It has been an … 'interesting' day so far.

First of all, there are those two Eeee gentlemen who have been browsing the store since morning but haven't bought a thing just yet. "Just looking," one of them keeps saying, when offered help to find whatever it is they're looking for.

Then, the apprentices started arriving early, because some morning class was canceled on account of a flu outbreak at the Collegia Esoterica. And some of them have been sneezing. Combine that with the cantrips they've been casting to amuse themselves when they think the shop proprietor isn't looking, and there's just bound to be trouble.

And then, there was the Jupani cub who insisted he smelled something funny, about the time that a noblewoman poodle came crashing through the front door and shouted…

"My Poopsie is missing! Oh dear me, by the First Ones! Can anybody help me find my darling missing Poopsie?" She looks about the room, positively distraught and flushed in the ears, waving a Himaatian hand-fan at her face to offset the added heat of the spotted fur "boa" draped around her shoulders.

The slightly frayed-at-the-edges Lapi proprietor winces at the woman's shout, nearly dropping the case of powdered herbs he was trying to protect from the various sneezes of the apprentices. "Pardon me, Ma'am?" he asks the poodle, trying not to glance at her boa too often.

Long whiskers precede a sharp hewn muzzle, as a sable Skreek pokes his nose into the shop. He pauses for two long heartbeats before stepping inside.

The poodle lady slaps her hands to her cheeks, speaking in a really weak Gallisian accent … that is probably faked for the sake of fashion, rather than authentic. "Monsieur Lapi, oh, please help me find my little fluffy wuffy Poopsie-woopsie snuggums! He's all alone in the world and lost, the poor dear, lost! He can't fend for himself, and he'll probably be eaten for breakfast by some street urchin Kavi if he isn't found soon!"

A Jupani apprentice licks his chops. "Breakfast? Is it a pet yiffle?"

A Khatta next to him wrinkles his nose in distaste at the notion that anyone other than a Naga would actually want to eat a yiffle…

Aaron begins to get a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Let me guess… Little defenseless Poopsie is a fuff'nar, isn't he?"

The poodle claps her hands together, losing the faux Gallisian accent altogether for the moment. "Yes! Yes! You've found him, haven't you? Oh, you darling!"

The Skreek's ears swivel, his attention snared by the mention of the Lamuian beastie.

The rabbit carefully sets down his box of herbs, and sighs. "Actually, no, I haven't, ma'am. It's just the sort of pet I was expecting to be lost today, is all." Turning to eye some of the apprentices, Aaron wonders if he can get some of them to join a search party for the little monster, while he takes a few sniffs of air to figure out what the Jupani apprentice was talking about before the poodle burst in.

The two Eeee gentleman browsers stand up from looking at something, and chitter to each other in their high-pitched language.

Taking a few steps forward, the little Skreek looks up, and raises his paw to touch the brim of his hat. "Excuse me, yi'honor, but I coult not help but overhear," the Skreek chitters, a slight smile crossing his muzzle, "But I mig't be able to help yi. A fuff'nar lost, yi say?"

Aaron turns one ear towards the Eeees, just in case they actually decide to buy something, and tries to see around the gesticulating poodle towards the Skreek. "Ah, how fortunate! See, my Lady, help has arrived to find your … Poopsie."

The poodle smiles and claps her hands daintily together several times. "Oh, yes! Yes, I would very much like help, indeed!"

The poodle then glances down to see that it's the Skreek who's offering. "Hmm. A … a Skreek? Are you certain you're qualified for this? And if you even think about eating poor Poopsie, I … I … well, I'll see that you have a very bad day!"

A Khatta in the group of apprentices, wearing red robes, stands up. "I can help! I could … ah … ah … " He covers his muzzle as he sneezes, then wipes with a hankie. "I could make a cantrip to scare out the fuff'nar so you can find it easier!"

"Aw, Smoke, you wouldn't find nothing!" protests the Jupani. "I could find it without using magic at all! But if I did, I could do one better, you bet!"

The Lapi turns to look at the apprentices, and says, "Now, now, it's not fair to cast magic at people's pets," in an attempt to forestall further calamity. He also spares a glance at the two Eeee, to see if they've made up their minds about anything.

The two Eeee, if they've made up their minds at all, have only chosen to go to another aisle. The section they're currently perusing is devoted to herbal remedies of an only marginal magical nature.

The Skreek looks up to the poodle, his head half tilted, his words touched by the Desolate Band. "T'e name's not 'Skreek', yi'honor. T'e name's Skye. And bringing in even wilder beasts from Safar and Xenea been my trade t'e last few seasons … including more t'an a few of the fuff'nar critterlins'. And … " Skye pauses for a beat, a practiced pause. "An' I already had a good breakfast, yi'honor."

For his part of the fuff'nar hunt, Aaron stays clear of any shadowed spaces and starts to prepare another batch of medicinal tea for the sniffly apprentices.

The poodle looks the Skreek up and down, sniffs, then says, "Well … Safar … that sounds exotic enough. Very well then … I give you permission to help me find my Poopsie. And … " She looks in her purse. "I'll make sure you're well compensated, if Poopsie darling is given back to me. Provided you don't harm a single hair on his precious wecious widdle bitty head!"

The Lapi suddenly pauses in his preparations, as his black ear swivels around towards the back of the shop. "Please excuse me, Madam. And you apprentices better not try drawing more casting circles on the floor." With that, Aaron hurries to check his back door.

The back door cracks open, and a whiskered nose pops in. "Master Lightfoot? I gots somethin' for yas. You buy magickal arteefacts? Well, I got one right here!"

Aaron blinks at the bag, and the secretive bearer. "Magical artifact? Just what sort of magical artifact is this, and how did you come about it?"

Back at the front of the shop, Skye lets out a long, long and thoroughly patient breath. "Thank yi' yi'honor. As for t'e coin, let us find … Poopsie … first, yes? But speakin' of food. W'en was t'e last time he had a good meal … and where do yi last remember seeing his furry face?" He takes one step towards the front door.

"Well … dear me … Poopsie has been getting a bit roly-poly, the poor little spoiled thing! So, you see, I figured that if I just let him skip a few little bitty meals, he'd thin out a bit." She giggles. "It always works for me!"

The poodle then adds, "Anyway, I was just riding down this street here, when Poopsie started wrestling with his muzzle … and, dear thing, but the muzzle popped right off! And then he ran off, and I chased him right here."

Closing his eyes, Skye can't help but wince. He looks back up, glancing towards the apprentices before daring to return his attention to the Missus. "Did yi actually see him come into the apot'ecary?"

The poodle shakes her head. "Oh, dear me, I wasn't that fast getting out of the carriage … but I found this just outside the door!" She holds up a little gem-studded collar. A dangling metal name tag reads, in script filigreed to the point of near-illegibility, "Poopsie".

Blinking at the bright metal, Skye's eyes widen for just the barest hint of a moment. His breath is a whisper, "Pretty." Then turning, he takes the handful of steps towards the door, stopping just before it to turn back to the chattering apprentices. "Scooz me, Master Jupani an' friends. Mind bein' quiet for a heartbeat, yes?"

The Jupani and his friends look a bit annoyed at being told to be quiet … but they oblige for the moment. (No telling how long that will last, though.)

"FUFF'NAR?!" comes a rodentish squeak from the rear of the shop.

Both of the Eeee gentlemen in the aisles swivel their heads to look at the brief commotion in the back. The apprentices stifle giggles.

Aaron grabs his ears and pulls them down quickly, grimacing at the shout.

As the room quiets, Skye's ears snap up, swiveling. First intent on the room itself …

A short Skreek (short by even Skreek standards) slips in through the back door. He mutters, "Better 'n … better 'n some things… "

The Lapi secures the back door quickly, and then checks to make sure nothing is crawling up his clothes.

Skye then opens the door, to listen for hints of an outside commotion.

Carefully shutting the door, Skye paces towards the counter, the second Skreek and Aaron. "Master Shopkeeper, coult yi keep t'e back door shut for a bit … and there's an upstairs here, yes? How does one get to it?"

"My room?" Aaron asks, suspiciously. "There's a pull-down stair-ladder in the back, but I'll have to come with you."

The second Skreek squeaks, "Yes, that'd be nice and private. I could show ye the arteefact."

Aaron tells the smaller Skreek, "I just need to go back there to reach the pull-down handle for him. I'm not going to leave the shop untended with a gaggle of Apprentices trying to make each other's tails fall off!"

Skye smiles, "If'n it's nota bother, for t'e Lady, yes? Besides, if t'at was a hungry fuff'nar that I just heard up t'ere, five will get yi ten he'll be even more hungry and a lot more annoy't come yi bedtime."

Skye blinks at the shopkeep's words, his own tail wrapping close about his legs. "T'ey can do t'at?"

The lady says, "Oh … you go right ahead! I'll … oh! Tea! I think I'll help myself." She heads over to a table and helps herself to a cup of tea, sitting down and crossing her legs demurely.

The Lapi grumbles about "better not be chewing up my books… " as he leads the black-furred Skreek to the rear of the shop, and jumps up to grab the end of the swing-down ladder that leads to his attic apartment. "They can try; that's usually enough."

The second Skreek follows as well, looking a bit jittery as he glances this way and that. "Ye do buy arteefacts, right?"

Aaron checks the aisles for the two Eeee, and tells the little Skreek, "If they're genuine, sometimes. I'm sure one of the 'prentices out front can tell if something is really magical or not."

Following silently, Skye keeps in Aaron's shadow. He doesn't even look at the other Skreek. The only thing he does do, however, is adjust his wide brimmed hat, pulling it down upon his head even tighter. And once he gets to the ladder, Skye scrambles up … fast.

The second Skreek shudders, and nods his head. "Oh … ye betcha … this'n's magic all righty! I swear on me grandpappy's skull!"

The attic-space for the shop is mostly used for storage, with various crates and shelves full of exotic herbs and medicines turning it into a small maze. In the corner near the trapdoor, though, a simple bed, chest and night table serve as Aaron's bedroom.

The second Skreek squeaks, "But I thought we'n all goin' up there?" He clutches the bundle close to his chest.

Aaron blinks at the little rodent. "With a ravenous fuff'nar?" The Lapi shudders for a moment. "No, thank you. I've had enough to do with fuff'nars to last me years."

From upstairs, a quiet voice can be heard, asking, "Dead?"

The second Skreek cowers, then goes over to a nearby table. "Well … here it is." He starts to unwrap the bundle, revealing an old-looking, banged up helmet. A very familiar-looking helmet, in fact. "Don't ask where I found this, but it's ancient, I tell ya … and magic, too!"

Aaron just stares at the helmet for a moment, then blurts out, "Did you steal that from the Temple!?"

The Skreek shushes Aaron, and hunches over. "Not so loud!" He glances nervously about.

"No, I didn't steal it from the Temple, of course! I … found it," answers the Skreek.

The Lapi tugs his ears down to his chin, and whispers, "And where exactly did you find it, since I sold one that looked amazingly similar to an Inquisitor recently?"

"An … Inquisitor?" echoes the Skreek. His ears pale.

The Skreek starts to make choking noises. "Gh-guh – grk – guh!"

"And what's all this about it being magical?" Aaron demands.

The Skreek drops the helmet to the floor, with a loud crash, and starts clutching at his chest. "Guh!"

Aaron reaches out to steady the Skreek. "Hey, calm down, you'll spook the Apprentice Life Mages."

The Skreek suddenly calms … and falls to the floor with a loud thump.

With a sigh, Aaron grabs the Skreek's arms and tries to drag him to the front of the store, calling, "Is there a Life Mage in the house?"

"Yes!" barks the Jupani, as he rushes over. He checks the Skreek … sniffs at him … then digs around in his pouch and pulls out what looks like a pocket mirror with runes on it, and holds it in front of the Skreek's nose.

The wolf then murmurs a little cantrip.

A rattling noise comes from the Skreek's throat.

Aaron remembers the helmet, and dashes back to fetch it.

The poodle, meanwhile, just daintily sips at her tea. "Oh dear. Is it that Skreek fellow? What's he doing over there? Where is my Poopsie?" But her voice trails off as Aaron heads back to find the helmet on the floor right where it was dropped.

The shopkeeper slips the artifact back into its sack, and carries it to the front counter before anything else can happen to it.

"Really?" squeaks an Eeee in the group. "He's really dead? Let me see!"

A Naga in the group says, "Maybe we could animate him, so he can tell us who killed him."

"Could not!" protests the red-robed Khatta.

Aaron glares at the Naga. "No zombies in the store! If you're going to re-animate him, you'll have to do it outside. Besides, nobody killed him, he just… got really scared."

A few of the apprentices say, "Awwwww!"

Meanwhile, the Lapi unwraps the helmet to give it a proper examination. Maybe it just looks like the one he got in Abu Dhabi.

The apprentices stand on tip-toes. "Whatcha got there?" "Can I see?" "Oh, neat!" "What's that?"

The dents look about right. It could be a skilled replica … but one with scuffs and aging and all?

Aaron hmms. "It's something that can get us all into trouble. Can any of you tell if it's enchanted or anything?"

About then, the chimes at the door ring again. An old Jupani is outside, fumbling with the door latch.

The cubs are too distracted by the helmet to notice the new soon-to-be-an-arrival.

"Sure!" pipes up the red-robed Khatta, wiping at his nose with a handkerchief. "Let me fix up a magic circle… " He promptly pulls out his chalks and starts scrawling right on the floorboards.

From the trapdoor stair first comes a pair of black feet, quickly accompanied by the returning Skye. The Skreek carries one of Aaron's nice bed blankets, one end gathered all up together. Within the impromptu sack there must be something, since the blanket seems to have a life of its own, wriggling, rippling, and every now and then screeching, "Kill! Kill! KEEEEEELL!".

"Oh!" cries the poodle, jumping up and spilling her cup of tea on the table. "My precious sweet little Poopsie!" She begins weeping openly as she rushes over to the bundle with open arms.

Leaving the helmet to the apprentices for now, Aaron goes to open the front door. Luckily his back his turned when the poodle is reunited with her Poopsie.

The door pops open, as a very nervous old wolf pokes his head in. "You gotta hide me! I've got a bunch of crazy Jupes after me! The jack-legged kind!"

Aaron blinks at Seagull's outburst. "I warned you about that! And now they'll be able to track you right here if we can't throw off your scent and disguise you!" His ears flap up and down with each exclamation.

Skye takes just a half step back, keeping a good grip on the blanket. "Just a heartbeat now, yi'honor ma'am … " The Skreek looks about the shop, taking in the growing chaos, and immediately changes his tact. "Yi … yi wouldn't want him loose right now, with crossbows and Jupani about, yes? Poopsie might get hurt."

The cubs suddenly start cheering. "Seagull's here!" "Yay!" "Tell us more about the B-Men!" "I wanna hear about the flying whazzamajiggers!"

The poodle stops, and starts digging through her purse, sniffling. "Ah … I see now … All right, now how many shekels will it be? You've done such a delightful job!"

Thinking quickly, Aaron turns to the Apprentices not involved with poking the passed out Skreek, fighting over the helmet, or trying to release Poopsie, and says, "Hey, if you want to keep your favorite storyteller, he'll need your help! We need to make him look and smell different!"

The fuff'nar, meanwhile, shrieks, "DEAD! KILL! KILL DEAD! KEEEEEEL!"

"That won't be necessary," comes a creepy voice from behind the Lapi, accompanied by the distinctive click of a crossbow's string being cocked back into place. "He will be coming with … us."

The old wolf looks past the Lapi and … looks like he's about to have the same problem as the Skreek did. "Guh … grk… "

Aaron sighs, "Babelite agents, right?" He doesn't bother turning around.

The Eeee smirks. "Yeah. Babelite agents. Now … you be a good shopkeeper and go show the cubs your store-room, okay? Bound to be nice stuff for them to play with back there, right?"

The Jupani cub looks up at the Eeee. "Is that thing real?" He looks to Aaron for answers.

Still keeping his back turned to the Eeee, Aaron tries to sneak a hand into his vest for his blowgun. "What about the dying Skreek? And this fine noble lady here; you can't expect her to sit cooped up in an attic, now can you?"

"Why … yes, yes, I can," answers the Eeee. He makes a motioning gesture with his crossbow pistol toward the back.

"I do say … what is going on here?" asks the poodle, looking up from her purse. "Is there some sort of trouble?"

Skye looks at the poodle with unbelieving eyes, and then just pushes the bundle into her arms. His words are fast, and sharp. "Coin? Is that what yi' think I want? Yi STARVE fuff'nar? Maybe yi shouldn't have him!" And with that, Skye turns and with a swoop flings out the blanket, loosing the fuff'nar at the Eeee behind Aaron. "Kill! Dead! Big bat dead!"

Aaron dives for the floor upon hearing the Skreek's words, hand clutching at his blowgun.

The poodle's jaw drops, and she shrieks, "POOOOOPSIE!" but it's almost drowned out by the battle cry of "KEEEEEEEEEEL!" by the flying fuff'nar. The Eeee beside Aaron snaps around, but not fast enough to properly react to the fuff'nar. The second Eeee in the back fires off a reflexive shot…

Skye drops as quick as he can.

The old wolf dives to the floor as well, falling against the legs of the Eeee, bowling him over. The Eeee shrieks as a ravenous ball of fury lands on him and starts shredding his garments. (As for what else is being shredded, no one is looking, thank the First Ones.)

Aaron rolls onto his back (not the best defensive position to be in, mind you) and tries to shoot the nearest Eeee with a dart.

A dart thwacks into the leg of the Eeee on top of the old wolf. The Eeee, being attacked by a fuff'nar, hardly seems to notice.

His crossbow pistol has fallen to the floor, forgotten for the moment, in the melee, as the cubs scramble for cover under tables and knock things over to hide under shelves.

The poodle is just screaming again and again, while the second Eeee curses and reloads his crossbow.

The Lapi scrambles over towards the counter, and tries to reload his blowgun before the Eeee in the back can wind his bow.

Skittering low across the floor, Skye runs upon all fours, heading towards the door, sharing the shadows of counters and stock. As he nears the front, one sneaky paw snares out, attempting to grab the fallen crossbow.

The second Eeee reloads his crossbow … but he hesitates a moment as he sees two targets to choose from. That's all the time the Lapi needs, however, to finish reloading his blowgun.

As for the pistol crossbow, it's now in the Skreek's hand … but it's not loaded, and it doesn't come with extra bolts attached, alas.

The first Eeee, meanwhile, makes horrible shrieks as he wrestles with the fuff'nar.

The poodle rushes over toward the scene. "Oh, Poopsie! POOPSIE! Don't you dare hurt my darling Poopsie!"

Aaron puts the last of his breath into the shot… figuring it will be his last breath if he misses, but hoping this Eeee isn't any tougher than the Embassy Guards.

Skye looks at the fancy weapon, and does the best he can with such a deadly tool. The Skreek awkwardly throws it in the general direction of the second Eeee, as hard as he can.

The second Eeee draws a bead on the Lapi … but dodges aside as the blowgun dart is fired, throwing his own shot wide, as it shatters a vial of stinkjuice. The thrown crossbow smashes against a jar of pickled eep eyeballs, sending the contents spilling to the floor.

"This… just… isn't… my… day," Aaron gasps, trying to catch his breath. Instead of waiting for the Eeee to reload again, however, he tries to rush him… only to slip on an eyeball and go hurtling at him instead.

The Eeee reloads … just in time to be smacked into by a stumbling Lapi! There is the sound of shattering glass as he goes flying through the window. Ouch. That has to hurt.

Nose wrinkling as the awful juice announces its aromatic presence, Skye continues towards the front of the store, towards the elder Jupani.

Groans come from the dazed Lapi, who hasn't noticed that he's bleeding in more than one place yet from shards of broken glass.

The first Eeee's struggles cease, though the fuff'nar continues its relentless attack. The old wolf just lies still … though he's still evidently breathing. "Help… " he whispers hoarsely. "Fuff'nar… "

The poodle lady cries out, "Oh! Poopsie bit me! My darling Poopsie! What has happened to him?! Oh dear!"

Skye skitters up to the Jupani, and quickly looks down. "Yi … yi have got to be getting out of here, now, yes?" Then he spares a look to the fine poodle lady, answering her distraught query. "Poopsie? Yi'honor ma'am. A fuff'nar doesn't get fed once a day, an' well, they get … grumpy."

Raising himself up on his knees, Skye steals a look and listen out the window, a bit unsure as to whether or not he should dare looking at the silent Eeee.

The old wolf nods in agreement, and clambers to his feet. He casts a look at the Lapi. "Uhh … Oh no … Lightfoot's dead! The little bunny guy is dead!" He rushes over. "C'mon. You can't be dead, can ya?"

Outside, Skye can catch a glimpse of a foursome of Jupani – the Himarian jack-legged kind – coming down the street. They seem to be attracted to the commotion going on here.

Some of the apprentices whimper, hiss, and whine in dismay from their attempts at hiding places.

"Oww!" Aaron wails, "Don't yell, I have a headache!" The Lapi reaches up with his black-pawed hand to pull a long sliver of glass from one ear, and then starts patting his face and neck in search of others. "Someone get me… uh… it's a little jar of yellow paste over by the foot-powders."

Not even pausing, Skye follows the old wolf. "I heard him groan, so he can't be dead yet. But he's prolly awful hurt. And yi. Listen yi, yi got to leave – and now. Four big Jupanis are coming this way. T'ey'll help t'e s'opkeep, yes?

"Uh … yeah … they'll help … sure," stammers the old wolf, as he wanders toward the back of the store. "Leaving … sounds good now. Sorry, fellows," he apologizes to the apprentices. "Of course … uhm … What'm I thinking? We gotta get these kids outta here!"

The red-robed Khatta pads over to the jar of yellow paste, and rushes it back to the Lapi. "Here ya go. Snx! Oops! Sorry. Sneezed on it."

Aaron takes the jar anyway. "I'd be happy to have a stuffed up nose right now." He applies the paste to the back of his right hand, which had the nastiest cut on it, and then to his right ear where it got cut as well. Thinking that only his right side suffered any damage, the Lapi groans again to find he's twisted his left ankle from slipping on the eyeball…

Listening to the older wolf, the black Skreek falls silent. He spares a long look to the kits and cubs in the corner. Then he turns back, his words quiet, stained with an odd resignation. "Do yi and they need to get lost real fast?"

The old wolf says, "I was here for story-time. If they know I'm coming here, and they come here and find me not here, they might ask the cubs. Maybe they'd just ask nice. Maybe not. You think I ought to be taking that chance right now?" His tone is rhetorical. "If I were young again, I'd be teaching them a thing or two, you betcha, but … " He wheezes, and glances nervously out the window. "Uh oh… "

A lupine head peers down at Aaron, upside down by his perspective. "Hey. Whatchu doin' sticking through here window?"

The Lapi scowls. "I was following the Eeee."

The lupine looks down at the Eeee. "Oh. Yeah. He don't look so good."

Skye turns and speaks up. "Pair o' Eeee tried to take somet'in from t'e s'opkeeper here. He stands, theatrically brushing off his clothes and straightening his hat. He doesn't spare a glance back at the elder Jupani, hoping to snare whatever attention he can away from him.

The old wolf in the store, meanwhile, waves his hands at the cubs … points at the back door … then shuffles back there as fast as he can.

A few of the apprentices toddle after him, 'tip-toeing' in exaggerated movements.

Aaron says, "You haven't seen the one inside yet."

The lupine looks up, glancing in the window. "I … ungh … I … UGH… " His cheeks fill, and he turns around, making some gagging noises. "Hulgh!"

The three lupines behind him start laughing.

At least that's another distraction…

Flourishing his hat in a huge arc, Skye sets it back against his head. "If'n it wasn't for t'e brave lady and her fierce fuff'nar, t'e would have taken everyt'in. But could yi be getting a healer for t'e master here?"

The poodle giggles. "Oh! Yes, my darling little Poopsie!" She sucks at a nipped finger, then strokes her now tame (but red-muzzled) pet.

One of the Jupes asks, "Hey, you seen a crazy old Lupe in a boomer jacket? Leather-skin with fuzzy bits here like so? And googles on his head?"

The back door slaps shut.

Ducking his muzzle, the Skreek kicks a few bits of broken glass and squishy eyeball with his foot-paw. "I didn't notice. I did see a couple big Jupani's walk down t'e street a while back. But t'en I'm jus' a Skreek."

Aaron tries to get to his feet, but gives up and hangs in the window a bit longer. "Did the other Skreek ever wake up?"

The Jupes sniff about … but likely all they're getting a nose-full of is stinkweed, preservative, perfume and blood. The lead one growls briefly, then sniffs, and says, "Well … you let me know if you see him, huh? We'll … " He looks to the others. "We'll get help, right, boys?"

The other Jupani nod, and they all head off … occasionally casting dubious glances back at the store.

The second Skreek doesn't seem to be moving at all.

Carefully reaching down, Skye tries to help Aaron up. His first concern is for the shopkeep, and he takes a moment to retrieve bits and pieces of broken glass. "T'e ot'er Skreek, t'e t'ief? H'es. He's not moving, yi'honor sir."

Aaron tries not to groan again. "Thanks… er… What's your name, anyway? And you can call me Aaron. I don't know if he was a thief. If he was, he's not a very good one if he didn't know who he was stealing from."

The poodle, holding her fuff'nar, starts to head for the door. "Oh, yes my little Poopsie woopsie! Mommy is going to get you all scrubby wubby bubbly up in a nice bath and get you all cleanied up! Won't that be fun?"

The Lapi is sure to avoid looking at the Eeee responsible for the fuff'nar's sudden tameness. "What a mess… "

The black Skreek simply nods, "Well hi'yi, Aaron. And it's Skye. That's me… " He pauses however, as the lady begins to walk out the door. "Yi'honor'ma'am, a moment? I'm serious. Never put Poopsie on a diet again. Feed him everyday and he will love yi and be nice. But yi' have to feed them. Promise me that, and that will be my pay, yes?"

"Oh!" giggles the poodle. "Certainly! I'll never let poor little Poopsie go hungry again, ever! Bye bye!" She twiddles her fingers in a hand-wave, grabs Poopsie's paw and waves it at the Lapi and Skreek, then heads out the front door, blithely stepping over the prone Eeee without so much as a glance.

Aaron looks around the shop, favoring his hurt foot, and asks Skye, "Where's Seagull? And the Apprentices?"

Lakshmi raises an eyebrow as she slithers past the poodle to the door. She slithers with care, not wishing to cut herself on the broken glass, and leans to look in, with a slightly astonished expression. "Great Sserpent, Sskye!" There's a slightly mischievous glint to her eyes as she adds, "All I wanted wass for you to fetch me ssome ground willow root… not try to create a need for it!"

Slipping up next to him, Skye helps the Lapi across the store. "I think t'ey made it back out. One t'ing I know how to do, is become t'e center of attention when yi want folks to look t'e other way. Now here rest yi se… "

Skye spins and turns, "T'e willowroot and yellowbark! I knew I forgot somet'hin!"

Aaron sits in one of the still-standing chairs. "Now we'll have to try and find him again. Oh … third aisle, bottom shelf." The Lapi waves tiredly towards the aisle.

Lakshmi covers a smile, then slithers carefully into the shop. "It can wait. I take it we had a presstige pet owner there – the brainss-asss-fluffy-asss-her-fur type? Hm… " To Aaron she adds, "You sshould elevate your feet, ssir, or you may causse yoursself to faint?"

Aaron nods, and tries to elevate his feet. The sudden sharp pain from his ankle does makes him faint, though.

Since she was expecting such a reaction, Lakshmi is prepared to dart forward swiftly enough to keep him from whacking his head against anything… like the floor. She lets him down gently, and props up his feet.

The Lapi begins to come around, asking groggily, "Were those my bedclothes you wrapped up Poopsie in?"

Skye chitters quickly, making sure the Aaron is settled first, before heading down the aisles. "Master Lakshmi, t'is, well, it all started with t'is fuff'nar. But once I had recaptured it, Master Aaron – he's t'e fine shopkeep t'ere. Master Aaron, t'is be my boss, Lady Lakshmi … " Skye continues his shuffling through the stocks, drawing up a handful of containers. "T'ere were t'ese Eeee, and well, t'ey tried to remove a friend of t'e shopkeep's, so I t'hrew ta fuff'nar at them. T'e Jupani-friend is gone, ant t'e Eeee? Well it was a very hungry fuff'nar."

Skye swallows. "I probably owe master Aaron for a new blanket, boss'Lakshmi."

Aaron takes a few deep breaths, then says, "Pleased to meet you, Lady Lakshmi. I only hope this doesn't get called the Fuff'nar War. I can't imagine… okay, I can imagine how the Temple will react to Babelite spies trying abduct a citizen, and why."

Looking at the crockery containers and their labels a mite blankly, Skye sets them in a line on the countertop. "Yellowbark and willow are one of t'ese?"

Lakshmi says, "Pleasssure to meet you, Aaron, although it isss a sshame it iss under ssuch, er… unssettled csircumsstancess. Hold sstill, pleasse… Thiss may hurt. You have a few piecsess of glasss sstill in your feet. I want you to chew on thiss root, all right? Sskye, pleasse don't worry about that jusst now. It ssoundss like, asss ussual, you were your exspected calm and competent sself. Ahh… and I will need ssome arssenic, Skye, pleasse… the left foot iss going to need sstitchess." As she speaks, Lakshmi pulls out a satchel, opens it, and starts working on Aaron's more visible cuts.

Skye starts working through the stocks, again. "Master Aaron, w'ere would arsenic be?"

Lakshmi looks up suddenly, "Where iss the friend? Anessthetics, Skye."

Aaron mumbles something around the root in his mouth.

Rustling through the merchandise as fast as he can, Skye clinks and clatters until he finally pops a familiar looking crockery. Then, on track and in the correct area, it is but a moment more before he returns to Lakshmi with the requested medicine.

Shifting the root so he can talk, Aaron says, "I wonder why the Guard hasn't shown up yet. Not that I'm not enjoying the relative peace and quiet, but I don't know what to do with those Eeee… "

Taking a step back, Skye looks at the two winged bodies. "Let's get them out of t'e windows at least. T'ere an alley out t'e back door?"

Lakshmi carefully measures out some liquid, then paints it delicately on Aaron's more severely wounded foot. Her voice is so pragmatic as to be reassuring in its lack of worry, "There. That and the root sshould causse you to be both relaxed and numb where I need to ssew. Sskye, could you pleasse keep any new cusstomerss from disstracting uss for a bit? Ahh… and hand me my charcoal there, would you, pleasse? I sshould keep track of the goodss we're ussing for Aaron'ss – he iss the sshopkeeper, yess? – for hiss recordss." She calmly selects needle and thread, then starts stitching, humming quietly to herself.

Aaron nods, "Yeah, I don't want people thinking this is Darkside. That Eeee out front might just be knocked out too, though."

Lakshmi says, "Er… no. They're dead, actually."

A few gawkers start to gather outside.

Aaron's face droops, "Oh, great… no way to find out who they really were now. The Eeee embassy sure isn't going to identify them… "

"Step aside! Step aside! What's the big … First Ones! What happened here?" exclaims a Jupani in Temple Guard robes, as he pushes his way past a couple of Kavis … habitually patting down his sides for any missing valuables as soon as he's past.

Snaring the pouch of charcoal with one paw, Skye hands it up to the lady Naga. Then he quietly walks down the aisle again, first to retrieve the Eeee slain by Aaron and his window. As the big Jupani comes forward, Skye just looks up, his face shaded by the brim of his hat. "Bad day for flying, yes? Eeee tried to take summat from t'e shopkeeper."

Lakshmi finishes stitching and neatly clips the thread, "There you go, good asz new! Only took five sstitchess. Sstay off that foot for a few dayss now." She looks around and nods politely to the Jupani guard. "Greetingss, guardian. I believe there wass an attempted theft. Fortunately my capable assisstant thwarted it." She gestures towards Skye.

The Guard raises an eyebrow at the sight of the purported Skreek hero. "So he did, did he? Well, good work, Citizen." He turns around and barks over his shoulder, "Torno! Vaskar! Get over here, and bring the Zelak, too!"

It looks like a giant bug creature and two more wolves are answering the summons, breaking away from questioning an excited-looking poodle noble clutching a fuff'nar protectively.

Aaron pulls himself up into the chair again, keeping his wounded foot off the ground. "Thank you, Lady Lakshmi. The supplies are on the house, or what's left of it."

The Lapi gestures to the first Jupani Guard to come closer.

Skye smiles up at the big Jupani. "Thank yi. There's a second inside t'e store, yi'honor sir. T'ats t'e one me and t'e fuff'nar stopped. It's a bit … well yi shall see." Taking a step back, Skye decides it just might be better to lounge in Lady Lakshmi's shadow for but a moment, until his ears suddenly flatten. Without a word, Skye lazily wanders down an aisle, towards where the apprentices were, and a Skreek should be lying still.

The Guard comes over. "Citizen Lightfoot!" He glances at the fuff'nar-chewed Eeee, winces, but doesn't make the same reaction that the Himarian Jupani did earlier.

Lakshmi looks back at Aaron, then brightens. "Why thank you, ssir! You are too kind… I musst recommend your sshop to my sschool." She slithers carefully over to the ceramic pots and carefully measures out her needs, murmuring them aloud as she does so, "Five gramss pure powdered willow root, two of yellowroot. One dram of arssenic. Exscellent." She neatly folds the powdered goods up into paper envelopes, the liquid into a tiny bottle taken from her satchel… then carefully tucks everything back into her satchel.

Aaron whispers to the Guard, "Err, there's a problem. The Eeee were here all day, waiting for the Exile Jonathan Seagull to arrive. They planned to kidnap him, but he's slipped out in the confusion, and also has some Himarians after him."

The fallen Skreek is still where Skye last saw him. There's no sign of any of the apprentices.

There is, however, a cloth-wrapped bundle, about head-sized, lying on the floor, knocked there in the commotion.

The Guard growls to himself. "Ah, First Ones have mercy on us all! Exiles, always finding trouble somehow!" He stands up. "Men, we have an Exile to track! We'll … " He looks back at the scene. "… we'll have to let a clean-up crew deal with this."

With a glance to make sure he's not being watched, Skye first eyes the small bundle, and swiftly sets it upon a stock shelf, just like any other piece of merchandise being set back in place. Then he looks down upon the fallen Skreek, to see if he's still here or has joined the Procession above.

Lakshmi nods politely to the guard again, and quietly slithers off after Skye. She hisses softly to him, "Are you all right, Sskye? Were you injured at all? Oh my… Who iss thiss?"

"Oh!" Aaron remembers, "Can you get word to the Baron of Paradys that his island is probably going to be invaded soon?" He looks hopefully to the Guard.

Lakshmi blinks as Aaron's words drift to her through the shelves, and hisses very softly to herself and Skye, "What a sstrange placse thiss iss… and here I'd thought all the taless of the eccsentricsitiess of Rephidim were exsaggerationss… "

Looking up with a so subtle put upon glint in his eyes, Skye just chuffs out a single short breath. "It's a dead Skreek. I think he came in to do some trading. I think maybe his heart gave out in all the confusion?"

The Guard looks down at Aaron. "Ah … maybe you should note that in a report… " And then he waves the other Guards on as they seek out a scent trail … and then check out the back door.

Lakshmi gives Skye an amused glance, "Ah. Of coursse."

Skye smiles dryly up and up to his boss. "Eccentricities? Nae… it's just home."

Aaron hmms. Then he remembers the helmet. If he brought that to the Temple, they'd probably listen to him … before throwing him into a cell…

Lakshmi chuckles, "Well enough. I am finisshed here… anything elsse we need before we leave?"

Finding some make work to do, Skye starts restocking fallen shelves, unobtrusively burying the bundle behind a row of tall wooden containers.

Skye whispers quietly to Lakshmi, "Just our supplies, to be gat'ered, yes? Ot'erwise, if Aaron is fine, and t'e Guard let us leave … T'e Guard … Yes, leaving would be good. Now." Standing up, Skye looks to the shopkeep. "Yi are all well and set, Aaron?"

The Lapi waves to Skye, "Yes, and thank you for all your help earlier. I don't care for fuff'nars running around loose in my bedroom… "

The Guards seem to be busy in the back alley just now, and it sounds like they may have picked up a scent trail at last, as they start heading off and out of sight.

Lakshmi chuckles quietly to herself, then nods to Aaron, "Keep it clean and dry, of coursse. Sstitchess can come out in about ten dayss. Thank you for your kindnesss… We'll sshow oursselvess out. Come, Sskye." She slithers out with aplomb.

Aaron brightens. "Hey, my writing hand is hurt. I can't fill out the report forms! They'll have to take dictation." The Lapi smiles, finally, at the prospect.

Tapping the brim of his hat, Skye nods to Aaron. "Nice to be meeting yi, and yi be welcome." Tucking both paws behind his back, he quietly begins to walk to the door. He stops, to hold the door open. "After yi, Lakshmi." He waits, patient, for all of his boss to take her leave of the apothecary.

Lakshmi chuckles quietly again, as she leaves. When they're out of hearing of the shop, she softly hisses to Skye, "You have the mosst interessting friendss, Sskye… "

Nodding, the little Skreek just playfully shrugs. "Jus' anot'er fine night in Rep'idim."