Anything of Value

JP with Omni, Lorem, and Winteroak

Gonyaul looked down at the ground and then up at the sky thinking. The man’s answer was not exactly what he had anticipated. He thought the pearls were going to be their best play; however, now it sounded less likely. The news for news was what he expected. Gonyaul wanted to be sure to warn them as they did the Odsier.

As for entertaining he had a long list of things he could do, the most obvious being dancing and singing. If this would be a means to trade then he would need to play to his audience. They mentioned he was an enigma, maybe that could make it sale better.

“I think my people, no you see before.” He said it as a statement and not a question; there was no way in his mind they had seen Vauxian anything.

“Can sing, dance and more. You wish see … can use trade?”

The men looked at one another. The leader shook his head. "We Atsigani have all the singing and dancing we need, fellow traveller." He said shaking his head. "That is not enough to buy provisions from us. We have a long road ahead of us." He paused.

One of the men whispered at Zargari's ear.
"How many pearls you have?" He asked.

Gonyaul wasn’t discouraged because the pearls were still in play.

He was curious, if he connected the dots correctly, that these travelers must be entertainers. It would be a treat if they could experience it. He would have to see if that was possible after the necessary business at hand was concluded.

He wondered if they were interested in learning more about his culture. But decided not to offer. There had been very few he had come across that seemed to care enough to do anything about it. If they were, he would let them make the first move.

Gonyaul looked to Voah. They were her pearls, her property, not his to use as he wished.

Before she replied he whispered to Voah, “Long road? …. nnn … curious where going?”

She smiled slightly when Zargari mentioned they did their own singing and dancing and to Gonyaul’s questions she nodded in agreement and thought how to answer the man.

They had seven pearls remaining between the two of them, given as stipend from the church to hunt the creed, but Voah wasn’t even sure how far a pearl would spend.

There were several ways to go about this. She could:
a) avoid the question and try to gain information.
b) She could lie and say they had only three.
c) She could stretch the truth by saying that she had five, which was technically true and would omit the fact that the other two were in Gonyaul’s possession.

Or she could:
d) be straightforward and let the man in on the full amount.

Zargari had already explained that the worth of pearls was not going to be as valuable as it would have been in Fang with the Odonine.

Other than the pearls, they had very little possessions anyway, and even less that were worth trading or that they were willing to part with. Voah would have to get some more information before divulging the truth.

“Please excuse me, Zargari. Perhaps you can indulge us with the kind of commodities that interest you and hike value… Or perhaps there is some way we could serve you in exchange for your escort to whatever destination you are bound?”