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>>156736“I’m referring to the threads the fabric is made out of.” She answers. “Not all fabric is the same. Some is more or less fine.”
>>156738She presses her lips together at the mention of a “burlap coat.”
“Yes, like that, Ms. Sunset.”
Several more customers come in
>>156739Amber does her best to help these new customers, either in finding what they want or being at the register.
>>156740Amber is trusted to answer some questions, but High Sewn is quick to insert herself where Amber’s answers are inadequate. The same with the register. It’s a mostly uneventful morning. Lunch time hits eventually.
>>156741Thirteen bits, which is what Amber has, would be enough for at least a morsel, but she has resolved to save ten of those to send back to her family at the earliest opportunity. Thus, for now she must go hungry.
>>156742Poor little filly…
High Sewn remains in her store, and eats a packed sandwich, while she goes over a balance sheet.
>>156743Won't be too much longer that she will be skipping meals…hopefully.
She approaches and asks a question.
"How often do prices have to get raised?" >>156744“When they need to be. This didn’t really happen very often at all before the War. Then during the war, s couple of times. After the ceasefire, it happens regularly.”
>>156746"Everything is affected, but the items most affected are those most affected by war and mobilization, whether in supply or in demand. How well do you know economics, little filly? Well..."
She looks around awkwardly, like she's giving Amber the talk on where foals come from.
"Well, when there is less of an item available, and the same number of ponies want it, then the price of that item goes up. So now in wartime, there are fewer of most goods being made, and for those goods where the same amount or more is made, there is even more demand for it because of the war. Usually, ponies would just buy fewer goods, But they are getting money from payments for war goods and soldier's wages and so forth. And that money comes from the Fascists - not that the old government didn't do this - who get it from fortunes that are seized and spent, or from forced loans from people who would not have loaned, or most of all, from issuing paper bank notes. So they are adding new money into the economy, without really taking that money out. And that money goes to buy fewer goods, and the prices go up."
>>156747It takes the little filly a minute to wrap her head around it.
"So if everypony used oats to pay for things like dresses…," she goes on, food evidently on her mind,
"and there were a lot more oats but fewer dresses, it would take more oats to buy every dress?" >>156748"Yes" She answers. "Because if you really wanted a dress, and had more oats to pay for it, you'd have to, and you'd be willing to, pay a higher amount of oats to get one of the few dresses, than if there were more dresses to buy, and fewer oats to but it with."
>>156750"The shortages will continue so long as stallions aren't in the work force, factories make things no one buys, and the shipping lanes are closed. Basically, so long as the war continues. The real problem, I think, is the paper money. That is going to continue either until ponies no longer accept it and the system collapses, or until the occupation government gets bold enough to start collecting taxes. Lots of taxes."
>>156751She frowns and her ears dip low. There is no easy solution, then.
'"I guess we just have to make do for the time being…" >>156752She pauses for a moment.
"The clothing I sell is made out of the same materials, and with a lot of the same machines, used to make uniforms, tents, sleeping bags, flags, tourniquets, and parachutes. You can even use the same shops and factories, with a little modification. Same workers, too. That's the stuff that isn't imported, which has mostly stopped during the war. Of course high end clothing is a bit of a luxury now, so many ponies do without. No. It has not been easy. But I make do."
>>156753"Not too different from the country, then. There aren't enough pegasi around to handle weather management, at least in more remote farmland, so weather can be a lot more variable. It's hard to adjust to that when farming," she says melancholically.
>>156754She nods gravely
“Just remember, this too shall pass.”
>>156756She again looks away, and sits down in the chair at the main counter.
"My grandfather told me that. When my father told me that as a reminder, he meant it about the good times. Not to get too complacent." She looks for a moment like she wants to add something, but instead takes a bite out of her sandwich.
>>156759"True, I suppose we were complacent for too long a time, though I wasn't around for those good times that much," she replies melancholically.
>>156761"I'm not letting myself be complacent now, that's for sure." She remarks, not looking at Amber.
(Amber of course has some time to do things before the afternoon shift)
>>156762What is there to do, except tidy herself up a bit? Lunch break has come to be something of a dull time for Amber.
>>156763Make conversation with High Sewn, go to the post office, ask about paychecks, walk around the city... I don't know, that's why I ask. Anyways, we can just move to Guy arriving, and then the afternoon shift.
>>156764Well, Amber was planning on going to the post office between jobs, but it occurs to her that she doesn't know its hours and it might be closed when she gets off. So she heads there to pick up an envelope, some paper and some stamps.
>>156765Amber finds a building in the town center that must not be a simple post office, but likely the lead post office of Baltimare, being a square building with stone facade, decorative roofing, and two floors. Inside, the floors are brown marble, the ceilings are high and arched, and there are numerous P.O. Boxes. There’s a break off section to buy stamps, envelops, and the like, as well as obviously send letters and packages.
.35 bits for two sets. Some of the stamps are pretty.
>>156766This is a fancy building, she thinks to herself.
How much do the pretty stamps cost?
>>156767.10 bits, though frankly, these are probably intended for sending mail to places not in the local area and are probably overkill, unless Amber is writing to somepony in Canterlot.
>>156768Just realized Sewn never expounded on why she banned coworkers dating in her store, despite it not being a foreseeable issue at allShe admires the design for a little before settling for two standard sets. How are subdivisions of bits handled?
>>156769By means of coins. The currency situation is complicated, naturally, but the Post Office accepts and pays in change Occupation Bits.
>>156770Well, that works. She thanks the clerk and returns back to her workplace.
>>156771It's an older stallion, this time, in a blue uniform. All the same, Amber should have two sets each of paper, envelopes, and stamps.
>>156772She'll be able to write back home, finally, and it didn't break the bank. Perhaps stamps are one of the few things relatively unaffected by inflation.
>>156773Though the system
is subsidized by the government, Amber could have sworn they were cheaper. In any case, Amber may have time to write at least part of her letter to back home.
>>156774Once she's back at the shop, she sets down to writing with her mouth. She isn't too bad at it.
Dear Mama & Papa,
I arrived safe and sound in Baltimare and it's such a beautiful city! I'm not sure if you would like it though, it has such hustle and bustle and creatures from all over. I've never seen so many ponies around and about since we visited Canterlot together. It's also a very old city, with grand old houses, historical buildings and factories of all sorts. Different parts of the city are their own locales, with parts by the ocean, by the river, and deep inland. You can usually know where you are just from the types of structures and creatures around you. I am renting a small apartment on the East side and it's comfortable enough.
Fortunately I managed to find two jobs right away. One involves helping a nice, older mare named High Sewn at her clothing shop, which has such a grand variety of sweaters, dresses and other clothing. Ponies of all sorts come here and it's rarely dull. My second job is at a fancy restaurant where I'm a hostess. It's big and busy enough to have four different waiters, as well as a friendly manager named Salt Trim, so I'm needed to help direct customers to tables that one of them serves. It's a terrific job and I love it, but it has me working until late hours and it's not what I'm used to.However, she runs out of time and resolves to complete it later today.
>>156775D'awww
Cutie. Little.
Patootie.
Amber's letter mixes up the names of the bartender/manager and the new waiter that's around Amber's age, and it also understates the number of waiters employed by one. But her parents won't know the difference, and if she deliberately withheld information about her coworkers to them, they wouldn't know.
Amber arrived in Baltimare six or maybe seven days ago (I haven't entirely kept count; maybe it's only been five) with little money on her, and in that time has acquired an apartment, two jobs, and furniture and other furnishings for her apartment, while acquiring no debt. It has, however, cost her a significant portion of her innocence, though admittedly much less than it could have under the circumstances.
Guy arrives perhaps ten minutes before the start of the afternoon shift.
>>156776Salt Mixer, sorry. It would help if she wasn't always a background character.
Innocence is a commodity like any other in the city of Baltimare, and some may say Amber has used hers shrewdly.
She seeks to strike up a conversation with her coworker.
"Hello Guy, how was your weekend?" she asks with a smile.
[1d2 = 2]>>156777I had to look up the name too, because I forgot it.
Amber's innocence gave her about 400 bits and a special connection to her coworker. She can probably get more mileage out of it.
Guy turns and looks to Amber, as if surprised she is talking to him. After some hesitation, he replies
"Good, I would say. Mostly uneventful."
>>156779He turns to her, and asks
“What?”
Evidently surprised by this response
>>156780She looks away a bit, and back again.
"Well, Baltimare is a lovely city, but leaving it now and again is a nice way to enjoy fresh air. I was lucky enough to have that chance on Saturday." >>156781“What did you do?” He asks
>>156784"And I went and visited a friend. That was nice." Her smile at least seems genuine now.
>>156785"Well then, you had a good weekend," He says.
>>156787He looks at her strangely
"Does this have something to do with the mare that talked to you on Friday?" He asks