Open The Market A Vixen Stocks Up

[Kinza Rainclaw]

Altogether, this place was a different kind of jungle. Bully was loaded with peril, noisy, and its markets were occasionally hot and sticky with a dash of poison. Kinza was glad it wasn’t landlocked, accustomed to the sound and smell of the sea. What fascinated her most, as much as it was disconcerting, was how many beasts were in one place and the variety of goods available. Her parents had drilled into her to keep her gilders safe and warned her of scams. There was a lot to be said for experience, but she remained wary alongside her excitement. The food smelt amazing, whether her stomach would agree on it later or not; the melting pot of cultures a delight.

She found what she was looking for, a haberdashery stall. There would doubtless be more high-end shops elsewhere, but cheap sewing supplies and fabrics would serve well enough for lower naval rankings. Items for sail repairs would surely be covered under a ship’s own budget, so Kinza sought basics for patching and making a few simple items for herself and her brother. Lorcan was off doing a little bit of his own shopping, insistent that he could survive this place without her for a short while. They would need to be independent once under the orders of a captain anyway. So long as they ain't reckless with my brother’s life.

“Twelve gilders,” said the weasel stall owner.

“Yer wot?” Kinza scoffed. “That’s robbery, that is. Lookit the weave in this, yer lucky y’ain’t been hounded off. Four gilders. Five if’n ye throw in this thread.”​

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

A vixen with crimson fur, who had been examining herself in a small mirror as she tried on a large emerald green summer bonnet, glanced up at the haggling between the stall owner and a fellow customer. Her eyes traced over the other vixen, assessing her at a glance. Was she broke, desperate for a bargain? No, if she were, she wouldn't be shopping here. A bargain hunter then, a consummate haggler, frugal with an eye for quality, no matter how she tactically disparaged the vendor's wares. True, they were hardly the height of quality, and it was only Marianna's own frugality that led her to shop here instead of at a proper store in the Trenches. It seemed the stall drew in a specific type of customer.

"She's right," Marianna confirmed, approaching with her own tentative purchase. "Really, the lack of shame in asking such a price! Good sir, really, what would your mother say if she could see you trying to swindle young vixens of their coin?" She set her own bonnet down next to the rougher vixen's purchase, stating, "I'll give you ten gilders for our combined purchases, two spools of thread included. We'll need it to patch up this shoddy edge stitching." She shot her fellow customer what she hoped would be taken as a look of solidarity. She could respect a beast trying to keep her coin in a cutthroat market.

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

Surprised by the well-to-do-looking vixen's intervention, Kinza took a moment to push down initial defensiveness. Who's she calling 'young vixen?', thought the young vixen. I can handle m'self. On the one paw, she was immediately suspicious of beasts playing nice to satisfy their own ends. On the other, she surmised it was possible the lady was the real deal. From the stories of Bully she had heard, she was sceptical. But, so long as she considered that, she'd be safe, right? Why not take advantage of their offered coin?

"Fine!" The weasel threw up her paws before sticking one out for the money. "I'll be speakin' to the hatter about his craftsmanship."

Kinza stuffed her newly acquired materials into her bag, feeling no remorse at letting a presumed richbeast throw their gilders around.

"Thank ye fer the kindness. The hat suits ye well."

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna beamed at the compliment, patting at the curls poking out just under the edge of it. "Doesn't it just? I've been told that green is my color - matches my eyes." It was one of those traits that got her compliments most often... when she was in a position to be complimented, that was. "So," the vixen continued as they walked away, tucking her coin pouch back inside her purse, "are you out here shopping for yourself, or for someone else?"

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

Kinza couldn't help but feel like a complete scruffball around this vixen. There were times she prided herself on that, but she had so very rarely met anyone of high society excepting the odd toff who was midway through a ransom on a stop-off. They hadn't had any quarrel with pirates so long as they were polite, they could trade like any other beasts. She supposed she would have to think differently in the employ of the Navy.

"Ah, mostly meself. My brother and I are enlisting, hoping ter put ourselves to use on the seas. Name's Kinza."​

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna reached across and offered her own paw as they walked. "Marianna," she returned the introduction. She left her last name off; it tended to carry a certain weight with it. "You're likely enlisting on the Golden Hide, then?" she confirmed. "She's a wonderful old ship. I'm sure you'll love your time aboard her. I'm fairly confident that I did, though it's all a bit hard to remember. I was a navy brat," she confessed, inclining her head and smiling as if she were sharing a secret with a friend. "Your accent is quite unique," she commented, adding, "I can't quite place it. If I may ask, have you recently arrived in the Imperium from abroad?"

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

The offered paw was shaken firmly and she noted the equal lack of surname sharing, not that all beasts had a surname. It seemed likely one of Marianna's standing would. Not having fully mastered the art of keeping emotions in check, Kinza's ear flicked at the mention of the Hide. She was excited to see the ship when she made berth, one that held so many stories, most of which were probably not true.

"Aye, me accent's a bit of a melting pot. I grew up on an island a-ways far east of here but the sailors spoke of it often. You say ye were on the Hide? The ocean not your calling now?"​

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna laughed at the question, her voice light and musical. "Goodness me, no. For a while it seemed like it would be my parents' calling, but they both left the navy while I was still an infant. My brother and I both grew up on land instead. What about you? Will this be your first vessel?"

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

It was then Kinza realised 'navy brat' meant born of Navybeasts rather than actually being a sailor and she internally slapped her forehead. She paused by a fruitstall and inspected an apple or two.

"It will. Proper big ship anyway and one ter crew. Travelled enough and learnt the basics from mum and da. They're fish-and-merchantfolk back home. Took us out on the waves a lot." Not strictly a lie. Engineering was a trade and Jeshal did a lot of fishing between his other trades.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna's face turned wistful. "I'm happy for you that your folks trusted you that much," she reflected. "They sound very supportive." She mulled over a pear, examining it for bruises, as she spoke. "Well, things move fast on a navy vessel; you'll probably be an officer before you can blink. Apparently my father made aide-de-camp in a heartbeat. Served all the way up to captain, while my mother was the surgeon's assistant and, later, ship's surgeon herself." She sighed a bit ruefully as she admitted, "Sometimes I wish they'd stayed in the navy. Being on land eventually destroyed their marriage. It probably would have ended eventually anyway, but... Well, one can fantasize."

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

"Ye be not hairin' off ter that politicking cesspit of murder. There be a reason your mother an' I took our leave. Ain't like the simple life out here, says I."

Yep, very supportive. Shipwise, Kinza supposed, she had been trusted. Her da was overprotective but her family was also fairly chaotic. There had been many an avoidable danger though the Rainclaws (Ironclaw/Keltoi-inclusive) thrived on thrills and adventure. It was all they had known. The Imperium had still left its mark and passed on a generation, even in attempting to live in peace. It meant that so long as their parents were involved, Kinza and Lorcan had fought their share of scraps and had their turns at bailing. Making a mistake alone was where the disapproval started.

She handed over a gilder for her chosen apple.

"That's a fair shame," she said of Marianna's memories before taking a bite of her purchase. "Sounds like it were a success story fer a while. Perhaps you'll be seeing me climbing the ranks one o' these days. If you don't mind me askin', what calling did ye settle on y'self?"​

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna's smile faltered for a moment at the question. She'd seen the common reaction to her mentioning the Furotazzis, and even to the infamous Obsidian Corporation. She decided to go with a sanitized truth. "I just work as a bookkeeper, that's all," she stated, waving her paw dismissively. "I don't know if I'd say it's a calling, just a skill at which I am very proficient. There's a lot more I'd like to do, if time permitted it: travel, read more books, maybe even write one..." Spend more time with Ivo, the thought crept into her mind and elicited a small blush she tried to conceal.

She cleared her throat, adding, "I suppose you're lucky. Even in coming to Bully Harbor, you've seen far more of the world than I have. Truth be told, aside from that infancy on the Hide that I can barely remember, I've never left Bully Harbor. What's it like where you're from? I've always imagined the rest of the world as being so exciting and exotic compared to just... here."

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

Kinza thought she noted something distracting Marianna but put it down to her dreaming of whatever book it was she planned on writing. It was early days to be getting much gossip on anyone or anything. She wasn't quite so interested in books, mainly because the selection she'd had access to growing up had been limited. Things were sure to change once she actually tried getting into something, even if it was pulpy and scandalous. Maybe that was what the cleared throat was all about. A steamy book!

"Ah! Wasn't as interestin' as it is here from my perspective. Only so much you can stand of sun and sand and coconuts and bitey little bugs. 'Tis a beautiful place, but very rudiment'ry. No towns to speak of, no other foxes either save me family and those stopping off to trade. I think this is more my kind o' jungle, truth be told."​

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna laughed lightly at the characterization of Bully Harbor as a jungle. "That is a surprisingly apt description of the city," she reflected as they walked together. "So many beasts all fighting and clawing for dominance, an entire ecosystem unto itself. Perhaps not as aesthetically pleasing, but certainly just as lively." She glanced over at Kinza, weighing her impression of the femme. She certainly must be capable, especially if she'd been accepted to the navy; their requirements had grown more stringent over the years, perhaps in reaction to the Hide's prior reputation as 'a floating madhouse'. "You know," she remarked, "in case you're ever looking to make a little extra coin on the side, the company I work for is always willing to pay for an extra set of hands on an odd job here and there. Just in case you and your brother need the coin," she clarified.

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

Satisfied she'd picked up everything she wanted for now, Kinza let her gaze stop drifting over any more stalls and she placed all of her focus on her acquaintance. Once Lorcan was done with his own shopping, they would meet up in the square and work out where to stay while they waited for their ship to come in.

"Thank ye very kindly, miss. I'll keep that in mind, though I'm not much one fer sittin' at a desk or scrawling numbers. Perhaps you'll let me know where ter find ye and we can get a couple o' rounds in sometime?"

She did not expect a vixen of this status to truly want to meet her again, although she suspected Marianna was looking for useful people. She was pretty, too, despite being a little fancier than Kinza felt comfy around. One to watch, it seemed, even if just for the pleasure of it.​

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna laughed lightly at the suggestion. "Oh, don't worry, the company does a lot of things, numbers not always required. Sometimes being able to lift a box - or even wield a blade - is enough skill to succeed. If you're interested," she suggested, "or even just want to catch up over a drink, I keep my office at the Lilting Lily. It's not far away, between the docks and the warehouse district. 'Gates, I'll buy if you want." There was something about the vixen that made her seem familiar, easy to talk to. Something tickled in the back of her brain, a sense of a maternal presence unlike the one that had raised her. Had she had any aunts that she just didn't remember? She'd thought all of her parents' siblings were dead. Maybe someone on the crew?

"This is a strange question," she asked, "but... Did you have any relatives who were on the Hide before? Back in the old days, I mean."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo was as per usual, roaming the streets. As always searching for changes and new secrets to uncover. Armed with his sketchbook and a pencil, he now walked in his usual, clean clothes with a clear pin of his occupation as a member of the town hall. The Market was better for him that way. It wasn't a place where that many members of the criminal underground operated. They had their own market after all.

By the sheer chance, as he was sketching his surroundings, he spotted a very familiar figure. The only one he ever sketched and spent many hours to perfect this one. Marianna Furotazzi. He grinned as he started navigating through the crowd. Mingling through while nimbly avoiding causing any ruckus. He wasn't great at sneaking but he was quite the acrobat.

He got close enough to be just behind her. He saw she was talking with another vixen quite casually. Mentioning her office? Marianna for being a mind far surpassing his own was sometimes a bit too reckless for his taste. But at the same time that was exactly why they came to their little... arrangement. One that he wouldn't trade for anything he could have right now in his life.

Standing there, with a muffled purr, he moved his tail to creep around hers. Readying himself for her to either freeze or yell at him. He knew already she wouldn't be truly mad and he liked being playful.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna stiffened as she felt somebeast's tail intertwine with her own. The sheer audacity of that move filled her with indignation bordering on rage. It wasn't Kinza, she could see her tail easily enough from the corner of her eye, so it had to be some stranger moving in on her. She spun, her paw moving for a slap across the beast's face-

She recognized him just in time to extend her arm out straight and turn the slap into an embrace. "Ivo!" she yelped, throwing her other arm around him as well, pulling herself close to him. A shaky laugh escaped her as the tension left her body, melting into his instead. Then she thumped his chest with her fist - not hard, but enough to make her indignation known. "Don't do that!" she rebuked. "I thought you were some creepy pervert."

She realized Kinza was watching them, and she turned to the vixen apologetically. "Kinza, this is Ivo, my..." She hesitated, trying to come up with a word for what they were. That was a conversation they certainly hadn't had yet, and now wasn't the moment for it. 'Toddfriend' felt too trite and too real at the same time; she wasn't sure if she was ready to call him that to the world yet. Their arrangement was certainly mercantile, but there was a component to it that was so deeply emotional, it scared her to address it. "...my partner," she eventually decided. It was a loose enough word to be used for the professional or the personal, which worked just fine for Marianna while she tried to sort out which of the two they were to each other. "Ivo, this is Kinza, who I hope I can call a new friend."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo grinned coyly, he would remember her words, but he would still mess with her like that. Just not as often to not make it stale. As he let go of her, he did take a moment during which he quite visibly considered her hesitation. Ivo knew where it was coming from but at the same time, he liked being called her partner. Felt genuine but also was not binding enough. He simply nodded and brushed by her to stand by her side, holding her paw in his.

"Yes, hello there, lass. All of Marianna’s friends are me pals too. Nice t'meet ya, an' sorry for bustin' in like this. Jus' couldn't help but step in ta see whatcha were talking about." He spoke confidently while offering his other paw to Kinza. After all he swore to have no secrets to Marianna. She knew it was working in two ways.

 

[Kinza Rainclaw]

Saved by the todd. Kinza had been fast trying to work out what lie to craft about her family, which would not be a necessity for much longer with how close behind an arrival her parents would reveal. Thankfully this fairly handsome if tough-looking male distracted Marianna from her line of inquiry. Aside from the embarrassing flirtations between her elders, Kinza wasn't accustomed to the behaviour of beasts close to her own age at all. 'Partner' could be in business, but she had the suspicion there was a blurry line.

"Heh," she said, tail-tip twitching in the presence of two young and fine foxes. She shook Ivo's paw firmly, reciting in her mind to stay calm. Don't let beasts take advantage, because they will! "Yer forgiven on my part, mate. We were speaking of the Navy. I'm signing up to the Hide once she makes berth."