Miomai trots up to Mariana, eyes the purple scarf and squeals excitedly like a schoolgirl. Or was that a stuck pig? She swipes the scarf in her greedy paws and wraps it around herself like a mummy. A warm, fashionable mummy.
Along comes a magistrate with a scroll in hand. Unfurling it, he reads, "Mariana Xeichai, by the Octarchal decree of 2011AY, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Hydlaa seamstress." As he reads, two guards roll up balls of yarn as big as hay bails in the Octarchy colors. "You will begin by knitting winter clothes for the citizens. The standard wage of 10 trias per day will be paid on the first and fifteenth of each month." A beggar walking by snickers at the pittance.
