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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 16, 2007 21:50:43 GMT -5
I walked into Shahrizai and Sons making sure to read the sign before stepping in. I had heard good things about this place and had decided to try my luck in selling some of my items to the store owner.
I was in pants again, with a white linen tops, and a button down green vest. It was an oddity almost everywhere to see a girl in pants, but one couldn't expect to get much work down in a dress, or I should say manual labor really. Much could be accomplished in a dress.
One of my guards walked in a few steps behind me and as most often my accountant was a half step behind and to the right of me holding parchment and a quill.
I glanced around looking for the owner and at all the wonderful treasures in the shop.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 21, 2007 10:49:24 GMT -5
I was in the back of the shop putting away a recent shipment when I heard the door open and the bell chime. Three sets of footsteps entered, and I hurriedly climbed down from the ladder and walked out to the front, smoothing my hands on my breeches.
"Welcome to Shahrizai and Sons, madam," I said to the stately woman in...men's dress? Ah, to each his or her own. "Monsieurs." I nodded to the two men, who appeared to be attending her. "How may I help you?"
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 21, 2007 21:04:41 GMT -5
"Wonderful shop you have here. Some of your items are very exquisite." I turned my face on him with a charming smile, "I'm Seraphina Frizon, I'm a merchant and was wondering if you were in need of any new items, or mayhap I have something that you are running low on? I have just returned from the far east, and I have returned laden with much new merchandise. I have plenty of spices, you specialize in foreign foods, do you not?" I looked into his handsome young face as I spoke to him, my voice musical and light, as if we were having a conversation about the weather.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 21, 2007 21:12:39 GMT -5
The woman spoke rapidly and when she spoke of selling items to me, I frowned. "My lady, I employ the finest network of traders and merchants this side of the globe. Only just last week, I received a shipment of spices from the Far East." I didn't do well with competition, I was too used to being the best around. Still I was curious about what she had to offer. "What did you bring back?"
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 22, 2007 0:15:19 GMT -5
With his frown, I could tell my stance for selling was shrinking. This was the second shop I had been in where the owner had taken some offense at me actually wanting to sell something to them. It was something my mind brushed over quickly, "You must have very good traders indeed to have such regular shipments from the far east. It has taken me years to get there and back."
I glanced around the shop again, taking in the expanse of a wall before I glanced back into the man's face. "I have many spices. The usual Pepper and sea salt, cajun and cayenne pepper, paprika, the hard to find saffron, Ch'n five spice powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, Ajwain Seeds, Anardana seeds, Bouquet Garni, Ras El Hanout, Sage, Sumac, Tarragon, Peri Peri, Amchur powder, Hing Powder, Curry powder, and Thyme if I remember correctly." Spice was a big part of my father's trading, and I had learned everything I could about them. I also kept a tally of them in my head, so it was easy enough to list off what I had brought with me from the east.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 22, 2007 9:49:09 GMT -5
I listened with interest at the list she presented. Most of the items I had heard of before and even stocked in the shop, but there were a few that piqued my interest. "Ras El Hanout, you say? Hing powder? I would be very inerested in seeing these things."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 22, 2007 21:31:19 GMT -5
"Certainly, I would expect no less, one moment," but I hadn't needed to tell my accountant to go and fetch the trunk that contained a few grams of ever spice for selling purposes. Seconds later he returned with another one of my guards who was now carrying the smaller trunk a foot and half across and foot deep.
The guard laid it on a nearby counter, and I deftly opened it, taking out small bottles and jars of this or that, reading the labels, and taking the two he had mentioned out. It hadn't taken me much time to find them, everything was in alphabetical order, and as I turned around I extended them out to the shop owner.
"The one on my right hand is Ras El Hanout, you get it at the market places mostly in Carthage and the Umaiyatt. Each recipe can be quite different. You see, it's up to the seller. They put their best spices in a jar to make it. This one has many including cardamom, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground chili peppers, among other things. Some recipes include over one hundred ingredients. The one in my right hand is Hing powder from Bhodistani also known as Asafoetida. It has medicinal properties apart from a nice taste. It is a perfect natural medicine to cure indigestion, stomach ache, kidney problems and tooth ache. Be warned it has a very strong odor and can contaminate nearby spices if not contained tightly enough in a jar, but in cooking it becomes much milder and is very pleasant on fish."
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 23, 2007 10:58:01 GMT -5
Ah yes, I had seen similar things before, under different names and of different compositions. Still, variety was the spice of life, and I figured I would make a small purchase. "How much?" I asked her.
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 24, 2007 10:13:45 GMT -5
"For the Ras El Hanout and the Hing powder only? Well how much of them do you want?"
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 24, 2007 21:05:59 GMT -5
Here I paused to think. "I could not say," I said. "How do I know that if I buy this from you, you won't sell it to others at a lower price than myself?"
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 26, 2007 17:08:18 GMT -5
I blinked and then laughed, a musical tone, that usually didn't show itself during the bartering process. Of course everyone wanted a deal, and mostly a better deal than any other seller. This I understood well, but usually it was up to the seller to make sure he got the lowest price through negotiation. The best prices went to my most loyal buyers, and Aramis seemed to have little interest in being one of those. They were the first to know what was new, the first to have the opportunity to buy, and because of their loyalty I made sure it was worth their while to continue to buy from me.
"Good sir, that is really up to you. I can not promise that no other seller will be able to get widdle me down to a lower price, but I know the price I would not sell for, and I can promise you a fair sale, and much lower than most other sellers could promise you. This is not my only trade, and my other items subsidize the prices of my spices to much lower than spice sellers alone. You must also remember, you do not solely buy from me, nor do you seem willing to purchase the majority of my spices, which would entitle you to the best deal. You said so yourself you employ the best traders and merchants this side of the globe," something I didn't agree with on a personal level. My ships were the fastest merchants ships I had ever seen, and my contracts spanned the globe. "If you believe that to be true, than you should be aware what the best prices will be. The more you buy the cheaper it will be for you. If you set up future contracts with me as a loyal buyer, the cheaper it will be. I will give you a more than fair deal, but the best deals go to loyal clients, as I'm sure as a shop owner you can understand." I said this factually, and not in an offensive or degrading tone.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 26, 2007 19:33:18 GMT -5
Something in her tone struck a sour chord with me, and I folded my arms across my chest. "I know not the quality of what you bring, nor do I know if it will sell to my most loyal customers," I said. "For now I will buy one pound of the Ras El Hanout and one pound of the Hing powder. If they sell well, you will hear from me soon."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 27, 2007 1:29:54 GMT -5
"You are of course more than welcome to try some to test the quality," he didn't look pleased, but I felt I had been polite and fair, so I wasn't sure there was much I could do about it. I didn't bring goods of ill quality, and I had always striven to bring back the best I could find, if he had seen some before he would know it just by tasting it how good of quality it was, but it wasn't for me to say.
I turned to my accountant who had been taken this all down on his pad of parchment, and as I glanced at him he nodded and rushed out to get the two spices for the store on the wagon. Had the man wanted much more, it probably would of had to be delivered another day.
"Of course that sounds more than fair, I can only hope your customers like it as much as I do" I said turning back to the shop owner, making a small joke to try and lighten the mood. I gave him a pleasant smile. "15 ducats for the Ras El Hanout and 10 for the Hing powder." It was a small sale, hardly worth my while, but if there was the slightest chance we could make this into a lasting merchant relationship, it would be more than worth it.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 27, 2007 19:03:25 GMT -5
I nodded, going to the counter to fetch the coins from the locked box. When the snivelling man returned with the spices, I motioned for him to put them on the counter. Even from there I could smell them, and they did smell promising, but I didn't change my expression. Handing over the coins, I said to Seraphina, "I hope you will return within the month. Perhaps we can make this partnership more worthwhile for the both of us."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 27, 2007 20:46:13 GMT -5
My accountant put the spices on the counter and returned to my side, hastily jotting down the sale. I took the ducats from Aramis and gave him a gracious smile, "I would very much like that. I'd also like to hear how your patrons like the two spices."
I paused slightly, "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm sorry I must of missed your first name." I gave him an apologetic smile, but truthfully I don't think he had mentioned it. It was clear that he was Shahrizai, by looks as well as shop name, but I'd like to be able to address him by name if I met him again in the streets or the like.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 28, 2007 18:24:26 GMT -5
"Aramis," I said. "I am Aramis." I chuckled. "There are so many of us; sometimes I get the names confused."
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Post by Seraphina Frizon(D) on Aug 28, 2007 21:32:47 GMT -5
It was good to hear his laugh, it made me smile and warmed me to him slightly. "Well Aramis, it has been a pleasure, I hope to be talking to you soon." I extended my hand towards him in both thanks and in the way merchants came to agreements on things.
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Aramis Shahrizai
Aristocrat
Lord of House Shahrizai
Son of Bryant and Felice Shahrizai
Posts: 936
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Post by Aramis Shahrizai on Aug 29, 2007 22:29:50 GMT -5
I shook her hand. "Take care," I said as she left, before returning to the back of the shop.
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