Part-20
"Miranda then," repeated Ben. "I will craft a custom box to have ready for you tomorrow! Though I cannot guarantee an engraving without knowing the specifics..."
"Do not fret over it, Ben" Miranda laughed airly. "I will explain the engraving motif I have in mind when I return." Her sky-blue eyes twinkled merrily. "Until tomorrow then!"
With an enthusiastic swish of her skirt, Miranda swept out of Ben's shop and into the rain, clutching her new toys close with great joy and anticipation for the next day's visit. Meanwhile, Ben gazed after Miranda long after she had disappeared down the path, his thoughts filled with ideas for crafting the perfect trinket box for her return.
After the charming customer named Miranda departed from his humble shop, Ben sank back into his creaky wooden chair behind the counter.
As the sound of rain pattering on the roof filled his ears, he found himself unable to keep a goofy grin from spreading across his face. Never before had Ben felt so instantly captivated by a woman who walked into his store. And despite having a reasonable amount of romantic experience in the past, including two semi-serious girlfriends, he had acted as bashfully as a blushing virgin towards the lovely Miranda!
Back on Earth in his old life, Ben had considered himself a seasoned dater. Though various relationships naturally ended and he reached his mid-thirties without a wedding ring, he knew his way around charming the ladies. Yet in front of Miranda, the graceful woman with chestnut curls and sky-blue eyes, Ben felt as tongue-tied and lovestruck as a teenager.
What power did this angelic beauty possess to reduce a grown man into a smitten fool within an hour? Ben shook his head wryly as he reflected on his behavior. If his poker buddies from his corporate days could see him now, they would never let him live down the doe-eyed looks and stammering he displayed before Miranda. But somehow, remembering her smile made all potential embarrassment worthwhile.
Realizing he currently lacked the proper materials to craft the engraved box Miranda requested for the next day, Ben eventually rose from his stool.
The rain had lightened to a drizzle as he locked up his shop and headed into the village market to see what he could purchase.
Fortunately, one vendor specialized in small ornate chests and jewelry cases with lined interiors. As he paid the merchant, a booming voice called out to him from the sheltered restaurant sitting nearby.
"Yo, Ben my boy! Heard those odd little toy contraptions of yours are all the rage with local young'uns." Ben looked over to see the restaurant owner, a rotund bald man named Barton who enjoyed hearing local gossip, waving him over.
As Ben approached, Barton leaned back in his chair and continued, "Why, just yesterday, my own boy came begging for more coins to run buy another of those spinning top games you sold last week! Craftsmanship is top notch, I tell you."
Ben smiled at the praise. "Well, as long as the little ones are enjoying themselves, that's success in my book."
Barton barked out a hearty laugh. "And modest too! You could charge twice, nay thrice the bronze bits you ask and parents would still pay. If it were my business, I'd have raised prices months ago." He shook his head in amused disbelief.
A touch of sheepishness crossed Ben's face at the man's words. In truth, when Ben returned to his former fantasy-esque world and struggled to find decent work, he knew very little about appropriate pricing.
Desperate to ply some trade with the mediocre carving skills he possessed, Ben priced his handcrafted toys by modern Earth standards - dirt cheap by this pre-industrial world's barter economy. Now that his work had gained some renown,
Ben realized he perhaps ought to reevaluate. But a loyal customer base had already been established, and he feared upsetting folks by hiking costs suddenly. Through naivete, he had locked himself into a fairly fixed price range - but a part of him did not mind over much. If children of all incomes could enjoy his toys, the extra work to meet higher demand was worthwhile.
After a few more minutes of conversing with the candid bartender, who shared amusing local gossip and updates about village families Ben recognized, the toymaker excused himself to begin preparations on Miranda's special engraved box.
Returning to his quiet shop under clearing skies, he kept envisioning the delighted smile Miranda would give him when presented with the finished trinket chest tomorrow. Just picturing her lovely upturned eyes and rosy dimples made Ben's heart race faster and his carving tools worked more eagerly to shape intricate patterns along the oak box sides. This was no mere transaction - Ben poured all his hope of seeing the charming woman again into his crafting.
Part-21
The next morning, as Ben was setting up his roadside stand of handcrafted wooden toys outside his shop, he noticed a smartly dressed young woman briskly approaching. From her tailored men's trousers and vest ensemble paired with a flowing white tunic, Ben guessed her to be around twenty years old. As she came to stand directly before his stand, staring at Ben intently, he offered a friendly "hello!"
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The serious young woman wasted no time on pleasantries. "Are you Benjamin Brook, the toymaker and craftsman who owns this shop?" she inquired bluntly.
"Er, yes I am," Ben confirmed, taken slightly aback by her abruptness.
In a flash, the strange woman had drawn a short sword from her belt and pressed the blade edge against Ben's throat. Ben froze, stunned by the sudden cold steel kissing his neck.
Questions raced through his mind wildly. Who was this aggressive lady? How had he offended her?? Ben racked his memories but could not place meeting her before, either in this world or back on Earth where he came from.
Keeping the sword steady under Ben's chin with one hand, the intimidating girl held up a small wooden toy soldier with the other. "This soldier figurine - tell me true, did you craft it yourself?"
Ben peered down at the proffered toy and felt his confusion deepen exponentially. Why the blazes did his handiwork upset this young woman enough to threaten him bodily?? "Well, yes, I carved and painted that soldier..." he began hesitantly.
"Do. Not. Lie," the swordswoman growled, gray eyes flashing. "Did you - Benjamin Brook - make this figurine yourself with your own hands or not?"
Insulted by the audacity of her demands more than intimidated by the bite of her blade, Ben drew himself up proudly. "I speak only truth - that is my design and handiwork entirely." Though alarmed by the deadly weapon at his throat, Ben stood by his creations. If this crazy girl chose violence over toy ownership disputes, so be it!
The flinty gaze of the young swordswoman bored into Ben, seeking any hint of falsehood. At last detecting only sincerity in the craftsman's face, her sword arm lowered inches and intensity drained from her posture. "Can you prove your ability by crafting another now before my eyes?" she asked in a quieter tone.
Amused now, Ben raised an eyebrow. "Easily, if you desire proof."
He had barely finished speaking when the aggressive woman suddenly dropped fully to her knees, laying the tiny toy soldier reverently at Ben's feet beside her sheathed sword.
Then, pressing her forehead desperately to the ground in a deep bow, she cried out, "Master Benjamin! Having seen no other artisan of your level across all my travels, I humbly beseech you - make me your pupil that I may learn to craft as finely as you!"
Ben staggered back a step, struck dumb by this newest development. Only minutes ago, the steely-eyed woman held deadly steel to his vitals! Yet here she knelt now, humbling herself and begging apprenticeship like a desperate devotee before an esteemed idol.
As the swordswoman lifted her head anxiously to await his response, Ben coughed awkwardly. "Well, ah, this is rather sudden," he sputtered, rubbing his neck. Glancing at the breathtakingly meticulous brushwork on the toy soldier by his foot, he felt reasonably flattered by the aspiring artisan's high praise.
Obviously, she had been testing his honor as a craftsman by threatening his credibility regarding the remarkably skilled figurine. He supposed her actions stemmed from a passion for the trade - albeit extremely overzealous passion!
Gingerly Ben extended a hand to help the young woman rise back to her feet. She looked far less threatening without a naked blade brandished boldly. In fact, Ben thought he recognized subtle vulnerability and insecurity lurking in her stormcloud eyes. As she stood awkwardly brushing road dust from her pants, Ben made his decision. Though unconventional in method, the sword-wielding girl clearly took the craft quite seriously if she went to such lengths just to identify his toy shop ownership.
"Very well," Ben proclaimed gently. "I normally don't take on students or assistants, but you clearly have an enthusiastic appreciation for quality craftsmanship." He smiled reassuringly at the miracle-seeking girl. "I suppose having an extra pair of hands around the shop could be useful... Come inside and we can discuss details."
Warily eyeing the sheathed sword hanging from her belt, he added teasingly, "But mind that fiery temper or you'll scare off all my customers, Miss...?"
"Jade! Jade Salazar," replied the newly-dubbed apprentice, smiling radiantly. And with far less aggression than her initial approach, she scooped up her beloved wooden soldier figurine and followed an amused Ben inside to begin her carving education.
Part-22
As Jade stepped into Ben's modest workshop, her sharp gray eyes darted keenly around, taking in every detail. She was surprised to see a rather low spec place. This shop had a bad smell. Jade blinked a few times, adjusting from the brightness outdoors to the dimmer interior lit only by a few small windows and candles.
Turning her gaze back to her new master, Jade asked eagerly, "So when do we begin lessons? What fundamentals will you teach me first?"
Ben chuckled at the young woman's impatience as he tidied a few tools on a worktable. "Slow down now! Tell me first, what experience do you already have with woodworking and carving?"
Jade's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "Well...to be fully transparent...next to none," she admitted with chagrin. "But I am a very fast learner!" she added hastily.
"Of that I have no doubt," Ben said kindly, "given the passion for fine craftsmanship you clearly possess." Laying a hand gently upon one of Jade's shoulders, Ben asked her, "May I know what originally drew you to pursue the artisan trade at all? And why seek a master teacher out so...zealously?"
Ducking her head, Jade felt strangely comforted by the quiet empathy in Ben's eyes. In a voice more vulnerable than any she had revealed before, Jade confessed, "All my life I have dreamed of making a positive difference in people's lives through creating functional artwork with my own hands. But my wealthy merchant family cares only for business profits from our trade shop in the capital. They forbid me from taking up 'common tinkering'..."
Emotion crept into the young woman's tone as she continued, "So I ran away months ago with some small savings of my own in order to chase my sculpture and carving aspirations. Yet without connections or tutorship, I struggled to develop real skill. Everything I managed to produce looked so crude, clumsy, unsophisticated! Feeling my dreams of artistic purpose slipping away, I grew desperate... Until yesterday, when I spotted that soldier figurine in the hand of a boy two towns over."
Lifting the small carving gently as one might cradle a precious gem, Jade allowed awe back into her voice. "I had to discover who crafted something so lifelike, so elegant! When the seller provided your name, I came straight here to seek the gifted artist responsible." Smiling remorsefully up at Ben, she finished, "Forgive my rash methods, Master. I simply HAD to know if reality matched legend told of your superb artistry. Finding my purpose depends so much on learning from a true master such as yourself."
Profound empathy swelled in Ben's chest, resonating deeply with Jade's artistic ambitions denied by pragmatic family. Gently taking the soldier figurine from Jade's hands, Ben studied his own loving brush strokes with new humility. This simple toy carried another's highest hopes.
Looking back into Jade's tentative silver gaze, he solemnly pronounced, "Here is what we shall do. Start by being my shop assistant to observe my process thoroughly. In return for help around the store, I will teach you everything I know about carving and meticulous detail work. We shall get those hands of yours properly trained! And Jade?" Ben playfully flicked one of her hair ribbons. "Call me Ben. Together we will fan that creative spark within you into brilliant flames!
Joyful tears gathering in her eyes, Jade earnestly grasped one of Ben's work-roughened hands in thanks. As mentor and mentee smiled at one another in newly forged mutual understanding, both felt confident that this was the beginning of something beautiful.
As Jade's joyful tears at finding a craft master faded, a thought struck Ben's mind belatedly. "I do hope in your, er, passionate quest for my shop identity yesterday, you didn't resort to snatching that toy soldier figurine forcibly from any unsuspecting child...?" he questioned warily. Considering the lengths of zealotry Jade had already demonstrated, theft was not entirely beyond possibility either.
However, Jade quickly shook her head, instinctively tightening her grip on the carving in question. "No, no! I would never stoop to stealing, especially not from young ones." Sheepishly the young woman clarified, "Actually I ended up purchasing this particular figurine from a boy around twelve years old at a marketplace several towns north of here. Apparently he had it amongst his handmade wares on a peddler's blanket."