Chapter 4: Deal and Kin
Seth sighed inside. "Miss, I thought you were some clever type my age. Then you went all cheery and ruined it."
"Stay proper, stay proper!" he told himself but couldn't say out loud. Somehow, he didn't wanna spoil her happy face.
"Alright, enough, little Aria," a soft voice came from the floor above echoed. It was a lady's voice, warm but not too loud to hurt ears. Seth figured it must be some aether trick for sound. His face got serious, 'cause folks using those tricks were often mind-benders or charmers. Could be a music hall star, but he thought of danger first.
Aria slumped when she heard it. Even if she was hyping her street, it wasn't too much to seem odd. Her boss's words made her calm down some.
"Sorry, sir," she said quick, fixing herself and saying sorry to him. Her cheeks went red, and she scolded herself in her head. "I got a bad knack for misjudging folks who seem plain. First that quiet old man, now this scruffy lad. Keep at it, Aria! Keep at it!"
"It's fine. Hope your boss don't yell at you," Seth said, feeling better. The boss lady didn't seem out to get him. If she was, he had no way to fight back. He worried a bit for the pretty clerk, she might get in trouble with that voice lady.
They got back to business, and Seth had time to think over his picks.
"I'll take that empty house on the far end of Creed Lane you talked about. You said it comes with new chairs and tables. Hard to beat that, not having to run around shops. Place ain't perfect but good enough," Seth said, picking a 3,000 galvanic coin deal for a two-story house. It was close to the aether scrapyard where Creed Academy kids trained, but it had open space, more than other houses. Seth could use it for tinkering or practice.
The house even had a steam bath and a fenced garden, over two hundred square meters. It was built for academy guests but sold 'cause nobody used it, and it was near risky spots.
The aether scrapyard had tough automatons and led to wilder lands barely mapped. The house was far enough to be safe, but it spooked other buyers. From a million galvanic coins, it dropped to three thousand.
"That's the one. Nice deal," Seth thought, nodding without noticing. He didn't see Aria fidgeting like she wanted to speak up.
"You sure that's the one, sir? There's better deals out there," Aria said, sounding a bit stubborn.
"No reason to change my mind," he replied.
"That place is real dangerous around it," Aria said, pretending to look scared.
"I'll handle it, in time," Seth said, eyes shut like some wise tinker. He missed Aria's worried face.
"It's haunted," she warned, but he said, "Ain't in the papers or your talk before."
"There's bugs and rats in there. You'd scream seeing how gross it is," she said, while he shrugged lazy. "Bugs and rats are good eating now, fancy food in some circles. That's a win."
"The pictures lied, it's a wreck with leaks and wonky floors. You could trip and die mad," she said, faking sorry, but he waved it off. "I'll fix it up. Easy enough."
"You gotta pay another thousand coins for the first week after buying," Aria said, and Seth caught her game now. "Wasn't in the listing, but a thousand's fine by me."
"Oh, sorry! I read wrong, it's two thousand coins for the trial week," she said, near extortion, but he smiled, eyes shut. "Still fine."
Aria ran out of words. That house meant a lot to her, and this lad was in her way. She stared at the scruffy teen, eyes closed. Despite his muddy coat, he'd spend five thousand galvanic coins, enough to call him rich in Velgrave City.
She bit her lip, tears in her eyes, planning how to shift the deal. "Don't buy it, sir, and I'll give myself to you, heart and all," she said.
Good thing Seth was sitting, or he'd have fallen from shock.
"This girl needs to rethink her job. From selling houses, she could be some deal-breaker, if that's even a thing," he thought, seeing the bigger picture. "She's got some big tie to this house."
They locked eyes, like a contest where the first to blink lost the house. Funny to see two young folks bickering over a pricey deal.
Their stare went on for minutes, not knowing someone new showed up.
She was a fine lady with green hair and green eyes. Her tight dress showed off her curves clear as day.
The lady stood by Aria at the counter. Seth saw her first, being right across.
"Hello," he said to greet her. He guessed she was the boss lady with the aether voice from before.
"Hello, sir. I'm Esmeralda Greene, in charge here. Not the boss, mind, but the manager," she said. Locals knew her as a big name, daughter of the city's lord.
The Greene family ran things in Velgrave City.
Aria caught her mistake and went quiet, nervous as could be.
Esmeralda saw her worry and felt bad about the mess. She'd watched them for a bit, chuckling inside at their funny antics. She wasn't much older, eighteen too. In most places here, sixteen was old enough for deals and such, and eighteen was grown.
Her running the estate office was a test from her father to learn managing.
Seth noticed her and saw how Aria and Esmeralda looked alike. He hadn't caught it before, but their green hair and eyes were the same. Must be family.
"I'm in a tough spot here. They shouldn't sell a house they meant for kin," Seth thought. Their looks were too close, they probably had plans for it.
"What's this nonsense about?" he asked. At least he had a shot. There were other houses. He wasn't stuck on this one.
"Well, Aria's had her eye on that house, or it was meant for her by a deal with my father. She's worked years here, saving for it. Aria promised her kin, and she's stubborn about it," Esmeralda said. "You could say the low price now is 'cause of her begging us. She'd have got the keys next year from all her work."
"Why sell it if it's already hers?" Seth wondered. Who'd be dumb enough to do that?