[Welles] Svend Me An Angel

[Alistair]

52nd of Ashan, Arc 717

. . .

Mountains. Oh, and they were beautiful, regardless of how many different mountains he'd seen, or how many times he'd seen these ones in particular. Massive, risen high, stretching for miles. Lord, how he hated traveling legitimately. Even now, even upon the back of the Sohr Khal, he could not stand the act of continuous movement for the sake of reaching a destination. He'd been spoiled by Rupturing.

Still, he had a place to go, seeking the endorsement of wealth from the merchant lords that ruled the Eastern Settlements, regardless of what his cousin wished to believe. Alistair's colonial ventures would begin soon. He'd already decided long ago that Novilane, and for that matter Venora, would never be enough for him. He was destined for greater things - expansion, conquest, glory to the homeland among the corpses of foreign enemies. That quest began here, today, in Welles. Before seeking the sponsorship of King Cassander, he needed deals, words, backers.

So the Sohr Khal descended, gliding down upon ascending over the highest mountain top Welles had to offer - Alistair could see the colony's capital from here, a coastal area from which all of these eastern expansions branched out from. Welles. It didn't look like very much to him - practical at best, smaller and less industrial than Oxentide, he imagined. The culture of the architecture already seemed distinct from the land their masters hailed from. Considering their history, that did not surprise him.

The creature he rode upon, his Becomer, began to plummet toward the ground. He always feared the moment of landing for a Sohr Khal, especially as they dove face-first to the ground below, though seemingly regaining themselves at the last moment and sticking their claws into the dirt heroically. His slave, Kaiser, did the same thing now and landed shortly outside of the city's gates. Alistair presented his family crest, pinned to his high quality attire. He was allowed into the city immediately, and there, his eyes wandered. This place was... rich. The merchants had done well; it was gentrified beyond belief.

Now, where to begin?

[Svend]

Svend watched the merchant inspect the pair of rabbit furs. He rubbed a callus hand across harsh stubble as he watched the man assess his trek's work. The rabbits had been his only prize to bring to town. He tried not to show him desperation as the man glanced between the small pelts and the shabby, fur-clad wanderer the town had come to know as Scav.

"Two gold nels, friend." The merchant said finally, laying the pelts on the table between them. The stall smelled of leather and oil. Svend's nose crinkled as though he smelled something foul and he set his knuckles on the table.

"Each?" He asked, the easy half smile he could so willingly conjure up appearing once again.

"Naw. You crazy, Scav. Two for both." The merchant snorted, returning the fake smile. His stall was lined with fur and leather material. The aroma was nice for Svend, but he wasn't feeling comfortable in the shop. He had a share of quality leathers, used for everything from armor to lumberman's gloves here in Welles, but he didn't carry much fur at the moment.

"You're in need of furs, Mechin." Svend said, resting one hand casually on the ivory pommel of his kukri and the other grasping the string of the longbow over his shoulder. "You've hardly got a pelt between ya." Svend shoved a chin towards the wares.

"It's Ashan, Scav. People don' buy fur now." Mechin said, laughing at his desperation. "Two for both or begone with ya." The merchant said without a hint of apology.

Svend picked up his rabbit pelts and tucked them back into his belt. "Plague take ya, you old bastard." He muttered as he left the stall. "Winter comes every arc and we'll see if I take my damn furs to you in the future, ya lardy prick!" He yelled at the man.

Mechin raised his arms and grinned. "Whatever will I do. Take care of yourself, Scav." Svend tried to ignore the man's laughs as he moved down the street of stalls and wooden shops that made up the trade district of the capital. At the end of the street were the large, more expensive merchant houses that fueled the economy of Welles. Svend sighed and tucked his thumb into the cross-chest strap that held his kukri to his chest. He thought about going back to that stinking turd Mechin and taking the two nel, but he doubled the fat flob would give it to him now. Ryns were fickle little bastards, he had found.

Svend spit into the road and set out to look for another possible buyer when someone else caught his eye. A noble. Svend could tell by the quality of clothes he wore. When the Ryns who lived in Welles bought high quality it was made for utility. This man wore quality as extravagance. It was status and it meant he was above everyone else. Svend noticed the man had a pin on his chest, undoubtedly noble then. He began walking towards him without really knowing why. He had the sort of face that made girls sigh, Svend noted. And he seemed well fed, his muscles apparent even from here.

The scavenger watched the man survey the city for a moment before approaching. "Not in the market for some rabbit pelts, are ya M'lord?" Svend grinned as he called attention to himself. He pulled the grey and brown mottled furs from his belt. He spit onto the ground through his teeth and approached slowly, careful not to seem aggressive. "Might look nice on that coat ya got there. Give it some good old colonial flare." Svend waved a had at the city around him. Her himself seemed to be dressed in furs and leather bits that he had made himself, less a colonial flare than product of the wilds. "Might make a good liner for a scabbard too, M'lord. Keep the blade firm in there. As I'm sure you're aware." As Svend came to stand a few feet away from the man he noticed his wildly blue eyes and found it difficult to maintain eye contact, something he had never had trouble with. He gave a short little bow and hiked the longbow up further onto his shoulder.

Svend shrugged and said "Or perhaps I can help you with something else?"