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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 21, 2008 21:59:23 GMT -5
"Well, I dunno..." Dengoro continued to stare at her dumbly. At least the crowd wasn't silently staring at them anymore. It was practically comforting to be jostled around incessantly again. He was as lost for ideas as Briala but apparently it was a good idea to talk to her. Apparently it was a good idea to keep her from getting aggravated. "Well, I suppose you could, uh... It's my... It's just hard to be around you ever since the thing with the dagger, you know?"
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Post by briala on Mar 21, 2008 22:14:34 GMT -5
"Ah..." was all Briala could say at first as she digested Dengoro's words. Honestly, she couldn't blame him. But still, it was sad that he seemed to think she was going to pull out the daggers and go berserk. She would only do that in a real battle! A small smile quirked at the edge of her lips at that thought, but she suppressed a full-out grin so Dengoro wouldn't think she was laughing at him.
"Yeah...I'm sorry about that. I really am," she said sincerely. "But trust me, I'm not going to hurt you." She couldn't think of anything else to say to him. There wasn't anything else she could say, other than apologizing a million more times.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 21, 2008 22:23:08 GMT -5
"Well..." Dengoro's fear was subsiding in place of a total lack of emotion altogether. He regained his composure slightly and addressed Briala... Again. Maybe he was a bit embarrassed, though... After all, his behavior had been completely out of the norm. If he'd ever had a norm. The skunk walked a bit closer so they could actually converse. "OK, I get it... You don't want to hurt me. And all I want is a pair of new shoes."
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Post by briala on Mar 21, 2008 22:41:05 GMT -5
Briala was relieved both that the conversation had taken a turn away from her attack, though it had gone a strange direction. Shoes? Briala glanced down at her own feet; she rarely wore shoes, for she found her footpaws were tough enough to work as shoes. It might be primitive, but it was more comfortable for her. The ottermaid disliked wearing shoes immensely.
"Hmm...shoes," Briala mused out loud, rising up on her toes so she could see over the heads of the crowd. "I don't see any place to get shoes around here...maybe in one of the more permanent stores?" she suggested, feeling rather useless. Haha, like I know anything about shoes! Oh well, I can at least pretend I know what I'm talking about...
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 21, 2008 22:45:04 GMT -5
"More permanent... Well, there's tailors galore but they don't sell shoes. Where does everyone get their shoes? Where do you get your shoes?" Dengoro looked down to see that Briala wasn't even wearing any. I thought everybody wore shoes... "Oh. Well, uh... There's gotta be a shoe store around here somewhere. You think it'd be a specialized shop?" Most likely, considering sizes and all, but it was something the skunk could talk about. And the more he could talk about, the less he had to be afraid of Briala hurting him again.
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Post by briala on Mar 21, 2008 22:51:01 GMT -5
Briala giggled as Dengoro asked where she got her shoes. For some reason, it was funny. There were many things she found amusing that really weren't. And now, she had a purpose at the marketplace! Good timing, she was just starting to get bored. But now she was on a hunt for shoes. Hmm...that doesn't sound nearly as interesting as it could be.
"Well, they have a store for clothes, and weapons, and stuff like that. Would make sense that there's a shoe store," Briala said reasonably. "I think all of the permanent stores are..." she paused, craning her neck to look around. "That way!" she pointed triumphantly, and set off in the direction, before turning back to Dengoro. "Are you coming?" she asked him, tapping her foot against the ground.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 21, 2008 22:55:31 GMT -5
"Oh, no, I'd like you to buy my shoes for me," Dengoro muttered sarcastically as he followed Briala just closely enough for her to hear. "Yes, get me the pink ones with the flowers painted on them..." Maybe he was being sexist, but it wasn't like Briala didn't deserve some callous, discriminatory humor. Then again, maybe he wasn't. The skunk had passed Briala up soon enough as they exited the pancontinental area and entered the true market square, where members of the fort and village sold their wares.
No shoe stores were in sight, though. Dengoro was losing hope at a critical rate and slowed down noticeably as they headed throughout the buildings. "Where is it?..."
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Post by briala on Mar 21, 2008 23:02:18 GMT -5
Briala was unperturbed by Dengoro's remark. She would allow him a certain amount of rude comments before she retaliated equally. For now, she would suffer in silence.
Well, more like slightly less noise than there would normally be.
"Calm down, it's barely noon! Unless you have somewhere else to be, there's nothing better than wandering 'round the market," Briala exclaimed happily, leaping forward so she caught up with Dengoro. She began to zig-zag across the square, pausing to examine each merchant's wares before moving on to the next store. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find the shoe place soon. And when we do..." she paused, beaming a grin. "I'll buy you the pretty pink shoes with the flowers on them."
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 21, 2008 23:05:18 GMT -5
"OK, and I'll buy you a pair of shoes made of ice. Bet you already did, explains why they're still on you." Ice shoes... Interesting idea. Wouldn't last so long, though. Dengoro still didn't see any buildings marked for shoes. There weren't any in plain sight. Perhaps they were just looking in the wrong area... The skunk started wandering off to the side, exploring some of the areas that got less traffic.
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Post by briala on Mar 21, 2008 23:12:53 GMT -5
"Haha, very clever," Briala giggled, her full energy and bubbliness returned. She trailed after Dengoro, still popping up in random shops to glance around before returning to following him. She doubted he needed her help finding shoes, but she didn't have anything better to do than help. Or attempt to help.
"What kind of shoes are you looking for?" Briala inquired, skipping from one flagstone on the ground to the next. "Hunting shoes, hiking shoes, fancy shoes....?" Her knowledge of shoes ended there, so she shut up and looked around again. By now, they were in completely unfamilar territory to her, for she had never really been to the market before. It's not lost, it's another adventure, she thought to herself wryly.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 21, 2008 23:22:16 GMT -5
"Shoes," Dengoro repeated flatly. This alleged help was little more than an annoyance. This is the beast who slashed my face open? "I just want some general-use shoes that won't fall apart from use and abuse, fit me well and protect my footpaws from... Sharp objects and stuff. Maybe one of those ones with metal-plated soles, those are nice... If kind of clinky on wooden floors." Eventually, the skunk realized he was rambling, but it didn't stop him. She deserved every bit... And it wasn't that bad a punishment, anyway. She could leave if she liked.
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Post by briala on Mar 22, 2008 21:03:31 GMT -5
Briala stopped paying attention to Dengoro after "shoes." But she had a good reason; she had found a promising looking store. It wasn't a shoe store exactly, but it was one of those knick-knack stores that sold everything from antique ale tankards to silk scarves to tiny wood figurines. Very likely there would be shoes at some place like that!
Ignoring a merchant who was trying to sell her something (she didn't know what, only that it was shiny and expensive) Briala began to dig through a pile of junk, hoping to find...
"Shoes!" Briala exclaimed, holding aloft a left shoe that seemed to be exactly what Dengoro needed. It was simple, but made of thick, durable material. "Now you just need the other one," she said reasonably, tossing the shoe she had to Dengoro for him to inspect.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 22, 2008 21:28:04 GMT -5
The first thing Dengoro did upon receiving the shoe was line it up with his boot. He'd never noticed how much larger shoes could be than his footpaws, because it looked the right size when he held it, but upon lining it up with the boot already on his footpaw, it was short by at least an inch and a half. Impossible to wear, the shoe would be completely useless to him. He stood up and tossed it back to Briala. "Too small!"
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Post by briala on Mar 22, 2008 21:38:21 GMT -5
Undeterred, Briala continued digging through the pile, humming cheerfully under her breath. As she dug, she kept getting distracted by random things in the pile: A dark blue glass vial, a sash that matched her tattoo and newly-bought belt, a bag that would fit to one side of her quiver, and could hold whatever she wanted to bring with her for a quest. As she found each object, she carefully extricated it from the pile, examined it, then set it to the side.
"You could help, ya know!" she said suddenly, realizing she was still sorting through the stuff on her own. She felt a tad bit of indignition, but she was having too much fun finding stuff to really get upset. "They are your shoes, for your giant feet," she added with a giggle, examining a shell necklace before discarding it as rubbish.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Mar 22, 2008 23:09:24 GMT -5
Dengoro reluctantly bent down at Briala's side and helped her sort through what appeared to be... A pile of complete junk. There was no way he could find a pair of shoes that fit all of his specifications within this mess. He gave her a disappointed stare as he picked up what, at first glance, looked like a wispy pendant but turned out to be a rock with a lot of dust on it. "I think this is my new pair of shoes," the skunk muttered sarcastically.
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