Promise Fair - Early Arrivals - RPLOG
Participants
Date
20/4/480
Log
It is early in the afternoon, and a ship from the west has docked in port a little while ago. While it's mostly carried cargo, it has also allowed a few beings to disembark, most notably a young, female Numbat, an older, robed rose-breasted grosbeak accompanied by a young, simply dressed vireo-boy.
The Numbat seems particularly cheery, dashing from market-stall to market-stall with her satchel, while the grosbeak seems particularly grumpy...
Amidst the many stalls of the market yet another person seems to stand out, despite being painfully average! A grey furred mouse, wearing simple clothing consisting of brown robes. Her long slender tail dragging across the ground absentmindedly as she walks from stall to stall, looking for things to pique her interest.
Tam, a tubby tanuki and a familiar face in around here, slowly makes his way down the busy streets of the market, pushing his cart. "Noodles!" he calls out with an amiable smile, "Hot noodles and dumplings! Best dumplings this side of the Aqua Magna!" He stops and puts up a large umbrella over his cart, with the words "Tanuki Express" painted on it in bright letters. "If you ain't hungry yet, one look at my food and your mouth'll water!" Delicious, savory scents waft from the cart.
Soon enough, the small numbat bumps into the mouse, apologizing profusely, before skittering on towards the the next stall that has her interest. And why wouldn't it? The stall is -stocked- with gems and other shinies. Not exactly things you find lying around everywhere, after all.
The Grosbeak soon winds up at Tam's stall, still frowning. "Pish. I'm sure we've better in Cliffside than in this sorry excuse for a city."
"Still, at least it isn't the kind of gruel they serve in this place normally. From the jadelands, is it?" he offers, placing a couple of scepters on the cart. "Half a portion for the boy. We already ate on the ship."
Vaerinthia Squeaks timidly as the Numbat bumps into her in her excitement, nearly knocking the girl over! Ears flopping, she doesn't get much time to even formulate a responce before she's taken off either. Mumbling underneath her breath. Making her way towards the food stand next!
"Couldn't say, Miss," Tam says with a smile, "Never been to Cliffside, myself. Too cold for my tastes, you know. But yeah! This is finest Jadelands coo-ee-zine! My old Dad brought his recipes over with him here to Sweetwater and I even went back to make sure I got em right!" The tubby tanuki expertly scoops up the money and serves up a hot, steamed dumpling in a little paper tray with a serving of noodles. "Help yourself to the sauces," he says amiably, nodding to the containers and little ladels at the end of the cart, "What brings you to Sweetwater, then?"
"Y'should visit, boy. See some actually cultured beings and places, instead of this drek," the Grosbeak offers, as he takes his own portion, and helps himself to a rather extravagant amount of sauce. So much for culture. "The fair, boy. To be frank, I'd much rather stayed in cliffsides, but my colleagues, y'see?" he offers, shaking his head lightly. "Pressured me into visiting. Then again, can't be that bad, if Lightfur decided to speak. 'Least that Lady of yours has some appreciation for the scholarly arts. Even if this poor excuse for a city only has a single academy. Not exactly the best place to host a fair, either, if y'ask me."
The numbat soon gravitates towards the food as well, placing a couple scepters on the cart, and holding out her hands above her head. She's not exactly tall, reaching only barely above the edge of the cart. "One please."
Vaerinthia blinks. Somehow, that speedy gonzales parody of a Numbat managed to overtake her to the food cart! Awh man! Oh well. The girl patiently awaits her turn in the line, and for the stand operator to serve the Numbat before placing her order, offering down some scepters as well. Tail flicking absentmindedly behind her. "I'd like a dumpling, please."
"Ain't exactly a scholar, myself," Tam says amiably, not rising to the bait, "Just a humble cook." He takes the little Numbat's coin and dishes up savory dumplings and noodles into a paper tray. He notices her stature and smiles, "You like any sauces on these, Miss," he asks, "'Fraid my little cart isn't exactly meant for Small Folk. I got salty, sweet and spicy."
Waiting for the little being's decision, he places a pair of dumplings on another tray and passes them to the mouse. "There you are, Miss," he says, then looks back to the Grosbeak. "Who is this Lightfur, then?" he asks with friendly interest.
"Mhm. Sweet, please. Maybe a small bit of salty mixed in?" the numbat offers, before looking up at the mouse-girl. "Oh! Sorry. I didn't mean to knock you over, miss... Or to cut in line," she offers, looking particularly apologetic.
"Who is-... Who is Lightfur!?" the scholar admits, looking particularly incredulous. "Only the best spellcrafter of his generation, boy. Revolutionized the field, I say. The fact he's even -considered- to speak here astounds me, frankly," he offers. "One of Cliffside's finest. it's a wonder he's not on the council, frankly."
Vaerinthia smiles kindly with a thankful nod as she's offered her food, taking chowing down on it sauceless. Who needs sauce anyways! Wiping her mouth quickly with her sleeve, swallowing a mouthfull of noodles. "Oh, don't worry about it! Accidents happen." Nodding down at Numbat, listening to the conversation being carried on next to her. Interesting stuff!
Knowing what he knows, Fenris, behind the smiling face of Tam can only attribute the fact that Lightfur has not taken a position on the Council to his intelligence. The Cliffside Council was hardly a place to be if one wanted to pursue interests other than constant scheming.
Outwardly the tanuki smiles and nods as he pours a bit of sauce over the Numbat's food and passes it to her. "I'm sure that the Highlady Longtail will be just tickled to have him speak then," he says, "Like I said, I'm only a cook. Don't know much about the big movers and shakers outside of Firmament, but I'm glad all the same." He turns a smile to the little bird boy, "What do you think, Kiddo? How are them dumplings?"
"S'good, sir!" the little bird offers, smiling up with a mouth full of sweetened dumpling, while the little numbat is enjoying hers all the same.
"Sure. You get to make a tidy profit with the visitors, no?" the bird offers, before shaking his head lightly. "Still wouldn't hurt 'ya to experience the culture of Cliffside, though, lad," he adds. "Though I've heard some... Stories about that Highlady of yours. She's a bit... Peculiar, I heard. Then again, this IS Sweetwater. She can't be a whole lot strangers than the rest of this place."
The Numbat smiles broadly at Vaerinthia, her own tail swishing behind her. "Doesn't mean it's okay for me not to apologize!"
Vaerinthia nods down at the broadly smiling and eagerly eating Numbat, agreeing silently while she is a bit slower with her own food. The topic at hand is afterall, interesting, and thus she listens in! Swallowing another mouthful. "True, true." Ears flopping absentmindedly as she takes a look around the stalls, wandering if she should go back to staring mindlessly at things she can't afford, or contiune to be rude and listen in on the conversation. Hm!
"Oh yes, sir," Tam says to the Grosbeak as he continues to serve other patrons, "Already have my permit to sell and everything! I even have a couple of new recipies I'm hoping to try out." The burly tanuki seems quite pleased with the praise from the smaller bird as he goes about his business of collecting coin and distributing dumplings. If the Grosbeak is angling for a fight, he has chosen far too friendly a target with his derogatory remarks about Sweetwater. "I'm sure that Cliffside is a very fine place," he says, "I'm afraid I don't expect to be doin' a lot of traveling any time soon, though." He pats the top of his cart, making a bass drum thud. "Keeping up with my little business keeps my hands plenty full! As for the Highlady? Well, maybe she's a little odd, but who's to tell? I hear that all the really smart beings come off a bit strange, yeah?"
The Grosbeak isn't exactly angling for a fight, but he'll surely find himself in a brawl at some point if he continues along this path. "Y'know any good inns around here, lad? I hear there was some construction, recently? Any of those inns look like they'll be any good?" the Grosbeak offers, before shaking his head, and placing another few scepters on the cart, perhaps for another dumpling.
The Numbat nods and smiles lightly, tails flicking behind her. "I'm just... Excited. First time I'm abroad! Going to be studying here for a while," she offers, looking up at the cart and the being manning it. "Any cheap inns around? I don't have a lot of money..."
Vaerinthia tilts her head a little, finishing up her little snack. "Here? Huh!" The mouse offers a friendly smile. Curling up her tail for a brief moment, before unfolding it again.
"Another dumpling, Sir?" Tam asks, "I have some fresh spring rolls too, if those strike your fancy." The tanuki flashes a smile between the birds and the numbat. "And here I thought the three of you were traveling together!" he says, "If you want something fancy, there's the Golden Stag or the Queen's Rest in the Academy district. I hear there's a bunch of new inns in the new district near that big fair building house Longtail built, but I don't know what's open or what's good yet," he turns his attention to the Numbat, and considers her for a moment, "If you want the cheapest places, you might check along the docks or off mange square," he says, hesitantly, "But you can get a nice room for not much more near the Church off Saints' Square. The Boar's Gambit is nice enough, and won't cost you too much. Specially if you stay for more than a few days. You can tell the barman that Amos sent you and he'll give you a discount."
"Ah! So they're -not- hosting the event at that shoddy thing y'all call an university. 'least someone has some class. Though I can't seem to figure out where it is... WHere's the spires? The tall towers?" the bird continues, showing his complete lack of knowledge about sweetwater architecture.
"No matter. I'm sure I can find it before the main event happens," he offers. "I'll see about those inns, then. Maybe there's -something- with decent lodgings.
"Right here! At the academy. An exchange-program between my home-academy in cliffside, and the academy here. To get some perspective on things," she offers, smiling broadly. "Wasn't cheap to come here, though. Thanks, mister!" she offers, her words more of a stream-of-consciousness than anything else.
Vaerinthia smiles and listens to the Numbat in earnest, even if she's just kind of rambling at this point. Adjusting her robes a little and patting some of the resident dust off, overhearing the bird-man. What a stuck up person! Shaking her head gently, causing those almost comically large ears to sway gently.
"You might check in with the Academy then, Kid," Tam says, "They have dormitories and stuff for students. Not real fancy, but pretty cheap. And clean enough if all you're looking for is a bed to sleep in." The tanuki continues to serve customers as he chats with the foreign newcomers, inserting short how-do-you-dos and exchanging a little gossip here and there. "The new building is a big dome, I hear," he says to the Grosbeak, "Very science-y and things. Haven't seen it yet, but they say it is a sight to see!"
"A... Dome? A good building's gotta have a spire or two, lad. Not a dome. Domes are a shralestan thing. Good for building stuff in the sand," the bird-man offers, before shaking his head lightly. "Much as I'd hate to admit it, the lad's probably right, miss. Any academy even slightly worth its salt offers -some- sort of lodging for its students. Though usually, they arrange things... Ahead of time," he offers, shaking his head.
"Oh. erm... They probably did. I didn't really pay attention. I was just too excited to come this way and to see everything and everyone here and..." the numbat rambles on. Certainly a chatty being.
The young bird-lad, only barely eighteen, simply catches Vaerinthia's eye, and shakes his head sympathetically... Seems someone other than the mouse thinks his employer is full of hot air, too...
Vaerinthia snickers quietly to herself as she spots the sympathetic shake of the lads head. Sucking in a little breath before exhaling with with a slight stretch of her arms behind her back. Only just now realising she's actually been standing infront of this one stand that sells food for.. Quite a respectable amount of time, really! Atleast the conversations interesting!
"Funny you should say that," Tam says, making conversation as he serves hungry beings, "Word is that the new Highlady actually grew up in Shralesta. Maybe that is where she got the idea. But if it's spires you're looking for, you might try the Church off in Saints' Square, or maybe the palace. Not likely to get a tour there, though. I've tried. Bet if the Good King got a taste of my dumplings he'd have me cooking in the Royal kitchens!" The tanuki smiles and laughs at his own joke. "I'd have to turn him down of course," he chuckles, "I like bein' my own boss."
"Right, but that's not where the fair is, lad. All I'm saying, a proper building's gotta have some spires, s'gotta have to tower over its neighbours," the bird offers, shaking his head lightly. "I'm sure," he adds at the joke, seemingly not really on board.
The numbat and the young bird, on the other hand, do offer a genuine, if modest smile to Tam, before the former turns to Vaerinthia. "Are you from here, miss? Could you show me around? Or are you just passing through?" she offers.
"Grew up in Shralesta, you say. That'd at least explain why people'd consider her odd," he offes, not really to anyone in particular.
Vaerinthia blinks as she shifts her attention down towards the Numbat, ears flopping. "Yeah I live here, but uhm.. Let's just say I don't have the -best- sense of direction and have a habbit of.. Getting lost.." She coughs awkwardly, a little emberassed about the fact, though adding further. "Though I wouldn't mind -trying-, that is."
Flora's Shralestan childhood was hardly the strangest thing about the Highlady, but Fenris/Tam was not about to pass that bit of information along. "None of my business, Sir," the tanuki says amiably, "Anything else I can do for you?" he asks, looking from one being to the next, "Dumplings? Noodles? Springrolls? Directions? Gossip? I got it all!"
"I've got all day!" the numbat offers with a smile on her lips. "And in the worst case, the spire of the academy is easily visible, no?" she offers, looking absolutely -ecstatic- at being in another country.
"I think we'll be fine for now, lad. Though I do appreciate the offer. Maybe I'll have the boy seek you out later this week, if we need anything."
Vaerinthia grins with a little smile playing on her short muzzle. "That is true! And hey, if we're lucky we might even end in the same classes!" She grins. SHifting her eyes back to Tam. "I'm good, thanks. And sorry for the inconvenience!"
Tam gives a little wave to the departing beings and smiles. "No trouble at all!" he says, "Always happy to help. Especially for a customer. Come back in the next day or two. I got big plans for a new recipe I want to try out. You might all like it!"
A smile on the numbat's muzzle, as she tugs on Vaerinthia's paw, "Lets go! Any places you'd want to show first? Oh! I'm Nina! And maybe we'll share some classes, yes. What magic are you studying?" she offers, as she practically drags the poor mouse off to, well, whereever in the city, really.
The rose-crested grosbeak soon disappears as well, his aide disappearing with him...
Vaerinthia blinks in surprise as she's suddenly dragged off by the smaller numbat! Shaking her head, and regaining her composure as she follows along the energetic girl, responding while the pair slinks further and further away into the distance. "I'm Vaerinthia! And I'm studying air magic! and maybe we should go over here first, check out lodgings."
Tam watches the various beings go, but not for long, since he still has food to sell to hungry beings in the marketplace! He makes a mental note to learn what he can about all the incoming foreigners coming to attend Flora's Promise Fair.
