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!"
