Child's Play

[Celeste Andaris]

100th Ashan, 717

Walking through Andaris with her assistant, Lin, Celeste sighed slightly. "I understand. I had hoped to hear back by now. It strikes me as somewhat odd, but it is what it is." Lin nodded her head, she could only agree with the young Andaris ~ not to have received a reply from the King was, most assuredly, odd. However, Lin did not say anything, simply nodded her agreement.

As they walked together, Celeste glanced at one of the shop fronts and then paused in her step. "I'd like to call in there, Lin, if we have time?" Lin smiled and nodded, Celeste's next meeting was not for another two breaks, they had time. In fact, they had more than enough time to stop and have a meal if they wanted, but Lin did not suggest that, simply walked with her employer to the shop.

Celeste smiled as the bell above the door jingled and she looked around in some surprise. "If you had asked me last season, I would not have told you that I would spend time in a toy shop. However, things change. Oh, look, that is adorable." Indeed, there were a number of entirely cute toys, dolls and all sorts of paraphernalia which frankly made Celeste wonder just how much work children might be when you got them new.

She turned, banishing such thoughts, to the young woman behind the counter. The two women who had walked in were very different in terms of physical appearance. Celeste was tall, standing at six foot and her long brown hair was flawless and loose down her back. She wore a long deep green skirt and a cream blouse, both of which were obviously well made and fitted for her. The woman with her was a little shorter, blonde and dressed in a plain but well made black dress. It was Celeste who spoke, though, her brown eyes looking at the shop worker.

"Good trial. I wonder if you could help me?" Celeste smiled as she considered that the young woman behind the counter was a small thing, almost like the dolls in here. Pale skin, dark hair and short. Very short. "I would like to purchase a few things, but I would also like to commission two specific pieces. Is it you I should speak to regarding that?" Soft brown eyes regarded the shop worker as Celeste paused, awaiting her answer.

[Leech]

With her chores finished, Leech went to her position to mind the store. It was another day at work. Today, Master Caprice had left her alone to deliver yet another package to some aristocratic family. Leech frown as she leaned over the counter. The doll that had been picked out had been known to her as Lilah. She was a pretty doll with black curls. Her namesake had been after the lilac dress she wore. She had watched Master Caprice tenderly run his fingers over the satin dress with daisies embroidered on the hem. Although he had asked the seamstress nearby to craft his tiny dresses for him, he still touched them as if he had made them himself. Now Lilah was in the hands of some grubby rich girl. Her curls would slowly fall and her dress would be stained with drool and paint. The daisies would come loose and her painted eyes to chip. With time, even Lilah would be thrown to the trash pile.

Miffed, Leech sat back in her chair and pulled out a peg she had begun working on several days prior. She had been watching Master Caprice working in the back on a new doll. He had allowed her to take a scrap bit of wood that he left behind from his toy soldier works. At the moment, she was working away with a carving knife at the neck of the wooden person she was making. It would be a plan, straight laced boy with a round head. With paint, even she could make it a functional figurine. Tiktiktik. The knife whittled the little chips of wood away to create an indentation where she wanted it. Soon enough, she would be able to sand it down and paint it.

The tinkle of the bell alerted her to a customer. Gingerly she stood up, tucking the peg beneath the counter as she waited to be recognized. The tall woman was definitely a higher born woman than Leech. She dressed in fine cloth with a plain style. It suited her. Over-the-top flamboyance irritated her. The other woman, dressed equally as well by cloth and style choice, seemed less highborn. The woman's fascinating with the "adorable" toys pulled at Leech's nerve. She was far to old to find these toys fascinating. Adorable was not the right word to call a toy soldier or a fancy doll. Adorable is what you call a baby with a snot bubble. The toys were individual masterpieces; unique creations in their own right. They were to be cherished and admired.

When she was addressed, Leech only tilted her head like a curious puppy. Quietly she moved around the counter to stand before the women. What did 'commission' mean? This was an entirely new word to her and she had to focus on it. Where had she heard it before? Caprice often used it when he was making a specific toy for a special buyer. Maybe it referred to a new toy? Leech slowly shook her head, her face expressionless.

"Master Caprice makes toys. I mind the store."

Expenditure

Bought wooden dowels (20), small chisel, sanding blocks (3), and small pliers for this post. Not all items used as of yet; all have been deducted from ledger.

[Celeste Andaris]

Celeste was determined that she was going to be the best Baroness Andaris had ever seen. Then, she would be the best Duchess. She did that for many and varied reasons, most of which were complex and self-serving. However, she had determined that she was going to go about it a particular way and for that she needed to be seen to be someone specific.

The girl behind the counter spoke and explained, in small words, that she was 'minding the store'. Seven save her, Celeste thought and she smiled at the girl. Short, a bit dimwitted perhaps, but still. One simply never knew, she considered. "I see. Well, is Master Caprice here? I'd like him to make me some toys. Maybe you'll tell him what I want?"

Celeste looked around and then said to the girl behind the counter. "I have a child staying with me. She is six arcs old and her parents died. She has no toys and I would like to buy her some." The girl behind the counter seemed to like short, sharp sentences spoken clearly and without any fuss, so Celeste complied, the best she could. Having only heard two sentences from the girl, it might be that she was wrong, but Celeste did not think so. If she was going to make this career in politics succeed, she would have to ensure that she could read people and also behave in a way which put them at their ease.

A dimwitted shop girl seemed like entirely a good place to practice. Hopefully, it would be easy and also if she got it wrong, then it was not exactly earth shattering. Opportunities were in every situation, Celeste knew, if she could just find them.

"I think that she would like a doll, maybe two. A soft toy to take to bed at night, also. What else would be appropriate for her, or a six year old might like?" Celeste asked the shop girl in the hope that it gave her enough to answer with. "Which doll do you think I should choose for her?"

[Leech]

"I will tell him. What do you want?" Her voice held no color to it. Her words were as flat as her face was blank. She simply did not understand how to interact around people. Leech did not know how to read minds, which may have been a blessing in disguise for this woman. Leech was uneducated, but that was all. Anyone could learn. Couldn't they? It would be a bleak day if she would be sentenced to her ignorance for the rest of her life. Her tutor had had high hopes for her education before he had disappeared.

Leech remained silent as Celeste continued talking. She thought back to her own childhood and the one doll she had. It comforted her at night when no one else would. It gave her hugs when he mother abandoned her and it soaked up her tears when her father died. She had to repair that doll with new fabric and embroidery floss. It sat safely on her desk with the only picture of her mother at its heart. Leech thought it was nice for this woman to care enough to provide the girl with a plaything to cherish. It was when she went on to suggest other toys that Leech began to feel nothing but malice again. One doll that mattered would have been more than enough. It was all she had had as a child. This overabundance of toys just signified wealth and luxury. Leech would have much rather part with one of her dolls to entertain the girl than a truckload of toys; however, she kept her opinion to herself.

Leech gestured to the back right corner where the doll display was. She was dressed in a blouse and pencil skirt, the only outfit she had to her name. She was obligated to wash it each night so that it was clean for the following day. It was clearly faded and somewhat old for having to be worn so often. Leech stood before the doll display, allowing Celeste to take a look at the dolls. The aristocratic woman probably saw toys. Leech saw so much more. Each dress had been hand sewn by the tailor down the street. Each doll had been hand selected for horse hair or yarn for their heads. Each had their faces painted delicately by Master Caprice. Most hand wooden hands, legs, and heads attached to fluffy bellies of rice, down feather, or wool. Others were completely wooden and could stand on their own.

When asked which one she would choose, Leech folded her arms behind her back and pondered. Each doll had its own personality; at least, in Leech's head they did. For a girl that would have many toys to play with and would likely not cherish this one, she would choose something that would be durable. Yarn hair would withstand drool better than horsehair. A wool dress would be more appropriate than satin. The shopkeeper moved around the doll, having the doll in mind. She pulled it off the shelf and brought it to Celeste without a word.

This particular doll's belly was filled with rice. It would keep the child warm at night once body heat was transferred to it. The yarn on its head was pulled to the sides into red ponytails, held together with green bows. Her face was pale with paint, green eyes forever open. Small red specks lined her nose and cheeks and her lips were light pink. Master Caprice knew how to paint a ginger. Instead of a dress she wore a green blouse with black pants and black leather boots.

The question was, would the client find this doll appropriate? Had Leech misjudged her and allowed her own opinions of the aristocratic woman take hold, or was she spot on?

[Celeste Andaris]

"A dolls house, the kind with the small wooden furniture in it? One of those, please. Two floors, six rooms and furniture to fill it. Not too full, simple. Small people to fit with the furniture, a man, a woman, a small child and a baby." Celeste smiled at the shop girl as she told her what she would like Master Caprice to make her. "Thank you."

They made their way over to the dolls then, and Celeste looked at the one the shop girl handed her with a rather perplexed expression. "Well, she's certainly an interesting one." May every Immortal forbid that she took that monstrosity home with her. When she had considered the shopgirl dimwitted, she must have been experiencing a rare moment of charity, she thought as she smiled politely. "I think that Ala'ni might like a doll with dark hair like her. Maybe something more like this?"

It wasn't the most expensive, nor the most beautiful. The doll Celeste lifted up was solid, able to stand on it's own and had long black horsehair. Her dress was plain, a deep green with a black belt and she had bright blue eyes. "Do you sell different outfits for her?" Celeste asked. If not, she would get them made, because one of the things Ala'ni liked to do was to dress her dolls, she had told Celeste. The child had lost everything and Celeste was determined that she would make a good life for her.

Of the doll with the red hair, Celeste felt the rice in her stomach and the noble woman's brow furrowed in thought. "If you have one, I would like a soft, furry toy with a soft filling, softer than this. A dragon. Do you have one or would Master Caprice be able to make one?" She handed back the red haired doll and smiled at the shop girl. If the ginger doll was anything to go by she was going to end up with a pink dragon with silver teeth. "Black, or red. Not fierce looking, something which could comfort and protect a child." Not horrify them, by all of Idalos.

"And, of course, how long will the doll house and dragon, if needed, take?" She was here for a little while and her Barony was not far away, but still she knew that she had to have a timeframe. "Depending on how long it takes, I may need them to be delivered." Looking at the young girl, Celeste thought that she'd have one more try before giving up what was blatantly a bad job. "Do you make things, too? Or just tend the shop?"

[Leech]

Leech might be slow and she might be uneducated, but if there was one topic she was a master in, it was toys. She knew what a doll's house was. That was what she was being trained in. Master Caprice would have been shocked if she did not know what it was. Although, not many were on display, he was fully capable of creating one. The difficulty came in the specific. Leech did not know how to write. She would have to remember each specific through repetition. "I will tell him," she reaffirmed.

Two floors. Six rooms. Not too much furniture. Man. Woman. Child. Baby. Two floors. Six rooms. Not too much furniture. Man. Woman. Child. Baby. She had continued to chant the request in her head as she moved Celeste to the doll-o-rama and offered the red headed doll only to have her suggestion snubbed. Figured that this woman would want something more grand than the sniveling child deserved. She remained quiet at the client continued to make requests and ask questions. Her mind was too busy trying to remember the order. Two floors. Six rooms. Not too much furniture. Man. Woman. Child. Baby. Two floors. Six rooms. Not too much furniture. Man. Woman. Child. Baby.

Leech graciously took the doll, returning it to its place on the shelf. By now, she tuned back into the conversation. She had completely missed the request for doll's clothes and barely caught the request for a dragon. Overwhelmed, Leech began to guide Celeste to another aisle. This one was filled with various stuffed toys. Some were filled with rice or dried peas; others with soft cotton. The cheap ones were filled with hay. Every child deserved a toy, no matter if they were poor or rich. Master Caprice made all quality of toys, to ensure a smile for all girls and boys. She deliberately walked to the center of the aisle, where toys representing the houses were set up. Fluffy lions roared and black wolves howled. Bears stood tall while the dragons pretended to fly. Houses Venora, Gawyne, and Burhan were not displayed as they did not have animals for their insignia. Leech reached up, pulling down the requested stuffed toy.

This dragon was unique, and her favorite. Maybe it was a way to impress the lady, having messed up her first choice. This dragon was all black with bright yellow eyes. It had black ridges down its spine and a oddly colored tail flap next to the black one. On the red tail flap was the gold insignia of House Andaris. The mouth flopped open revealing that the dragon was toothless. "Master Caprice is creative. This dragon needs a rider to fly. Your girl could be that rider in her imagination."

Leech chalked this up to a win, even if Celeste did not. The way she held the stuffed dragon out was innocent. She wanted nothing more in the world than to do her job well. Once Celeste had taken the toy to inspect it, Leech withdrew to answer the other questions. "Master Caprice could get it done in seven trials for the right price. Normally fourteen trials."

Leech turned her eyes downward then. No one ever asked her about her work. Master Caprice was the toymaker and she was the shop's assistant. She swept and cleaned, counted the till on her fingers, and made sure the toys were neatly displayed. "I make small things. They aren't any good. I am good at sweeping. That is what this girl is good for."