Ul’dah – Steps of Thal
Midmorning
Now
The hammering in the Goldsmith’s guild was not quite the ring of hammers from the smithy, but it had a certain charm to it. They worked finer metals, precious gems and pearls, and it required a certain delicate touch.
Olivie watched a hyur painstakingly knot pearls onto silken thread, envying the precision of the man’s movements. Her hands were too big for such a task, but it was interesting to watch. He’d started with three of the gems and was now up to twenty.
“Look at this,†Mimila intoned, and Olivie turned to regard the lalafell’s artwork. The lines were meticulous; she was certainly Papataru’s daughter with that steady hand and eye for detail. “Do you think it’s suitable?â€
“Yes,†Olivie agreed, leaning back to stretch out her back. “How long will it take to make?â€
The lalafell grinned mischievously. “How much are you willing to pay?â€
The elezen gave the jeweler a faux-shocked look, and Mimila broke into giggles. “End of the week.†She gestured to the rest of guild, artisans bent over tables and working the little smelter that liquefied the precious ores they crafted with. “We’re not terribly busy, but given how important this piece is, I want to be able to make it just right.â€
“I understand that.†Olivie replied, turning to produce her gil purse. Mimila waved her away and turned to a stack of parchment to start filling out a form. As Olivie waited, her eyes roved the desk Mimila was working at, and they stopped on a strange triangular gem in a simple setting.
“What’s that?†she gestured.
Mimila looked up, followed the hand and made a face. “I’m not entirely sure. Some disheveled elezen fellow tried to sell it to us to cover the costs of his wife’s bills, but Serendipity wasn’t having it. We paid a few gil for it, then told the man to come back when he could pay his wife’s bills in full.â€
Olivie snorted and commented, “I’m familiar with that sort. It’s a pretty gem.â€
“I thought so too,†Mimila replied, propping her hands on her hips. “We still haven’t got the foggiest idea what it is, but I thought it’d look nice as a pendant. Why, did you want to buy it?â€
Olivie stared at the gem intently, following its carved sides with her eyes, taking in the deep red color. Impulsively she said, “Yes, actually.â€
“I’ll charge what we paid for it,†the lalafell said, turning back to the form to add another line to it. “As you’re a friend of daddy’s, and you scared off that fellow the other day.â€
The dark-skinned elezen smiled. “Just doing my duty, ma’am.â€
Mimila huffed. “Hopefully Stalking Bear won’t fall off any more balconies so he can come back to duty. Here you are, just give this to the girl at the desk, you can pay there. And here’s the mystery gem.â€
Olivie took the pendant in her hand; she was startled to find the gem was warm, like it had been around someone’s neck all day. She gave it a curious look and ticked her eyes up to the jeweler, but she was already making adjustments to the sketch she’d made for Olivie. She hadn’t noticed? How peculiar.
The woman exchanged the form and gil for a bill of sale, then made her way out of the guild. She was poring over the pendant, its chain dangling from her hand, trying to make heads or tails of it. It almost looked like it was etched, and she ran her thumb over its surface. The color was nice, and it was just translucent enough to catch the sun and send it sparkling. It wasn’t too big, nor too small, but she could easily slip it under her tunic.
Olivie paused and stepped to the side, taking a moment to secure the chain around her neck. The pendant settled against her sternum, and she was pleased with the length of the chain. She tucked the pendant away under her tunic and continued on her way.
Midmorning
Now
The hammering in the Goldsmith’s guild was not quite the ring of hammers from the smithy, but it had a certain charm to it. They worked finer metals, precious gems and pearls, and it required a certain delicate touch.
Olivie watched a hyur painstakingly knot pearls onto silken thread, envying the precision of the man’s movements. Her hands were too big for such a task, but it was interesting to watch. He’d started with three of the gems and was now up to twenty.
“Look at this,†Mimila intoned, and Olivie turned to regard the lalafell’s artwork. The lines were meticulous; she was certainly Papataru’s daughter with that steady hand and eye for detail. “Do you think it’s suitable?â€
“Yes,†Olivie agreed, leaning back to stretch out her back. “How long will it take to make?â€
The lalafell grinned mischievously. “How much are you willing to pay?â€
The elezen gave the jeweler a faux-shocked look, and Mimila broke into giggles. “End of the week.†She gestured to the rest of guild, artisans bent over tables and working the little smelter that liquefied the precious ores they crafted with. “We’re not terribly busy, but given how important this piece is, I want to be able to make it just right.â€
“I understand that.†Olivie replied, turning to produce her gil purse. Mimila waved her away and turned to a stack of parchment to start filling out a form. As Olivie waited, her eyes roved the desk Mimila was working at, and they stopped on a strange triangular gem in a simple setting.
“What’s that?†she gestured.
Mimila looked up, followed the hand and made a face. “I’m not entirely sure. Some disheveled elezen fellow tried to sell it to us to cover the costs of his wife’s bills, but Serendipity wasn’t having it. We paid a few gil for it, then told the man to come back when he could pay his wife’s bills in full.â€
Olivie snorted and commented, “I’m familiar with that sort. It’s a pretty gem.â€
“I thought so too,†Mimila replied, propping her hands on her hips. “We still haven’t got the foggiest idea what it is, but I thought it’d look nice as a pendant. Why, did you want to buy it?â€
Olivie stared at the gem intently, following its carved sides with her eyes, taking in the deep red color. Impulsively she said, “Yes, actually.â€
“I’ll charge what we paid for it,†the lalafell said, turning back to the form to add another line to it. “As you’re a friend of daddy’s, and you scared off that fellow the other day.â€
The dark-skinned elezen smiled. “Just doing my duty, ma’am.â€
Mimila huffed. “Hopefully Stalking Bear won’t fall off any more balconies so he can come back to duty. Here you are, just give this to the girl at the desk, you can pay there. And here’s the mystery gem.â€
Olivie took the pendant in her hand; she was startled to find the gem was warm, like it had been around someone’s neck all day. She gave it a curious look and ticked her eyes up to the jeweler, but she was already making adjustments to the sketch she’d made for Olivie. She hadn’t noticed? How peculiar.
The woman exchanged the form and gil for a bill of sale, then made her way out of the guild. She was poring over the pendant, its chain dangling from her hand, trying to make heads or tails of it. It almost looked like it was etched, and she ran her thumb over its surface. The color was nice, and it was just translucent enough to catch the sun and send it sparkling. It wasn’t too big, nor too small, but she could easily slip it under her tunic.
Olivie paused and stepped to the side, taking a moment to secure the chain around her neck. The pendant settled against her sternum, and she was pleased with the length of the chain. She tucked the pendant away under her tunic and continued on her way.
Olivie Heuloix - The Rusted Blade
Julianya Devon - The Hospitaller KnightÂ
Balmung
