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Second by second, you can see the good humor slide off of the proprietor's face. Well aware that you must act quickly, you take a deep breath, and launch yourself into your story - partially based off of the fable that you fed to the Dry Goods Merchant.
"My Master's patented name is ... Dremen. The family lives on top of the Mount, right near the University. Me and ... two of the other girls, we were sent out to pick up purchases the Master and Mistress had made over the course of the week - you know, to, to get the things in before Titheday. And as you might imagine, the other girls are responsible for smaller, lighter things, you know; dresses, and hats, and cut flowers, and the like, while I - "
You pause here to gesture to the cart, partially to give yourself a moment to breathe, and partially to judge how the story is going over. Dishearteningly, you find that you cannot really get much of read off of the proprietor's face, beyond that he is very intently listening. Before you can lose your rhythm - or your nerve, for that matter - you continue.
" - I am responsible for the heavier loads. Regardless, we had all gotten what we were sent out for, and we had all met up at ... a Cobbler, and we - we were all being fitted for new pairs of servant's sandals - paid for by the Mistress, bless her - when one of the families' menservants come bursting into the shop, with two roasting geese under each arm, and other shopping besides. It - you see, it turned out that our Mistress had gotten herself roped into some unexpected entertaining, and it was 'everyone into the breach', as my Master might say. They needed all of us to come home, quick as we can. Well, all well and good for the other girls, who can manage one of the Stairs with their little bundles, and same goes for the man - but me, there is no way that I - or anyone else, for that matter - could possibly get a hand-cart up through the Stairs, and the manservant had seen that the line to go up the Lift was simply too long on his way down it. And burdened down as it is, it probably wouldn't survive the trip up the Chip at any speed that would get me back to the House before nightfall. So instead, he, he gave me talents, and told me to go quick as I could, and find a public house, and then to take a room there for a few hours - so the Master's shopping could be kept there, under lock and - "
This time, you are interrupted by the laughter of the proprietor ... though this laughter is incredulous, and missing much of the warmth of his earlier chuckling. Getting the distinct impression that you are starting to lose him, you don't even need to force the emotion into your voice as you try to recover - it finds it way in there all on its own.
"Please, sir. I - I have been running around with this cart, trying to find a House that will take it in, just for a few hours, so I can come back and fetch it once the press at the Lift has subsided, and I'm not - "
