Hare today...

W01: Herbal Shop

Nearly hidden at the edge of town, the size of this herbal shop is little more than a flea on Dana's greater surface. It lies guarded by the town's treeline, only reached by a well-trodden goat path.

"Oy, fair winds find ye, lass." Aldean flashes a wide and easy grin at Iadoth, stepping just inside the door and nodding to Aya as well. "Business goin' well?" Spotting the line, he seems content to wait his turn, instead turning to look through some of the jars on the shelves.

Yelrona seems a trifle disheveled and out of breath as she enters the shop, as though she's been running very fast. She looks around the room, seems disappointed as she fails to see whatever it was she was looking for, then notices several familiar faces. She brushes her hair out of her face and recovers her equilibrium.

The huntress opens her mouth to say something, but finds the words sticking in her throat. Instead, Iadoth simply scowls more at the shopkeeper and swipes the silver pittance from the counter. It seems that negotiation is off the table today. She turns, and addresses Aldean. "In usual, going well with hunt-skin-sell businesses, but todaying, not complete well." She jerks a thumb rudely at the shopkeeper. "We are disputing, maybe-perhaps?"

With Ga'Ellian and Iadoth concluded at the counter, Aya steps up with her sparse selection and pays the proprietess her due. After stepping back towards those familiar, she looks to Aldean. "Have you learned any more of the demons? Maybe how they are related to the recent strangeness?"

"Aye, seen a bit o' that. Ain't rightly know, lass," Aldean says honestly, then takes his turn at the counter. He does indeed seem to be a regular here, because the girl behind the counter simply smiles and, without prompting, retrieves a pouch of what appears to be paper packets. "Aye, that'd be the one, an' m'thanks," he nods, pulling his own belt pouch out and counting out coinage. This would seem to be a routine purchase...

"Ye actually seen one?" he asks of Aya.

Yelrona regards Iadoth and the shopkeeper and decides she might be able to help out a bit. "Well, that might be fortunate for me, then," she remarks carefully. "If _that's_ all he's offering, and your furs are as high-quality as they usually are, then I know some people who would be delighted to cut the middleman out of their operations." In sildanyari, she continues: "Sadly, none of that is true. But perhaps he'll be willing to increase his offer if he thinks he has competition." <sildanyari>

She is then distracted by Aldean and Aya's conversation. "There were several in the fight at the foundry," she chimes in, "and I've seen a few of the smaller artifice-creatures around town since, if you don't mind my intruding into your conversation. I was chasing one just a few minutes ago, actually -- a remarkably quick clockwork rabbit -- but it got away from me."

"One of the demons in the city?" Aya lifts a brow lightly before rolling one shoulder. "Only in passing. I don't make a point to invite them and they don't seem to seek me out, specifically. I have encuntered several of the strange artifice fragments, but they are very ..." she nods to Yelrona. "...transient."

As 'Rona begins to speak in Sildanyari, Iadoth raises a warning hand, but it comes too late. Instead, the shopkeeper glares at 'Rona, and says in perfect sildanyari: "This middleman most certainly will not increase her offer. My offer stands, and your /friend/ has already accepted it. I have had enough of your fae-blooded antics for one day." Iadoth shakes her head sadly, and sighs.

Yelrona sighs. It seems _everyone_ speaks the Tongue around here. She shrugs.

As the discussion shifts in tone and language around him, Aldean's gaze goes for a moment to the ceiling as if for patience, and he pulls from his pouch a small lump of clay. "Aye, talk o' that be all over the college. They come from the demons ... or from sommat else?" Genuine interest colors the mobile features even as his hands begin to shape the small ball of clay in his hands.

Yelrona shrugs. "I'm not sure. When I grabbed the first one, it sure _felt_ like a demon... not in my mind, precisely, but like I was remembering being a demon. My friend grabbed one and remembered being a war golem. I've been trying to hunt others, to see what happens with them, whether there's some kind of pattern."

Iadoth interjects in the conversation. "I having heard tell that one human-female is of grabbed one, and was learnding of war-golem memories. Then human-female thing was fainted. Over at north bridge, in large city."

Yelrona smiles, just a little.

"I don't know where they came from, but it started with a demon attack in the city's junk. I assume they're related." Aya doesn't seem to hold the most detailed informaion.

"That could be very many notes between very many people," Aya points out. "I wish you good luck if you try." The small shop is now rather crowded, and her business there is concluded, so she moves to step outside.

"I am not having had seen or espieded any unusualing daemonic magick things," Iadoth says. Crystal clear, that one. "And rumouring is reliable as mul---" She puts her hand over her mouth.

The door opens and in ducks Durrankar with a little one at his side. "You know what to do, Hui." He says before the little one 'chirps' and runs it's way towards the counter. Durrankar looks at the small crowd and blinks. "Peace on your nests."

Yelrona scowls at Iadoth, having gotten enough of _that_ sort of talk from her mother to last her a lifetime, but doesn't make an issue of it. "I'm not sure if they're demonic or not," she temporizes... "I mean the big ones at the junkyard sure were, but the little ones just seem like... I don't know... self-organizing artifice. A little creepy, but... they seem harmless? Not that I'm any kind of expert."

She nods to Durrankar, and is about to return the pleasantry when she spots a glint of reflected sunlight through the open door. "Like that one!" she says excitedly, spotting the artificial rabbit she'd been chasing earlier.

Aya pauses at the door. Not only does it open before her and she risks trampling by scales, but there is also Iadoth's comment. She stops and pivots to allow the former to pass while looking to the latter. A brow arches. "What of rumors?"

GAME: Iadoth rolls Intelligence: (16)+0: 16 Iadoth wracks her brain for a word in Tradespeak that begins with the same letters. Miraculously, one arrives. "Reliabling as mulberries," she says. "Mulberries, here today, and going of tomorrow. Not reliables, like rumouring.

Acting swiftly, Iadoth grabs the bow from her baldric, nocks an arrow from the quiver and takes a pot shot at the magitech rabbit, just for kicks. GAME: Iadoth rolls Weapon12-9: (2)+11+-9: 4

Of course, at nearly 1000 ft away, there's not much chance even the keen eyes of the huntress can catch the path of the magitech /thing/. The arrow goes wild, disappearing into the long grass.

Durrankar says, "Let it be for now. Not even my spells can get to it from here." he says as he looks to find the rabbit. "Wonder why anything magitech would come this far out here?""

The artifice rabbit just _sits_ there. An overly sensitive ranger might be inclined to think it was mocking her.

Yelrona sheepishly raises a hand. "I, um... sort of chased it here, I think."

Aya's brow lowers at Iadoth's explanation, the other joining it in suspicion of the syl. The suddendraw and shot cauases her to sidestep, momentarily believing it might be directed her way. Only after glancing out and registering the view and talk of the artifice rodent does she realize the truth. "You may never catch it..." She then steps outside.

Durrankar tilts his head. "And....you haven't caught it yet." Durrankar just.....stares at Yelrona.

Yelrona shakes her head, even more sheepish. "It's _fast_." She considers chasing after it again, but she suspects it would just outrun her again. "We could maybe circle it and catch it together?"

Iadoth says, "Wondering, maybe-perhaps myself, might be to as what is happenstance when /arrow/ catching thing?" She looks almost as sheepish as 'Rona, only more embarrassed. "Circling, together? No, let it be.""

Durrankar says, "If it outran you and made it out here, It's very unlikely you'll catch it. Rabbits are meant for camoflauge and speed. The only one I can think of that could catch it is my Cihuaa, Un'eth."" Yelrona looks back and forth between the others' faces, then shrugs. "I suppose they aren't doing any harm," she admits. "At least not that I've noticed. Still... I'd feel more comfortable if _someone_ knew what they were doing here. Someone trustworthy, I mean."

Durrankar says, "More likely that an Artificer would know more about what is going on than someone that stays in the woods." It's then that the 2 year walks her way back to Durrankar....and looks to Yelrona. 'Peace on your nest, Sharpear.""

Iadoth ceases scowling, looking sheepish and feeling embarrassed, and kneels in front of the child. "Peace on your nest, little one. You should be knowing, little one, that many sil and sila are not of liking name 'Sharpear'."

Yelrona nods. "You're right, of course," she agrees. "I don't know any artificers, though, and you're right here. So I asked you first," she explains with a grin. "Father always... says... that showing up is the lion's share of success. Then again," she adds with a smirk, "he also says that no matter how many times I look for something where I'm standing, I'll never find it if it's somewhere else. His aphorisms had a way of contradicting each other in practice, I admit," she adds with a frown.

Then her face lights up at the small Sith. "And on yours, little one!" she replies, crouching down so they are at eye level, or close to it, then nods in response to Iadoth's comment. True enough.

"We have called your people 'sharpear' for many ears since we first met you. Sharpears are elves, Soft skins are human, tall ones are the giantborn, War golems are the metal ones, Oruch are green skins, The Lucht are the little ones.....and the gnomes are just nuts." then Durrankar thumps his tail. "it's the most.....'politically correct' name the entire species can give you."

'So if ya don't like the name, put your hands over your ears, and sing 'LALALALALALALALA' and loud as you can cuz they're going to call you it anyways."

And Durrankar looks at his staff. "Didn't know you were awake." 'Like you could leave me behind.'

Iadoth nods slowly, still kneeling in front of the two-year. "How is-are yours shaman ways training go, Little One?"

Durrankar hrfs a bit before Matlaihui speaks to Iadoth. "Father wants me to explore many things, such as hunting, crafting and more, but Shaman Durrankar and his Cihuaa, Shaman Un'eth teach me many things. but I also ask a lot of questions. Is that your griffon outside, Sharpear?" She then thinks. "What is your name, so I don't call you Sharpear."

"I would," Yelrona replies dryly to the staff, "but I'm afraid of cutting my hand. Do you have any idea how hard blood is to wash off of silk?" Honestly, she had been wondering when that staff would start talking. She isn't really sure whether the staff is actually intelligent - well, as intelligent as it seems, in any case - or whether it's some sort of quirky ventriloquist trick on the druid's part, but she's no more than idly curious. It's annoying, but harmless, as far as she can tell. As for the Sith's nicknames for the world's races... "But human skin is no softer than elven," she points out, a grin on her face. "So why not call humans roundears and elves softskins?

"Because it's part of the language of Ea," Iadoth explains in Sildanyari to 'Rona. 'Griffon is belonged to anothering sharpear, Little One,' she says, in Tradespeak. 'Master Ettin-slayer.' <sildanyari>

Yelrona finally loses her ongoing battle of wills with the mindless rabbitlike automaton and runs out the shop door, charging the thing. This does not speak too well of her patience, admittedly.