Cat’s face spoke of deal making. As though they were bargaining. But Cat didn’t really want to bargain or negotiate. “If you want to offer fabric in trade then that is, of course, just fine. And if you’d like a number I’d call it another shill’s worth. But if you still want to refuse them I’d understand. I wouldn’t want you to give away fabric that you could sell.”
Was it flaunting of her to imply that she, herself, at times, had money to burn? It all depended on who she’d most recently sold to and most recently she’d received a very, very, large sum of money from a worthless galdor woman who, Cat hoped, wouldn’t be a problem much longer. As large as the sum was, it wasn’t even all that had been agreed upon. And Cat hadn’t known at all, even after taxes and her Master’s percentage, how to spend that much money until Raynarus himself had mentioned making a shop where she could actually stock items and sell them properly. Of course the amount she had left wasn’t quite enough to cover something to that degree but the idea gave her something to work toward. And now that she was to build it herself, plans were already under way.
And just like someone striking a match, Cat’s eyes lit up. She had an idea that might benefit them both, and might not break the bank for Ava since she wouldn’t need it right away. But then her face darkened again, thinking of how this arrangement isn’t at all how she wanted this to go. Cat was not at all good at making or keeping friends. So perhaps it was immature of her to think that Ava would simply smile and thank her for doing such a good job on the commission.
Cat laughed a little, “Do you know that sword is not the first time anyone has threatened my livelihood? Galdori can be a most volatile group of people and untrusting of any human actively charging them money. They’ll say I’ve cheated them, that my work is subpar. I think this time hit me harder than the others because-“ she stopped herself. Because of what she knew. The things she said. She shook her head, though, as if to erase that moment from her mind.
She signed again, slowly as ever. “I’m not...I’m not stupid. I know what you must think of me. I am sensitive, I cry way too easily, and I don’t know how to have a normal conversation with anyone. Everything is...transactional. They give me coin, I make the thing. More coins, more thing. The galdori love my work, but they don’t appreciate it. And anyone else would rather not take the time to wait on me to write and write and so they have that transaction and leave. Even people who are kind to me talk at me, not to me. But you...didn’t do that. You were more than kind, you were friendly. That is not something anyone has been to me in a very long time. And maybe I- maybe I thought....well no one can deny that you are beautiful. So it only made sense that you would appreciate the beauty in them. Unlike so many others.”
Could hands blush? Because right now her hands were the same color as her face. She couldn’t help the smile creeping across her face.
“But this isn’t about me. Not really. This is about what you are able to do to ease your...conscience...about accepting these most troublesome shears!” Cat cracked a grin, wanting desperately to play it off as some sort of silly joke. Oops! They’re too pretty, whatever shall we do!?
Cat leaned forward to grab the tea, as an offended cat leaped off her lap to find a more stable setting. She took a sip, careful not to let it spill. Her taste for many things was dulled and difficult to enjoy but she could tell the tea was flavorful in some way. She placed the cup back on the table before signing again. “I’m building a shop onto the back of the forge. I want it to have some color, some life, so I would love to get some fabric from you to make things like curtains and I usually only have little bits of fabric for boxes like this, but I’d love to purchase silk to cushion display cases and the like, as well.” Cat paused, so as not to speed up in her excitement, and took a deep breath. “When the time comes that I need all this, because it will be far more than what you would need to offset those,” she gestured to the box on the table. “would you be willing to sell it to me at a discount?”
Cat searched Ava for any sign, any hope that this might be acceptable, trying not to get lost in her eyes, or her hair...or her lips. She wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Nope. No that was not what she wondered. What? No. Nothing like that at all. Cat just decided that red was her new favorite color to be as her blush deepened even further.