ORIGIN - Rise of Mercantilism

Being connected to the blue kooru was a very unusual experience. Namely, her compulsions were unfamiliar to Sunny -- the blooru wanted to be a mother, too, but via a very unusual sort of process that confused Sunny. The snail had assured her that they had a large and loving family, there'd been three big stumbling blocks.

One, the blooru was afraid of everything. Every shadow and weird noise. The other day, the lights in the cave had flickered, and she'd had a fit. Two, that neither of them liked to have Sunny's bare foot on her head. It was slimy and unusual, leaving the fur sticky and Sunny unnerved. Three, the blooru liked to snack, and playing taxi didn't really allow much time for that.

So when Sunny had taken notice of a lizard toting around a strangely cobbled together structure that seemed to be carrying things, she'd jumped at the chance. She urged the blooru forward, and was calling out to the sharp little lizard. "Hello! Hello! Sunny-snail here, you can make things, yes? Am looking for things maked. I am Sunny, this is my kooru friend."

@sharp

Permission given to pp Huma and Aerie as being in the cart!

One young, tired adopted mom finally made their way into Eridanus. Sharp'd managed to pick up yet another gemling in their little exodus, who now sat on top of the cart like a weird, fluffy ball. Fuzzy, that strange dragonet, was in their as well, and both had been (thankfully) quiet during this last stretch.

Black-and-yellow eyes scanned the leaves, unconsciously veering towards a gentle, worn-out path. It's bad to wake sleeping fledgelings, you know. The cave was lively, dappled cavelight hitting her scales as lessers and greaters alike called out through the air. Still, there wasn't anything too out of the ordinary. The ferns were fern-y, the water was watery, the gentle pulse of magicka all around her was... magick-y.

That was probably why she got so surprised when a kooru started talking.

The alien animal simply walked out of the bushes, looking just like a regular, blue-furred lesser. And then it spoke. Sharp's mouth nearly gaped open in surprise. Was this one of those magic-things? An illusion? Was her vague stress about those lovely, but needy babies getting to her head.

Oh, no, it was just a snail talking. From atop the kooru's head.

That didn't make any sense either.

"Okay Sharp, she (?) is talking to you. You can't just stand there awkwardly, do something!" Sharp did a little mental check. "Uh, yeah! Hello! I do make things!" She started. "I'm Sharp-and-Spiky! These are my smaller lizards, Fuzzy and... other Fuzzy!"

She did a quick check to see how they were back there. Still sleeping, good. If they struck a deal-- whatever this Sunny-snail wanted-- she wouldn't be able to look over them directly. That would be a problem.

But hey, she'd just cross that bridge when she got there, like any other mom. "I do make things, like this cart!" She raised her head to the side of the strange bone-wagon proudly. "And I can make things for you... at a price." Ah, there was that devilish grin. Even when fussing over two children Sharp couldn't stop thinking about valuables. "I'm feeling pretty creative today, so I'll let you come up with your trade. If I like it, I'll make what you want. Is that good?"

Reptilian eyes looked up to the snail, watching with a merchant's patience.

@Sunny

Sunny's eyestalks waved as she looked the children over. The blooru, to her credit, shied away when she noticed the dragon, but didn't otherwise try to flee. Sunny presented her idea proudly: "I am wanting something to put on my friend here. Two somethings! One, a little bag, for carrying. Mostly rocks and leaves. Maybe tying it around her neck or at her side? Something she can put on, with this tail of hers." For emphasis, she silently asked Kooru to wave the prehensile digits -- she picked up a rock and threw it in the air a few inches, catching it again and then balancing it on each one individually before dropping it again.

Show-off.

"Kooo!"

"Two," Sunny continued, "a... seat! A little platform-thing, yes? Whenever I sit on a lizard-friend or climb up stone, they have smoothness I can stick to. The kooru, she just has fur. Hard to hang on, and bad texturing, and hard for her to be cleaning. I am wanting a small thing, Sunny-snail sized, on which I can sitting." Then, she pondered the subject of payment.

Sunny's tentacles stretched out. "Sharp-and-Spiky has little-stones, yes? Babies?" She eyed them, sleeping in the cart. "Does Sharp-and-Spiky know that some rocks have life inside them? All it takes is a spell, and a new baby can be having. New life. Takes a special spell to see life in the stones, but Sunny-snail could tell you if any have life inside as payment for her things."

@sharp

Ah, so the snail wanted something for her... deer? Creature? Regardless, a bag and a seat. Sharp watched curiously as the alien picked up a stone and threw it around with her prehensile tail. That certainly was interesting. If she ever had the time, she really had to figure out how to get one of those for herself. Then she could attach an even bigger cart!

Still, a seat, and a bag. It wasn't something she'd made before, but it certainly seemed doable! She was Sharp-and-spiky, the world's most beloved craftsman! Despite her lack of thumbs, the lizard knew she could do it. Oh, and that reward was promising, too. She definitely did not feel like getting any more children right then-- a dragon and a fire-bird were enough, thank-you-very-much-- but in the future, creating children from stone sounded cool. Definitely an interesting business venue.

The merchant nodded in confirmation to the tiny snail. Without much warning, Sharp scrambled up to the kooru and circled around it, head scanning for anything of note. Maybe she could fit a strap between those six legs, or add a little harness around the neck, or...

Yes, she had an idea! Once a suitable game plan was plotted out in the sungazer's mind, she quickly hopped back to her baby cart and looked up to Sunny. "Hmmm... can do!" Sharp chirruped. "Likely today, yes! Maybe in a short time. Or long! But it will be done today." A quick glance towards her sleeping gemlings-- she wouldn't be able to watch over them while crafting. "Hey, can you or your big-friend watch over Fuzzy-and-Fuzzy for me while I craft, please? It would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I add a little extra to your things as a thank-you!"

@Sunny

The kooru startled a little when Sharp darted towards her and stood stiff-legged, but knew that the little lizard was neither carnivorous nor big enough to pose much of a threat. It was just... freaky. Fast-moving and potentially able to get under her feet and knock her off balance. At the proposal, Sunny made a broad gesture with her tentacles. "A deal is made!" she said brightly.

Sunny had no issue with taking care of babies. She had very good senses in regard to most things, and her kooru's sight and hearing were good enough to pick up anything she missed. Sunny guided the kooru to stand as close to the cart as she was willing (a couple feet away), glancing the little fuzzy things over. Well, one of them was little -- the other was much larger, and they were sleeping together. How sweet... Sunny hoped that her little-stones would love each other, when the time came to have them.

To keep the pair of them occupied, the blooru tore up a couple of ferns and set some in front of Sunny while bringing her own to her mouth. Watching things sleep wasn't all that interesting.

/temp exit so sharp can make the things

@sharp

Alright, now she had a clear plan of action and the promise of shinies afterwards. How fun! With a short wave of her tail, Sharp bade goodbye to both her Fuzzies and the strange snail-mount. First step of the craft: collecting the materials.

The forest of Eridanus was deep and lush, but Sharp was a good hiker. The lizard quickly bound into the underbrush in search of the first thing she needed: vines. Thick and green and twisting, the kind that curled over stalagmites and strangled trees. It was misty on the forest floor, so she scaled up a short stalagmite to get a better view.

And there it was: a cluster of green vines curling around a stump. One of the younger sprouts was just the right size she needed. With a quick snap of her teeth, the mottled reptile chewed her way through it's base until it flopped to the ground, limp. This would do wonderfully!