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Baneberry was a genius.

The young, pale ferret had tagged along to Mossflower with a group of Rooters heading there, each on their own business, and had been left to his own devices for the past two days. They'd be leaving tomorrow, and he'd woken from the sheer brilliance of his own mind.

Besides harassing residents and wanders alike, and being a general nuisance, Bane had helped with chores, done favors, and also spent a lot of time wandering around, picking things up to stash in the youth junkpile back home.

The day prior, a nice molemaid had given him a bit of richly colored cloth, part in thanks for his efforts as a messenger, and part to simply make him go away. Now, the kit spread it on a flat rock, dumping objects from a pouch at his hip.

They were stones, some brightly colored, others dull, some shiny and some matte. They came in all sorts of shapes and various sizes.

Puffing out his little chest, the ferret swaggered about his makeshift display, every bit the charming salesman. "C'mon right up, then! Magic, lucky stones! Protect ya from harm, git ya a kiss, 'n make yer paws as quick as the river! Acceptin' all 'n any offers!"

That oughta do it!

"Hey!"

If only Eglantine knew what that word heralded for her future. The young, brassy kit brightened as he noticed a cat notice him, and after watching her settle down [and noticing that no one else was near by yet], he drew closer, keeping part of his attention on his 'shop' while he brought a pawful of stones with him for her to examine.

"Yer a tough one, ain't ya, then, Miss-Lady?" A broad smile. Bane was a rooter. He liked the rough-and-tumble folks. "A fighter, an adventurer, I'll bet! I always keep one o' these'uns," He pulled a pretty blue rock from the pile, holding it up for her, "on me when I fight some'on bigger'n me." A surprisingly self-aware laugh, "Which is most of 'em!"

They had to work, right? He was still alive, after all, which was some sort of amazing luck.

"Of course I can!" Indignant, the ferret puffed out his chest, apparently unintimidated by Eglantine's idle threats [possibly because there wasn't a day that went by in Fangroot that SOMEONE didn't threaten him, life-and-limb]. Tossing the stone in the air, he caught it in the same paw, before scrunching his muzzle at her.

"... How should I go 'bout, that, then...?" A pause. "I'm sure I kin find someone 'ere, who I've fought before!" A glance around showed nobody, for the moment, but he continued anyway. "I've fought a rabbit, big ol' mean lady-raptor, 'n even a cat like you!"

Baneberry feared none!

"Golly," he interrupted his own sales-pitch to add, with admiration, "You've got a fancy hat." Toki would be SO jealous when he found one like it!

"Oh, no, Miss-Lady, he wasn't like you a'tall! A right whiny bugger he was!" Trying to steal wood from his home! Hah! No, this was one cool cat. Shaking his head hard, he was adamant, repeating himself, as children were wont to do [or anyone, really]. "Oh, no, Miss-Lady, not flattery! Add-brained twit young ladies are dumb, anywho!"

If that was his way of saying he liked older women, Baneberry had an odd way of showing it. Instead, his mind raced with ideas to prove the stones worth. They had to be lucky, or how else would he have the opportunity to get one of those amazing feathers for his collection? And Bane did indeed love feathers! Every bird he met had to deal with him trying to pluck one or two [or three].

"You got yerself a deal, then!" He stuck out a paw to shake.

Usually, he'd just pick himself a fight, but, he had been told quite sternly the last time he'd done that at Mossflower that is was absolutely not allowed. What else, what else?

"Stupid, annoying little mouse. Who does he think he is?" Epra muttered as she walked through the market area of Mossflower. She'd decided to travel and do some shopping, but upon her arrival, she'd only found a few things of interest to her and the stall owners had been asking outlandish prices for what they'd had.

"Waste of time, this trip. Should've stayed home." The shrew sighed before glancing up. Scanning the area around her, she saw little that interested her. A few stalls (that she'd already looked at and found nothing of interest there), a group of mice squeaking about something in an annoying fashion (she edged away from them), and a cat and a ferret looking as if they'd just struck some sort of deal. So... nothing.

Epra frowned, wondering if she should just head back home and forget about this whole trip. It certainly wasn't going well thus far...

"Betcha more'n anything he gets his tail whooped a new one in less than ten."

A voice spoke to the right of the feline, perfectly in a blind spot. But upon turning, the young-ish ferret had his arms crossed non-threateningly. More likely than not the stealth had been nothing more than habit.

And hell, Etto had been getting bored. He had tailed along with the group going to Mossflower since he had to deliver a few letters anyways (including one to a "strange airhead in a bright red hat" whom he hadn't found yet)

He hadn't really talked to any of them, preferring not to get roped into 'personal problems' or idle chat unless he had to (or was in the mood).
But one of the more motherly members of the little traveling group had requested he keep his eye on the kit "in case history tries to repeat itself."
Whatever that meant. He had agreed the instant a possible reward of "a few berries leftover from last season" had been mentioned.

And of course Etto had strayed from the duty a few... dozen times. But what no one knew couldn't hurt them?

Plus keeping tabs on people was boring, which was exactly why he was starting conversation.

Epra glanced up as a voice interrupted her thoughts. It was that ferret kit that she'd seen with the cat. When had he come up to her? Scowling at the youngster, she answered, "Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to eavesdrop, pipsqueak?" Okay, granted Bane was at least as tall as the shrew, but she'd never met a youngster who wasn't offended by a reference to their small size. Kids just wanted to grow up too fast these days.

She ignored his question and the comment that followed. "What do you want?" Ah, might as well get to the point, right?

The cat got a slight grunt in acknowledgment/agreement.
"The question is whether or not he 'ctually learns anything from it."
Nope. No relation besides the promise of a few dried pieces of fruit as long as he made sure the little kit stayed in one piece.
Well that and he was bored and tired of trying to find the recipient of the last letter he had to deliver.

He didn't bother trying to hide his mild amusement at watching the youngster try and barter with the clearly slightly-more-miffed-than-your-usual-shrew.