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folken, as well as a few drawings of strange, wonderful flora.
Saure ended up spending quite a bit of money on jewelry (as she had never owned any before, and many pieces caught her eye), and also purchased a few pieces of exotic produce for the seeds within. She purchased several new vials, bottles, and satchels for various potionry and powders and dried herbs. With a few more water jugs also obtained, Fred had been put to use as a beast of burden, carrying quite a few items in a new set of saddlebags. He was too caught up in Saure's excitement to mind this much.
As Saure paid for a new pair of decorative gloves, the gray haired shopkeeper clicked his tongue, eyeing her current mismatched attire.
"I say, a pretty lass like you shouldn't be seen in garments such as those! Here," he stepped from behind the table strewn with gloves and guided her to his selection of dresses and capes.
"I'm certain you will find the dress for you among my wares! This one," he held up a rich red and gold dress with delicate goldthread trim and bright violet ribbons. "… was the princess of Youldemar's favorite! The man who sold it to me said she sold it at auction, but I believe it was snatched from her very wardrobe by a servant. However it came to be here, here so it is! And it's on sale! Only twelve Soro and twenty-seven Lona for all the pieces you see here."
"All the pieces?"
"Yes, this includes the underskirts and separate bell sleeves. You see, they attach separately below the princess cuffs at the shoulder. May I?" he demonstrated by slipping one of the ornate sleeves onto her arm, tightening the woven ribbon at her bicep and tying a neat little bow.
"There, look, it suits you! Goes very well with your beautiful hair, if I may say so. You'll catch all the boys' eyes wearing this!" the thin man smiled sweetly, brows raised in an attempt at an honest countenance.
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"You know he's lying about that dress's origins." Fred muttered, seating himself on the hot cobbles nearby. "Use truth-seeing and see for yourself."
"Oh, I have a better idea." Saure replied.
"Do you?" the garment vendor asked. He of course had not heard Fred, and assumed she was addressing himself. Saure smirked and continued as if she had.
"Aye, so I do. Are you a gambling man?" she asked, untying the bow and removing the rich fabric from her upper arm.
"As a matter of fact, I am!" the man grinned wider, rubbing his hands greedily. "What did you have in mind?"
Saure dug through one of her saddlebags and brought out a satchel filled with her jewelry purchases.
"This is just about fifteen Soro in jewels and precious metals. It's yours if I cannot guess the true origin of that dress."
"Now, miss, are you calling me a liar?"
She lowered her head, keeping her gaze and cocking an eyebrow, smirk deepening. "Come now. All salesmen lie. Granted, admitting your suspicion that you believed some of your goods to be stolen was a nice touch… However, I believe I can guess where this really came from."
The vendor allowed this. "All right, say you- by some god's miracle- guess correctly, are you asking to have this for free?"
"Oh, dear no! I'll pay you what you paid for it. And, if you paid nothing for it, I'll take that fireweaver armor kit you have on display over there, in addition to this dress."
The thin man chewed on his chapped lip, crossing his arms and considering.
"I'll take your bet, miss." They slapped palms.
Saure set the satchel of jewelry on the table, picked up the dress and held it close to her eyes, studying it for a moment. Then, she brought it to her face and breathed deeply, as if savoring its scent. Fred chuckled.
While her face was deep in the fabric, she chanted the spell. After a moment, she held the dress away, cocked her head, and appeared to listen to the skirts as they divulged their silent secrets. The vendor sighed tapping his shiny boot.
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