The male slave returned carrying a cloth pouch in his hands. Silently, it was handed into her waiting fingers and the slave stepped back to his rightful place. Isabella delicately opened the pouch and peered inside. The dried lavender was there, all right, and the lovely scent wafted up toward her. With a light grin, she sealed the pouch again and held it, almost cradling it, against herself. A precious thing was given her and she could hardly believe her luck in this encounter. She still had to repay this new found supplier, and she simply could not accept this as a gift. Gifts always had strings attached and with payment, strings were severed before they lashed back like whips.
Isabella nodded, a glimmer of sadness swiftly appearing over her features for a brief moment. No wild roses? They were always the ones who made the most delicate of scents, most feint and unobtrusive. Humans created ones that reeked more than smelled, the smell powerful and overwhelming. Human bred roses were like dogs, some bred to be so different that they were glaringly unattractive. Waving her hand, the woman shook her head to Odessa's suggestion. "No, if it's not easy to get, do not worry. I will find a way to trade for it or go without." Roses were not her preferred scent though they were one of her more highly preferred ones. Perhaps this woman had other things that she could potentially trade for, especially since she seemed to have stores of dried plants at hand, even lavender!
"But for this, I must offer something as payment. I can't accept something like this freely," she said plainly, back straightening. Finding an equal trade was something she was good at. This was her prime and surely she could come up with something to please the other woman and ensure future trading based on a fair deal now. "Perhaps something in my home might equal this? I have clothes as well as small trinkets if you prefer the more shiny price," she offered, not holding back what little she had as a choice for the woman to take her pick from.
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