Salesmanship 101

Log Info

• Title: Salesmanship 101

• Emitter: Schara

• Characters: Engurand, Patch, Seldan, Schara, Slixvah?

• Place: Lower markets district

• Summary: Schara has a plan to make some extra money. Only problem is, they have next to know experience actually selling things, so they enlist the help of Slixvah to show off the effects of the amulets they are selling, which provide a whole days worth of protection from the elements. Slixvah decides the best way to show this is by wearing a dress in the middle of winter, and her friend Patch, as well as a war-golem named Engurand show up. Patch is supportive about the business, while the golem inquires about purchasing a bag to carry their things in, as they nearly ran into a gnome carrying everything in their arms. Patch departs, and with some aid from Slixvah, Schara is able to sell the bag as well as an amulet, a good start to what they hope is a good day of sales.

Lower market district, afternoon.

Recent events left the artificer with a significantly lowered amount of funds, namely for all the cleaning supplies to return their armor to its usual bronze sheen. With adventuring work at an all time low for the time being, they were forced to seek alternative sources of income to make up the difference.

Off near one of the sides of the snow covered streets, where she had found a business willing to let them set up outside, the artificer had set up shop. A set of folding legs had been prepared with what at one point was a wooden door salvaged from the junkyard formed their table, covered with cloth. Set up on top of it was a stand with several chained pendants hanging from it, shaped roughly like a flame. A painted sign was set up next to it, stating

COLD AND HEAT RESISTANT AMULETS

Amulets which will ward off the cold and excessive heat for up to one day. One gold piece per amulet, activated on sale.

The bronze clad figure sat behind their table as the watched people passing by. "Do you think the price is too expensive for a temporary enchantment?" They ask the egalrin who was nearby.

Patch has arrived.

An egalrin? What elgarin?

"Too expensive? Hell naw. Make it two gold, some people kill for a day of comfort like that," a human woman with piercings on her nose and ears chuffs. Half her head is shaved, the other half dyed a pink hue that raucously splays about and obscures the side of her face. She's bundled in a lot of robes, the outermost a boring brown one.

Engurand emerges from around the corner clutching a stack of identical unmarked books a dozen tall. The stack reaches up to his chin, and he's walking with a fair bit of caution in his step to not drop any. His metal eyes, probably the only thing that can move on his mask-like golem face, dart from one stall to the next in search of something. As well as trying to constantly avoid other shoppers, though the stack makes it difficult to spot anything underfoot, and a near collision with a gnome almost sends a book sliding off the stack.

Patch is not part of this ploy. No, the bard walks the market district to shop this chill day. Her coat and cloak are pulled tight against the wind, her hat resting forward upon her head to help shield her eyes as she shops. In a small basket she has some leathers, sewing string, and needles. It seems today is about supplies, that is until she catches sight of Schara's stall, the sign causing a perked brow as she begins to saunter that way. "Temporary charms?" curiosity sparked.

The chilly evening, with its odd snowflake drifting down, has sent most people scurrying for a hearth, whether that hearth be in the tavern or at home. And yet, here there are a good many people out and about. A figure watches, quietly, from the corner of a now-closed brick and mortar shop, cloak pulled around wizard robes and hood up over a warm knit hat. A small pack rests at his feet in the shadow of the robes, but he hasn't said anything to Schara - or to anyone else yet.

"Well, it is hard to say for certain, Trixie." The artificer sighs. "You are much more confident than I am, but I am a new merchant in town, who has not built up a rapport with the local populace. That is why I asked you along, as it would help to show that my wares do work, and I am not trying to steal gold from anyone."

They immediately sit up a bit more when someone comes by showing interest, even if it is one of their friends. "Oh! Yes, I am selling temporary warding charms that I made myself. Each is infused with magic that will regulate the wearer's body temperature for twenty four hours. Were you interested in buying one? I know one gold is a lot, but, I could probably part with one for you if you need one for any business today."

Excellent business person, that one. They look at the passerby, and their attention is taken for a moment. "Careful there, that's a lot of things to be travelling with. Are you currently alright?" They ask.

The human woman grins as she spies Patch walking up, her giving a little wave from the hip. "Heya hon."

The assistant scoffs, rolling her sky blue eyes. "Oh shove off with that, it's all about how ya work it, sugar! You're selling it short. Here, observe." Trixie puts a gold on the table, swipes an amulet, and sighs with relief as the tolerating energy washes over her after she clips it on. With the talisman amulet donned and activated, the pink haired human woman rolls her shoulders and grins wide.

The brown robe is sloughed off. Underneath, exposed now to the frigid cold air is a firey crimson spagetti strap dress, a long slit running up the side of each leg. Numerous, multi-hued tattoos of sea serpants and, ropes, and achors crawl up her limbs with a wide splash of a kraken thrashing out of waves on her sternum.

She smooths her hair back before tossing all the winter gear behind her. "It's called fashion, sweaty, and ain't no damn snow is gonna stop it," she preens before inhaling deeply.

They hark to the crowd passing by, "PASSION, FASHION, CRASHIN'! Come get a lil' heat stashin'! TWO GOLDIE BOYS, and you get not ONE, not TWO, not even FIVE, but TWENTY FOUR WHOLE HOURS of PRISTINE COMFORT from the GODSFORSAKEN snow! Got a dress you wanted to wear for a date? Work out in the frigid, toe-snappin' cold? Whatever tha hell you wanna do, Dana don't care!"

She jabs a finger towards the golem passing by, attention caught by the near collision. "YOU! Yes you, metallic maven! Do you not feel your joints growing stiff? Your flux-inhibitors dulling? What of your thermal regulators, I bet they're workin' overtime! TWO GOLDIE BOYS and ya can make that go away for a day!"

"I've found that-" Engurand begins in response to that marketing spiel, but upon turning to regard the pink-haired woman delivering it, and seeing what she's wearing, that train of thought is tossed aside. "That is a remarkably bold outfit given the weather. And those... are those tattoos? Quite the design! I would be flabbergasted if it does not draw business to your stall. Bravo!" the golem declares, his hands moving as if trying to clap, but of course all he does is make the books jiggle a bit.

Patch flahses a grin at Schara, shaking her head as she moves out from being in front of the stalls. "Don't go giving the product away for free, Hon." she says in a quieter tone, returning Slixvah's wave with a grin until the woman begins to strip. Yes, transfixed and watching that bit of flesh and the tattoos, Patch idly flushes, nodding her head to something, clearly approving.

"I see you've taken proper marketing lessons." Patch teases, eyes finally falling from Trixie-Slix, laughing. "Hope you sell out quickly." this more for the armored Schara.

"Well, I offered to give one to Aelwyn already when I am able, and I wanted Slixvah to keep theirs as part of their help." Schara explains, looking at the coin and preparing to give it back, but the egalrin turned human was already busy promoting the product. "That is an interesting way to market it, yes." They agree with a nod to the war-golem. "Although, I do not know how useful they are to a war golem, but if it is something you may find useful, then I would be happy to offer one for sale."

"I hope they will sell too, Patch. It would be nice to have some more money for various things, I could even buy some of slightly more expensive drinks at the tarrace."

Trixie finger guns towards the golem as they take the bait. "Thank you! Thank you! I made them myself! I sure hope it does bring biz. Like you!"

A glance to Patch, the pink haired human's grin growing. "I used ta pitch sales to the Khzad back home, and they are a real tough nut to crack. This is a piece of /cake/. I can give /you/ lessons later if ya want!"

She looks to the armored figured, her tutting and wagging a finger. "Noooooooo, Scha-Scha, you gotta /make/ 'em want it. You're making a sale! Not begging for scraps!"

Engurand peers over his stack to the surface of the improvised stall, and upon spotting some empty space he gently lowers the book stack onto that corner of it. "Well, yes, as I was saying I've found that amply warm winter clothes do retain some of the heat my internal mechanisms produce. However, I do think we can come to some sort of deal." he begins, his eyes turning to the amulets for a moment. "Did you bring these in a sack of some kind? I would be willing to purchase that sack, if it's large enough to fit a few books in." he asks, his eyes scanning between Schara and Human-Slixvah. His face expressionless, given that it cannot move, but the eyeballs moving back and forth betray some hopeful anticipation of a positive acknowledgement.

Patch frowns at some of Schara's words, turning to dig through her coat and pull out her small coin purse of leather while the small woman is distracted with the wargolem, a smile flashed as she turns to head on her way.

"Any and all lessons are welcome, Trixie. You know where I live." Patch muses and calls over her shoulder with a wave. She's gone quickly among those doing their festivity shopping, even while wearing red.

Patch has left.

"I can see that would be difficult Slixvah, from what I read, arvek-nar can be very honest about their thoughts and feelings, in that they are hard to make happy." The artificer nods to Trixie. "I do not understand though, how do I make them want it? The sign goes over the capabilites of what the amulet can do, and I mentioned them as well. I am just talking to Patch about what is going on, whether she wishes to buy one or not. And it seems she does not."

"A sack? Yes, I have a burlap bag that I brought several things in, I should not need it if I sell all of these amulets. Do you live far from here if you need one to carry your things? You should make such preparations beforehand, but I am happy to help regardless." They ask of the war-golem.

Engurand shakes his head. "Not terribly far, but the streets already have some deposits of snow and ice, so I do not want to chance it." he explains, glancing between the stack of unmarked books and the amulets. "So you must sell all the amulets before you will part with the sack." he ponders aloud, one hand lifting up to rest on the stack as he considers this. "Do you need assistance extolling their virtues?"

Trixie gives a wave to Patch as she leaves, a lingering grin left htere. "Yes, yes I do. Maybe I'll crash there later!"

The model for the merchandise turns towards the remaining two. "See, you can wear clothes ta stay warm, but sometimes ya gotta do stuff and all those pesky jackets and coats and robes and hats with the little fuzz ball and gloves get in the way! You know how hard it is to read a book with gloves!?"

Blink blink. "... oh. A sack. Uh," a glance to the vendor, letting them get that sorted out. Which forfends a sigh. "Scha-Scha, I'm /Trixie/. Keep it straight! The sign says whatever, but do you know how many people are just gonna walk on by it?"

A pause. A hand splayed out to the street. People pass. "Twenty in five seconds!" she estimates. "Ya gotta reel them in!"

Cesran has arrived.

"Ah, right, you are Trixie. Sorry." Schara corrects quickly. "People read, do they not? Or do they really just ignore their surroundings as they go from place to place? That does not sound right."

"No, I do not need to sell them all before I can sell the sack they came in. I just need to have confidence that they will sell, and I should be able to move them. Which is to say, I can sell it to you now, for silver piece?" The artificer offers.

Cesran has left.

"A silver piece? Oh, let's do better than that." Engurand replies, sliding his slender metal fingers into his coat and withdrawing a copper piece and a silver piece. "I will buy one of your amulets and- oh, wrong coin." he declares, pausing to repocket the copper and replace it with a gold piece. "I will buy one of your amulets and the sack. Even if it does little for me, it will certainly help your business to see a satisfied customer departing. Yes?"

Trixie preens as she's addressed properly. "Oversaturation tends to make people ignore things. They read, but they're not going out of their way, Scha-Scha. Routine gets filtered outta the mind. Ya ain't gonna remember what you ate five nights ago, no?"

She smiles up to the golem. "See~! A sale! Trust me, metal maven, wear that bad boy and you're servos will thank you!"

"Ah, bundling it in with another product! That is a good idea, yes. I believe that is a fair deal, I would be happy to do that." The artificer nods to the golem, accepting the coin, and reaching back behind the table to pull out the sack she had used to bring things here. "They are all the same, and the magic will activate the moment you put them on. I have not figured out how to not tie the magic to myself yet, but that is a possibility to explore in the future."

"I do not think so. five nights ago I ate salt pork stew with turnip, carrot and onion, and the night before that was fried eggs on toasted bread. It is important to keep track of meals, I think, when already attempting to stretch money while maintaining relatively good health." They answer to Trixie.

Engurand takes the amulet, turning it around in his metal fingers with a subtle clanging. After a moment of inspection, he puts it around his neck. "The magic may wear off, but the object will remain intact, yes?" he asks, before finally accepting the sack. Holding it next to the stack he deposits the books one by one into it, the bag getting pulled down by the weight as it accumulates within.

Trixie stares at Schara for a long moment before she throws her hands up, the waves of tattoos on her arms flexing and bending like a frustrated tide. "Ok- well- most ain't as detail-oriented as you, Scha-Scha. And we need ta find you a consistent gig. Ya a frickin' tinkerer, ya shouldn't have ta stretch anythin'!"

She looks to the golem before elbowing Schara in the armored side. Trixie clears her throat. "Thank you so much fo' ya patronage! Hope ta see ya again, and enjoy the comfort on ya systems!" she grins energetically, giving a light curtsey in her totally-not-winter-weather clothing.

"Oh yes, of course! Though if you wished to have it made to ward away the heat and cold again, you would need to bring it back to have it prepared, but I would be happy to do so, if you wished to keep using that amulet." The armored artificer nods to Engurand. "Thank you for your purchase, I hope you have a good day."

They turn back to Trixie, and shake their head. "While it always is good to save coin, I have my reasons." They offer. "The adventuring work was supposed to be consistent, and make a large amount quickly."

Engurand hefts the sack, feeling the books redistribute themselves within it, until they're no longer sliding around. "Thank you both, have a good afternoon." he states, giving a node to both of you, before he turns to depart. Though you can hear him as he passes a group of shoppers, his voice a bit louder and more emphasized to draw attention than before. "This amulet I just bought really works at making me feel warm and comfortable." he declares, to no one in particular, though obviously to get the attention of that group as he passes it.

Engurand has left.

Slixvah grins as she hears the golem voice their approval down the road. "Bye bye!"

She turns to Schara, a sigh escaping her. "I mean, yeah, it does. But you gotta have a gig in between jobs so you don't burn through it all. I work at the TarRaCe as a bartender and the Cheerful Corvid making coffee to supplement me while I'm between missions."

"Anyways, we selling these or what?" Trixie turns to the public,her sticking a bare, tattooed leg out. "Oh my goodness, oh my damn! It's going, going ham! Selling hot! One sold and limited supply left! A gold and you'll stay warm for the day! No burning required, bed sold separately!"

"Yes, it is good to have more stable jobs, I am realizing. Adventuring work just seemed like such easy money." The artificer sighs, but whatever melancholy was short lived. Slixvah could practically hear the artificer grinning behind the helmet. "Yes, we are! Can you believe it, I actually sold one of them, for an entire gold! If we sell the rest of them, that would be wonderful, would it not?"

Schara looks more than a bit confused, but they nod. "Yes! For only one gold, the amulet practically pays for itself with all of the work you will be able to get done without worrying about the cold, and saving on running the fireplace all night. Please take a look if they interest you!"

Well, Schara was trying, at the very least. Still needed some work.