06-12-2011, 09:06 PM
Sedge watched the boy intently as he was drawn in to all of his wares, perusing each one with youthfully exuberant curiosity and fascination, both perfectly fitting in one so young. The young were always the easiest to sell to, though the problem of wealth to pay often became an issue with those fresh out of puphood. Still, what was that he'd said? Fix the wagon? Why! That would be stupendous, marvelous, miraculous, the good fortune to crown all good fortunes: he would not need to sacrifice his wares at all if he were able to repair his wagon. Nettle snorted, anxious at being harnessed to the broken-down cart; his master only scowled, but his severity was gone by the next time his mark...no, guest...turned to face him.
"A service in payment for a treasure? Why of course...what else do two people trade in but services, good sir? You the service of keen carpentry and mine the fervent finding of fortunes. What you have there, my friend, is the greatest mystery of Singapore, and of all the mysteries of Singapore that's saying quite a lot!...the fabled glow-worm of the south-east, the flashing fodder for the fire-eating birds of the far orient, the only glowing snails to exist on the entirety of the earth, and if I'm lying strike me dead: you have there in your hand a jar of Dyakia striata. An enigmatic name for an enigmatic creature, given in the language of power in the days of human oppression before our kind inherited the world. You'll not find anything like them on this side of the world, my friend, and some of these can be yours for nothing more than your aid in fixing this wagon." He saw the boy's fascination...he knew he hardly had to try to sell the things at this point. Squinting his eyes shrewdly as he rubbed his chin, the thought came to him to improve the deal. A real boon in this...doesn't pay to be cheap and queer the deal.
"For your work, my good man, five of my precious Dyakia, sure to make for a breeding population of your very own! And those seeds: I see you're a wolf who knows their worth...half the jar, in gratitude if my wagon is moving again when you're finished. What do you say?" He was nervous. If the boy understood that he would need to leave half of his wares here simply by the act of withholding assistance, he might well get what he wanted for free. His smile remained though: hopeful and genuine after years of deceit in the name of business. If the boy didn't put it together, he certainly wasn't going to tell him.
"A service in payment for a treasure? Why of course...what else do two people trade in but services, good sir? You the service of keen carpentry and mine the fervent finding of fortunes. What you have there, my friend, is the greatest mystery of Singapore, and of all the mysteries of Singapore that's saying quite a lot!...the fabled glow-worm of the south-east, the flashing fodder for the fire-eating birds of the far orient, the only glowing snails to exist on the entirety of the earth, and if I'm lying strike me dead: you have there in your hand a jar of Dyakia striata. An enigmatic name for an enigmatic creature, given in the language of power in the days of human oppression before our kind inherited the world. You'll not find anything like them on this side of the world, my friend, and some of these can be yours for nothing more than your aid in fixing this wagon." He saw the boy's fascination...he knew he hardly had to try to sell the things at this point. Squinting his eyes shrewdly as he rubbed his chin, the thought came to him to improve the deal. A real boon in this...doesn't pay to be cheap and queer the deal.
"For your work, my good man, five of my precious Dyakia, sure to make for a breeding population of your very own! And those seeds: I see you're a wolf who knows their worth...half the jar, in gratitude if my wagon is moving again when you're finished. What do you say?" He was nervous. If the boy understood that he would need to leave half of his wares here simply by the act of withholding assistance, he might well get what he wanted for free. His smile remained though: hopeful and genuine after years of deceit in the name of business. If the boy didn't put it together, he certainly wasn't going to tell him.