Kiava wanted to go straight to bed, but despite the dragging tiredness the day was not done. She needed a set plan, she felt unsettled now and if she had a plan in her mind maybe the new place would be less terrifying to face head on. It was not as if she had moved to the capital completely blind, but while talking to Fallon she had learned more about Artificery in the city, and had also been given some literature about the current state of things.
That is what Kiava read now. It seems to be a monthly newsletter put out by the Office, this one was only a couple weeks old. There are four large Workshops currently open in the city, they employ almost all the Artificers in the city. People that did not work for them generally worked exclusively for a noble family, or for the Government, i.e. the Artificers Office.
There were a few small workshops, but in general no one seemed to work in Kiava's specialty. She made personal self defense items, such as jewelry and other handicraft items. Most self defense items now were made for the military, not for the average citizen. She was ranked high enough to have her own shop, and she had the savings.
So, that was what she would try. If it didn't work out, then she would get a job at one of the larger workshops and just make things she didn't prefer. Thus decided, Kiava's eyes drifted closed.
She slept heavily on her first mattress in weeks and the softest of her life, waking up late the following day. She stretched and reluctantly removed herself from the nest of blankets and pillows she had created in her sleep.
Another set of stretches before she got dressed in a clean outfit and set out from her growing up near constant danger had made her excessively cautious. She made sure she had the key to her room, set up her bags (already defended against intervention) and removed the magical item so her room could be cleaned while she was gone.
At the front desk she got directions to some property brokers and the bank. She went to the latter first. The bank was a very organized building with a queue being serviced by several tellers, behind them other bankers met with clients or did other business behind the partition set up for the tellers.
The anti-theft magical items in the room were beautiful and fascinating, some were more skillfully made than others, but all functioned beautifully. She studied them as she waited in line, making mental notes on improvements she could make on her own designs by observing these ones.
By the time she got to a teller she was in a very good mood. The teller was less enthusiastic, she rolled her eyes slightly at Kiava's enthusiastic hello.
"I would like to set up an account," she presented her guild badge, Trak had told her that it was also now her identification while in the capital. "I'm Kiava Orben, an Artificer."
The other woman sneered now, "An artificer, really?" she snorted. "How much will you be depositing?"
Kiava opened her pouch and upended it on the teller's desk, a flow of coins began, far more than her small pouch should logically contain. The magical item that was imbued on the desk registered the amount as glowing numbers floating where only the teller and Kiava could see.
The amount was substantial, Kiava had begun saving up when she was still a small child, this pouch was her first invented imbuement and was the reason she had decided to be an Artificer. She would not accept the scorn of a bank teller. It seems the other woman saw that and quietly did her job now, handing Kiava a bank crystal that was also a type of magical item.
It was stunning what scorn people had for a thing they used so constantly, even hot and cold running water was an invention brought on by artificers. It was irritating. She did not thank the teller, she just left the bank.
She decided to just check out the offices from the outside today. First, she needed to buy clothes in fashion with the city before she tried to present as a prospective workshop owner. Her clothes were from the bordertown and were in muted tones or undyed, as well as not being particularly well fitted.
In a word, ugly. They were warm and easy to move in and that was what she had always needed. The capital was different, monster attacks were rare here, and the climate was much milder. She could decide for herself what she wanted to wear with an eye for aesthetic rather than survival.
A smile lit her face as she walked in the direction she had seen several clothing shops as she made her way to the property offices area. It was time to choose her style.
The street she had seen clothing shops on turned out to be named Fashion Street, and it was bustling with activity, colors, and styles. Kiava strolled down the length of the street casually, stopping at windows but not feeling particularly drawn to anything. Trousers and skirts were common for women, as well as fitted coats and shirts. Decorated hats were popular.
Eventually Kiava found a small shop tucked away from the main street. It was nothing as impressive as some of the other shops she had seen but the clothes were both pretty and functional,. something she had not seen yet. She chose several skirts in various colors and two patterns that ended just above her ankles and flared prettily when she twirled, two pairs of trousers and one set of overalls as well as a series of shirts in various styles and three coats in colors she could mix and watch with her skirts and trousers at will.
She bought a pair of pretty boots and sandals next at a shop she had seen on her way back to the inn. Her following impulse stop was a salon where she got her long hair trimmed and styled from below her knees to her lower back.
The length of the trim was out of necessity. The woman wielding scissors had been sad that so much of her long hair had been damaged and spent an hour after the cut explaining to Kiava how she should be treating her hair. Selling the artificer a series of salves, balms and washes for her skin and hair, with a cry that a pretty young woman should take better care.
Kiava took the other woman's advice to heart, largely because she was very pretty and had superb skin and hair. Kiava had managed to make it to the capital by learning from those who knew things, and she was not about to ignore that now.
She was laden with bags when she returned to the inn and a new bellboy stepped forward to take her things to her room. As she began to make her way to the stairs a new concierge let her know that Assessor Trak had left her a message. He handed her a slip of paper as she went up the stairs, asking her to return to the Artificers Head Office the following day at mid-morning.
Humming, she tipped the bellboy and asked him to have dinner sent to her room before going into her room, locking it and her goods inside and setting up her protections again. She was laying out her new purchases and using an item imbued with cleaning magic on all of them when the food arrived.
She thanked the young girl who brought it and tipped her before setting up at the small table in her room and eating with gusto. It was late and she had forgotten to eat before leaving the inn and while she was shopping. The meal provided was warm and hearty and she fell asleep again quickly after leaving her plates outside the door.
She woke just after dawn the next day and got dressed in her new clothes. The weather was warm already in the early morning so she wore her sandals instead of her boots and forewent wearing a coat over her shirt paired with a skirt. Kiava braided her hair over one shoulder and set out.
Breakfast was available at the inn's dining room and after eating she went to a Newspaper stand, where she found several property broker pamphlets listing their properties. She gathered three that dealt in buildings for both business and residential.
Several headlines of the paper were all talking about the Princess' banquet the day before. It seems that it had just been a guise to match-make the upper echelon and several nobles had been insulted by the royals' interference.
Bemused by the hardships of the rich and powerful, Kiava headed to the Obelisk for her appointment. The process was the same but she was pleased that she wasn't hit with vertigo this time.
When she entered the office, Assessor Trak was already waiting, with a very tall and handsome man sporting dark hair. Both men looked at her and the pair of blue eyes she had admired in the tabloid settled on her.
Kiava paused at the door, before turning around again to leave. She must be early.
"Miss Orben! You're just in time," Count Trak said quickly.
"Ah, I assumed you were still busy with another appointment," she said with a smile, trying to scream and get away from the handsome man next to the count without moving or making a sound.
She wondered if her reaction would have been the same if Archeus hadn't been drugged out of his mind and probably in danger. She had seen handsome men since arriving in the capital, in fact the people of the Empire tended more towards good looks than bad, but Archeus and the duke were on a whole other level, a level that made it hard for her to focus.
"What can I do for you today, Assesor Trak?" If she hadn't been avoiding looking at the duke she would have seen his gaze behind his glasses, already focused on her, sharpen when she spoke.
Trak began to introduce the man next to him but was interrupted by a familiar deep voice that had given her tingles over the tele crystal but gave her goosebumps in person, "I am Duke Perrin Levast. It's nice to meet you Miss Kiava Orben."
Kiava flushed when he said her name in his voice and physically backed away from him, "It is an honor to meet his grace."
She bowed, because she had no idea what to do and wanted to be invisible desperately. Being from the border, she was vaguely aware that commoners were not supposed to look high nobility in the face, and hoped that was true. Then again, the Assessor was a Count and he hadn't seemed to mind.
"Is there a reason you wished to speak with me?" she asked Assessor Trak, desperate to leave now so the handsome man would stop looking at her. She could feel his gaze, and it was making her feel uncomfortable and excited and he was a duke.
"I was involved in your assessment yesterday and wanted to meet the person who made such an impressive full ward," the duke answered instead of Trak. Kiava felt like her brain was overheating. How was it fair for a handsome man to have an even more attractive voice?
"I had no idea it would be such an attractive woman," Kiava straightened but kept her head bowed. She could hear a smile in his voice.
Ah… right, maybe she should have spent more time with men back home. Then at least she would have defenses against flirting. As it was she laughed nervously at the compliment.
"Beg your pardon, but have we met before? Your voice in particular, is familiar," the duke inquired.
Kiava took another step back, her head still bowed. "That seems unlikely, your grace, I only arrived in the capital the day before yesterday," she responded simply.
She hadn't done anything wrong, but she had made the decision to not give a name with her tip. A smaller headline of the front page had been that Mage Archeus and his friends were looking for the tipster that led to his rescue. The duke didn't argue with her and she relaxed slightly.
"I am sorry if this is rude, but I have yet to settle myself in the capital. If your curiosity is sated, may I leave?" Please.
"Actually, I was hoping to order a commission from you.," Duke Perrin stated calmly.
Kiava blinked and her mind switched to business mode instantly. If that was his purpose, she knew how to sell items, but not now.
"I am flattered by your intention, your grace, but as stated, I am not settled in the capital. I managed to perform the test to a satisfactory degree, but I find it difficult to work without my own space. I can have the Artificers' Office pass my directions on to you after I open my workshop and you can contact me if you are still interested in my wares," she compromised with a business smile.
Both men watched the transition and were honestly impressed. Perrin knew the effect he had on people and recognized that this young woman had weaker defenses than most. To see her put that aside so quickly in favor of business was a talent. Trak was pleased to see the new talent wasn't a doormat, even to the handsome duke.
"That is excessively reasonable," the duke agreed easily. "I look forward to receiving word of your workshop."
"Yes, thank you. And Assessor Trak, thank you for arranging my lodging. It has made everything much less stressful." She bowed again. "On that note, may I?"
"Of course. Good luck on your property search, Miss Orben," Assessor Trak said with a smile.
Kiava looked at him for a long moment. "I apologize Count Trak, but could you address me as Miss Kiava? Orben, is more a title than a last name where I am from," she asked hesitantly.
Count Trak blinked and nodded. "Of course Miss Kiava, have a great day."
Kiava smiled at him before bowing again and leaving. After the door was closed he looked at the duke with concern. "What did she mean by that?"
"In the borderlands all orphans who reach adulthood without adoption are given the last name Orben, it means unwanted child. She looks like she is probably some kind of mixling too, which is still considered taboo at the borders," responded Fallon from her desk.
"I wasn't aware you were so familiar with borderland culture," said Trak, sounding less annoyed at her than usual.
"My family is from the Border, they came to the capital before I was born, but I still know a lot about it," Fallon explained simply.
"I was not aware that mixlings were considered taboo at the border," the duke commented, looking at Fallon with curiosity.
Fallon shrugged a bit helplessly, "There seems to be some fear that they will also be subject to corruption; it has never happened. It shouldn't be so bad now that there isn't a Monster King spreading corruption."
"Well, Artificer Kiava is rather interesting so far, I am looking forward to the item I'm commissioning from her," Perrin said, leading Trak into another matter they needed to discuss. The men bid adieu to Fallon and went deeper into the offices, leaving the woman to tinker with the magical item she was making while waiting for visitors.