Fine Goods ~ Adventures of a Lady Merchant in Gor ~ Port Kar

Lady Lilly put a hand over her eyes and looked down the canal towards the sea. It was difficult to see anything as the sun was against her. She did not hear the slaver approach behind her...

“Oh my...” Nemo the slaver said behind Lady Lilly’s back. His voice was dark and rich and had a dangerous velvet quality about it. It made her jump.

“Tal Nemo!” Lilly exclaimed, slavers made her nervous. They were usually so calm around women but always sizing them up, inspecting with their eyes, calculating a woman’s worth in coin. It unnerved her.

“Tal Lady, you are waiting for a ship here?” He had a thick accent and a short way of speaking.

“No Sir I am opening the shop next to yours” Lilly replied. Why had she picked a shop next to his offices? It was probably no more than a brothel. She sighed to herself, still at least they were in one of the more respectable wards of Kar. You could ignore the river urts if you tried.

“What do you sell if may I ask? Wooden boxes?” He looked over her crates, a slight grin played about his lips. There was something of the pirate about him with his scarf tied about his head and the rings in his ears. She didn’t like that.

“Well as you know I have the market stall where I sell my cloth, rugs and tapestry and leather goods, but I have diversified. I am now selling fine goods, such as perfume, chocolate, fine wines, aged pagas, pottery and art.” She points to the BizaarLilly sign. “This is where my thrall has delivered some of my wares to unpack.” Where was her thrall? Lilly looked at Nemo and worried why he was so quiet, her mind worked itself into a knot. He was letting her babble on while he studied her face.

“Forgive me if I don't help you to unpack. My religion doesn't allow me to help a woman.” Nemo jested with her. He could see her nervousness and wondered why? After all he was a merchant of kinds just like her. Why would a respectable Free Woman be nervous around him?

“Oh that’s quite alright, my slave will do it later” She looked for her veil remembering he was a slaver. “Yes I know” She found her veil and hastily put it on, pursing her lips as if it really was a good idea to move in next door to him. The veiling laws in Port Kar were ‘loose’ and left to the imagination of the Free Woman and the imagination if veiled to the Free Man and others. However it could be a dangerous place and most respectable women went veiled not wanting to tempt some rogue into using this as an excuse to collar. It hid the beauty of a woman, and in some cases was a relief. But Lilly used to the more relaxed society of the North sometimes forgot. Besides she had only just popped out of her shop and had not expected to see anyone at this time in the morning.

Nemo stretched then and seemed to make himself even taller over her “I hope I don't disturb too much when I fur my slaves. They are used to scream.” he described the Gorean euphemism for sex. The first and second floors of his building had colourful exotic sheer window dressings fluttering in the morning breeze, but all was quiet.

“Oh I don't live here. I live in the big expensive house on the harbour front. The one that keeps getting broken into. The one with the big burly guard outside.”

“I will put an hand on their mouths.” He was still talking about his sluts.

“Oh you are too kind” Lilly said sarcastically, but she did try to smile in a relaxed way.

“At your service Lady” He had stepped closer to her, toying with her.

Lilly took a little step back, “You know I will be stocking silk and perfume for beasts soon” She now talked of his pleasure slaves.

“That's good to hear”

“But I must not let the high cast women see it. Or they will not buy from me, but for you I will keep it at the back of the shop, oh and also I am stocking fine leaf of Kanda, for those stressful days we merchants have” She let slip a nervous laugh, it was a little too high in pitch.

Nemo raised a dark eyebrow, “I will keep the secret about it.”

“You are very kind, I will give you discounts from my full range.” Lilly’s heart was beating rapid.

He looked down on her, slightly puzzled but scrutinizing. “I have to go now, I wish you well Lady” Suddenly he was gone, across the gardens towards the inn. Almost as if he had made his mind up about something.

“Be well Sir” Lilly breathed low to herself and thought, how easily the lower casts were bribed, even if they are a kind of merchant. The slavers. Fine goods indeed.