Zerelda

“West wind,” the gentle wind



Vastatio's relatively late arrival to the clan, especially compared to its other Guardian residents, was something he often thought about when he was alone at night. At times it bothered him - compared to Excursio's leadership, Incursio's unwavering support, and Pulchrior's growing circle of allies, there wasn't all that much he had to contribute. He'd come to the mesa looking to win a heart and find a place to rest his wings, but the longer he lived with the dragons here, the more he wanted to be able to give something back, even if he'd never been asked for anything but to be himself.

He had contributed some things, of course. He'd helped with lair construction and taught the residents about the lands surrounding the mesa, and when his offspring had received sizeable dowries he'd been able to contribute monetarily to the clan, something he knew Excursio appreciated even though it hadn't been a sacrifice on Vastatio's part. He was a traveler, and he was used to having nothing but what he could carry. He had no need of gold or gifts, so setting it aside had been as much a blessing to Vastatio as it had been to the clan.

On the flip side, the fact that he hadn't been here to witness the clan's humble birth as a cluster of stone huts gave Vastatio something of a unique perspective, as did his extended vacations. When he'd last left the clan to go wandering, the excavation of the tunnel down into the mesa had barely begun. Now, after more than a month on the wing, he was astonished to see the beginnings of a literal castle rising from the mesa's surface.

"What did I miss?" he asked Incursio when he landed and was able to find the red co-leader.

Vastatio listened in rapt astonishment as Incursio recounted the long list of new residents, explained the overhaul in lair design, and described the formation of an all-black warrior team, including one of Pulchrior's own sons. The flood of changes was enough to make him feel off-balance and uneasy.

Maybe it wasn't his late arrival that would end up making Vastatio feel displaced. Maybe that honor would go to his frequent journeys. But Vastatio's wandering was part of who he was - it was his Charge. He couldn't give it up just because it was inconvenient.

Vastatio forced himself to work through some of his misplaced guilt by helping out with the construction of a new series of outbuildings that Hanyi had requested. Now that the Keep was emerging as the central structure on the mesa, developing other structures around it was the logical next step. One of the first structures became the laboratory that Hanyi had apparently been promised when he'd joined the clan, and a second set of long buildings was turned into a set of guesthouses for travelers.

Because travelers, evidently, were now a daily feature of life on the mesa. Not all of the dragons who came here intended to become permanent residents; many were just passing through, and Excursio had apparently made it a priority to see to their hospitality. In order to keep dragons from using the guesthouses indefinitely, a small nightly fee was implemented, with the profit going straight into the clan's burgeoning treasury. Some of the travelers were carrying goods with them, many of which started to attract the attention of the clan's residents.

Before Vastatio realized what was happening, a small marketplace had sprung up around the base of the Keep. It was a ramshackle affair at best, and the leadership quickly started discussing ways to streamline the rapidly-growing market, since preventing merchants from selling their wares would not only be bad for the clan's growth, it would be demoralizing and frustrating to the clan's residents.

"I suspect the best we can do is provide organization and structure to the market," Excursio said with a resigned grimace. "Salesdragons are enterprising - they saw a need, and they filled it. What we need to do as leaders is ensure that there are standards for what can be bought and sold here. Quality controls will be important, especially for dragons selling food."

Vastatio nodded in agreement. As a frequent traveler, he'd seen his fair share of markets, some better-managed than others. There were some places that were well known as reputable stops for dragons in search of goods for trade, or meals on the wing. The markets that weren't well managed were also known among travelers - as places to avoid. An outbreak of foodborne illness in the clan would be disastrous for the health of their dragons, but if their new market gained a bad reputation for any reason, the potential negative ramifications for the clan could be massive.

Maybe that was why he'd ended up sitting in on a leadership meeting, despite the fact that he'd been absent from the clan for so long. They were brainstorming solutions, and as a traveler who'd seen many markets, he was in a good position to offer them.

"I think what we need is some sort of centralized oversight," Vastatio said when it was his turn to speak. "Most of the markets I've visited had at least one dragon who was responsible for curating vendors - deciding who was qualified to sell what, allotting stall space, that sort of thing. It's a big job, but having a pair of eyes on the market to make sure all the vendors were following the rules was definitely one of the things I looked for when I was deciding where to stop on my last trip."

Excursio nodded thoughtfully. "We don't have many dragons with those skills," she said, "and definitely not at the level of management we might need within a year or two. We're becoming a large clan, and if other dragons start to hear about us, we could end up as a trade destination whether we want to or not." She looked over at Kyril thoughtfully. "If we returned to the Auction House to find an experienced merchant who could oversee our market, do you think we have enough in our treasury to make us competitive?"

Kyril nodded. "Absolutely. If the dragon is also a merchant, they'd be able to sell their wares in order to generate income as well as earning a salary. We're in a good position to grow, and as both a clan and an employer, you have more to offer than when you started. I don't think finding a suitable dragon will be terribly challenging."

"And what exactly do you call this?" barked a voice from behind a ramshackle merchant's stall.

Vastatio didn't recognize the speaker, but that was nothing new. There were plenty of dragons he didn't know, especially after having been gone so long. But his brows rose when he stepped out from around the stall and caught sight of the speaker - an orange and blue Coatl whose crest was flared in agitation as she glared down the Pearlcatcher who sat behind the cart. "It's... a gemstone?" the Pearlcatcher said nervously.

"Wrong answer." The Coatl flung the object in her paw at the merchant, who yelped in surprise as it bounced off his nose horn. It landed on the stone and rolled to a stop at Vastatio's feet with a musical tinkling noise.

"What's going on?" Vastatio said, his alarm growing as the Coatl turned her gaze on him. He could see wind-green eyes behind her thin wireframe spectacles, but any kinship he would have felt with the newcomer was overridden by his own confusion. "Did this dragon do something wrong?"

"See for yourself." The Coatl picked the gemstone up and held it aloft for Vastatio to see; he obligingly lowered his head to peer closer. "Do you see how the light refracts through this?" she said. "This supposed merchant is marketing this stone as a triple-A flawless gold topaz, but it's nothing of the sort! You'd need special lenses to see it, but there are numerous inclusions in the stone - he's applied a thin veneer of oil and used a heat treatment to cover up the majority of its flaws, but that won't protect the stone forever. At best, it's worth a third of its listed price. At worst, selling a mislabeled stone to an unwary customer could lead to any number of accidents if this had been used in any sort of magic ritual. Topazes are popular conduits for sun spells, and any of these inclusions could have caused the stone to shatter under enough magical pressure." The Coatl turned back to the merchant, and Vastatio let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as he was released from the intensity of her stare. "You have two options," she said to the Pearlcatcher. "Either relabel your products in compliance with the standards set by the Sornieth Incorporated Jeweler's Guild, or take your wares and leave this marketplace. You have three hours to make the necessary changes. I'll be speaking with leadership about this violation, and if you do not comply I won't hesitate to take action."

The Pearlcatcher drew himself up to his full height, puffing out his chest. "Who do you think you are, storming in here and accusing me of fraud?" he said. "You're not the boss of me."

The Coatl reached into her satchel and pulled out a parchment scroll. "If you're selling in this market, I am the boss of you." She unfurled the scroll and showed it to the Pearlcatcher, who grew visibly paler. "My name is Devara, and as of today, I am the head merchant of the Suncircle Clan. So consider yourself warned - if you engage in any fraudulent activity in the future, you will answer to me."

Devara returned her attention