“No, that’s okay.” She shook her head quickly. She’d spontaneously combust if he gave her more money. “Thank you. I’m sure this is plenty. Thank you.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Okay." He dipped his head. "If you say so." They reached the shopfront, and he opened the door. A set of wooden windchimes above it clacked noisily. The shop was quite large compared to the others on the street and it was filled from top to bottom with all manner of woodwork. Chairs with legs made of twining pine serpents, a door that looked like the stylized elk on it was going to step right out of the carving, an intricate life-sized painted effigy of a tall, imposing man with a white goat at his side, and countless other things that were much smaller or larger. There was a worktable off to the side and a very small man was perched there with a massive pair of Eastern-made spectacles seated on his exceptionally button-like nose. He was quite old and his white hair and beard were kept quite short. He looked up as they entered, and his bushy eyebrows--the only thing about him that was unkempt--shot up. He set down the impossibly tiny birdcage he was working on and stood, dipping into a deep bow. "Milord Loquitur!" He said in a deep, bell-ike voice. "It's an honor to see you back here; what can I do for you and this lovely young lady?" "Hullo, Sven!" Tomhas grinned. "Good to see you. This is my daughter, Ky--she's just recently become a goddaughter and she's in the market for a heartbox."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Ky looked around in wonder, not noticing the man at first. Once she did she gave a shy smile and wave. “Hello!”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss!" He strode forward and offered her a hand. "A heartbox, eh? We've got a wide selection of those, but I can take commissions as well--did you have something in particular in mind?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Nice to meet you.” She ducked her head and shook his hand firmly. “And, um… no sir, not really.” She glanced up at Tomhas. “What sorts of ones do you like? I’m not familiar, really…” she’d need to be careful not to be too obvious.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Tomhas shrugged. "It's for your godchild, not me. It's up to you! How about I go browse elsewhere--I'll meet you at the sweet bun stand!"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“I…” she looked at him helplessly. She didn’t like that at all. It’d made it easier to get it for him sneakily, sure. But not before she knew which one he liked. “…okay?”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Okay!" He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "You're in good hands. See you soon!" He headed out the door. "We have many woods you can choose from," Sven Thurlesson told her. "What dimensions are you looking for?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
She watched Tomhas go with a little sigh, then turned back towards Sven. “I have no idea; I’d never heard of them before last night… I thought he was going to help me browse.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
He chuckled. "Lord Loquitur has a big stomach. What is the child like?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Not born yet,” Ky said, glancing back at him. “But… I don’t know. Something tells me it’ll be a little boy. So… something boys would like?”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Sven shook his head. "That's thinking too small, begging your pardon. Boy, girl, it doesn't matter. It's the heart that matters. What do you want this child to think of when they see the box? Family? Nature? The gods? One moment, let me find you one to look at." He strode toward the back of the store, them returned with a box about a foot long and six inches wide. It was made of dark wood and had stylized angular knots cut into it with motifs of animals and warriors along the sides and on the lid. It locked with a simple clasp. "This is one I commissioned for a Count's child to-be, but it was a stillbirth and they asked that I hang onto it. I use it as a sample piece now, since there's no sense selling something made for somebody who won't be around to appreciate it."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Oh, wow…” Ky looked at it reverently. “It’s bigger than I expected.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Needs to fit a lot of things inside, doesn't it?" He opened the box to show a lighter reddish finish within. "They come smaller or bigger, but this is a pretty standard size."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“What all should I put in one?” This was going to be considerably harder to sneak back in her pocket than she expected.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
