Minerva's Delivery Service [Job]

Delivering The Goods:

“Of course!” She nodded gently to the portly merchant. “I’ll have them delivered as quickly as I can.” She smiles, offering the woman a salute before she takes the crate from the back of the table.

Delivering books to one of the many literature vendors could hardly have been a chore for a self-proclaimed scholar such as Minerva, but her demeanor wouldn't show it. The stacks of weathered pages within the crate were one of her favorite things to see. To her, the damage wasn’t a sign that the book was old, but that the book was loved.

The oak crate’s edges bit into her arms slightly, making her grateful the journey was only a short one as she rounded the corner into the bazaar. She descended the steps from the merchant’s house, her feet gently landing against the ground as she heard the door shut behind her. She briefly wondered whether or not the merchant had taken the time to invest in a strong lock, but dismissed the thought, instead simply reminding herself that it wasn't her concern.

The scent was what hit her first. No matter where you were in the bazaar, the smell of spiced meat, boiling broth, and fresh produce drowned her senses. By no means was she opposed to this. In fact, she had become accustomed to the various scents and had begun to entertain herself by guessing what was the closest. Judging by the abundance of spice that greeted her, she assumed she was near a meat pit of some kind.

Her mind only wandered briefly, accommodating the distraction just enough to sate her curiosity before she resumed her task. Most people saw the bazaar as a hopeless maze of stalls and booths, but with a bit of concentration, Minerva pulled up a rough map of the bazaar. She knew the area she was in, and plenty of the stalls surrounding it, but the shops numbered enough to leave her with some exploring to do when the task was done.

She quickens her pace, a spring in her step accompanying the light jog she had broken into. She took another deep breath, the perfumed air swelling in her lungs causing her mouth to water a bit. She passes a smile to several of the vendors that greet her, but doesn’t stop for a discussion.

She spies the shop out of the corner of her eye, her face breaking into a grin as she sees the stacks of old books heaped onto the rug that comprised the selling floor. She pushes aside the deep maroon outer curtain, her voice sweetly chiming into the stall. “Good afternoon,” she calls into the shop. “Is there anyone here?”

Her eyes try to scan into the tent behind, finding no leverage in the darkened confines until a weathered, wrinkled hand pushes the curtain aside, and an old man drew himself out of the tent, his cane gnarled and bent just like his back.

Word Count [494/500]

He seemed to stoop as he shuffled himself forward, yet something about the man that emerged betrayed a vitality about him. It was a mystery to her.

“Welcome, chi-ah..the delivery is here…” His voice was like the bark of a tree, rough and yet somehow frail. “Please, set the crate down child...If it is not too much of an issue, may I ask you to unload them as well?...” His hand raised, pointing to what appeared as the only empty spot on the carpet, “That would be most kind of you…”

She set the oak cube down beside the carpet, her slim fingers, gently lifting the dried, cracked covers and spines of the tomes. she set each one down with care, making sure to stack them in a logical manner, appropriate on subject and level. While the stacks were short, they easily covered.

“Such care...It has been years since I have seen a child treat a book with such respect…” The old man shuffles his scarf around, his piercing grey eyes finally making contact with the soft, amethyst irises that belonged to Minerva.

“Tell me child...What may I call you.?...”

Her voice is tentative, but the gaze made her feel as though he already knew so much more about herself than she had believed. “Minerva. What may I call you?”

“My name, dear child, is Biblos...” The wrinkles crows feet that spread from his eyes reveal that his scarf-hidden smile to the young maiden. “Perhaps you would care to peruse my wares?...I’m sure someone who cares as much about books as yourself wouldn’t mind a good read and a nice cup of tea?...” He motions to the pot of hot water he had left out. “And an extra thanks for unloading those books is in order…” His hand steers itself to a ladle, gently spooning the heated water into two cups, amber with the ambrosia of mint and local greens.

Her hands gently wrap around the base of the cup, letting the sweet, warm liquid wash down her throat. She sat near the old man, his rattled frame easing itself into a chair as Minerva opened a tome full of mythological tales of fame and glory. She’d always had an attraction to such stories, and the book was just a natural choice for her.

“tell me, Minerva...Is that book in your library?...”

Word Count [890/500]

“I..I don’t have a library, Biblos…” She glances up at the man. “I’ve been working to make a decent living with odd jobs here and there, but perhaps one day when I come to own my own home I will.”

“Then Minerva...Take that book as a gift...Consider it the start of your personal library...?” The old man stretched his arm out, gently tapping her hand. “That book has taught me many legends of old...and I am certain it will serve...to slake those scholarly eyes for a time...”

Minerva’s smile was radiant as she left the shop, the old, decaying tome tucked gently under her arm. The smell of spiced meat hit her once more, and this time, she let her stomach do the navigating.

Word Count [1082/500]

Minerva could hardly quell her excitement. She devoured page after page of the book through her lunch, the wrinkled skin of it's cover fitting snugly into her palms. Page after page of the aged tome granted her tales she had never seen before, and before she knew it, the tales of young men journeying into the depths of caverns and slaying mythical beasts had carried her through the hours well past her initial time. When her head finally rose from the pages, it was dark. She slammed the book closed, slipping it into her satchel as she ran back to the old man's shop, the constant thump of her sandals nearly drowning out the curse she mutters under her breath.

Minerva bursts through the curtains to Biblos' shop, secretly thankful he isn't around to distract her any longer and scoops up the remaining deliveries in the crate and makes her way deeper into the bazaar with a hurried step. Each hit of her feet on the ground brought her a slight comfort, assuring her that if she kept her current pace, the other four deliveries would be completed by the time the moon rose.

Her second delivery brought her to a tent of a young Heliohaptan caligrapher, his face instantly blooming into a smile. "Thank you, madam! I was nearly out of paper and was getting worried. You're arrival was timely."

She sets the crate down, unloading the several reams of paper she had been tasked with bringing him. "It's nothing. I apologize for not being here sooner. Life provided some distractions." Her cheeks flush with a moderate embarrassment.

"Nonsense," the young man claims. "You've arrived just when I needed you. Unfortunately, I cannot talk long, orders to complete." He nods to her with a regretful look before taking his seat at the table and beginning to write. Minerva scoops up the cart, jogging out of the nearly palatial booth and making her way towards the next destination.

Word Count [1410/500]

Her third and fourth deliveries brought her back to the very place she had just left. The flooding smell of spices assaulted her once more as she places her crate on the counter. The two men instantly were beside her, each one grabbing their slotted spice jars from the crate. The man roasting a whole boar beamed at her, offering her a seat. "Give me a second, little miss. I'll get ya a snack for yer troubles." He disappears behind what seems to be a wall of spiced steam.

The man re-emerges with two kebabs and a cup of something. He wedges the cup in between a few lemons at the bottom of her crate, giving a hearty chuckle. "The fruit vendor is three stalls over. Just bring the cup back once you're finished."

"Of course!" She nods vigorously, trotting off to deliver the last of the items to it's destination.The kebab was delicious, a blend of sage, rosemary, some form of curry, and some other spice which she couldn't place. The flavor coated her tongue as she swallowed, eliciting a smile from the young girl. She quickly downs the two kebabs and moves on to the tea, letting the warm, homey cinnamon flavor.

The fruit vendor was strangely absent, but she knows where the order goes, stacking the lemons where he had her place them the last time she was here, and leaving the receipt of delivery on his door. She places a few Huang on his stall, grabbing an apple before delivering the cup back to the cooks.

It was a short journey to the home she was staying at, and all the while her mind raced with the thoughts of being able to finally sit down and devour as much of this book as she possibly could.

Minerva was a happy girl indeed.

Word count [1717/500]