[FIN Oba] Another Run In ~ Bushi & Phaedra ~

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi was whistling to himself as he brought Aatos into a nice stall that he rented out for the big bushi. It would allow him to take a load off and relax for a while, something that he deserved after having such a long day of work. He was such a good worker that he felt that he should get some time to just laze around too. Smiling he said, "You rest up, eat your fill of the food they will bring you, and just enjoy yourself, alright, buddy?" The giant turtle headed into the stall, seeming to be inspecting it, before he was almost instantly digging into the food that was left for him. It was a good sign, meaning that he should be fine here.

From there Bushi went to check on the many packs that the bushi had been wearing, all of them now being guarded by some men that he'd paid to take care of Aatos and the packs. Once everything was tucked carefully away into some heavy, locked boxes he finally felt he could go, with Profit following along after him. He gave her a glance before smiling, "You know you stand out so well here in Oba, I rather love it." The bright blue stood out from the colors that were were standard for him, which was why he loved her so much. Reaching out to pet her on the head he said, "Alright, how about we get going. We can go and finally check out the marketplace for ourselves instead of just waiting for customers to come to us."

He had only his smaller pouches on him at the moment. One of them held his money, one that had some various loose gems for trading, and the final one had treats for Profit. Digging into his pack he got one of those treats out, giving it to the half grown kinfa, before continuing forward. It was time for a bit of shopping around, something that he was looking forward to. He wanted to scope out the competition for one, but deep down he also just wanted to do some shopping, to see if there was anything that he just had to have.  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

Phaedra was back in the marketplace, this time with more coin to spend, but she also had something else with her. Cured meat that she had treated with the Sautian spices that she had acquired. She was having a lot of fun making different dishes with those spices but soon she would be out. While she didn't think she would find someone else with those wonderful dried plants she was on the hunt for more to cook with; even if they weren't from Sauti.

Her hair had been meticulously brushed and tucked behind her pointed ears, her barrette in place to make sure it all stayed neat and cute. Phae was actually hoping she would find the man from before so her green eyes were scanning the vendors along with everything that was being sold. Not only did she want to see about buying more of those spices she also enjoyed talking to him. If she could she wanted to convince him to spend more time with her.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi was gazing at each booth that he walked by, sizing up what it was that they had on had, before moving on. He wanted to know what everyone else seemed to think was important and see if he was thinking along the same lines as the or if he was pllaying it smart by selling things that nobody else had. He felt that his travels abroad had aided him as far as strange, foreign good went, but he had to wonder if he should carry some things from Oba. It might help since it would draw people with things they knew before they then saw all of the things that they didn't know. It was something to consider at least.

He continued along once more, pausing here and there, taking in everything before he found himself looking at something rather interesting to him. What... was that? Stepping in closer he leaned over, inspecting what looked to be a pille of scales from a creature that was unknown to him. As though noticing his interest the merchant turned to him, explaining to him what it was and where it came from, and Bushi was interested... not that he appeared as such. Instead he set to looking through each of the scales, humming over each piece, "Not bad quality, though some of these scales are scuffed up and cracked, which will make them harder to create things from." His starting gambit before negotiations started up.

It didn't take but a moment before the big man and the merchant were haggling over the prices, quality, and uses for Limbara scales. The better Bushi did the better prices would be for him, and as such he meant to give the dealings his all. He only had a split second where he was distracting, having noticed the Leaf Tribe Sprite approaching his location. He couldn't let himself get distracted though, not if he wanted to get the scales for a good price.  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

Since she was looking both for spices and for Bushi her attention was divided and easily snagged by one or the other. Phaedra's eyes were drawn to a table that had several herbs and plants on it. This being the first decent looking vendor she made her way toward them, not noticing Bushi at a dealer a few stalls down, and started to gaze over what was for sale. Almost instantly she was delighted by her find since she saw many useful plants there. Not only could she use most of them in cooking but she found several that were useful in other ways.

Her small hand went into a small basket full of dried petals and came up with a handful so that she could smell them. She wanted to see how potent they were before she committed to buying any. Phae closed her eyes as she took in the scent and smiled as she became surrounded with it. It was delightful. The price was a bit on the high end however. So she put the petals back and went to another basket to do the same thing. If she was lucky she might be able to get more than one or even put together a mixture.

During a quite spot in the crowd a voice reached her ears and she turned her head to search. Phaedra knew that voice. "Bear...?" It sounded like he was bartering with someone. If only she could spot him with her own eyes then she would know for sure. Unfortunately he was behind hidden behind a small group of women gathered at a stall looking at jewels and the leaf woman couldn't spot him.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi was feeling a bit gleeful as he bartered with the man before him, the two of them butting heads over the price for the scales. It was, at least in his mind, both a game and a way of life. Making deals like this, getting the materials for a low price, was important to him. If he could get things cheap then he only made that much more of a profit later after he'd turned the items into something else. The scales were something that could become rather interesting with time and work, but given the work he was going to have to put in to process them he wasn't going to pay top dollar for them, especially given that some of them were cracked. Whoever had harvested the hadn't done a great job.

After a bit more in the way of bartering a voice reached his ears, that of the Sprite. It couldn't be anyone else given that she'd called out the word 'Bear' which seemed to be his nickname just as he called her 'Sprite'. He itched to go find her, but not yet, not until... ah ha! There it was! The look on the man's face said it all, that he'd given up. The price was set, and paid, before he moved away from the stall, inspecting the scales of the 'Limbara', whatever it was. Apparently a beast from the 'toxic island' but other then that the merchant didn't have much in the way of information. As such he'd need to do a bit of research on them so that he could sell a story along with whatever he made from the scales.

As he tucked them away into the empty pack he'd brought with him, just in case, he turned and finally spotted the Sprite. He lifted a hand, waving it in her direction, and called out, "Hey there, Sprite!"  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

How odd that she didn't seem him right away. Had she imagined it? Phaedra blinked a bit confusedly. As she turned back to the spices on the table she had to wonder if it had been her mind playing a trick on her simply because she wanted to see the man. It was hard for her to really tell since the only other person she'd truly wanted to see and be close to was Mano, though that had been more for comfort and companionship. Bushi was different.

Then she heard it again. Only this time her nickname was attached to it. Phae turned her head in the direction that her ears told her the voice was coming from and there he was. Waving at her. All at once she smiled and shook her head then left the stall to head toward the Oban male. "I thought I heard your voice." She called back. Once she was close enough she paused and looked him over then around at where they were. He didn't look like he was selling anything right now. "Out buying things I take it?"  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi gave a toothy grin, looking as though he was quite pleased with himself as he said, "Yep! I got my hands on something pretty interesting and I think that it will be fun to work with." He was quite eager to get to work on making something interesting out of the limbara scales. Before he did that though he was going to have experiment with one of the more beat up scales instead of risking one of the higher quality ones. He'd get to that soon, but now that he'd found the Sprite he found himself wanting to spend time with her instead of going straight to work.

He gave a smile as he gave her a once over and asked, "What about you? Out shopping for anything in particular? Should I worry that you're going to find a merchant that you like better then me, Sprite?"

Next to the pair of them Profit gave a squawk, as though trying to tell Bushi that there was no merchant better then him. Given the fact that he'd raised the bird since she was just a baby though she was a bit on the biased side. Reaching out he gave her a scratch under the chin she said, "You're really a sweetie, aren't you, Profit?" Getting out another of the treats he gave it over to her to eat before his attention went back to her, "She's a bit on the spoiled side." Though he didn't mind, everything she did to help him out made it worth the treats he got for her.  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

So he'd found something that had caught his eye. "Anything that I would be interested in buying from you when you're done with it?" Phaedra was curious as to what it was. And also what the man would do with it. When he asked her what she was doing she didn't have time to reply before his little kinfa chimed in. The leaf woman watched the exchange with a smile then shook her head. "She's not spoiled, she's loved."


Though she turned afterward and motioned to the vendor stall she'd just walked away from. "I was looking for more spices, actually. I'll need more to cook with once I run out of the ones I got from you." The mention of the Sauti herbs had her giving an alert look as she went into a small pouch at her side. A second later and she took out a small piece of dried meat and held it out toward Bushi. "Here, try this. I made it with those spices." Phae hoped that he would like it. More than anything she found that she really wanted this man to enjoy her cooking.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi thought about it for a moment before he said, "Well, it's hard to say. I was thinking of possibly creating a pair of gauntlet outs of some of the scales thought shin guards are a possibility too. I guess it really just depends on what they end up being the most useful as." He glanced at her, giving her a smile before said, "Useful for you if you are a warrior woman as well as being a cook?" Which would make her all that much more interesting to the big man.

At the mention of Profit not being spoiled but instead that she was 'loved' she couldn't help but to flush a little bit, "Ahh! Yes, I suppose it could be described as that as well." He said, scratching his bearded chin, a bit of a smile on his face.

"Ohhh, looking for more spices, huh? Well, if you need more I have some, though you did end up with a good portion of those from Sauti. Now if I can interest you in some from any of the other lands that I visited that is another story." He said, giving a smile, before she was suddenly holding out food to him. Bushi's eyes blinked a couple times before he reached out, taking it from her, "Ah, thank you! Definitely the best way to go about winning me over." He gave a grin before taking a bite of the dried meat, chewing it slowly, and nodded slowly as he did so, "Ahh, that is really good stuff, Sprite, thank you."  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

It never occurred to her that she might want or need to have something to guard her arms or legs. Phaedra thought about it for a moment more then nodded. "We'll have to see how they turn out then." Not that she mentioned she had a weapon in which she would be using them with. She wasn't so good with it. Sure, she could survive, but as far as being gifted at fighting.. well, she was not.

The leaf woman smiled and nodded her head at Bushi. "I might consider spices from another region." Phaedra really didn't mind where they came from so long as they were of good quality and she could make something with them. "I was eyeing some rose petals over there but I think the price is a bit high." However, she slowed her words when she really thought about it. Growing things in Oba might not be as easy as it was in other places, so the price could be just right for the market here. "Or I'm just spoiled by Jauhar."

Phae lit up when Bushi told her that giving him food was a good way to win him over. "Oh? So I could potentially bribe you with a good meal?" There was no hiding her grin from him as she spoke. It was clear that she had hoped he liked her cooking.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi gave a humming sound as she mentioned rose petals, "Well, they aren't native to the region since we don't have as much water around here as they like. It's not to say that there aren't any of them, there are some noblewomen that like to cultivate them, but as far as wild ones go they are rare. I'd have to see the price to know if they are the normal ones or if they were trying to rip you off because your a foreigner though." It was altogether possible that the merchants might see her as a mark since she was from a different land and might not know the prices of things in Oba.

Coming out of his thoughts he found himself flushing just a little as she asked about potentially bribing him with a meal, "Ahh, well, to a degree that is," He said before jokingly adding, "I have my modesty after all." As if someone would actually be trying to buy him in such a manner with food. It was something that he seemed to find funny though.

Motioning to Phaedra he invited the sprite to follow along after him as he went to the booth that she'd motioned to that had the rose petals. They might as well check it out, get a look at the petals, and see what they were charging for them? Given the season, the water they'd had thus far, as well as what sorts of petals they were all tied into prices, something that all merchants had to know if they wanted to stay on top of everything.  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

Hearing that roses weren't as abundant in Oba made her nod her head. It would explain the price. Phaedra knew that roses were cheaper in other regions. Though she was a little worried when he mentioned that the merchant could be trying to rip her off since she wasn't from the area. It made her glad that Bushi was on her side at least.

Seeing him flush made her giggle. "Well, I would love to cook for you." Then Phae moved closer to him so that she could kiss his cheek. It was a bold move for her, one that she'd never done before, so her own cheeks reddened a good bit when she pulled away from him.

Then she was walking beside him toward the vendor that had the spices she was looking at. Phaedra brought her hand up and began chewing on her thumbnail. She felt nervous and there was a soft fluttering in her stomach. Now the leaf woman just hoped she hadn't scared Bushi away.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi gave a happy sound as Phaedra commented on how she'd love to cook for him, something that made his day in a way that only a few things could. The other things mostly being him getting really good deals on things, which he meant to do right now if at all possible. Coming to stand before the booth with the spices he searched until he found the roses, reaching out to pick up a pinch of them, before he inhaled their scent deeply. There was a moment where he was seemingly debating over the scent before he said, "These are desert roses, aren't they? You can tell by the smokey, spicy scent and the orange color."

Giving a humming sound he thought on it before he said, "Given the time of year these are still pretty common place for anyone who is willing to go get them." His words were obviously ones that didn't please the merchant that much. He tapped a finger against his lips before quoting a price that he felt was fair to the one sitting before him.

The man starred at Bushi, looked passed him to look at Phaedra, before looking back again before he said, "If you plan on buying stuff like this you should come along yourself instead of sending your foreigner girlfriend, that isn't a way to get the best prices and you know it." He said, waving a hand, as though he didn't care that he was basically admitting that he'd upped the price due to where Phaedra was from.

Bushi motioned to Phaedra and said, "Are there any other spices you're looking to pick up, Sprite? Might as well get them now while our friend here is in the mood to sell at favorable prices."  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

She watched at Bushi did what she had done earlier, smelled the petals, and waited to see what his opinion was. Phaedra was pleased when he seemed to know exactly the type of rose they were. Most people wouldn't unless they dealt with herbs on a regular basis. So when he managed to get her a good price on the dried flower she stepped closer to him and looped her arm with his so that she could look at what else was for sale.

Her cheeks reddened at the seller's comment about her being Bushi's girlfriend but she said nothing to confirm or deny it. Mostly because she wasn't sure which one she wanted to say. So she kept her focus on the herbs. When she found another two that she liked she pointed toward them. "What about those, Bear?" Phae seemed to be interested in a root and a dark bark from some tree. "I think I can work with those." Looking away from the spice she turned her face up to look at Bushi.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi gave a smile as Phaedra played along, clinging cutely to his arm, before requesting more herbs. This time it seemed that she was interested in a certain sort of bark and some roots. He gave a smile as he picked up some of the root, "This stuff is pretty useful, healers tend to favor it because it can be mixed with medicine to make it taste sweet instead of bitter. It has other uses as well, of course, but that is the one it's the most well known for. It's why it's called 'Doctor's Little Helper' by some."

Turning to the merchant he said, "We will take a trio of these roots to start." After saying that he set about going through them, looking for the best among them. The biggest, fattest, most high quality of the roots which he set aside for the time being, "Now, onto the tree bark." He said, picking up a piece of it, looking it over, before he lifted it up to his nose, giving it a sniff, "Hmm... might come from a cinnamon tree. What do you think?" He held it out to Phaedra to inspect next.