The Women’s Market.    To the west of the Imperial Quarter, this area is a number of small buildings, the commercial frontage of which belong to shops selling items generally targeted towards women.  Although this does include a lot of women’s clothing, it tends not to include things that men often buy for women- they locate elsewhere, because of the fear that male buyers might not want to be seen wandering the shops of the Women’s market.  These shops stick with things that generally women buy.  These include such things as women’s shoes, cosmetics and baby products.  One herbalist is here as well, and most days there are many street vendors.

Of all the sectors of the thriving Massilia economy, this is the one that most puzzles the Orc overlords.  From their point of view, the vast majority of products sold here simply have no purpose at all.  Orcish sexual attraction is largely olfactory, and yet, most of the fragrances sold here in the perfume and soap stalls are, to Orcs, repulsive.  Lavender oil can make them nauseous.  (A fact not lost on the Savoy Elves, who have been known to send traders here to obtain the stuff).

And yet, the Visigoth overlords recognize, it makes money.  Money is taxed.  Taxes pay for weapons, and feeds warriors.  Economic power is military power, so the Women’s Market stays- and it’s one of the least Orc patrolled areas in the city.

(Especially today, as the Orcs are gathering for something)

The only Orcs that ever bother shopping here are the few Half Orc women, who have some of the instincts of their human parents.  Other than them, even when Orc patrols do pass through, they do so quickly, and they look repulsed by the smells.

The best way to describe how Bryon gets to the Market would be "Bee-Bop" but that phrase won't be invented for nearly 1500 years, unless some enterprising Bard comes up with it by watching her bounce as she skips along, totally oblivious to how her body might be gyrating. There were so many things here to get one's attention that she hardly had time to focus on one before another emerged. There were soaps, perfumes, pretty jewelry, fabrics, and of course cloths! Bryon spent an hour just looking at new cloths.

Eventually though Scrumff reminded her gently that they were here for a reason. He directed her to the Tailor's guild where she found someone to answer her questions. "I'm looking for a Tailor, someone named...ummmm...Gilmore or something like that. I need a flag made, we have a wonderful entourage from Bulgaria staying in our Inn. Well it isn't my Inn, I just work there. I don't really do much, but still I enjoy meeting people. You enjoy it too don't you? Meeting new people? I need to have a Bulgarian flag made and a Floptygoth one too. I've never heard of Floptygoths, but it is very important to have a Floptygoth flag, and a Bulgarian one too."

She waited there for Gilmore the Tailor who would make her the flags.

The tailors don't have a guild hall that would be open to Bryon, but there is something just as good.

Where the main road cuts through the Women's Market, Via Aquae, is a cafe, which is both a rest spot for shoppers and a meeting place for the many people who work in the shops here.

It's getting late in the day, and many of the shops are closing up.  Most shops in the Women's Market actually close earlier than shops elsewhere.  They say it's just custom, but the consensus opinion is that the custom started when people decided that spending all day shopping was a sign of lazy and unproductive woman; the women of Massilia ought to be getting their shopping done quickly and getting home to their domestic work.

Of course this wasn't the case for many women, in fact, the women of the wealthiest houses, the most sought after customers of the merchants and artisans here, certainly had others to take care of things at home and could shop all night if they wished.  And there were visitors, and women without families to take care of.. many exceptions to the common image.  Nonetheless, the idea found its way into tradition, now the shops here are the first in the city to close.

Which also means, artisans and shopkeepers, and some shoppers, are gathering at Taverna Via Aquae.  Bryon can get all her questions answered there, and arrange with a seamstress to make her flags.  It's a custom order, no one keeps flags on the shelf.

After wandering about looking for a Tailor's guild, Byon became somewhat tired. She decided to take a break at the cafe, only to find many familiar faces. These were the men who were always giving her cloths, so they had to be the tailors. "Does anyone know a Tailor named...umm...Beetlebump? I am asked by the nice people I work for the have two flags made. On is a Bulgarian Flag," OOC: mispronunciation is on purpose "and the other is a Floptsygoth. Both are very important as we have a Bulgarian embassy right in our very Inn right this very moment. An honest to goodness Princess! I'm not sure why we need the other one, though. I've never heard of Floptsgoths, but they must be very important people."

Sadly, no one has ever heard of that particular tailor.  Of course, there are about a hundred people in the clothes sewing trade in Massilia, and no one knows everyone, still, no Beetlebump.

On the other hand, Bryon gets a few people interested in doing this for her.  For the appropriate fee, of course.

Bryon finds Sabzi the dressmaker willing to take it on, and Claudius the Tailor, and Dima Gerros, who actually does upholstery, but figures sewing is sewing and this doesn't sound complicated, colored cloth, right?

On the other hand, the other names she mentions causes a bit of stir.

"Bulgarian" they eventually decide is Burgundian, and they are surprised Bryon has a hard time with that one.

"Burgundian, like the wine, dear," says Claudius the Tailor, who is a white haired elderly man.  "You've had Burgundian wine?  Same name."

But the Floptsgoths are harder.

"Is that what they said?" Dima asks.  "Is that a new kind of Goth?  Because we have Visigoths here and Ostrogoths are their enemies, and if you put out the wrong kind of flag you can be killed for it."

"Heavens, even if you make the wrong kind of flag," Sabzi says.

"You'd better come back tomorrow and have it written down by your master," Dima says, assuming Bryon must have a master- and if she doesn't, really needs one.  "That we everyone can be sure that no mistakes are made.  There are an awful lot of Visigoths here."
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:47, Tue 28 Aug 2018.

Of the three, Bryon knew Sabzi best. Those were the most wonderful dresses! "She nodded along, understanding that she had gotten confused, but then the connection to wine was made and she smiled brightly. "OH! Yes, I've had it, delicious wine. Not as nice as the Elven kind, but less headaches the next morning. I will remember now. I am sorry, Dima, I don't know you well. Sabzi, can you make the Burgundian Wine flag?"

Then there was a long discussion about something Goth related. She was off in her own world for that, dancing at a ball where fountains sprayed Burgundian wine instead of water. She was smiling and humming to herself when Claudius spoke to her. "Why how nice of you. Yes I would like to dance..." She is startled by the invasion of reality into her daydream and she blushed, "Oh my, do forgive me. I was having a splendid time at the ball. What were you saying?"

When he spoke she smiled and nodded, but clearly it would go in one ear and out the other. "Perhaps you should write down your instructions to write down the other instructions so I do not forget."

They give Bryon exasperated looks and write down the questions for her on a small scrap of cloth, which is then quickly stitched to Bryon's sleeve by Claudius- the elderly tailor moved so quickly it was like a blur, she barely saw the needle and thread and zip, there was a note tagged to her sleeve.

"Just run along and make sure they see that, and go find Sabzi's shop when she open's tomorrow and she'll make up what you need."

He said it the same voice he might use if Bryon had been eight or nine.  But then, Bryon is probably used to that.

Bryon nodded, "Why thank you so much! Now I should be getting back before they give my job to someone else."

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