don't care much what people say, nothing's perfect anyway

Located at Fundy National Park, early afternoon. Mistfell Vale members preferred!

Cookie and Gaston are setting up a little "pop up" roadside trading opportunity. Both are in Optime form and on foot.

This is the spot, Cook announced.

He had his back to the dog carrying the bulk of their goods, and did not see his long face scowl with frustration.

This? He echoed.

Yeup. Just put that down wherever, I've gotta move some of these branches. Woops, watch yourself there, girl, the old man coddled the skunk bundled up close to his chest when he bent over and nearly spilled her out into the cold. The whole contraption only worked when it was wrapped properly, and Cook had a habit for letting things get loose. With all the clothes he was bundled up in he hardly missed the extra heat.

The poncho was the single greatest item he had ever traded for, and he delighted in its ownership in this cold weather. Beneath this garment was a two piece shirt and short-pant combination that left his hands and feet exposed to the elements. The thick scarf around his neck was nearing the end of its days, sadly, and its tattered ends flopped in the chilly breeze.

Gaston, on the other hand, was discarding the only things he had been carrying – bags – and stretched with noisy relief. He let out a rolling curse in French and looked at their supplies.

You need a horse.

Horse ain't gonna listen to an old fella like me.

Maybe a cow instead, hah?

Oh I think one cow is plenty enough, Cook chortled. He moved to the bags and pulled out a thick piece of leather. This sheet was spread over the slight slope near the road he had chosen. Atop this went another blanket. Cook pointed out big rocks around the area and had Gaston place them on the ends of his new floor. After some fussing he found a satisfactory position, and Gaston moved the bags to the center while Cook examined the area.

You think we ought to make a fire?

A fire will draw attention. That might not all be good, but I'm here, the collie said this as if his meaning was obvious. I want to rest first.

Sure, sure. I've got to figure out what's goin' on display here anyways, Cook said. He turned to the bags and bent to examine the contents of the first.

[+300] • This looked lonely so I figured I might as well snag it. Let me know if there is anything you want me to change.

Life at home was becoming both easier and more frustrating at the same time. Callisto was getting older, and with that came her own sense of independence. That didn't mean the foster mother had to be dragging the child along with her everywhere she went, especially when she had other friends and family she could be spending her time with.

The trouble that came with age were the questions, many of which Zuri was not content of sharing without expressing disdain or outright hate. How was she supposed to explain the sequence of events that led to her own birth, and to a child no less? No doubt she would get a stern talking to from her husband and certainly Saga if it were to come to that.

No, now was not the proper time.

Taking the time to focus again on her duties, or more so expanding upon them, the pale woman made her way outside the borders. Where there were times when she would have brought her horse, there was no need to travel such a distance, but it probably would have been smart of her to bring some goods along with her. It was typical of her when she made these kinds of outings to bring her goods on the chance that there would be trading to be had.

Or even better a weapon. She had the base of her own polearm prepared, but still the blade part had yet to be made. Once that was done, she would be able to properly be able to expand on the Vale on the whole.

Crimson gaze moved up along with her upright ear. She could hear the sound of two in the distance. Moving her hands to join together at her back, Zuri paced towards the voices, standing tall as she came to them. It was two males, both of them having traveled on foot like her, and setting something out not too far outside their borders.

What a great opportunity to have come upon.

Padding closer to them, she called out, "What brings you two this way?"

It wasn't terribly long before someone did come across them.

The sight of her was, admittedly, shocking. A true albino was something rare in the world, though this woman's eyes were such a bright shade of red that Cook knew at once she was something else.

An anomaly, like him.

He smiled and hailed her like they had known one another before.

Hello there! I suppose I ain't got nothin' really out on display yet, he said, mostly to himself. Rising with deliberate slowness, he stepped away from the little would-be stand to approach the stranger.

For all the thousands of times he had done this, there came a little rush of the same familiar fear – from his youth, from the violence in Portland – and as he always did Sawyer Cook swallowed it down and let his practiced persona carry him.

Cook's the name, and my associate over there is Gaston. We're travelers and traders, and that's what's got us here today. Are you from around here? We heard there was a pack somewhere in these parts but figured we'd be getting too close sooner than later, the dog said thoughtfully, stroking his mustache.

[+300] • OOC Text

Zuri was no stranger when it came to those that took in her striking appearance. It was one of the first things that anyone ever looked at when it came to her, though there was always a mix of how those would react on this observations. Both reactions had ways that would aid her in working with whomever she seemed to have captured the attention of.

Considering the usual way those reacted to her, it was nice, at least in some manner, that these two males weren't just staring at her. It would open the door for them to discuss more meaningful trade deals.

The pale woman made her own advancement towards the stall, meeting the older of the two males half way. He explained what she had been able to infer, that they were traders, traveling ones at that. A shame in some regards. Travelling traders didn't make for the best clients to keep ties with, as they were always on the move and there was not much telling if they would find themselves around this area again.

It seemed they had gotten word that there was a pack near here, so there was some purpose for her to be here as well. Zuri let a smile move back onto her face, "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. Wise of you to make that decision, as you are correct. There's a pack near here by the name of Mistfell Vale. Kind folk from what I have been able to gather."

Her crimson gaze moved past Cook briefly before letting them fall back on his sift gaze, "I know you said you don't have much set up, but perhaps we might be able to discuss some of your wares. I know I probably don't look much of it, but I'm a trader myself, always eager to do some business."

[WC: 265]

That's got a nice ring to it. Mistfell Vale, I like it, he said. The name evoked an air of mystery. Given her unusual appearance and knowledge, he wondered if she had come from the area. Not seeking to pry – it didn't benefit him one way or another to know details about her personal life – Cook put his hands on his skinny hips and nodded.

A'course let's talk! Have a look-see, he gestured to the spread blanket. Cook pulled out the first and most common of his wares – gathered material collected along the way, handsome feathers and stones. Among these he soon added several colorful minerals, and one piece of sparkling quartz whose many points flashed with each deliberate turn from his hand. He had pretty things like this, but liked to keep them out of sight.

There was twine and fine, thin cord. He even had a few pretty animal pelts, mostly rabbit. One was a sooty black squirrel. Among the pile he added curious looking bones.

These were things he found practical and common to offer. When he pulled the little jars, it was to suggest his real source of income – brown shredded tobacco leaves filled this, though neither he nor Gaston smelt of smoke.

Here's a few things, to get y'started. I can always look 'round for things too, these wanderin' paws sure do have me seein' all sorts of folk. Me, I'm a simple man, love the road. Love it less when the weather's poor, but what can you do about that, huh? Ah well, he sighed.

[+400] • OOC Text

Zuri had always been careful when it came to spreading information about the Vale. Some habits were just too hard to break, and keeping Mortimer's true nature under wraps had been one of them. That wasn't to say that her new home was a place that required such secrecy, but there was no telling what others could do with that kind of information. When it came to the king that had come wandering to their borders, there was little that could be done about giving him only shreds of information.

But then again, by the end of their conversation, she had seen much more reason to continue sharing what she had to offer. There was far more opportunity with them, and all they had to do was seize it.

For loners, it was a completely different story. The one she spoke too didn't seem like the kind that might stab her in the back, but life had taught her to be wary none the less, "Yeah, it does."

Crimson gaze turned down to the blanket, Cook having drawn her attention towards it. He began to pull out some things, items that were much more common. Her eyes were drawn to the minerals he pulled out, if only to see them as leverage to be able to get something else out of a trader from another point in time. Another thing that drew her attention was the jar of tobacco he pulled out. Now there was something she could see her husband using, probably more for himself than anyone else.

One hand moved under her chin, pondering over things. She lowered her body down towards the ground, letting her fingers carefully trace over the jar she had her eyes on since he had pulled it out, "I can understand that. Out of what you've got here, I've got interest in this. I know someone that would greatly appreciate this. I won't make you work to pull anything else out if you don't want to."

This would be fine enough, unless she could think of more that the Vale might need in turn.

Pondering what could be used in return, she ran over the list of her own personal items as well as what the Vale might have to offer in turn. Perhaps she might be able to narrow things down with a simple question, "What might you be looking in return for something like this?"

[WC: 230]

Oh that there's a fine choice! He complimented the woman. Tobacco was always one of the most popular products in his collection. If he had the ability to grow and harvest a farm he could have been a rich man, but the weather up here wasn't suited for it and he knew better than to settle down like that. The bigger one's wealth became, the more attention they drew to themselves.

He straightened up and brought the jar over to the albino. It was hard not to stare at her strange flickering eyes, but he did his best to look elsewhere – at her nose, or at those bright whiskers around her mouth. Even this felt improper, somehow, and he eventually took to nodding very seriously and stoking his mustache as if deep in thought.

The price was always a variable, and he was eager to see what she might have to offer.

Well, I can't always smoke myself, you see, hard findin' paper n'things in weather like this. I used t'be able to carve pipes – oh you'd like them, nice intricate things, real fancy – but I ran into a spot of trouble on my way north and lost a lot of my things. Things to help fend off this cold weather or keep an old man fed are always appreciated, as long as the exchange is fair.

[+200] • We can go ahead and wrap this one up if you want.

Zuri was pleased when the man had brought the jar closer for her to get a look at. It seemed of well enough quality. It seemed he might have been struggling a bit to keep his attention on her, but that was nothing new. It made her wonder if there was something she could have done to make sure that others were staying focused on the task at hand rather than her looks. Guess it was just a curse of her existence.

Brushing the thought aside, she too returned to the matter at hand.

It was a shame that Cook didn't work with making pipes anymore. It was something that probably would have paired well with the item she was looking to acquire now. It was interesting trying to picture her husband sitting with a pipe in his mouth as he smoked. It was something that made her chuckle.

Pondering over what he was actually asking for, the pale woman offered him a nod of her head, "I'm sure that wouldn't be hard. I have a number of pelts and gather meats I would be willing to part with. I can sort through and offer some of my heavier pelts, as winter is coming upon us. It won't take me long to gather these items, as it doesn't look like you'll be leaving anytime soon." She gave him a smile to this.

There was no reason to believe that if they had spent all this time working to set up a small spot here that they would be looking to just pack up and leave.

[WC: 305]

That sounds perfect! He exclaimed. We'll be stayin' right here. I'll hold onta this until you come back, and then we'll swap. Let all yer friends know we're set up, would'ya? Be nice to move a little more merchandise – but don't you worry, miss, this here will not be given to anyone else!

Cook went to great lengths to show this was the case, putting the jar aside in its own little bundle. Zuri left them to return to her home, and Cook watched her go. When she was out of sight, he heard Gaston made a throaty noise.

What, you got a problem with that?

Now we have to wait here until she comes back. What if that's not until it's dark, hah? We be stuck here all day.

What did I tell you about gettin' a hobby? C'mon, man, the old dog scoffed. You hear what I was sayin'? I used to make all sorts of things worth somethin', and that kept me busy when I sat around doin' nothin'. Or, he lifted his head, putting on pretend-airs. Go stir up something to eat, monsieur chasseur.

Oh, listen to you, the collie laughed. He looked more entertained than offended. It sounds better that way, don't you think?

Hell, I don't know. Not my best talent, talkin'.

That's a lie. You are a trader, all you do is talk. Now, I think what I will do is sleep – if she is bringing back food, it would be a waste to go hunting.

Ain't you supposed to be my guard? I should be the one sleeping.

You have to run all this. Gaston looked over the collection while Cook nodded sagely.

True, true. You will have a lot to carry if we do well today, best to rest up.

The collie looked affronted.