Professor Forli\'s Son

Breelands Weather

The dawn autumn air is cool but pleasant around you. The night sky is clear with only slight wisps of clouds overhead. The moon is above the horizon and in its first quarter phase.

General Store

The spacious general store has creaking wooden floors, and a slightly musty smell. There are several spots on the wall now devoid of paint where shelves were hung. Many shelves still remain but most of the goods are displayed on various tables, in barrels, and on racks. A large counter lines the wall closest to the door. Along one wall is a small bookcase lined with a few books, all looking extremely old and dusty. A portion of space in the middle of the store contains tables with a few pelts, sharpening stones, pipes, etc. A glimpse at the back of the store reveals a group of barrels and coils of rope.

Type GHELP for help with buying items.

Contents:

Nob

Obvious exits:

Out

[Nob(#16122)] It is morning, a clear beautiful fall day on the edge of winter. The breakfast hour is over, and now the shops are filling - chattering women gossiping with their neighbors short cheerful hobbits dour-faced men (and sometimes, short cheerful men and dour-faced hobbits..). The snow of a few days ago has melted off, and children splash through the puddles.

Inside the general store, the proprietor leans over the counter watching a young boy who is staring longingly at a half-barrel of candies. \"Penny each,\" he says, and Lek nods, not taking his eyes off the colorful heaps. But the boy holds up a single copper penny, as proof of his intent to buy.

[Frarin] The door to the general store opens with a creak and admits neither hobbit nor man, but a figure who, by his garb, height and waist-length beard, appears by all accounts to be one of the few dwarves currently residing in Bree. Indeed, once he has closed the door behind him and turned to the shop at large, his identity becomes even clearer, for this is Frarin, recognisable by his limp and the two scars that stretch across his face.

He is muttering a snatch of some slow tune this morn, but only a few lyrics are heard -

\"As gems upon a silver thread,

Above the shadow of his head.\"

- before he falls into silence. He starts for one of the racks near the back of the store, but as he pauses to nods cordially to the proprietor, the dwarf\'s eyes fall upon the eager Lek. \"Well, good morrow, young master,\" says Frarin, approaching the youth.

[Nob(#16122)] The boy doesn\'t look around, not until the agonizing decision has been made, and he has chosen a careful selection to fill the small bag that costs a penny. Two striped, two black, one mint, one apple... Lek hands over his penny to the shopkeeper, who is smiling ingratiatingly at Frarin, then turns with a wide grin on his face. \"I been practicing!\" he says, and squatting down, draws with his finger in a bit of mud tracked in. L. E. K. \"See?\"

[Frarin] The dwarf regards the boy with stitched eyebrows as Lek fails to acknowledge his greeting, at least until the all important task of choosing sweets has been completed. Then, with a half-smile, Frarin twists his head around to have a better look at Lek\'s practised spelling. \"Very nice, lad,\" he says. \"I do indeed see, and it\'s even legible. Well then, you\'ll be writing whole histories of Bree in no time at all. You keep learning your letters and Master Barliman will be able to retire soon enough and hand over all affairs to you, I\'ll wager.\" Beneath the gruff grumble, the dwarf seems once again amused at the lad\'s eager antics.

[Nob(#16122)] The shopkeeper chuckles and Lek turns red. He scuffs the letters out with his toe. \"I don\' know no more of them,\" he mumbles. \"Only them three.\" He darts a quick look at the store-owner, then edges around so that Frarin\'s short bulk is between himself and the man. \"You... y\'wouldn\'t teach \'em to me?\" he asks, the words tumbling out. \"Would you? I could...\" The boy runs out of words as he tries, in vain, to think of something he could offer in return. \"Fetch things?\" he hazards at last, looking at the dwarf\'s injured leg.

[Frarin] \"Eh?\" Frarin says, frowning slightly with perplexion. He glances back to the shopkeeper, having turned his back on the man as Lek edged around him, but swiftly looks back to the lad. \"You want me to learn you your letters?\" the dwarf says, placing one hand on his good hip. \"I\'m no teacher, lad. You would do better to ask Master Barliman, or even that hobbit who works at the inn. My kin and I will be gone from Bree come spring. Who would you have to teach you then, mm?\"

He glances up and around the shop, but his gaze returns to the boy with a touch of sympathy. Whatever he may say, the dwarf certainly gives Lek a look with all the mock skepticism of a veteran teacher. \"Fetch things, is it? I\'ve had several offers from lads your age to fetch me things. Alright then, convince me. What makes you the best fetcher-of-things in Bree, mm?\"

[Nob(#16122)] \"He\'s skinny enough,\" comments the owner. \"Bet he runs fast.\" There is something between laughter and cordiality in his voice - is he poking fun at the boy, or not? Hard to tell. But Lek shifts uncomfortably. \"Mister Barley\'s always busy,\" he says. \"He said he\'d teach me, but he never did more than the L.\" But then the boy brightens, a chance, perhaps! \"I\'m really fast!\" he says eagerly. \"And I know where everything is, and I know all the people too! I see them all, in th\'Pony.\"

[Frarin] With the same mock scepticism, Frarin crosses his arms across his chest and fixes the lad with a doubtful stare. \"Fast, are you then? And you know where everything is, mm?\" Pausing, indeed probably longer than necessary, the dwarf finally rolls his eyes upward and rocks his head side to side, as if considering. \"Well, I suppose you\'ll do then,\" he says, with a half smile and a gleam in his eye.

\"Tis work, mind you,\" he quickly adds, pointing a finger at Lek. \"And you\'ll have to be sure that you don\'t start laying off your work at the inn, understand? Master Barliman wouldn\'t be too pleased with that.\"

[Nob(#16122)] Lek nods, and nods again, his eyes shining. Then as Frarin decides, he leaps into the air and lets out a whoop. \"I won\'t!\" he says quickly.

The store owner is leaning one elbow on the counter and chuckling to himself. \"Never seen a lad so eager to work,\" he say jovially. \"All t\'learn letters!\" And now he shakes his head, disbelievingly. \"Never seen much point in it, m\'self. I knows my numbers, to add up th\'money, an\' that\'s all I\'ve need of!\"

[Frarin] \"Aye, alright then, alright then,\" says Frarin, waving at Lek to calm the boy down. The dwarf looks around to the amused shopkeeper and gives a small smile as the man chuckles. \"Well then, knowing your letters isn\'t so dreadful. Opens up the world.\" He looks specifically to Lek as he adds, \"You can read about all sorts of things, histories and such, or books about metalworking or herbs. Any number of things. And one day you can write about everything you\'ve done and know, so as to have folks remember you long after you\'re gone.\"

Lifting his brows to the lad, Frarin smiles. \"That\'s not half so bad, is it then? What\'s made you so interested in your letters then? You had best be careful, else folk will start thinking you\'re spending too much time with us foreigners, and Durin only knows what gossip that will bring about.\"

[Nob(#16122)] The boy shrugs his shoulders, and looks down at the floor, rubbing his toe along the smooth wooden boards. \"Dunno,\" he mumbles. \"Mister Hamfist, he talked about books an\' such. All th\'things in \'em.\" Then he straightens his shoulders and looks up - not that he has to look so far up - to meet Frarin\'s gaze. \"I want t\'learn stuff.\"

[Frarin] \"Aye well, that\'s a fine reason, lad,\" Frarin says approvingly, nodding. \"Now you can start your fetching by bringing me that rope there, the thin one. Not the long one, just that short one there.\" The dwarf points towards the back wall of the general shop where a rack of ropes of varying sizes dominates a corner. One of the coils is significantly thinner than the others, the sort used for tying up horses or ponies, and it is this one that he gestures towards.

He continues speaking also, however. \"Now you\'re up early most of the time, aye young master?\" he questions, very much the businessdwarf. \"If you see that a mug of that cider is brought out about the same time as before, I\'ll see about you learning your letters before you need to start your work in the mornings.\"

[Nob(#16122)] The boy nods, eyes going to the back wall. He has already taken several steps towards it, but Frarin is still talking. \"Yeah, I light th\'fire ever\' morning,\" Lek says. \"Then I don\'t got t\'do nothing until after folks is done eating.\" Having said this, he darts towards the back of the store, dodging several piles of other goods, and stretches up to get the rope. \"This one?\" he asks, hurrying back.

[Frarin] \"Mm,\" Frarin grunts as Lek returns with the specified rope. \"And that will do fine,\" he answers to the boy\'s comment about having nothing to do until after breakfast. Looking over the short length of rope, the dwarf\'s dark eyes flick back to the other coils of ropes, eyes narrowing as he mulls over something or another. He pulls out a hand to retrieve the rope from Lek, though he turns also to the shopkeeper.

\"How long is this one? Fifteen feet? How much for it?\"

[Nob(#16122)] The storekeeper puts out a hand and feels the rope, weighing it with his hand as if this will help him in his answer. \"\'Leven coppers a foot,\" he murmurs to himself. \"Thin though - make it ten... 1 silver penny,\" he states finally. \"And 50 copper.\"

[Frarin] Frarin retrieves the rope and likewise weighs it in his hand, running a few inspectory fingers over the coil to check for faults or weaknesses. Frowning, he holds it out for Lek\'s own examination. \"What think you, lad? A good buy?\" But he waits only a second for the youth\'s response, reaching already into his cloak and tunic and pulling forth a small leather money purse. He opens its jingling contents and rustles around for a bit, finally pulling out the required amount and setting it on the counter before the shopkeeper.

\"There you are,\" he says simply, then turns to Lek. \"Now you best be off, young master. I don\'t doubt Master Barliman will be missing you. Tomorrow morning, aye?\"

[Nob(#16122)] Lek eyes the rope, tugging on it a little. \"Sure,\" he says confidently. And, \"tomorrow!\" And he skips off, popping one of his newly-bought candies into his mouth as he goes.

\"Thankee,\" says the shopman, scooping the coins from the counter. \"Y\'won\'t go wrong with that rope - strong as anything, it is.\"