Chapter 2: All for an Orchid!
-----The skies are still cloudy at mid afternoon as Kazel, Sethenales and Gimplefwick leave the Two-Door Tavern. The crowds in the streets have not let down as this is the busiest part of the day. The breeze blows small clouds of dust around kicked up by the passing of many feet and wagons.
-----Kazel mentions on the way that on a block on the other side of the market area, are a silversmith, a tailor and a merchant who sells fine clothes. One of the challenges here is that these three face the back of the town hall and jail which is located across the street from them. There are also, at least, a couple of businesses owned by traders. The Evening Star Tavern is located close to these businesses.
-----They cross over to the market area and begin to look around. They pass by the small shrine and one of the first stalls they see is one selling baskets. They then head down one row of stalls and again see a variety of goods as well as people.
-----To the left, they see an old woman sitting outside her stall in a chair with her eyes closed. A younger woman approaches her and asks to have her fortune told. The old woman opens her eyes, rises, and silently leads her customer toward the back of her stall.
-----To the right, a man is demonstrating the strength of a shield he is selling to a customer. The customer noisily bangs on the shield with a mace. All the while, the seller holds the shield up one handed telling his patron, "See how it holds up!"
-----Heading down their direction, the trio sees a group of eight men of shabby appearance bullying their way through the crowd. Whenever someone looks as though they may protest at the men, one of them snarls or curses at the offended one. They pass by Kazel, Sethenales and Gimplefwick, luckily, with no problem.
-----By the time they reach the end of the row of stalls, they have passed at least two dozen other people. Most of these are laborers or citizens here to buy and bargain. The thieves turn to the right and find that they are about in the middle of the market area.
-----Passing by two more rows of stalls, they see colorful tents that have been set up. Outside one of the tents, which measures about ten feet in diameter, they observe two finely dressed men carrying on a conversation. They wear the fine robes, sashes and hats of merchants.
-----Seth looks at them quite closely.
-----Seth motions Gimplefwick and Kazel to stop, he whispers to them, "See those merchants that are standing about 15 feet away from us, what say we try and pick their pockets? I’ll go over and ask them if they would like some entertainment tonight, you know a harper, singer ventriloquist, they might like to hire us or go to the Open Hearth Inn. While I am talking, I’ll try to pick them. It would also be an opportunity for you two to try as well. If something goes wrong, we break and meet back at Braddock’s tavern. Or if you ain’t game for that, at least we can talk to them and get an idea if we might come back in the night to look in their tent. What do you think? I can’t see any weapons or armor and they don’t look like they are the fighting types. There do not appear to be any bully boys around either."
-----Gimplefwick squints at the two merchants Seth is pointing out and shrugs his shoulders, "Well, why not?" Gimplefwick flexes his fingers and follows Seth, if Kazel is willing to go along with them.
-----Not one to miss all the fun Kazel says, "Yes, why not? Let's work on them one at a time." She smoothes her dress and starts to get herself blended into the crowd.
-----"I can pick their pockets from behind while one of you talk to them, then pass the purse to the third person," Kazel volunteers. "Or I can create or help in the diversion if one of you feel luckier than I...?"
-----She looks at Seth and Gimplefwick for their responses.
-----Seth smiles, nods, turns and approaches the two merchants. He walks behind and around one of them who is average height and wears tan robes and a black sash covered by a dark brown sleeveless cape. His chubby baby faced head is covered by a black hat, which conceals any hair he may have.
-----Seth says to this man, "Ahh, Benny, the great art dealer, is that you? It is I, Ramone. Are you here to purchase my latest work? Or perhaps you have decided to bring some cultural masterpiece to grace us in this most starved town of Art?"
-----Seth then executes the most florid bow he can manage with one hand on his belt and the other held above his head waving about.
-----The baby-faced merchant’s eyes bulge out at the intrusion. In a high-pitched voice, heavily laden with a Gorian accent, he replies, "Oh no, my friend, but you are sadly mistaken." The man seems to struggle with the common language, especially with some of the longer words. "I am not dis Benny dat you seek," and here the man excitedly grabs onto Seth’s arms, "but, I do loooove de art work!" The look on the pudgy merchant’s face is one of awe!
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