Ghost Story

[GamesMaster]

A slight offended growl greets his words. After all he's never known the dog to let any harm come to the girl. Mabari are protective like that.

[Varric]

Varric raises an eyebrow at the mabari. "Tone, furball. Remember who does the shopping; be a right damn shame if I forgot to get any meat while I'm in town."

[GamesMaster]

The canine grumbles a little, but the growling ceases.

[Varric]

Varric chuckles softly. "Good. Alright I'll be back by dinner. There's some rabbit, pheasant and bean stew left in the pot over the fire from yesterday for lunch." He hesitates a moment, something nagging at him. "Where've you been lately?"

[GamesMaster]

The canine just states at him, stumpy tail wagging a little.

[Varric]

"That's not an answer," Varric grumbles. Biggest problem with mabari really; smart enough that their inability to speak feels like a failing. "I'll have to remember to ask Emma when I get ho-- back."

[GamesMaster]

Another tail wag, another gentle 'wuff'. 

[Varric]

Shaking his head, Varric eases back out of the room and closes the door behind him. He's crossing the yard towards the road into town when-- "Motherfucking house!" Turning, he glares at the building. Bah. Ghost dog isn't a danger to her (still going to shoot it if it messes with my memory) but I guess I can skip the extra meat.

[GamesMaster]

His first stop is, in fact, the general store to restock on supplies. This isn't his first time meeting Rhea, the shopkeeper of the general goods store; she's an older woman with three children to keep fed and clothed all by her lonesome, and as such, she's a hard worker, running her shop like a well-oiled machine with a razor-thin profit margin. She's plump, with a nose like a hawk and a tired smile, and he's taken a liking to her right away for her familiarity if nothing else. 

"What can I do you for?" she asks, the joke exhausted shopkeeps everywhere lean on when they're trying to be friendly. 

[Varric]

"Goods and gossip, same as always," Varric replies with a smile. "Any of my special orders come in yet?" Sure, he could have written to Nyra himself by way of a caravan; with his connections, it would be cheaper and more discrete. But he knows need when he sees it, and he knows pride as well. The extra coppers and even silver don't mean much to him, but they could make a big difference to Rhea. "I've got a few more to place," he adds.

[GamesMaster]

"Just one -- the cocoa you ordered is in," she says, jovially, grabbing for a notepad to take down his orders. "How can I help?"

[Varric]

"Got three letters to send out to start." Pulling the sealed envelopes out, he places them on the counter. "Also looking to get ten pounds of alchemical grade sea salt. The compost ditch was left for far, far too long and it's got things nastier than just mold and mushrooms growing in it. Bit of extra strong defoiliant should be just the thing. Need a dozen cheap crystal flasks, liter size. Ten ingots of good crafting steel, finger and ten size. Two casks of ale, same as the last, and finish it off with four half bolts of Toukami silk in scarlet, sky bllue, emerald and true white." Let's see if any of that gets a reaction.

[GamesMaster]

She jots all this down, frowning a little. "Truth be told I'm not sure I can get the silks. Toukami's a long way, and it has to be floated across the sea to get here. Not much call for silk around here. But for you, I'll give it a shot."

[Varric]

Nothing about the alchemy, good, good. "I figured as much. Let me know if you need more than the standard upfront for it. It should be available in Nyra if the rest of your network can't find it, though I'd prefer to avoid the city tax if possible." He shrugs a little. "Got a couple of months before I really need it, so no real rush."

[GamesMaster]

"What's it for? Does quality matter? Might be able to get synthetics."