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spaghettificationandpretzels · 5 months ago

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The Glass Merchant Part One

Masterlist

Contains: Fluff, mild angst, slow burn.

4.5K words

The beginning

Hydromora was an unfamiliar place to Kai; he thought he knew the whole universe, but since the Motherworld's defeat, a whole new trade stream had opened up, and so had his job prospects, all be it a little more moral than before the fall. He arrived at the market just as night began to fall, hopping off the steam transport ship at the dock as the water beneath him glowed blue with each movement.

The air was rich with spice, the sound of bartering and coins sliding across wooden tables floating on the wind as he walked through the stalls. It wasn't lost on him that he was drawing attention; the strange looks from stallholders and customers alike making him feel less than welcome.

"Kind stranger." He turned towards the voice, and an elderly man lifted two crocked fingers up to his face, moving them backwards as if to pull a hood away. Kai understood the message, pushing the hood off his face before walking to the stall. The man looked him up and down and smiled. "Can I help you with something?"

Kai nodded. "Ay, I'm looking for a stall selling pretty glass things, clocks to be exact."

The man pointed behind Kai's left shoulder. "Follow the broad path through the wooden wares, you'll see a sign to the glass seller soon enough." There was a coldness in the man's gaze, and he looked Kai over. "You should relax. You look jumpy, and we don't like that."

He got the sense that he was still being watched, even though most of the eyes on him had turned away once his hood was lowered. "Thank you."

The man smiled. "You best be on your way now."

He gave the man one last thank you and walked away, following the directions until he came upon what he was looking for. The owner had her back to him, her curly hair in a bun as she worked, bent over a desk. She clearly heard him as he approached, her head tilting ever so slightly to the side before she returned to her work. "There's nothing for sale here that you can buy."

He loved a challenge, and something in her tone provoked him in just the right way. "I'll pay you handsomely." He looked at her goods, and it was apparent why his employer wanted one of her clocks. Each piece was carefully crafted from fine, coloured glass, from tiny pocket watches to grandfather clocks as tall as he was, and jewellery, where the glass sparkled like stone and knives with their handles and scarabs, inlaid intricate reliefs.

She spun around, and he had to suppress his laugh at the sight, her strange glasses making her scowling eyes look huge. "I only sell to those who will appreciate my work." There was a thud as the glasses landed on the table, and she stood from her chair, her head coming to his chin as she met his eye. "So you see, your statement about paying me is a waste."

She looked like a dream in the warm glow of the lantern, and he remained undeterred. "You got a name?"

Her eyes crinkled with interest. "You don't already know it?" He shook his head, and she blinked up at him, and a rare prickle of self-consciousness came over him as she studied him. "You aren't here on behalf of Magnus Voytek?"

He huffed, offended at her statement as if he would do anything for a Motherworld banker. "No, I don't procure for him. I'm here for a man named Darius, he wants one of your clocks for his wife."

She lifted her hand to her face in embarrassment. "I am sorry for my rudeness. Since the fall, that man has been trying to put his money into whatever he can to keep himself from the gallows, and my work is just his lastest attempt." She extended her hand with a smile. "My name is Minna, by the way."

He took her hand and mirrored her smile. "Kai."

She gestured around as the mood shifted. "Do you have any ideas what your employer is looking for?"

He nodded and pointed to the clock hanging on the back wall. "He said she likes birds." The piece would be well worth her price. It was a scene of tiny bluebirds, fine pink flowers and lush vines for the clock hands.

She lifted it off the wall and held it before him, and he readied himself to start haggling. "Good choice. It's four hundred darams for the clock and a lifetime of repairs."

He sucked on his tongue and shook his head, leaning in with a smirk as he turned on the charm. "That's a bit steep, surely you can drop the price for a man in love?"

She shook her head. "If the man is that in love, he can come and find me himself, and then I'll drop the price. Four hundred is my price."

He pressed his lips together, that just wouldn't do. "Come on now, Love, three hundred and fifty, and I'll throw in one free job from me."

Her smile gave him some hope, he was getting somewhere. "I have everything I need right here, and I want for nothing. You offering your services is a waste of time. The clock costs four hundred; that's what your man will pay, or he'll get nothing."

He sighed and hung his head. "You drive a hard bargain, Minna. Three hundred and sixty."

Her shoulders fell as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kai, my price is my price. If there's nothing else you want, you'll have to move on, I have close soon."

He decided to be bold, taking her hand and laying it on his chest over his heart. She made half an effort to pull away but stopped when he placed his hand over hers. "I'm a romantic Minna, as sure as my heart beats. You can drop your price for me."

She wasn't sure what to say; between the heat coming off his rock solid chest and the roughness of his massive hand, it was hard to think. "Three hundred and ninety-nine, no less."

He grinned and dropped her hand, and he didn't miss how it lingered in midair, nor the way she wouldn't meet his eye. "You got a deal."

He reached into his pocket and unloaded a pile of coins, counting each one out as he slid them over to her side of the booth, but she stopped him when he was about halfway through. "Half now, the rest tomorrow, I don't have time to pack it tonight."

He was giddy; sure, he only got a single daram off, but he still won. Only when Minna turned her back to place the coins away did he notice that the market had begun to empty out. The thick panels of glass and metal emerging from the ground to wrap around the simple wooden booths was a strange sight, and he realised he may have misjudged the planet as much more backward than it was.

His suspicion was confirmed when the line of people leaving parted to allow two soldiers to walk through. While the expressions on their faces were pleasant, the guns they had slung over their shoulders told him trouble was not tolerated. "Relax, they only shoot at Motherworlders."

"Shite, this place is a little deceptive." He relaxed a little as he watched them help the citizens with their pack-up, and the symbols on their uniforms fussed at his memory as they drew closer.

"You should really have a look around, we are the most technically advanced planet in five systems. We just choose to live a simple life." She waved as the soldiers walked by, and they watched as the glass covering rose up over her stall, only moving away after giving Kai a thorough once-over.

"Ay, I guess I will." He watched her with wrapped interest as she pulled a small cookie out of her pocket and placed it in the lantern in her hand, and to his surprise, the light was not coming from a candle but a cluster of the softest looking creatures that grew brighter as they ate. "What in the bleedin' 'ell are those?"

"Lantern bees." She let one crawl out on her finger and held her hand out as it crawled around her palm, a little bit of cookie held between two of its tiny legs as it ate. It wasn't very large, only slightly smaller than her thumb, but she seemed to hold genuine affection for the creature. "They are wonderful little things. Everyone has a hive in their home; they make sure our crops grow, give us honey and light out lanterns, and in turn, we keep them safe when the storms hit."

She didn't part from him as they started to walk towards the boats, and he made himself comfortable in her company for the short time it would last. "I might be a bit late getting here, seeing as I have to leave my ship and take a shuttle." It was rare that he couldn't land on the planet, even rarer that he had to park on the outer edge and take transport, but with each passing moment he spent there, he realised it was because they had something to protect.

"I can take you to the inn. It's cheap, and you'll get a good meal. That way you won't have to do the shuttle two step." It was getting cold now, and she pulled her coat tighter around her as they drew closer to the water.

"Well that would be grand." Now that they had reached the docks, there were soldiers everywhere now, still just as pleasant and helpful as the first ones. "Why are there so many of them." He paused at her supposition look. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Her eyes twinkled like she knew a fun secret, and she pointed to a brightly coloured boat painted in the same style as her clocks. "Pray you never have to find out."

When they arrived at her boat, she hung the lantern on the pole at the bow but shook him off when he reached down to help her unlash it. She did, however, accept his hand when she climbed in and only let it go when he was seated opposite her on the boat's second seat. The blue glow in the water he noticed when he docked was even brighter now, so much so that it lit the paths of the boats as they made their way home.

"It's algae, it glows when the water moves." She handed him one ore, then used the other to push away, and they were off, rowing in tandem as she guided them through the water.

He snuck glances at her in the glimmer of the planet's moon, and the mix of blue and purple it gave off gave her big, dark eyes a shade of sadness. "So Minna, is there a fella waiting at home for you?"

She shook her head. "Nope, just my fisher bear. His name is Zephy. Is there a lady waiting on your home planet with the porch light on?" She knew by how he stiffened what she had just done. "I'm sorry, I didn't think."

He huffed, it wasn't the first time his lack of a home to return to had been inadvertently thrown in his face. "No harm done, Love. No, there's no one waiting for me anywhere."

The boat had slowed, and her hand landed on his knee. "We have all been touched by the Motherworld's cruelty, in one way or another."

It was such a simple touch, and despite it being far less intimate than the move he had made to secure the sale earlier in the day, something fluttered in his chest. He dared not question her when he finally pulled his eyes away from the water and gazed at her face; there was something there that was so painfully familiar. "Ay, but the war is over now and we have peace."

She smiled, and the boat went back to its original speed. "Yes we do."

They travelled for another twenty minutes, their conversation consisting of Kai's question about Minna's planet while she laughed and replied to him like he was asking about the colour of his own eyes. When he focused on the water, he could see the fish moving between the boats, large dark shapes occasionally shifting the water more as the boats rocked with their movement. In the distance, on all sides, he could see land and the faint lights, and he couldn't quite put a word to the body of water they were travelling on.

Eventually, the sea in front of them slowly lit up with the lights of houses, and he was in awe as they came into view. Many islands took over the landscape, and the glass-domed roofs of homes stood out against the square berry-covered hedges. There was a land border around each passel of homes, and the pathways were rimmed with more plants.

The boat slowed once more, and she angled the boat towards an island and into a channel. The waterway they moved down was only big enough for two boats, and he could see more of the homes as they moved towards the inn. Every front yard had a small garden filled with strange plants he had never seen, and he could see the glow of the lantern bees in little boxes next to every front door.

The boat turned into a larger house, its fourth level sticking out above the skyline of the rest of the domes. He noticed the inn sign as they went through the open fence before finally stopping next to the boat tie. "We're here. You'll get a good feed and a warm bed, and I'll pick you up bright and early tomorrow."

He held onto a post as he climbed out, finally happy he was back on solid ground. "Thank you, Love."

She smiled and began her journey home. "Goodnight Kai."

He stood leaning against a yellow fruited tree and waved as he left, yelling after her. "Goodnight Minna."

****

Kai hadn't slept so well in decades, he woke up to birds singing and the sunrise in his window instead of the hum of his ship and the endless darkness of space.

Knock knock

"Ay?" Being waited on for no reason other than being a guest was new too, and as the door swung open and the smell of pasties filled the air, a familiar longing swam in his chest.

"Kind stranger, can I offer you breakfast?" He walked to the cart, piled high with a variety of delicious looking items.

He plucked one of the cart, drawn in by the spoon of bright pink jam in the middle. "Sweet berry jam with butter pastry, good choice. Anything else from the cart?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you." Nevertheless, a steaming cup of tea suddenly appeared, and he took it with a smile.

The cart rolled off, and he headed to the chair by the window. He could hear children swimming in the canal, but mercifully, Minna's boat floated into his view before his thoughts had time to drift to the past.

He wasn't skipping towards the boat, or at least, that's what he told himself as he made his way down the stairs with a noticeable spring. He all but jumped into the boat, and Minna shot him a look as she steadied its rocking. "Well good morning, you're awfully chipper."

He made himself comfortable next to her and took the ore in one hand while he continued his breakfast with the other. "Ay, it is a good morning, Minna, it's been a while since I slept in a real bed."

The place was very different in the daylight; gone was the blue glow of the water, and replaced with it was the bright warmth of the sunlight pouring through the clouds. There were larger boats on the water, too, small sailboats with nets hanging from their sides and steamships moving slowly along while people looked out from the balconies.

"So do you row your way everywhere?" Judging by the lean muscles of her arms, the answer was yes.

She smiled and shook her head warmly as if his question was silly. "In winter, when all the water freezes, some of us walk, and we have transport on the larger islands, but yes I row most places. It's good for me."

He downed the last of his tea and looked at the boat. The floor was covered in little mesh bags filled with fruits and vegetables, and there was a pile of colourful embroidered blankets on the third seat. Without her long coat, he could see the forearms; she had the same strange line tattoos that he had seen on others during his walk through the market yesterday, and curiosity got the best of him as he bent his head towards them. "I swear I've seen those on half the people here, what do they mean?"

"Most of the adults have them, it's a tradition from the old ways." Her tone had shifted to something tinged with a distinctive coldness, and she was all of a sudden very interested in the fish swimming by the boat instead of his eyes.

Her evasiveness wasn't missed. "Ay, but that's not what I asked. I asked what they mean?"

She chuckled softly and shook her head. "I'm afraid you don't want the answer to that question."

He raised his eyebrows. "Alright then, keep your secrets. You said there's no fella at home, what exactly do you do in your spare time?"

She sighed. "Lots of things. Why the sudden interest in me? I'm just a glass merchant."

The charm was back on, his blue eyes looking over her as if to hint at his intention. "Ay, but you're a very pretty glass merchant."

Her head tilted, and her eyes wrinkled as she assessed his words, slightly incredulous at his continued boldness. "Does this work for you every time?"

He smiled as he fought the urge to kiss the chilliness from her plump lips. "I don't have a clue about what you're talking about, care to tell me what you're referring to?"

She huffed, and her grip tightened on the ore as she grew ever more doubtful. "You haggle me for my goods, you ask questions that you ought not to, and now you are trying to charm your way into my pants." He didn't respond right away; he was too stuck trying to decipher the expression on her face. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself, sir?"

His cheeks ached with restraint as he did his best to drop his smile. "I don't know; I'm worried if I say the wrong thing, you'll toss me overboard."

It was her turn to struggle away her smile, and she half glared at him. "I find you quite inappropriate." Despite her point, she didn't move away from him, and their legs still stayed pressed together as they rowed back to the market; when they docked, she still took his offer of an assisting hand and only sighed in protest when picked up her goods are carried them to her stall without asking.

It was a slow walk, and he found himself acting as her assistant as she traded the fruits and vegetables from her garden with the other merchants. When they arrived at her stall, he stood there watching, admiring her efficiency until she had him place the goods on the shelves that were empty when he was there the day before. "Are you going to pay me for all my hard work?"

She nodded. "Yes, in lunch." She swapped her workbench for one of the display tables to face him while she worked and sat down with a sigh. "I have a few things to work on before I pack your clock, you can go and explore if you like, or you're more than welcome to stay."

He smiled and took a seat, leaning his elbows on the bench as he watched her begin to work. "Ay, I think I'll stay." He looked around, nodding his head towards a pile of uncut glass and wooden stencils. "Is there anything I can do? I figure I should earn my keep if you're going to entertain me."

She puffed, although her exasperation was tinged with affection. "I'll give you some glass to cut." She showed him what to do, once again shooting him an unimpressed look as he suggested that she should use a more hands-on approach when he misused the tool, but nevertheless, her hand found its way on top of his as she guided him around the tight bends of the design.

She placed a small bowl of light blue squares before him, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. "Bandages, you might need them."

She was right, but he blamed her for his wounding. Had she not looked so beautiful as she worked, he would have paid more attention to the blade in his hand. There was a pause in the work as a man walked by a huge plate of small glistening berries, and she waved him over with a smile. "Oh Kai, you have to try these."

They conversed in their mother tongue for a moment, and he found himself trying to pick familiar sounds from the melodic speech. Before he could ask for a translation, he was handed a small paper bowl filled with the treats as Minna passed the seller a coin. "I hope you enjoy, kind stranger."

When the man walked away, Kai leaned in as if to ask her a secret. "What's with the kind stranger thing?"

"Why, would you rather we call you distinguished guest?" Her tone was tinged with disgust.

He shook his head. "No, that sounds like something you'd call a Motherworlder."

"Exsalty, now eat your candy." He popped one of the red balls into his mouth a bit down, the crunchy crackly of sweet sugar giving away to the same rich flavour as the jam he had on his breakfast pasty. "Good, right?"

He nodded. "It's fucken grand."

That went on for the rest of the morning as vendors walked by with different foods, and there was something comforting about the way she continued to feed him, like he was visiting an old friend who worried about him just a bit too much when he was away.

He felt a flash of disappointment as she pulled the bird clock off the wall, and with all the glass cut, he busied himself looking at some of her wears, his attention falling to a pocket watch that had a rush of memories flooding his brain. The light yellow cascading blossoms were the same ones from his homeland that his little sister used to wear in her hair, and a lump formed in his throat as the memory of the smell of the flowers wafting over him as she hugged him.

He picked up the piece, running his thumb over the smooth glass face as his heart began to pound. He choked down his feelings enough to question her. "Where did you get the idea for this one."

She looked up from the clock, and his heart rate only doubled when he saw the look of sadness in her eyes. "The flowers are from the fields of Saaldorun. My father brought home a cutting for my mother, he never told us what they were called."

He placed the watch down and smiled softly. "True Loves Kisses, they were my sister's favourite."

She huffed and regarded him as if she sifting through her mind to find something to say. "My mother loved them so much she spent hours with tweezers and a magnifying glass trying to retrieve a seed, then a year getting it to grow. It's still going strong today. I have to admit, they do smell lovely."

"Ay, that they do." Butterflies dashed the walls of his chest as if they were trying to break through his ribs as the pang of grief swirled with something entirely different.

A beat passed before she spoke again. "I am sorry, it's a terrible thing to have nothing left to tether you to where you came from." She reached out, her hand opening and closing as she debated laying her hand on his before she decided against it and returned to her work. "It won't be long now, I just have to make sure it works then I'll have you on your way."

The disappointment was back. "Sure thing, Love." When it was finished, she held it in front of him, and he smiled, and it ticked away. "Ain't that pretty."

She packed it carefully and then placed the box on the bench before sighing, her eyes differing to the jewellery. She picked up a necklace, its tiny pendant displaying two, one grey and one bluebird, locked in a mating dance and placed it in a box before wrapping it. He looked at her, a smile on his face and one eyebrow raised, and she shook her head. "I, too, am a romantic."

He grinned at her, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she shook her head at him. "You are doing it again."

His tongue darted out as he leaned into her space. "Doing what, Love?"

Her eyes crinkled as if he should know what she was talking about. "Looking at me altogether too fondly for a man who has known me for less than a day."

He raised his hand in supplication and smiled. "Ay, perhaps I am altogether too fond of you." He picked up the pocket watch from early and held it up, the watch face dangling from the silver chain. "How much for this one?"

She smiled. "Whatever you feel it's worth."

His eyes drifted to her plump lips as he coiled the chain around his hand. "How 'bout a kiss."

Her hand found his cheek as she grew closer. "Yes, a kiss is a fair price." He closed the distance, sealing his lips to hers as she slid her hands into the loose hair at the nape of his neck. She pulled away, and he licked the kiss from his lips as he spoke. "I better make sure it works for you."

He passed it to her, and she tinkered for a moment, sliding a small pin into a hole before handing it back. "All done."

He placed it into the coat and patted the pocket as if to check it was secure before collecting the other packages and paying her the other half of what he owed her. "I imagine my employer will want to thank you for your kindness."

"Does that mean I should expect you again?" He nodded. "Well then Kai, until next time."

Despite the payday waiting for him a few systems over, he was finding it hard to leave, but he took a deep breath and took a step backwards as he began to walk away. "Ay, until next time Minna."

Part 2