Journey to Mdina (fall 1220)

If someone has some grogs they want to introduce at this point they can, it can also be used to inflate some basic covenant member numbers in categories like servants or laborers.

Back to Garcin and Anna's father: "I am embarrased to say that due to the circumstances of the household's dissolution, the individual in question has asked to remain confidential until it is determined if The Hospital and Anna wish to work together. The one individual has only been working with us a short time, but she has already impressed the Hospital staff and her recommendation at this point is considered sound, but she does not wish news of her current position to reach back to Senor Zayan, who I hope we would agree is no gentleman. Even if Anna does not with to work with us, we still would like to see if Anna can recommend other former Zayan employees who are honest, hard working, and in need of employment."

Unless the father has any further questions, Garcin will attempt to end the conversation and bid him adieu with another elaborate Spanish flourish.

"She? So it's not that butler, do you want to interview Anna now, or have someone come back tomorrow?"

I love when people pick up on intentional slips!

"Whichever is most convenient to your household, senor."

"...and in anticipation of your next question, the so called butler is not receiving an interview, either. He is as little a gentleman as Senor Zayan."

The father opens the door. "Please come in, as humble as my home may be."
The home is a small town house, and Anna is sitting in a chair. The father gestures to another seat for you after brushing it off, displacing some dust. It is evident that Anna is pregnant, and just beginning to show. Her eyes are lowered, not so much you cannot see her face though.

Garcin will take the proffered chair, and examine Anna for a long moment. Hmm, pregnant, eyes down, possibly signifying shame or uncertainty. Vulnerable to be sure, and hesitant enough to be a serious hamper to sound judgement. Likely to take an easier, safer path, even to long term detriment. At the same time will take any lifeline if it promised to ease her from the current predicament. Tossup between Zayan or the Butler to be the Cad, but she'll blame the butler regardless to avoid future confrontation. Current situation: father reminds her every day of her shame, torn between her dishonoring him and protectiveness of her future. The Cad ripped out her heart when he failed his honor, and now she faces constant reminder of her shame and lack of judgement. Likely to take our offer if presented in a safe manner, if only to get away from father.

Garcin will smile, relax and sit back, as if what he sees is satisfactory. He'll take the professional, reserved gentleman's approach, as if to entice a small, skittish animal. "I am Garcin, in the employ of the Domus Aureus Hospital..." He goes through the spiel again, but his words resonate as even more sincere and sympathetic this time. After all, he's at his best with women of any type.

Euthymios waits until most everyone who is coming is likely to have arrived to start in Italian and Latin then repeat in less fluent Arabic, "Currently we have a dozen serving positions to fill, although that number may increase depending on the success of my colleagues who are inquiring elsewhere. We are representing the Hospital of Domus Aureus, currently under construction, at which I will be a physician. Those with previous experience may discuss with me the possibility of being trained in an assisting position. Those who can read or write will be given preference over those who cannot. Those who have a good grasp of Arabic, Italian, or Latin will be given preference as well. I suspect most of those we hire today will require further training, but wages will not be docked during this time unless it is the result of exceptional incompetence. Those who do exceptionally well may have opportunities to acquire positions elsewhere on the mainland with our recommendation."

If nothing special happens we'll be hiring 12 servants, since we're almost certainly going to expand over time and some may turn out to be too much trouble to continue employing, but Euthymios will be keeping an eye out for the unusual. Those with 'faerie blood' are often useful even if they are genuinely Faerie blooded, and not linked to the Magic realm.

Anna, as predicted, jumps at the offer, and her father seems pleased that the position is outside the city, and especially that it is at a hospital, and comments that they can claim the child to be adopted from a widowed woman who died in childbirth. Anna's eyes sink lower when he says this, but she is glad to have her father's blessing on the position.

At the tavern almost nobody (aside from Maggie) speaks Latin, or can read or write. Most speak both Itallian and Arabic to varying degrees, generally one being native and the other secondary.

Maggie hears the call while at the tavern. A minor celebration/mourning for the fact that she has just lost her last job. When she arrives and hears the speech by Euthymios, she figures she has a pretty good shot. As she pushes through the crowd, she also speaks up in Latin, rude but she hopes that Latin intimidates the uneducated rabble into letting her speak. "I speak Latin! And I can read and write it too. I learned it from the physician I was an assistant for. I helped him the basic physical portions like bleeding, bandaging and minor surgeries. Plus I was able to care for minor miladies that weren't worth his time. I know it doesn't sound like much but he was a real university trained professional and is now teaching at one, which probably means I have just as much knowledge as half the supposed doctors on Malta.

One of the men who had been in front of Maggie looks at her angrilly and retorts in Arabic "Get to the back you insolent woman, don't you know your place?"

No one has has put forward anyone better for this, so Paphos/Tartessos will go ahead and take care of it.

The bookseller is willing to allow you to have copies of the entire set at a price of 23 lbs of silver.

I also know how to ignore uneducated men, when they think they know better. Even if I'm a woman I'm still a nurse and still know what's what. This guy provides a nice example. she says, still in Latin.

The man rhetorts "You think you are better than a man because you speak the language of the invaders?" He clearly thinks you are speaking Itallian rather than Latin, and the looks of those around him shift from that of wariness to clear embarrassment as they give the man room.

Even accounting for location, a premium for the two nice books, and a shipping crate, this still seems excessive. (OOC, I'm going by Covenant rules for 1 lb per average text, call it double for the two "good" ones). Can Paphos roll his bargain, or is that already factored in? If he can, then Com + bargain+roll+1 confidence= 2+1+18!!!+3=24 Woohoo, exploder followed a 9!!!

Since Julia is now in the familiar pool, I could make another a grog.

The prices in Covenant are based on used books finding new homes, and include having to wait some seasons for availability. He is talking about making new copies, which are following city & guild income for expensive goods and seasonal productivity from the core book. And of course it is his opening price, there are all kinds of corners that he can cut or options that can reduce the price, including hasty copies (-1 quality), and the question of whether there are books he does not need to make copies of, plus what kind of deal he can be convinced to give you.
In the end he agrees to give you the lot for 10 lbs of silver, if he may keep 2 books (the two he purchased from magi leaving the caravan) for an extra season in order to make his own copies of them.

All right! 10 lbs and an extra season it is.

Pepe and Oderisi will have shown up, hoping there might be some form of security work available, and Paola is working at the bar...