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I enjoy wandering around my adopted homeland. There is so much to see and do. With it getting late in the evening, I knew there was no way I'd make it home so I decided to stop at one of the taverns in Nagnang to see about a room. As I entered the establishment I was assaulted by a loud, shrill voice filling the space. It the innkeeper, San-ten, owner/operator of the Tavern of Metal near east Nagnang. "Make sure you clean up after yourselves! I'm not your mother and I'll not have my rooms messed up! You'll pay extra if I have to deep clean your room!" She looked my way, I could see the anger and a touch of sadness in her eyes. I went to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, "What troubles you, San-ten? Having problems with the slobs hereabouts?" Her voice cracked when she answered me, "Oh Ju, I so afraid I'll lose business if I continue to tell customers to keep the rooms tidy, to not leave a mess. I hate yelling at them, but it seems to be the only way to get through to them." "I'll do an I-Ching reading for you and we'll find out together." I smiled as I assigned a number to the old, plain, coins I used. I tossed the three coins onto the table six times, noting the result of each toss. __ __ ______ Pond ______ __ __ ______ Water __ __ I smiled a small smile and looked at San-ten. "Chieh, moderation. You will lose business if you continue on the path you now walk. If you check yourself and tone down your demands, you will gain business. Mind your words, voice them gently and you will see happier and more customers." She looked at me skeptically. "Which do you want? A clean room when the unhappy customer leaves? Or one with happy customers that you have to straighten up after when they leave? Return customers or one time stays?" She nodded, "yes, I see what I need to do." She frowned, not unfriendly, "but it won't be easy." I moved to my small room and pulled out the items I had brought with me. Leather and leather cord. Using my dagger, I cut the pieces of leather into a square and a rectangle and third long enough to for three sides. I punctured the leather pieces in measured distances. Using the cord, I laced the three pieces together. Lapping the longer piece over, I positioned my dagger and poked a hole into both upper and lower leather pieces, lacing a cord through them, I tied knots on the inside and outside of each piece and tied them together to close the pouch securely. I smiled at my work and went to the small, but clean, cot in my room. Sleep came quickly. | |