the corner. He frowns as he realizes he will not be able to put it back, and stands apparently dumbly staring.

Perhaps Maura doesn't wish to clean up the impending disaster, for she shouts out quickly, "Well now, good sir, don' be so hasty, I may be willin' ta give it ta ya fer four coppers." She sighs and shakes her head and looks back to Lexa. "Well, miss, it all depen's on the man, I suppose. Some are as a gentle as a lamb, others are fierce, like to take out their aggressions or somethin'. Jus' like it is everywhere I suppose." She leans in a bit and whispers to Lexa. "Probably I shouldn' be tellin' ya this, but I tell ya, them pirate boys are the bes' lay, or so the maids say. I hear tell they give them girls lots a pretty things fer their trouble."

Her eyes go wider, if that were possible. "Oh..." Fingers stray, almost sensually, to the bracelet, and she whispers, almost, "Do they bring th' best treasure, too?"

Roger can't help but laugh at the ridiculously transparent pitch, but manages to catch himself and it comes out a strangled cough. He pounds his chest dramatically and hacks a few times, then totters over to the counter again, dragging the stool behind him. "Four coppers it is, lemme jest leave this here a min while I look 'round s'more, yes lemme look around, thanks kindly," he says, eventually fading into incoherence. He makes his way over to a shelf full of intricate, delicate seashells, and picks one up thoughtfully. "Never seen this sort, no I haven't," he mutters, then frowns thoughtfully.

Maura gives Roger a nod but is quick to turn her attention back to Lexa and the story at hand. "Well now, I's only know what them girls over there tell me. They all could be lyin' fer all I know, but I sees some of them pretty baubles they get and some a them bring 'em here for me ta sell. Can' blame 'em, not everyone is gonna take some birdie's necklace or some Varati's earrings as payment for the necessities. Can' buy bread and milk and a new dress with some pirate booty." She sits back a bit to get a better look at what she assumes will be a stunned and impressed expression on Lexa's face. "Town's fulla stories like that, you'll see. Never gets dull 'round these parts, thats fer sure."

She wants a stunned and impressed expression, she gets one. Lexa, if nothing else, can act, as she told 'Tian. "Who sh'd I ask fer at th' inn, then?" She fiddles with the bracelet again, turns wide eyes to Maura once more. "I c'd stand t'have some pirate type givin' me presents. Sounds romantic."

The shells are apparently of interest to Roger, who is fingering some of the more delicate ones with interest. His eyes nearly roll back into his head when he hears Lexa's latest offering, but he retains his composure. Gotta keep it together. "Where'd ya get these things, ya scrape 'em off the bottom of a boat er sumthin'?" he calls out.

Maura glances up at the hunchback and scowls at the question. "I didn' do no such thing. Brought to me they were. Some trader that likes to sail eas'. Probably got 'em from some fishie people or somethin'. They use shells fer money, they do!" She looks to Lexa and her expression is priceless, she's like a cat lapping up a bowl of cream. She feels like she's got this girl ready to be reeled in. "Well, I wouldn' know nothin' 'bout romantic. Can't say as I've had a pirate lover in a long time. They ten' ta go fer the younger girls. Them maids certainly do seem ta like it. I heard tha' one girl, names Arabella, got ta go aboard the pirate ship and take 'er pick of his treasure! Kin ye imagine that, gettin' ta see the hold of a pirate ship? Course she was struttin' 'round like she was some kinda pirate queen after that. Ain' seen that ship come back in almos' a year. Guessin' he found somewhere else ta stick his plunder." Maura laughs and gives Lexa a wink and a knowing nudge. "But iffn ye want a job at the Mermaid, ye should speak with Violet, she runs the girls over there. Older woman, was a maid 'erself at one time. Runs a tight ship, she does but she's a good woman. She comes by all the time ta see what I got and see what she can sell ta me."

Lexa smiles, nods. "I'll be sure an' ask." She fondles... it's the only word for it... the bracelet again. "How much?"

Roger unceremoniously grabs one of the spinier shells, the sharp edges apparently having no purchase in his tough palms. He meanders a bit more, then heads over to the counter and plunks it down a little more heavily than perhaps is wise for something so delicate. Luckily, the shell is sturdy and does not break. "How much," he asks.

Maura hmmms and looks at the bracelet as if taking a great deal of time to ponder the price of the trinket. "I'll sell it to ya for two denarii, miss, jus' because I'm feelin' a bit generous and I canna' help but help out my own, ya know.'Specially with them birdies and fishies and all others in town at the moment. Ye best be careful round them, have a feelin' they mighta been thinkin' a stealin' from me the other day." She looks to Roger, eyes narrowing on the hunchback as he brings up the shell. "Thought ye said ye only had four coppers on ye?"

"I never said no such thing, I said I wouldna give ya more than four for the stool. How much," the hunchback repeats, tapping the spines with a calloused finger.

Maura is obviously more interested in Lexa and her more 'refined' tastes than the ugly mongrel and his ability to pick the most worthless items in her shop. "Shells are a copper each, an' I ain't goin' lower than that, so don' ask."

"Wasn't gonna," Roger says, and reaches into the confines of his tattered clothing to somehow produce the appropriate payment. He tosses it on the counter with a 'clink' and grins. "Gotta question for ya. I got some stuff t' get rid of. Who would I see 'bout somethin' like that, would ya know?" His tone is casual as he collects his prize and examines it through squinted eyes. This particular expression makes his face look even more deformed than it already is.

Maura scoops up the money from Roger's purchases and then turns to accept the much more substantial payment from Lexa for the bracelet. She gives the other woman a much brighter smile for her trouble and pockets the coin. "Ye remember, go speak with Violet, miss. She'll set ya up real good, and then when ye've made a few ye can come back and buy more," she calls out as Lexa makes her way out of the store, leaving Maura alone with the hunchback. She considers his question a moment. "Ye looking to sell it outright or are ye looking for a place ta store it for a while?"

"Jest wanna get rid of it, I do, yes I do. Takin' up space in me' house." Roger chuckles at that thought for some reason. "Some'un came by one day an' left it, 'e did," he says through gritted teeth. "Canna say where 'e's gone, no I can't, no miss." He then winks with one eye, which causes his whole face to distort in new and even more displeasing ways.

Maura tries not to seem too disgusted by the man's obvious distorted features and tries smiling wider to make up for it. "Well, good sir, ye could sell it to me iffn ye like and I'll take it off yer hands. Perhaps someone will fin' some use fer whatever ye've got ta sell. Take goods of all kinds here, I ain' that picky. As long as it ain' obviously junk or anythin' like that a course. I gots a reputation ta uphold ya know."

"Ah, well, this'un, see, he ain't been respectable-like. Wouldn' wanna burden a nice lady like ye with thi' kina thing, if y' know what I mean, y' see." Roger winks again, which just sends more ripples across his face, and then he leans in a little further to give a more conspiratorial air to his ranting. "No tellin' where this'un got this stuff, see, would be real helpful-like of ye if y' could help me ou', now." He grins, the gaps between his yellowed teeth showing clearly, and then he licks his lips thoughtfully with a meaty tongue.

Maura leans on the counter and looks across at Roger while trying *not* to look at him. "Well, why don' ya bring it by an' we'll see what we kin do about it? Might be it coul' be some stuff I could use after all, ya never know." She lifts her hands to him, palms forward. "I generally don' ask where people get their stuff from, ya know? Makes things easier that way. Mos' people I neva see again anyway, they just drop off some goods they've come across and want ta get rid of and then disappear. That happens in a tradin' town ya know."

"Ye're a right nice gel, y'are, thank ya." Roger backs off, his face losing some of its grotesqueness as it relaxes into a more natural expression. "I'll be bringin' i' by on the morrow if'n I can, I will, yes I will. Bye now," he says. The hunchback smiles a wry kind of smile, and his bushy brows furrow for a moment, and then he turns to go, bending slightly to grab the stool on his way. He cups the shell carefully with the other hand and drags the stool through the store, bumping a few items on the way. Luckily, nothing falls, although there are a few scary moments as fragile items teeter for a moment, then right themselves as if they were scared that Roger might actually buy them if they attracted attention to themselves.

Maura gives the mongrel a hearty wave as he leaves, seeming quite pleased with the way the day has turned out for her. More money and the promise of new goods on the way. She waits until he leaves before picking up her scroll and quill again, getting back to her work.