A Stitch in Time

[Ksenia]

Ksenia sat back as Artemis agreed to ask the staff about accommodations. She saw him slip a small disk under his cup, but didn’t ask. She’d learned to pay attention to details when she was little - and she’d also learned not to ask too many questions. She forced an impatient smile when the serving girl came by.

Finally, the server came back with food. Ksenia forced her hands to stay in her lap so she wouldn’t begin eating immediately. She heard Artemis ask the server about an out of the way place, and the response, which seemed to imply that there would be no charge. That was a relief. As the server left, Ksenia moved her bowl closer and began to eat. She unconsciously picked out the meat and potatoes first, an old habit from almost always getting the second, leftover servings. Sometimes, doing so meant that she could get more from whoever had given her food - and if nothing else, ensured that she’d be able to fill up even if she were pulled away before finishing.

“Have you thought about what you might want made from the silk? I mean, would you be looking for several smaller pieces or a few large ones?” Ksenia adopted what she hoped was a professional tone. She sipped her ale after a particularly warm piece of potato. “It will depend on the size of the fabric, but I’d like to have an idea of your wishes.” She waited on Artemis to reply, picking out the other vegetables in the stew.

[Artemis Black]

He idly watched her eat as he slowly worked his way through his own stew. She hunted and picked, the clear sign of someone familiar with the rarity of food, and the possibility of its disappearance. He grimaced slightly before steeling his features. He'd had to practice for months to not do the same; to project a sense of casual dismissal at the prospect of food that so many well-off folks did. His opinion of Ksenia softened a touch.

When she started up a conversation, he raised an eyebrow and wiggled a chunk of his bread at her in what he hoped would be a disarming reminder. He pushed the other half of his loaf her way, hoping she'd take it without complain. He imagined she might try to take it with her, but it worked better for him to have it gone before she left.

"I haven't the slightest honestly, nor the particular time to find out I think. It's maybe as tall as a man, and you seem to have a keen head for silk's uses." He motioned to her, to indicate his approval, before continuing, "The more that can be gotten from the piece, the happier my nan would be I imagine. Things were made to be used, she would say."

He didn't want her to dig into his motives over much. The longer the fabric existed in its current form, the more likely someone would notice its absence and come looking. "Let's say I leave the trust in your crafter's intuition, and offer a commission for the design, construction, and sale?" he asked her, his tone designed to lead her thoughts along.

"I'd hate to deprive you of the opportunity to make something wonderful after all." Artemis finished and returned to dipping his bread into his stew.

[Ksenia]

Ksenia’s eyes widened when Artemis slid a chunk of bread over to her. She bobbed her head in a quick thanks. She must have looked hungrier than she thought.

As he continued, she sighed internally. Having so many options available and the resources to only bring a few to completion made the choice of projects difficult. Terribly, wonderfully, difficult. That being said, most of her ideas would need a lining fabric, or at least embellishments. Would Artemis think her rude for asking if he had more fabrics? If he only had this piece, that would drastically narrow her choices; if there was more, she had many more options.

“I don’t mean to be nosy but do you have any other fabrics I might be able to pair with the silk?” She watched his expression and hurried to explain. “If I have something that I can use to put with it, for lining things like bags or hats, there’s many more things I can make. That will also stretch the number of items I can make out of that piece of silk.” She hoped that by appealing to his financial concerns, he would be more likely to help her out.

She continued, “I can give you each item as I finish it, if you like, and then take a bit of the money from selling that piece to put toward embellishments, so the next one would be worth more…” She bit her lip. She hoped her suggestions weren’t too forward, but if she was working on commission, the more money he could get for each piece, the more money for her too. She might even be able to find a room where she could work and store pieces in progress, if she was very careful with her coin. Maybe, if - no, when - the time came, he might know someone who had rooms that weren’t too expensive.

[Artemis Black]

She'd taken the bread with more aplomb than he'd thought. He wondered if that was because of desperation, or simply a growing comfort. It didn't really matter to him, as both were beneficial to his cause. Then she asked about other materials, and he balked. "I- I don't have anything at the moment," he said with an affected grimace. "I could certainly find some things if you know what you'd want." Artemis tried to look encouraging but slightly put upon. "Bags and such do sound very popular from what I remember," he said to move the conversation along. He took a deliberate spoonful of his stew to further distract from his own lack of knowledge.

"That does sound like a good plan, needing coin to make coin is something the rich merchants always say." He laughed excessively at the idiom, showing nervousness he didn't feel. "Do you have a place I can come by to get the pieces, some shop or something?" Artemis asked her, hoping she would, but prepared for the worst. "I don't want to impose or anything, just need to know where to deliver other materials. If you take the job, that is."

[Ksenia]

Faryv damn her. He had her in a corner. Ksenia didn’t have a bed to sleep on, much less a shop. She had never been good at lying - and she didn’t want to lie. Maybe...if she was terribly helpful and flexible, she could smooth this over and he might not notice. Much.

“Oh, I can stop by this tavern and drop things off. That should be much easier for you, and perhaps you can ask the owner if you can leave something for me from time to time. You do seem comfortable here.” She turned on her most accommodating tone. “As for what I need...if you could find some fine-woven linen, not too heavy, or -” she paused, unsure if she’d be asking too much. “If you happened upon something like satin, I’m sure whatever I make could fetch a good price.” She swallowed.

Ksenia needed the coin more than she wanted to admit. The chance to actually make something, instead of always repairing someone else’s work, was a very attractive bonus. She could buy the embroidery silks after the first item was sold; they were a good buy considering one skein would last a long time. Embroidery was still fashionable but was thankfully cheap to create besides the labor.

“If that works for you, then yes, I’d be happy to make your silk into pieces to sell.” Ksenia scooped the last vegetable piece from her bowl, and dipped a chunk of bread in the broth. She let it soak up as much as it could, put the bread in her mouth, and chewed while waiting for his answer.

[Artemis Black]

It was immediately clear she didn't have the slightest hint of a workspace or even a regular haunt if she was thinking to visit the Goose for regular work. He smiled at her in a disarming way as she finished her spiel. Letting the silence linger for a beat, he nodded and raised a hand to a passing swain. "Sir, if you could fetch Deborah, please. I have something for her." He tended to his soup as he waited for Deb to come. She'd help get this right as rain in a few quick words, and all he'd owe her was something he was happy to give.

Deborah approached the table with a slightly harried expression that she immediately hid behind a pleasant mask as she spotted Ksenia. "How can I help, sir?" she asked in a soft, measured, tone that was completely at odds with her rough appearance. She was a stocky girl, tall, with hair clearly shorn to ear length roughly by a dagger and a small pale scar on her left hand. Artemis smiled at her and offered a quick wink, "I am interested in acquiring a secure workspace for say a month. It doesn't need to be terribly large, but I'd prefer natural light and a good lock."

Deborah's expression hardly flickered, but there was a flash of glare before she replied, "Of course, I think we have just the room. Let me go get a key, and you can inspect it before the deposit." With that, she was off, only to return promptly with a large brass key. "This way please," she said, motioning with her hand and starting down the hall.

Artemis rose to follow her, hoping Ksenia would follow as well. They were led past many heavy oak doors until finally, they came to one with bands of iron and a different lock. "This is an overflow room, we only really use it when the festival comes to town. You're welcome to it for the month, but please don't lose the key." Deborah said, handing the key to Ksenia. Then the soft-spoken girl was gone.

[Ksenia]

Ksenia was confused when Artemis dropped their conversation to ask for a “Deborah”, who was a tall girl with short dirty-blonde hair, and obviously part of the tavern staff. When Artemis asked about a workspace, Ksenia’s ears perked up; when Deborah mentioned a “deposit”, Ksenia’s chest tightened a bit. Deborah handed Ksenia the key with a warning and left without so much as a whisper about coin or trade.

Ksenia slid her eyes over to Artemis warily. “So, this room...is for me? I-” She stopped, swallowed hard, and forced past the knot of pride in her throat. “I don’t have the coin to rent a room. I have enough to pay for my meal, buy thread for tomorrow’s mending jobs, and that’s it.” She dropped her head and held out the key to him.

He looked at her for a moment, certain he had succeeded in his efforts. Now all he had to do was see what she would make of herself. “I do have the coin, and I’ve hired you for a job. I expect it to be done to its best. I can bring the additional materials you requested in two days,” he said, a hint of sharpness and disappointment in his voice as he looked her in the eyes.

“Do you think they - the tavern, I mean - would mind if I stayed here at night? So I could work as soon as I woke?” Ksenia’s eyes gleamed. She’d go grab her cloak from the house where she’d stayed last night; they had been kind enough to let her sleep on the floor in exchange for mending their little daughter’s dress. Maybe she could do a bit of work for the chandler and get some candles so she could stay up later, and do mending work then.

“The room is mine to be used as I see fit until the festivals. I don’t think I’d mind someone burning a bit of midnight oil. Don’t let critters in though, it isn’t ours at the end of the day,” he said, the joviality back in his voice, responding to the excitement in her words.

Ksenia unlocked the door and pushed it open. The early afternoon light spilled into the room, and she shoved the door closed after Artemis followed. There was a table, and a few wood crates that appeared empty, shoved against the far wall. She took the offered bundle of silk and unfolded it, letting the fabric cascade down until it nearly touched the floor from her raised and outstretched arms. Lovely! “I’ll get started today,” she said gleefully. She refolded the fabric, pleating it so that she could easily unfold more as needed.

[Artemis Black]

He walked away at a confident pace, leaving Ksenia to her own devices. He'd given her what'd she'd need. Now he had to pay his debts, and find a way to get his hands on some satin. First, he'd have to figure out what it was. Deborah was waiting for him, sitting on a box in a hollow, just past the turn in the hall. She had a pout on her face as he slid up between her dangling legs. "Sorry, Deb, she didn't even have a place to work," he said, lifting a hand to run it through her short hair. He tightened his grip, pulling her head down to his in a deep kiss. Deborah whimpered softly, and Artemis knew he was in for a very busy evening.

⁂

Marcy knew she wasn't supposed to be bothering the girl working in the supply room. Marcy also knew she was terrible at listening to the rules when curiosity got ahold of her. When she tried the door handle and it opened, she felt she'd made the right choice. "Pardon, coming in," she said in a sing-song voice. She pushed open the door with her back, spinning to face the room with hands carrying decadently laden platters of food. "I heard you'd not had dinner, and I just had to come to see this mystery fabric," the wench said as she moved into the room.

[Ksenia]

After Artemis left, Ksenia wiped off the table with the underside of her skirt and set down the blue silk. She spun in the center of the room, delighted, knowing that she had a place to sleep for a whole month! On top of that, she had a guaranteed job. I need to make the most of this month, she decided, so that when it ends I can afford another room.

While it was still daytime, she needed to get her cloak. Stepping into the hallway, she locked the door behind her and double checked that the lock held. Satisfied, she slid the key into her work pocket and headed down the hall. She counted the turns to memorize her way and slipped into the afternoon sun.

All but skipping, Ksenia passed through the gate separating South Fellsgard from East, and made her way to the little shack where she’d stayed last night. She collected her cloak and thanked the mother again, waving to the little girl as she left. The chandler’s shop, two streets over, was shut tight. No candles tomorrow; she’d have to figure another way to extend lighting for her work hours.

Heading back toward the Velvet Goose, she stopped at the cloth merchant just inside South Fellsgard for thread. Ksenia picked up two spools of linen thread. Approaching the merchant, she asked, “Do you have any silk thread?”
“Naw, what would I be doing with that?” he asked. “Not much call for it round 'ere.”
Ksenia handed him the coin for her thread and left. She had to find somewhere for embroidery silks; until she had lining fabric, there was little she could do in the way of complex construction. For now, she could cut out the sleeves she had planned, and begin working on what she could.

⁂

Ksenia had just spread the silk out on the table to start working on it when the door opened with a female voice calling “Pardon, coming in.” She didn’t recognize the girl walking in; remembering Artemis’s caution about flaunting the fabric, Ksenia sprinted around the table, whacking her thigh hard as she rounded the corner. She dug in her pocket and found her snips. Ksenia thrust the sharp (but short) points toward the sound of the intruder. Who had apparently come with dinner.

[Artemis Black]

Marcy stared wide-eyed at Ksenia. She'd been aiming to be nice but realized she'd gone and been too pushy again. "I hope you know how to use those," she said, a wild glint in her eyes that spoke of something barely contained. "Artemis sends his potatoes," she said giggling as she simply pushed past Ksenia. With deft motions, Marcy deposited the platters onto a box well away from the silk. "Come now, show me what you have and we can eat some of this delicious food," the bubbly girl said motioning to the seamstress.