Quoted By:
“And he was happy with that – as was I. But then this happened. Maker’s Mercy, if it had been the Ulteria Refinery that blew instead of Gothorum-One, and there had been a chance that we might have already left the Mount but for my … selfishness, then … I don’t know how I would be able to live with myself.”
To your embarrassment, you are getting teary-eyed over your own lies. Making a point of keeping your hands folded in front of you, you swallow to take another moment to collect yourself. The Cobbler is still looking at you intently, but his expression has softened considerably.
“So, I am going to save every eighth-talent I can. I’ll be an even bigger miser than he was. And whatever time I have to myself, I am going to be spending underneath the Boardwalk scrounging. Besides all of the odds and ends that fall down there usually, there are a lot of bits and pieces from Gothorum-One washed ashore. Bits of steel, and copper and lead. Lots of bits. Loads of bits. I could make more money collecting scrap in an hour than I could in a week as a maid. And I intend to make as much as I can.”
You are just guessing about the presence of scrap metals under the Boardwalk, but it seems like something that would happen. And you do know for a fact that scrapping can pay very well. And when the Cobbler sighs, you take it to mean that he knows this as well.
“Your husband does not know how lucky he is. Truly. But setting aside the fact they are men’s boots, how can I possibly sell you them, now that I know what you intend to do? Picking through trash, that … that is a Leper’s job. Not to mention that only the Maker knows what that refuse has been exposed to, <span class="mu-i">and</span> that it is under the Boardwalk. If I was to sell to you, then every time I would see one of those boots, I’d worry that you had gotten yourself hurt down there – killed even!”
“Those are Legionnaires boots back there?”
“Auxiliaries boots, actually, but they – ”
“Well, either way, you must not sell any, because if you did, then you would just worry that your customer would go off and get themselves killed in some battle somewhere then, right?”
“No, I – ”
“And these Oiler boots, you must never have sold any of them either, because you would just be worried that someone would go out on an expedition and get themselves drowned or something, right?”
“That is different. Completely different. You are a woman. You are not supposed to be an Oiler or an Auxiliary.”
“You are right. I am a woman. I am supposed to be a wife. A supportive, obedient wife. And I haven’t been. If things had gone differently … Listen, I – I get that you are trying to protect me, but I am going to do everything that I can to get us out of this city as soon as possible. So if you think you can keep me out of there by not selling me those boots, you have another thing coming. If I have to, I’ll go down there in these.”
