"The difference between medicine and poison is the dosage. Allow me to demonstrate."
~ Renata, The Chem-Baroness
Late chapter. Sorry for the delay.
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They moved toward West Demacia which was geographically the northern part of the land. The kids had noticed the stark difference between Demacia and Noxus. The swathes of greenery that littered the lands offered great contrast with the white buildings. The smooth and curved architecture opposing the sharp Noxian one they had grown accustomed to.
Dregbourne Street was the most Noxus like part of Demacia. It was just a street with vendors and the like. The people moved through it like flocks. Parents moved with their children in hand buying groceries or wares.
Gregori led the group through the shops. A few minutes of walking and something in him caused him to turn around.
His children were all stood behind a certain distance from him. All staring at a stall with food cooking. Gregori sighed. He had to admit... it smelled pretty good.
But they were lacking funds.
The items needed to be traded for money.
He walked up to them. "Come on. We will get something to eat after we sell some of the fur."
The children looked toward him and nodded but he could notice the reluctance .
"Just a little while longer. Come on." He softly told them.
He saw the shopkeeper motion to them but he smiled and gave the man a pained expression. The shopkeeper beckoned them again but Gregori shook his head.
The group then moved toward the center of the street where Gregori walked up to one of the vendors.
"Excuse me..." He trailed off.
The woman at the shop turned to him. "Yes?"
"Can you point me in the direction of one Millian please?" He asked the woman.
The shopkeeper looked surprised. "Millian?" She smiled and pointed. "She's down that way in her shop. You cannot miss her. Bright red hair and an attitude to boot. Keep walking and you'll hear her before you see her."
The shopkeeper then inched closer, "Though no one really comes by here calling for shopkeepers by name." She took in the children behind him, "What's your story?" She finally asked.
Gregori was taken aback by the surprising level of straightforwardness the woman displayed. He blinked for a moment in shock before composing himself and replying, "Um.. We are traveling through Demacia and this man.. Roman.. He sent us this way."
The woman's eyes widened after hearing the name. Her hand rose to her mouth, "Roman eh?" She turned to the shopkeeper to her side, "Hear that Liam? Roman's finally making a move."
The man she had mentioned turned to her, his eyes widening. "What!" He turned to Gregori, "Is that true?"
Gregori did not know what to reply to those words. It seemed like he had gotten himself involved in something he did not know how to handle.
"No no." He tried to say. "He wa-"
"Say no more friend." Liam cut him off. "We are waiting for these two for how many years now Ellie?" He turned to the woman in askance.
"Five years!" She exclaimed with her fingers spread. "Finally!" She squealed.
Gregori looked at the two worriedly before taking a step back, "Uh.. Thank you for your help in pointing out the direction." He nodded before turning and walking, with the kids following behind him just as confused.
He did not wait for the two to reply.
As they walked down the street, he heard the voice. "We close in fifteen minutes you lot! Get it while we are still open!" The voice was of a female but strong and authoritative. It was booming.
Gregori walked up to the shop. He spotted her. As described, her red hair stood out from first glance. She was tall and quite built. Taking the opportunity to squeeze past the crowd he arrived in front of her.
"Excuse me miss?" He spoke to her.
Her attention shifted to him, "What'dya want?
"I was told you'd buy some of my fur." He said.
"Who said we buy anything anyway?" She asked with her hands on her hips and her chest pushed forward. It would have been intimidating but to Gregori it was just cute.
Gregori smiled, "Roman sent us."
Those words shook the girl to her core.
"R....Ro...Roman?" She asked in surprise. Her eyes wide in surprise.
Gregori smiled and nodded.
She turned back to her shop obviously torn, "We are closing in fifteen minutes....." An employee walked up to her, patted her on the shoulder and whispered something that Gregori could not quite catch into her ear.
Millian gave the employee a shy smile before turning to Gregori, "Fine." She let out a sigh, "Show me your fur then." Her hands on her hips as she looked at him expectantly.
Gregori turned around and walked to his two beasts and grabbed two large bags.
When he returned, Millian looked at him with some respect, "Those are yours?" She asked indicating to the two beasts.
Gregori nodded. "Pets."
Millian looked like she need more but Gregori refused to elaborate.
Pulling out the different furs and bones he displayed it to her on her table.
"Freljordian." She observed. "Looks real." She felt the fur. "Feels real." Looking up at Gregori, she asked, "Came here from the Freljord?"
Gregori nodded. "Yes."
"Well the fur looks good. Well butchered." She stated as she pointed to the fur. "Can you tell me which beasts the bones are from?" She asked.
He pushed the bones to the side. "These are from RimefangWolves and these are from Mammoths and these..." He pulled out large fangs. "These are from Alpha Wildclaws."
"Lets hope that they aren't stolen." She said as she game the bones a once over. "Right?" Millian looked at Gregori out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge if he had stolen any of the produce he was currently displaying. It was needed of any trader to confirm that the produce wasn't stolen. Stolen goods only brought trouble. Trouble she did not need at her doorstep.
"None of them are stolen. The wolves and wildclaw, I personally hunted." He pointed to the mammoth bones, "These however, I got these as a gift."
"Selling a gift?" Millian asked with her eyebrows raised.
Gregori shrugged, "It was given to me to be sold." He motioned toward the kids. "Having a few kids is quite heavy on funds."
Her eyes softened at the sight of the children. "That is... quite a few..."
After a deep breath, she turned to Gregori. "I'll take all the fur and the bones of wolf and wildclaw."
"How much are you willing to pay for them?" Gregor asked.
Millian frowned in thought before pulling out a sheet of paper. She wrote a few calculations on it. She tapped the paper a few times and then tapped her lips a few more times. "This much..." She turned the paper around.
"Three thousand four hundred and fifty..." Gregori read it out loud.
Millian nodded, "The only reason you are getting such a good deal is because you were recommended AND you have children.... quite a few of them." She pointed to the things she was buying. "The fur I'm willing to pay a thousand three hundred for. The wildclaw for eight hundred sixty five and the wolves for six hundred."
"That does not add up." Gregori spoke.
She looked at him in anger, "I was not done yet...." She pointed to the fur, "This one has a certain lining." She highlighted the blue line that went through the fur. "This makes it rare. Very rare." Lifting it higher, she said, "This line alone makes it worth an extra seven hundred but I still need to make some money so I am taking it off you for six hundred and seventy five."
Gregori nodded.
Millian squinted, "Be grateful that I am giving it to you for such a steal. I am barely making any profit off of this."
"Thank you." Gregori said sincerely. He had gotten a lot more he had originally expected. A lot more.
Things worked out very well for him and his children. It was almost surreal.
"Bah.... builds customer loyalty they say." Millian said as if that was all that needed to be said. "Go on.." She waved him off. "Be on your merry way now."
As Gregori turned to leave he heard her call out once more, "Get the little ones something to eat."
Turning back Gregori called right back, "Was planning to." A smile sprouted on his face.
"Well you lot." He told his children. "Lets get something to eat why don't we?"
His words was met with enthusiasm that he had not expected.
And so they walked right back to the stall that was cooking up food.
The vendor looked at them, "Would have given you some for free." He said.
Gregori smiled, "Just needed to get the money my friend, no offense to you but I have quite a few gluttons that are not easy to raise."
The vendor looked to the kids, "Gluttons eh?" He flipped the skewer on the grill. "Well I can feed gluttons." He flashed a big smile, "What'dya want?"
The kids pushed forward to the stall and started pointing at the food that seemed to interest them.
"You'll be able to finish all of this?" The vendor took the order but confirmed once again. "That is an awful lot of food."
Gregori answered the man, "They'll be able to finish it."
The man looked on in shock as Gregori paid for the food and collected the neatly packaged food and walked off with his children.