Arcadia is happily setting up her little wagon-booth. It has lots of flags and streamers. She's setting her wares of bright glass baubles, goblets and little figurines and jewelry.

A foppish-looking short fox strides up to the booth, peering curiously at the glasswares, reaching up with one gloved hand to lift up the brim of his floppy hat.

Fenter limps in from down the street; he's managed to scrape off most of the… stuff… on the back of his robe, bit it's still a bit muddy. The raccoon pauses at the glassware booth, entranced by the multitudes of bottles.

The foppish fox, not standing more than four feet tall, picks up one of the glass goblets, inspecting it, then sets it back down in the wrong place. Then he looks at another piece. Again, he puts it back in the wrong place.

Arcadia smiles as she sits back, watching the fox. Her eyes rest upon her wares, especially proud of a tall glass she's recently made. Its rim is an impressive blue and the overall cup is a milky white. Among her other wares are more glasses – Some are etched with pictures of places or mythical things or people. There are useful items, as well as artistic ones. Plates, goblets, bowls, pitchers. Even toy-like glass figurines of animals or brightly-colored flowers.

Fenter makes a face at one of the figurines; it looks too much like one of his old tutors.

Arcadia gryns at the fox and the 'coon. She coos softly, "G'day to you, sir, and to you, youngling. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The fox looks up at the dragoness, and blinks slowly, several times.

Fenter JUMPS into the fox's arms. "D-DRAGON!!! DRAAAAAAAGON!!!"

Thankfully, the fox hasn't anything in his arms at the time. He just stands there, gawking, even as the raccoon jumps into his arms!

Fenter says, "Please don't bite me! I taste terrible! Even worse with this dirty robe!"

Arcadia chuckles as soft as a wind. "Yes… kind of. Put please do not be afraid… Ol' Arcadia will not harm you. "

Fenter blinks at the dragoness, then blinks again at the fox that's holding him.

The fox's mouth moves a few times, and then he wrinkles up his nose, and steps back to let go of the raccoon. "What … EWGH! What … WHAT IS THIS?" Various former bugs are squashed on the fox's lacy attire.

Arcadia says, "I'm quite friendly… and I never eat anyone."

Fenter ooofs as he falls on his backside at the fox's feet.

The fox's ears pale as an eight-legged bug – not unscathed, but still moving – crawls along his glove. "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh… " First a talking dragon and now a plague of squashed bugs. Of all the rotten luck!

Fenter says, "N-never eats a-anyone… s-sh-sure. I-I'll take your word on that… "

Fenter points to the bug. "The Eees tell me that one tastes like mustard."

Arcadia smirks softly and takes a long scarf off of her wagon. "Here, sir… let us get those little things of of you." She carefully offers the scarf to the fox. She winks at the raccoon. "Of course. Why eat people when there are things like chocolate cake, humm?"

The fox shakes a bit as he takes the proffered scarf and tries to knock the bugs off with it. He then gingerly hands it back. "Th-thank you… "

The scarf now has a couple of black eight-legged crawly bugs – one partially squished – skittering on it.

Fenter brushes himself off a bit more. "The bugs are actually a bit becoming on you, sir. They add just the right touch of color to that drab old shirt."

The fox breathes rapidly. "Nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Just … just a … a … dragon … no big deal. … and … … bugs … BUGS!!!"

The fox begins yowling and running in circles around the raccoon, babbling incoherently!

Arcadia blinks looking down… one, two… ohmi!!! "AAEEEEEEE!! spiiiidEERRR!" She jumps back, screaming like a lil' ol lady!

Fenter says, "There was a vermite as well, but I wiped him off on a mason's tent a few squares back."

The fox sees the screaming dragoness, and howls all the more loudly! People are starting to look this way.

Arcadia faints! Timber!! Falling dragoness! Look out!

Fenter tries to keep track of the spinning fox and the howling dragon.

The fox is too absorbed in running around like a maniac to avoid the falling dragon. *flumph* (Well, that's an odd sound, but it is a whole lot better than "crunch" or "squoosh", all things considered.)

The raccoon YELPS as his tail gets squished under the dragoness.

Fenter says, "OdDearOhDearOhDear… hmm… I wonder if she'd notice one of her bottles missing while she's playing nappie-boo."

In the next booth, a grizzled old white wolf with a patch over one eye looks at the proceedings with some degree of bemusement, though he tries to hide it as "neighborly concern".

The fox mrphles? from underneath the fallen dragoness.

Fenter tries to walk towards the booth, but can't budge on account of his trapped tail.

Fenter pokes the dragoness' nose. "Uh… ma'am? Miss scaly lady?"

Arcadia blinks slowly… "oooooooiiii… "

A smallish Naga (a black garter) slides along, pausing to gawk at the odd scene at Arcadia's booth. He looks Fenter up and down, then giggles gleefully to himself and rubs his little clawed hands together. With that … *zoom!* He darts between the legs of an unsuspecting Vykarin, and on through the crowd, disappearing quickly.

The fox whines.

Arcadia sits up… "OmOhOHmymymymy! " She stands up and picks up the fox to stand him up. "I'm so so sorry!" She eyes her stand and its messiness… SIIIGHHH

Fenter kisses his poor little crushed tail. *smoochsmoochsmooch*

Fenter tries to unruffle his tail. "I hope the damage can be repaired, miss? I hear there's a broken glass vendor in Darkside somewhere… "

The fox whines, picking up his hat. He punches his little fist into it. *POP* It's back out in something roughly resembling its proper shape again. He checks the wooden lute on his back. Amazingly, it's unscathed, despite being crushed by a large dragoness.

Arcadia blushes… and siiiiiighs, looking at the benches her stuff is on… "Oh nononono… Ah… ACK – The … the… " she wipes away a tear as she sees the white goblet has been knocked down… and has shattered.

A poodle – looking three times as foppish as the fox (not to mention a bit taller) walks over to the booth. "I can't believe it! PERFECT! It's … it's … BEAUTIFUL!"

Fenter dusts himself off, "Why, thank you! I just had my monthly flea-bath, you know."

The poodle stoops over to pick up the shattered milky white goblet – or, that is, the largest pieces formerly thereof. "Ah, the fragility of life and of beauty … the inevitable triumph of entropy over order… " The poodle babbles on like this, as if he's making a soliloquy.

Arcadia sniffles and picks it up… "I… I will make it again… and better this time!"

"Better?" the poodle sniffs. "I'll take it. Just as it is. Don't change a THING!"

Arcadia starts to rearrange everything as she occasionally nods to the Poodle.

The poodle checks his purse. "Oh dear. I really have been buying too much today. Will this do?" He pulls out a gold coin.

Arcadia blinks? "… What do you mean? It's ruined! Shatter because of that darn sp – spi… that THING!"

The poodle has a dreamy look in his eyes. "Oh? So there's a STORY behind this tragedy? Oh, please, do tell! That makes the beauty of its fragility all the more rich!"

Fenter says, "Well, there were these bunch of bugs that I fell on top of, and… "

Arcadia blinks… "You… you want the broken goblet?" She stares at him with disbelief.

The poodle says, "Broken? But it is so perfect in its brokenness! A masterpiece! Look at the perfect asymmetry in the jagged cuts … in the sinuous lines of these fractures … Such beauty in chaos!"

Fenter says, "I should show you my room sometime… "

Arcadia rrrrs, looking at the shattered glass in her hands and at the strange poodle… the money and then the broken glass… ahh, how can she sell a broken gobblet?… how can he think it's nicer now than what it was before!!!

Arcadia swallows hard. "Um… "

The poodle sniffs. "But don't think of bargaining TOO much. One gold shekel. That is my offer."

Arcadia ers… "That… is … ahh… more than kind… Really… " She seems very torn…

The poodle says, "That will be a perfect addition to my collection. And everyone will ask me where I obtained it … Now, what is your name, mademoiselle?"

Arcadia whimpers, "Are you sure you… wouldn't rather have a different piece? I I can make something much nicer than this! Right here and now if it would please you, sir! I am Arcadia, sir."

Fenter makes rapid "TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!!" gestures to the dragoness from behind the poodle's back.

The poodle says, "A better piece? Hmm. But surely it took quite some time to fashion this one. And … the spontaneity in the piece's destruction. I'm not sure if you could possibly capture that same power of tragedy by deliberately making a new goblet and then hitting it with, say, a mallet. But … oh … very well. Perhaps. Maybe you could make it in a jade-ish color, and give it a good whack with a wooden mallet?"

Arcadia looks rather pale at the concept… "W-ww – www whack?"

Fenter says, "I'll whack it for you ma'am! And, I'll only charge 50% of what you earn from the goblet!"

"After all," the poodle says, "jade would so much more so reflect the qualities of life and vibrance, to contrast with the cruel jagged edge of the broken shards… Yes. 'whack'. Ah. Silly me! I revert to mere street language. You are obviously more sophisticated than that. I mean to 'strike'."

The fox, during all this time, just looks … dumbfounded. He's drooling a bit at the mention of a gold coin … and appears to be absolutely amazed by Arcadia's reaction.

Arcadia's eyes go wide… "You want ME to crush? But but… nooo… I mean… ah… " She gazes at the glassware… . o ( I could get cake, tho… )

Arcadia mmms . o (A lot o' cake… and feed the lil' boy there… and make even more glasses… )

"Yes, quite so!" the poodle beams. "And I have several friends who share my tastes. Why, I can see it now! You could turn a pretty coin with … " he holds up his hands as if framing a sign "… Entropic Glassware!"

Arcadia shivers. "… Y – you mean they'd want it crushed too?"

The fox looks at the poodle and his chatter about entropy and tragedy and other awful stuff, and back at the dragoness and at the squashed bugs and … wavers a bit on his legs, looking like he's about to pass out.

Fenter looks to Arcadia, then to the fox, then to Arcadia again. He starts fishing around in his robe pocket and pulls out a chitin flask, which he takes a sip from and offers to his vulpine companion.

The poodle nods. "But of course! I thought I had explained the concept, after all … "

The fox looks very relieved at the offer of a nip. "Thank you kindly." He grabs the flask, begins to take a sip … then turns the bottle bottom up … "GLUG GLUG GLUG"

Arcadia blinks… holding back the small wisp of smoke that snakes its way from her nose. "I… do not think I can sell this to you sir… I-… " She pauses, coughing up the words. "I cannot sell this to you. I am very sorry. But I am an artist, and this is not what my works means."

The poodle blinks, aghast. "You want more gold, don't you? Hmm. Okay, what is your price?"

Arcadia shakes her head. "Nonononono, please do not tempt me, sir! No more!"

The fox grins, and starts to hand back the bottle … then suddenly goes rail-stiff and falls backward, landing with a KLUNK on the ground, a goofy grin still frozen on his face. The bottle, however, impacts the ground, with predictable results.

Arcadia blinks??? and looks at the bottle and at the poodle.

Fenter says, "My lucky FLASK! Ohhh… such memories I had with you… the time I passed out under the bridge, and in the bushes, and in the alley, and… oh… I can't remember all the times… "

Arcadia says, "… oh my."

The poodle's ears flick at the sound of breaking chitin. He leans over, then sniffs in disdain. "Baw. Cheap rubbish."

Fenter sniffs. "Oh… the… er… ENTROPY of it all! *sob!*"

Arcadia cracks a grin, her tail flicking behind her.

The poodle looks to the dragoness. "Arcadia, eh? And you refuse my offer? Hmph! Of all the … of all the … HMPH!" He pokes his snout up into the air. "You have not heard the last of me."

Fenter sits on the fox's chest… It's much more comfortable to whine when you have a soft cushion.

Arcadia swallows her heart, confident (Well, maybe not too confident), that this was the right choice… "I-i… eep."

Fenter says, "*ahem!* cough cough cough WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Arcadia sighs and sits down on her haunches and snorts at Fenter. "Child! Enough!"

Fenter blinks? "CHILD?!?!!?" He wipes his nose. "I'll have you know, missus scaley britches that I'm one of the oldest students attenting the Mages' College!"

Fenter says, "You'd cry too if you just lost ten shekels' worth of fine artificial scotch."

Arcadia sighs… "First off, I am Arcadia. And second, I have no scales. Thirdly, drink's bad for you, and fourthly – here!" She hands him a little bottle that may not replace the flask, but will do the job.

Arcadia says, "Take this."

Arcadia says, "I hate crying younglings… "

The poodle snorts, then yaps, "Well, Arcadia, I will remember your name. And remember mine – and that the House Le Fauve never forgets an insult!" With that, he stomps off, not bothering to properly introduce himself beyond that.

Arcadia hrrms, as she ceremoniously puts the broken glass into a barrel. It makes clinkity clinky sounds.

Fenter accepts the proffered bottle. "It's quite a good painkiller actually." He gestures to his vulpine seatcushion. "If YOU attended the mages' guild you'd probably be driven to drink as well."

Fenter pauses for a moment and puts an ear to the fox's mouth to listen for breathing.

The foppish fox is still just grinning goofily at the sky, oblivious to his surroundings … or the spider crawling across his nose.

Arcadia smirks. "If more come asking for broken and shattered works of mine, I certainly will go mad."

Arcadia eeeeks! again. "Kill it kill it!"

The opportunistic spider crawls from the fox's nose … onto Fenter's ear.

Fenter sweeps off his hat. "As you wish, madame." He promptly *SMACKS* the fox square in the face with his pointy hat.

The fox's muzzle swings to the side, then bobs back. His goofy grin is unaffected. Now THAT'S oblivious.

Arcadia skeeees. "It's in your ear! Getta away!" She dives into her wagon!

Fenter boxes himself in the ear. *WHAM* "AIEEE!!! OWOWOWOWOWOW!!!"

*SQUOOSH*

Arcadia peeks out of her wagon… "It… is it gone?"

Fenter just sits there… with his fist against his head. "Yes… would you like to see it?"

Arcadia holds in her hand a big stick of wood.

Arcadia sticks her tongue out. "Nononononono!" she wails.

Fenter starts to pull his fist away.

Fenter says, "Would you mind then, madame… givimg me something to wipe the spider entrails off with? I'd rather not walk around with my fist jammed up my ear for the rest of the day… "

Arcadia's lips pull into an 'ew' expression and she hands him a rag. "Here ya go, youngling."

Fenter wipes off his ear. "Thank you. Now… any chance we could drag the fox into your wagon for a bit until he comes to? I fear that he's rather open to thievery and such laying in the street like that. Even if that grin he has WOULD scare away most people… "

Arcadia mms. "No, I've got a better idea." She goes into her wagon and brings out a small buket of water. Toss! Sploosh!

Arcadia says, "Wakey Wakey."

The soggy fox grins at the sky. Oblivious.

Arcadia hrms.

Arcadia says, "Well, that didn't work."

Fenter says, "Can I throw the bucket of water next time? That looked fun!"

Arcadia chuckles. "I don't know… I don't want to drown him."

Fenter says, "Maybe we could stick bugs up his nose… "

Arcadia snorts. "No! That's not nice!"

A little black snake pokes his head over some barrels, his tongue flitting out. Then, he pops back down and out of sight again.

Fenter says, "Juuuuuuust a suggestion… "

Arcadia frowns look down at him. "Ah… eah."

Arcadia leans down to pull the fox up to his feet.

Arcadia says, "Come on, wake up."

The fox is very light – not surprising for his size. He hiccups, and his head bobs around, but he shows no sign of returning to the land of the conscious, let alone the sober.

Arcadia mmms. "I guess I'll get him inside… Wrap him up nicey warm." She smiles and lugs the fox inside.

Fenter quietly pockets his new bottle, and trundles off to find something to fill it with, and hopefully a nice spot to clean his robes off.

Arcadia smiles, placing the fox on a towel, and she sits down to watch over him silently.