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RESPITE MARKETPLACE - NOONISH
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Froge bounces happily behind his slightly burnt, but unlabeled stall, the coffer already well full of coin considering he'd only returned the day before. Indeed, while his stall is full of samples, it may look as if he's selling nothing but variously shaped glass vials. So why then would his neighbors have moved their own stalls farther away? The amphibian grins from the shade of a slightly scorched cloth, happily waving to passers by.
Fiora walks through the market in thought, both thinking about ways to spend time with Erika, and also trying not to dwell on Erika's current condition. She does happen to be walking past Froge's stall, however, as the amphibian gives her a wave, she pauses to bend down and examine the wares.
Froge croaks happily as Fiora approaches, bouncing a bit more. "Ah! Yes good day, miss!" He waves his webbed hand across the various vials and bottles, seemingly empty but all stoppered with good sap seals. "You have interest in my wares, hmm?"
Fiora shrugs, "I dunno. You do glasswares? Probably have to have a good forge for that kind of work, but a kiln forge isn't really something I'm looking for. But still, cute bottles!"
Froge looks at the vials and smiles, nodding. "Yes, a lot of people want to just buy frog bottles, it was very confusing at first, but not what I bring!" He shakes his head, grinning at Fiora. "Nope, I bring only the best firegas on Aephis! Very hot, very pretty. Cousins use it to make glass, actually. Want to see?!"
Fiora seems to perk up and grins, "Firegas? I very much want to see, yes!"
Froge nods enthusiastically, picking up a long vial that has a reed stuck in it's all-sap stopper, while the other hand produces a tong style flint striker from under his stall. "I worked on a new way to show it, works very nice! Ready?" He doesn't wait for her affirmation as he steps sideways from his stall. The neighbor he's just closed the distance toward moves away, but is clearly still watching with interest as well. The amphibian snaps the reed in half and quickly strikes the flint at the fresh end. It doesn't spark.
Fiora waits in anticipation, raising an eyebrow as nothing seems to happen. "Uh, yeah. Ready. What now?"
Froge chuckles nervously, a deep frog croak behind the voice. "Flint is unreliable, unlike firegas, you'll see!" He squeezes the tongs again and nothing happens. The third try produces one spark and a puff of smoke, but the spark happens to be made of pure fortune as it crosses the end of the reed. The gas that had escaped during this delay ignites in a small cloud, and the end of the reed continues to burn like a fuelled wick, sucking firegas from the vial into a narrow, hot flame. It takes nearly a minute for the reed to burn most of the way down, during which Froge easily manipulates the flame in different directions, bouncing happily and croaking a frogsong as he does. Before it's half burned, he offers the ignited vial to Fiora to examine.
Fiora's grin grows as she watches "Oh ho! I see! Highly flammible! And definitely pretty!" She eagerly takes the vial and examines it, moving it back and forth cautiously and watching the flame. "Now this is definitely way more interesting then glass!"
Froge grins at her enthusiasm, bouncing slightly as he gets back behind his stall. "You're fun! Four people today came to see, and none wanted to hold burning firegas! It's safe, as long as you don't touch it or drop it or hold it near cloth or wood or paper or hair." He tilts his head, watching Fiora's expression with curiosity.
Fiora giggles, tilting the vial a little more eagerly. "What kind of properties? Explosive, or does it just burn? Ooo! Explode then burn!"
Froge rubs his chin. "Good question! It will explode, yes, but it has to be really cold to become firewater." He looks side to side, leaning conspiratorially over his stall. "We can make fire water. If it gets warm, but there's no room, it cracks glass. Needs special vials." He ducks under his stall and pulls a heavily wrapped cylinder from the cart tucked under there, carefully tilting it to and fro to make the liquid inside slosh.
Fiora's eyes go wide as she leans her neck over the stall, trying to contain her excitement in a high pitched squee, "Whoa-ho-ho! Now that'd cause some havoc."
Froge chuckles, clearly being very careful with the vial. "Yes, very much. This glass is this big." He holds up another vial, around eight inches long and just under an inch wide. "But the fire water inside burns as much as three of the one I lit. But frogs are not inventors, no way to harness it's real potential." He shrugs, grinning. "Someone will figure it out, though!"
Fiora glances back at the lit vial in her hand, then hands it back towards Froge, "Stuff would be a reaaaal good way to make an entrance. Especially to the kinds of parties I get invited to. But I can't imagine it's easy to transport."
Froge nods, taking the vial and watching the lingering flame. Suddenly his mouth opens wide and a wet, whiplike tongue lashes out, extinguishing the reed. "Well... Like I said, the water turns to firegas when it gets hot... Maybe if this cloth could be lit on fire, it could act like a fuse? Never tried that myself... Bad idea in market." A curious croaking trails each word as he looks over the wrapped vial.
Fiora chuckles, "Oh, yeah, for sure! Probably not a lot of places here in town that'd appreciate that kind of force. But hooo! I'd have loved to have a few vials of this stuff that time I was holed up in Esselroe. But I'd also hate to have a vial of it on my belt crack and blow me up at random."
Froge nods, setting the vial down gently. "Ah, what were you doing in Essa... Mm, repeat that name, please?" He rubs the back of his head with an embarrassed chuckle.
Fiora grins, "Esselroe. Ah, it's a bit complicated. You ever had a friend forget to invite you to a party, so you invite yourself, and then his friends are mad that you showed up when you weren't on the guest list, and you try to explain yourself, which is really hard through a helmet, so you use your hands instead, but they don't seem to want to listen or even give you a chance to explain, so you get some one on one time with your friend to see if he understands where you're coming from, and when he finally agrees, his friends don't want to let him leave! Had to hold out in the basement while they got reinforcements. But my reinforcement showed up first." She chuckles. "See, with a vial of this stuff, I'd have just made my own exit and boom! Party over." She grins, very proud of her confusing metaphor.
Froge simply blinks, tilting his head slightly. "Ah... I don't understand... What is a party?"
Fiora tilts her head. "You mean like, an actual party? That's like, a gathering of a bunch of friends who all have fun together!"
Froge has an ah yes moment, smiling and nodding. "Ah, alright! A gathering!" A strange croak comes up behind the word, as if he's speaking a second word with it. "I understand now! You and your friend had a fun time at the party, then?"
Fiora laughs, "Oh yeah, we had a blast! Well, not a literal blast." She looks at the firegas and smirks.
Froge bounces a bit, grinning. "Good!" He looks at her for a moment again, tilting his had slightly. "You remind me of somebody... There's another, almost as tall as you, she is happy too!"
Fiora's smile drops a little, "You mean Erika... she's my... cousin. Family... She's why I'm in town."
Froge nods, though he notices her expression. "Ah! I am still unfamiliar with a lot of people here, and haven't seen Erika since I got back. I have something for her, but I don't think I have time to deliver it."
Fiora sighs, "She's back at her home, but... she's had an incident, so she might not be around too soon."
Froge: "She's hurt? That's unfortunate! I met her in that fantastic garden she keeps, promised to bring back some plants from home. Do you plan on going back there? Would it be too much to ask you to deliver them? I'll give you some firegas as a thank you!"
Fiora nods, "Not exactly hurt, but..." She smiles at Froge, "I'd do it for free, friend. I think helping Erika with some new plants will definitely make her feel better."
Froge grins again, nodding. "I appreciate it, thank you!" He ducks under the stall again, rummaging around for a bit before coming back up with a large sack that rattles and clinks, dozens of small vials with soil, seeds and saplings inside. He sets it next to the stall with a bit of a huff. "My cart will be much lighter now, too!"
Fiora chuckles as she carefully hefts the sack. "Glad to help both you and Erika then! And uh, as for the firegas... eh... I really shouldn't buy any new toys this far from home, but... it's so tempting!"
Froge chuckles a happy frogsong, picking up two of the larger vials, with clearly thicker glass walls. "I insist, it's a gift!"
Fiora giggles, "You're too kind, friend." She carefully takes the vials, slipping them into a pocket over her hip. "Name's Fiora, by the way."
Froge nods into a shallow bow. "Froge! It's been a pleasure to meet you, thank you for helping me!"
Fiora makes sure the vials are secure, cradling the package for Erika as she backs up and straightens her neck out. "Thank you, Froge! It's been a pleasure to meet you too!"
Froge begins 'singing' a happy frogsong from the back of his throat as he waves to Fiora, straightening up the remaining vials of his display and carefully returning the wrapped vial to it's place in his hidden cart. He feels a bit of regret not being able to see Erika himself, and hopes that the soil with each seed will be enough of a hint for their nurturing.