Lady Lilly was arranging her new shop in Port Kar. It was in the more civilised and respectable part of the city, if you could call any of Port Kar respectable, but the area looked rich and the merchants pretended it was so...
A tall young man stood outside. He was dressed in the finest garments and wore them as if they made him feel superior, almost like they were supposed for someone else. Abu knocked on the door, with his fist.
The merchant Lady Lilly who was much older than him, though she had the serum and wore many veils so it was difficult to tell, invited him inside with the customary greeting.
“Tal Abu, do come in.”
"Greetings, Lady." He said, as he languidly walked in, looking around, amused, "your new store front, this?" he asked.
Lilly watched him lean against her desk. “Aye, my fortunes are expanding into fine goods and I can't very well sell that from a market stall.”
"Well it’s good to see you grow in your enterprises Lady" He knew she was wealthy, from a certain means already, though in their past conversations she avoided that topic. "Uh you are still setting up the place? I trust I am not intruding in your work Lady?" He asked looking at her, then towards the wall, looking up, enjoying the paintings, "these are nice." He gestured with a finger.
“Oh not intruding at all. I'm waiting on Faelar to unload the crates into the back of the shop” She mused. Faelar was her male slave, one of the strong variety used for hard labour and fighting, they were called thralls in order to distinguish from male pleasure slaves. “Care for some kanda?” she offered from a silver tin on her desk, really the dried plant was for medicinal uses, but a craze had started, quite a modern thing where it was taken recreationally, a dangerous sport some thought and quite ungorean. “I'll be selling kanda, fine art, fine wine and aged paga, candles, perfumes and oils, fine bone pottery and chocolate.” She looked over her shoulder at him, waving her hand towards the window. “By the way. I was so eager to get this shop, I neglected to find out who's ward its in?” Port Kar the most famous port in all of Gor, and the most dangerous and wealthy was divided into wards controlled by sea Captains. A Captain could encourage trade or tax you, make a merchant wealthy or poor and miserable.
Abu looked at her and the offer, "Uh thank you?" the last word ending as if a question, he was not sure where he had picked up that accent from. He took the kanda leaf hesitantly, but did not put it in his mouth. Instead he crossed his hands and listened her and nodded."Such fine wares, indeed." He said, resolving in his mind to ask about sourcing them later, perhaps he could help. "Aye, excellent location, I never noticed this place before, to be honest." Right in front of a popular inn and gardens, where citizens of Kar and slaves tend to gather more often, for some reason. She had picked the perfect spot.
The merchant could see he was impressed, and he belonged to a powerful family. She had made a friend out of his mother Lady Mariah, who was companioned to one of the most powerful Captains of the city. Theirs was a great merchant house. “Well I wanted it in the beginning but Arealius beat me to it, so I had to take the stall in the market for a while. Of course I'll keep that on if I can, to still sell the cloth and leathers and those things” Lilly smiled at him.
"Impressive." He had to admit. He admired the skills of all kinds, any kind. The skill of making coins is akin to the skill of a warrior slaying enemies or physicians saving lives."Are you open for more trade arrangements Lady?" He was eager, he was not wealthy in his own right but an up and coming merchant, with only two ships. He knew she had existing arrangements of her own, or with her contacts, he could give it a shot.
“I am always open Sir” She said imperiously, then regretted her choice of words, for it was the talk of a pleasure slave. “I mean I am always on the look out for new opportunities” Oh dear that didn't sound right either but oh well.
Abu started at first with her choice of words and gave a blank stare onto her, he finally broke it with a "Ahhh yes," and a chuckle. Then he turned serious for he needs ‘all’ the opportunity he can get, small or big,"currently I bring goods from Tahari", which is obvious he is talking about salt, dates and rugs, which he is not sure if she is into "well, that is it,” he hesitated then stumbled on, “I hadn't expanded into other markets yet, but perhaps if you tell me what you need," he let his words trail off. He had resolved to shed his air of a wealthy man recently. His parents were wealthy, but he wanted to work on his own, and make a name for himself.
“I heard the Tahari make wonderful exotic perfumes. I can take the rugs on my stall or here, and I am supplying the inn. So it seems we may be in business Sir. Perhaps you may find out what else you can supply.” She grinned behind her many veils, so glad he did not notice her earlier slip with her choice of words, and adjusted her veils. After all he was a man, and he did own brothels.
Abu was excited now, and he almost yelled out "really?", but he didn't, instead he maintained his Taharian composure."Very well then lady, I shall arrange to have some rugs and perfumes shipped for you, on my next voyage which starts tonight, and shall return in two weeks time." He took a step closer to the table, and put back the kanda leaf. Then with a peevish grin "perhaps another time" he had no idea what this lady is up to with this drug, but he shrugged, "if you like my price and wares, I hope to make it a recurring delivery, well, that is where the money is..."
“Indeed so Abu, that is where the money is. I find that when you are consistent and have patience, it always works to your advantage. See how I finally got my shop?” Her greedy merchants eyes gleamed with pleasure.
Abu laughed."Well, we have our agreement then. " He tapped the wood on the table, "I will have Geela write up something." He was a man of words, but it was always good practice to have agreement in paper. He agreed with her words nodding, "precisely what my mother would say too." Oh she is greedy, he thought of Lilly, but as of now Abu is an honest merchant, and up and coming and all. Who knows, what greedy beast he'll turn out to be in three months time?
“Ah well I am employing Lady Bot in my business now as scribe. So if you have any of the paperwork given to her, I would appreciate it.” The merchant Lady smiled.
"Well, let them talk it out then," he said smiling, indicating Geela and Lady Bot, "of conflicts and clauses and such, if any". He talked as if he was a well known big merchant of the city. His father is, his mother is, he wasn't.
“Aye paperwork bores me. I'd rather talk to people and do the deal” Lilly gleamed.
"Aye, Lady..." he said now turning his back to her. He began to inspect her goods on the shelf, nodding at times, appreciatively.
Lilly let him look around while she surveyed some more hangings and paintings for her walls.
Abu put the porcelain looking wares carefully down, noticing Lilly to be out of the chair, doing her thing, he took her chair, he chuckled, sneaking in and then watched her work.
Lilly gestured towards a bottle, “Want a glass of wine?”
"Aye Lady" Abu said, his eyes on her face.
Lilly uncorked one of the bottles from the shelf. “This one is Cosian, I have a crate outside. It will be nice to try it.” She brought out two goblets. Cosian wine was difficult to get hold of, it came from the large island of Cos across from the coast of Port Kar. The city states often competed and had been to war a number of times.
Abu watched her move around, he leaned back with his hands behind his head, as if this was his store. "Those for the inn Lady?" he asked indicating the crates with wine bottles, he wet his lips, he could hear the wind blowing. A sleepiness covered his face; he yawned.
“Oh no this is the fine stuff. The crates for the inn are at my warehouse in the market across from the stall” she adjusted a gold plated urn setting it nicely in the display cabinet.
Abu moved the goblet from the table into his hands, to taste it, with a sip or two "this is excellent" he quipped, now feeling fully alert. "Looks like you are catering to the needs of free women" he commented, considering the nature of the goods, men were unlikely to frequent this store.
“Well it is next to the slavers”she spoke of the establishment next door and frowned. That had been a miscalculation on her part, not realising what was next door to her shop. Still there could be opportunities if she was careful. She made light of it, “so I'm hoping that the men may pop in to sample the aged paga, and kanda leaf. But really I think that it will be the women who will frequent the most, of your mothers cast.” She was making it clear what kind of clientele she wanted, a cast she aspired to. She smiled at him, noticing how much he looked like his father. Perhaps not as tall, and certainly not as confident, but he acted the part well enough.
"Tell me of your family, Lady?" he asked now speaking freely. Apprehensions owing to typical Taharian chivalry towards men was being removed layer by layer, perhaps the wine had something to do with it. His eyes now falling on Lilly.
Lilly arranged two vases full of ramberry twigs and took a sip from the goblet she had left on the display case. “Oh what a long story that is. Wouldn't you rather I continued with the story of the crazy old scribe?” She was ever so careful of her own background.
Abu laughed. The woman had to be dramatic about everything, he flailed his hands, "ah, the old scribe." He scratched his head, "she still alive? How hard is it to tell me the name of your father?"and how wealthy or powerful he is, but he did not say that, but what if? He was trying to be calculative of his next companion, through whom he can climb and achieve more for himself.
“Sands was the name of my father”, she looked at him, “he was a wealthy merchant of Ar”. The capital city state of Gor ‘Glorious Ar’, she didn't disclose the fact that he had become so indebted to the Ubar that he had to sell his one and only daughter to a scribe, as a scribes girl, a slave! That the scribe had left her with a peasant family in the Northern Woods who had many other daughters, and had called her Waterlilly because she bathed in the lakes there. She wasn't going to tell him any of that, but it reminded her of the painting of her and her adoptive sisters and she brought it out from a crate.
Abu would say nothing as he listened to her. Is she high caste? No. He doesn't know anyone of repute named Sands. He was unimpressed but did not show it, he wore a wry smile all along. His attention went to the new painting, that she suddenly deigned to put up on the wall, he was perplexed."What is this, he asked, who are they?" It was a beautiful painting, of many young virgin girls presumably, with a man.
“Oh some peasant girls in the Northern Woods near Cardonicus. They are trying to seduce a young Master no doubt” She said nonchalantly though the painting meant a great deal to her, and the man had become her Master.
Abu was intrigued, and studied the picture. Then glanced at Lilly, she sure held a lot of mysteries."Who is he? Do you know him?" the wine was getting to his head.
“Melho Boa, I think that girl he bends down to became his slave. Its just a story...” Her voice trailed off.
"Sands...sands...sads..melhao boa melhao.boa.." he whispered the names, a few times, not as a way to try to recollect them, for he never heard of them, he was sure of that, but as a way to commit them to memory. "She sure..that pretty little naked one" indicating to the young girl on the painting, "something about her..." he then looked at Lilly's eyes, then back to the painting, "she is very pretty", some questions lingered. "Who is she, do you know?" his eyes went back again to Lilly, now quizzically.
Lady Lilly looked up at the painting, it evoked memories for her. Then she turned abruptly and inadvertently knocked a vase over, “Oh by the Priest Kings!” She cursed at the gods and bent down and picked the pieces up, “well its not one of the expensive ones” she muttered, “I have no idea who she is, its just a story as I said about some Master named Melho but I don't know the girls. It could be a myth. Most of these painting are just myths, some from that barbarian world only we know of.” She spoke of earth, “The one were those untrained ignorant girls come from.”
Abu noticed the sudden clumsiness that wrapped up Lilly, who other is as calm as a cucumber, well there was more to it. Abu was clever, he scratched his head, his inquisitive mind making some notes. He shall get to the bottom of it one way or another, but he didn't know how. He stood up "It is getting late for me, and I should get going." He slapped the goblet on the table now empty, finishing it with that last gulp that remained and turned to the door.
“I wish you well then Abu, it was nice of you to drop by. Tell your mother of the shop. I hope to sell lots and lots.” She laughed then smiling.
"May you always have water" Abu gave the traditional Tahari farewell, then smiling he waved to the mysterious merchant woman and walked out into the busy streets.
“Aye may I always...” She didn't watch him go, instead she just stood there with the pieces of broken pottery in her hand and looked up at the painting.