Sareva dragged open the door of the heavy screen, a makeshift wall in her shop. Taking a few steps back to the entranceway, she paused to admire her work. It was coming together now, that which she had worked toward, dreamed of, and saved up for in the past few years. And yet…
Nope, the screen was too far forward, again. It took many adjustments and a vase with some decorative reeds for her to feel as if the room had some level of completion. Now, if she could just improve the abysmal lighting. However, that would require candles, which would require stands, and those would require a smith, Aeonid specifically, whom she had already made a deal with. However, that she would not provide him with a reason to swing his hammer and threaten to tear open his stitches, not now. The candles could wait.
How much had happened in so little time. As her shop came together, so did so many other things she didn’t think would come together so well. And it was an inn she had to thank for it.
When she had first stepped into the Mad Boar Inn, she had wondered if it would be like her previous experience in Bree, though it quickly proved otherwise. Immediately, after ordering some wine, she’d met a woman by the name of Narys. She’d seen this girl before, in Bree, her vibrant liveliness, carefree and wild nature had set an image in Sareva’s mind that she had to sketch. A man, Aeonid, came as well. The cheery and warm atmosphere invited her to relax and, though her primary business was to promote her work, she found she was able to have a pleasant evening on top of that. Deorda too, the mistress of the inn, had quickly become a fast friend, though more so the second night.
Sareva giggled at the thought of what had transpired then. How disarming it had all been, and how long since she had truly relaxed, shed the business persona for some downright merriment, even mischief? But even then, it hadn’t detracted from her work. Running her fingers over the pages of one of her sketch books, depicting some designs she was working on for that very woman, her mind continued to wander, continued to process…
So many names she had heard, so many faces. Brief conversations or lengthy ones (never forgetting to include her shop), small talk and in depth and thoughtful ones. Rick, Radcliffe, Arin, Lis, and Helen who had become a fast friend as well. And most nights, she would get to see Narys or Aeonid float in and out, sometimes with troubled expressions. She’d heard some of their tales, and wondered fruitlessly if there were something she could do. But it seemed their troubles were similar; they could comfort each other in a way only those two could. Physical wounds on the other hand-
Bah! She closed her book with a muffled thump. With a deep breath, she released the thoughts. Now that she’d had some time to herself, time to organize, she had at last been able to process some of it, but that was enough for one evening. With one last look around the shop, she smiled with a sense of satisfaction. Things coming together: her shop, making connections, advertising herself, friends, associates, routine, and relaxation. She chuckled as she made her way into her room, stepping over unpacked boxes, her own things neglected in setting up her work space. Maybe when she found some time to get herself settled in she could work through the rest.
