Chapter 85 – Setting Up the Booth
It had been a long time since Jade’s last proper trip into the city. Excluding the occasion when Mr. Rich Sponsor had taken her to the clubhouse for the TRPG session – during which her mind had been entirely occupied with the game instructions and its storytelling, leaving her no capacity to observe anything else. That outing had been far outside her comfort zone.
This time, however, she had experience.
Admittedly, it was from a very different world. In her previous life, she had once attended a charity event as a cake decorator. She had seen orphanages, animal shelters, old folk homes, volunteer ambulance services, and many other organisations presenting their missions and presentations on how they intended to use donated funds. She had also witnessed how generous wealthy donors could be when they truly paid attention, millions upon millions had been pledged in a single event.
The bakery she worked for at the time had been among the contributors, donating pastries as refreshments and providing bread for the staff of various organisations to take back to those in need.
Of course, such generosity was not without return. The bakery’s name had been noted by wealthy families and corporations, leading to a number of high-end orders. Her boss had proudly showcased this on social media, further boosting the shop’s name. So Jade understood the mechanism well: the rich donor provided solid cash, and in return, the recipients enhanced the donor’s name. A win-win situation.
Jade had therefore instructed the students to mention Lord Ashborne’s name whenever customers inquired about their school and their patron. It would undoubtedly elevate his reputation, and the students gladly followed her instruction without hesitation.
Ashborne had secured them a favourable location. Their booth stood at a corner – less preeminent and somewhat removed from the stage – but anyone entering the venue would inevitably notice it after a short while. It offered dull exposure to potential donors moving through the hall.
Josh had visited beforehand to study the layout. After relaying on the floor plan, the group had planned their display days in advance. They had even rehearsed the setup, concerned it might take too long or fail to present the domus and ragged school in a favourable light.
As a result, while other booths remained in mild disarray, still struggling with their arrangement, the Domus Ragged School of Wrynfield moved with speed and precision. With near-military efficiency, they completed their setup with minimal conversion, drawing curious glances from onlookers.
Among them were the clubhouse steward, clergy from other domus, and fellow vendors with their staff.
Several hollow frames were erected and swiftly draped with large sheets of fabric, transforming them into makeshift partitions that divided the booth into sections. Trunks and boxes – clearly used to transport their goods – were covered with cloths of varying colours, turning what might have been a crude arrangement into an elegant display, sparing them the need for additional tables.
One of the students brought out oil lamps. To the observers’ confusion, they were lit and placed behind framed pieces–
Not mere pictures, but intricate works of silhouette art requiring light to reveal the delicate layers and cut designs! Though the contrast wasn’t vivid during the day, one could easily imagine how captivating this art would be in dim lighting.
At the centre of the booth stood a small arrangement: a side table and chairs, neatly dressed with embroidered cloth and matching covers. Artificial flowers, boxes of accessories, a haircomb, greeting cards, and bookmarks were arranged with care. Beside them stood a two-fold screen, roughly the size of a dressing mirror, decorated with an unfamiliar embroidery technique.
It served as a demonstration, an elegant suggestion of how their products might be used within a lady’s private room.
While the girls arranged the booth, the stronger boys carried a large trunk and a bulky item toward the stage set near the wall along the centre line of the venue. This was where the auction pieces would be displayed, under the supervision of several clubhouse servants.
The domus boys registered their school’s items with the servant holding the record book.
“A five-fold decorative screen?” The servant repeated, surprised, glancing at the large object neatly wrapped in fabric.
“Yes, a five-fold decorative screen,” Josh confirmed, then gestured as he listed the boxes items lying within the opened trunk. “A set of velvet flower hair accessories, a pair of brooches with matching earrings and necklace, a summer curtain, a large lightbox, a haircomb, and a vase of flowers.”
He handed over the list. “Here are the items, along with their titles – for registrations, if required.”
“Titles?” The servant raised a brow, but allowed the boys to carry the pieces onto the stage and arrange them on the display table as he recorded each entry.
Remembering Jade’s instruction that presentation, including naming, could enhance value, Josh cleared his throat and signalled for his class mates to unveil the items one by one in front of the registrar. He started with the smallest, ensuring the servant would take note and spread the news through his own social network.
“A brooch set, accompanied by a pair of earrings and necklace, titled: The Chasing Star.”
The design drew inspiration from The First Spark, a story from the Lumen Codex that Jade had selected for their lessons, as well as from the shooting star phenomenon she had once described to them. Wendy had originally envisioned it with stones – a fantasy of one day working with crystals or even gemstones – but Jade had stopped her from using scrap glass shards, citing both safety concerns and the difficulty of polishing them with their limited tools. Instead, under Jade’s guidance, Wendy adapted the design, using wire and white velvet flowers.
A brooch featured several small white primroses, trailing into a tassel that chased behind a brooch shaped into a cluster of star-of-Bethlehem, linked by a white beaded chain that Jade had specifically purchased for the piece. It could be fastened across a collar or between the shoulders to secure a cape. The necklace echoed the star-of-Bethlehem cluster, while the earrings took the form of single primroses. With the addition of a fresh white flower or hat, the set would suit a middle-class lady – or even one from the lower ranks of the upper class.
The clubhouse servant, along with several vendors discreetly observing from below the stage, was visibly impressed by the first piece, displayed in a box upon an emerald fabric embroidered with simple patterns.
“A haircomb, titled: The Trembling Butterfly.”
As the name suggested, the piece was decorated with a butterfly – pure white, with deep blue veins outlining its wings, making the pale colour appear even brighter by contrast. It quivered ever so slightly, and anyone familiar with jewellery would recognise the effect: a spring mechanism, highly fashionable according to the latest trends, lending movement to the piece with even the slightest motion.
Wendy had not originally intended such a mechanism; she had not even known of its existence. But the boys had salvaged a tiny spring from scrap, and Jade considered it a shame to straighten it into ordinary wire, suggesting incorporating it into the design. Thus, the comb became a decorative headpiece rather than a purely practical accessory.
One of the nearby vendors found her gaze lingering on it, already imagining how the velvety, delicate butterfly would tremble atop her hair. She made up her mind at once, that she would bid for it at the auction.
“A vase of flowers, titled: The Harmony Home.”
This name reflected its nature: a collective effort. Each girl in the project had contributed a flower – some exquisitely crafted by skilled hands, others less refined but small and decorative. Together, they formed a bouquet that achieved a certain harmony despite its imperfections.
The arrangement was placed in a vase Jade had found in the storeroom. It had likely been donated by a rich donor; it was too fine for regular use within the domus, yet not valuable enough, in the donor’s eyes, to be worth reclaiming. Brother James could not recall why it had never been sold to traders, as it was entirely intact. Jade had simply repurposed it, and the result was an elegant tabletop decoration.
“A set of velvet flower hair accessories, titled: Spring Festival.”
This piece drew inspiration from Jade’s own hairpin. Using that as a reference, Wendy expanded the concept after Jade described how multiple pins could be arranged to create a crown-like effect.
The design featured a central hair fork holding a cluster of pink cherry blossoms, flanked by two smaller forks bearing smaller clusters of pale pink apple blossoms. Several long pins completed the set, adorned with different hues of dodecatheon and violets, accented with delicate strands of snowdrops that hung in gentle arcs.
Wendy had tried the set on Jade, and it had looked striking – though that owed much to Jade’s unusual hairstyle, one Wendy had never seen on other ladies. As such, neither of them was certain how well the piece would be received at the bazaar. Still, even worn separately, the individual elements made it a worthwhile set.
“A set of summer curtains, suitable for a hot kitchen. Titled: Home Guardian.”
Those watching – hardly discreet by now, as more and more craned their necks to see each piece unveiled – felt a flicker of disappointment.
The curtain was well-made, featuring Hestian, the Orange Radiant, guardian of home and relationships, set against a white beaded design. Yet after the previous displays of intricate, ornate craftsmanship, its simplicity seemed somewhat plain by comparison – less striking, though no less tasteful.
Josh paid no mind. The curtain required a frame to be hung properly, and the other boys were already setting it in place. It made sense to present it now; the smaller items had been shown, and it was time for larger pieces.
“A shadow-art lightbox – please take care with the lamp behind it…” Josh glanced around the stage before pointing toward a corner lit by a gas lamp. “May I place it there?”
The servant nodded, curiosity evident. He had yet to understand why a “drawing” required such care.
He watched as Josh closed the trunk and stood it upright, moving it closer to the gaslamp and covered it with a dark-toned fabric, turning it into a makeshift table. Josh then carefully removed the piece from its box and, to the servant’s confusion, set a supporting slab beneath it, adjusting the box and the slab at a precise angle before positioning the artwork before the gaslight.
Then, the piece came alive.
It measured roughly three feet across and two feet high, its depth no more than two inches. Layer upon layer of papers had been meticulously cut into silhouettes – trees, branches, bushes, drifting snowflakes. Yet the central scene stood out with clarity:
A stag.
A warrior.
A still lake.
And beneath its surface, a glowing saber.
A ripple of astonished gasps spread through the hall. The servant did not need to turn; he could well imagine the expressions on the faces of the other vendors and staff. He himself was no less impressed.
Unable to resist, he asked, “What is the starting bid for this piece?”
“£3,” Josh replied. Then he paused. “Oh, I forgot to provide the starting bids for these pieces! Um, I shall inform you once we have finished arranging everything, if that is fine with you?”
“£3?” The servant raised his brows in surprise. He had expected a higher figure.
“I know, it should be lower, right?” Josh admitted with a shrug. “But it is The Stag Guide! Everyone loves the tale of the light saber saving the world. And this is a relatively new concept of art presentation, so we set it at £3… Certainly hope it won’t go unsold.”
Unlike the others, whose value was easier to justify, the lightbox had been the most difficult for Jade to price. Yes, it was beautiful, and yes, it was innovative, but in the end, it was made from scrap materials and inexpensive paper. Those who valued materials over artistry might hesitate to pay more than a few shillings. Yet Jade had been unwilling to undervalue the effort Walter and the others had poured into it.
Josh took a moment to check the placement, ensuring the lightbox was positioned safely away from the flame, and that the slab would buy everyone a few valuable seconds should the lightbox catch fire. Satisfied, he nodded.
Turning back to the servant, he asked, “Are there any required arrangements for the auction pieces? Should accessories be grouped together and larger items placed separately? Or can we place them as we like?”
“No, there are no such restrictions; just be careful not to hide the smaller pieces with larger items,” The servant replied.
Walter and Wendy were not present. They had been certified by Miss Jade as the most artistically inclined students and ideally should have been there overseeing the display; however, they were still busy farming back at the parish. Fortunately, they had prepared several layout plans in advance. Josh recalled one and gestured for the others to assist, arranging the accessories and fabrics around the lightbox to form a cohesive display.
“Alright, then everything from our school will be cornered over here,” Josh declared. He took a deep breath. “Now, the last one: our £30 piece.”
The boys carefully unwrapped the thickly covered object, revealing a folded structure. It was heavy, the scrape of it against the floor made it clear.
Then, they opened it.
A collective intake of breath swept through the hall. Eyes widened; murmurs rose.
This was indeed a piece worthy of £30, perhaps even more.