Art of the Deal

Another thing Kalena had heard was that they sometimes liked to bargain. That might be an idea worth trying. She walked up to one of the wagons, reached in and grabbed the neck of one the green-glassed bottles. She turned it around so she could read the label. "Oh look at this!" she called up to them. "A Lowson Pinot Noir, a light and fruity red wine. I doubt it's all that good, but it's the first of its kind, so that makes it a collector's item! You little fellas like to collect things, don't you?" She held up the bottle, wagging it at them. "Lift your curse on the good Captain, and this is all yours –with his compliments," she added, glancing at Kline.

With a soft thump, Grumly landed on one of the barrels. The brownie stood about as tall as a man’s forearm. His skin was a soft ruddy red and his hair, trapped with a headband, was fire red with a silvery glitter. He stepped from heel to toe as he walked along the edge of the barrel. “So, you wish to strike a deal?” He says in a manner that might seem much more sinister if it were not coming from something sounding like a chipmunk. “A bottle of wine to end this fun, really?” He smiled and showed a series of crooked teeth all glittering with an opal like quality.

Kline looked at Kalena then the little man and he hesitated to speak. He did look like he was going to allow this little deal to take place. Clearly, the little person was getting the human’s goat, and this brought a chittering of laughter from the glittering lights around them.

“I am Glumly.” The little man said with a sweeping and formal bow. “You seem particularly sharp for a human, asking to bargain with the fair folk of the woods. Sharp and brave.” He stroked his long chin and considered her slowly as he paced across the barrel top. “Brave in some things, yet fear is like a shadowy beast for other things.” He said looking at them both.

Kline moved, and any good fighter would know he was positioning himself in a way that would be ready for a fight.

“You best watch what you say,
All those heads over there
That may be the price you
Pay.”

The words were in the soft bardic cant, though the tone was clearly malicious.

“Open the wide, let’s have a taste.” Glumly said looking at Kline.