Chapter 36: Gifts

Week Two, Thirday, Afternoon

“You’re sure it's ready? I don’t think the lads and lasses have enough training to be honest. This work is so shoddy, I'd not let it see the light of day.” Gragon grumbled as we walked through the mainstreet market towards our destination.

I turned over the small window frame in my hands several times, and manipulated the hinges again and again. “I don't know what you’re talking about. This is solid craftsmanship.”

“Bah, humans. No standards.”

“It's functional, and it’ll last more than a few winters. Right?”

Gragon grumbled under his breath again, but eventually he capitulated. “True lad. True.”

“Then its market ready. We just need to drum up some business. You said you’d help me with that. But if it's too difficult for you, you’re welcome to go have a pint on me, while I do the leg work.”

He looked at me as if I had slapped him. “And abandon a friend in need? Let alone the product of the hard work of my own students to someone who wasn’t there in its crafting? Nay, I'd be even more of a blasphemer then I am letting people pay good coin for shoddy work like this.”

I grinned. “Thank you. Here’s the guildhouse now. I'm going to go in and get a seller's license. ONce I have it in hand, then we’ll go to all the glass smiths in the city if we have to but we’ll find someone to sell our work on consignment.”

“Glass blowers, that’s what they’re called boy. Call’em smiths and you're as likely to get punched as you are to make a sale.”

“Noted. Be right back.”

Twenty minutes later, and five gold coins missing from my already alarmingly light coin pouch, and we had our sellers license. The front desk clerk had to poke and prod at our design to make sure we weren’t trying to swindle anyone. But after she inspected it and made sure it was actually usable, she signed off on the license.

“Just don’t expect others to actually want your product. This isn’t an endorsement from the guild. Just permission for you to try and find someone to buy your stuff. Understood?” I had nodded and signed the paperwork. The woman was remarkably intimidating. “Good, now go.”

I put my hand on Gragon’s shoulder and smiled. “Let's get to work!”

***

“There are seventy three glass blowers in this city. You’d think one of the blasted bastards would see sense!” Night had fallen, and while most of the shops in the market had closed up and gone home, we hadn’t seen any success in securing a contract.

“Look. There’s one left.” I said, pointing down the street to an old broken down building that looked like it was more warehouse than actual shop front. “My feet are killing me. Let's go in, see if they’re interested, then go home. Maybe I can get a city contract or something if I have my mom pull some strings. But I'd hate to do that. . .”

“Aye, never looks good having to get help from family like that. Erodes a man’s dignity.”

“Well, I was more concerned about the corruption implications, but sure. Standing on your own two feet is important too I guess. Come on, let's go.”

The shop door was simple, but built to last. Almost industrial in its quality which was my first clue that something was different about this one then the others. All the other shops were craftsmen’s shops. Designed by and for artists who sold glass windows, plates, cups, and virtually anything else you could think of to anyone with enough coin.

That usually meant successful merchants, or higher on the class hierarchy. Which meant their doors, windows, walls, and everywhere the hoity toity rich folk would be, had to have a certain quality to it.

Inside the shop was exactly as I expected. Shelves of simple glass fixtures, glassware that was designed to last rather than look nice were everywhere, along with things I hadn’t seen in other places.

Spyglass’s hung like trophies on the wall displays. The glass display cases held monocles each carefully labeled with what it could be used for, and most of them involved enhancing sight for distance, or up close.

Actual glasses filled one wall, along with what I assumed was a small testing center with letters of various sizes for the glass maker to test the strength of someone's sight.

“This is an adventurer’s shop,” I said as I picked up one of the smaller spy glasses and examined it up close.

“Yes it is, and who are all of you?”

It didn’t take long for Gragon to give the lanky shop keeper our little sales pitch, but it took longer for him to examine the fixture.

“Well as you can see, my shop already has perfectly workable glass in its windows. Still . . . I like how it opens and closes. That’d make summer less stifling, and allow a nice little breeze into the shop when I'm blowing glass in the back. It gets very hot even in winter. How much do you want for them?”

“Silver penny each at this size. One size up,” Gragon showed the small box frame that showed demonstrated the different sizes we could produce. “And its two silver penny’s. We can also include a mixture of colors in the glass flowers for an additional silver penny. And there is a rainbow one we’ve been working on that we plan on selling for a gold a pane! But it's still in prototype. Haven’t worked out all the kinks in that one yet.”

“I see.” The shop keep put a monocle to his eye and examined our work even closer. “They’re not very sturdy. That’s part of the problem I see with it.”

“That's just because of the quality of work materials we currently have access too.” Gragon explained. “Once we get our first real sales order, we can buy better quality materials.”

“Hmmm. That may be, but if I buy now, I’m getting an inferior product. Eh, come back once you’ve made some money and have improved your quality. I’d buy then. But not now.”

Gragon visibly deflated. He was about to take the example he had brought from the shopkeeper, when I spoke up.

“Tell you what. You let us install these lower quality ones here in your shop free of charge, and when they break we’ll replace them with the nicer, finer quality stuff at cost.” His eyes widened a bit and I could tell he was interested again. “They should last you a few years at least. In exchange, you sell our products to anyone and everyone who walks through those doors looking for sturdy glass to go in their windows.”

The shopkeeper was considering this, when Gragon cleared his throat. “And consider it a bonus that you’ll be earning the good will of a prominent lord in the city, and a dwarf in good standing with the wood cutter clan.”

He smiled, before putting the monocle back down on the counter and shaking his head ruefully. “You two push a hard bargain. But if you were a real high lord, I'd know who you were. And i’ve never seen your face before in my life.” I shrugged and he seemed to accept that.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“But the wood cutters have done right by me a few times. Your elder Te’bek is one hard bargainer. Took me down to only a fifteen percent margin on a set of sturdy magically reinforced wagon wheels a few years back. Still, I made a pretty penny. If I can use your plight now to negotiate her into paying more later, i’m inclined to do it.”

“That's my mother. She always was a good negotiator!” Gragon chuckled. “And I have no problem with you using my story to try and get a bit of extra on your part. All I’ll say is, good luck.” Both men chuckled at the thought.

I had only met his mother once before as a child. And Everything the two men said seemed to fit.

“Alright then. I'll have you install them here in my shop in a few of the smaller windows, and i’ll fill some of my empty shelf space with your glass. A few guard houses come in semi-regularly to replace broken windows with the sturdy glass I make. I can’t guarantee they’ll buy your stuff over what I normally sell. But if they’re interested they’ll have the option. Fair?”

“Fair. Now,” I rubbed my hands together in a way that made him smirk at me as if I were simple. “Let's talk about margins.”

***

Week Two, Fifthday, Afternoon

I watched as Tanya worked at the lock with one hand as she sat on the ground and did her best to open it. “That's six tumblers. Huh . . .” She whispered to herself as she figured another of the dozens of little details about the intricate lock I had borrowed from Sigvald yesterday for her to practice on, after our meeting about what favors he might need from me in the future.

Turned out, it was already stuff I was willing to do had he asked. Which are usually the type of deals one wants to strike up with their friends.

Ostensibly I was trying to learn new forms of the Jet spell. Specifically trying to learn how to the elemental circuit at the center of the spell that attuned the entire matrix and spell affect to an individual element such as Fire. But there were a lot of options. I had learned, as an example, the spell ‘Cone of Cold’ was actually the same as the Jet of Flame spell, just with an ice circuit at its center.

But really I was waiting on pins and needles for the shipment to arrive.

We were in the main room on our floor, where students and retinue could go and study and relax. Most everyone else were at classes, as I had learned the higher level classes even for first years were often taught in the afternoons. Leaving mornings available for socializing and studying.

I didn’t mind too much, as it allowed me and my team time to relax without dozens of other students and their staff and servants clogging up the place.

I started tapping my foot as I read, and re-read the same page what must have been a dozen times.

“Boss?” I looked up and found Gragon staring at me.

“Huh?” I sat up and blinked my anxiety riddled fog away. “What's up?”

“Uh . . . someones at the door I think. They just knocked.” Gragon pointed at one of the large double doors into the space.

“Oh. I’ll uh . . . i’ll go take a look.” Gragon shrugged and went back to maintaining his gear.

The staff would sometimes knock, if students were hosting private events. But the only ones who would knock at the main doors were . . . yes! “Delivery!” I grabbed a silver coin out of my pouch and gave it to the delivery man who thanked me and left. Then I picked up the wooden box and placed it in the middle of the room.

“Gragon, Tanya, can you two come over here for a minute? I have something for both of you.” The two made their way over to the table, and took chairs waiting for me to finish prying the wooden box open.

I looked inside once the lid was off, and smiled. “Good! They got everything right. Well . . . uh, I had to guess on a few things, Tanya because the staff wouldn’t give me your measurements that they took when they got you new clothes. So . . . I hope I got it right.” Her eyebrows went up, as Gragon’s beard twitched.

“I smell a gift.” Gragon grumbled unhappily.

“Gift?”

“Quiet you grouchy dwarf. Here.” I threw the tunic at his face and he grabbed it before it hit him. “It has your clan symbol on the back, and uh . . . well, mine on the front.”

“You have a seal?”

“Yeah, Technically i’m high nobility. Of the uh . . . Duckal house.”

“The Duke?” Tanya practically wheezed the words out, as the last went up into pitches I'm sure only dogs could hear.

“Yup. I’m his adopted grandson. Speaking of which, here.” I tossed her her own new tunic. They were a dark blue and green. Bright enough to be seen if worn out in the open, but dark enough not to stand out too much if you were trying to hide. The green and blue blended nicely with dark environments. As long as you weren’t standing out in the middle of a room, it didn’t increase your visibility too much.

“Thanks,” she inspected the front where my seal was. It was a simple circle, with a black ax on one half, and the duke's silver tower on the other. Nothing overly fancy, but it got the job done. The back of her’s I had left blank, so she could choose something when later she had a mind to.

“You’re welcome. But this isn’t all of it. Everyone on the team gets one including me.” I reached in and pulled mine on as well. It had the same symbol on the front and back. “We just need to wear these when we’re at formal functions while on campus to show you’re part of my retinue. I have more coming for the other drudges too, but their’s just show my seal on the shoulders, not on the front.” I showed them the different designs.

I tossed the first item under the tunics to Gragon. It was a scroll that had dozens of designs on it. “That’s a rubbing from a set of ruins along the southern coast. I got a copy of it from the library while working on my theory class. Thought it might be useful since I know some of your clans have been lost.”

“To the south? Hmmm. This is an old script, so I can't read it well. I’ll send it to my elders. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’d be a crappy friend and employer if I saw something like that and didn’t at least grab a copy of it for you.” I grabbed the next thing and tossed it on the table in front of Tanya. “That’s for you. As are this, and this.” I placed the other three items on top of the first one.

She picked up the crossbow first. It was small, light, and built with sturdy materials. “It's meant to be used one handed. The second item has a belt attached, that you can use to brace it against to reload it.” She smirked at me, and placed it down.

“And those,” I pointed at the second object as she picked it up and rolled the leather cloth out exposing all the lock picking equipment rolled up in a leather cloth meant to be tied around her waist or attached to her utility belt that she already owned. “Are me, investing in you. If you’re going to do a good job on our team, you’ll need the tools to do it with. And these,” I pulled the clothes out for her to take a closer look at. “Are meant as a thank you for everything you’ve done for us up till now.”

It was a nice set of clothes, finely made, and meant for everyday use around town. They were all purpose, sturdy, and had only a little bit of color and style added to them on my request.

“These uh . . . thank you but. I don’t think I'm going to be wearing this much.”

“Really? Why?”

She gave me a look that seemed to say ‘are you stupid?’

“I’m sorry I'm not getting it.”

She sighed and looked at Gragon for help.

“Aye lass, he’s dense. But he’s also right.” Tanya scoffed but motioned for him to explain as she rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t want to wear the clothes because they make her look like a lass.”

“Exactly! I’m around deadly men all day. I don’t need them leering at me. Just paints another target on my back, one I can’t win. Especially not here.”

“And that is where you’re wrong.” Gragon cut in. “You’re not on the streets anymore. This place is safe, the people are not rampant lawbreakers. You have the name, reputation, and more importantly power of a high noble backing you up here. No one in their right mind would mess with you. They might stare, they might say things that’ll make you want to break their teeth in. But they wouldn't dare touch you. Besides there’s another reason far more important than any of that.”

He went quiet and waited for her to take the bait. She rolled her eyes like it was an olympic level sport, and took it. “And what's that?”

“Because you’re scared of it. That’s why.” Tanya’s face went red, and I couldn’t tell if it was from anger, embarrassment, or frustration. Perhaps a mix of all three. “No ones going to force you to wear it, lass. But, you should consider wearing some clothes that make you feel like you’re in your right skin. One day you might want to attract the eye of a lad for one, but also if you let the fear the trauma you lived through has created inside your heart control your behavior? You’ll be letting those who did you wrong in the past, or could have done you wrong, win.”

She folded her arms almost petulantly.

“Just consider it, like Gragon said no one is going to force you.” I slid the clothes into the pile with the other gifts. “Just think about it. Keep the clothes and maybe when you’re feeling like it, you can try it.”

She thanked me, grabbed her stuff and made a hasty retreat to her room. She reminds me of when Lillia went through her teen insecurities about her body. That was a thorny path we had to navigate.

“Do you think I overstepped?”

“Aye you did lad.” I deflated slightly. “But don’t feel bad. Anything in that direction would be overstepping right now. And that was a kindness you did her. She doesn’t feel safe right now, by her own words. When she’s feeling a bit better, maybe when someone pisses her off at some point and challenges her pride, she’ll give it a try.”

I sighed. “Perhaps. Alright well, I don’t think I can study any more today. I’m going to go find an empty cultivating room. You want to join?”

“Nah, I'll stay with me work. See about fixing the abysmal job whatever tailor you hired did on me clans sign.”