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Milo and Yvandel head towards the market place, continuing up the street in the direction they had been heading before they had spotted Furjar the Flippant's shop. After barely five minutes, they reach the Circle. Compared to when they had arrived the night before, when it was a bleak open place dominated by the castle, it is now clearly a bustling city centre. In the area where they had left Redmane last night, various wagons are parked, some newly arrived and unloading, others loading up, mostly with wooden furniture it seems.

Beyond the caravan staging ground, market stalls can be seen set up and the pair make their way over, Milo seeking in particular one that sells herbs. After a half hour of scanning the various market stalls however, all he has been able to find is a stall that specialises in cooking herbs. "You want Old Granny Smith if you want anything unusual", comes back the reply from the stall owner. "You can find her on Fish Street" he adds.

Milo looked around, getting his bearings, and asked, "We're are new in town, so could you give us directions? Is it far?" Milo was intrigued to find this Old Granny Smith, to see what she had on offer, and what other information she might have.

The pair spend a few more minutes chatting with the man as he talks them through getting the Fish Street before parting company and starting to head in that direction. A few minutes later, they leave the Circle and the busy market place behind them, cutting down an unmarked street containing two tailors, a barbers shop and a number of private residences before turning into a quiet street named Antar street, lined with yet more of the grim looking tall slate roofed buildings that seemed to make up the majority of the architecture of Sundabar.

As they near the end of the road, the pair spot a painted sign bearing the picture of a semi-naked woman under a moon sticking out from one particular building on their right. Below the sign, a black door with a small viewing hatch marks where the entrance to the Maiden at Midnight festhall.

A wolf whistle makes them glance around. Hanging out of a window two stories up on the opposite side of the road, a pair of good looking women giggle and then disappear from view. Milo recognises one of them as the woman who propositioned him last night.

Yvandel looks curiously at the half naked woman on the sign and quickly looks around as the cat calls are heard. When he finally notices who did it and they disappear, he looks to Milo for a moment. "I think they liked you Milo."

Milo feels himself blush a little, and says, "One of them supplied the lipstick that got me into trouble last night with Ceely. I am glad she has gone with the others, or I might be gutted like a fish right here. I'm sure you can use it in one of your stories, friend, but please not for a few weeks. I'm in enough trouble with Ceely at the moment."

At the end of the road, the two turn into Mattock Lane, walking towards a large brewery. The smell of fermenting beer fills the air as they pass, though near the end, it is masked instead by the smell of fish. Turning into Fish street, they can see that the short road is definitely well named, as there are at least six different fish shops lining the sides of the road. Considering the city is inland, it does seem incredible that the city can support so much fish trade, though the Rauvin does pass very close. The lack of serious agriculture in the lands surrounding Sundabar does perhaps hint at why they might have a stronger reliance on fish.

Moving down the street, they keep their eye out for Old Granny Smith's place - eventually spotting it only because of the greenery in the window. Above the door however, a large wood carved fish hangs - similar to all the other fish shops, indicating that perhaps the shop used to be a fish shop.

The shop looks fairly dark inside, though it is just possible to make out a figure dozing in a rocking chair near the back. There is no sign on the door to say whether the shop is open or closed.

Milo pushes open the door to the shop, making a small bell ring. The old woman, who had been dozing wakes with a shriek and a jerk, rocking far back and then forward, tipping her out of the chair to sprawl on the floor. She scrambles on bony knees around the back of the still rocking chair and peeks cautiously around it. "'Oo are you?" she asks in a quavery frightened voice. "And what you doing in my bedroom?!" she demands. Her eyes narrow for a moment as she takes in more of her surroundings and then she slowly and deliberately stands up straight - or at least as straight as her bent back will allow her - brushes herself down and comes around her chair to sits back down in it, wobbling for a moment as it rocks, but finally stills herself, perched somewhat precariously on the front with as much dignity as she can muster. "Er hem!" she coughs loudly as if trying to get someone's attention. "We have customers!" She pauses for a moment, then nods to herself. "Do come in me dears. Have a seat!" she says addressing Milo and Yvandel.

Milo and Yvandel look around the small shop - there are no spare seats to take.

"Can I get you a cup of tea perhaps?" she asks politely. "Or do you wish to purchase some fish?"

Looking around, Milo and Yvandel can see large numbers of glass and pottery jars lining shelves at the back of the shop, and the ceiling is barely visible for bunches of herbs hanging down. There is no fish visible, though there is still a lingering smell of fish - probably from the street outside (where fishmongers were gutting freshly caught fish on benches outside their shops and chucking the guts etc into the open drains).

As the old woman falls out of her chair, then scuries behind the chair confronting them with questions, the puppetmaster looks about to bolt from the store worried about what he's heard of the law in the city.

He breaths a sigh of relief as she comes around and asks them to have a seat, but its obvious the woman makes him feel a bit uncomfortable and he feels more than a little exposed without his puppet drawing peoples' attention.

Yvandel remains silent and let's Milo deal with the crazy lady.

Milo had been about to rush in and help the old lady up, but was cautioned by her attitude, and simply kept his hands in plain view, and waited for her to settle down. Seeing all the herbs hanging from the ceiling, Milo was at least happy that he had found the right place.

"I am sorry if we woke you from your sleep, but I am a herbalist looking for various herbs that might help me in my travels, and I was told the best place to come was your shop. You are known as Old Granny Smith I take it?" Milo then slipped his hand into his shirt, and pulled out his holy symbol to show her. Moving slightly closer, he said, "I follow Ilmater, and wish to use your herbs and poultices in helping others, if the price is right and you are open to selling me such items."

Looking around, Milo spotted some common herbs, and some not so common. Moving to one of these, he asks as he gently handels the leaves, "Are these Elvish Galingale drying in the dark corner. And this looks like Garden Flax drying here." Looking over at the woman, he simply smiles, hoping he has proven his own skills enough to get her to talk more openly.

"Herbs?" questions the old woman looking puzzled for a moment. Again, she suddenly seems to notice the contents of the shop around her. "Oh yes, I've got plenty of fish!" she says.

Old Granny Smith peers up towards the dark corner where a bunch of long triangular stemmed plants are hanging, their roots still attached at one end and tufts of grass like flowers on the other. "Ah, you have a good eye young lad, freshly caught last week them was. Do you do your own stewing?" she asks, "or are you looking for the tails to be already stewed? I have a few jars ready here!" She turns to a shelf and removes a glass jar containing a short length of root floating in a pale brown liquid and thrusts it towards Milo. A label on the jar reads:

Elvish Galingale Fish Tail
root infusion
Midsummer 1370
(raises bloodflow)

The words Elvish Galingale root have been struck through however, and the word "fish tails" been written above them. As Milo and Yvandel look around the shop, almost all the labels on jars have been altered, changing the names of different herbs, roots, mushrooms, tinctures and poultices to the names of types of fish.

Looking around, Milo can spot the following labels:

* ANGELICA Hake (coughing) - dried roots hanging the ceiling
* BIRTHNOT Cod (contraceptive) - dried leaves in a jar
* CAT’S TAIL Fish paste (heals heels) - several small jars of salve
* COLTSFOOT Haddock (anti-infection) - dried yellow flowers hanging from ceiling
* COW-WHEAT Caviar (intoxication) - small jar with a single paper packet inside
* DITTANY Trout Essence (anti-infection) - bottle of lotion
* FETHERFEW Whitebait (vertigo) - jar full of small white dried flowers
* GARDEN FLAX Cods Roe (pain removal) - large jar of small brown seeds, plus drying plant hanging. :-)
* GOLDEN LUNGWORT Tuna Steaks (heals ears) - several still fresh looking large leaves sealed in a large jar of water
* HAWKWEED Plaice (improves eyesight) - several still fresh looking small hairy leaves sealed in a large jar of water
* HORSEWEED Squid (strengthen horse) - a huge bundle of this is hanging from the ceiling near one wall
* JUNIPER Fish Oil (relieve muscles) - two bottles of pale pink liquid (one marked with alcohol)
* KELVENTARI Cod Liver Oil (burn) - couple of jars of crushed berries
* LEOPARD’S BANE Cockle Salt (poison to animals) - small jar of powder, has skull and crossbones on it.
* ORACH Shark Wee (jaundice) - a pale yellow liquid in a couple of large bottles
* ROSE CAMPION Prawns (scorpion stings) - a jar of small pills
* SANICLE Pike (bleeding) - a bottle with pale pink liquid.
* SCENTED MAYWEED Catfish (blindness) - a jar with small white and yellow flowers in liquid
* SPANISH NUT Dolphin nuts (aphrodisiac) - a jar of nuts
* SWEET TREFOILE Sea cucumber (bruising) - a jar of three pointed fleshy leaves in water
* VINUK Crab (awaken) - a small jar with a single ugly bulbous flower inside.
* WOODROSE Lobster (makes merry) - a jar of small woody looking flowers

Milo was staggered for a moment, then recovered enough to reply. "These Cod Roe, um, they are fine indeed. I would be interested in some of the roe for later." Looking over at Yv, he adds, "We are lucky to find such a well stocked shop Yv. Ilmater is blessing us today."

Looking around, and then again at the woman. "I would like to take what, um, Fish Paste, Trout essence, Cods Roe especially. Also as much, um, I'm not sure what it is really. It will neutralise poisions, and looks like dry seaweed? Would you have anything similar?" Milo wanted to go searching through the jars and pots to find the Goats Rue, but didn't want to cause a scene.

Old Granny Smith bursts into activity as Milo reels off the items he was interested in, plucking several small jars off one shelf, a bottle of lotion of another and a large jar of brown looking seeds from another, putting them onto a small side table. "How much Cods Roe do you want?" she asks, as she pulls out a paper bag and a small scoop.

She proceeds to measure out Milo's choices. As she finishes, she looks up at him. "Sure I can't tempt you with some Dolphin Nuts? Very popular! And a supply of Cod for your lady friend perhaps? Can't be too safe!" she asks with a wink at Yvandel.

As Milo asks about something to neutralise poisons, the old woman frowns in thought for a moment. "Poison you say? I did have some blow-fish fillets somewhere around here..." she mutters, moving to the shelves and starting to look behind jars and bottles. After a few moments she turns and shakes her head. "Sorry me dear, but I seem to be right out of that! I got some Crabcakes though!" she says holding up a jar containing a number of wads of dark green leaves bound in string. The label reads:


Spiderwort CRABCAKES
Midsummer 1370
(Spider bite antidote)

Forgotten in her other hand is a jar of mushrooms Milo hadn't spotted before. The label looks like it begins with "Zuls..." but her hand covers the rest of the label.

Yvandel blushes as she winks at him and continues to stay behind Milo really not that comfortable around the crazy lady and her odd naming conventions for the herbs in her shop.

He just hopes Milo gets what he needs soon and they can be done with this particular shop.

"You alright dearie?" enquires the old woman, peering around Milo towards Yvandel. "You aren't from round here are you?" she adds, finally showing some curiosity about her customers and a degree of observation so far lacking. "What brings you to Neverwinter, er I mean Sundabar?"

Yvandel defintely wasn't interested in talking, but the fact that she noticed that and was talkative made him a bit more interested in the woman and he suddenyly wondered if she wasn't as crazy as she acted. "I'm okay. Just not familiar with your product and letting my friend figure out exactly what it is we're after."

"Nope, not from around here. We're mostly just gathering supplies and heading on, but could use a break from the road for awhile. Are there any interesting places or events going on in the city in the next couple of days?"

"Something interesting going on in the next few days?" repeats the old woman. "Ah well, that all depends on what you find interesting eh?!" she replies with a cackle which ends in a hacking cough. Once recovered she continues. "Well, tomorrow is a special day! In fact, it is two special days in one! Some of the dwarves below celebrate Anvil day on the 9th Eleasias. Something to do with The Wanderer."

She shrugs dismissing it. "But more to the point, tomorrow is Fuzzy Animal Day! All over the city will be celebrations in honour of Lliira, Our Lady of Joy." She rubs her hands together. "Oh yes! I am looking forward to that! Sales of Caviar, Dolphin Nuts and Cod should be up!" She starts to cackles again only to cut herself off in mid laugh, her eyes shining as she remembers something. "And there will be a parade and special event tomorrow morning at the Circle! It is always quite a spectacle - you should go! I'll be there!"

Yv's eyes flash with excitement, "A parade and special events? That sounds like a lot of fun. Is there a good place that you know to sit and watch the parade from? I imagine it gets pretty crowded on the streets for that!"

The old woman shrugs. "Best view is from the walls of Master's Hall of course, but the most fun to be had is down in the crowd!"

She shuffles over to Yvandel and clutches at his arm and lowering her voice consiprationally. "You might want to get yourself a new dress dearie. You could get lucky tomorrow!" she says with a lewd wink.

When she moves over to him and grabs his arm, Yvandel has a momentary look of panic like he isn't sure if he should do something about it until she whispers quietly to him and he turns beet red.

Milo stifles a laugh, and steps in before Yv is embarrassed anymore.

"I'm sure my friend will have fun tomorrow. Now can I have a look at that pot in your hands. I'm interested in other fishy things, and that one looks interesting." Turning to Yv he says, "Yv, can you look for anything labelled for poison, such as Tempin or Goats Rue. If that is alright with you Granny Smith of course. I am trying to teach Yv some of the finer things about, umm, fish."

The mushrooms he is interested in, but he would really like to make a full stock check. This place was certainly an interesting find. Looking in more detail at some of the items he hadn't originally seen, he hoped to find some additional finds. At least here he felt at ease. Among herbs, even those labelled as fish entrails and eggs, was a welcome chance to relax for a moment. By putting himself in harms way, he knew he might not get another chance to relax for a while. And there was the problem with trying to get to open up to Ceely. That was one problem he suspected would take longer than he would hope. He needed a few days of just telling her about himself, his family, his secrets and his findings in the library.

"Hmmmm?" says the old woman, "Oh this!" She thrusts the jar towards Milo. "Just some old fish heads"

Zulsendra Fish Tail
mushrooms
Midsummer 1370
(energy burst)

Milo and Yvandel continue to look around the shop, but do not spot either of the things Milo had been hoping for and nothing else that Milo deems possibly useful.

Milo took his time, but couldn't find exactly what he was looking for, and it wasn't all down to the unusual labels. Finally, he stood back a little, and looked at what he had acquired, and nodded.

"How much for your fish?", he said no becoming used to calling them fish. Paying he took his goods and asked, "Are there any other, less worthy, herbalists and fish specialists like yourself? Perhaps they might have what I am looking for."

As he left with Yv, he asked, "Shall we try and see if we can get some potions to treat poisons my friend. If we are going to deal with something nasty, it is always useful to have something to hand. And perhaps they might have more information on this festival day tomorrow."

It takes a further twenty minutes to haggling with Old Granny Smith before the two finally step back out onto Fish Street, a bundle of paper wrapped parcels and jars in Milo's hands. The haggling itself hadn't really been hard - at least from the perspective of getting a good price - the hardest part was merely getting Old Granny Smith to remember what the costs were - she kept nipping next door to ask a real fishmonger what he would charge for particular types of fish. Some of the prices that came back seemed very high, for fish that is, but probably quite cheap for the rare herbs.

Standing on the street, the pair look at each other, as if to say "where now?"