[Random Event[Curent Context[Reassurance, Drive]
“Good morning, Ruby, Salome, I’m afraid that Rose is not her at the moment.”
“That’s OK Sparky, we came to speak with you. I don’t think that Rose could help us but we hope that you might be able to.”
“Hmm, I’m intrigued, Ruby, please go on.”
“Well Sparky you built your tower didn’t you?”
“Yes I did Ruby.”
“So you know all about magical fields, how to control them, create them, manipulate them.”
“I do indeed know quite a lot about magical fields but I do not know all about them.”
“That’s what Salome and I figured, Sparky.”
“Are you powerful enough to alter the magical field at the bakery”
“Alter it in what way?”
“Make it extend ten to fifteen farther than the walls of the bakery.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Well we haven’t spoken to Lily yet but Ruby and I would like to open a tea shop, right in the bakery but there isn’t enough room. In addition the magical field keeps the bakery warm and cozy no matter what the weather. We could place five or six tables with chairs outside the bakery. Customers could sit in their shirtsleeves in the middle of a thunderstorm or blizzard, watch the weather, chat with friends and neighbors. All while being warm and dry. Eating the bakeries baked goods and our blends of tea. Is that something that you are powerful enough to do?”
“First off Ruby, well delivered. You are a talented sales person. I however am a Bibliomancer, a master of words. So when your questions switched to my power levels. I understand what you are really asking is can we trick this old fool into doing a great feat of magic if we question his abilities.”
“Sparky we would never question your abilities, we’ve been to the tower, we know it’s wonders. I just assumed that it might be harder to modify a field made by another great wizard. We already know that you are the great and powerful.”
“Oz. I’ve seen the movie too, Ruby. He was a humbug, a fake. Now the witches had some real power. But had some real life limitations, imagine never being able to go out in the rain or take a bath. No wonder her only companions were monkeys, she must have smelled horrific. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, Sparky.”
“Just so you know it’s always easier to manipulate a field than it is to create one. The manipulated field already is full of magic, you just need to add some here and remove some there.”
“That’s interesting, Sparky.”
“Is it truly interesting to you, Ruby? You two just came over for a quick lesson on magical fields. Salome, let’s cut to the chase. What's in it for Sparky?”
“Well, Sparky. hmmm we are prepared to make a daily delivery of two dozen donuts, every morning, just before the store opens for business. In addition, a special reserved seat just for you at our best table, with free tea and baked goods.”
“Two dozen delivered five times daily, every one and a half hours. And three chairs I may need my apprentices with me.”
“Three dozen delivered three times daily, every two and a half hours. One special reserved chair for yourself, two additional chairs on demand with free tea and baked goods.”
“Deal, after Lily asks me to modify the field, I will begin the work.”
“Sparky, how long will it take to modify?”
“It shouldn’t take long, less than a day.”
Two voices chimed “Thanks Sparky”
“Don’t thank me, I expect my first delivery of three dozen donuts in one hour and fifteen minutes, followed two and a half hours later by another three dozen.”
“But you haven’t begun the work yet.”
“Yes, I have Ruby, as we speak. My brain is making the complex calculations that will be required to manipulate the magical field. The brain requires sustenance to continue to function. I’ll see one of you with three dozen donuts in one hour and seven minutes, followed two and a half hours later by another three dozen.”
“Yes Sparky, see you in one hour and five minutes.”
“Excellent, now we understand one another.”
***
Back at Madd Maggies Magical Bakery
“Paula where did Salome run off to this morning?”
“I don’t know, Ruby came by and Salome said she needed to go out for a little while. Then the two of them disappeared. They have some kind of plan going on, they’ve always got their heads together recently.”
“I’ve noticed the same thing. Hopefully they’ll spill the details soon. I’m sure my imagination is blowing this up, much worse than it’ll be.”
Just then the two tea tycoons arrived, their ears should have been burning. Instead they were all smiles.
“Lily, could we possibly have a word with you about a business proposition.”
“Certainly, lets the four of us go into the kitchen, the store can care for the customers for a while.”
After they were seated around the large table in the kitchen Ruby began.
“Lily, we think that your business could grow much larger with just a few small tweaks that we’d like to propose. First have Sparky modify the magical field, add ten to fifteen feet to the exterior of the store. We add tables and chairs and open a tea shop serving blended teas and the store's baked goods. The field will keep the tables warm and dry and would be practical to use year round. I would manage making the teas and waiting on the tables. If it got really busy Salome could assist me. Long term if business justified it we could hire a waitress.”
“What do you think Paula?”
“Well Lily, I guess my question is why? You both have jobs already, and the bakery is plenty busy. We already give away three quarters of our daily traffic. So yeah just why?”
“Well it was my idea, I have a part time job at the tavern and that was fine when I was planning on moving on. But due to Rose’s intervention Opal and I aren’t on the run anymore. So I’d hope to put my time to better use then serving the same men the same beer from noon to six. I could go back on the road as a sales woman again but that would defeat the point of Opal and I getting a permanent home in the tower. I don’t want Rose and Lu bringing up Opal, I want to raise her, be there for her, be her sister. However, I don’t want you agreeing to this out of charity. I just wanted you to know my motivations. To see that I’m committed to this if you agree. Also the men have a gathering place to meet with friends and neighbors but there is nothing like that for the women of the town. Sure nothing stopping them from going to the tavern, but in the month I’ve been there it’s a very rare occurrence. I think a tea shop could be that gathering place.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to speak with Sparky to see if this is even possible.”
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“It is Lily, we spoke with him this morning, Salome could you run his donuts over to him, you only have ten minutes.”
“Sure, I’ll just portal them over and bring all six dozen at once.”
“Why do you only have ten minutes?”
“We made a deal that if he altered the field, we’d deliver three dozen donuts three times a day and save an exclusive seat for him.”
***
“You made it just in time, I want an extra dozen anytime you're late, we’ll put that in the contract before I begin work. So I take it your talk with Lily went well?”
“They’re still in the middle of the meeting. I just wanted to get you your donuts on time.”
“Well I am very happy to see that you have your priorities straight. Go on before your portal closes.”
“Thanks Sparky.”
“Bye Salome.”
***
“Lily, what are you doing here? Rose is still out.”
“I’m not here to see Rose. I’m here to see the wizard trying to fleece a couple of teenagers.”
“They came to me. I just wanted to see how far they’d go for their dream. So have you approved the tea shop of their dreams, or sent their teen hearts down a road of angst and rebellion.”
“Well that’s why I’m here. We just made an outdoor oven so I could do magical bakes outside the field and it actually worked. We cured Lottie’s son Ryan of a disease that Earth science couldn’t.”
“Well I’m impressed, from the girl who worried she couldn’t even work at the magical bakery because she had no magic. Now she needs to do her magic outside the field. Really Lily, well done. Maggie would be so proud of you.”
“Actually Maggie is the one who sent Lottie.”
“How is the pretty doctor? Did I detect a speck of interest in your eye, the other day you were here?”
“I haven’t seen her, I’m sure she’s busy with her son who was housebound because of his illness. As much for our sake as his because his disease was contagious. But yes, I’m interested. I already asked her out and she’s accepted. We just have to agree on a time or place.”
“If I could be so bold, to suggest a first date spot guaranteed to impress. A full moon viewing picnic from the roof of the tower. You could bring a basket of food, a bottle of wine, and a blanket to sit on. No need to worry about the weather, you’ll be sitting under the magical field. So you could turn your moon viewing into a storm watching, picnic and still be as warm and dry. You’d have complete privacy and you’re welcome to stay overnight.”
“Sparky, it’s our first date, there will not be any staying overnight.”
“Fine, maybe save the roof top for a third date option or a first date and if well liked a third date definite.”
“How’s the newest apprentice?”
“She’s everything her elder apprentice isn’t. Namely hardworking and focused on the job at hand. This is the second straight day she’s quietly worked on a drawing for me.”
“Is it any good?”
“I don’t know, I haven't looked at it yet, she wants to wait and turn it in when it’s done. Whatever it looks like doesn’t matter, it’s her effort and dedication that I’m testing and they are excellent. If Rose ever does turn up today, I’ll come over to the bakery and see what can be done with the field and not encompass the backyard. I also have field dampener stones that can be buried around the oven. That would stop any magical interference with your bakes.”
“I won’t tell the girls yes until after you have a chance to expand the field. They’ve really thought this through. I asked about furniture but they said that they had it all sorted. Look at us a year ago we were foot loose and fancy free, no employees and magical shops to do all the work.”
“Yes, but it better stop here. We don’t want to become magical factory owners, Lily, 2 apprentices are all I can handle. Rose is too clever by half. Speak of the devil, watch the shop and the senior apprentice. I’ll be back, shortly.”
“Hi Lily, bye Lily, bye Sparky.”
“Bye Rose, I’ll talk to you later, I have to get back to the bakery.”
***
Sparky took long strides from the back door to the oven, he figured that it was a good twenty five feet, from the edge of the field to the oven. He sent Salome to gather field stones and Ruby to the Apothecaries for the pigments to make white paint. He expanded the field inch by inch until he was exhausted and had just hit fifteen feet. The bakery field now included about half of the empty building next door. Now they’d need to set up someone they knew in there and he knew just the woman to buy the property.
He went into the kitchen, ate three plates of sweet buns and three cups of tea. He’s a little less exhausted. Then he went into the backyard. With a long stick he scratched a quarter arc demarcating the boundary of the magic field. Salome was back with some rocks he had her place the rocks on the arc he’d drawn.
“Salome, you need a lot more, this mid size is best. For now just place them where I’ve scratched the dirt. Next when Ruby comes back with the pigments. Just have her help you gather rocks and place them on the arc. After you have enough rocks touching side to side, stop gathering and start painting the rocks white. Tomorrow is going to be hard work and I expect you and Ruby to do it. After the rocks are painted and have dried they need to be buried right on this arc with only the showing marking the arc, but not sticking up tripping people. Understand, this is important. Lily is doing vital work out here, literally saving lives. We don’t want to be the cause of an error because she couldn’t tell where the line is right.”
“Right Sparky, Ruby and I will take care of this. We’ll collect enough rocks today and get them painted. First thing tomorrow morning we’ll start laying them flat.”
“Good, I appreciate that you are taking this seriously. If you work this hard once the tea shop opens it will undoubtedly be a success.”
“Thanks Sparky we will work hard I promise.”
“Before you go for the next batch of stones, would you please ask Paula to come out here for just a minute.”
“Sure I’ll get her right now.”
“Sparky, how can I help? Do you need me to gather rocks?”
“No Paula I need a quick chat and your spy skills. Could you please open the back door of the empty building there.”
***
I was sitting here watching the store at loose ends. No customers so she decided to use her time productively.
“Hello hello, author here, looking for a character to interview. Hello, he…”
“Hello author, I’m Giulia Braun. What would you like to know?”
“Hi Giulia, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a professional gambler.”
“Wow, that sounds exciting, are you good at it?”
“Yes I’m excellent at it. Gambling is my greatest talent but I use all my assets in a game. If I get in a game with a bunch of young men. I dress in my most revealing outfit. It throws them off their game before I even sit down. If I take a pot I lean low and seductively to sweep in that pot, giving them a good look at the goods. So now instead of thinking about cards they’re thinking how can I get that dress off her. To be a pro gambler you don’t need luck, you need brains. If the game is all women, which is very rare, I dress quite innocently. Make them think I’m some rube farm girl they can fleece easily. Then after I make a few small loss bone head mistakes. I go all in. They think they’ll be able to take all my money in one hand, instead I get theirs.”
“How did you get started as a gambler?”
“My Da ran an underground casino around age eight. He made me a cigarette girl. Selling the cigarettes was just a cover, I was supposed to hand signal to him what the other players had as I walked behind them. No one suspected an eight year old girl in fishnets and high heels was helping her old man cheat.”
“If you were set to lose everything you own, but had the option to protect one thing, what would you protect?”
“I’d have to protect my bankroll. A gambler without a bankroll is just a sucker depending on luck. You can never depend on luck, it comes and goes. The bankroll keeps you in the game no matter the luck.”
“What kind of role would you like to play in the novel?”
“I could easily play either a magician doing card tricks, a magician’s assistant distracting the audience with my legs. A casino employee, I know how to run every game both crooked and straight. Race track employee, bingo caller. The chick who plays Dungeons and Dragons with the nerds, but who really understands the odds each of those die have. I’d make a good villainess if you were doing one of those harem dating game novels.”
“Oh, that’s interesting, who's the main character?”
“The Villainess is the main character. She’s usually in a novel or a game and had died but was reincarnated into the game/novel. She knows the entire story by heart and she always dies so she tries to break out of that loop and survive and usually gets a rich guy or girl for her trouble when she finally breaks the loop.”
“That sounds really fun, I’ll think about writing one of those. I usually try to subvert expectations but this genre is already subverted thanks for your time, if I go with a Villainess or stage magician story. I’ll call you back. Bye.”
“Bye Rose, thanks for the opportunity to speak with you.”
Wow she was really impressive, at first I didn't think she’d really work out as I’d probably never do a story about a gambler. But I love the concept of that Villainess loop. I’ll ask Doug to recommend a good one. I wish I could read Japanese, then I’d have a much wider choice.
