Post by Ian (Menace) on Jan 24, 2020 9:23:13 GMT
Winter has set over Port Ffirst, and the usually balmy weather has decidedly grown cold and inhospitable. The normally gently lapping waves now carry angry spray to the shores, hissing as they throw themselves against the docks, spitting up at all those unfortunate enough to still work under the grey skies on the docks. Icy mist seeps into the bones and all who can afford to quickly seek shelter in the solid merchant houses of New Town, the inns and taverns, or, if for lack of a better option, the creaky earth and wooden hovels and sheds of Old Town.
Though the cold is persistent the market in town continues on as usual, its regular patrons bundled up tight and perhaps a bit more grumpy than usual. Cutting through the gloom with its vibrant colours is a particular market stall, a flower stall. Behind the stall as usual is Ranulf Bramblethorn, but today he’s also accompanied by a tall blue figure, BB. Ranulf flashes a smile at any interested person that walks by while BB is busying herself with keeping the flowers on display happy. Because of this she doesn’t quite notice her friend standing in front of the stall and looking straight at her. Mace, clothed in his usual wide, worn greatcoat, hood firmly pulled over his head against the cold, extends a hand in greeting. Whatever lingering afterpains he may have felt from his exorcism seem to have left him, as he sports a wide smile.
“BB, dearest of all my friends, it is so good to see you again!”
BB awkwardly reaches across the flowers to shake Mace’s hand.
“Hi to you too friend, especially good to see you’re looking better than last time.”
He makes a show of perusing the various flowers on offer as he continues.
“I wanted to thank you again for your help with my recent... predicament. How wonderful to meet a new friend who right away proceeds to save your life! I daresay, without your help, I would not be standing before you now as I do; truly, I would as likely be dead in a ditch somewhere!”
He laughs at his own awkward joke.
“But I am truly grateful my friend, and for that, I wanted to show you something very special. I have just returned from a trip to the Feywild, and what I brought back may… well, you should come and see it for yourself!” the Tiefling says with a smile and a wink. “You can find me in my place of business in Old Town, when you have a moment.” he says with a bow, before disappearing into the crowd. “Uh okay?” As BB realises Mace has already left she looks for the disappearing figure and shouts “See you soon!”
Eventually BB arrives at Mace’s Emporium holding a large bouquet, opens the door and ducks inside.
“Hi again, I hope I didn’t make you wait for too long.”
The shop is even smaller than it appeared from the outside, the large blue firbolg clearly being ill at ease navigating the tightly placed walkways between the shelves stacked with trinkets and pawned heirlooms. Behind the trestle table at the far end stands Mace, polishing silver spoons from what must once have been the pride of a household, only to be sold off when hard times came knocking.
“My friend! How good of you to visit me. Come, come, I have something to show you!”
From inside his cloak, he produces a small parcel neatly wrapped in cotton, and places it on the table between them, and begins to unwrap it. Inside is a lump of earth. But even in the dim light of the pawnshop, the purple color is unmistakable - This is no simple dirt.
“As I said, I have just returned from a trip to the Feywild. We searched for a Phoenix! Milo, the master smith of Daring, had a vision, a call for help, and we followed on his say-so. It was quite the adventure, finding our way through the maze of the Feywild, facing all kinds of strange creatures and visions…” He trails off for a moment, revelling in a memory, before shaking it off. BB is listening, but her eyes are firmly focused on the strange dirt being presented to her.
“We eventually found the Phoenix’ nest, and had to fight off a group of fire cultists that had come to enslave the noble beast! We succeeded, of course, and returned, but not before I scooped up this precious sample.” He smiles at BB, his obsidian black eyes sparkling, “and I thought, a gardener of your renown might have a use for this? Feywild soil can grow the most amazing blossoms, I have been told - if the right nurturing hand can tend to it.”
BB looks back at Mace, smiling slightly at the story “Wow, that sounds like one bloomin’ amazing trip, glad you got back okay. I do always like going to the Feywild, but it sounded even more bizarre than it usually is somehow.”
BB leans down close to the dirt, pinching some between her fingers, and looks back up at Mace. “And I have to say thank you for thinking of me, though a renowned gardener might be a generous statement. But you are right about this soil, Feywild flowers cannot be grown in soil from our plane of existance” BB pauses, thinking of the Fey flowers she can now finally grown, and an excited look crossed her face. “How much do you want for it? 20 gold?”
Mace strokes his goatee and chuckles.
“I did plan to give you my special friends&family discount, but that seems a bit steep. How about 250gp instead?”
BB considers, but remembers the confusing lessons on negotiating prices that Ranulf gave her. “How about 190, a bouquet, and a spider friend?” BB pulls out a spider bloom from her pocket with a hairy spider nestled inside “Her name is Clementine.”
Mace opens his mouth to protest, shuts it again and suspiciously eyes the spider.
“Uhm, how about 200gp, and you keep the spider? I fear I may already have too many of them in the rafters as it is. The mice have already disappeared, and who knows what would be next...”
BB frowns at the statement, visibly confused, but then shrugs and holds out her dirt covered hand “200 gold and a bouquet then?”.
“Done!” Mace exclaims with a toothy grin, accepts the coins and props the flowers into an elaborately carved dwarven tankard, before starting to wrap up the earth parcel again. “Oh wait, no need to wrap it up like that” BB pulls out a few assorted glass jars from her rucksack “Dirt is best transported like this you know” Moving Mace’s hands away from the parcel she begins to carefully tip the dirt into the various jars, stoppering them before placing them back into her rucksack.
“I see you know what you are about. I leave this in very capable hands, I’m sure.” Mace says, looking on with interest. “And I hope that your Feywild gardening experiments succeed! Do let me know what comes of it, will you?”
“Of course! I’m so happy you’ve taken an interest in flowers. If this works I’ll be sure to bring you as many as I can.” Now with an ecstatic grin on her face, she places a hand on Mace’s shoulder, “Hopefully you’ll enjoy this bouquet for now, and I would stay and chat more but I need to help Ranulf with the stall. It can be quite difficult for him to pack it away”. She moves carefully back through the shop, now slightly more difficult in her excitement and calls back to Mace “Hopefully I’ll see you around town? Thanks again for the dirt” And with a final flash of a grin, the door is closed to the cold air outside, and BB is gone.