Soul Bound

1          Soul Bound

1.1        Finding her Feet

1.1.4      An Intriguing City

1.1.4.6    A tasty bargain

It wasn’t until Forenoon 4th bell that Kafana and Massimo escaped the sanctum, on the grounds that messengers would be waiting for them. Kafana had acquired 2 more books (one describing the sort of spell effects that apprentice priestesses could usually manage, the other about ghosts and resurrection - which generally required the master stage or higher). She’d also been given 6 red health potions, 6 blue mana potions, 1 purple rejuve potion (instant restoration of full health and mana, including removal of negative status effects) and one incredibly valuable golden resurrection potion (which Massimo pointed out was worth more than a year’s salary for most apprentices).

[Level 14 acquired. You have 46 unspent stat points. You have 12 unspent skill points.]

Tomsk asked: {What happened?}

Alderney: {That was me, I think. I’m going to be an ace apprentice. I actually had two masters come to blows over which got to have me. They’ve got a great forge here at Libri, sparks flying everywhere, things detonating, weird screeching sounds.}

Bungo: {That’s great?}

Alderney: {Damn right, the place is a crafter’s paradise. I got to make so much stuff for people! I’ll hit journeyman before we meet up, I think.}

Wellington: {If you’re spending stat points, I’d suggest a minimum of 20 in CON.}

Alderney: {Wellington, we’re going to need a source of money fairly soon, to buy tools and raw materials if nothing else. Unless someone wants to become a resource gatherer and spend hours every day chopping down trees and digging down in a mine?}

{System, can you lower the chat volume and bring it back up only if someone mentions my name?}

[Yes.]

Kafana: {I’m going to tune out on chat for a while, got a busy morning ahead and I haven’t had a chance to really look at the city yet. If you need me, say my name.}

{System, please do so.}

{System, add 10 stat points to CON}

Kafana’s Stats (Level 14):

Base   Mod   Total   Stat

1   0      1     CHA (Charisma)

10   0     10     INT (Intelligence)

27   0     27     MAG (Magic)

1   0      1     STR (Strength)

1   0      1     DEX (Dexterity)

20   0     20     CON (Constitution)

You have 36 unspent points available.

Directly outside the sanctum was the Plaza of Peace, a wide area by the sea, with a cooling breeze, trees to provide shade, benches, and a central fountain the size of two Olympic swimming pools. Massimo said the place was spelled not just to prevent violence, but also anger. He also mentioned that some would stand here to gaze out to sea, awaiting the return to port of ships carrying their true loves. On the north side was a bridge over the river Tunita to the Alto district. On the east side was the Sanctum. On the south side was a beautiful building hosting the chambers of the city council and much of the administration. On the east side were embassies and a short wide walkway, which Massimo took her through.

It led to another wide paved area, the Plaza of the Founders, dominated by a fortress-like building on the northern edge which Massimo named as the Watch Tower. To the south were the law courts, messengers guild, goldsmiths guild, and a few others. As they walked past bronze statues of various historic figures, each 3 times the size of a tall man, she had a feeling of being watched, but dismissed it. Creepy. They went onwards into the Plaza of the Public.

This was the largest of the three plazas. In its center was a sunken amphitheatre, with acoustics suitable for plays and oratory. Massimo related that tradition allowed anyone to take the stage and keep it for as long as more of the audience stayed sitting and listening to them than stood and turned their backs. To the west was a bridge over to the Libri district. To the south was a triumphal arch leading to the Mercato district.

Around the edges were places for the rich and fashionable to be seen. Private salons and political clubs. An opera house. Cafes with tables spilling out onto the plaza under umbrellas. Exclusive establishments of every type. Roaming the plaza were Iberian musicians and dancers in bright ribboned clothing, girls selling flowers, grizzled old coots in fine hats offering to polish boots to remove the dirt of the road, Slavic fortune tellers with Tarot cards, Burgundish choral singers and more; panhandlers and entertainers, pickpockets and dandies of all sorts.

Massimo led her towards one of the cafes, the Speckled Dove. The sign above the door was the bird of peace against a diamond grid background that alternated the colours of the ruling houses of all 6 districts, indicating neutrality. “Let me introduce you to Columbina. She’s a bit of a fire-cracker. Cute, mischievous, opinionated, doesn’t stay in her place, very practical when it comes to money and her own interests, but still warm hearted and a fighter against injustice. You’ll love her or hate her; nobody stays neutral about our Columbina. And she’s the best cook I know.”

Clocks on buildings struck *ding* *dang* *pause* *ding* *dang* *pause* *ding*. “5 bells”, sighed Massimo “I’ll find and talk to the messengers while you talk with Columbina, after I introduce you. Which do you need to do in person? Find a fight trainer or a mage trainer?”

Kafana: “Take me to Libri after this. I’ll accept any fight trainer that Lelio recommends.”

Massimo led Kafana in through a side door, and up to a balcony where Columbina was watching the plaza with a sly expression. She had bright red hair, cut short, a delicate heart-shaped face and the figure of a gymnast. She was balanced on the balustrade, completely fearlessly, and using a fan to shade her eyes as she looked out. Her tunic matched the diamond design of the signboard, as did her leather pixie boots.

“Massimo, my greedy boy, the moment I set an eye upon the pair of you entering the plaza, I bet myself that you would be coming here. What have you brought me, hmm?” and she gave him a bright, coquettish smile, half hiding it behind her fan.

Massimo blushed: “This is the questing spirit, Kafana. She has many new ideas, a strong mana pool, and a pressing desire to improve her cooking. I think, if you take her on as an apprentice, you might both benefit greatly.”

He bowed “There is more I could say, but it is for her to reveal. You may trust her word, her heart and her discretion. And now, with regrets, I must withdraw. If you love me even a little, send me some food down below, else today I shall surely get none before evening.” and, dramatically feigning weakness, he matched his words and left back down the stairs.

Columbina jumped down, landing lightly. “Heh, that man, he is fun to play with. He plays back! He’s also a good customer, with refined tastes and good judgement when it comes to food. Has he sampled your cooking?”

Kafana shook her head and produced from her inventory box one of the baklava she’d cooked back at House Landi, kept as fresh as it had been in the moment she’d picked it up after the feast. She proffered it to Columbina. Rather than eating it straight away, Columbina examined it from all sides, sniffed it, poked it, then used an extremely sharp knife that she’d had hidden somewhere on her person to cut it neatly in half. She ate one half with her eyes closed, and then opened them again to inspect the internal layers while she savoured the after taste and magical effects.

Columbina giggled happily, “Oh, you naughty girl. Very strong, but not much subtlety. I can see your potential, but there are definitely many aspects I can help you improve. Talk me through your thinking process while you made it. What made you choose the ingredients you chose, how did you prepare them, why did you pick this amount of pistachio to hazelnut, everything.”

She narrated everything, and on being questioned was surprised to find how many places there were where she hadn’t considered options, though she admitted them honestly.

It wasn’t until the magic effect wore off Columbina ten minutes later, that they started to negotiate. The resulting apprenticeship agreement was drawn up on paper:

Kafana will work under Columbina’s direction at least 2 hours a morning, at least 2 days a month, while Kafana is in Torello.

Any recipes produced will belong to Kafana, though Columbina will have permission to use them royalty free.

Any profits produced by selling the items made during the training sessions will, after covering the expense of the ingredients and taxes, be split 40% to Kafana, 40% to Columbina and 20% to the establishment.

Columbina will try reasonably hard to improve Kafana’s skills, protect against harm to her person or reputation resulting from the training, and preserve her confidentiality.

Kafana will try reasonably hard to benefit Columbina in equal measure to the benefit she gains from her, protect Columbina’s reputation and the Speckled Dove’s reputation from harm resulting from the training, and preserve their confidentiality.

She passed a copy to Wellington and asked him to give it a quick once over. He suggested adding that the agreement be alterable by mutual agreement, add protection against Columbina refusing to grant journeyman status in order to keep hold of a free worker by allowing either party to terminate it, a customised gift to Columbina from Alderney on Kafana reaching journeyman and a number of other small alterations, including allowing Kafana to be treated as a VIP when making bookings, reserving tables or gaining entrance when she entertains guests, with Kafana’s own food free of charge.

[Skill “Bargaining” acquired.]

It was 7 bells before she left with Columbina’s first piece of advice: “Get a little more dexterity, my apprentice. Good cooks need light fingers and precise minds.”