Harvest Festival (9)

"Hm~? Ah, look! That's the storefront for Domus Stella, Astra! I had a feeling that the redirected traffic would do us some good..."

The Duchess pointed down the street and smiled, her features bathed in a wonderful gold that only made her hair seem more fiery and her eyes all the clearer, something that threatened to steal my breath away as I looked at her from the side, not thinking about Domus Stella whatsoever and instead drinking in her beauty.

Though, when she began to look back at me, I cast my gaze towards the location she was pointing at so that I wouldn't get caught ogling her gorgeous features, though I have a feeling she knew anyways, especially since she squeezed my hand and was grinning.

The storefront was a simplistic dark red brick face, with a large panel of glass on the left side of the storefront and the rich chocolate wooden door on the right, and painted above the window and door in elegant, flowing white letters was 'Domus Stella', with a spattering of white 'stars' that were shaped like +'s surrounding the letters.

Walking through the crowd and stopping at its entrance, we both looked up at the store while Shelur stood behind us, the Orc continuing to protect us especially now that we were outside with people.

"It's not the most stunning storefront ever, but the location is excellent and the display window is a tad larger than normal. I figured we could use barrels as stands behind the glass and do a display of the wine bottles, perhaps? And if I recall correctly, your daughter... Camara, correct? She carves and paints, no?"

"She does... Is there a wine Goddess, perhaps? Or should we just do stylistic things like bunches of grapes and flowers?"

The Duchess pursed her lips as she stared at the glass, looking at the empty area and envisioning what it could look like, before she grinned as she asked "Do you think Camara could work with both Annie and Ceci to carve and paint a larger statue then? Something life size, taken from a myth? Specifically, when Temenatra bestowed the gift of wine to us mortals? Maybe an intricate piece of Temenatra to the left - life size and painted beautifully - 'pouring' one of our bottles of wine down onto a... flat landscape, with a nice painted or glazed surface to make it look like wine? Have a bottle or two coming out of the display piece..."

I tilted my head as I stared at the glass as well, trying to figure out if that was both possible and feasible, before nodding as I answered "I think Camara would enjoy testing her skills, yes. Though, she has only worked with smaller pieces before, so I don't know how well she'd do right away. Though, if your sister and her lover are aiding her, then perhaps it'd do her some good. Learn from those with more experience."

The Duchess nodded and smiled at me, before guiding me inside, giving me a tour of the empty, yet promising interior of Domus Stella, where we could begin making some serious coin if all goes well.

Shelur remained beside the door, the Orc alternating her gaze between us and the street, keeping us safe as we continued to chat about the specifications of the interior, ranging from the color palette we wanted to use to what type of ornamentation would look good on the shelves and tables.

It got... heated as two separate ideologies clashed, with the Duchess preferring a far more elegant and formal setting whilst I suggested something more carefree and upbeat, our target markets just as different as our suggestions.

"You want to cater towards the middle class then, correct? Keep things feeling... warm and homey instead of formal?"

The Duchess was leaning against the counter, her arms crossed beneath her abundant chest and making them jiggle whenever she let out a slight huff or turned to look around, while I stood in the middle of the floor, using my body to help display the ideas I was speaking of.

"Yes, since I believe our primary audience is going to be that middle class anyways. The location of the store isn't in the richest area, but it isn't poor either, obviously. Most of the people that are walking past are your average citizens, so if we try and go for a more formal appearance, it will scare them away. They might fear they don't have the coin to purchase anything in here and instead feel like they don't belong when they step foot inside."

She frowned at that, before sighing as she glanced towards Shelur, who was looking at us both with her ever present serious expression.

"Shelur? Which do you think would do better?"

I looked towards the Orc as well, watching as she blinked twice at this sudden inclusion before she spoke, her voice once more contrasting her muscular appearance and otherwise 'barbaric' visage.

"I agree with Miss Astra, Duchess. Nobles won't visit a store themselves, and the merchants you would be catering to have their own connections. That leaves the middle and upper middle class to entice, and while an elegant store would make the wine feel like its a higher quality, Miss Astra's point is a strong one."

The Duchess let out a sigh as she looked between us, her sky blue eyes 'defeated' as she nodded her head, before staring at me in surprise as I added "That doesn't mean we can't have a section of the store dedicated to wine of a higher quality. That corner there could be where we display some of the better wines, which we would store entirely in the back for safety. It would draw interest and curiosity after seeing all of the cheaper or average wines throughout the rest of the store. Something for a special occasion, something for those with a bit more coin to spend?"

She blinked a few times, before she smiled once more as she said "That's a compromise, is it not? Aw..."

Pushing off of the counter, the Duchess approached me and grabbed my hands, smiling at me still as she caressed the back of each hand with her thumbs, all while her eyes sparkled with both mischief and something else as she added "How sweet, Astra... and a good idea~! You continue to impress me, truly."

I smiled happily beneath my veil as we stood together for a few moments more, before the Duchess glanced towards the window and said "How about something to eat? I know a good cafe that we could stop at before we head to the last two stores? Then we're free for the day."