Sturwinkles Toys and More

[Aesha]

A walk past market square, and a hop right of Gnorm's Trick Shop was the small establishment know as "Sturwinkle's Toys and More".

The face of the store was quite plain with a large window front and various toys on display. Red brick was laid tall as an average human's waist, and to finish the job a simple wooden square frame with yellow paint faded in the afternoon sun. The only odd thing about the building was the double doors. Not the typical double doors that one would see in the empire, but something quaintly odd. Off of the normal 7ft cedar framed door was an almost miniature sized double. It stood only a foot off the ground. The use of this said door was for the store owner Aemile Sturwinkle. He was a single gnome hoping to make a rise in the world by his love and trade of toy making.

As the store is entered colors and fragrance fill the senses with a greeting of "Aylo.. Ow are ye!" from the store's owner. The smell of wood chips, cookies, and cider tickle noses while the spinning and popping of toys astounded. Rows of dolls, poppers and whistlers where pilled on rows upon rows of shelving. Each individual shelf had a small ladder leading from the bottom all the way to the top shelf. A gnome could be seen placing a spring loaded top carefully down on a dusty wooden shelf. He scurried down the ladder and approaches each customer with a smile. "Cun I offer ye sumathin...? Efin ye need sum elp, call ol Sturwinkle..." He leaves with a wink and a grin back to work arranging his goods to attract the eyes of onlookers. There is no price list since each piece comes special to his heart.

To the immediate right is a small desk and counter full of clear jars of assorted candies, and a clearing to wheel and deal on the goods. The floor is neatly swept with toys spinning and moving all around. Brightly colored dolls are neatly arranged on the first shelves further into the store. A doll house set close is open so to show the craftsmanship of the small gnome. Further down the single row of shelves are wooden carvings of animals, boats, and small furniture for children. Set aside from the long row of dolls and figurines was a low lying large table toped by yoyos, metal tops, springloaded runners and a few assorted child sized play weapons.

Last but not least was the rack of dress up clothing and armour used to amuse children as their imagination ran wild. Behind said rack was a small door leading to the gnomes workshop where all the magic was done. A steady supply of toys of all kinds brought you back to relive, if only for a moment, your childhood dreams.

Written by George

Don't forget to timestamp your post! Lichen's Guide/The Kalendryan System/The Current Season

[Phoebe Verges]

Cycle two, Immanis, Spring of Era XI

Phoebe had spent five minutes standing outside the toyshop, her nose pressed against the window as she stared at the display of toys within. It appeared to the young half-elf to be a magical kingdom, never having had anything which could be described as a toy of her own. She borrowed toys from other children, of course, but only to be told off by Beatrice for taking them without asking – returning them had always been awkward, for they were rarely in the same condition on being handed back, as they had been when she’d first laid her small hands upon them. She was too old for toys now, she knew that much, and had since bought a selection of knives which she took great loving care of. A doll might get hurt if it lay in her leather satchel.

Yet still she stared, for it occurred to her that amongst these wonders might be what she was searching for. Standing back from the window, she frowned at the mark her nose had left on the glass and hastily rubbed at it with her sleeve before going inside. Grinning at the cheerful welcome from the gnome, Phoebe replied with a ‘serale, mate’ before browsing the toys on sale. It was a bit bewildering but great fun to explore and the dolls’ house in particular kept her attention for a fair amount of time, the small details of the house’s furnishings fascinating the half-elf. Finally though, she turned back to the gnome, hoping he’d be able to pinpoint what she was looking for amongst the chaos of toys.

“Hey, Sturwinkle,” she called up to the diminutive figure on the ladder. “Don’t suppose you sell small balls which are good for juggling? Y’know, like with leather skins stitched together, soft insides, brightly coloured? I’m a juggler but I’m having to use apples at the moment… Oh and clubs, would you have them too?”

[Phoebe Verges]

“Jugglin’ balls ‘n stuff, aye lass,” the sprightly gnome replied, nimbly coming down the stepladder. “If yer just giv’ us a moment, ah can find whut yer lookin’ fer,” he continued with an eager nod. Phoebe was thrilled. Clapping her hands together, she watched the gnome progress at a rapid pace around the shop, popping his nose into a few boxes and checking behind some dolls that were sat in a corner. It wasn’t too long before Sturwinkle was placing in front of her a range of brightly coloured balls to choose from, before he was off again in search of the clubs. You would imagine that these would be more difficult for the little man to carry about but with relative ease he started to bring forth the clubs, two at a time, tucked under his arms and dragged along the ground.

“Now then, ‘ow many are yer wantin’?” he asked, not appearing in the least out of breath from his exertions. “Tha balls are two crown each and tha clubs will be four.”

The half-elf had sat cross-legged on the floor to inspect the goods before her, picking up each ball in turn and squeezing them gently to gauge their weight and ease to grip. She remembered when she juggled with the balls that her lutran teacher had leant her during one practice session and these balls seemed to be constructed in the same way. Neat stitching held the pieces of leather together to create a sphere which fitted snugly into her small hands. The colours were bright and chosen to compliment each other and picking out six balls which appealed to her for no other reason except that they didn’t match at all as a set, she then turned her attention to the clubs. They were carved from a light wood and were painted with several colours in patterns of circles and stripes. Grasping one of them she tossed it with ease into the air so it spun twice before landing deftly in her hand again. Choosing six of these, she grinned at the gnome.

“These’ll do nicely,” she said, before reaching into her leather satchel to find the required crowns. “Hey, do you know where I can buy a bag for all of these? I don’t think I can get them in this one – well not the clubs at least…”

Sturwinkle scratched the side of his face as he considered her question before taking the thirty six crowns. “Weeell, yer can try tha market,” he suggested. “But ah can lash them clubs together fer now, if yer like, wiv’ a bit of cord?”

At Phoebe’s agreement, the clubs were put in two groups of three, each group being tied together by the neck on a long piece of cord. By hanging the cord over her shoulder, it was a makeshift way of carrying the clubs, although not very comfortable, for they would bump against her body as she walked and after a while the cord would dig into her shoulder. But then, Phoebe reflected, life was rarely perfect and it was worthwhile if it meant she had her clubs. The balls did manage to find a space in her satchel though. With her new acquisitions gathered, she left the shop for the market, with the gnome’s directions in mind.

OOC: 36 crowns deducted from coin total