About an hour after the Shaki's Wish has completed docking, an hour in which WolfSinger has been put to hard work helping with the unloading and in which he has discovered the unique feeling of 'airship legs' that leave him feeling as if the ground should be slowly rocking, Shaki scrambles down the ladder to see to pay-off. "Here, Swishytail. Seven shekels. One for each day, Hoki say you do good extra duty," he says as he hands over ceramic coins to WolfSinger. "Even sleep with puppy. It likes you, I can tell." He grins.

Yes, despite a week of growling, WolfSinger has yet to convince the Kavis to stop calling him SwishyTail. Still, there are worse fates… As the healing collar welt around Allisabelle's neck testifies. He could be a slave now.

WolfSinger smiles, not expecting the money. "Well, Thank you."

"We're fair people," Shaki says in his accented Jupani. "So! You want be introduced to Big Jake now, yes? Can spare hour, after take care of business with inspectors."

WolfSinger nods. "I need to find a friend of mine, too… She got left behind when i left for Rephidim."

"Ahhh! A friend in every port, eh?" The short Kavi elbows WolfSinger knowingly. "Should have known we not call you SwishyTail for nothing."

WolfSinger says, "She was a guide from the clan since I don't know the common language."

WolfSinger sighs. "And why does everyone want to call me SwishyTail? I've never had a might before."

Shaki nods. "Good, good. She help you find a few things, I bet." He grins mischievously, but does not continue to tease the less-than-well-humored WolfSinger. "So where find her? Street of High Tails? Brigands' Quarters? Inner Quarter? Jail?"

WolfSinger says, "Probably jail. She was left behind because she was arrested."

"Hey! I was kidding," Shaki says surprisedly. He paces around WolfSinger. "Jail, huh? No good place. They want bribes let you look at prisoner, bribes let you in without strip-search, bribes let you out. Very expensive place. What she do get in jail, huh? (untranslatable phrase suggesting 'Carrying a store')"

WolfSinger says, "she bonked a cop over the head. Don't ask. Long story."

Shaki whistles. "I bet. Cops no have good sense of humor. Not like you, you no foam at mouth when we call you SwishyTail. Hmm. Let me ask friend at jail. He can read and write, he writes in new prisoners, maybe he hear something. You come back this evening, meet here before sundown, I tell you what I hear, all right?"

WolfSinger says, "expensive, huh? Another reason I'll need a job from this Big Jake friend of yours. Her name is Winnowei. I'll definitely be back. "

Shaki nods. "Okay dokay. You run off now, I gots customs to talk to and shipment to pack off. Tonight, sundown!" He waves to WolfSinger cheerfully.

WolfSinger waves! and wanders off. Now what to do until sundown? He looks off over the docks.

The guards pay no attention to WolfSinger – in this part of Himar, there are thousands of Jupani. Activity bustles through the port area as dockworkers struggle to get crates and bags unloaded before the worst of the day's heat pours down, and a few thoughtful merchants offer draughts of water collected from upstream, and thus presumably more drinkable than the riverwater below the docks, as well as ale and juice (the last being the priciest). Past the city gates proper, the streets seem filled with merchants and shoppers, calling out their strange language. Few speak pure Jupani that WolfSinger can hear.

WolfSinger think, "hmmm… shops look interesting… " He slowly walks down the aisles glancing over the wares.

" – " " – !" " – ?" " – !" Shopkeepers call out their spiels around WolfSinger, some holding up pottery, others fruits, bone and ceramic knives, wooden and stone tools; farmers' children sit by their clothes laid out on the hard-packed ground near fruit and eggs and vegetables, and some beat the flies away from hanging racks of meat. Almost nothing made of metal seems to be for sale here…

A slimy-faced weasel holds up a squirming little length of … something disgusting. " – Gooshurm! – … " he calls out. It flickers three long tongues at a passing fennec cub, who squeals and reaches up to let it lick her fingers.

WolfSinger says, "blech. I hate those things… "

WolfSinger looks for a baker's stall. Maybe he'll get a muffin to nibble on?

" – ," a pastry vendor calls. His wares do not look like the muffins that WolfSinger remembers – there are hard cookies with glazed sugar coats, coated with sesame seeds, and smaller dark ones glazed with honey, hard and soft buns, the latter apparently filled with some sweet-looking stuff that drips out one side. Not muffins, but the ones filled with meat looks tasty. He catches sight of WolfSinger's hungry look and calls to him. " – !"

WolfSinger points to one of the meat filled ones. "How much?"

The vendor, a white-faced ermine, turns to the Cervani shopkeeper at his side, a sloe-eyed fawn. " – ?" She looks up at WolfSinger, then shrugs back to him. " – ." The ermine shrugs apologetically, then holds up three fingers. " – shekels?"

WolfSinger points to one of the seeded cookies. "and that?"

The vendor holds up two fingers. The Cervani looks slightly scandalized.

WolfSinger sighs, thinking "that sounds a bit too much. Wish I had a better idea of how much a shekel is worth."

The vendor looks at WolfSinger's apparent doubt. He sweetens the offer. " – ," he says as he moves two of the meat-filled buns and three of the cookies and gestures as if making a great sacrifice. Then holds up five fingers. " – ?"

The Cervani comments cheerfully to the ermine, then tends to her own booth as a little Khatta points to a skewer of meat that's broiling away on a grill.

WolfSinger says, "Five? for that? I just worked a whole week for seven!"

The ermine's ears wilt a little. He folds one finger with what looks like extreme reluctance, then holds his hand out to WolfSinger again.

WolfSinger sighs, and hands over 4 shekels to the Ermine and takes the food. He's hungry, tired, and in no mood to argue.

The ermine beams. He hands the cookies and the meat buns to WolfSinger, then rattles off something in Rephidim common that sounds like a 'Thank you and come again.'

WolfSinger nibbles on one of the cookies as he wanders off looking at the other wares on display.

The cookies taste sweet and crispy, but also rather dry… Maybe the ermine is in league with the water sellers.

Near WolfSinger, two heavily robed figures walk slowly down the bazaar in a bubble of silence… Conversations fall to a halt around them.

WolfSinger sniffs at the meat-filled bun before eating one of those. Hmmm… tastes just like chicken. Do they even *HAVE* chickens here?

Chicken. Yow. Spicy chicken.

Suddenly fire seizes WolfSinger's tongue. Aiee! It's curry chicken!

WolfSinger yips!! as the spice starts out tasting mild but builds up on him. He coughs a bit.

The ermine flashes thumbs-up to the water-barrel merchant, another white-faced ermine – no, a Kavi – who then begins calling loudly to WolfSinger, holding up a cup of clear-looking water. He holds up two fingers.

" – !" the Kavi calls to the coughing Jupani.

WolfSinger coughs again, and waves off the water merchant. He'll brave it out.

The water-barrel merchant looks disappointed, but makes a secret note to himself: charge three shekels next time the wolf comes by.

WolfSinger thinks, "four shekels for that food seemed bad enough… but two for a glass of water? bah!"

WolfSinger glances over at the figures in the robes. Oh, great… I hope they're not from the temple.

Near the end of the aisle, on the other side from where WolfSinger is fighting the battle of the taste buds with his newly acquired food, the two robed figures come to either side of a Jupani merchant who looks as if he would break into a cold sweat if he could. Their speech sounds alien, even though WolfSinger has already heard many strange speeches… Windy, full of clicks and hisses.

WolfSinger watches curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"… " They lean over the counter, a deadly hush over that part of the market. Then turn and begin to walk back down to the T-intersection that leaves this aisle of the Bazaar.

The Jupani stares down the aisle with a glazed look to his eyes.

His curiousity getting the best of him, WolfSinger heads off in that direction… after giving the pastry and water merchants a dirty look.

The merchants look innocent. Hey, you get what you pay for.

The mysterious visitors' cloaks rustle as they pass WolfSinger. They turn and walk silently out of the Bazaar, their clothing smelling of strange astringent herbs.

WolfSinger stops by the Jupani merchant and asks, "who were they?"

The Jupani merchant makes no response. He stares straight ahead.

WolfSinger waves his paw in front of his eyes. "Hello?"

No answer… In fact, the Jupani isn't even breathing. The merchants nearby make hushed whispers among themselves, and then one goes over to touch the Jupani's hand. " – !"

They erupt into heated arguments.

WolfSinger growls softly, looking off in the direction of the cloaked figures.

One starts bundling the ex-Jupani's goods (he seemed to have been a carver of ivory) while the others draw a chalked line down the middle of the table. No sense wasting good space that's been paid for already. A mouse squeaks, " – ?" to WolfSinger, then gestures from the taller (and alive) Jupani to the dead one.

By now, there is no sign of the cloaked figures, nor what there mysterious mission was in coming here… They do not seem to have come simply to rob the merchant, for most of his merchandise seems to still be here – though being rolled up into the velvet display-cloth now.

WolfSinger asks the mouse about what just happened.

The mouse looks confused, then tries again in broken Jupani. "Are you (untrans.) of Mirka? You know (untrans.)?"

Mirka, it would appear, is the now-deceased Jupani ivory merchant.

WolfSinger says, "no, I didn't know him. But still… ::growls!::"

The mouse nods. "(untrans.) badness," she says, picking her words carefully. Some of her speech simply doesn't come through because her pronunciation is bad – simply not enough bass on the growls for oen thing. "No can do (untrans.) about it."

WolfSinger says, "who were they?"

The mouse puzzles through WolfSinger's words, then says, "K'hu'ans."

WolfSinger says, "why did they do that to him?"

The mouse lifts the bundle and puts it back of the table, as the other merchants tuck him away neatly. Eventually the constabulary will be along, undoubtedly, to collect all of this 'evidence'. She shrugs to WolfSinger. "Mirka, he (untrans.). No have words for it. Maybe his (untrans.), maybe not. Not my (untrans.)"

WolfSinger sighs, wishing he understood better.

WolfSinger mumbles to himself, "strange planet, indeed."

The bazaar resumes its normal activity, barkers calling for buyers. Everyone politely ignores the wolfish corpse that is blindly staring up at the sun… Perhaps this is the cost of doing business in Elamoore. Mind your own business, don't stick your nose into others and you won't get it chopped off. Or perhaps… Maybe they're a little nervous. WolfSinger smells a bit of fear in the air.

The sun rises through the sky as WolfSinger looks over the merchandises to be offered, finding little more that he can use… or afford. Sunset finds him near the Shaki's Wish, greeting the eccentric but now familiar captain, Shaki. "Aha! You is back," the Kavi calls to WolfSinger. "Had good time in old Elamoore?"

WolfSinger says, "oh, lessie… almost got my tounge burned off withsome spicy food… saw a Jupani get killed by some guys in cloaks that they called Kahoona's or soething… lovely day."

Shaki looks surprised, "Kahoonas? I wonder what that was all about." He shrugs, then invites WolfSinger to share some of a heavily-spiced iced tea that smells rather tasty. "So, I asked at jail. They is got some Jupani named Winnowei, that right? She got arrested two weeks ago, charge is 'disorderly conduct', they is no say anything about others charged."

WolfSinger takes a sip of the tea. He offers Shaki one of the spicy meat pastries. "Good… that's her. now how do I get her out?

"You don't," Shaki says.

WolfSinger says, "huh? No fines to pay? How long will she be in there?"

"She already flew the coop." The Kavi gestures as he talks. "Breakout, few days ago, her and a bunch of desert bandits that they brought in last week. Big fuss, they breaking lots of guards for poor show. Talk of master trader involved in business. Maybe smuggle in keys, who knows?" He grins widely. "Once she out, who know where she go? Is look like any other Jupani, I bet."

WolfSinger sighs. His ears droop. "Oh, great… "

"If it help, she was up on trial, go up yesterday if she was still in," Shaki says. "Disorderly conduct, attempt to steal guard knife, they chop off hand for that. Bang!" He mimes an axe plunging toward his left wrist. "So! You tell me what she look like, go work with Big Jake for a while, maybe when you come back, got news? I ask friends to keep ears and eyes out."

WolfSinger says, "Well, she was black furred… a little shorter then me… green eyes… a bit skinny, but muscular."

WolfSinger says, "… and very pretty. Also likes to scratch us guys on the belly to make our legs go thumpers."

WolfSinger blushes a little bit at that last statement.

Shaki grins. "Flirty, eh? Okay, I ask folks to look around. Come! You want meet Big Jake eh? He like to go drinking… "

WolfSinger says, "Flirty? definately."

WolfSinger says, "oh… and she had an ear ring on her right ear."

Shaki nods, then grins at a sudden thought. "She give you nickname 'SwishyTail', right? Is maybe you being asked about up in Rephidim?"

WolfSinger says, "no… the chief's daughter first called me SwishyTail."

WolfSinger's ears flush red with embarrassment.

"Oho! First big black wolfess, then chief's daughter. Gosh, you get around," Shaki teases. He slaps WolfSinger's back. "Bet you is got many big stories to tell us, for sure. Big Jake likes talk."

WolfSinger chuckles a bit. "yep… lots of big stories…

WolfSinger says, "and the Chief's daughter was first. She's the one I want to get back to. ::grins:: "

Shaki grins widely. "Ah! First one always special in memory." He nods, then takes WolfSinger's hand. "You good crewcritter, buy you drink for the road. Come!"

WolfSinger nods, and follows Shaki, tail swishing slowly behind him.