
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One: Negotiations With Children
The training court smell had somehow intensified in the small room. There were no windows that could provide relief of the stench, only a curtain door over the entrance.
As they walked into the room, Samari noticed that not all of the group was there. The man Cy has just defeated was missing, as well as a few others. Only four of them were present--the rest were probably still at the pit.
After seeing the low numbers, she paid heed to each of them. Recognition overtook her as she did.
I know these people. I saw them at East Port. They're from the tavern, she thought, trying not to stare at them.
She remembered the name of the man sitting in the middle: Lance. Without his help, she would never have found the guild to begin with. He had been sketching the Locktess' at the bar, and he was still just as handsome.
He didn't show any signs of recognizing her, so she kept her familiarity with herself. The other two who had been at the bar were with him, along with one other she hadn't seen before.
"You start. After all, you came to us," the woman from the inn stated.
Instinctively, Samari cleared her throat. "We have come to...inquire...on a certain merchandise you may be selling," she took the lead.
Lorilie gave her a sideways glance, which only stiffened the awkward silence.
After some time, the man who seemed to be the boss snorted.
"Lady, we have tons of items for sale. I need to know more info on your 'certain merchandise.' Is it big or small or odd-shaped or bird-like or animal or what?" he asked.
Samari mentally facepalmed herself. Of course, he wouldn't automatically know what I'm talking about. This isn't some book or a planned meeting.
She pulled her lips tight as she tried. to remember how Zoran has described it. How she wished he was here! She was still a bit confused about the test to tell that it was the real thing, yet she had no other choice.
"Yes, it's rather specific. A gem that shines like the clouds, too large to be in a ring yet too small for a necklace." She tried not to give them too much info, in case they didn't know what the gem really was.
The Flames looked amongst each other, seeing if the description rung any bells. No one showed any signs of recognition.
"You do know that clouds themselves do not shine, right?"
"Well, it's actually--"
The woman cut Samari off as she continued, "I mean, what you're kinda asking for is a mattee jewel. They don't--"
"It sounds like you're looking for a shiny gem, though. We have plenty to offer," the ring leader interrupted.
With a flick of his wrist, he motioned for the man on his left to retrieve them. The man, whose face was covered in burn scars, kept glaring at them as he left--much like how the woman who was cut off was glaring at her boss.
Samari opened her mouth to continue, yet couldn't think of the right words to say as the scarred man left.
"He'll be back shortly. In the meantime, can I offer you any perspiration to drink? We always seem to have more than we can handle!"
The Mystic's stared blankly at him, not sure how to react. Then again, how is anyone supposed to react when someone offers them the refreshing flavors of sweat?
As if trying to make things more awkward, Cyrus half-raised his hand and said, "I just do happen to be a water mina, if you're really that low on clean water."
Patting his shoulder, Lorilie proceeded to push his hand down.
Boss-man, on the other hand, laid his head down in frustration. "I should've known that these people are not too witty," he groaned.
Regaining her thoughts, Samari started, "A-about the...gem, it's a, uh..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed that not a single one of the Flames appeared to be listening to her.
Luckily for everyone, burn scars came back, laying a sack on the table. Samari thought she heard someone mumble, "Mother of all glorious crispy nuggets!" from across the table. She held back a snicker.
Burn scars searched through the sack. As he took out gem after gem, she could see that his scars ran along his arms and neck as well.
Those look beautiful, but what in Cethore did he go through to get them? she thought, shutting down her imaginations before she scared herself.
"It's in there somewhere. Are there any more details you would give us?" Lance wondered.
You ask me now after I tried to explain three times?
Samari took in a deep breath, letting her frustrations flow out. "Yes. White...about the size of a, uh, strawberry...blossom, bright in...sunlight, and in a, in crystal shape."
"Sounds like a special order we just got." The man pulled a jewel out from the rest, a hint of a smile on his cheeks. Sure enough, it matched the description Zoran has given her. "Unfortunately, we only have the one," he finished, twirling it in his fingers toyingly.
Cyrus frowned, showing what they all felt. It was right in front of them, but they weren't getting it that easily.
"Is there a problem? If there is another buyer, then we are more than willing to make you an offer that is sure to satisfy you," Lorilie coaxed.
They perked up at the statement. Strangely enough, each had a different reaction that left Samari confused. Lance and the woman looked intrigued, the ring leader resembled a starving man staring at a buffet, all while the burn scars man-made exasperated motions that looked like he was going to kill his comrade.
Just then, the fighter from the pit entered. He took one look around him and said, "Kalique, what's wrong with you? Do you have to pee or something?"
Samari tried to stay calm, which was becoming increasingly difficult with the rise in unprofessionalism in the room. Still, she wanted to stay serious, knowing that it would grant her some respect--if these nimrods even know what that is!
Despite this, her thought process in no way affected anyone's actions, including her own.
Shifting from surprised to amused, the woman took one look at Kalique before she burst out laughing. Lance, whose gaze had drifted from his dancing colleague, didn't seem to notice him at all.
"I'll sell, but I have no interest in coins. Instead, I want a set of singing napkins that glow when they sing and fold themselves into fun shapes. There's some in the intangible market, but I can never seem to get my hands on any!" the leader stated.
It was hard to tell whether he was being serious or not. Given his track record, the latter was more likely.
Turning to her friends, Lorilie said, "Can you believe these guys? So unprofessional! Can't even make a deal. It's worse than working with children!" Her head snapped to the side, whipping her hair around, and she stuck her nose in the air.
Furious, the woman snapped her head up.
"Do you know who you're talking to, kitty cat? We work for powerful people, so I think we know what we're doing," she declared, slamming her hand on the table for effect.
Lorilie's frown turned into a snare after being called by that nickname again. If she wasn't irritated before, she certainly was now.
"Perhaps you should give us an actual price, then. You lot can't seem to work together one bit. We offered to top whatever you were promised, but if you aren't smart enough to know when to make a profit, we will just leave."
Sitting back, the leader surveyed them. Is he thinking of an actual price or coming up with another joke? Samari wondered. It wasn't long before she found out.
"I'm thinking a snippet of each of your hair--" he began, yet was abruptly stopped by Kalique smacking the back of his head.
"Enough!" he yelled. Sighing, he looked across the table. "This would be a whole lot easier if you just," he trailed off, pretending to strangle the man in front of him.
"Did what?"
"If you just stopped messing around. These patient people are being serious and want to know what it will take to get this item," he filled in.
The woman rested her hand on the table. Looking at him, she nodded and winked.
Samari almost choked from surprise. Do they all hate their boss that much?
The man whose life could very well be in danger sighed in annoyance. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands in front of him.
"The thing is, I really am not looking for money. This here is a kind of ticon stone, and a powerful one, at that. Money can't replace that. I highly doubt that you would have anything to interest me," he confessed.
Without a word, Lorilie pulled out a pouch from her tunic. Placing the fist-sized bag on the table, she slid it over to him.
Eying her suspiciously, he untied the string to open it. After taking a look inside, he passed it down to Lance, snapping to fingers to peel the Rocker's gaze from the wall.
Lance pulled a stone out of the pouch and held it to the light. Seeing the markings on it, Samari realized what it was.
A spellstone, a kind of ticon stone that could be made from any rock or metal. Just as the name portrayed, they were stones with complete rune spells imprinted on them. Some came infused with ticon while others needed ticon to be added in order to activate it. Rare ones could be used more than once, although it was much easier to find many single-use ones.
Spellstones made spellcasting a breeze for those who didn't learn the spells directly. If they were charged, they could be used by anyone at any time, making them a powerful force to wield. Of course, there wasn't a high need for them nowadays, so there weren't as many in circulation, but with the growing aggression, it wouldn't be so strange to find them in public anymore.
I shouldn't be surprised that we have those. We are a mage guild, after all.
"Genuine dero stones, fully charged. These are beauties," he observed. Looking to the boss, he said, "We can triple their value if we combine them with that shipment we're getting next month. It's a good trade."
The man smiled, standing to his feet. Kalique handed him the gem while Samari stood to face him.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a deal."
A/N: finally finished! I know, y'all are probably thinking, It took so long for that little thing? The fault is all mine. I was on forums and playing video games.
What do you think of the Flames? Are they weirdos or what? XD
So we saw the people from the pub in East Port again. The first dude Samari thought was cute is back, eh? Might stir some trouble 👀
They got the gem, so what do you think happens now?
To compensate for my failure of publishing on time, I am going to bring the next chapter early, so we get it this Friday! It's short and kinda a filler, so I don't mind. Don't worry, though, cause we have some big stuff brewing around!
Uhmmm.... Vote, comment, and Happy Mother's Day, ladies!
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