Flamewing: Fire and Stone

Chapter 6

Ben stood on the dusty wood floor for a moment, looking around the complexly arranged store, trying to take it all in. There were cloaks hanging on a stand to his right, along with a great assortment of packs, wooden staves, and pots and pans. Ben pulled his bag a little tighter around him and walked further in. Fur coats and clothing were hung all around, and Ben looked up instinctively, seeing tinderboxes and coils of rope hanging from the ceiling. The various and extravagant assortment of items Ben couldn't buy was encouraging: He already had most of these things, even if they were lesser in quality.

Water, fire, shoes, and medicine, thought Ben. I got medicine, I'll get the contents of the tinderbox later, so water bottles and shoes. Bottles and shoes. Got it.

"Need any help findin' yer prize, traveler?" said a gruff voice from behind him. Ben started and turned, the momentum of his pack unbalancing him and sending him into a fur coat in back of him. Ben caught his feet quickly, and stood in front of the man. The man chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya. Need any help?"
"No, I'm just looking."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Looking for what?"

Ben decided he had had enough help for one day. "Just looking. Around."

The man smiled, seeing Ben's position. "Well, all right. My name's Rattel. If you need anything, just holler."

Ben watched the man round the corner and walk toward the shop counter. Rattel. You seem like a rat. Everything here has a name that doesn't make sense. You wouldn't expect someone to have a name like that, if they are like that. Ben turned around and kept looking. Focus. Ben looked through fur coat after fur coat, string and cord hanging from the ceiling and every other stand. There was even a sort of tent. Ben knew he couldn't carry that along with everything else he would have, and was resolved to build (or find) his own shelter. At last, Ben made a right and found a long row of boots, all arranged in a line. On a counter at the back of the store. Finally. The soles.

Ben looked each pair over carefully, eying high flare-topped and fur boots, derby shoes and small-looking moccasins. He reached over to a shelf and picked up a moccasin, feeling the inside, finding it comfortable yet thin. He looked at the flare-topped boots and thought of Eris. An adventurer. Ben reached forward and took one off of its shelf on the wall. They looked durable, too. Ben wanted the flare topped boots, but doubted he could afford them with...what did he have? Animal skins? His mind flitted to his sister's gifts, his piece of Amber or the seashell earrings from Beth.

He responded to the thought instantly: NO. Not if I was begging for clothes. I'll starve first. That left him with not much to bargain with.

"Anything you like?" asked Rattel from directly behind him, starting Ben a foot in the air. He dropped the boot. Ben turned, angrily, opening his mouth to yell as he backed away, nearly tripping on the shoe he had dropped. He stopped himself. He needed to be calm, he needed persuasiveness.

"How much for these?" he asked, stooping quickly to pick up the boot he had dropped and its counterpart from a shelf on the wall.

Rattel grinned instantly. "There's a tag," he said slowly, still grinning.

Ben looked down with shame, cursing Rattel internally for playing this game. He cursed himself for falling for it, but looked up quickly, without reading it. He hoped he was quick enough to convince Rattel of the fact. Ben realized Rattel was playing with him. And he had to master the game. "I just was asking...because..." Ben stopped himself from saying "Because you're so nosy" and managed "Because you seemed like you wanted to help."