View source for Royal Hippos Part 1 - RPLOG

=Participants=
* [[Bite_PC]]
* [[Jera]]
* [[Saibh]]
* [[Selena]]
=Date=
22/3/476
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>Murmers race through the crowd, the king has just been spotted yet again, this is the third sighting today! Various figures point to and fro, but a general consensus directs attention towards the market stalls. A kodiak bear can be seen grumbling angrily at two lionesses, trying to explain that he doesn't have the money for his incoming shipment because some hippo came and demanded a tax.<br> <br>Selena paces through the stalls, shops and stands, taking a look at the odd item or curiousity, never actually seeming to buy anything. It'd seem from the assorted bottles of imported cider showing their necks from her bag that she'd already done enougb spending. Hearing the buzz about some kind of tax, the wolfess makes a line for the turmoil.<br> <br>Saibh had been out shopping, again. One would think she's actually starting to enjoy looking for new clothes to try on. Or she's just indecisive, probably the latter. Flicking her tail after some haggling, she takes a new outfit that she carefully folds and puts away into her bag before turning to head out and almost bumping into Selena. "I hate crow-uh, hi there Selena" she offers, recognizing her a second too late. "What's all the noise about?"<br> <br>Jera has been marketing his smuggled spiced wine in the marketplace, and when a commotion starts, he spies his chance to hide his evidence while he can, locking his strongbox just in case he's in trouble. "See, tax is why you smuggle." The kit fox grins, but flicks his wrist and keeps a bolt nocked in his wristbow, pulling his hood over his ears to cover most of the distinctive patterns he carries, and trying to slip past the crowd to look natural.<br> <br>Selena and Saibh draw closer to the bear and lionesses they just avoid being hit as the bear violently launches a small clay object shaped and designed to hold liquids in their general direction. Jera gets a few glances as a few folk hear him, and as he takes off a guard shouts "Hey what was all that?". He moves to grab him but groans as the fox slips into the crowd. The bear shouts "I'm NOT lying, but I can't take your wares girls. I can't, I don't have the bloody crowns. King came by and said if I don't pay up I'd have to shut down, I'm not profiting today I'm just making up for lost income. Now if you want to go and tell that sleezebag that he's wrong, be my guest, I'm not getting taken in over this." His words draw quite a few frowns and gasps, but the lionesses sigh in defeat, preparing to take their goods elsewhere. Murmers continue to race through the crowd.<br> <br>Selena pivots to face Saibh, smiling. "That makes two of us, Saibh." She comments with a smile. "Good to see you again." After hearing the outburst from the Bear, she rolls her eyes exasparatedly. "Naturally, the one time I'd like to see Rogna around..." She grumbles to the marten - having yet to notice Jera's presence.<br> <br>Saibh looks to Selena, then looks around at the crowd and leans in close to murmur something to her. Her tail flicks out, then she adds more audibly, "Since when does the king send his own out to collect taxes, I'd think most of the collectors would be.. well, non-family"<br> <br>Jera holds still until nobody seems to pay any more heed to him, catching the guard losing interest before continuing his way carefully through the crowd, darting into a bench and looking down for a moment to avoid attention before he finally ponders. "Last Resort Shopping, eh? Funny thing, the place's not too far off." With that, he starts a quick jog towards the store he thinks he remembers.<br> <br>A husky rat woman in the crowd talking to a young mantis says "Oh yeah? I've heard of that place, isn't it in the back of the market stalls?" very loudly, in a harsh ear grating voice that makes the mantis she's talking to wince for a few seconds. He puts an arm over her shoulder and says rather softly "Remember what we talked about?" before him and a huffy rat begin to bicker in a whispering tone. The guard follows Jera into the crowd, his tall form trying to spot the fox. He feels like he saw a glimpse of him for a second before he completly loses him, sighing and looking back towards the bear and lionesses, he moves to see what all that noise was about. Jera makes it through the crowd, the distance between them and the stall rapidly dwindling as time goes on.<br> <br>Selena murmers a response to the marten, keeping near her as she makes her way through the crowd. "It doesn't make sense that he'd announce a tax only to one person though. This just sounds fishy. Or like someone's naive." She comments, expression indicating she's taking a jab at the bear. "But either way, I suppose."<br> <br>Saibh looks at the crowd around her, leaning closer to Selena to listen. She ducks behind her briefly, dodging someone in the crowd and while there leans in to whisper once more. She then resumes walking along side her and says, "I.. wonder if... eh, how common are uh, hippos? I've only ever seen the one, what's his name"<br> <br>Jera is sure the guard is still on his tail and thus makes the proper precautions, slipping out of his cloak once he's out of sight to powder down the white streaks on his face, and then now that he's more able, lowers his cover a bit and starts sprinting towards that stall.<br> <br>Jera makes his way swiftly towards Last Resort Shopping, his memory serves him correct, and his speedy movement brings him to the sheltered shady looking stall without any trouble at all. A warthog looks at him with a sly grin, his teeth flashing as he says "Welcome! To Last Resort Shopping. If you're here, I guess you've looked everywhere else. So what do you need, I'll get it for you no problem." Saibh and Selena are far behind, making their way towards the stalls idly during their conversation, the crowd around them buzzing with excitement, only inturrupted by the occasional outburst of a customer or store owner.<br> <br>Selena shrugs. "Not very, I don't think. And chances are the one you met was Rogna. He was there when we met - at the quarry?" She notes.  quirking a brow. "But that's not the most important thing. I mightn't be the best with politics, but usually a tax raise has some kind of official paperwork involved as well." She notes, keeping her eyes peeled for shady individuals, hippopotami or combinations of the two.<br> <br>Saibh looks over and says, "Rogna huh, met him a few times, never got a name. Is he one of the family members or is he just a hippo?" she's scanning the crowd as well, mostly while ducking it, but she's trying<br> <br>Jera waves to the storekeeper. "Got any dragon's tongue? Potent venom. You know the apocatheries stopped stocking it before, when it was used for more idle purposes. Oh, and I hear the Good King's been around." He's not silver tongued, but at least he's trying.<br> <br>The warthog raises an eyebrow, looking Jera over. "I don't know you all that well, you been here before?" he says as he moves towards the back of the stall, watching him out of the corner of his eye as he checks his inventory. "You know how much you're looking to pay for it? People come to me when they can't get it elsewhere, I charge an additional fourteen percent on average market price." he says back to Jera before adding "I haven't seen the suc.. ah gentleman, but if I do i'll make sure to get him what he wants too." Saibh and Selena are nearing their destination, nothing out of the ordinary catches their eyes. The crowd grows distant as they move to a more secluded portion of the market.<br> <br>Selena nods, gaze travelling around the alleyways a little more idly than it was previously. "He didn't seem too bad to me. And to my knowledge, yes he is. Interesting how the only hippos I've heard of are, you know?" She comments conspiratorially. "You've changed a lot since then, too." She muses, continuing on with the marten in her idle conversation.