"We sold a total of twenty medium papers," Benno-san said to Lutz and Myne at the start of their next meeting. He tapped his desk as he stared intently at the children. "Know how much that would get you a piece?" Myne did the mental math in her head. Each piece of paper cost ten small silvers. Benno-san took thirty-percent as commission, so that left seven small silvers between Lutz and Myne, or three small silvers and five large copper coins each. Multiply the three silvers and five coppers by twenty, and that'd equal—
"Seven large silver coins each," Lutz said.
Myne blinked at him, then smiled. Someone's been practicing.
The corner of Benno-san's lip tugged up, too, but he simply nodded in confirmation. They tapped their necklaces together.
"Now, onto other business. I thought you'd like to see the prototype of your playing cards." Benno-san opened a drawer in his desk and took out a deck.
Myne eagerly picked a few from the top. The paper felt thicker; it could still bend, sure, but it could hold up to a lot more playing than regular paper while still being cheaper than wood tiles. The backs were decorated in a simple black-ink plaid, while on the front of each card was a different symbol: a crown, a diamond, an inverted triangle, and a sword. Like...a suit.
"What do these symbols mean?" Myne asked, laying the cards flat on the table.
Benno-san quirked an eyebrow. "Oh. I suppose you haven't seen these before. They represent the Church's deities." He tapped each card in turn. "A crown, for the Goddess of Light. A diamond, for the God of Fire's spear. A triangle, for the Goddess of Earth's chalice, and a sword, for the God of Life. There's others, of course, but you can learn them another time."
But Myne was already tracing the symbols with her fingertip. "Can I have a set?" she asked. This would make a great gift for Tuuli.
"Sure. That'll be one small gold."
Myne jerked back her hand as if the cards had transformed into snakes. She pouted at Benno-san, who was smirking.
"I'll buy it."
She whipped towards Lutz, surprised. "Lutz, don't! That's a lot of money."
"You're not the only one who's made a profit," he said nonchalantly. "Besides, it might give Ralph some ideas for pictures."
Benno-san rested his chin on his knuckles with a satisfied look. "Very well."
The two tapped their necklaces together, then Benno-san handed the deck to Lutz, who pocketed it. Myne didn't know whether to fume or cheer. She decided on the latter. "Thanks, Lutz."
He dipped his head in acknowledgement. Then Benno-san was speaking again. "Speaking of Ralph. I know he's your brother, Lutz, but are you and Myne sure he's up for the task?"
"I was not... sure at first, since he has not drawn professionally before. But I believe so, yes, Master. I trust Myne's judgement. And Ralph's been working non stop any chance he can get. He is serious about it."
Benno-san steepled his fingers as he narrowed his sharp eyes at Lutz. Myne was grateful that for once it wasn't her at the end of that scrutinizing look. To his credit, Lutz braved it without flinching. But then again, he always did.
Finally, Benno-san nodded. "Very well. If you're both committed. How far has he gotten?"
"He has the first page done," Myne answered. He'd technically finished the first few pages when they'd worked at Benno-san's store, but since then, he thought he could do even better, and restarted. Free of charge, too—Myne certainly wasn't complaining. "He hopes to have them finished by the end of spring."
"And the printing press itself?"
"Myne and I checked in with Johann last week," Lutz said. "He should be done with the screw press in a few days. Once it's finished, we can assemble the printing press."
"Excellent."
They discussed business matters for a while longer. Myne planned to speak with the woodcarver later that week for her shogi tiles, and Benno-san shared his ideas for a future restaurant. The competition between him and the Guildmaster's granddaughter hadn't thawed in the slightest. What monsters she'd created…
After the meeting, Benno-san stood from his seat. "The employees should still be setting up. Follow me. I have a little experiment for you two."
He strode past them and out of the room, not even looking back to see if they were following. Simply assuming they were.
Myne and Lutz shared a confused glance, before shrugging, and hurrying after him.
"You two should learn how to talk to customers," Benno-san said as he led them to the main floor of the store. A few employees were setting up for opening, but otherwise they had the floor to themselves.
"But I'm not a salesperson," Myne countered.
"You are when you're negotiating deals."
Well...she couldn't argue with that. Benno-san turned his focus to Lutz. "What have you noticed about the salespeople?" he asked him.
"Um…" Lutz looked down as he thought. After a moment, he met Benno-san's gaze again. "They greet customers when they first walk in, and ask if they are looking for anything specific. If they are not, then the salespeople lets them be. If the customers start looking confused or really interested in something, then they go over and talk to them."
"That's the basics. You'll also have to figure out what products suit your customers." He called over his shoulder. "Otto!"
"Coming, coming!" came a familiar voice from a side room. "Finally decided to take me out of the closet, eh?" Otto-san strode into the storefront, then stopped short when he saw Myne and Lutz.
"Wow, you two are looking spiffy!" He came over and rustled Myne's hair. "In full-uniform and everything, like true adults!"
Myne swatted his hand away before he could mess up her little bun, but she was still grinning. "How are you and Corinna-san?"
A dreamy expression clouded his face. "Corinna is the most beautiful woman ever! She's just beginning to show!"
"Hey, hey," Benno-san interrupted. "You can enthuse over your wife on your own time. Right now, you're on mine. Or should I fetch Corinna right now, if you're so intent on lollygagging?"
"NO!" Otto-san protested. "SHE NEEDS HER BED REST AND IS NOT TO BE DISTURBED!"
"Good. Then stop talking and stand still."
Otto-san frowned, but leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.
Myne glanced between him and Benno-san. "Is Corinna-san...okay?" she asked worriedly. Corinna couldn't have been past her first trimester; she shouldn't need a lot of extra rest unless there were complications.
"No, she's fine," Benno-said before Otto-san could. "My brother-in-law's just pampering her."
"IT'S NOT PAMPERING IF SHE NEEDS IT!"
Benno-san ignored him. He turned to her and Lutz. "You two. Pick out an outfit you'd think this dimwit would wear if he was a customer."
Lutz and Myne eyed him up and down. Otto-san wasn't unattractive by any means, but he was almost stereotypically...average. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a figure that was neither short or tall, nor lumbering or scrawny. Which...played in Myne's favor, actually, since he was about as "neutral" to dress as a mannequin.
Otto-san winked, catching her stare. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine. I am a great model, after all."
"Models don't talk," Benno-san stated dryly.
After a few moments, Lutz and Myne headed to different areas of the store. She shifted through the racks of clothing. Let's see… A white-sleeved shirt would give a clean, noble look. Brown pants and high boots would also look nice and clean, while still being functional for when he goes around town. A brown-vest would match his features...but that would look too "labourer." Perhaps more of a tan vest with some light gold trims? Wait, no—blue. Otto-san always wore blue. And of course, a small cravat or something similar to show that he works in a higher-class store.
With the items in hand (after Mark-san helped her reach them…), Lutz and Myne gave Otto-san his outfits.
He changed into Lutz's first. The boy had chosen a white-sleeved shirt with a vest, too, and a simple pair of pants. But he was missing any embellishments that gave that high-end touch.
Benno-san pointed that out as he scrutinized Otto-san's apparel. "It works, albeit it's a little simple." Lutz's expression was intense as he nodded; the same look she'd see on the faces of fervent students right before final exams.
Next, was Myne's.
"Why the blue?" Benno-san asked.
"He always wears it, so I figured he must like it."
"A reasonable assumption to make, but Otto-san doesn't wear it because he likes it. The blue shows his position."
Myne frowned. "What do you mean?"
Benno-san tilted an eyebrow. "Haven't you noticed that the Guildmaster and I both wear a purple robe with a red shirt underneath?"
"Oh… I guess you do. I just thought you two were more alike than you wanted to admit."
That earned a chuckle from Otto-san, but Benno-san snapped, "We are not alike!" Then he reigned himself in, clearing his throat. "No. In general, people wear colors based on their position."
"So that's why all the employees wear dark blue," Lutz mused. "I thought it was part of our uniforms."
"In part. When it comes to business, gray is worn by higher-up employees, like supervisors, while purple and red is reserved for the person in charge. Dark blue is for apprentices and lower-ranked employees like yourself. The military also uses colors to signify rank, which is why Otto wore light blue when he worked as a guard."
Otto-san straightened his collar indignantly. "It's also a complementing color."
Myne glanced down at her own vest—a dark blue, like Lutz's. "I own Workshop Myne, so shouldn't I wear purple and—oh. I shouldn't draw attention to myself..."
"Exactly," Benno-san said. "You don't want to show off your status any more than you have to. At least, not until you have personal bodyguards."
Myne gulped. The idea of needing guards sent a shiver down her spine. Not to mention, they probably came at a price. Even Benno-san didn't have any. ...That she knew of, anyways...
Benno-san had them pick out a few more outfits for his other employees, offering advice on how to choose complementing colors and explaining other nuances on culture and rank, such as how the higher up you go in status, the longer and more draping your sleeves can be, to represent how you don't have to soil your clothes since servants could do your dirty work for you. Myne considered that implicit class segregation also had a role in it, too. This world might have a Euro-centric bent to it, but historically, the Japanese also used longer-sleeved clothing to tell the rich apart from the poor. Because, of course, they were ever-loyal members of the NOBILITY ONLY CLUB.
Ugh.
But Myne would've been lying if she said she wasn't having a little bit of fun. Usually she and Lutz worked together on all their projects, but it soon became a competition between them to see who could dress their model better. Otto-san would shout pointers at them (despite Benno-san's protest that he gets back to work), and they would race to put them into action faster and better than the other. Myne had the basic techniques down for color coordination, since her previous mother had enjoyed that sort of thing. Lutz struggled a bit more, but once he learned the trick of it, his attention to detail helped him accessorize and coordinate. Myne won most of the rounds (not that she was keeping count), but by the end of it, Lutz was starting to catch up.
Still, in the end, the little victory felt nice after days spent being a kafka in bed. She let out a cackle. "Mwa ha ha ha, revel in my professional skill!"
Benno-san and Otto-san looked at her strangely, but Lutz only gave her a weary sideways glance. "You're from a family of tailors, Myne. That's nothing special."
When the store opened for business, Benno-san said they'd done enough for the day. And not a moment too soon. All the activity had tired her out. She thanked Benno-san and Otto-san for the meeting, and let Lutz set a slow pace back to their homes. As they walked, Myne made a note to herself to teach Tuuli and Mom what she'd learned about fashion.
She hummed to herself in amusement. It could be a girls' day for them!
Myne's Current Account:
7 large silver coins, from selling paper.
(S) Copper Coin: 23
(M) Copper Coin: 6
(L) Copper Coin: 0
(S) Silver Coin: 4
(L) Silver Coin: 8
(S) Gold Coin: 20
(L) Gold Coin: 4
Total: 60,210,830 Lyons