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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Jul 28, 2007 1:50:32 GMT -5
It was four days into my arrival to Elua and I had been very busy, but it had at least come time to sell some of what I had brought in my ships and wagons. I had my accountant with me, Dante, and he was checking the prices of boxes and various pieces, counting them and making sure they were settled.
I had lots of things in the two laden wagons I was bringing to Night's doorstep where the majority of the shops were. Carvings, silk paintings, golden fans, glass blown vases, fine furniture, foreign made jewelry, candle holders, a slight array of hunting knives from across the lands; these are some of the various things I had to sell. It took a lot to have such diverse things to sell, and I had been working for a long time to have my business run smoothly.
I was wearing well fitted leather pants, and a silk, short sleeved green shirt, with riding boots. My clothes were well fitted, elegant, of course fashionable, and were some of my best traveling attire.
We reached Night's doorstep, and I located a shop one of my maids had told me about. I don't think it had been there the last time I was in the city, but could never be sure. One thing I was sure about was that it sold items from foriegn lands, and what was a but a tradesman with such items for sale.
I walked into the shop and looked around for someone who would be the owner pulling off my riding gloves slowly as I did so.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Jul 28, 2007 13:32:03 GMT -5
The bell above the door rang with its soft melody and I looked up from the ledger I had been checking. Business had been excellent of late and I had been toying with the idea of expanding contracts when I traveled.
Mt gaze settled on the woman standing just inside my door. Not a customer, of that I was certain, and oddly dressed to be walking the streets of the City.
"Good day," I said, smiling pleasantly and keeping my position behind the counter.
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Jul 30, 2007 12:15:12 GMT -5
I smiled open and warm at the woman who addressed me, "Hello, are you the shop owner?" I was quite sure she was by her demeanor, but though I would ask to be sure. I tucked my gloves into a pocket.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Jul 30, 2007 20:04:30 GMT -5
"I am the proprietress, yes. May I help you?" I asked, my tone still pleasant if formal.
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Jul 31, 2007 12:17:09 GMT -5
"Yes, one of my maids told me that you had quite a lovely collection of imported items. Now that I'm inside your store I can see that she was quite right," I said as I surveyed the things she had on shelves and the like. "Are you interested at all on expanding your imported collection? I bring goods from around the world, my most recent expedition being from Ch'n and Bhodistani and my cousin has brought things from Menekhet." I gave her a pleasant smile and walked towards her to stand a three feet away from her, as to make talking easier.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Jul 31, 2007 16:38:10 GMT -5
Ah yes, as I had guessed, not a customer.
"One must always be open to new opportunities," I said, taking in the details of her appearance now that she was closer, making note of all the little things. "Though I do already have contracts in most areas, and would hate to risk losing a good trade partner."
I would listen to her pitch, but cautiously.
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 1, 2007 0:31:48 GMT -5
I glanced at her and then around the shop some, noticing her taking me in, well it was no less than I was doing with her and her shop.
"Whatever you wanted to sell, I could get for you. I own the fastest ships, and horses of any trader. Turn over for merchandise is twice as swift as whoever you partner I can assure you of that, and I am a very good trader, my family has been trading for generations. My trading reaches places that other traders fear to go and farther than most will journey. You will be hard pressed to find someone offering you what I can get access to at the prices I can give you."
I turned back towards her my hands clasped behind my back my smile still shinning, "I am Seraphina Frizon, and while I wouldn't wise you lose good trade partners, including those you already have contracts with, I assure you I know where they buy, what they buy, and how much it costs, and that I can give it to you for cheaper."
My name was well known among merchants, most groveled and asked to partner, wanting someone else to do all the hard work. I knew all the merchants in Terre d'Ange, and I knew that in a competition I won hands down. What my name would me to the owner of this shop I didn't know, and while I'd been away for a while, years, my trade had still continued through my cousins and fathers here in my homeland. My trade in Terre d'Ange, perhaps even the vendors he purchased her wares from, bought first from me, and sold it at higher prices.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 1, 2007 16:24:01 GMT -5
Her words made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up and the cautiousness I'd been exerting turned to dislike. There was a fine line between confidence and arrogance and she overstepped it to the point of almost being obnoxious.
"I am Mirsada Anezka, owner of not only this store but another in the City. Both sides of my family have been doing business in multiple nations, my father's side since before there even was a Terre d'Ange," I told her coolly. "I think perhaps you overreach your grasp when you presume to know all my business."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 1, 2007 19:58:19 GMT -5
I pursed my lips slightly, "I didn't presume as much," Anezka, the name clattered around in my head, my maid hadn't told me that this shop was also a trader's shop. I had heard of her family and their trading. I had wrongly assumed, she had had outside buyers, I wasn't usually this overlooking when trying to settle a deal, and was slightly disappointed in myself, but didn't let that show.
I returned to a polite smile, "I was only offering what I thought would be a mutual trading of sorts. Mostly because I've just returned from a very long journey and have my wares available here. I apologize if I have offended you or your house, it wasn't my intention. I have actual heard good things of your father Miroslav and his trading habits, and I am actually quite surprised this is the first time I'm meeting you."
Being traders, there were few successful ones , and those that were, Miroslav among them, were well known to each other. I had met most other trader's children, and although I had heard that Miroslav had a daughter, I had never quite met her. I thought I knew why, she probably did her business from her shop, and the traders I had known I had met in my travels.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 1, 2007 23:26:43 GMT -5
"My father will be pleased to hear his name is still spoken of well," I said, my tone just a little bit less icy, as I inclined my chin slightly.
"As you have items here, I would be interested in seeing them. Especially those from Bhodistani," I told her.
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 2, 2007 0:59:17 GMT -5
I nodded and turned showing her the way outside the shop where a wagon laden was trunks awaited us. "As you said, your family has been trading for a good number of generations, before Terre d'Ange even. How could a trader whose built all he owns from the ground up, not admire those that have come before him? There is a lot we can learn from others in the same business, no?"
It was interesting meeting another daughter of trade, oh to be sure I meet a great deal all the time, but few were like me who furthered their family's business and I had good sense enough to know that Mirsada had clearly done that. I didn't even have a shop yet, in some small way I admired that she was able to keep a shop and trade. It's no less than I wanted, but I hadn't actually accomplished it yet.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 2, 2007 17:02:43 GMT -5
"Of course," I said with a slight smile. "Anyone not willing to learn is doomed to obscurity, especially in a business such as ours."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 2, 2007 21:36:31 GMT -5
I smiled and walked out into the sunlight holding the door open for Mirsada, and pointed my hand towards the wagon. When she had stepped out I climbed up into the wagon and with the aide of a servants brought it to the grown to be opened. While there was a lot I thought I was above, hard work in trading wasn't one of those things. If boxes had to be moved if things had to be hauled, it was only economically sound that I aid and give a hand to accomplish the task quicker.
I flicked open the trunk and unwrapped one of the items in it. It was a porcelain figurine of a young girl in robes under a umbrella. "Well this isn't the trunk from Bhodistani," I motioned for another trunk to be brought down as I rewrapped the figurine. "Sorry about that," I said as I placed the figurine into the first trunk and pulled out another bundle. Inside was a smaller case with ivory jewelry and a bunch of peacock feathers.
"What do you get a lot of sales on? Or would like to sell? Perhaps I can pull out something specifically."
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 2, 2007 22:00:04 GMT -5
"It all goes with the whims of fashion and the likes of the trend setters, you know how that goes," I said with a chuckle. "I was interested mostly in the items from Bhodistani because my contact there has suffered rather awful health issues and I've had a hard time finding a reputable replacement."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 3, 2007 1:44:20 GMT -5
"Bhodistani is one of my favorite places to go, it sits right in the middle of so many trade routes, as I'm sure you know, but one must be rather careful Always boil the water."
Placing the jewelry and peacock feathers down, I pulled out some Bhodistanian fabric. Many were in rich hues of red, orange, and purple. They had taken weeks to dye, and I had bought the newest of the dyed and dried. "I always like wearing these fabrics, they breath and have great coloring. Very good for hot days." I offered her one of them for inspection.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 3, 2007 12:14:34 GMT -5
Taking the fabric I ran it through my fingers, feeling the strength and expertise of the weave. Then I held it up to the sun, checking the evenness of the dying.
"This is lovely," I said when I'd assured myself of the quality. "How much of this do you have?"
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 6, 2007 2:00:07 GMT -5
"Thank you, the woman I bought it from, her family's been doing this type of fabric for years. I have about 10 cases I believe," I glanced to my accountant who looked at his ledger and nodded. "These cases here are just a variety of things, so they aren't all in this wagon. But if you like them I can have more brought tomorrow."
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 6, 2007 22:49:44 GMT -5
"How much for all of it?" I asked, still fingering the fabric.
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 7, 2007 2:01:05 GMT -5
"9,000 ducats for 9 of them. I'd like to get the 10th one for myself to be honest. I do adore this fabric so. You may think that this is a steep price, but keep in mind how far they have come, how many men have brought them, and the excellent quality and condition they are in. You can easily get 300 ducats for each cloth, expecially if they are put to a needle. There are 20 per trunk. " I knew this price was high for some, but by my quick calculations she could easily make more than a a large duchey if she sold them all within a year.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 7, 2007 14:36:25 GMT -5
1,000 ducats a trunk, 50 ducats per cloth. Her estimation of selling for 300 a cloth was high, as was her price, but this is what we did. Trade without bargaining was hardly worth doing.
"It's lovely," I said, handing her back the cloth. "But Bhodistani items aren't exactly the trend right now, so I doubt I could get more than 1o0 ducats for them." A very low figure on my part. "Especially if I can't have the whole lot, there are many d'Angelines who will not pay as much if they know someone else out there has the same thing they do. 5,000 for the nine trunks."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 8, 2007 0:31:30 GMT -5
I took the cloth back graciously, and turned it over to look at it at chest level so that Mirsada could look at it with me. "But we are getting into warmer months, and people will be looking for fabrics that will be elegant and keep them cool. This is such a fabric," I said tapping it with a free hand in emphasis. "No doubt you can start the trend, and then perhaps get far more than you expect. Besides they are durable and finely woven. $8000 and that's a good price for these goods, they've come a long way."
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 8, 2007 14:44:51 GMT -5
"Yes, they have come a long way," I agreed, not even thinking of arguing the point. There was no doubt where the fabric was from, Bhodistani cloth had a very particular weave. "And as beautiful a fabric as it is, I really don't see how I could justify more than 6,000 ducats for it."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 10, 2007 1:24:23 GMT -5
"My poor men, who travelled so far, how will they get paid, when they have brought such riches to Terre d'Ange for so low? This cloth can make you a rich woman, you can justify it a thousand ways, the dyes alone are worth it. Very time consuming to dye cloth this way. 7,000 ducats and that is as close to stealing as you can get."
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 10, 2007 1:34:33 GMT -5
"Your men went for more than just this fabric, and how they get paid is between you and them," I replied serenely. "6750, and not a coin more."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 10, 2007 1:40:36 GMT -5
"Yes, but I must think of them at every sale, to make sure they get paid appropriately, do I not? I pay them fairly. 6,900, and know many merchants would be begging for such items at such a price. It's hardly worth my while for less."
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 10, 2007 18:03:11 GMT -5
She'd started at 9000, I at 5000. At 6900, she had come down just a bit more than I had gone up and that was the final selling point for me.
"Done," I said, smiling and knowing my eyes were dancing with the pleasure of bargaining. "6900 it is."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 10, 2007 20:57:17 GMT -5
I smiled back and held out my hand to take her forearm in a final agreement. "It is a pleasure. You are good at what you do, I will have my men bring the nine trunks around tomorrow if you are free." Her enjoyment of trading was mimicked by my own, and I felt the price was fair on both sides. The price was more than enough to cover my costs.
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 10, 2007 22:58:06 GMT -5
"Yes, I'll be here," I said, gripping her arm. "Will you send the contract as well or shall we write it out now?"
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 11, 2007 20:28:50 GMT -5
I gripped her hand firmly before ropping it as I turned to beckon my accountant towards me. "We can do either, whatever is easier for you. My accountant is here with me if you would like to draft one up."
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Post by Mirsada Anezka on Aug 12, 2007 0:02:53 GMT -5
As she was answering me, a pair of customers went into my store.
"Send one tomorrow with the goods, if you would and I will have the payment ready than as well. It's been a pleasure," I told her honestly, smiling. "I look forward to doing business with you in the future."
With a nod, and knowing she would understand, I went into the store to see to the customers.
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