Looking for Trade [Dead]

[waxworks]

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

Mezcal's eye twitched. She didn't like being called mam. She didn't like being left with the cart in the middle of a sea of eager, trade-crazy faces. And she really didn't like being asked things she didn't know. These various dislikes were given vent in a colorful string of Mooxican phrases and words that suddenly exploded out of the cow in a high-speed torrent. After a moment to compose herself and take a deep breath, she fixed Blue with a baleful glower.

"No, no no, it's alright, it's okay. I should know that if I stand up and stick my hooves out some ponito is going to mistake me for a sign post." She was still rather steaming, her contempt surprisingly visible despite most of her face being wrapped in the glittering orange and yellow mask. As she dropped her eyes she noticed that there were several bundles of candles neatly packed into one corner of the cart. She winced, dragging her eyes back up towards Blue.

A number of thoughts were stampeding through her head, and she calmly thought about it, weighed things, then sighed softly, closed her eyes, and whispered towards Blue.

"...We have some candles you could trade for..."

Immediately there was a crush towards the cart as a pack of eager ponies started murmuring that the cow was about to start trading, which resulted in said cow panicking and taking up a defensive pose, just daring anypony to get near. Her tail snapped around like a whip and her eyes blazed indicating she was preparing to unleash something, when suddenly a flash of basil-green fur appeared in front of her.

"Mares and gentlecolts," said Riddle Bits, neatly sliding in front of her friend like a shield, "we will begin trading in an hour. Before then we have several earmarked goods that must go to those who requested them earlier. After this, we will be more than happy to entertain all offers of trade."

The unicorn bowed politely, and that seemed to do the trick as the surrounding crowd appeared to burst and disperse to seek out other quick trades. Riddle leaned back and immediately felt Mezcal burying her face in the back of her head, breathing rapidly and trying to compose herself. Across from them she could see a pony with an ashen pallor staring at them in horror, her booth stocked full of fine china products. Riddle flashed her a somewhat sheepish but comforting smile, and then blinked as she realized one of the ponies hadn't left, as her almond-colored eyes fixed onto Blue.

"Er, may I help you, sir?"

[Storm Scout]

"Okay, I want to check that out..." He thought he'd heard the word 'candle' spoken somewhere around there, or maybe it was whispered around in the crowd; perhaps his boss could get in on some of the trading around here? "Come on, boss." He unabashedly started pushing his way into the crowd of ponies around that cart. "Sorry... nice tie mate... coming through... no, I don't want your Nightmare Moon-shaped lamp... 'scuse me m'lady..." If they were swarming around and bothering the cow, then they couldn't exactly complain about one guy shoving his way through the crowd. Besides, he was only gently shoving them.

Halfway through making their way towards the middle of the crowd, it seemed that the everypony dispersed around Storm and Esmeralda. They disappointed or something, he thought? "What was so great here that everyone needed to have a look...?" He found not only the bright red cow there, but that Blue chap from earlier, and another, a green pony. I suppose I'm the yellow one, he thought to himself, amused. Green isn't a primary colour though... It looked like just another trader's cart to him. What was it about this particular trader that made them so popular? Maybe they were renowned or something.

"Uh, hey. Excuse me," he said, nodding to Blue. "I won't keep you for long, I can tell that you seem to be busy with Blue there..." If they were popular, it could mean they might know their way around the Trader's Exchange. So he asked them, "Do you know where a merchant called Riddle Bits is set up around here? My friend," he nudged his head in Esmeralda's direction, "was hoping to find them - or, her."

[Boondock Panther]

"Er, may I help you, sir?"

Blue was about to answer when the pegasus stallion named Storm Scout entered his peripheral from the left, alongside the old unicorn, Esmeralda.

"Uh, hey. Excuse me, I won't keep you for long, I can tell that you seem to be busy with Blue there," he said, gesturing to the one pony undeterred from the merchants' wagon. "Do you know where a merchant called Riddle Bits is set up around here? My friend was hoping to find them-- or, her."

"Kinda weird," Blue said, addressing the approaching pair. "I was about to ask the same thing. Well, honestly I have an interest in the candles that missus mentioned as well, but I'd like to meet this exotic merchant."

(Apologies for the really short post. I don't like to leave dialogue gaps to be filled in later, and really this is all I can fairly do right now.)

[Sunshine Swirl]

Esmeralda was enjoying the hustle and bustle of the busy fairground as all of the vendors set up their wares. She had gone to her first Traders Exchange when she was just a filly. It was smaller then, and no princess was in attendance unlike today. Through the years she managed to attend the exchange several dozen times. She recognized faces of some of the long time traders, and some recognized her as well.

She was pretty sure that this was Storm Scout’s first Traders Exchange. Even with all of the activity, the event felt very familiar and routine for Esmeralda. It was nice to experience the excitement and novelty again through Storm’s eyes.

Storm must have seen something. He called “Come on, boss.” then started making his way through the crowd. Sometimes the paths and corridors between booths and tables mysteriously got backed up. Ponies tended to congregate, sometimes just to see why other ponies have stopped. The congestion in this case, seemed to be caused by somepony trading from a wagon in the path. 

Or perhaps they weren’t trading yet, Esmeralda thought while surveying the chaos around the wagon. She chuckled.

Storm Scout asked about Riddle Bits and Esmeralda's ears picked up. He's a good assistant, Esmeralda thought. Riddle was one of a hoof-full of merchants she was looking forward to meeting at the exchange.

Oh, the owner of the wagon seemed to be the red cow that Sunshine had pointed out earlier. And there was the nice pegasus we met, Blue, the one with the troublesome tent. "Nice to see you again, Blue." Esmeralda nodded to the turquoise stallion.

She was about to address the cow, when a bright green unicorn stepped in front of the wagon and announced that they indeed were not quite open for trading yet. The poor cow still seemed flummoxed by all of the confusion.

Esmeralda decided that she'd politely introduce herself to the unicorn and cow and offer her assistance if needed, "Hello. My name is Esmeralda, owner of the Bell, Book and Candle shop in Canterlot." She gestured towards Storm, "And this is Storm Scout who helps me run the shop."

She looked at the chaos around the wagon and directed her question to the troubled cow, "Dear, do you need a helping hoof?"

[waxworks]

Mezcal had a smile on her face so wide that it was threatening to burst the laces on her mask. She was trying to restrain a little so she could answer Esmeralda, but it wasn't happening. There was just something so terribly funny about this scene that she knew very well not look at her friend's face, otherwise she'd burst out laughing. So she looked at Riddle's face.

The little basil-colored unicorn was two stages beyond blushing, her cheeks radiating so brightly that a bright glowing red was just about visible through her green fur. Riddle was a fairly humble pony, and while she'd always hoped to one day be a famed merchant that everyone knew far and wide, she hadn't expected it to have happened so suddenly and now suddenly finding at least two ponies looking for her by name, she was absolutely flummoxed. It also didn't help that when she looked to her right she saw her bovine friend leaning over her shoulder and grinning. That grin made her wince slightly and blush even harder, and Riddle was absolutely certain that successful merchants should not blush or freeze like this.

Before she could open her mouth to address those gathered, Mezcal took over and loudly addressed Esmeralda while glancing at Blue and Storm, "I thank chu for the offer ponita, but chu see, this isn't my cart. It belongs to..."

Don't you do it, thought Riddle, suddenly feeling much more frightened at her first Trader's Exchange than she could've possibly imagined, now fixing a somewhat frightened, wide-eyed smile to her face.

"Rrrrrrrrrrr-" Mezcal could roll an 'r' like nopony's business "-rrrriiddle Bits!" She accompanied this by waving her hooves at Riddle herself as though she was casting a magical spell. "Go get 'em ardilla," she said in a much more whispered voice, giving the unicorn a slap to the back.

"HELLO," said Riddle, with slightly more emphasis than needed, "hello, hello. Yes, I am Riddle Bits. Er, you were all looking for me?"

[Storm Scout]

It seemed that Blue was indeed also looking for Riddle. Storm noted that he needed a candle, but that wouldn't be something to pursue unduly... Esmeralda sold plenty of candles each week back in Canterlot, so it didn't matter too much who would end up trading with Blue.

The, uh... the cow seemed to find something quite funny. A look at the green pony told Storm what that was.

Green clashed with red as a bright blush touched the pony's cheeks. Storm didn't even understand what was going on and he was chuckling. "Heh heh... are you okay?" The cow made a grand show of introducing the green pony as Riddle Bits, and Storm realised why she had been blushing. "Righto... perhaps we should catch your name too, if we're going to talk trading?" The question was directed to the red cow.

"So, anyway..." Business harrumph. "It's a pleasure to meet you both... yes, we were looking for you, and it looks like Blue was as well." He paused, thinking. "I understand you shooed away that crowd because you didn't want to trade with all of them right now... and it might not be our place to ask you to trade with us when you couldn't trade with them... so we'd like to ask when you might be available for trading, if that's okay."

Oh, right, he added "And we're carrying candles, bells..." he glanced at Esmeralda. "Probably some little magical items too if I know my boss. And, uh, I've got a few traveller's things, but I expect those would seem less valuable."

Matters of trading aside, "I think we'd also just like to chat. I understand you're a successful merchant, after all, Riddle... you probably have some interesting things to chat about or to show us."

[Boondock Panther]

Blue could see immediately that something was wrong. Riddle seemed a bit nervous, and he felt guilty pushing her beyond her comfort zone. He would try to help her out, but he usually came across as intimidating more than he realized. Thankfully, it seemed as if the others were sorting out the situation, leaving him no room to break into the conversation.

Keep quiet and everything won't get awkward. Just keep your mouth shut, Blue.

"I understand," Scout began, "you shooed away that crowd because you didn't want to trade with all of them right now... and it might not be our place to ask you to trade with us when you couldn't trade with them... so we'd like to ask when you might be available for trading, if that's okay."

"I could help you get aquainted if you need it," Blue blurted in a low tone.

What!? NO! Are you crazy!? You can't juggle two employers at the same event!"

A bead of sweat had grown on his forehead; not because of the warmth of the day, but rather in anticipation for the merchant's reaction.

[Sunshine Swirl]

Esmeralda met Riddle Bits' gaze and saw that the bright green unicorn mare was ready to get down to trading. It was a look that all real traders know on sight. This Riddle Bits was young, much younger than herself, but Esmeralda could see she was dealing with a seasoned professional when it came to trading.

She paused for a moment, sometimes in a group, ponies look to the eldest mare for guidance. She'd get things started properly.

Esmeralda held up a fore hoof get get everyponies attention. "It seems we're all ready to trade." She gestured to the turquoise pegasus stallion. "Blue, as you were here first, I think it proper that you have the first exchange with Riddle and her partner."

She stepped back, giving Ocean Blue and Riddle Bits room to bargain.

Esmeralda turned to Storm Scout, "Good work finding Riddle! You're living up to your last name. While we wait our turn, we can decide what we might be interested in trading. Now I'm told that Riddle runs a general bazaar in Ponyville. At the last merchant guild meeting, a friend mentioned that Riddle carried several interesting magic items. My friend mentioned: potions, some type of magic candle, and an anti-telekenisis oil."

Esmeralda sorted through her saddlebag. "I brought a few odds and ends that Riddle might find interesting. I am hoping she can be a supplier of magic candles to The Bell, Book & Candle shop. If not, perhaps she can make introduction to some of her suppliers."

She paused, finding what she was looking for in her saddlebag. "And if Riddle has something really amazing, I brought a trade specifically with her reputation and preferences in mind."

Esmeralda floated up a small cubic box just high enough for Storm Scout to see. It was old, made of perhaps lacquered wood. Each side had nine panels with various symbols. She dropped it back in the saddle bag. Leaning close to Storm she said softly, "It's a puzzle box, a really ancient one. As far as I know, nopony has ever gotten it open. If what I've heard about Riddle Bits is right, I don't think she'll be able to resist this."

[waxworks]

"You flatter me," said the small unicorn, regaining her composure as she bobbled her head and wrapped herself in her mental aura of proper business dealings. Despite the tremendous altitude of the location and the other uncommon aspects of the situation, this was still business and business was Riddle's specialty. "But madame and sirs will see that all I hope to achieve is proper trading as one should hope from any merchant."

Mezcal was meanwhile resuming a more relaxed pose, still in the cart but now relaxing back against a corner of it like one would relax in a hot tub. She didn't mind being the center of attention in a wrestling match, but surrounded by a frenzied mob of traders, no thank you. She smiled to Storm Scout and gave him a slight nod, "and I am known as-"

"Mezzzzzcal," interjected Riddle, copying her friend's penchant for dramatics, although due to her consonants she wound up sounding slightly more like a buzzing bee than a dramatic reveal. The cow smirked at the unicorn, and rolled backwards out of the cart neatly, landing on all four hooves with a soft pompf.

"I am also," continued Riddle, bowing low to the ponies gathered around her, "honored that you have heard of my humble Bazaar as far away as-" She swallowed slightly, her skills at reading ponies still not as sharp as she'd have liked but she made an educated guess. Esmeralda looked refined, she dealt in magic, and she'd mentioned attending the merchant's guild. The closest guild house to Ponyville she knew of would've been the one in- "-Canterlot."

She didn't know how close she'd hit with this guess, but as she wasn't suddenly being pointed at she imagined she'd done fairly well in her guess. Turning to Ocean Blue, she took an imperceptible moment to look over the pegasus, and responded to his offer with a pleased bobbling of her head. "And sir I very much appreciate the offer, though I may be known here already, my reputation has attended the Exchange before I have. I would be grateful for any assistance sir might offer. But first, I believe sir was looking to trade for candles?"

With a flourish of her magical energy the tarp covering most of her goods neatly threw itself into a corner after having folded itself into a nice little square.

"Sir will find my selection of candles quite healthy. I've plain candles, guaranteed to burn for at least six hours, scented candles, available in apple, cinnamon, and blueberry, and also some of my special shadow candles. Although I must warn sir that if it is light sir needs, these last candles may not be of use. Their uniqueness lies in their ability to cast shadow when set aflame, rather than light."

She was well into her pitch now and her earlier nervousness had vanished, swept up in her well rehearsed product information, a warmth spreading through her that made her ears wiggle and her tail wag. Inhaling deeply and puffing up her chest slightly she glanced around her at the hubbub, and in the distance noticed a small crowd had once again gathered around Mezcal, who was now offering lucha libre wrestling lessons to adventurous customers.

[Storm Scout]

(OoC: Woo! Managed to get this done.)

Esmeralda was pretty much directing the tide of the oceans, in this trading business. She had quite a lot of experience in the field. Storm saw his boss retreating to allow Blue and Riddle to talk trading, so he did the same.

"Thanks..." Living up to his name...? Wha- oh. Right. "Well... from what you say about her, it sounds like Riddle would be interested in your magic items most of all. Hm, and knowing you, I expect it would be the same in return?"

A new magic candle supplier, and/or introduction to more suppliers... that sounded like a smart idea. Potentially more candle variety as well. And, she brought an item specifically for Riddle. "Wow... you seem to have thought of everything, Esme."

Riddle seemed to have a rather eloquent way of speaking. Maybe that was her 'merchant' voice... or perhaps she just usually talked like that. She introduced her cow friend as Mezcal. "Huh, "Mezzzzzcal"? Strange name," Storm muttered with an amused tone.

Woah. "Yeah... we came from Canterlot." How did she know? Or... judging from the pause, she must've estimated.

Storm noticed what Mezcal was doing, and he nudged Esmeralda with his shoulder. "Hey. You seem to know what it is you want to trade... and Riddle seems trustworthy... so it alright if I go and speak to that cow?" And if she said yes, he would of course go and see what this wrestling stuff was about! It looked cool.

He'd trot to the crowd around the cow and call over their voices, "Uh, hey, Mezcal! Unless I've got that wrong and your name is actually Mezzzzzcal... What's this wrestling stuff you do?" It did sound like a dumb question, but the point was that it was an open question.

[Boondock Panther]

Blue's eyes had lost any room to widen by the time Riddle had finished her professional display, her tarp expertly tucked in a neat fold in the rear corner of the wagon. It was possibly the most assorted array of candles he had seen in one place his entire life, the impressive display matching it's vendor's skill in charisma. It was a wonderful pitch, and once she had finished, he had forgotten his original goal.

I love the smell of cinnamon! Oh, blend it with the smell of fresh apples, mmm... And the shadow candles look awesome too.

"Uhhh..."

No. You need normal candles. Just normal candles.

It killed him, but he had to do as ordered or he probably wouldn't make it home safely.

I can come back later with my own interests in mind.

"Actually, right now I just need classic scentless, ma'am. My employer forgot her own lighting, and her booth is kinda dark."

[Sunshine Swirl]

Ah, so the cow with the interesting accent was Mezcal. Esmeralda had met some interesting bovine in her travels, but none quite so colorful, literally and figuratively. She bowed to the cow once Riddle finished her introduction.

She thought Riddle to be quite perceptive with the Canterlot comment -- although Esmeralda's accent, and choice in headwear probably made that assumption obvious. It's actually quite difficult to find a simple sun-shading hat in Canterlot. The hat shops tend towards the voluminous side with ribbons, feathers or fowl on top.

Esmeralda's ear twitched while listening to Blue and Riddle discuss candles. All of the candles sounded interesting, the scented ones in particular were always popular sellers. Canterlot ponies enjoyed decadence and candles were often bought for their ability to create a nuanced environment rather than for their light. On the other hoof, the shadow candles were the item that initially lead her to Riddle. It was those candles that her friend described back at the Canterlot Merchant Guild.

She smiled at Storm's reaction to her "secret weapon" puzzle box trade item. She did indeed like doing her homework when it came to trades at the exchange. Of course she almost didn’t want to part with it. She had spent hours rotating various sides but no sooner had she completed half of the puzzle, did she find herself having to reverse her recent moves to make progress on the other half. It was… diabolical. She blew a puff of air at a wayward lock of mane. Yes, it was time to get rid of this frustrating thing, she thought. But still, she was curious as to what might be inside of it.

When Storm asked to speak with the cow, Esmeralda whole heartedly agreed. She said softly, "It's always a good idea to broaden ones connections, and Mezcal seemed like the type to have a unique background and connections. Later you can fill me in on all the details, I'm curious about her too."

As Riddle and Blue finished their transaction, Esmeralda edged closer to Riddle's cart so she could get a better look a the merchandise.

When Blue finished his business, Esmeralda bowed and said, "Blue, we'll be sure to stop by Jasmine and your tent a little later. See you soon."

Esmeralda approached Riddle’s cart and smiled. “I was happy to see that you do a fair bit of trade in candles. That’s one of my specialties. Perhaps, if you’re willing, we might set up an on-going merchandise exchange between our shops? We’d both have more variety, and maybe even get better pricing from our suppliers for buying in greater volume.”

Esmeralda listened to Riddle’s feelings on the matter. She was hopeful that some arrangement could be made if not with Riddle, then perhaps an introduction to some of Riddle’s suppliers.

“Well, dear...” Esmeralda continued, “Let’s discuss merchandise. I do have a variety of specialty candles from exotic places.”

She pulled a sample from her saddlebag. “This candle for instance.”

It was a short, fat deep yellow candle that smelt vaguely of lemon peels. A unicorn grasping this candle wouldn’t sense any particular magical nature in it. Esmeralda passed the candle to Riddle for her to examine. “This is a horsefly candle. It keeps away biting flies and mosquitoes for hours and hours.”

Esmeralda produced another candle, taller, but still fairly rotund. It was deep red with a ring of pink hearts around the base. Unicorns might sense a gentle magic resonance from this candle. “This one’s called The Romantic Flame. Perfect for Hearts and Hooves day.” Esmeralda showed the card that came with the candle to Riddle. It read:

The "Romantic Flame" candle burns for 3 hours and creates a magically cozy and romantic atmosphere. Please note, this candle can't create romance where none exists, it's not a "love candle", it's a mood candle.

Esmeralda leaned in close, "The last candle I brought is very rare. Only a few alchemists know how to make them, and the main ingredient can only be found for a few short days after the annual great dragon migration. It’s called, Dragon’s Breath.”

She produced a single candle, 1 inch in diameter and 6 inches tall. It was pitch black with a thick bright green wick. The aroma of sulfur and ash filled the air even though the candle was unlit. It didn’t take a unicorn to sense that this was no ordinary candle.

Esmeralda explained, “The Dragon’s Breath candle allows you to send a message to somepony far away. It does require some forethought though. To send a message you need two items: a scroll with the message, and a lock of mane from the intended recipient. Place the message scroll and lock of mane in the candle’s flame. The Dragon’s Breath candle will flare brightly, incinerating the scroll and lock of mane. A short while later, the scroll will reform out of ash and smoke next to the recipient. Each candle is enough for 6 messages. You can imagine how valuable such candles are.”

Esmeralda thought that this was a good place to stop. She was holding the puzzle box in reserve if Riddle Bits had something really exceptional, or if she needed a bit extra on her side of the deal. She liked being prepared.

# # #

Elsewhere on the fairgrounds, Sunshine Swirl sighed. “So far, three mares who refused to trade after learning my books wouldn’t make them princesses. One mare with a good book for trade that was more interested in slicing open my book than, well, reading it. And a stallion that wanted to trade me beans for a book. He had the gall to claim they were magical of all things. Well, I did get one good book, and this unique and fashionable ‘Draconequus Lamp’ so far. It’s not like they didn’t warn me about the idiosyncrasies of traders here back at the Academy."

[waxworks]

From where she lay with a writhing stallion desperately but ineffectually trying to break out of a foreleg bar, Mezcal regarded Storm with a casual, cheerful smile.

"Mezcal is fine," said the cow clad in a glittering mask, nonchalantly avoiding several flailing limbs from the leg-locked pony. "And chure... Stormy Scout? I heard that other ponita call you that. Hang on a sec."

She released the restrained pony who took to rubbing his shoulder in some mild discomfort, but mixed with an odd look of satisfaction.

"Now remember," said the cow warningly, "chu are only meant to perform a foreleg lock and bar on another ponito willing to wrestle. If La Vaca Loca hears that chu are just galloping around trying it on everyone you meet, then we gotta problem. Entiendes?"

The pony gave a respectful nod and produced a rather nice metallic pepper mill, his trade for the lesson of how to perform a proper foreleg lock. Mezcal took it cheerfully and glanced at Storm.

"Chu know when I first heard about this place, I didn't think about trading some knowledge! Speaking of, ponito, it sounds like chu want churself a lesson as well, mmm?"

----------------

Brownies. Riddle was looking at Blue, and thinking of brownies. The little unicorn had heard the term 'brownie points' thrown around by other merchants in Ponyville, something to do with the more social favor you could curry the more likely you'd be to get a free brownie when the time came to slice them up, and she was starting to figure out exactly what the term meant. She cast an eye to her collection of candles thoughtfully, and reasoned thusly. Blue himself was an envoy for another merchant working here. All well and good. But aside from a few bits, there was nothing really to gain from this exchange. However, it could be entirely possible for a good deed done here to be repaid later when she was looking for additional trading with whateverpony Blue worked for. It was a bit of a gamble, as she didn't know what sort of shop it was, but that was the sort of thing a merchant had to do now and then.

"Sir is employed with another merchant," mused Riddle, bobbling hypnotically at Blue. "Then if I might be looked upon favorably by sir's employer, I will, this once, gift you a number of candles. I only hope sir might remember me when I should appear looking for trade."

With a polite bow, she scooped out several candles in a small aura of magic, and presented them to Blue. While the pony was given his offer Esmeralda approached, and Riddle neatly swiveled towards her with a polite, humble air. From her candid candle candor, the little unicorn realized that not only was she speaking with a more experienced merchant, but also one that was seeking just the same as herself, trade. She stifled a small, giddy squeak at the idea of being in business with a distant merchant in addition to several ponies from the Ponyville area. It was a first step in a thriving bazaar that could promise wondrous goods from all across Equestria.

The horsefly candle, wasn't terribly impressive. Likely dried chrysanthemum mixed into the wax to drive away flying insects. Of course, this was the right way to do things, Riddle happily noted. First the basics to establish that of course there are the normal, every day things. But then came the Romantic Flame and the Dragon's Breath. This last one really set her ears to fluttering. The romantic idea behind the one candle didn't exactly appeal to her, she as far too busy for romance, but she could see how customers might appreciate such things. However the promise of high-speed message transport was too good to pass up, and as such Riddle made her mind up to do business then and there...

...and yet...

Books. Bell, Book, and Candle, that's what she'd overheard Esmeralda's shop called. If she could specialize in such a fine selection of enchanted and cleverly crafted candles, then what might her collection of books look like? It was this one point that kept Riddle from enthusiastically starting up the bartering right then and there, which she was eager to do. But her main goal was to expand not only the selection of products, but also the variety of goods offered by her bazaar, and books were certainly something she was lacking in.

Riddle closed her eyes for a moment and bobbled her head like it was the hula-dancer stuck to the dashboard of a car driving down a particularly rhythmic road.

"These are all very wonderful," she began warmly, thoughtfully, "and I believe we may very well do trade in candles. But if I am to be honest, I believe we have far more to offer one another."

The unicorn cast a hoof over more of the cart, drawing attention to a luminescent collection of bottles, corked flasks, stopped-up tubes, and sealed jars. Each one seemed to glow of its own volition and even though the cart was stopped in its tracks, there seemed to be some slight motion from each of them.

"Potions by the Beaker," she cooed, flashing her almond eyes at Esme, "a fine collection of aesthetic potions used for cosmetic purpose. The alteration, enhancement and pronouncement of a pony's various attributes with just a sip, splash, or sprinkling."

Another nod and she revealed several fanciful hats that, though ordinary in appearance, not quite high-fashion but acceptable headwear nonetheless, revealed a strange habit of floating off of whatever surface they were placed upon. "Orbiting Hats, enchanted headwear that allows the user to make a fashion statement without upsetting a meticulously crafted mane, and yet they follow the head obediently despite sitting in the air above it."

"These things," she continued, nodding to those wondrous products she'd just mentioned, "are provided for me by Ponyville natives whose skills excel in such areas. I bring up these products, because I believe there is far more we might offer one another than just candles. If I am right in hearing that your shop is called Bell, Book, and Candle, I wish to inquire as to the nature of these books. You may know that Ponyville is home to a pony of fine distinction who is rather fond of any and all books..."

[Storm Scout]

Esmeralda had allowed him to go and speak with Mezcal, fortunately. He wouldn't have expected her to say no, really, but he still had to check that she was fine with him leaving because she was his boss and his friend besides, and to be at her side while she made her trades had been the reason he'd come here.

Storm eyed the wrestling stallion and cow hesitantly. That stallion was kind of getting destroyed right now. What would he be getting himself into here? At least it indicated that Mezcal was rather skilled in this field.

"Well, you may need to omit the 'y' there, but you're close. My name is Storm Scout. Pleasure to meet you, Mezcal." She soon released that stallion from the leg lock.

Storm learned that the leg lock lesson had been part of a trade with Mezcal. "Trading knowledge... I hadn't thought of that. Seems clever." The only problem, he thought, is if a pony might be taught the knowledge, and then find out that it wasn't something they would've wanted to trade for. That problem probably wouldn't be present here though, since this wrestling stuff did seem quite interesting to him.

"Well, yes. A lesson would be just grand. Wrestling seems more interesting to me than all that business stuff those guys back there are doing." Mezcal seemed like a cow of action... so, she might not be so different to Storm. He indicated to a saddlebag with a hoof. "As for what I could offer you; if you were ever interested in travelling around Equestria, especially the wilderness, I have several practical things suited for that." Judging from the accent though, she might not be so unfamiliar with travel. "Maybe I could trade you some knowledge instead, or in addition." He looked around. "Uh..."

He was trying to think here, but he really didn't know anything about this wrestling. "I don't know anything about wrestling, though... I don't know what about it I would want to learn. Maybe you could... tell me about what you do with wrestling, to start with?"

[Boondock Panther]

Blue had to look down at a considerable angle to meet the eyes of the little basil unicorn, which reflected the ponderous thought of a merchant's strategy. She could socialize only in ways that Blue had dreamed of doing, yet for the first time, he found her hesitate for a moment. After not too long a wait however, she spoke up.

"Sir is employed with another merchant," she said, seeming to bounce in thought. "Then if I might be looked upon favorably by sir's employer, I will, this once, gift you a number of candles. I only hope sir might remember me when I should appear looking for trade."

Blue blinked. He had begun to reach for the pouch of bits tied around his neck, but before he could refuse the kind offer, Riddle bowed politely and dropped several candles in his saddlebags. As he realized it would be rude at this point to rebuke her with payment, Esmeralda stepped up and began haggling, while he noticed Storm Scout had gone somewhere else. Although they were already in conversation he was still within sight of Riddle, so he nodded to her and smiled before turning and trotting back towards Jasmine's booth. When he got there, she nearly jumped off of her stool in excitement.

"You got them?" she exclaimed, trotting over to dig through his saddlebags.

She pulled out three at once between her teeth and hurried inside her booth, where she vanished into the dark. The contrast was insane between the inside of her booth and out in the road. He heard a trunk lid slam as he stepped under the shelter, and a match strike, which provided little to no light to his adjusting eyes. After a moment, he saw Jasmine set three floor-set candelabras up in the darkest locations before moving back to him and digging more candles out. The repeating process took a few minutes to light the entire tent, but once it was done all of her merchandise was clearly visible. Within the moment, a young mare had entered the tent and begun browsing. Jasmine, at the front again, let the customers that slowly flowed in and out have their space, only stepping up if they had any questions or intended to make a purchase. A common line spoken from the customers was whether or not the merchandise was imported, or made by Jaz herself. Of course, her brother had crafted some of the clothes, but she took credit for most of them because the majority of Leather Beat's work stayed in his shop.

(Give me a little more time and I'll post Lacie's stock in the messages for you to know what you're looking at if you happen to visit her. The longer you take, the more I'll remove from her racks though, obviously because there're NPCs here too.)