Ryuji was freaking out a little bit. First, he had just walked up to a strange cat beastfolk girl and asked her to sell him some meat. Second, the meat he had just eaten and enjoyed enormously was raw. HE HAD EATEN IT RAW! Third, he was pretty sure he had just charmed or hit on that girl without even trying. Who Does that? Fourth, he had tried to escape into a crowd when he was about to transform back into an elf! His reasoning was absolute crap when he was in that state.
Ryuji decided he needed to find out more about werewolves and not wait either. He needed to do so immediately. He supposed that there must be a library in the city, probably in the noble’s district. He was also fairly certain that if werewolves were a problem there was information on them in that library and he needed to find it yesterday, no two eightdays ago. Wait, was he even using the local times in his own mind now? Was that good?
Enough! He needed to go do what he had come here for and go back to talk to Karen. While he did like the cats, right now he decided that he needed to clear up the crap with Karen more. He decided that as soon as he was done finding Karen a present that he’s going to go talk to Dorn and tell him he needs the next day off. Then he’s going straight back to the inn and talk things over with Karen. He decides that he likes her enough that if she doesn’t relent, he will tell her but not before he tells her that if she tells anyone that he will have to leave and that will harm a lot of people. No pressure there, that’s not what people call a dick move or wracking somebody with guilt. Gahh, enough!!
Ryuji checked himself and found that he was an elf again. That meant it was time to go find that present. Now, what to get? He had gotten her earrings before but what about now?
Ryuji looked around at all the stalls trying to get inspiration. There were all kinds of jewelry and assorted items but nothing grabbed his attention. He thought about ordering her a new dress but he didn’t have her measurements. Besides, he had gotten her three dresses for their first date. He was drawing a blank and was just about to give up when he spotted it, just the thing!
When he approached the stall, the guy at the stall started trying to butter him up immediately. His case wasn’t helped by the fact that he was less than half Ryuji’s height and unlike some of the other halflings he had thus far seen, this guy seemed to be more of a boy. He had no facial hair and his voice wasn’t particularly deep so he just seemed like a child. He certainly talked a good line though.
He immediately started trying to offer Ryuji a deal on a shield that he said would go perfectly with the sword he had. He was really talking it up and if Ryuji had shown even the slightest interest it might have been enchanted before the conversation was over. He saw that his pitch wasn’t working for the shield and went with the poncy-looking pair of bracers as his next item of choice. Ryuji was getting annoyed and he could tell.
Ryuji finally stopped him with his hand upheld before he spoke in a mild but no-nonsense tone of voice. “I am only interested in four items here and I would appreciate if you didn’t bother with their entire history. I don’t want to know what dynasty of ancient something or other people made them. I also don’t want to know what the today only sales special is. I just want the regular price for the items I point out. Think you can do that? I’ll make it worth your while to just cut the crap.”
The halfling guy… boy looked like he had been slapped but agreed to the request. “That is “The Book of Deep Humor” it’s an anthology of crude dwarven humor and I’ll take a small silver for it. That one is “Princes To Priests” it’s about history and I’ll take six large copper for it. That one there is “Lustrous Pink” it’s a book of poems, mostly for women. I’ll take a silver for that one too. Oh, so that’s where you were looking! You’ve got a good eye, sir… right. That, it’s made with the shell of some kind of creatures from the sea, I’ll take two silver for that.”
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Ryuji paid the boy, yeah, he was never going to be able to shake that notion, for the merchandise and gave him a bit of extra. “Oh sir, that would only be… never mind. Let me tie that up with a cord to make it easier to carry. Come see me again!”
Ryuji made a mental note to never do that. It was time to go back to Potions and Such and have a chat with Dorn and get tomorrow off. There was just one thing, should he stop and deal with the guys following him? His internalized question was answered when the men saw a member of the town watch who came right over and greeted Ryuji. They suddenly needed to be elsewhere, interesting. The guy from the watch was ecstatic, he had made over double his pay this eightday because of the swimming lessons and just wanted to thank Ryuji for making that happen.
Ryuji arrived back at the shop a few minutes later and Dorn was a tad surprised to see him. “Laddie, I dinnae mean fer ya ta be a comin back today. Ye be a needin a break so git ye gone, Aye!”
Ryuji put the stack of books with the box down and Dorn eyed it with suspicion. “Dorn, I need tomorrow off as well. I need to go to the library if Lyrill has one. I want to do some research on various magical creatures. You know, like werewolves and faeries and such. Also, do you know where the library is? If so, could I get you to mark it on my map?”
Dorn eyed him with a slight scowl before answering with a measured tone as if he were suddenly unsure where he stood. “Tha library, ye say. Might’n I be askin, Just what part o’ tha royal family ya be belongin ta?”
Ryuji’s eyes went wide at first then narrowed. “Dorn, are you saying that I would have to be royalty to enter the library? Is it that heavily restricted?”
Dorn suddenly looked a little calmer and more self-assured. “Nah laddie, ye don’ gotta be a royal ta be enterin tha library. Ya just gotta be one rich son of a Dragon! It’ll be a costin ye six silver ta be enterin an I don mean tha small uns neither. Six large silver or my name’s Treeriver Forestlover. Now do be tellin me lad, ye got six large silver ta be spendin on yer research inta these critters?”
Ryuji looked at the old dwarf a little puzzled but answered truthfully. “Dorn, I’m not hurting for money. I can easily spend six large silver if I’m fairly sure that I’ll get something out of it. If it were gold, I’d probably hold off unless I could be absolutely sure that the info I wanted was there and more. What’s that look about?”
Dorn looked absolutely livid. “Laddie, dinnae be a tellin me ye coulda been a buyin yer spell materials alla this time? Didna ever occur ta ye ta be a buyin yer stuff fer bein a wizard? Iffin ye got alla that much coin ta be a burnin a hole in yer purse, why doncha be a sharin that with me?”
Ryuji suddenly looked sheepish as realization dawned on him. a wizard can be bought, even lessons could have been bought. Well, maybe not that. The old dwarf’s words rang in his ears. No, he wouldn’t have been able to buy his way into an apprenticeship but everything else! “I just thought I had to wait for you to tell me when I could get my stuff. I didn’t want to buy everything before you thought I was ready for it.”
Dorn looked almost scandalized. “Laddie, this be a business I be a runnin here. I dinnae charge ye because I dinnae be thinkin ye had tha coin! Iffin ye gots the coin ta part with, then I be a havin tha supplies fer ye. I wouldna be toyin round with fire spells all unprepared-like but other’n that ye generally cannae be a doin too much trouble iffin ye botch a spell. Most o’ tha time, iffin ye cannae be a doin tha spell in time, it’ll just be a goin poof an ye lose yer mana ye spent an tha bit o’ spell component ya was usin ta cast with. That spell ye was a messin this morn, it wouldna done much more’n give ye a few bruises. I didna send ya off fer yer safety. I didna want ye wastin my time a playin at spells ifin yer heart wasna innit. Ye gotta focus iffin I’m gonna be a spendin me time a teachin ye. Aye? Now, hows about ye be a showin me tha color o’ yer coin!”
Ryuji grinned and took out a large gold and tossed it to Dorn who just about blew a fuse. “I guess I’ll go ahead and get a little of this and that. I have one condition though. If I’m going to be stocking up on all the books and implements I need, I want your help in carrying all of it to my room in the inn. I seem to have a problem with people believing that I got an apprenticeship. Besides, it kind of sounds like I need so much stuff that I will need a second set of hands to carry it all. Aye?”
Dorn got a huge disconcerting dwarven grin on his face. “Aye!”