A Stitch in Time

[Ksenia]

Perching on the edge of a bench outside a tavern, Ksenia pulled up her hem. Something had made a ripping noise this morning as she’d rushed through streets and past livestock pens to deliver the mending she’d finished last night. The lady on the South side had made a fuss about getting all the mending back quickly - as though Ksenia would have wanted to keep it. Now the pile was back in the demanding lady’s hands, and Ksenia had more coin than usual.

Ksenia pulled the thread through her lips and held it to the needle’s eye. Concentrating, with her mouth held just so, she slid the thread through the eye and pinched it on the other side. She adjusted the length with an irritated jerk of the thread. Stabbing the needle through the fabric at the hem of her underdress, she huffed, taking careful stitches to mend the rip she’d caused this morning. Stupid fence. Stupid stile. Stupid goat!

She felt the underdress catch under her arm. She’d need a new one, or at least, a remade one, soon. Where she’d get the fabric, who knew - she did mending for pay, sure, but the time and coin it’d take for a new underdress would put a strain on her finances. Mam had only left the one when she’d wandered off the last time. Another day, another bed to warm, seemed to be Mam’s motto. Ksenia snorted. Mam had told her of meeting Ksenia’s father - the cliche “tall, dark, and handsome” kerasoka - and the whirlwind romance that ended as Ksenia’s presence became known. Never stopped searching for another “true” romance, did Mam, falling in and out of love - and beds - as often as seasons changed.

It had been while Mam was chasing a minor nobleman that she’d thought to teach Ksenia a few stitches. “Embroidery is a ladylike employment,” Mam had said. Something ladies do. Or should do. Thinking to impress her latest meal ticket, Mam dusted off her long-neglected skills that her mam had drilled into her and began showing Ksenia. Once Ksenia had learned that stitches could make things as well as pretty them, she’d helped a bit at the inns and houses where they’d stayed. The maids and tavern-keepers let her try her hand at small things at first - old linens, or a child’s gown. In exchange, she’d get a hunk of day-old bread or a bite of cheese. When she’d learned to make her stitches blend, she found herself working on table linens, the proprietors’ clothes, and even the occasional coin-paying customer.

Ksenia reached for her pocket knife and cut the thread on the finished seam. It wasn’t her best, but no one would see it. Not on her, and certainly not on her underdress. No one much noticed the seamstress, living hand to mouth as she did. Ksenia kept food in her belly (most days) and enough of a roof over her head to work. Well, today she’d managed a bit of a windfall and since she’d spent all her time yesterday stitching, a hot meal sounded like just the treat. This tavern’s food smelled good, at any rate, and might not be too expensive, seeing as it was so close to the East side. Maybe some goat meat, she grinned to herself, as she opened the door to the - The Velvet Goose? Tavern owners and their fascination with weird names!

[Artemis Black]

Artemis limped slowly along the alleyway rooftops of the southern district. His chest felt like lead, and his lungs burned with every sharp gasp of breath. He'd taken a solid beating from the thugs before he slipped over a stone wall and lost them in the crowd. The musclebound lunks hadn't been pleased to find Artemis rifling through the - supposedly - secured stock room of the Finer Gentlemen's Haberdashery. His escape through the high window was perfect - right up until the moment his foot slipped, and he fell half a story on to the cobble sidestreet. Then the thugs had caught him and earned their pay by pummeling the thief. He'd managed to slip away from them when their arms grew tired.

With a slow turn of his head, the thief looked over the surrounding rooftops. He was near the east district wall, maybe another four shops until he could slip into the Velvet Goose and disappear with ale and food. He knew there was an apothecary in his future, but broken ribs weren't going to kill him before the morning. He cursed softly and moaned as he landed with a jolt on a window balcony. Three taps to a tune on the window and he waited, clutching his side and muttering.

Several minutes passed before the heavy window latch clicked open and Artemis was able to step off the rooftop. The swain who'd opened the passage was already down the hallway; the Velvet Goose only accepted payment in advance for access to its many secondary passages. Artemis limped his way along carpeted floor past many heavy oak doors before he finally heard the rambunctious music of the evening's performers. Entering the upper landing of the tavern, the thief nodded to several colleagues as he hobbled his way to a booth by the front window. Grunting, he settled against the wall and placed his face against the warm glass.

Outside he saw the regular traffic coming and going through the gate into the eastern slums. The goods-laden wagons all came with escorts, burly men with truncheons, to keep away the beggaring poor. Nothing unusual caught his eyes until he dropped them to the entrance to the Goose. A tumble of dark brown hair flowed onto the reasonably maintained dress of what could only be a merchant's daughter. She was hunched over her dress, doing something to the fabric in precise but jerky motions. Eventually, she rose and moved to enter the tavern. Artemis leaned out from his booth and saw that the regular seating was well beyond packed, likely due to the rather lively music coming from a fiddler and his buxom accompaniment.

With a wave, the thief caught a swain's attention and pointed at the woman who now stood in the Goose's entryway. The boy, one Artemis had hidden from several less than pleased fathers, made his way to the woman with the practiced grace of a roughhouse waiter. Artemis couldn't hear the conversation, but he knew this song and dance. The swain would direct the woman to his table, and he'd get the chance to see if she had anything worth taking.

[Ksenia]

Ksenia surveyed the tavern. Every table was crowded, food and drink and song charming the patrons into packing closer together. She grimaced a bit; she’d been hoping for food and a bit of a chat, but being this crowded the tavern would be more of a battle for space and raucous shouting.

“Miss, there’s more seating upstairs. Let me get you to a quiet table, eh?” a lad spoke up, coming to Ksenia’s side. “I..um, yes”, she replied, still taking in the crowd. Skirting the edge of the room, he led them around tables and to the stairs. As they climbed, Ksenia remembered other taverns she’d loitered in over the years. “Is there a cost for the upstairs tables?”

“We often offer the raised seating when things are this crowded. No sense in turning away a customer,” said the swain with a shrug and a smile. Ksenia’s shoulders relaxed. Paying for a seat would cost her coin better spent on other things. The young man showed her to a spot toward the side, where it was a bit quieter and the view of the performers was mostly blocked. Another man was at the table, slumped against the wall. She glanced at him, but he didn’t move, so she assumed he was either asleep or seeking quiet.

The swain raised an eyebrow at her request for goat meat, but headed down the stairs in search of a pot of ale and answers about the day’s fare. Ksenia leaned her elbows on the table, enjoying the music now that it was at a more tolerable level. She tapped her foot to the tune, its rhythm encouraging those looking to dance.

A mug of ale thudded softly onto the table. “Cook says we have goat stew and roast goat on a stick today. The stew would be my choice,” the young man from before said. He leaned over the table, one hand on the worn surface. “Of course, if you’re willing to spend a bit more…”
“The stew’s fine,” Ksenia said a little too quickly. Her face flushed in embarrassment, certain her lack of coin would be discovered. “That will be plenty enough.” She tried not to be too obvious as she patted her worn bag. She hadn’t much anyway; her needles, some thread, today’s coin, and a few odd bits that had ended up in there.

[Artemis Black]

When the woman got up close, Artemis adjusted his expectations. The slight hollow in her cheeks pointed to a life where she occasionally went without a meal. She was still certainly cute, though she had stronger features than most noble folks sought. When she reacted to the swain's suggestion of pricer food, the thief's concern grew. If she balked at the prices in the Goose, then she likely wasn't worth the time to rob. He sighed internally at the loss of opportunity and turned to his other potential score.

Artemis snorted softly, and shook himself, putting a good deal of effort into acting as though he'd just been roused. He'd never been particularly good at getting the balance of acting right, but most folks tended to not care once they had a drink in them. He blinked and turned to face the woman across from him at the booth. "Apologies Miss, I must've dozed off here." When he 'noticed' the swain standing at the table he raised his hand and ordered, "Stew, bread, and ale for me my fine friend." As the waiter left, Artemis rubbed his eyes and settled himself.

With the pair of them now alone, the thief decided to turn to his charm. "You look like you know your way around a needle, if'n you don't mind me saying, miss." Artemis reached into the inner pocket of his armor and pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle of silk. "Maybe you can help a fellow out. Any idea what in the world this might be? Given to me by my nan you see." He plastered his best embarrassed smile on his face and placed the silk carefully onto the table edge, making sure to avoid any stained spots. He knew the fabric was valuable but hadn't the slightest clue what it was for or who to sell it to.

[Ksenia]

Ksenia jumped slightly at the man startling awake. She’d thought he was much more asleep, but he seemed to be polite enough to not mind sharing a table with her unexpectedly. Certainly he was rich enough that he had asked for bread with his stew almost automatically. On the table he set down a bundle of fabric he pulled from his clothing and suddenly her concerns vanished. It wouldn’t hurt to look at it; maybe he’d have some work for her.

Ksenia wiped her hands on her skirt; they weren’t dirty, but it wouldn’t do to muss the fabric. She took the bundle the man offered and unrolled it on her lap. Sliding her fingers along the edge, she bit back a tiny moan. Silk! It was a lovely, lightweight piece of intensely blue silk, woven with a scalloped diagonal grid with a smaller leafy diamond in the center of each open space. She could feel the rough spots on her fingers catch ever so slightly on the fabric’s satiny areas.

Ksenia pulled a thread from the cut edge, where a few threads had begun to unravel. The man winced, but she ignored him as she held the thread to the flame of the candle on the table. The thread took a minute to catch, smelling like burnt hair. Ksenia blew out the flame and quashed the ember with a damp thumb and forefinger. Shiny black ash stained her fingertips.

“It’s definitely silk,” she said, glancing up from the fabric laying folded on her skirt. “You said your nan gave this to you? She must have been rich.” Ksenia stroked the fabric gently. “Figured silk like this isn’t cheap, and this is a decent size piece.” She refolded the silk into a small bundle and handed it back to the man. “It’s beautiful.”

[Artemis Black]

Artemis kept his expression neutral as he watched the woman inspect the piece. He reevaluated her several times as she touched the fabric and then burned a small thread. She moved with the precision of a practiced clothworker. She also seemed to know tricks regarding the composition of a material. This woman clearly knew enough to open a new avenue of sale to the thief. He nodded and smiled shyly at her when she complimented the pattern and returned the material. "A beautiful fabric to remember a beautiful soul," he said as he placed his hand on the edge of the bundle.

With the smoothness of many repetitions, Artemis began the second part of his spiel. He waited a breath and tilted his head, as though a thought had just occurred to him. "Miss, you seem quite knowledgeable. Do you perhaps know what a fellow could do with this sort of thing?" He tapped the fabric and noticed she looked to the bundle. He had her attention, and she was playing along, this was good. "My nan said to use it 'for great things', but I'm not exactly in the spot I can even eat all the time, you know?" he said with an affected grimace for his plight. This was the next part. You offer a crafter some material, the chance to work something unusual, that's how you got them. With any luck, she'd make something, take a pittance in pay, and he could sell it off for enough gold to finally buy the hideout.

[Ksenia]

Ksenia felt sorry for the young man; to have to sell something that had been passed down to him from a clearly loved family member just to eat was a difficult spot to be in. She tapped her lip, thinking. “It’s a shame for you to need to sell it. I could help you some, I guess. If I make something with it, you could get a higher price.” Ksenia’s hands itched to work with that delicious fabric, but it wasn’t hers to decide.

“Did you have something in mind? Clothing, bags, hats, belts or something like that?” Ideas started spinning in her head. She didn’t think there was enough for a full dress, but she could easily work at least one doublet from it, or a bodice, or several sets of sleeves. Then too, she could also see making some lovely lined bags of different shapes - maybe put some heavier cloth on the bottom to ease the strain - add some tassels or flaps so each one could be a bit different. If the man wanted quantity, and had the fittings, she could make embroidered belts or hats - bycockets were favored by some of the younger rich men she’d seen about town. The diamond pattern on the silk itself would be such fun to play in with embroidery stitches. She didn’t have many supplies, but perhaps she could barter a bit for beads and spangles...

Ksenia looked over at Artemis. “Do you mind if I unfold it a bit more, see how much there is to work with?” Her eyes sparkled. It had been a long time since she’d worked with fabric so lovely. Depending on what he wanted and what she created, she might even be able to build up a good reputation for herself!

[Artemis Black]

When the crafter started showing all the signs of a creator possessed, Artemis knew he'd chosen correctly. Most people who made things from thin air tended to have similar monologues when approached with an opportunity. It meant they weren't paying any attention at all to silly details like their own safety or getting paid a fair amount. He shrugged and nodded in all the right places as she worked herself into a veritable frenzy at the need to create. When she excitedly asked to unfold the entire bundle, with no regard to their surroundings, he winced and held out his hands in a placating gesture. "Please miss, not here. Liable to get grease on it and all," the thief said, verbally skirting around the now roaming eyes of nearby patrons.

With a deliberate motion, he offered his hand out. "Name's Artemis. Figure you should know it in case the discussion needs to continue another day." When they'd shaken hands, he nodded his head towards a hallway in the center of the balcony they sat at. "They've got rooms, big open things, that you can rent for a short while. Understand I mean nothing by it," he said quickly with spread fingers and an affected blush. "Just, I think the silk might be safer there, and we can talk in quiet." He waited for several beats to judge her reaction. This was always one of the more difficult parts of hooking a crafter. Would the desire to create allow them to go into a locked room in a seedy bar? If not, things simply took longer, and other meeting places had to be arranged. Artemis preferred to be quick whenever he could.

[Ksenia]

Ksenia had shaken Artemis’s hand, but his offer to move to a private room made her suddenly wary. More than one man had made that offer to Mam, and too often that spelled bad news. Men who acted roughly, who snarled at Ksenia and Mam, and who usually enjoyed their drink overmuch. Still, Artemis didn’t seem the type to force her, and he wasn’t trying to coerce her into a tumble. And that silk - he might find someone else to work with it if she said no. Ksenia pulled her hands back to her stomach, worrying at a rough spot on her fingertip.

“I’d rather not, honestly…” Ksenia replied. “For one, I don’t have the coin for what they’d charge, even if only for a few moments.” She glanced to the side and bit her lower lip. That fabric, and the chance to work with it wasn’t an opportunity she wanted to miss. “Is there maybe a hallway we can go to? I do want to get an idea of how much silk there is - so I can give you more options for made goods, should you like,” she rushed on.

Ksenia glanced back at the table. Her small mug of ale sat alone. “I don’t really want to miss my food coming out either.” Her stomach grumbled just then and she flushed. “Maybe when the food comes, you can talk to the server about a space that’s less public?” She smiled nervously at Artemis. "My name's Ksenia, by the way."

[Artemis Black]

Artemis felt a small twinge of annoyance when he noticed the hesitation in her voice. She wasn't going to be accepting his proposal, and he'd have to waste more time. Then she kept talking, and he realized there were still ways to work the situation. "No trouble at all Miss, as said, I meant nothing by it. I'll check with the staff. There has to be something around here," he said placatingly and settled in with his drink. He took the moment of silence to consider her name. It had a pleasant hiss at the beginning. As he thought, he stealthily slid a small token under his cup, a wooden disk with a rendition of a dove in flight.

Several moments passed before a wench stopped by the table wearing an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the delay lovies, there's just been a bit of an accident in the kitchen. Your food will come soon," she said, her eyes slightly downcast, before moving off again. It was an all an act of course, simply the staff letting Artemis know one of his contacts would be coming to the table soon.

A swain arrived with platters of food in his arms that he carefully set on the table. When he'd finished, he looked to them both and asked, "Anything else I can get you, folks?" Artemis nodded and replied, "Yes, we've got a piece of fabric that's quite large. We're hoping to look it over and were wondering if there was a place out of the way we could borrow for just a moment." The server tilted his head in thought before his eyes lit up. "I do know a place, I'll check back when you've eaten, but we've got a little storage hollow you could use."

Artemis thanked the man and turned his attention to his food. Now all he had to do was get Ksenia more involved.