Looking for Trade [Dead]

[waxworks]

High in the craggy mountains was snuggled the chromatic village of Rainbow Falls. A virtual plateau made accessible through railway and carved paths, it was renown for not only its spectacular multicolored rapids that poured through the lands, but for its yearly Traders' Exchange as well. Ponies and other creatures from all across Equestria would descend upon the sleepy little village in droves to trade with one another, a variety of products and services from all trots of life.

Most ponies would either arrive fashionably via the train or one of the magnificent airships, but one particular pair was trudging along through the winding paths up through the plateaus, dragging a small cart behind them.

Riddle Bits, pulling the small cart loaded with supplies, eyed one of the airships with some longing. The basil colored unicorn had only ever dreamed of visiting the Trader's Exchange, being a merchant herself it was a major event to undertake, a proving grounds of sorts, and the sort of thing you didn't enter into lightly.

Her traveling companion, a blazing red cow in a glittering mask, was of the opposite viewpoint on this. It was to be a fun-filled day of haggling and maybe getting something nice out of the day. Mezcal eyed her friend and gave her a nudge as they approached Rainbow Falls.

"Iy, ponita, my turn with the wagon, eh?"

"Thank you, but I do not wish to impose, Mezcal." Said the unicorn.

"Feh, impose, it's good exercise! Give!" The cow wasn't taking no for an answer as she neatly lifted the harness off of her friend, butted her aside, and took it up herself.

Riddle fixed her friend with a look as she shook out her shoulders. They could hear the clamor from the village now, in minutes they'd be in the exchange proper and ready to do some business. A gnawing worry nibbled at Riddle's ears.

"Mezcal, I have a favor to ask."

"Si?"

"If I seem to... well, I have plans of what I'd like to accomplish. I mean to get some gain out of this journey..."

"Eh? Didn't I once read chu couldn't get more out of a trade than what chu put into it?"

"Ah, different things are worth different amounts to different ponies. It's knowing what's worth what to who that marks a true merchant."

"Ah, I see. So what's this favor chu want?"

"If I should... appear to be not making wise decisions..." A cloud floated over Mezcal's face at Riddle's words.

"I am... not the best judge of-"

"No no, it's fine. If I can't explain to you who I'd sell it too and how much, that means... that means I'm trying to buy it for myself and I should not be doing that here. If you catch me doing that, just wrestle me to the ground."

Mezcal grinned, "is that an invitation, ardilla?"

Riddle's eyebrows rose and she blushed slightly, "er, no no, just something to keep in mind."

"Can do! Now let's get trading!"

(( OOC: For anyone who wants to join in, jump right in! You can be a tourist, looking to barter something off of Riddle, or someone with a stand trying to trade their wares! Currently Riddle's cart contains a number of the things from her Bazaar, but I'll make note of what else she winds up with during this RP. ))

[Boondock Panther]

Blue sighed, enjoying the sway of the warm breeze as he marched over hill number... he didn't know. He'd probably lost track hours ago. Yet, a new development made him gasp: beyond aforesaid hill was a steep decline, dipping down into an expansive valley floor below. The trail he and his wagon were on made a wide curve around a glassy lake in the center, and disappeared between the feet of tall, thin mountains.

"It's beauti--" he was cut off by his balance shuddering. His breath caught and he glanced down. His hooves were slowly skidding across the dirt, his knees locked against the weight of the lumber-filled wagon behind him. His face scrunched up and his ears fell back, the iron ring he'd failed to replace digging into his sides like a dual-edged spade. He backpedaled, succeeding in only halting the wagon from progressing further down the hill. But he couldn't make it retreat. He strained, and only after his vision began to darken did he realize he was holding his breath. The loss of oxygen made his knees go weak as the wagon creaked forward and threatened to drag him through the dirt.

"I gotcha!" a thump! and hooffalls reached his ears.
"I'm fine!" he strained, releasing a huff of air.
That was all the weakness the cart needed to overpower him.
The harness ground into his shoulder blades and he lost his footing entirely. Though he didn't tumble down the hill amongst 20-pound logs likely to knock him out, at best. Instead he instincively caught himself, the wagon suddenly half the weight it used to be. He took another breath and dug his hooves in, slowly bringing the lumber wagon back to the crest of the hill and releasing himself from the ring around his torso.
 
He dragged himself into the soft grass and laid there for a second, trying to ignore the pain in his body before another sound came to him. Cracking. His head leaped up, and the source, of course, was the wagon.

That thing never fails to be a pain.

Before he could respond, the arms of the wagon snapped off against the weight and his entire load tumbled down the hill. He scrambled to his hooves and watched it race off of the road, inevitably disappearing within the reflective surface of the lake below. He stood there for several seconds, dwelling on how his good day had gone horribly bad. Again. Before his gray thoughts were disturbed.

"You needed a new wagon anyway," said the voice behind him.

He slowly turned, and saw a pegasus mare about his age. A brown bandana was tied across her left bicep, and a brown braid ran down her left shoulder from a mussed brown mane that hung in her eyes. Her pelt was a creamy yellowish color, and her tail, long and thin, was as messy as her mane. Emblazoned across her flank was a black ribbon snaking around the stem of a white flower. A pair of earrings occupied the upper half of her left ear, and she was currently watching him apologetically with chestnut eyes. A smaller wagon stood by her side, loaded down with dark wooden chests. He watched her for a second longer and nodded.

"You're right. It was a piece of work."

"Are you still going to the Exchange?" she asked, nodding to the mountains. Blue snorted.

"I'm practically there. Might as well."

She nodded again, hooked herself up to her wagon's hitch, and maneuvered it off to the side.

"What're you doing?"

She flashed him a grin.

"I figure you'd know, loggerboy. You're supposed to go down hills backwards."

She backed up to the crest of the hill and let the trail slowly move past her hooves. She made it look easy. He blinked, and hurried to catch up.

~~~

"So what's your name?" she asked.

Blue was ahead of her, and hesitated to answer as they walked along the foot of one of the mountains. He had salvaged his bag of bits from the wagon wreckage and put them in her cart for travel, and he didn't seem quite so crestfallen anymore.

"Ocean Bl--"

His expression made her stop.

"What?"

His mouth hung agape, and his eyes threatened to pop out of his head.

"What is it?"

When he still failed to answer, she came up behind him and gasped.

"Dear Celestia..."

A swarm of ponies, griffons, cows, and even some dragons walked along this path, curving in a zig-zagging pattern up the cliffside of Rainbow Falls. Some pegasi and dragons decided that the climb was a waste of time, and got assistance from a friend to help them fly their wagons to the top. Immediately the question arose in Blue's mind.

"Fly or climb?"

"Lighter cart, lighter merchandise, stronger ponies... definitely fly," she quickly replied.

She released the clasp around her barrel and stretched out her wings, getting under the arms of the wagon as Blue did the same with the other end. On three, the two of them slowly gained altitude, clearing the edge of the chasm in just a couple of minutes. They set the cart down next to the entrance to rest. The two of them sat panting side-by-side, leaned against her cart for a few seconds before she tried again.

"What's your name?"

"Ocean Blue. You?"

"Jasmine Lace. Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hoof to bump.

[Sunshine Swirl]

"ATTENTION PASSENGERS," the magically amplified stallion's voice echoed in the airship cabin. The sound startled Sunshine Swirl awake. The voice continued, "Out the starboard side you can see the majestic prismatic falls cascading down in to the small town of Rainbow Falls."

Sunshine Swirl poked Esmeralda with a hoof. "Esme, wake up. We're here already."

"We are? Let's go up on deck so we can get a good look!" The older unicorn mare leapt up, and trotted like a filly towards the upper deck stairway. She paused at the steps and beckoned to me with a hoof. "Come on dear, you'll miss it!"

"Um, that's okay. I'm going to check the trunk and get ready to disembark," Sunshine said. In truth, Sunshine Swirl was not about to go up on deck. Unicorns were not meant to fly, and although Esmeralda might be able to patch her up with some healing spell or potion, Sunshine was not going to take any chances. She pondered. It was her very first trip out to Rainbow Falls though... Shaking her head, she decided to see what she could through the small porthole by her seat. It was magnificent, even through the tiny window.

The smooth talking stallion, perhaps the captain himself, continued the announcement. "For passengers attending this year's annual Trader Exchange, we will be landing shortly. Please check that you have your return tickets and luggage claim tags."

Once the giant fish-shaped Canterlot airship made its landing, Sunshine and Esmeralda reunited on the disembarkation ramp. Travelers from all over Equestria already filled the fairgrounds.

"Ah, this reminds me of my adventuring days traveling across Equestria!" Esmeralda exclaimed. "To be young again."

Sunshine tied her blue giant swan hat securely under her chin, she didn't want to risk this one flying off like the last one did.  "Thanks again for coming with me, Esme. When I found out I was picked to do the Academy's book trade this year, I had no idea how I was going to manage it on my own.  I can't even lift the trunk of books by myself. Oh, speaking of, there it is now."



A platform with various trunks, boxes, piles of suitcases, and even a small wagon was lowered to the ground from the rear compartment of the airship. Sunshine Swirl trotted over to the platform and levitated her baggage claim ticket. The baggage handler checked her ticket, nodded, and gestured to a large trunk. On cue, Esmeralda joined her, and the two unicorn mares jointly levitated the trunk off the platform carrying it a few dozen feet away until it was clear of the airship. They caught their breath while the airship crew readied the craft for departure.

"Well, thank you again for thinking of me dear, and for the airship ticket. I have been wanting to attend the Trader Exchange again." Esmeralda said.

Sunshine nodded, "I did need an assistant, and besides, both of our tickets were paid for by the Canterlot Academy of Magic, so it was really no bother. Now that we're here, I have no idea what to do next. The Academy said they rented a booth for the day for me. I suppose we need to find it."

Sunshine Swirl adjusted her hat to block the morning sun and looked around. There were all sorts of ponies from all over Equestria here, as well as griffons, and even a dragon or two. She paused as a bright green unicorn filly talking with a red cow passed by. Sights you don't see often in Canterlot she thought.

Esmeralda looked through her saddlebag, making sure she didn't leave anything behind. "I'll help you find one of the staff members and get settled, then I need to track down Storm Scout and get to trading. I hope you won't mind me abandoning you?"

Sunshine replied, "Oh, it's no problem. After I get the trunk to the booth I'll be fine. You sure brought a lot with you today. Do you mind if I ask what you're trading? Bells, books, and candles maybe?"

Esmeralda laughed. "No no dearie. I can sell those things at the shop. The items I brought with me today are quite special and unique. Things you can only find in the back streets of Canterlot when you're an old shop keeper like myself."

(( OOC: Sunshine Swirl has a trunk full of magic texts from the Canterlot Academy of Magic. She's looking to trade for other magic books and scrolls - especially anything old, or from the Crystal Empire or other distant lands. Esmeralda has a variety of minor magical items like a rabbit's foot, a mirror, a broach, an amulet, a sea serpent scale, a dozen strange potions, and the dimly glowing heart-stone of a Timberwolf (just add sticks). PM me and we can maybe make up an item or potion and backstory. See Esmeralda's App for item details))

[waxworks]

The chili-pepper red cow and the basil green unicorn finally crested the path they'd been traveling along and beheld the stunning throngs of creatures of every sort intermingling through the streets, marketplaces, squares and fields of Rainbow Falls. Ponies had set up booths, stalls, tents, and Riddle noticed with some nostalgia that some rather Spartan traders had only a single spread blanket used to show off their goods. An interesting habit in Rainbow Falls was the open house approach, as eager residents would rent out space inside their own houses for ponies to display goods, leading to crazy winding paths that would go up stairs, out across rooftops, down ladders, and in this same spirit even a few of the moored airships having disembarked their passengers were now converting their space for more booths and stalls to be opened upon their decks.

Riddle stared at these stalls on airships longingly, making a note to proceed there later. Later. Once she'd made some profitable trades. Her thoughts were disrupted my a blazing red hoof poking her shoulder several dozen times in rapid succession.

"IY PONITA! Chu see that?!"

"Yes, it's very impressive."

"Eh?" Mezcal wrestled her friend's head into looking back down the path rather than at the floatilla moored to the city. "No no, down there! See?"

"I see... logs in the lake."

"SI! Ah, well, up until a minute ago that was somepony's wagon."

"Oh my," said Riddle, her ears drooping somewhat, "that's terrible. Dragging lumber all this way only to lose it just before reaching the exchange. Can you see who lost it?"

"Sorry ponita, I only saw the cart, not who was pulling it."

Riddle sighed softly. This sort of public misfortune was a dreadful thing, and she quietly hoped the gathered ponies would be generous with the creature who had lost their lumber. Of course, she reasoned that even wet lumber could still have a use once properly dried, perhaps it could be promoted as 'preserved in a lake' similar to pickles in a jar. As she pondered this point they wove their way through a group of ponies embarking from one of the magnificent airships. She was momentarily distracted by a pair of stunning elaborate hats adorning two ponies discussing trading magical goods, and she made a note to look for these hats later once she'd had a proper look around.

"So, chu putting up a tent, ardilla?" Said the cow, cheerfully tromping along, the weight of the cart not seeming to put any strain on her back.

"No," said Riddle, swaying her long, bushy tail back and forth, "I prefer to move about today, and see if I can trade some oil, or perhaps some of the inventions and potions I brought along. The more places we can stop at, the more we can see."

"Mmm, so the chu're just planning on dragging your wagon around?"

"OH! I'm sorry, you can let me pull it now."

"Heh, no worries ponita, I've got this. Good exercise."

[Storm Scout]

Train... UGH. TRAIN. Slow. Storm Scout could probably fly faster than this thing. But flying the whole way straight to Rainbow Falls with a saddlebag would probably be a bit tiring. And he'd need to be fully or at least mostly concious when he got there. "Hm hmm hm... trot outside and hmm hmm hmm, somethin' in the air today..." Um. Few strange looks there. Stop singing to yourself, Storm.

First Canterlot, and now the Trader Exchange... this wasn't all particularly characteristic of Storm Scout, but hey, trying new things, eh? He might find that he liked compulsive bartering. Not that he had brought much of his own to trade, no, he had rather had to travel light; he was not a stallion of many possessions at this time. He was just bringing a saddlebag of some very practical things, for example a small rolled-up tent, water filter, pots and pans, etcetera. He had seen a bit of travelling, hence the travelling gear. He figured somepony might want some of this stuff.

He was less here for the trading and more here for Esmeralda. She was his employer now, and she had asked him to be around when she was making her trades. So it was his JOB - he had a JOB now. That said, it was also sort of just helping out a friend really. No sword, she had said. So no sword he had brought.

Whew, that was... an airship. It was... big. It also must've meant that the train was near the falls. And sure enough, it was soon stopping and letting Storm out of its blasted confines. He walked out, stretched his legs, made a little distance from the station, stretched his wings, and took off.

Now, actually finding Esme or Sunshine was probably going to be the hardest part. He needed to keep a sharp eye out for ponies matching the colours of his unicorn friends and oh Celestia those hats were very big. No mistake, their hats, coats, manes, it was them. He descended using an occasional fold of the wings, and before his descent became too hasty in this controlled fall dumped his speed with one last great wing flap, making the landing softly a few paces from Sunshine Swirl and Esmeralda. "Hey guys... am I late?"

[Boondock Panther]

"Ugh, geez, what're you sighing about all the time?" Jasmine asked from under her half-pitched tent.

The first three corners of the frame were up and the cloth on top was affixed well, but she was having trouble keeping all four from collapsing. Blue had offered to help, but she shrugged him off. She seemed to do that a lot. He ran a hoof through his hair and fell back on his haunches.

"I might not have enough money to get back home. I came here expecting to leave with more, not less."

A roar of frustration nearly cut him off as the poles fell around her again, leaving her figure cloaked under the tarp. After a second, she nosed herself out from under the fallen tent and planted her flanks on the ground.

"You could get a cut out of what I earn. The only ponies I have to provide for are me, myself and I."

Blue's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "You live alone?"

"I can hardly see how that's a higher priority than my offer."

He blinked. "No, no no! I- I mean, what do you do?"

She chortled. "You mean to tell me it isn't obvious? I own a light wagon, more of a cart really, I keep my wares in tightly sealed trunks and I use a heavy leather tent."

Looking around him, he only now noticed these details. Aside from the lightweight cart, as he had to carry it over the edge of the chasm. Normally he would've picked up on them a long time ago.

Odd. Where's my attention been?

Turning back to her, he shrugged. "Jeweler?"

She shook her head and nodded to her cart, off to the side between them. "Tailor." He stifled a laugh, which brought her attention back to him. "What?"

"Dresses? Really?" Her face scrunched up and she punched him in the shoulder.

"Casual winter wear, actually." She shook her head, as if attempting to stir some halted train of thought. "Do you want to earn some money to get back, or not?"

"Oh, uh, yeah."

She stood. "Well then, help me get this tent up."

(Storm, that opening was like a freaking movie.  So awesome /) )

[Sunshine Swirl]

Sunshine Swirl was scanning the crowd looking around for somepony, anypony that looked like they were in charge. There was a sea of ponies, tents, and carts for as far as the eye could see.

Somewhere was a small booth with the Canterlot Academy of Magic crest on it sitting empty. She didn't even think to ask where it might be before she left Canterlot. She thought that she'd surely spot her school's crest immediately.

She couldn't wait to unload all of these old books and get this whole trading experience over with. Sunshine glanced over at Esmeralda who was helping her levitate the giant trunk of books. Esmeralda wasn't paying much attention to the trunk -- she was just looking around keeping pace with Sunshine. Sunshine on the other hoof had already begun feeling the strain on her magic. She hated levitating heavy things.

Beside her, a tent fell to the ground, startling her. The large trunk wobbled unbalanced for a second.

Esmeralda said, "Down?" motioning to the wobbling trunk. "Do you need a little rest, dear?"

Sunshine nodded, "Yes. Please."

The two of them gently set the trunk on the ground.

Sunshine looked over at the fallen tent and thought this might be a good opportunity to find someone in charge.

She grasped the unattended tentpoles with her magic and held them straight for the pegasus stallion and mare. "It looks like you could use an extra hoof. My name is Sunshine Swirl, and this is my friend Esmeralda."

The ponies exchanged greetings.

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you, Ocean Blue and Jasmine Lace." Sunshine said with a quick Canterlot-esque curtsy, something you'd seldom see outside of the capital. "I was wondering if either of you might direct us to the ponies in charge? My school had arranged for a booth to be setup for today."

Esmeralda stepped forward, "Dears, perhaps you could help me. Do either of you know of a merchant named Riddle? I heard about her from a friend at the merchant's guild. She's from a small town called Ponyfields, I believe."

Sunshine said, "That little town in the valley to the south-west where all the apples come from? I think you mean Ponyville."

Esmeralda, "Oh, yes, that's it. Riddle of Ponyville."

Sunshine bowed, "Thank you again for your help. When I have a free moment I'll stop back once you're setup."

Esmeralda moved to the other side of the trunk, ready to help lift it, when a familiar pegasus landed and asked if he was late.

Sunshine beamed, "Storm Scout! Esmeralda said she asked you over."

Esmeralda gave Storm a brief hug and said, "I'm glad you made it, dear." she then whispered, "Good to see you left the sword behind. The exchange is relatively safe -- but keep an eye out for pick pockets -- they're everywhere."

Esmeralda motioned to the pegasi setting up the tent. "Storm Scout, this is Blue and Jasmine. They were helping us get oriented."

"Oh, Esme! Now that Storm is here our problem is solved!" Sunshine exclaimed.

Esmeralda looked puzzled.

Sunshine grinned at Storm Scout and said, "Do you remember that big blue gaudy crest on the gate into the Canterlot Academy of Magic when you visited me the other week? Could you fly up and see if you can spot a booth with that same banner?"

[waxworks]

(( WOOO! POST 1000!!!! ))

Things had certainly gotten underway in Rainbow Falls, with layers upon layers of vendors, merchants, artisans, and tradeponies all working their best to get whatever their hearts desired. At the moment, Mezcal's heart's desire was a cinnamon covered churro that one of the vendors was selling with gusto. The gusto was free with every churro.

Riddle, meanwhile, was working to form a plan of attack. She had limited supplies with her, and while she could always promise to bring more to a particular vendor there wasn't time to go back to Ponyville and restock herself, so she'd have to go for what she wanted as quickly and efficiently as possible. Definitely had to hit that merchant selling hoof-made furnishings... and the blanket shop, those were always nice no matter what your store sold, and maybe some proper tools and clothing. It was at times like these that she always felt her bazaar was sorely lacking.

"Iy, ardilla!"

Riddle glanced sideways to see her bright red bovine friend with two churros hanging gingerly out of either side of her muzzle. "Say aaah!"

"Eh?" Said Riddle, but this was close enough for Mezcal. She took a moment to pass one of the churros into the unsuspecting unicorns mouth, who responded with a fit of mumbling and coughing.

"Mm? Sorry ponita, I can't understand what chu're saying when chur mouth is full."

The unicorn flashed her friend a glare, but then happily began to eat the fried treat. In between bites she also reflected that her magic section had been one of the strongest selling points in the bazaar, and she really should see if she could round it out with something from a magical shop. Finishing her treat in a small cloud of cinnamon, she nudged her friend and the two moved into the crowd with the small but well-stocked wagon.

[Storm Scout]

Storm was a little surprised to get a hug and couldn't hold back a blush. "Oh... yeah, no sword," he whispered back, "as fun as it would've been to be a menacing guard..." And, uh, pickpockets? "Uh oh..." He was probably going to be be really paranoid about that now.

"Hi Blue, Jasmine." Storm would probably need someone to show him around too. He'd never been to one of these Trader Exchange things. Maybe he could find a hoof-operated grindstone or a good whetstone... some A.K. Yearling too, perhaps. Not the author of course... though that would be awesome... no, the books. And he wanted to see the mythological creatures that Esmeralda had said might be here today.

"Whuh?" Problem? "What's..." Sunshine explained their problem to him. "Oh, I see. I can do that, sure. It's how I saw you two here, eh?" So, he took off once again, climbing quickly up above. There were a few other pegasi up here too, he noted. Made sense... this seemed to be the best way to find something in this crowded place. A lot of the booths looked quite similar, but eventually his gaze fell upon the distinctive crest of Sunshine's academy. One straight landing later, and he told them where it was. "It's over there, ladies." He pointed a hoof in the general direction of the booth, though there seemed to be other booths in the way of him showing them. "Uh... actually, it might be best if I lead you there." And that's what he'd do... provided they confirmed that they wanted him to, of course.

[Boondock Panther]

"Oh, uh, thanks," Jasmine said, trying to ignore the flamboyantly enormous hats adorning the two mares, Sunshine and Esmeralda, who were holding her tent poles straight.

"IIIII, have no idea who's keeping all of this chaos straight," she heard Blue say to them as she locked the poles in place.

"Dears, perhaps you could help me," she heard the older one say. Though Jasmine's eyes and hooves remained on her work, her ears perked. "Do either of you know of a merchant named Riddle? I heard about her from a friend at the merchant's guild. She's from a small town called Ponyfields, I believe."

"That little town in the valley to the south-west where all the apples come from? I think you mean Ponyville."

"I think I've been by her store before, but it was full of oddities that didn't really seem practical at the time," Jaz cut in, leaving Sunshine to do another curtsey and bid them a polite farewell, before the trampled turf was upturned by a pegasus stallion, landing not five feet from her tent. His pelt was about the same color as hers, and his mane was brown as well, with a little more red in it than hers. He had on a shady black trenchcoat that looked like something she'd make.

I might even have one like it somewhere in the wagon.

"Am I late?" he asked, his attention on Esmeralda.

Sunshine Swirl, the one with the blue swan hat, brightened. "Storm Scout! Esmeralda said she asked you over."

Esmeralda hugged him and thanked him for coming, though they stayed huddled together for a second before gesturing to Blue and Jaz. "Storm Scout, this is Blue and Jasmine. They were helping us get oriented."


"Hi Blue, Jasmine," the stallion said with a nod.

"Oh, Esme! Now that Storm is here our problem is solved!" Sunshine cheerfully yipped. Turning to Storm, she said, "Do you remember that big blue gaudy crest on the gate into the Canterlot Academy of Magic when you visited me the other week? Could you fly up and see if you can spot a booth with that same banner?"

"Oh, I see. I can do that, sure. It's how I saw you two here, eh?"

He took off, leaving Blue, Sunshine and Esmeralda in an uncomfortable silence. Jasmine was still locking the tent poles in place, though she was nearly done.

"So... where're--" Blue began, suddenly cut off by Storm Scout landing right next to him again.

"It's over there, ladies," the pegasus said, pointing deeper into the throng of the Exchange. "Uh... actually, it might be best if I lead you there."

"Finally!" Jasmine exclaimed, stepping back from her work. The tent, when set up properly, was about a 20' by 20' square, with a thick, dark leather top and walls. The front side was still a wall, but with a single slit running straight through the middle and small incisions at the corners to be buttoned into an arch.
Without merchandise it looked positively lonesome.

"Blue, could you hand me one of my trunks?" she asked, her employee obeying immediately. He rose to his hooves and trotted to the rear end of her cart, pulling a trunk out by the handle in his teeth. Opening it, she found only assorted sweaters, folded neatly to the chest's maximum capacity. She shut the trunk and trotted over to her wagon, going through each box until she found the one she was looking for.

She dragged it inside the tent and pulled out a thick piece of wood, then some sort of folded frame. She set up the frame at the front of the tent, and carefully placed the block of wood on one end, before revealing the block as not solid, but folded as well. It panned out across the frame of the tent's counter, where she affixed the top to the rest of the frame. Finally, she pulled out a fine tablecloth from the trunk and laid it over the top, hiding the ugly inner-workings of the counter.

A couple other boxes held frames as well, though these were for clothes racks, set up in various areas of the tent in no particularly orderly fashion. In just a few minutes, all they had left to do was move the clothes from the wagon to the tent.

(I'm working on what Jasmine will have in the Leather & Lace inventory, so you'll be able to have a proper look around soon. You guys can rp whatever while Jaz and Blue set up the tent, but don't go too far XP)

[Sunshine Swirl]

Sunshine Swirl waved goodbye to Jasmine and Blue. "Thank you for your help! I'll stop back once I take care of setting up myself."

Esmeralda chuckled, "Yes! Impractical oddities, that's exactly what I'm looking for, Jasmine. Did you happen to know where Riddle might be setting up her wares?"

Once they finished the discussion, they bade farewell and the two unicorn mares adjusted their hats, and jointly levitated the large trunk of books.

Storm Scout had offered to lead the way. Sunshine thought, thank goodness he arrived to help us find our booth.

Sunshine Swirl was not enjoying levitating the heavy trunk. Her horn and head ached mildly. It was noisy and crowded on the ground and she had to be very careful not to run into anyone, or be struck by a passing cart or hit by a swinging tent pole. Each time her concentration wavered, her side of the trunk dipped and Esmeralda shot her "the look". To be clear, the only way to fully appreciate "the look" is to be a young mare in the company of another mare 20+ years your senior, and then do something wrong.

Esmeralda was on the lookout for shops with, well, oddities was a good word for them. She loved minor magical items and was an avid collector. Sunshine Swirl kept letting her side of the trunk dip, and it was all Esmeralda could do to keep it from spilling its contents.

Neither unicorn saw the thin tan pegasus mare until she bumped into Storm Scout. The tan mare looked cross, then continued quickly on her way without saying anything. Esmeralda called forward, "You alright, dear?"

Soon they arrived at the Canterlot Academy of Magic booth. It was completely set up and looked very well made. There was a sign on the center of the table that read, "We'll be open soon".

Sunshine Swirl sighed in relief. "At last! We made it. Esmeralda, Storm, thank you both for your help." She popped the latches on the trunk and began meticulously floating and arranging books on the table. "Anthropological Magical Studies, Physics of Magic, Magic in Literature, Legendary Magics" she mumbled grouping the books into distinct piles.

Esmeralda turned towards Scout. "Well, now that that is done, what do you say we look around for this Riddle Bits table? That is, unless you'd prefer to start with the Ancient Beast Stall. I'll bet you 10 bits I can tell you the names of at least half of the creatures they have there."

[waxworks]

"So ponita," said Mezcal, admiring some of the hoof-woven tapestries and miniature drinking glasses filling one of the tables, "what exactly are chu looking for? Ponita? Riddle?"

But a quick glance revealed that her friend had vanished into the swarming throngs of hopeful ponies coursing about the tables and stalls. Normally, the cow wouldn't be too terribly worried, but she'd been left with the cart which was full of all sorts of precious goods that Riddle had been looking into trading, and she would never forgive herself if anything happened to it. She unhitched herself from the cart and clambered atop it cautiously after making sure it wasn't going to roll off with her atop it (a thankful lesson from her earlier observation of the lumber cart).

Riddle, meanwhile, was moving through the crowd with a nearly impossible speed and intangible substance, dodging through crowds, ducking around herds, weaving herself through clusters as though she didn't even exist. It wasn't some sort of magic, it was just a skill you pick up running around in a Camelu marketplace as a little pony. Some days it would look like two rivers passing through one another without wavering.

She'd been fixated on the idea of some sort of furniture for her shop, as Ponyville seemed to be getting more and more new homeowners and seeing ponies looking eagerly for furniture in the Ponyville marketplace without her having anything to offer aside from, perhaps, a few arranges planks and boxes, was a little crushing. Her bushy tail wagged excitedly as she saw carpenters with their wares stacked to the sky, lumberjacks bartering with them over wood, blacksmiths arguing over the best metal bits to go over the wood bits, and so on and so on.

Riddle could feel her heart beating faster with excitement at this warm babble of bartering rushing back and forth, it was her element and she was positively swimming in it. She should definitely get some of these little stools and benches, and she was certain she could net some of them for just a-

It suddenly struck her that Mezcal and the cart had gotten away from her, and she suddenly started to panic slightly, moving through the crowd trying to think where she'd last seen her friend. It didn't take her long, as she spotted the blazing red cow in the glittering orange mask atop a pile of goods with a number of ponies clambering up around here.

"IY! I SAID STAY BACK!"

"But would you trade some of this oil for three copies of Pirates of Ponzance?"

"It's not my stuff, chu have to wait until-"

"I'll give you a statue of Princess Celestia's favorite cake in exchange for one of those plush toys!"

"IY! CHU PONITOS ARE DEAF! NEXT ONE TO STEP UP GETS PUT INTO A LEG LOCK!!!"

This seemed to stifle the small crowd around the cow for a moment until one of them piped up.

"I'll trade you a desk lamp if you leg lock me!"

[Storm Scout]

"Well, uh... see you later, Jasmine and Blue." Heh, they, uh, hadn't had much time to chat.

The two unicorns were carrying a pretty heavy load there... Sunshine seemed to be struggling especially, which wasn't what Storm had expected, her being the younger unicorn. "Are you guys okay with that?" He didn't know much about how unicorn levitation worked, but he hoped they wouldn't encounter much trouble with the trunk. Hmm... at least the Academy's booth hadn't looked too far away from up-

"Oof!" Storm shook his head and looked around to see what he'd walked into, quickly registering the annoyed face of the other pegasus. "Oh..." He called after her, "Sorry, miss!" but she already seemed to have gone off into the crowd. "Yeah... I'm alright, Esmeralda." Who was she? Eh... it probably didn't matter.

They soon reached the Academy's booth and Sunshine started arranging her tomes. "You're welcome, Sunshine. Happy to help." So that was that sorted. He ought to come back later and see how Sunshine was doing with trading.

Riddle Bits first, or the Ancient Beasts? That was the choice that Esmeralda presented Storm with. "Oh... well... sure, I'd like to see the Ancient Beast Stall at some point, but I don't think they're going to go anywhere for a while. Let's go and see Riddle Bits first." Best for Esmeralda to get to Riddle Bits early, before they'd traded out a lot of their stuff. "And..." he lifted a wing and flapped a light gust of wind into his employer, with a mischievous smile. "No way is that bet on, boss. It'd be a cinch."

Now... "How do we know where Riddle..." Huh... what was that? Storm flapped up a bit to elevate himself above the ground-level crowd. He saw a... red... cow... standing on a trade cart and shouting? "Uh... what's going on over there?"

[Boondock Panther]

Blue's head jerked upright, and he shook it in an attempt to stay awake. The journey across the country tired him out, and in the darkness of Jasmine's tent, the sounds of barter around him sounded like the ocean. He ground his hoof into his muzzle and got to his hooves.

"Don't you have a candle or something to light this place up?"

At the counter, Jasmine glanced through the racks of clothes at his position in the back of the tent with miscellaneous supplies. "They should be back there with you. I completely forgot about lighting."

He got up and turned around, opening each of her supplies chests and sorting through them. But after several minutes of searching, he deemed the trunks candle-less. "Jasmine, there aren't any candles back here. Is the wagon empty?"

He heard her get up and trot outside, returning a second later with a frown on her face.

"Yeah, the wagon's empty. You sure there aren't any in there?"

"There ain't any here. I already checked."

Despite his words, she made her way to his side and went through the trunks as well. "Agh. Did I forget them? I usually don't forget anything..."

Finally, she straightened up and sighed. Her hair was in her face and she had to blow it out of her eyes. She trotted over to the other end of the tent, and returned a second later with a small pouch. She laid it on his muzzle, making him go cross-eyed for a second. "Go fetch us some candles, slave," she said playfully, grinning as she trotted back to the stool behind the counter.

Blue could tell from the feel of the pouch that it held about twenty bits inside. He watched her for a moment longer before tossing the pouch off his nose and catching it in his teeth, trotting outside and shielding his eyes against the noon sun. Once his eyes adjusted, he found that he was taller than most of the other participants in the Exchange, which made it gloriously easier to look up and down the tents for candles.

None down that way...

He turned the other way and saw something large, half-obscured by a porcelainware tent. It looked like a fiery red cow, standing with it's back turned to him atop a wagon of merchandise, wildly waving it's legs as if trying to shoo away rats. Blue started up that way, clumsily parting the crowd while still trying to be polite. Within just a few moments however, he abandoned the courtesy and moved as swiftly as he could, minding only the children and the seniors. Once he reached the wagon, he was about to ask the cow for directions when she interrupted him.

"IY! CHU PONITOS ARE DEAF! NEXT ONE TO STEP UP GETS PUT INTO A LEG LOCK!"

"I'll trade you a desk lamp if you leg lock me!" he heard somewhere off to his right.

With good reason he hesitated, but in the end hoped his size might dissuade her from leg locking him. He firmly stepped out of the edge of the crowd and looked up at her through a focused gaze.

"Excuse me ma'am. I was hoping you could point out the nearest candle salespony."

[Sunshine Swirl]

The Canterlot Academy of Magic's booth was off to the very edge of the fairgrounds. Sunshine Swirl had the school's magic books organized by category, and arranged by height into various piles. Her mission was simple: get rid of these duplicated, outdated, or otherwise less valuable books and come back with at least 3 or 4 books that the Academy would find valuable.

A well dressed lavender mare in a pink beret trotted up to the booth. She had a glass orb in her mouth that she placed on the table. She started examining the books.

Sunshine Swirl got a good look at the orb. It was a snow globe; inside was a detailed rendition of the Crystal Emprire. Sunshine immediately wanted it.

The lavender mare poked a few books with her hoof, examining the covers, at times flipping them open.

Sunshine had asked back at the academy about taking non-books in trade. It was at the discretion of the professor conducting the trades. Basically, books or Bits were preferred. If someone wanted to trade an item, the professor in charge could take the item and substitute a fair value in Bits to the Academy. (5 Bits per old book traded.) That snow globe was easily worth 20 Bis to Sunshine. This was going to be a great trade. She smiled a little. "Any questions?"

The lavender mare spoke in a snooty, nasally voice, "Yeah. Are any of these books, you know, from Princess Celestia on how to become a Princess?" The mare looked intently at Sunshine.

Sunshine stammered, "Er, ah, well, no. But they are all valuable books from the Canterlot Academy of Magic. Perhaps you'd like..."

The lavender mare snatched up her snow globe and turned so quickly that her blonde tail nearly smacked Sunshine's face. "Humph. Pwincess Dwiwight mugul phrumph." She said, stomping away.

Sunshine Swirl sighed. She looked at the sky and in a soft, but exasperated voice whispered. "Why do they keep asking me that?"

She hoped that Storm Scout and Esmeralda were having a better day.