"Auntee, I am sorry, but I am no longer a boy. I brought dinner." Myrcury sets the snake meat wrapped in his shirt on the counter. "There is enough to feed much of the street. I going to clean up then I need to run out for a bit.  I promise not to miss dinner."
Myrcury struggles to feel like an adult around his Aunt Bee. She doesn't help matters by always taking care of him. It's a bitter sweet realization. He will need his confidence to make his announcement tonight. Getting cleaned up with fresh clothes will help a great deal.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 13:41, Fri 19 Jan.

When Myrcury is dressed and ready he walks through the main living area and sees Aunt Bee processing the meat for her famous viper stew. It's a local favorite. He waves and heads back up Cypress Street toward Willow Way. He recognizes and nods to neighbors as he hurries along. Once he reaches the main road he turns north and hustles the 400 feet or so to the Bazaar's southern gate.

Once through the gate he turned left and went past the pottery shop and belined for Cobble's Apothecary. The bazaar was bustling with gnomes going about their daily business. Noone paid any special attention to him. Just beside the Apothecary was a sweet vendor who sold spicey sassafras root tea. It was a real pick me up, and it was a place Fritz and Myrcury liked to loiter. Fritz was waiting with an empty seat and a sassafras ready for him at the bar.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:42, Fri 19 Jan.

"Look at you! Ooo, and he smells good too! Here I got you a sassy." she cheerfully offers him the seat and the drink next to her.
This message was last updated by the player at 13:43, Fri 19 Jan.

"Fritz! Thanks my friend. But we can't sit. We have urgent business." He gestures to his bulging pack, busting open with some secret. He sees the drink, reaches for it and drinks down half in a single gulp. "We need to go see Mr. Cobble right now." Myrcury drinks the rest of his sassafras puts the mug on the bar, gestures to Petri, the proprietor, pats his pack, nods at Fritz the heads across the road to the apothecary.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 13:43, Fri 19 Jan.

Without questioning his urgency,  Fritz simply slams her tea and jogs to catch up with her childhood best friend.
This message was last updated by the player at 13:43, Fri 19 Jan.

The bazaar is a large commons laid out with all manner of vendors and craftsman. The central section is dominated by several large workshops. These include the Apothecary, Mort's Jewlerly, a smithy, a leather crafter. In the lower bazaar are several smaller shops offering all manner of household goods, art, trinkets, magic supplies, alchemist, herbalist and more.  The upper bazaar is dominated by small booths with agricultural products, especially produce and fish. Myrcury and Fritz went into the large shop at the west side of the bazaar called Cobbles' Kinder Apothecary. The proprietor and alchemist extraordinaire Kinder Cobble.

As the friends enter the shop, bells ring above the door, announcing their arrival.

The shop is empty of customers but filled with strange smells and shelves lined with all manner of elixir and concoction. There is a counter in the back. Behind the counter is a doorway covered in a drapery. A voice calls from the back assuring the new customers that they would be served momentarily.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:44, Fri 19 Jan.

A funny looking gnome emerges from the back he is dressed in glittery gold fabric and fancy boots. He has a gold colored cap on his head. He is aged but not old. He beams a smile at the two as they make their way back to the counter.

"Is that a hair I see sprouting out yer chin there boy? Fritz, I think I see one on you too! Kinder bursts into jovial laughter at his own silliness. Without pausing in his mirth he surveyed and appraised his visitors. His eyes land on Myrcury's bulging pack. He regains composure and continues. "What have you brought me lad, a pile of muscaria?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:58, Fri 19 Jan.

Still laughing off the facial hair joke, "Dont you know that the clean shaven look is in now. Its no longer fashionable to look like a stodgey old codger!" Everyone erupts in mirth.

"What I have in the bag ain't no mushrooms, it's a single giant pit viper skin with head attached and venom glands still in place."

He carefully but eagerly opens the bag, and with Fritz's help pulls the skin out and lays it out across the counter, the head prominently displayed right in front of Mr. Cobble.

Both Kinder and Fritz gasp in astonishment.

It is easily the biggest cotton mouth any of them had ever seen, by twice. Kinder Cobble almost looks afraid to touch it for a time. He reaches for the head and feels its jaws. "Pretty fresh." He continues his examination. He opens the mouth and looks at the fangs. He fails to hold back a shudder. He looks up at his guests. A smile crosses his face.

"This is a prize indeed! You killed this Myrcury?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:19, Fri 19 Jan.

Myrcury nods slowly, his mirth has ebbed a little. With an almost serious tone he says, "Not the work of a boy." He does not overly exaggerate the point. Gnomes tend to be very intuitive, much of there communication is unspoken. His message is received as he intended.

Mr. Cobble nods, "No indeed it is not. The work of a young man. May the Watchful Protector look out for you." He reaches across counter and pats Myrcury firmly on the shoulder.

Aside from being an alchemist and apothecary, Cobble is also a priest of Garl Glittergold. He reaches under the counter and pulls out a gold colored apron. He quickly puts it on and starts putting very thin gloves on. He gestures for Fritz to close and lock the door. He removes a small surgical kit from a cabinet behind the counter. He removes a small sharp handled blade and begins to demonstrate how to extract venom from a pit viper.

"Ideally we would milk live snakes, but if the carcass is fresh, I can remove the glands and collect the valuable liquid that way. He carefully demonstrates a fairly simple way to extract the very large venom sacks and fangs, together. He places each sack in a mortar and cuts off the fang. The fangs are over 3 inches long and look like needles at the end. The fangs he sets to the side. He presses out the liquid carefully so as not to squirt it, using the pestal. He removes the emptied sack then adds some starch and  a few drops of pressed seed oil. He works it with the pestal until it forms a thick paste.  This he puts into a small jar and caps it. "I can now use this paste to make antivenom as well as a few other useful concoctions. Normally I would pay 10 gold for a fresh snake.  This snake has at least 5 times as much venom." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a coin purse. He weighs it in his hand, it jingles as he samples it. "I don't have 50 but there is 20 here.  I will throw in package of On The Go Waffers. There are 6 in the package. Each wafer serves as a full day's meal and will heal some minor wounds. It's a 35 gold value. The best part, the package is 1 oz. Sound fair?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:20, Fri 19 Jan.

"That is a very generous offer Mr. Cobble, I accept." He enthusiastically accepts the coins and the waffer package.
"Mister Cobble, how do you milk them? The snakes?" Myrcury is a sponge, trying to learn everything he can.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:32, Fri 19 Jan.

The funny little priest of Garl begins to clean up the counter.  He carefully rolls up the snake skin with the head still attached.  He puts it in a drawstring burlap sack. He then puts the fangs in a small envelope and seals it with wax.  He hands the envelope and the sack to Myrcury. "Take the skin to Talya, I am certain she will buy it from you.  The fangs, I would take down to Shadylane. The tattoo artists use them. These big ones may be in special demand. Then you will have some coun in your purse and a big empty sack. Go catch anlive viper and put it in the sack. Bring it back to me and I will give you another lesson." With that the apothecary continues to clean up his counter. "Oh and please leave door open when you leave, the snake is a bit musky."

"Hey Myrc? Where did you get the piece?" She gestures to the tarnished rapier in his belt.

Myrcury had almost forgotten about his new treasure.  He pats it, smiles and says, "That is part of a longer story I will recount at dinner." The two walk west behind his uncles shop, past the smithy and finally arrive at Talya's leather crafting shop.  Talya is a master armorer, and an artist. She makes and sells all things leather.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:51, Sat 20 Jan.

Talya Honeybeard is a business woman who runs a clean organized shop with a constant flurry of activity. She has three apprentices working for her and they are constantly working on the next project. Despite her busyness she is still a gnome and would sooner cut off her own hand then be unpleasant to customers, especially ones she knows so well.  Talya lived across the street from Myrcury on Cypress Street.

"Greetings neighbor! And Fritz! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Pleasant but right to the point. She wipes her brow and extends her hand for a vigorous handshake with each. She smiles warmly.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:12, Sun 21 Jan.

When Myrcury sees Talya he is reminded that she makes him stupid. She is twice his age, which isn't saying much, but he has always been enamored with her. She has always treated him kindly, but like the boy who lives across the street. He really wanted to come across more adult, more manly, a recipe for stupid.

"Greetings Talya, Have you, uhm, time, to uh, look at a snake skin I have? Um please?"

He tries his best to strike a tone and an expression that says, "All business".
This message was last edited by the player at 03:10, Sun 21 Jan.

Talya looks at Myrcury quizzically. "You alright lad? Yer face seems a little stiff. Lighten up will ya and show me what you've got." Talya winks at Fritz and the two share a chuckle.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:10, Sun 21 Jan.

Myrcury blushes. Then sets the sack down, unties the bag and reaches into it with both hands. He lifts the head of the snake out of the bag with the 12 foot long skin trailing behind it. As he sees the expression on Talya face go from mirth to astonishment he is bolstered with a shot of confidence.

"So, would you be interested in buying this off me? I killed it down at middlefork this morning.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:10, Sun 21 Jan.

Talya collects herself then looks directly at Myrcury. "Bring it over here." She leads them to a long table. They work together to stretch the skin out. It hangs over the end and rests on the floor. Talya looks closely at the skin, first observing the workmanship, seemingly unimpressed, but then she looks more closely at the skin itself and the scales.

"Do you know what this is? It's not a cotton mouth. Well, not a common one. This is a great banded water moccasin, a giant cousin and very rare. There is enough skin here for a full suit of armor, with material to spare."

She looks as if she is about to make Myrcury an offer when suddenly, she has a thought. She motions for one of her workers."You want to sell this? I have a much better idea. How about I craft a suit for you? Of course I couldn't do it for free. But if you are interested in a fine masterwork suit of great viper skin, I think we could work something out."

When one of her assistants hurries over Talya simply gestures to Myrcury and makes a gesture that seems to convey a clear instruction. The young gnome whom Myrcury had never seen before begins measuring every conceivable dimension of Myrcurys being. Quickly and professionally, pausing now and then to write figures on a pad. The pencil he replaces behind one ear, the pad on the table and he is back to measuring.

Tayla snaps her fingers a bit impatiently and another, slightly more familiar assistant rushes over struggling to carry three suits of leathers that are each hung on thick wooden hangers. She displays each for Talya, one at a time.  The first the master artisan rejected immediately.  The second and third she paused over. She pointed to one of the approved suits.

" Myrcury, I would like for you to try that one on. I think this style will suit your slight frame best. Let me see it on you."

There is a marked change in Talya's demeanor toward Myrcury.  She addresses him more like a peer and less like the neighborhood boy.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:41, Sun 21 Jan.

Myrcury notices the change in Talya which builds his confidence. He expresses concern for the speed at which this is happening.

"Whoa, hold on. I can't afford this. Talya I appreciate the offer but I have only a few coins.

Talya lifts the skin to examine it closer, "You've got this here skin. I give you 100 gold for it right now. Not the most skillful job skinning it, but I can work with this. I will suit you up for an additional 50. Normally I charge 200 for a custom suit but you're practically kin. Dont worry about paying me now, this is a cash on delivery buisness.  It will take me a week to get it on you, then another couple days to get it perfectly fitted.  I am going to build it so it can be let out in case you put on weight."

With a final tug on a strap at his calf, she asks, "How does that feel? Move around a bit. Moving in leathers takes some getting used to. Your armor will be much freer and more supple than this. Well?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:03, Sun 21 Jan.

Myrcury tries moving about. Though it feels strange and restrictive, his movements appear from the outside to be quite agile. He replies to Talya, "I am not sure how it's supposed to feel, stiff? Restrictive? If so, we have a winner."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Sun 21 Jan.

Talya picks up another suit and hands it to Myrcury. "I think you might like this better, it has a skirt and shin guards as opposed to the leggings. I think you'll feel more agile in it."

While Myrcury changes Talya steps aside to instruct her apprentices. She keeps a very tight ship. The shop is always clean and bustling with activity.

One of her apprentices hands Myrcury a pair of soft leather boots.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:48, Mon 22 Jan.

Fritz helps Myrcury switch suits, she chuckles a little once everything is in place. "You look like a gladiator, I really like the skirt."