"Here, I think you all should be happy with this." I placed a small wooden box down on the desk of Gray with Leo there in the office.
The box contained all the tungsten ore that Bav has smuggled in for me by using several workers with special boots that bits of ore are placed inside the heel. Once across the portal that was used to transport, the workers came to Bav to get paid as always. That's when we retrieved the ore from them.
The box contained a months worth of smuggling the high quality tungsten ore, that was worth almost half a million in gold as it was. Refined... well they should be tickled pink by the results.
"You did it?!" Leo exclaimed as Gray opened the box revealing the ore.
"My word.... The Elements have been kind to us! How in the world did you manage this?!" Gray asked, delighted at the results.
"I have my ways... However, I can not continue to use him in such a manner. He will catch on sooner or later and I'm no good to anyone if I am in prison." Bav and I had discussed it, and decided to play it as he was a law abiding merchant to try and get the Cogs to stop coercing me into smuggling.
"My dear, but you did so well! I mean this is high quality stuff! Imagine the good we could do with one or two more of these boxes!" Leo exclaimed picking up the ore and eyeing it carefully.
Greed flickered in his eyes and I shook my head. "Do you know how long it took me to scrape the ore stuck in his boots to get this much?!"
We had made sure to break up the larger pieces of ore to make it look like I could pass off my story as a reasonable explanation, I explained how you had to think ten step ahead of these guys.
"All this is from being stuck in his boots?" Leo asked suspiciously.
"His worker boots as well. They come back to his house to be paid and have to clean off their boots before coming inside. While they are busy being paid, I slip out to pour the contents into handkerchief to sift through later. I have been diligent about it since I realized that I could possibly attain the ore that way, when he cleaned his boots and I saw the glimmer of the ore. I'll do my best to keep bringing ore like this, but I can't promise it forever gentleman." I am firm, showing my annoyance over their suspicions.
They sit looking at me, quietly assessing me for a minute, but I do not waver. I even removed my mask of Lady Cog to show my sincerity.
Finally, Gray closes the box, sighing and clasping his hands together. "No, this is fine dear. We are still receiving ore and this is the best way you have come up with, without putting yourself or him into jeopardy. It's still a win win situation, Leo. We still make money to further the cause and a little for ourselves as well." Gray gives me a cheshire cat smile making me want to cringe back, but I remain stoic.
"Now can you stop threatening me with the loyalty punishment so I can focus on other matters you have asked me to do?" I ask blankly.
Gray only chuckles, "Come now, Lady Cog. We wouldn't have done it with out reasonable cause. You continue to prove your loyalty, even if it can take a little pressure to get those wheels in your head to start moving."
I hmmph my displeasure and inform him of Mr. Thorn, "Mr. Thorn is up to something. He's probably trying to find someone else to pin the theft on, since he's 'looking for the culprit', through my sources. This may take a bit of time to discover the truth of the matter. However, I am working on it."
It's Leo's turn to laugh now, "I'm surprised he's not been found gutted and hung by his own insides yet. If he had murdered someone in my family, that's the kindest thing I would have done to him at least...."
"Maltine, don't give her ideas... We need to take the Bootleggers out and this would be the fatal blow to the heart instead of slowly bleeding them from a million cuts." Gray raises a hand, lowering it as he spoke to emphasize his point.
I put my mask back on and prepare myself to leave. "IS there anything else that I should be doing or looking for in regards to Thorn?" I ask standing, ready to leave.
"No that is all, Lady Cog. We will pay you your share of the profits, once we have refined this." Gray dismisses me and I give a tight curtsy and leave.
I walk along, feeling the markers on the corners of the walls to guide my way to the eastern exit, that leads me out through Wellsew's warehouse. After stepping through the fixed wardrobe door, I am greeted by the security guard.
"Lady Cog." He greets me.
"Darigon. How are you this evening?" I ask as I put the clothing back into place to hide the slot to open the secret door to the passage ways.
"I'm fine, Lady. The missus is due to deliver any day now. So Jeremy will be taking my position for a week, once the baby arrives." He beams proudly, excited that his first child will be arriving soon into the world.
"I'm excited for you, Darigon." I reach into my pocket and pull out some of the coins in it. I step forward and place whatever is in my hand into his. "To help pay for anything during your week off with your wife and child. Consider it my gift."
"Thank you, Lady Cog! You don't have to give me anything." He starts to push his hand back, but I resist.
"I insist, you'll need lots of nappies, wood and food. You deserve this for you and your family. You are one of the few good men, willing to be there for his wife during this time, take it and enjoy the time." I step back and start to head out to leave.
Darigon calls out, "Mr. Wellsew is in the office upstairs! You should stop in and say hello!"
"Thank you, Darigon." I nod to him as he looks down and even I could see the gold coins in his hand with the silvers and coppers. He starts looking at his hand, then whips his hat off, bowing deeply.
"THANK YOU LADY COG! You are a fragment of the Elements, you are!"
Even though he can't see my awkward smile at his appraisal of me, I give it regardless. I quickly head up the stairs, nimbly taking the steps with just the toes of my shoes, so my heels do not catch in the grates of the steps.
Knocking on the office door before I enter, I greet Mr. Wellsew. "Good evening, Mr. Wellsew!"
"Lady! How are we doing this evening? This is a pleasant surprise!" Mr. Wellsew rises from his desk and welcomes me to sit.
"I'm doing fine this evening. Did you receive the drawings that I had delivered to you?" Bav's mother had some wedding dresses sketched and done with notes on fabrics and lace patterns that I liked to be given to Wellsew to design my wedding dress.
"I did! I haven't spoken to you to recently, but they are magnificent! Who ever drew these with the notes is a real artist with clothes! To include the pattern shapes, even if they are not to the right scale, are truly a blessing! Have you decided on which one you want me to start making?"
"Not quite, I wanted to know from you first, how possible it is for you to make them and how much they will cost, first. They are rather expensive looking designs as simple as they may seem at first."
Wellsew nods but interjects, "Do not think about the costs my dear. I want you to pick out the design that you love best." He lays out the pages with the completed looks in front of me, waiting for my answer.
Closing my eyes I try to envision myself looking in the mirror in each dress. I can't seem to visualize any of them though. Shaking my head, I open my eyes.
"I can't picture any of them. I don't know which one..." I chew on my lip and Mr. Wellsew just sighs.
"Well, why don't you come by the shop sometime and try on similar cut gowns like these, so you can see which fit you like best. Yes?"
"That sounds like the best intelligent route to take from here, Mr. Wellsew. I will do that."
Mr. Wellsew smiles before turning serious and lowers his voice, "Did Leo and Gray give you a hard time again?"
Chuckling I told him smugly, "They couldn't with the surprise I had for them. When it comes to the thorn in my side... Leo tried, but Gray shut him down. I don't what has been wrong with them lately. They seem...." I didn't want to say what was really on my mind, but Wellsew knew me all too well.
"Green and grumpy." He implied their greedy hands that were without making them grumpy.
"Grumpy is a great description for sure..."
"Rakara, I would be careful with those two... something has been off and I am not sure why. This stays between me and you, though." He stresses this to me, eyeing me carefully.
"Naturally, now the shoes for the dresses. I'd like to modify them to have a more level heel and toe. Otherwise, my feet will kill me before the ceremony is over." I tell Mr. Wellsew, answering his question and moving on.
His warning, even though it may seemed that I had brushed it off, was resonating deep within me.
What were those two doing to make Mr. Wellsew suspicious of them?