Arialla sat on the stool and took off her sandals, offering one to the cobbler. Then she lifted her head to gaze over the cobbler's wares again. "I'm not sure ... We wear mostly sandals where I'm from, because the weather's much warmer there. I'm mostly just looking for something practical, really, and durable. What do you think?"
This last she directed at Quanil, whom she assumed would have a little more practice choosing footwear in the Hollowed Ground than she did.
"Well, some people have more than one pair of shoes or boots or whatever," they mused, though they only had the pair of boots they were wearing because...
...I wasn't worth wasting resources on. The "cursed" child that their parents seemed to think wasn't even theirs who would either end up in over their head and die or would, at best, leave some day. As they had now. Quanil tried not to hold it against their parents; when faced with questions of limited resources, they had to prioritize the children who obeyed rules and stayed safe, the ones who had shown every indication of sticking around to help with the farm in the future. It made sense.
Quanil tried really, really hard not to hold it against their parents.
"I would suggest at least two pair: some shoes or flats that you like and a pair of boots for either winter or... more rugged pursuits." They smiled, as much to be friendly as to blast away their own thoughts. Those weren't helpful and they were here to be helpful, Mort dammit.
The cobbler took the proffered sandal, her eyes lighting. "The details on this! The craftsmanship!" She looked to Arialla. "I mean, I can see why you'd need something practical, definitely." She eyed the girl's feet. "These pinch a bit maybe?" She looked between the shoes and Arialla's feet a couple of times.
"For this pair, I'm okay with two pairs in exchange: boots and non-boots." The cobbler's impressive chest swelled with pride. "Everything I make is durable," she boasted, before examining the details on the sandal again.
"That sounds wise, thank you," Arialla told Quanil. Did they seem a little down? She couldn't tell, and she wasn't about to inquire further in front of the cobbler. Maybe later.
She turned to the cobbler with a smile. "Yes, they pinch a bit, but I'm glad you have an eye for the craftsmanship."
Arialla was glad to hear that the cobbler was willing to trade two pairs for her single pair of sandals -- she'd been a bit worried that no one would want them at all, considering how impractical they were. Perhaps someone could use them as formal wear ... The thought that it wouldn't be her doing so gave Arialla a bit of a pang, but not too much. They did pinch, after all.
"This pair is very nice," Arialla said, indicating the golden flats. The color reminded her of home, of course -- of all the gold decorations in the temple of Apollo. "And I like these boots."
She pointed to the white boots with their gray laces.
"Well, time for fitting then!" the cobbler demanded enthusiastically. They set her sandal down almost reverently, and picked up the golden flats to hand to her. "Here ya go! Honestly, I may not even let go of these. At least, not right away. There's a lot I could learn from this sort of craftsmanship."
"Outlanders are always remarkable avenues for learning," Quanil agreed.
They were glad their new friend was getting a good deal. Of course, those strange, golden, detailed sandals were probably an easy trade to make for two pair. Should we be trying for three? Or... or something else? They tried to think of how to haggle here.
Freina was better at haggling. She was the bane of all merchants with her skills, frankly. Best not to think of that right now though. They returned their attention to Miss Arialla and the shoe fitting.
Your call if they fit or not. The cobbler seems to have lots of pairs of the golden flats in different sizes, now that Arialla can peek behind the display a bit.
Arialla smiled at the cobbler as she tried on the shoes. "I'm glad they've found a home where they're so valued. They were sacred vestments, where I come from."
The flats fit well; Arialla stood and took a few steps in them -- carefully, not wanting to get them dirty -- to test their comfort. Not bad. They felt strange on her feet after a lifetime in sandals, and they were a little stiff, perhaps, but she thought that would fade as she broke them in. "I think these will do, thank you."
"Sacred, huh? Shoes of the gods, in a sense." She wasn't awestruck, exactly, but she seemed at least a little impressed. "Explains the attention to detail then. Well, if those fit," she nodded at the flats Arialla was wearing, "the boots should be fine. If they aren't, bring 'em back and I'll adjust them."
Quanil was still grasping for something to haggle over, to be of better use here. But Miss Arialla's impressive sandals had seemed to have secured a good deal for them without need of it, so they settled for, "Can we have a bag to carry the boots in, please?"
And the cobbler didn't seem to have any problem with that, pulling out a thin cloth bag to put the white boots into carefully before handing them to Miss Arialla.
"O-okay, well, um... mission accomplished then! Wish it were always that easy, but then I've never had golden sacred sandals to trade before."
"Thank you," Arialla told the cobbler, taking the bag with the boots. She then smiled at Quanil. "I suppose I got lucky. At least I had something on me worth trading when I ... came here."
Now she was thinking again about the experience of vanishing from her home and showing up here ... Not a pleasant thought, unfortunately. She shook her head, forcing it away.
"Do you need to get back to work?" she asked Quanil. "I don't want to keep you, if you're supposed to be doing something else."
"I can't stay away all afternoon, but I don't have a set schedule. I just help out when I can, to cover my room and board. But we've got a special on stew at the VlamVloed if you need food? A-and if not, you know, that's okay, too." They were well aware of how most people would rather not spend a lot of time around them.
"But hey, quest accomplished, right?" They smiled.
"Quest accomplished," Arialla agreed, smiling, then paused. She was, she found, quite hungry. "Stew sounds very nice. But I don't have money, or ... anything to trade."
She wasn't sure how she'd be expected to pay for a meal at the VlamVleod. Shoes for shoes made sense, as a trade, but what could she exchange for stew? Maybe she could wash dishes, although she didn't think she'd be very good at it.
Oh, right. "I'll get it for you, don't worry. Mr. Sunjata would never let someone go hungry; he's such a good person." They smiled. "Besides, my work there covers room and board. You'll just be... part of my board for tonight. Um. That didn't... it sounds bad when I say it out loud. You know what I mean. I hope."
Dude, don't even ask me how ppl pay for food & drinks at the VV; half the time I forget there's a barter system.
Arialla had to laugh at that awkward moment. It did sound bad, but she wasn't offended, just amused. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it."
As they walked back towards the VlamVloed, she cast about for something to talk about. "You grew up here, didn't you? What was it like? It's very different here from my own home -- my town was more like Torchline."
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