subplotkudzu | Emirikol Part IV scene 5

Returning home from his midday dalliance, Hiram finds Dietrich poring over his family finances and Cybele pouring herself a stiff drink. Engaging the sorceress in conversation reveals the source of her troubles and remind Hiram of his own pressing need for liquidty so that he might purchase a blade to replace Raul's insult. The pair left Dietrich to enjoy his paperwork and headed for the Ferrantino library, where they might secure some samples of the weapons recovered from the Chaos beasts and so find a buyer for the lot. In addition, Cyble strapped the great sword she recovered from beneath the bear-man in Hightower Tor to see what sort of price it would fetch.

Her sour mood was countered somewhat by Hiram's boisterousness, but not so much that she sought out any time with the lithe and scholarly Martin d'Ferrantino while at the library, instead confining herself to the task at hand. The sample weapons secured Hiram led them to the shop of Humer Lajos, the eccentric weaponsmith he had met the day before. The gnome's dried-apple face, with each wrinkle and crevice outlined in black from working with coal and steel, brightened to welcome them, and he promptly re-took up the haggling over one of his best rapier blades that the pair had started the previous afternoon.

Cybele watched in amusement as the young Hiram found himself outflanked and outfoxed at every stage of the negotiation by the wily smith concerning the weapons cache- she would have enjoyed It much more and perhaps not interfered if she did not need some of those funds herself. Eventually she interrupted the bargaining by introducing the chaos beast's great sword to the mix, and was gratified that the steely firmness that was so ignored by the Dapper brothers found more fertile soil in with the gnome. Eventually the gnome produced what she deemed a suitable deal - the noblemen's recovered weapons for Hiram's desired blade, a fair number of large platinum coins and a pair of silver candlesticks that Humer had, in a moment of foolshness, accepted in trade from a hot tempered young nobleman desperate for a particular blade for what proved to be his final duel.

"No," Hiram stated, recognizing an attempt to unload stolen goods as it crossed the horizion. No candlesticks. No deal," and began to walk out to take his business elsewhere. Cybele restrained him and the pair eventually negotiated a few more platinum coins in lieu of the rather fine heavy silver candlesticks. The weapons were delivered from the library and the exchange was done. Horam, now with steel attached to the bejeweled hilt of the training sword (the original carefully crafted wooden blade still in his possession as well), took the lions share of the money for return to the house while Cybele took her cut and headed, her mood darkening again, to locate the Cock Robin.

To be continued