Adventures of Jessa

11

"Nathan, is there any where we can go to get a bath?" Jessa asks as she looks at herself in disgust. She had ranged far ahead of the group and made sure that the caravan had a peaceful journey. She did after all promise the prince that she would do her best to make it peaceful. Although, she doesn't think that he would appreciate her going out so far ahead of the other guards to deal with the problem. She is covered in dried blood and stinks of sweat, animals and death.

Nathan smiles at her in amusement. "If you hadn't gone looking for trouble you wouldn't be covered in blood like you are. But yes, there are public baths."

"Great, unfortunately I don't have any clean clothes so I will need to see if there is anything in the market before we go." Jessa smirks. There will definitely be a great dislike for her presence in the market. She knows that she doesn't smell very good and will drive others away.

"A bath does sound nice," Nathan says slowly. He too, doesn't have any clean clothes. 

"Don't worry, we'll find you something in the market."

"I don't have much, Jessa. Unlike you, I just have the money we were paid. I need to save as much of that as I can for when I retire."

Jessa gets a crafty smile on her face. "Just leave it to me, if there is anything worth you getting, you will get it at a decent price."

Nathan sighs, they may have only recently met and he is the elder between the two, and he knows the human world unlike Jessa, but he finds that she somehow manages to deal with financial things far better than him.

He follows her to the market or bazaar and lets her lead the way. Fortunately it is later in the day and many of the stall keepers have already started shutting down, but not all of them. Jessa flits from one stall to another until she stops short and her breath hitches in her throat. She had already deposited her wages into Frosnak's lending house and only retained  some lesser coins. She could if necessary return to get more, but she doubts that the merchant would still be there or that the item would still be there.

"What is it, Jessa?" Nathan asks going up to her ear.

"Spidersilk wrap. It's used for the celebration of Zira among the moon elves." Jessa replies. She has never seen a wrap so beautiful or a piece of spidersilk so large. A piece like this is expensive and the amount of money she has on her, three silvers at most. Spidersilk is rare and very sought after, a piece that large would go for gold, several pieces, there is no way she would be able to get the wrap. But it doesn't hurt to try and so she does.

"Good day, lady and sir, what can I help you with this fine day?" The merchant comes up to them and asks. Jessa has to give him credit that he hides his disgust at her smell and appearance quite well.

"We would look at clothes for my friend here. Do you have anything that would do for him? We have just gotten out of a journey and wish for a bath, clean clothes and good food."

The merchant smiles, "Yes, there is nothing quite like reaching the end of a journey and obtaining those things." The merchant takes his time looking over Nathan and smiling. "I've got just the right thing. I picked it up and thought to sell it easily, but the color is wrong for most people to wear, but your friend there should be able to pull it off." The merchant ducks away and searches through his less sought after items and comes back with some burnt orange leggings and tunic. The material is a superior material of cotton that they rarely see someone of their rank wearing.

Nathan is less than thrilled with the color and the type of material would mean a great deal of money. "Jessa, there's no way."

Jessa merely holds her hand up to silence him. She's tired of seeing him in the cheap low quality material and bland brown that all his clothes are made of. Not that he has much.