420 420 Nice Stuff
“Oh, this is good stuff. All summer and fall fashion from Sylvan, Myrrh and somewhere else. All of it is enchanted for simple repairs and self-cleaning so that it can be worn indefinitely. Tell me, do you have a fashion designer in your village? This is all very stylish.” Jora asked.
“Not exactly. We traded for a number of fashion magazines from Myrrh Coven at the request of our younger generation.” Priya laughed.
The younger girls, especially the ones from the Frozen Wastes, had been extremely eager to lay eyes on the newest fashions of the Covens. The girls, especially the bunnies and the ferret clan, were quite fashionable themselves, and that had begun to spread through the village since the new workers arrived.
Wolfe was going to be in for a shock when he returned home. Forest Grove had gone from simple and militaristic to an epicentre of fashion and entertainment since all their new workers arrived. There was so much activity on the surface of the village that it wasn’t all that much different than a festival every day, other than the lack of live entertainment.
“Well, what do you all think? Can this be sold to the witches in the swamp? We tried to pick things that were practical to travel in as well as ones that were fashionable for around town.” Priya asked.
Jera nodded her head and frowned as she realized that while the items were perfect for her merchants, this was a trade deal run by the Elders, so they would have first dibs on the clothing.
That was workable, though. If they got a good deal, she could buy from them and resell them further out. The more remote villages were used to a markup for goods brought in from the cities, and they were glad to see them.
“Yes, this is all amazing. There are a few questionable fashion items, like this miniskirt and that strappy top, that I’m not sure many in the area would wear, but the rest are amazing.”
Wolfe looked at the items in question and laughed as he recognized them.
“Oh, those are REALLY popular with the younger women looking for a spouse. Mostly, the animal girls, the bunnies and the cat species like that style. If you bring some of your teen witches here or newlyweds, I can bet that they would approve of the fashion.” He told the witch, who blushed all the way to her ears.
“Perhaps for another village.” The Elder announced with a tone of finality that said those particular fashions would not be catching on in her village any time soon. There was also lingerie in the stack. The examiners just hadn’t gotten to it yet, as they were so distracted by the assortment of pants, shirts and dresses.
There was half as much for men as for women, but that was intentional on the part of the witches in Forest Grove. Menswear didn’t sell as well, as they would wear the same thing until it wore out, while those same men would gladly pay to dress their women up in something new.
“Oh my.” The lone man in the group announced, then began to fan himself dramatically as he held up a lacy little nightie.
“What are you bringing to my village?” The Elder asked suspiciously as she stared in shock at the transparent white piece of clothing.
“That’s not meant for outdoor wear. We weren’t sure if lingerie was a thing here or not, but it’s quite popular in Myrrh Coven, so we packed some with the shipment. I’m told that the self-repair and self-cleaning functions are especially valued on such delicate items.” Cassie informed her with a poorly hidden smirk.
The Elder looked scandalized, but Jora raised her hand. “If she’s not buying them, I will. I can guarantee that those will sell out in the very first village I pass, no matter how much I charge for them.”
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm The other women in the crowd nodded in agreement, especially the women from Gormana.
“Lingerie is an essential weapon in a lady’s arsenal. Many of my men have fallen prey to it in the past.” The Colonel agreed.
Priya held up a full-length nightie with short, puffy sleeves. “We also have some more traditional items, Elder. Never fear, we didn’t forget that these were the nightwear of choice for the Elder generation as they turned out a half dozen daughters each.”
The older witches snorted with laughter. There was no arguing with that. The traditional night dress might not be as scandalous as the new lingerie, but it was certainly effective at keeping the birth rate up.
“Alright. We will purchase all of it. Everything that you brought.” The Elder agreed to forestall any more arguments or the airing of nightwear in public.
“Wonderful news. In that case, we are willing to offer you ten percent off the marked prices for your volume of purchase. I believe that you should still be able to make some money off them, and the merchant seems eager to get their hands on some of the items as well.
If you can work something out so that as many Gormana or Morgana Coven-aligned villages as possible get their hands on these items, we would greatly appreciate it.” Cassie replied.
The Elder nodded. “I had discussed this with Mister Wolfe. We have a plan, and I will send back a message with one of your cargo flights when I can gather a number of leaders together.
My last concern is how often can you make this volume of goods to send to us? I know you have closer and more longstanding customers, but we will have quite the demand for them, especially the weapons, with the number of powerful monsters that have been showing up in the swamp.”
Cassie and Priya looked at each other, then put their heads together to confer. There were a limited number of Rank Two witches and even fewer who liked to go on long trips in the plane, so they could only send out so many loads of cargo all the way down here.
“How about every other week? We could also make it every ten days if you really need more gear. How many villages are you friendly with?” Priya asked.
“At least ten, and each of them will want fifty or more of those sword and bow combinations for their guards.”