He would always spare time for his friends... but more likely, he'd find a way to combine business and pleasure, giving Alys a ride while he was making a delivery to Torchline, or heading there to pick one up for transport elsewhere. It was how he got things done, finding ways to multitask and make his life more efficient whenever possible - a holdover from when he'd delivered via dogsled, and every ounce of cargo, inch of space, and hour of time had mattered.
Tal picked up his polishing cloth and went to work, shining up his brooch while he chatted with Alys, and he took her question with a thoughtful scowl down at his rubies. "Um. Hmm. Maybe...?" he tentatively agreed. "Not th'same one. Everyone's been makin' the same suggestion you an' the cards did, so there's gotta be somethin' to it." The admission was made with wry humor in his voice as he rubbed at a particularly stubborn spot of soot until if came away and left the iron gleaming. "But I guess it couldn't hurt t'ask about th'particular apprentice I found." And hey, even if it was just supporting a friend's business, well, there was no harm in seeing what the deck said, right?
Tal set the polishing cloth down and pinned the brooch to his tunic proudly, then listened to the haggling about to commence. He'd paid up front with several small ruby chips that had accompanied the larger pieces in his brooch, and finished off the deal with his labor. But for Alys...
The smith was wiping her hands on a clean cloth while she considered. "Two pounds of limestone," she stated after a moment. "Or five rabbits." She paused, then nodded to the ring. "Or another piece of good obsidian, about that size."
Tal picked up his polishing cloth and went to work, shining up his brooch while he chatted with Alys, and he took her question with a thoughtful scowl down at his rubies. "Um. Hmm. Maybe...?" he tentatively agreed. "Not th'same one. Everyone's been makin' the same suggestion you an' the cards did, so there's gotta be somethin' to it." The admission was made with wry humor in his voice as he rubbed at a particularly stubborn spot of soot until if came away and left the iron gleaming. "But I guess it couldn't hurt t'ask about th'particular apprentice I found." And hey, even if it was just supporting a friend's business, well, there was no harm in seeing what the deck said, right?
Tal set the polishing cloth down and pinned the brooch to his tunic proudly, then listened to the haggling about to commence. He'd paid up front with several small ruby chips that had accompanied the larger pieces in his brooch, and finished off the deal with his labor. But for Alys...
The smith was wiping her hands on a clean cloth while she considered. "Two pounds of limestone," she stated after a moment. "Or five rabbits." She paused, then nodded to the ring. "Or another piece of good obsidian, about that size."
