Anwyn's eyes shone brightly at the prospect of shopping. "Aye, Kay. Maybe some warm skirts as well and some warm nightgowns?". A nod came in reply. That sounded just about right. Add in a good pair of warm boots and it should be perfect.
The stall wasn't very large, but there was an impressive amount of clothing within it. "A good day to you, mestru", Kay called to the man folding clothing near the back, "We seek clothing for my apprentice here ... something solid and serviceable that will outlast any fashion trend".
"Ben dia, mestras! Of course!" The man directed the two women [no... make that woman and child, he decided] to a pile of clothing at one end of the stall. "These should do for the wee one."
Kay chuckled softly to herself, mischievously wondering what Anwyn thought of being considered a child. Of course, by local standards, she WAS a child
Anwyn gave a mental sigh. She should be grateful, she supposed. Most folks tended to underestimate children and all. Still, she though wistfully to herself, it WOULD be nice to be considered grown up - although her going through life being five feet nothing would probably make it hard even when she had lots of silver in her hair.
"Add a scarf or two, a bit of ribbon, and they will, with good care, be in fashion for -her- bairns!" he finished proudly. Anwyn blushed pinkly at the mention of her having children. [Ick! Boys gots cooties!]
Kay giggled "That's the beauty of classics --- they last almost forever, like this black cloak of mine. And us Scots are nothing if not thrifty !!". She grinned mischievously, then added "In fact, we Scots are so thrifty that my Gran once claimed that wire was first invented by two Scots wrestling over possession of a coin -- neither would let go, and so they pulled it apart between them".
Anwyn giggled mischievously up at Kay, then said innocently. "Great Gramps said that the Irish gave the Scots the bagpipes as a joke. And the Scots STILL haven't figured it out yet!". Kay giggled back.
Anwyn looked through the pile of clothing, holding them up to her to check the fit and then carefully folding those she didn't want. There was an approving smile from Kay, who was quietly watching all the digging around. Anwyn certainly had a good eye for quality, she noted.
When Anwyn was through, and with the merchant's kindly help, she had four blouses, two tunics, two skirts, three petticoats, three nightgowns, and two warm cloaks . She had picked out her favorite colors: dark blues, deep purples, forest greens - with the petticoats in soft pastels to match. The merchant didn't have a purple cloak that would fit her, so one of the two was a deep forest green and the other was a medium dark blue.
She smiled shyly at the clothing merchant, then turned to Kay. "I like these, Kay. Some socks and those warm boots you mentioned and I should be all set. Now... how do I bargain for them?"
Old Owain the merchant smiled with great amusement at Anwyn's comment. The wee lass was such a cute little thing -- especially when she was trying to act all grown-up. She reminded him of his own young daughter at home.
Giving a soft chuckle, Kay suggested to her young friend, "First, you should ask him to name a sum. And if you find it too high, then you name what you would consider a reasonable price for this lot. Then you two go back and forth until you come to an agreement. There's one other thing you might want to keep in mind for next time: don't admit that you're new at bargaining. As my gran would say 'Dinnae go a showin' yer cards afore ye be ready to play 'em !'. Consider this one of your lessons".
She then turned to the shopkeeper, "I would ask that ye be kind to the lass, mestru. She is new come to this world without much clothing to call her own, and has the thin purse of any other apprentice'. Kay then stepped back to let Anwyn try her hand at bargaining.
Anwyn took a deep breath and began. "May I ask your price for my selections, Mestru?". Old Owain looks thoughtful, then names a ridiculously high price, winking at Kay (in such a way that Anwyn can't see) and trying hard not to smile.
Anwyn blinks, blances, and counters with a offer that is equally ridiculous in its lowness. The two go back and forth for about 15 minutes, getting serious and then giving each other a bit of shy teasing. After 20 minutes, they reach a price they both can agree on. Anwyn hands the merchant over the agreed-upon amount and gives Kay a shy smile while he wraps up her purchases.
"See? That wasn't too difficult", comes the reply, "Now, Anwyn, me fine young lass, shall we continue onwards ?". "Yes, Kay. I still need those warm socks and boots", came the reply, which was acknowledged with a nod.
Kay then turned to the man, bowed respectfully and said "And a good rest of the day to you, mestru. May the Mother of All and the Son of Light smile upon your business forever more".
Anwyn also smiled and bowed to the merchant... unable to get out of her mind that her lesson in bargaining was all to easy. "My thanks to you, sir, for these fine clothes. May... " Anwyn broke off, then gave the merchant an impish grin before continuing. "May all your customers have long arms and short pockets."
Old Owain looked at the child for a moment, then burst into a soft belly laugh. "My thanks to you as well, Mestra. May the rest of your shopping be as fruitful."
The two of them then continued onwards. "Hmmm", Kay pondered, "We could get you some weatherproof-synthetic Terranan hiking boots at MacBrides ... and hopefully nobody will remember that I embrassed myself the last time I was there ... or we could go to a local cobbler and get you some leather-and-fleece boots. Take your choice ... we still have a reasonable amount of time time before I need to get ready for my dinner date".
"Let's just get the hiking boots at the MacBrides, Kay," Anwyn replied. "If I get a half size larger I can use extra socks to make up for the fact that they wouldn't be as warm as they should be. We can always go to the local cobbler another time and get -proper- footwear. I don't want to make you late or anything. You've already done a lot for me," Anwyn finished with a shy smile, looking up at her new friend.
A warm grin came in reply. "You're no trouble at all, lass", Kay assurred Anwyn. Then she grinned mischievously, adding with a giggle or two "and anyways, we _ARE_ technically on 'official business' this afternoon. Afterall, it would be terribly bad public relations to have a new student intern freeze to death for lack of suitable clothing". This was stretching regulations somewhat. But then again, almost everyone on the base was guilty of _THAT_ some of the time.
Anwyn rolled her eyes and gave a snort of derision. "Like they've got the brains God gave a goose! Of course, the so called powers that be probably figure student interns to be a dime a dozen as my Gram would say. It's plain as the nose on my face that those who make the regulations NEVER, EVER set foot on any world other than Terra and probably never set foot -outside- THERE either!". Kay chuckled softly in reply. Such a comment was horribly irreverent --- but all too true!
They continued through the streets until the shop's sign came into view. Kay blushed bright red when she saw it. "The last time I was here", she admitted, "I was such a silly rabbithorn that I had my hair all hanging down. And what's even worse --- I asked the cute, young male clerk for _UNDERWEAR_ (long-johns, bras and panties). It was soooo embarassing that I hope he doesn't remember me". Kay cracked up laughing at her own past foolishness. Though it had not seemed amusing at the time, In retrospect it _WAS_ enormously funny.
"Hair? Down?" Anwyn gave a blink, feeling for her own hair which was still half braided and half hanging down. "Um...". Then she gave up and just giggled. "Well, if his family owns a business that caters to all sorts of folk, he must be pretty used to keeping a straight face until after those folk have gone, yes? It wouldn't be good customer PR to laugh outright or blush like a girl seeing her first naked anatomically correct picture or something like that. Still, underwear... that reminds me. Um..." Anwyn did her -own- blushing at that point just as Kay pushed open the door and called out a soft 'Hello'.