Log:Scarthistle and Bloodapple

Scarthistle and Bloodapple
Participants Ash and Gisa as ST	15 September, 2017 Ash gets some gossip and a little commerce in hedgefruit at Wild Roses
Location
Having already had to pass through the Everdark once without adequate protection Ash has taken precautions this time in order to make his trip to the market. He wears a heavy leather jacket to help shield himself against the lightsippers and has a thick walking stick in one hand taller than many people. A heavy hunting knife hangs from his belt, more of a tool than a real weapon, and over one shoulder he has a bag holding the fruits he brings to the market to exchange. "Memories! Memories! Gain the sweetness of a lost love without the pain! Sell your sadness!" One hawker calls from their makeshift tent. Things aren't as lively as they are usually, perhaps, and if Ash has been here before, some of the non-local merchant spaces are empty, bare spots worn in the grass with no tents on top of it, so those that are there are making the best of it. "Contracts, bought, sold and traded!" trills what looks like a half-translucent bird on a high perch above another tent. "Fruits! Sweetest fruits!" comes from a bright-colored vardo. The merchant looks a bit battered and bruised, but still keeping his work up. Ash has been here before, but only very recently during his explorations of the nearby Hedge so he doesn't really notice any significant difference in the population of the market place. As he hears the one merchant calling out fruits for sale he shifts the bag on his shoulder and heads in their direction, moving through the meager crowds of the market with his long, plodding stride. "I am Ash," he says, introducing himself to the merchant in a voice that sounds a bit like rocks being rolled down a river. "Do you have any Scar Thistle or any Serpent Gourd for sale?" He unslings the bag from his shoulder and says, "I have brought some fruit for trade." "Depends on what you have to offer. Fruits are fairly dear these days, especially healing fruits... " trails off the hob easily enough. He's got bruises in several stages of healing, and an exhausted look on his face. "I do have it in stock, yes. Both kinds. So." The stout hob plants his hands on the plank that serves as a makeshift counter. "What's on offer?" Ash reaches into his back and produces the amaranthine and bloodapple and set them out onto the counter. "I have both of these for healing," he says, the pace of his speech very slow and deliberate as he enunciates every syllable. "I did not know that healing fruit were at such a premium here. I will have to remember so that I can bring more to trade next time." "They will be until the paths are cleared again," shudders the heavy-set hob. "We've lost three shipments of amaranthine. Would have lost a fourth if it weren't for that ogre with the hammer, the rainbow dragon and the Spaniard on the horse." Setting out the gourd and the scarthistle on the counter, he takes the amaranthine and bloodapple; the former he puts back in the vardo, where another hand reaches up and takes it. He crunches into the bloodapple, and the bruises on his face start to slowly disappear. "You be careful out there. You don't want the dolls to pick you up alone." Ash gives a slow nod of his head. "I will," he replies as he takes the scarthistle and serpent gourd. "I am fortunate. It is easy for others to overlook me when I am in the forest." Which of course makes a lot of sense considering how much he looks like a tree. "I will try to return soon with more fruit. Amaranthine and Blood Apple grow slowly so I do not know when I will be able to return with them but I may be able to bring some Blush Berries at least. I know they are not as valuable but they will still be able to help, I hope." A little bob of his head to one side and then again the other. "As I said. Market values change. I'll be glad to assess any fruit you bring me, when you bring it to me." Leaning back in his chair, the squat hob pats the brightly-colored vardo. "If you see us, that is. If the traffic gets much worse... " A shrug. "Someone else can take the risk." Ash nods slowly once more as he slips the goblin fruit into his bag to join the two promise leaves that he didn't have to trade. "I will talk to people that I know," he says, "and see if there is anything that can be done. Take care of yourself."