Chapter Four
Castien
Oleander’s offer to assist me at my stall was a kind one.
I had not been expecting it. I had offered to help him, to accompany him through the market, out of the kindness of my heart.
I had not wanted anything in return, but he was good company.
I did not mind passing more time with him, and it would be nice to have someone in the stall who did not constantly pick at me the way Acantha did.
My sibling was leaning against the counter when I arrived.
They had no patrons queued in front of them, though there were two elves milling about.
I caught the subtle way they kept glancing toward the curtain and wondered how long it would take them to venture beyond it.
I had seen those same furtive glances before, and nearly every time, they either inquired about what lay beyond it or already knew through reputation.
Very rarely did patrons look at the curtain and not give into their curious instincts.
I led Oleander into the shop and nudged Acantha’s shoulder. They jolted, almost falling off the stool they were perched on. “Why would you do that?” they demanded.
“How did you not notice us come in?”
“I’m bored,” they whined.
I laughed and looked out onto the market and the people milling about. “Then you are in luck,” I told them. “Oleander has agreed to help me at the stall so you can have some free time.”
They gave me that same knowing look from the night before, and I fought the urge to push them from their stool. “When should I be back?”
I shrugged, and they jumped off the stool, light shining behind their eyes.
They quickly removed the coin pouch and handed it to me.
I withdrew a few coins and handed them to my sibling.
It was not much, but I wanted them to really enjoy their time at the market.
Besides, they had worked hard, and they would continue to work hard throughout the next two weeks.
It was hardly a burden to give my sibling a little extra compensation for their labor.
“Have fun,” I chirped as they stuck the coin in the pocket of their trousers and left the stall.
The couple took advantage of our distraction to slip behind the curtain.
I could hear peals of laughter ringing through the thin fabric, and I wondered what they were examining.
Which of my creations had brought forth the stream of giggles.
I wanted to inquire, but I stayed where I was, next to Oleander at the counter.
I pulled the small logbook out from where my sibling and I kept it tucked away and opened it to that day’s transactions.
My sibling’s precise handwriting detailed multiple sales from that morning, each one meticulously stating what was sold and how much it was sold for.
Papa had taught us the importance of good bookkeeping, and the lessons had yet to lead me astray.
I considered myself blessed to have a Papa who had passed along his keen business acumen.
I felt Oleander hovering at my shoulder. When I looked up at him, I noticed the way his violet eyes were gazing at the numbers on the page. “I don’t have to keep track of any of that, do I?” he asked with a wry smile.
“No,” I assured him. “You can just talk to the customers. You can help them find what they’re looking for.”
He blinked slowly at me and then gazed around the stall. It took a moment to recognize the cause of the dazed look on his face. I was asking him to do an impossible task. He did not know my wares, so how could he answer queries about them?
“Let me give you a tour.”
I led him through the shop, walking him through the different timepieces and oils on the shelf.
They varied in size and design, in length of time it took between windings, even in what they measured.
After speaking with a group of elves from Dun Steorra, I created a timepiece that measured the time between moon phases.
For elves from Emberleigh, I’d created ones that tracked the sunrise and sunset to assist with planting and harvests.
He hung on my every word, though there was a glazed look in his eyes that told me he was not absorbing what I said.
I picked up a timepiece and held it up for him. “Tell me about this one.”
“It’s a timepiece,” he grimaced. “The rich bronze color would be wonderful paired with the fashions of Emberleigh, and…” He trailed off, reaching out to caress the delicate chain.
“It can be worn on one’s trousers or tucked away in the breast pocket of a fine shirt.
It is a very fashionable piece, though I could not tell you what happens inside of it. ”
I laughed and hung the watch back on its peg. “Let’s just hope someone asks about the aesthetics of these, rather than the functionality.”
“If they ask about the functionality, I will direct them to you.”
It seemed a fair arrangement. I knew the insides and outsides of each of the pieces that lined my stall. The two elves who had slipped behind the curtain returned, a small simple wooden box in hand. I motioned for them to meet me at the counter and left Oleander examining my wares.
“A good selection,” I commented as I peeked underneath the lid of the box. “It is one of my more popular designs. The length expands and contracts, simulating sexual pleasures, and it is made with a material that is almost as soft as skin.”
“We just liked the girth,” one of the elves giggled, their high-pitched voice filling the air like the song of bells.
“And the length,” the other stated, passing a small pile of coin across the counter.
I notated the sale in the ledger, my handwriting garish and terrible compared to my sibling’s.
They walked away, tucking the box into the leather pouch one of them carried.
“Will you show me behind the curtain?” Oleander asked.
I had not noticed that he had come to stand beside me until he spoke.
I’d been too focused on my customers and logging their purchase to pay his presence any mind.
Now that I was aware, he was all I was aware of. It was rare that anyone had that effect on me, and I was not sure if I liked it.
Still, the idea of taking him behind the curtain and showing him those creations excited me. I wanted to see his reactions to them. Perhaps if I knew what appealed to him, I could better help him find a match. It would also give me a good idea for a present to celebrate his wedding.
Why did the idea of him thinking of me on his marriage night excite me in the same way that him viewing the pleasure devices did?
I swallowed hard and led him to the back. I latched the curtain onto the small hook Acantha had put up to hold it open when we set out our stock, giving me a clear view of the stall itself.
The small section of the stall we’d dedicated to the pleasure toys was nicely laid out.
We divided the toys by type. We had one model of each device on display and a stack of boxes containing them, each marked in a discreet way, underneath them.
We had another small shelf full of oils and lubricants designed to enhance the pleasure of the toys.
They were not my creations, instead purchased from a small vendor in Emberleigh.
One of my siblings or I made a monthly journey to the settlement to purchase more, as the oils went quickly. They were one of our bestsellers, and I loathed the fact that I could not create them myself. Every time I tried, they came out too sticky or dried too quickly to be of much use.
I was better with machines.
Oleander’s eyes wandered the small area, but he remained frozen beside me.
“You can get a closer look,” I assured him.
To encourage him, I stepped forward to one of my first designs.
It was a simple phallic toy, made of smooth, cold steel.
I picked up the display model and held it up for Oleander to examine. “Take this and press this button.”
He gingerly took the toy from my hand, jolting as his fingers first touched the hard metal. “It’s cold,” he commented. I nodded and indicated the button a second time. He pressed the button with one of his long fingers, and the machine came to life. It buzzed and vibrated in his hand.
“Press the other button,” I instructed.
He pressed the second button, and his eyes widened. “It’s warm.”
“It automatically warms, as I recognize that not everyone enjoys the sensation of cold in their delicate regions,” I explained. “However, if you press the button again.”
His finger followed the instructions and delight bloomed in his eyes. “It’s cold again.”
“I also recognize that some people enjoy the variety of sensations and the rapid change. It is a very simple device, but it’s one of my most popular.”
He pressed the button again and wrapped his slim fingers around the metal.
I knew there was no risk of him getting burnt, no matter how often he played with the button.
Each of my devices had been tested to ensure the safety of the user.
When he finished his examination, he hit the button to turn it off.
“Can you use the cooling and warming features without the vibrations?”
“You can. Each function is independent of the other.”
He nodded and placed the device back on its perch.
After the ice was broken, he asked me about other toys on display.
He seemed far more interested in them than he did the timepieces in the other room, but I could not get any read on his preferences based upon what toys he picked up and examined.
Not until he picked up the last one in the room.
His violet eyes lit up as he studied it.
It was one of my thickest models, though it was far from the longest I had on offer.
It had a realistic thrusting action that amused him to no end, but that did not explain the heat behind his eyes.