"A copper short of a silver and not a copper more!"
FV:Marketplace
This is probally one of the busy areas of Ferravale during mid-day as a couple shops are here selling there wares and an area set for fruits and veggies to be sold and other goods from carts and stands.Guards wander by many times to help keep the peace and make sure laws are not broken. The area is well kept and keep clean. You can stay a while or head back to the center of town.
Exits: [J]eweler [S]hop, [F]erravale [S]pices, [P]awnshop, [F]erravale [B]rewery, [S]eamstress [S]hop, [B]lacksmith [S]hop, [C]arpenter's [S]hop, [N]orth
Nightbreath the ermine. Blisa the cat and Ferdinand the ferret, plus a couple of spoofed vendors, most notably Dakota the female former searat.
The weather is definitely cooling off, and the trees have turned their dazzling, many-hued leaf colours. The vendors in the marketplace are selling more winter-themed items, such as scarves, sweaters, and blankets. Blisa has decided that it would be a good day to shop for useful things, so she and Ferdinand are wandering around the market. The cat is dressed in a long-sleeved dark red tunic with black pants. She also has a deep green scarf wrapped around her neck. The ferret is in his regular cool-weather guard's uniform (with added white armband, denoting him as bodyguard to Blisa), but he, too, has a green scarf around his neck, aswell as a blue hat. They are right now at the cheese vendor's stall; they come here often enough that they're having a lively conversation with him.
Nightbreath is wearing his robes--does he ever NOT wear his robes?--and he walks into the market area with his hood up, drifting easily through the crowds, like a puff of smoke on the wind. He heads to Blisa's side out of curiosity.
It's mostly Ferdinand and the vendor talking, discussing the various types of cheese and how to best cook them. They both seem very knowledgeable about this subject. Blisa looks up at the Seer's face and smiles a greeting. "We were planning on just buying Basil some cheese, but then Ferdy got distracted."
"Basil likes cheese?" Nightbreath raises an eyebrow. "I assumed he eats flesh...woodpigeon or such. A cheese-eating snake...amusing."
Blisa chuckles. "He likes fish and shrimp and stuff, but he simply /adores/ cheese. I'm not sure why. It is kinda funny, isn't it?" Ferdinand and the vendor seem to have come into an agreement, and now the cheese guy is putting wheels into a box. The ferret suddenly gets an evil smile, and he gestures to a half wheel of marbled cheese. "And thome of that blue cheethe. I want to thee the look on that reptile'th face when he gets a bite of it!" The vendor grins and adds a small chunk. The cat lightly whacks her bodyguard with the back of her paw. "Oh, now that's just cruel, Ferdy!"
Nightbreath grins slightly. "I suppose it would be too obvious to ask if you've considered Basil's reaction to eating it?" As he speaks, he gazes about the marketplace. "I was supposed to buy more potatoes and a few other things..." he murmurs to himself.
"Oh, I'll give the cheese to him. He won't hurt me." Blisa waves a paw in the air as if she was shooing the problem away. The vendor calls over his delivery boy (who's a rat, in the quite literal sense) to take the box of cheese to the Chieftain's home. Ferdinand turns and greets the ermine with a smile. "Oh, good day, Thir Nightbreath. .....yeth, having Mith Blitha give the therpent the blue cheethe will be the betht courthe of action." The cat goes to hold the Seer's paw and tries to gently tug him towards one of the vegetable stalls. "I know the BEST vendor to get potatoes from. He grows them himself. They are /beyond/ good."
Nightbreath nods to Ferdinand. "Afternoon, Ferdinand. I trust the day finds you well?" After saying this, he allows himself to be lead to the stall, smiling fondly down at Blisa.
Ferdinand nods as they come up to the stall. Going to nudge the ermine, he whispers, "Lithten to thith!" Blisa smiles up at the half-blind female rat standing behind the counter, stooped and grey with age, and scarred in the way most searats and corsairs are. "Hello, Miss Dakota! I hope the day finds you well. Is Mister Clawdius around?" The old rat gives the cat a toothless grin. "Ah'm 'fraid not, dearie. 'E 'ad to go get anudder basket o' potatoes. Beasties in these 'ere parts are buyin' 'em up fast like!" The feline picks up a potato and starts to look at it.
Nightbreath listens closely at Ferdy's bidding. "Greetings," he says to the rat. "Your wares are of good quality," he adds politely.
He gazes down at Blisa briefly, impressed by her boldness towards the grizzled old beast.
Ferdinand goes to tug on the ermine's cloak, shaking his head and whispering, "Let Mith Blitha handle thith.....the'll get you a good price." It's obvious that the rat and the cat are good friends. Blisa sniffs and sets the potato back down. "All the good ones must've been bought already. These are terrible!" Dakota scowls and narrows her good eye fiercely. "Oi, young lass, these 'ere taters are the best in the land! Like yer friend said, good quality!" The young feline crosses her arms and raises her nose into the air. "I won't pay you more than a copper shy of a silver for a bushel." The rat clutches her chest in mock horror. Turning to the ermine, she exclaims, "Did ye 'ere that, messmate?! A copper short o' a silver! 'Tis 'ighway robbery, 'tis! A full silver and 3 coppers!" The cat shakes her head. "A copper short of a silver and not a copper more!"
Nightbreath nods sagely at Ferdy's words and maintains his silence, folding his arms, ironically in a similar posture to Blisa. He's interested now to see how this plays out.
Dakota waves her paws about in mock panic. "Oh, 'ere me, gennlebeasts, I'm agonna be stoled from! A silver and 2 coppers, Miss Blisa, and no less!" The cat shakes her head. "A copper less than a silver." The rat wails for a few more moments. "A silver and 1 copper??" The feline shakes her head, then brightens and says, "Tell ya what; we'll compromise and go with 1 full silver, even. Howszat?" Dakota sighs, then cackles. "Aye, yer a right 'ard bargainer, Captain Blisa, that ye are! 1 silver 'tis!" The feline happily hands over the silver. Ferdinand goes to nudge the ermine again. "Now. Athk for the thame price."
"I assume that potatoes are one silver for me as well?" Nightbreath asks aloud. "Seer's price and all that." He sounds quite reasonable and innocent.
Dakota scowls at him. "Ach, ye landlubbers will drive us outta business! Aye, fine, fine, ye pay the same as Captain Blisa, Mister Seer....although ye will 'ave to pay delivery fee if ye don't plan on carryin' the bushel, /full to the brim/ with potatoes, around with ye all day. Delivery fee is 3 coppers, plus tip to the delivery lad." Blisa smiles up at the ermine's face. "I get it for free because of Dad," she says in an almost apologetic tone.
Nightbreath returns the smile briefly. "My house isn't far. I can carry it myself if it's all the same to you." He reaches in a belt pouch and withdraws a silver...but deftly, he adds a copper to his palm as well. He slips the silver to the old rat and, when she's not looking, slides the copper to her side of the stall, on the pretext of wiping something off his sleeve.
Dakota whistles, and a scrawny male stoat comes running. "'Ere, lad, take Captain Blisa's taters to 'er 'ome, and run if ye see the snake." The young stoat nods, grabs a bushel basket of potatoes, and hurries off. He'll get a tip there. While Blisa and Ferdinand discuss the remainder of their shopping list, the old rat turns back to the ermine, thumping his bushel onto the counter. Spotting the copper, she cackles and pockets it, giving him a wink with her good eye. "I'm assumin' that it just appeared outta nowhere," she murmurs to him, then raises her voice to add, "Can I 'elp ye landlubbers with anythin' else? Oi, Captain Blisa, 'ow did Clarissa like that seaweed grog I sent 'ome for 'er?" The cat smiles. "Oh, she loved it, but Basil thought it smelled like 'rotting fire', to use his words." This seems to be amusing to the former searat, and she descends into a fit of chuckles.
"That it did," Nightbreath smiles gently to Dakota, before hoisting the heavy bushel easily, with barely an exhalation as he straightens his back to lift it off the counter. "I will be back momentarily," he says calmly, and heads off to his home to drop off the potatoes.
Blisa waves to the ermine, then she and Ferdinand go back to discussing the shopping list. Dakota listens to them and adds helpful comments, pointing to various vendors and making comments about each one.
Nightbreath returns within a few minutes, no worse for the wear for having hauled that heavy load all the way home. He strides to the Chieftain's daughter. "Where now?"
Blisa points to the closest clothing stall. "I need a new pair of mittens....my have holes....well, the one that Basil didn't eat. Bye, Miss Dakota! Have a good day!" "Good-bye, dearie! 'Ave a wunnerful day shoppin' from yer fellow landlubbers. I 'ere that there was almost a riot from panic about that eagle we saw a few weeks ago; ye might wanna check that out." The cat nods, then waves as she walks off. Ferdinand follows. Dakota smiles at the ermine and pats her coin pouch. "Thankee for that, and do make sure Captain Blisa doesn't get 'erself in trouble, now. She's a right fiesty one." And then she moves on to help another customer.
Nightbreath nods. "You're welcome," he says softly. "I'll take care of her, don't worry." He heads off to finish his shopping. It's a crisp, fall day, a bit chilly, but overall the day's been good, and there's a smile on the black-furred beast's features as he finishes the few errands remaining to him.
Thanks for reading!
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