After the excitement of the Frog King (and disappointment about not getting to poke him with pitchforks and torches) the Frog Festival has returned to a more or less normal state. Booths are re-manned (or re-Skeeked, more likely), food and beverages are brought out, and a few industrious folk are mopping the slime off of the cobblestones.

The Mayor, Erik and the three visitors to town have moved off to the Tavern, and Morgan has led the Frog King off to treat his injuries. The designated Frog Princess, Amelia Blacktail, sits on the edge of the fountain in the tatters of her fancy dress, and looks miserable.

Walking down the street and chatting with the various folks milling about is a Kadie, dressed in baggy pants lined with pockets. They're held up with an odd belt that has many rings going along its length. From them hang various tools, such as wrenches, a mallet, and so on. Over his rather boring shirt is a patchwork leather jacket; the collar trimmed with a light bit of some animal fur. A bandana is tied around the top of his head; only his ears and bits of black hair stick out. "Hey Zahnrad!" someone calls out to him and he waves to them and smiles. "Going to try a new machine tonight?" another calls to him. He shakes his head and says, "No, not tonight. The new design's taking a lot longer to build. But, this one will work, I know it." The various Kadies and Skeeks around him try not to laugh too much. He just hmphs softly and heads toward the fountain.

At one side of the square, what appears to be a strange creature sits on a random log. At first glance, one would think this was some odd mutant Kadie, with two heads and two tails, one pair being much smaller than the other. Upon closer inspection, however, the observer would realize that it's just Aiken Silverfoot, with his baby daughter Kiona riding upon the elder squirrel's shoulders. "Well squirt, what'd you think of all 'a that?" the father says, grinning upwards at his child.

"Fawgs!" chirps Kiona (a.k.a. The Red Menace). "Canny!"

Not far from where Aiken sits, his gray-furred wife Curiel mans the Silverfoot Clan's booth, selling small bottles of wine.

Wandering among the groups of people is a Skeek girl in a most unusual outfit; although her black skirt and white shirt are normal enough, over the shirt she wears a vest made of many patches of brightly-colored cloth and gold-colored buttons that catch the sunlight. Fastened to the vest are decorative pins in the shape of small bunches or roses, also made entirely of cloth. On her head is a cap also adorned with cloth roses, but these are dyed in some of the most garish colors imaginable. She notices that several others are staring at her as she passes by, but she merely smiles brightly at them and waves, or greets the townspeople who call out to her.

"Is that really a blue rose?" a Lapi woman asks the Skeek girl, pointing to one of the cloth flowers on her vest.

Olivia smiles and takes that particular pin from her vest and holds it up, so that the Lapi woman can have a closer look at it. "Oh yes! Quite a nice blue, don't you think? I know I prefer the brighter colors, but not all do. That's why this blue is a more muted shade."

Setting the small girl down on her feet, Aiken takes her by the paw and helps her walk. "Well, enough a this sittin' around, watcha say we see how everyone is?" Standing up from the log, the Kadie looks over to his wife. "Honey, I'm gonna take Kiona for a walk, you okay by yourself?"

"No problem, Aiken!" Curiel waves, then immediately goes back to trading gossip with the Mayor's wife, Appela Streusel.

"Hey, Amelia," Zahnrad calls out to the Kadie sitting near the fountain. "What's wrong? You're the hero … er, heroine, of the night." he asks and walks over to stand near her.

Amelia looks up to Zahnrad and groans. "My ribs are killing me. This corset is too bloody tight. I'm never wearing a dress again! And my staff is broken too," she bemoans.

Chuckling to himself, Aiken looks around the grounds, and spies the other two Kadies at the fountain. "Let's go say hi to Amelia, kiddo. She looks like she could use some cheerin' up." The squirrel starts over for the fountain, occasionally lifting his daughter playfully off of the ground by her small arm as they walk. "Afternoon, Amelia. I got a visitor for ya. Afternoon to you too, Zahn. How goes the tinkerin'?"

"Oh, hello Aiken," Amelia says, and does cheer up a bit when she sees Kiona. "And hello to you too, Little Fireball. Did you see me beat up the big monster?"

Zahnrad quirks a grin. "That's right, your staff met a noble fate, and all that," he says and pats her shoulder. He then rubs his chin and considers, "Tell you what, since you're the town heroine and all, I'll make you a new staff. It'll give a chance to try out some lathe improvements anyway." He grins, thinking about it … then blinks as he realizes he's being talked to. "Oh, hi Aiken, things go pretty good. I've been working on improving the lathe down in the shop near the dam. I think I it'll greatly improve the time for making table-legs and all that. Either that or make toothpicks. Lots of toothpicks."

"Fawgs!" Kiona says, and swings from the end of her father's arm. "Whack whack!"

The Lapi woman examines the rose, and even sniffs at it. "It doesn't smell like a rose… it's not real?" she realizes.

Olivia's smile only gets broader. "If my creations can fool such an observant eye as yours, then I'll consider my work well done! Although, if you did want this rose to have a fragrance, putting a drop of scented oil on it might do the trick."

"So… your roses don't need water, or sunlight, and can smell like whatever you want?" the woman asks Olivia. Since the Lapis of Stonebarrow all live underground, they probably aren't likely to keep flowers in their homes. At least, not for long.

Olivia nods enthusiastically. "Exactly! And they can be worn on any piece of clothing you desire. So, could I interest you in this pin? I would be happy to trade it to you for something I could use in my future artistic endeavors."

Aiken laughs, "She saw it all right. You might be givin' her some bad ideas!" Swinging his arm forward, he holds the Kiona out to the teenaged Kadie, and laughs to Zahnrad. "You can never have too many toothpicks, so I say it'd be a win-win situation!" The laugh exposes the rodent's incisors as if to accent the point.

"Really Zahn?" Amelia asks, smiling. "Wow! I'd hug you if I didn't think I'd break my ribs." She reaches out to grab Kiona, whom she tickles mercilessly until the little girl squeals happily. "Sorry Aiken, I'll never wear a dress in front of Fireball again, so she doesn't get that bad idea!" Amelia promises.

Zahnrad grins at Amelia and says, "Certainly. Least I could do." He then hmms, "Ah, if the corset bothers you so much, why don't you take it off?" He then looks over at Aiken and Kiona, "Well, yes. But, I don't want toothpicks. I want good, cut lumber. How else can I build a frame? Er, I mean, make repair spokes for the looms. Yes, repair spokes."

"I will, soon as I catch my breath, which is bloo- uh… really hard while I'm wearing it," Amelia complains, trying not to swear in front of Kiona. "And it's got all these little wooden hook thingies too, instead of laces or buttons. Probably one of your relatives designed the thing, Zany."

The woman considers the pin, then asks Olivia, "What about a bouquet, that can go in a vase? Could you do something like that instead?"

Olivia thinks about this for a minute. "Well, I could wrap some thin twigs in strips of green cloth, to simulate flower stems. That would also allow them to stand tall in a vase. The 'buds' themselves could be stitched to the stems, or perhaps glued on. It would certainly be interesting to try!"

Aiken gives a hearty laugh at Amelia's comment, then grins to Zahnrad. "I know what ya meant, just givin' you a hard time is all." The reddish-brown squirrel pats the tinkerer on his back. "If you need a frame though, just talk to ol' Bob Cartwright. He makes the best picture frames around. Curiel got this nice one for a painting of Kiona we had done, it almost made it into my horde it was so nice!"

"Flowers!" Kiona cries, pointing towards Olivia now. "Gwowing outta her head Daddy!"

"Ah, probably," Zahn replies and scratches his ear. "Well, if you need help unhooking it, I'm good at hooks and things and could probably see them better," he says, then thinks about that. "Er, or if you just want to borrow my coat and preserve modesty, that would work too," he says quickly. He looks back to Aiken and coughs, glad for the distraction, "Ah, thanks for the advice. I don't need those kinds of frames, though, that was the model 'Flap-Trap Mark 2'. I think I knocked my cousin out with that one." He then blinks at looks in the direction Kiona points.

Aiken blinks at Zahn over the mention of his invention, then just shrugs with a puzzled grin. He then cranes his neck in the direction his daughter points. "Whoops! Looks like my little taskmaster is sendin' me elsewhere." Gently, for both Kiona and Amelia's sakes, the Kadie father scoops up his daughter, and plants her on his shoulders. "Nice talkin' to you two, Happy Frog Festival!" Giving Kiona a quick tickle with his long tail, Aiken makes his way over to the flowery Skeek.

"Well, I'd be more interested in flowers like those, I think," the Lapi says, looking thoughtful. "Nobody else in the warren would have anything like them. Could you make a dozen for me? I'll pay you a shekel apiece for them."

In the midst of her conversation with the Lapi, Olivia overhears this comment and turns briefly to Kiona. She 'tips' her cap briefly to the girl and grins, then goes back to talking about floral arrangements. "I would be most delighted to do so! If you would just give me your name, madam, so that I will know who to deliver them to… ? Oh, and what colors would you like for me to dye your flowers?"

Zahn makes a silly face at Kiona as she leaves to try and get the little girl to giggle. "See you later, Aiken! If you need anything fixed, stop by my shop!" he says.

"Help me to the Tavern, Zahn," Amelia asks, wobbling to her feet. "I've got regular clothes behind the stage there that I can change into if you can undo these blasted hooks."

Zahn turns back to Amelia and says, "Certainly. Just put your arm around my shoulder and I'll make sure you don't tip." He holds out his hand to the Blacktail.

Amelia does so, letting the taller Kadie support her for a bit. "Just until my foot wakes up," she says.

"Of course," Zahn says with a nod. He walks toward the Tavern slowly. He tries to walk slow and keep an eye on the wobbly Kadie and still manage to wave to folks he knows and say his hellos.

Aiken comes to a halt near the two ladies, listening to their conversation as he glances upward towards Kiona now and then.

"Oh, just bring them to the warren and ask for Beatrice Chalk, dear," the Lapi says, then asks, "Red and blue and white and yellow, it you can."

Olivia bobs a quick curtsey to Beatrice and says, "As you wish! Thank you very much!"

"Oh, good day to you, Master Vintner," Beatrice says to Aiken after finishing with Olivia. "I'm quite fond of your sherry on cold nights, I can tell you."

Aiken smiles at the Lapi woman. "Good afternoon to you as well, Mrs. Chalk. Glad you like my brews! I happen to have a flask of my newest strawberry blend, if you care to have a sip." The squirrel grins at the Skeek, and notes, "I think my little one here likes your flowers."

"Flowers!" Kiona says, bouncing up and down. "Why, I suppose it's late enough in the day for a taste," Beatrice says in answer to the offer of a sip.

Olivia smiles back to Aiken, then turns her attention to his daughter. "So I hear! Would you like to have a flower growing out of your head, too?" She wiggles her nose at the youngster as she says this, trying to make her laugh. "If your father says it's all right, that is."

Placing the little rusty girl onto the ground, Aiken laughs at the young mouse. "Well, I suppose it's okay. Just so long as she doesn't go sproutin' a garden or anything." With Kiona on the ground, the older squirrel removes his hip flask from his belt, unscrewing it and offering it to the Lapi. "Just took this outta the cellar last night. It's been aged a whole year, almost as old as my little girl!"

Beatrice tries a little sip, then licks her lips. "Oh, that's even better than the peach brandy from last year," the Lapi says, nodding her head in approval.

Kiona grins up at Olivia, swaying a little as she tries to keep upright, and points to a white rose pin on the Skeek's vest.

"Curiel has whole bottles of it over at the booth," Aiken says, replacing the flask to his belt, "if you're interested. We even have em half-price in honor of the festival!"

"Half price!" Beatrice says, her eyes lighting up. "If you'll excuse me then, Master Silverfoot," she says politely, then does her best not to break into a run towards the booth.

The Skeek unslings the black case that she has been carrying across one shoulder and rests it on the ground to open it. After rummaging around in its inside pockets, she comes up with some green ribbon, a needle, and some green thread. She takes the white rose from her vest and whisks the pin from its backing. Then with a few deft stitches, she fastens the ribbon to the rose. Putting the needle and thread carefully back in her case, she leans over to Kiona and ties the rose into one of the thicker tufts of fur that grows on top of her head. After stepping back to admire the effect, Olivia declares, "Perfect! A charming rose for a charming girl!"

"Thanka!" Kiona chirps, trying to look up and see the flower on her head. This overbalances her though, and she ends up sitting down on her tail. "Oops!"

Olivia laughs and reaches out a hand to help the girl up. "Perhaps you should wait until you get to a mirror to see your flower. I don't think your father would want you tripping all over town!"

Aiken gives a slight start as the Lapi's quick departure, his face breaking into a grin. He then turns back to his daughter, letting out a huge laugh. "You're wiltin' already, lil' bit!" He takes Kiona by the hand to balance her. "Nah, she'd only trip once. Then she'd be runnin' all over town like she was Lapi with too much sugar." He looks up to the mouse. "How much you chargin' for those? My wife might be interested. She likes all kinds a' flowers."

"Sugar!" Kiona says, showing a child's ability to pick out the words that interest her most. "Canny now?"

Olivia tells Aiken, "Well, I'm mostly trading what I have on me for interesting items that I can use to make my artwork." Then her whiskers quiver as she gets an idea. "You wouldn't happen to have any colored bottles that I can have, do you? I could break them up into pieces to work into one of my new sculptures! That sort of glass would catch the light beautifully!"

"Bottles is one thing we got plenty of," Aiken says, hefting Kiona back up onto his shoulders. "If you want, you can come on over to our booth. Curiel's probably ready for a breather soon anyhow." The squirrel scratches his tail, then starts over towards the Briar booth. "Just follow me!"

Olivia salutes the Kadie and does as she is told. "Thank you!"

The Tavern part of the Frog and Peach Inn is empty, since everyone is outside enjoying the Festival. Amelia sits sideways in a chair so her back is facing Zahnrad. Most of the buttons are already missing, of course, and the corset starts just below the girl's shoulder blades. "Just say when, and I'll exhale and suck in my stomach," she tells Zahn.

Amelia's statement doesn't register with Zahn immediately. He's a bit too busy examining the hooking and such. "Er … ?" he starts to say, then understanding hits him. "Ah, yes, right, right. I'll start high and work down." He grips the upper edge of the corset, just under Amelia's shoulder blades, and says, "All right, go."

Amy sucks in her gut and lets out her breath to provide as much slack as she can, which isn't much given the tightness of the corset.

Zahn's eyes narrow slightly. His fingers move rather deftly and quickly and he starts undoing the corset. Now and then he has to pull a bit hard to get it loose enough at the closures to get them to release. He even sticks out his tongue slightly from the corner of his mouth in concentration as the hooks are rapidly undone.

As the last hook is undone, Amelia takes in a long overdue deep breath. "Ahh, that's better!" she says. She stands up and then hops onto the stage, heading for the curtained doorway that leads behind it. "I'll be right back!" she promises, before vanishing through the curtain.

Zahnrad is busy examining the corset. "Sure, see you in a bit," he says idly. He sits down on the edge of the stage and fiddles more with the corset, twisting it this way and that. "Maybe a similar hooking could be used to skin the wings … make them more collapsible," he muses.

Reemerging from behind the curtain after a few moments, Amelia finishes tightening the knot of her 'blouse'. She's wearing her more usual attire now, a pair of her brother's pants cut off at the knee, and a lumberjack shirt she's 'modified' by tearing off the sleeves and buttons and simply tying it off under her chest. The chocolate fur of her bared midriff is usually enough to cause the older women of the community to cluck in disapproval. "Much better," she declares, to let Zahn know she's actually back.

"Hmm," Zahn says and looks back. "Oh! That was quick," he comments, not being quite certain how long she was back there anyway. He clambers back up on the stage and offers Amelia the corset back. "I assume you want this?" he offers.

"What would I possibly want this thing for?" Amelia asks, holding the corset by one corner as if it was a dead snake. "It's too small to use as a hammock. But… I suppose I can use if I break my leg or something and need to hold the splint," she says, and tosses it backstage with the remains of the dress.

Zahn shrugs slightly and comments, "Maybe you'd wear a dress again someday. It's not like you looked bad it in. And it shoots less buttons at people." He quirks a grin, remembering something. "That reminds me!" he says and starts digging around in his pockets. "Here? No. Maybe … no. Aha … drat," he mutters.

"Maybe when I get married," Amelia says, watching the high-speed pocket search with interest. She doesn't even have pockets on her clothing.

"I saw your performance," Zahn comments while searching his pockets. "It was quite the show! I had written a few … dangit, where is it?"

"Written what?" Amelia asks. "Poems? Limericks?"

"No no," Zahn says dismissively. "I figured out the exact amount of pressure your chest had to have exerted on that shirt to fire the buttons the way it did. It was quite fascinating, really. I would have never thought compression of a Kadie chest would generate that amount of force." He stops searching and puts his hands on his hips and mutters, "Well, drat, I seem to have lost the paper. Oh well. Probably in my workshop."

"Oh," Amy says, looking confused. "It was rather uncomfortable though. Where the chalk… carp… crackululations important?"

"No, not really. Well, except I had to make a few guesstimates on your measurements, so I can't claim complete accuracy," Zahnrad comments and rubs his chin. "Dear me, I hope I didn't drop them outside." He shakes his head and shrugs. "Anyway, so, you're getting married, huh? To whom, Morgan?" he asks, apparently not having quite listened to everything Amelia had said.

"I'm not getting married, you doof!" Amelia snaps, and then forces herself to calm down, figuring Zahn might forget about the free new staff if she hits him too hard on the head. "I just said that's the only other time I'll probably be wearing a dress. For someone who can sit for an hour sketching Creens in flight you… wait, you figured my measurements? You need stuff like that to make clothes, right?"

Zahnrad looks at Amelia oddly. "Well, yes, you do. They probably weren't entirely accurate, but I had them. I could take better ones if you'd prefer. It would make the calculations more accurate," he says and scratches his cheek. "Oh, wait, you want them for clothing, so, ah, scratch the calculations, then. And why aren't you getting married? You are eighteen, afterall. Prime time and all that. Or so I've been told, anyway."

"Because I don't know how to be a wife," Amelia says, crossing her arms across her chest. "All that sewing and cooking and whatnot. Never learned. I figure I'd just find a husband who could do all that stuff. Anyway… can you figure out what I should have clothes made from so they don't keep falling apart on me?"

"It's not the material, it's the size. You wear things that are too small for, your, ah … well … chest, hips, you know, all those, uh, girly differently sized things," Zahnrad tries to say delicately. He then just shrugs and says, "I have some decent measuring line at the shop. When you stop by, I can take some measurements and notes you can give to one of the seamstresses around here. So long as the patterning is right, they should hold up pretty decently."

"Okay," Amelia agrees, after thinking it over. "I'll bring the wood by for the staff then as well. There must be someone in town that will sew me the sort of clothes I like to wear… "

"You could always try Olivia Weaver. I hear she makes the strangest things," Zahnrad muses. He then blinks and backs away from the Kadie, saying, "Not that I think you dress strangely, nope, not at all!"

Amelia stares at Zahnrad for just a moment, then smiles and grabs his hand. "Of course not! C'mon, we're missing the fun!" she says, and does her best to drag him out of the Tavern.

Zahnrad urks and almost stumbles as Amelia yanks his hand. He hops once, then just walks along with Amelia, just one step behind her … out of easy hitting range and all that. His tail flicks this way and that.

"Choco buttnuggets, Daaaaaddy!" Kiona whines and tugs at Aiken's ear as they get moving. She's immediately distracted by a colorful Creen flying overhead, though. Soon they'll be swarming, looking for anything tasty left on the cobbles.

"That's 'buttered nuts', Kio," Aiken says, suppressing a laugh. "And we'll get you some candy inna bit. First, we need to talk to Mama. Hey Curiel," the squirrel calls out to his wife. "You doin' okay? This lady here has something you might be interested in."

Curiel looks up from marking down an order from the Chalks, and breaks into a buck-toothed smile at the sight of Kiona's flower.

Olivia approaches the Kadie woman at the booth and says pleasantly, "Your husband mentioned that you are fond of flowers… which is something I have plenty of!" She points to her rose-bedecked vest.

Aiken deposits Kiona onto the booth's countertop. "And they got the Fireball seal of approval, which is sayin' somethin'!" The father motions to his daughter's noggin. "I figured you might wanna give em a look over. We still got any a those empty bottles layin' around?"

"Roses so early in the season?" Curiel asks, a bit surprised. "Oh wait, you're the Weaver girl who makes them out of cloth, aren't you?" she then asks, smiling.

"Yes, ma'am," Olivia replies, then adds with a wry grin, "I see my reputation precedes me. Or perhaps it's just my hat. It is pretty colorful!"

"I suppose we should get some extras, at the very least," Curiel says, looking over the flower on her daughter's head. "Goodness know how long this one will last before Kio manages to chew it up!" she notes, the pulls out a small box of empty bottles, from giving out samples. "Here, are these what you wanted?"

Aiken laughs, "We'd better hurry up and plant her, that way we can have a Kiona garden!" He tickles the little girl. "And I apologize by the way, my name's Aiken, and this is my wife Curiel. I've seen you around town before, but never made your acquaintance."

Olivia tips her hat again. "My name is Olivia. I am apprenticed to the Weavers, as your wife noted. Glad to meet all of you!"

"Livia Livia!" Kiona chirps, then spins around until she falls over giggling.

"Well Olivia, it's nice to meet ya." Aiken grabs Kiona's tail, and tickles her nose with it. "I think you got a fan!"

Olivia grins at Kiona, saying lightly, "Close enough for me." Then she asks Curiel, "May I look through these bottles and pick out a few? Aiken said that I might have them in payment for the roses. For my sculptures, you know."

"Oh, certainly Olivia," Curiel says. "We can spare a few, I think, after today's sales."

Aiken leans on the booth, giving Curiel a kiss on the cheek. "How'd we do this afternoon? Mrs. Chalk seemed pretty enthusiastic 'bout the prices." He chuckles. "And I see people liked the Strawberry stuff. Your Papa said it'd sell well."

"We're nearly sold out of it," Curiel reports, and refers to her written list. "Also, the Streusel's need seven bottles of the sparkling wine for their oldest daughter's wedding on Unity Day."

"… fifteen … sixteen … seventeen!" chant several children near the Briar's booth, as a Kadie boy stuffs nuts into his cheeks from a bowl.

Olivia thanks Curiel and begins digging through the box of bottles, looking for colored ones that catch her eye. In a minute she selects three - one in cobalt blue, one in smoky green, and one in ruby red. "These will do nicely, thank you! For these, Kiona can pick out two more roses and I'll make them into ribbons for her. Or would you like to keep one of those as a pin for yourself, ma'am?"

Curiel looks to Aiken, in a more personal manner, and asks, "Why don't you pick out one for a pin I can wear, Aiky?"

If possible, Aiken's eyes light up even more than before at the mention of the order. "A pin, eh?" The squirrel turns to Olivia, and looks over her pins. With a smile, he selects two deep blue specimens. "I'll take these ones. They match the color of my two best girls' eyes."

Olivia nods and unpins them from her vest, handing one to Aiken so that he can pin it to his wife's clothes. Then she turns her back to give the two privacy while she stitches another ribbon onto the second rose for Kiona.

Curiel's ears blush, and she scoops up Kiona into her arms. "I think I'll see about feeding our little monster, if you'll watch the booth for awhile?" she asks.

Aiken pins the rose to his wife's blouse, and gives her another peck on the cheek. "Sure thing, hon. Just don't let her stuff herself like them kids over there." Grinning, the Kadie takes his place behind the booth. "And make sure you get her some sweets, she's gettin' pretty insistent about it."

"Candy. She'll be up until fall!" Curiel laughs, then nods politely to Olivia as she slips off into the crowd to make her way to the food vendors on the other side of the fountain.

After handing Kiona's rose to Aiken, Olivia bobs another curtsey to the Kadie and scoops up her bottles. Then she mills back into the crowd, looking for other folks to chat and pass the time with.

Tying the rose around his own tail for safekeeping, Aiken waves goodbye to the mouse. "Take care! Thanks for the roses!" He chuckles, then begins to pour over his order books to get a better feel on how they made out that day.

Olivia waves back to Aiken, then takes a moment to grab a pad and a bit of charcoal out of her case. On the pad she scribbles, 'Beatrice Chalk, one dozen long-stemmed roses, red blue white yellow, one shekel apiece' before stowing them away again.

Bursting out of the Tavern door, Amelia and her captive nearly run down a Skreek wearing a dark, hooded cloak. "Oh, ekthcuthe me!" the man says as he lurches aside.

Zahnrad blinks at the strange Skreek. "Ah, no problem, good sir. I'm Zahnrad, this here is Amelia," he says. "Who might you be? I don't recognize you."

"Oh, I work up at the cathtle," the stranger says, trying not to spray the two Kadies overly much. "My name ith Igor. I jutht came into town to potht a notith, and all of thethe people are about, having thome thort of party."

Zahnrad's eyes go huge. "Y… you work at the castle? With her?" he stammers. The Kadie quickly collects himself and says, "I mean, with the Eeee, Dr. Pike? As for a party, it's Frog Festival, they day we celebrate the defeat of the Frog King. Why, Amelia here just kicked the Frog King's son's butt just a bit ago! It was quite the show." His ears flick and he then asks quickly, "What sort of notice?"

"Oh, jutht a little Help Wanted pothter," Igor says, and holds out a flyer. "We've uncovered another wine thellar, and need people to haul out all the rubbith that wath kept in it."

"For pay?" Amelia asks, grabbing the flyer so she and Zahnrad can read it.

"Ah, any old machines, metal, or other such goodness?" Zahnrad asks eagerly. "I can always use more stuff in the shop." He cranes his neck so he can read the poster along with Amelia.

"Yeth," the Skreek says. "That ith the uthual awangement. It'th mothtly thome old clotheth and ragth, bitth of furniture, toyth and thuch. And wine, of courth, but we planned to keep that."

Zahnrad looks a bit disheartened at the descriptions of the contents. "Oh. Just useless junk, then," he says glumly. A moment later he perks right back up and says, "But what the heck, could find something useful. If not, I could always buy something useful with the money. I need some bolts of good cloth, rope, and argh, too much stuff." He grumbles.

The flyer reads, "Helpe Wantted. Stronge backed individuals not afeared of dark to clean dungeon. Apply in persone, Dontgointhe Castle."

"What kind of clothes are there?" Amelia asks.

Closing the binder, Aiken rubs his eyes with a yawn, and casts a glance over the crowd. He spies the odd Skreek, and idly watches the trio converse, resting his chin in a paw.

"Old clotheth," Igor answers. "Vintage. Lotth of old buckleth and beltth and thuch. Ath for machineth, thome of the toyth had gearth and thprings."

"Gears? SPRINGS?! Count me in!" Zahnrad says quickly. "Her too," he says and looks over at Amelia. "Well, I can't cart it all back to the shop by myself!" he says quickly, then flips his tail around to shield himself should she try and whack him.

"Right," Amelia says, thinking of what treasures might be found. "When do you need us?" she asks Igor.

"Oh, no rushth," Igor says, waving a furless hand that is half black and half pink. "Going to be a thtorm tomorrow, tho maybe the day after will be fine."

After scanning the crowd for a few minutes, Olivia notices the cloaked stranger talking to Zahn and Amelia. Interested, she edges toward them, hoping to catch bits of their conversation.

"Storm? Oh … crud," Zahn says and his tail flops limply to the ground. "That means I'll be stuck all day tomorrow at the dam adjusting the gearing and making sure the overflow doesn't stress the wheels," he grumbles.

"A storm?" Amelia asks, looking up at the mostly clear sky. "From the south or from the north?"

"North, thayth my tail," the odd Skreek replies.

Amelia groans. "A northern storm! That means there'll be fish or ice or newts innit!"

"Yeth, well there'th no controlling the weather yet… " Igor starts to say, then trails off as he catches sight of Olivia, in all her multicolored splendor.

Aiken frowns at the conversation – or what he can hear of it at least – and holds his paw out from under the booth to feel for raindrops.

Zahn looks most displeased. "Well, nnngh," he says and finally frees his hand from Amelia's. He crosses his arms over his chest and considers. "So much for doing anything else tomorrow," he says and shakes his head. "So, ah, will Dr. Pike be there?"

"Who?" Igor asks, turning back towards Zahn. "Oh, yeth, the mithtreth will be there, after her morning flight."

Olivia stops short with a little squeak of surprise as the Skreek looks at her. "Oh! Er, sorry to interrupt. Hi Amelia, Zahn. What's going on?"

Amelia flaps the flyer at Olivia, and stage whispers, "Treasure!"

"Oooh, flight! How long does she fly? How high can she go?" Zahnrad asks, enthralled.

"How… long?" Igor ponders. "About until thee can thmell breakfatht, I'd thay. Don't know how high, can't crane my neck up all the time."

Olivia walks closer to Amelia and reads over the flyer. Her eyes widen. "What kinds of treasure in there, did he say?" She points to the Skreek.

"Rags and clothes and buckles and stuff," Amelia tells Olivia, grinning.

"Manna from heaven, them fish-storms," says a rough voice, mostly an aside to Aiken. The owner of the voice sidles up on short legs, a dark-coated Akwavi dressed in carefully wrapped nets held together with fishhooks, and a pair of leather trousers held onto the sleek creature with suspenders. A broad, leathery nose, mostly black with spots of pink worn in, protrudes from under a wide straw hat, an as yet unlit pipe held carefully out of the corner of the otter's mouth and away from the forest of long whiskers around his snout.

Aiken's ears swivel towards the source of the voice, and is soon followed by the rest of the squirrel. "Silas! You ol' swampdog, I was wonderin' when you were gonna show up!" The Kadie grins at his old friend, and pulls the extra stool out from under the booth, offering it to the otter. "What kept ya? Them catfish been givin' you trouble again?"

Silas hooks the stool with his foot to scoot it towards himself, and plunks down onto it, leaning a harpoon he was carrying up against the nearest out of the way spot. "Pshaw, Aiken… ain't a critter alive in those bogs can give me trouble. 'Cept when your li'l girl's out there visitin'." The otter grins, his whiskers rising up. "What'd I miss? Heard tell there was a ruckus a while ago. I was out for it, I reckon."

"Mind if I show up early? I'd like to observe an Eeee in flight. I want to get guesstimates on wingspan, movement, and so on," Zahnrad tells the strange Skreek. "It may be just the information I need!"

"Err, I thuppothe that will be alright," Igor says to Zahn, a bit taken aback by the lad's enthusiasm. "Will your lovely little friend by coming along ath well? I could perhapth lay out a larger breakfatht… "

"Lovely friend? Who's that?" Zahnrad asks. He scratches an ear again, considering, then suddenly scoots a few feet to the left. "Ah, Amelia, are you going to go over early too?" he asks.

Olivia's whiskers twitch in excitement. "Really? Ooo, I could certainly use some more cloth scraps right about now, especially since I'm making a bunch of long-stemmed roses for Beatrice Chalk! Are you and Zahn going to help out? Maybe I could go with you?" She looks at Amelia hopefully.

"What? Sure," Amelia says, standing next to Olivia, answering both her and Zahn at the same time.

"Oh, wonderful!" Igor says, and gives a wheezy little laugh that sounds a bit like 'hehnhehnhehn'.

Olivia notices the laugh and stands a bit closer to Amelia. "Uh, thanks. I'm beginning to be very glad you'll be there, too!"

"Are you feeling all right?" Zahn asks Igor. "You don't sound so well. You should see a doctor. Or maybe Morgan. One of Morgie's potions will make you feel right as rain." He then looks over to Amelia and Olivia, "And hey, Olly, I need to talk to you later."

The hunchbacked rat bows to Olivia, and says, "Igor Wrathbone, at your thervithe."

Olivia nods to the Skreek. "Um, Olivia Weaver, sir. Glad to, uh, meet you?"

Olivia then turns to Zahn and huffs, "That's fine, Zahnrad – but don't call me Olly!"

"The plaethure ith all mine, I'm thertain," Igor says, straightening (to a degree) back up. "And no need to conthern yourthelf over my health, young marthter," he adds. "All of my partth are quite freshth and healthy, I athure you." There are clinking noises from under his cloak as he moves about.

Zahn's eyes get a bit big at the sounds. "Er, yeah, okay," he says slowly and scoots closer to Amelia. Quickly, he whispers to her, "We're making your staff before we go. Just in case!"

Amelia nods, and whispers back, "Good idea."

Taking his flask from his belt, Aiken offers it to his friend. "You missed quite a bit. The actual Frog King showed up! Or at least, one o' his sons I guess. Amelia over there whipped 'im pretty good though, I'd hate to cross that girl." Picking up the order binder, the Kadie stashes it under the countertop. "Other than that, just your usual festival. Had a pretty good day sales-wise – the Streusels ordered a whole mess of wine for their daughter's weddin'!"

"If you'll excuthe me now, I have another bit of buthiness to attend to," Igor says. "It ith quite refreshthing to thee the youth of the community taking thuch an interetht in their neighborth," he adds before shuffling off toward Aiken's booth.

"Ah, all right. See in in a few days, Igor," Zahn replies and waves to the odd creature. He looks at Olivia and Amelia then says, "What a strange person."

"He reminds me a bit of one your sculptures, Olivia," Amelia says quietly. "His eyes don't match."

Idly glancing over at the small crowd, Aiken notices the crooked Skreek headed his way, his tail suddenly going stiff at the strange sight.

"You didn't happen to beat up a Skreek badly at one point, did you?" Zahn asks Amelia.

Olivia watches the Skreek go with concerned eyes. "If that's the type of person who lives in the castle, what must the doctor be like?" Then she nods to Amelia. "Well, figures in sculpture with odd parts is one thing – but a person with odd parts is quite another!"

"They always say good help is hard to find," Amelia says, shrugging.

The otter gratefully accepts the flask, popping off the cap and tilting his head back for a nip. Ulp! "Ahhh… warms a body up after a night unner the mangrove roots," he sighs, his smile broadening. Stealing another smaller swig, he replaces the cap and returns Aiken's flask, using his other hand to rub at his suddenly clearing nose. "Snff! Good brew, this. Got some body on it. Curiel's vines must've had a good season. How's she doin', ain't seen her in a week or so."

"Oh, hey, Olivia, can you sew clothes? Amelia here is looking for someone to make her clothing that fits. I can certainly provide measurements and maybe some clothing design that would fit her a bit better," Zahn says to Olivia. "And! I was wondering if you could get me the price lists of bolts of fabric. I need something plain, tight weave, and durable."

"Finally decided to make a parachute?" Amelia asks Zahn.

Olivia says to Zahn, "I can sew Amelia some clothes, certainly. I make my own, so why not some for her?" She smiles briefly up at the Kadie girl. "But, um, are you sure it's… appropriate for you to be taking her measurements? Uh, you're not her boyfriend are you? That's the type of job I expect you to do if you were, but… " She looks confusedly between the other two.

Zahnrad gives Amelia such a look. "Excuse me?" he says and puts his hands on his hips. "I need it for wing-skinning, if you must know. The last one flopped because I made the wings too heavy. Good thing I was only a few feet off the ground when they snapped." He then blinks at what Olivia just said and looks at her. "B… boyfriend? M… me? No! It's nothing like that. I mean, geez, it's no different than measuring for a gearing or axle fit. It's not like I'm going to feel her up!" he stammers.

"Excuthe me, fine marthters," Igor says to Aiken and Silas. "Would one of you be the reknown Aiken Briar, the vintner?"

"Oh, she's gettin' Kio somethin' to eat right now, she should be back in- oh, uh, hey there sir." Aiken nods to the rat, giving a small smile. "That'd be me, best spirits in all a Stonebarrow. How can I help ya?"

Silas tilts his head curiously to regard the Skreek, then jerks his head over at the ruddy squirrel next to him, making his hat go askew.

"I wath hoping you might be able to tell me if thith ith wine or not," the Skreek says, and produces a large, heavy bottle from under his coat and thunks it down atop the booth's counter. The glass is dark green, and where the ancient dust and cobwebs have been removed it shows a label with faded writing and a strange heraldic crest depicting a sort of dragon-bat-wolf creature. A thick black sludge of sediment swirls about in the bottom, and the cork and wax seal appear undisturbed.

Aiken blinks as the Skreek plops the bottle down on his countertop, flaring his nostrils at the sight. Picking the container up, he brushes off the crud with his paw. "Well, what a we got here… " Raising the bottle over his head, the Kadie swirls the contents in the sunlight, trying to get a better look. "Where'd ya find this at? Looks quite old… "

"An old thellar," Igor says. "Got rackth of the thtuff. Been thealed up at leatht a hundred yearth, I'd thay."

"Well, its way too thick to be wine, and the color's all wrong… " Aiken sniffs at the cork, trying to pick up any kind of scent. "It might have once been some kinda brandy, but its way too aged."

The Akwavi squints at the peculiar bottle curiously as his comrade lifts it and swirls it around. The expression on his face is skeptical and a little incredulous at the same time. "Looks 'bout like what I dig outta my ears when I dive too fast," he ventures.

"I wath afraid of that," Igor says, slumping his shoulders. "I thought thome mutht have turned to vinegar by now, but there are other bottleth that might be in better thape."

Aiken offers the bottle back to the Skreek. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you want, you can bring the others to me for a look. I'm sure that if they've been sealed down in a cellar, at least a few of 'em will still be good. Might fetch a high price, too."

Olivia sniffs. "I don't think taking a girl's measurements is quite the same thing at all! But if Amelia doesn't mind, I suppose I don't, either." She quirks a questioning eyebrow at the Kadie girl.

"I just figured I'd take care of it while he's giving me the staff," Amelia says. "I already know which tree I'm getting the hardwood from, too."

"Besides, Amelia is like one of the guys!" Zahnrad says defensively.

Olivia glances up at Amelia's shapely figure and says uncertainly, "Um, if you say so, Zahn."

"Just better padded," Amelia adds.

Zahn rubs a hand over his muzzle and sighs. "And don't start any rumors, okay, Olivia? Lord, if our parents even thought there might be something, neither of us would hear the end of it," he says sufferingly.

Olivia grins at this comment, almost starts to laugh, and then clears her throat. "Ahem. I won't stir up that kind of trouble for you, I promise. At any rate… yes, I can make Amelia some better-fitting clothes if you provide me with accurate measurements. And I will price that cloth for you, too."

"No skirts or anything though," Amelia points out. "I like pants. Maybe even with pockets. Although maybe the shirts can be a little frilly. Just a bit. Nothing too femmy, mind you, or that'll get dirt and junk in it… "

Zahn blinks once and looks over a Amelia. "You. In a skirt?" he says, surprised.

Zahn, shakes his head again and grins, "I just could never see that." He shrugs and looks back to Olivia, "As for the pricing, please get both he high and low end prices of the more durable fabrics, please. And no garish colors!"

"I said no skirts, you… " Amelia says to Zahn, her voice starting to raise in volume until she reins it back. "You really need to learn how to listen to people, Zahnrad, and not just every other word."

Olivia takes her pad and charcoal from her case and begins scribbling down this information. "Pants, eh? Oh. That means Zahn will have to take your inside leg measurements… Um, just make sure you hold the measuring line when he does that, okay?" Then she shoots Zahn a look. "Fine, the fabric can be undyed. Goodness, some people have no taste in color!"

Zahnrad almost glares at Olivia. "You make it sound like I would do something improper while taking measurements," he huffs. "I will have you know I'm a professional. I measure things all the time!"

Amelia winks at Olivia. "Boys like to measure things, to see if they've grown any, you know."

Olivia chokes down another laugh. "Ah. So that's the reason for the fascination."

Zahn's tail puffs out! "Why, you, I, grrr!" he growls. "Fine, make your own staff!" he says and throws up his hands.

"My brothers are always measuring their tails," Amelia says, tapping her nose. "To see who's got the biggest, you know. Very competitive about things like that."

"Perhapth you could come and look at them in perthon, after all the meth is cleaned up?" Igor asks the Kadie, while sloshing the bottle back and forth. "Much of a market for vintage vinegar?"

Silas taps the end of his nose thoughtfully. "Where'd y'come callin' from, stranger?" he asks, addressing the Skreek. "Forgive th' curiousity, I just ain't seen you 'round town, 'fore, but I ain't here all that often myself."

"Oh, I'm jutht Igor, Dr. Pike'th athithtant," Igor says, and then gestures northward. "From the old cathtle, what'th left of it anyway."

The reddish-brown squirrel grimaces a bit at this, his tail twitching. "Well, I dunno. I got a lot more grapes to press for this week's batch, and we have that order for the Chalks to fill." Aiken rubs his neck. "It might cost me too much to take a day off. Oh, you might try sellin' that stuff as paint thinner."

"Well, it'th kept for a hundred yearth already, it'll keep a while longer," Igor says, philosophically, and starts to pick at the seal on the bottle.

The otter takes his pipe from his mouth, and nudges his friend with the bowl end. "Aw, c'mon Aiken. Stretchin' yer legs'd do ya some good. I bet it wouldn't take so long, 'specially if I cut ya 'cross the swamp meself. Kio ever been up there?"

Aiken sits back in his stool, then looks over to Silas, then back to the Skreek with a sigh. "Well, I suppose I could spare a day, if Curiel says its alright. That is, if you'll let my associate here accompany me." He gestures to Silas with a grin.

"Oh, the mithtreth enjoyth company, tho the more the merrier," Igor says, peeling the last of the seal off and worrying at the cork.

"Alrighty then," Aiken says, "we'll take ya up on it. Just let us know when the place is cleared, and we'll head on over – you can find me at the Briar tree in the Silverfoot grove. Oh, you might wanna hold that away from ya when you open it… "

The Skreek pauses, then points the neck of the bottle away from himself and anyone else nearby before popping out the ancient cork. A very, very strong vinegary odor pours from the bottle. Strong enough to melt the earwax of anyone unfortunate enough to be close by, which everyone hastens to not be once the first hint of the smell hits them.

Olivia tries to soothe Zahn's ruffled feelings, but her huge grin detracts a little from her efforts. "No, don't leave! I'm sorry, Zahn! I just can't help teasing you back when you call me 'Olly.' And make fun of my color choices. That's all!"

"What're you so upset about, Zahn?" Amelia says. "Don't you measure… your… tail… " Her voice slows as the stench of vinegar begins to register on her.

Silas, with the deal settled, replaces his pipe. "Bet ol' Briar here'll pick some choice stuff outta yer collection, mister! snf Whoo! Think I rolled in somethin' smelled like that, once."

Zahn's tail remains puffed out. "No, I do not. I have more important things on my mind than useless foolishness like that," he retorts, sounding a bit more angry. He inhales sharply, then the stench hits him and he breaks out into a horrid coughing fit.

Igor holds onto the neck of the bottle with both hands, and seems to be having difficulty with it. "Thould it be thaking like thith?" he asks worriedly. The bottle does appear to be vibrating in the Skreek's grasp.

Aiken quickly pinches his nose shut as his face scrunches up in displeasure. "Uh, no disrespect or anythin', but do you think you could take that elsewhere? I don't want anyone thinkin' that's my brews, ya see… " The squirrel waves his hand about to fend off the stink. "Vibratin'? Can't say as I've seen any vibratin' spirits… " Nose still pinched shut, the squirrel peers forward.

Olivia, seeing the others reacting to something, sniffs the air, too – and immediately wishes that she hadn't "Ew! What in the world-?" She covers her nose.

"Free! Free at last!" wails a tiny voice from the bottle, which only Aiken is likely to make out clearly. The bottle stops shaking at that point, and even the stench begins to clear.

The swamp hunter's beady eyes widen perceptibly, whites showing around the edges. He flicks a glance at Aiken, but doesn't seem to need his assurance that wine, no matter how old, isn't supposed to do that. "What'n the Star's name… ?"

Aiken takes his paws from his nose, which now twitches wildly in curiosity. "Did you hear that? What th' heck's goin' on?" The Kadie peers at the bottle. "Is there somthin' in there?"

Holding up the suddenly half-empty bottle, Igor actually puts his nose to the open neck and takes a sniff. "Therry, I think," the Skreek reports. "Or thcotch, I've never been very clear on the dithtincthion." He offers the bottle back to Aiken.

"Hear what?" asks Silas, making an instinctive check on his person and around himself for poisonous creatures.

"Swampspittle, but that was a nasty smell," Amelia says, now that the stench has passed. "I'm surprised even your flowers didn't wilt under it, Liv."

Zahnrad pulls off his bandana and long black hair falls down over his face and eyes. He coughs a few more times into the bandana, then shoves his hair back and out of the way. "Lords, Aiken, did one of your bottles go bad?" he wheezes and calls out towards the wine merchant and waves the bandana.

Taking the bottle from Igor, Aiken peers inside the bottle opening as his mouth hangs open. "I might be losin' my gourd, but I heard a voice outta this dang thing!"

From the smell now emerging from the bottle, Aiken can immediately identify the remaining contents as a brandy, possibly even rare peach brandy.

Once the air clears, Olivia takes her hand from her nose. "Thank goodness that's gone! I know what you mean, Amelia – I guess it's in times like these when artificial flowers come in very handy! Anyway, I should go back to circulating the crowd, see if anyone else is interested in my pins! I'll get back to you about the cloth you need, okay, Zahn?"

"Seeya later then, Olivia," Amelia says cheerfully.

Zahn just waves a hand and says, "Drop the prices by the shop. If I'm not around, just leave it on my desk. Good luck with the flowers," he says.

"Maybe the thmell was bad enough to cauthe halluthinathons?" Igor suggests.

Staring down at the bottle in bewilderment, Aiken takes another sniff. "Well shave my tail… " he mutters under his breath, before tipping the bottle back to take a small sip.

Olivia waves back. "Right! Bye, Amelia! Stay out of trouble, Zahn!" Then the Skeek disappears into the throng.

Silas eagerly leans forward. "No! You serious, Briar?! Hah, I knew 'twere somethin' fishy 'bout that castle! Bet they had a bog fairy bottled up in there!" He wiggles his fingers at the two gentlemen seated near him, his voice lowering and quavering. "I ain't gone too close, but there's right mai-steerious stuff goes on 'round that heap 'o rocks, mark me."

"I'm going to get something to eat," Amelia says to Zahn. "I'll try and bring the wood to your workshop before dark, okay?"

Zahnrad looks over his bandana. Satisfied it's not too wet from coughing into, he goes about tying up his hair. He glares at Amelia briefly. He starts to say something, then stops. A sigh, and he says, "Fine. Whenever. If it's there tonight, I'll have it done by tomorrow morning. If you can't make it tonight, then it may not be done in time for going to the Castle. Just … so you know."

"No problem, thanks again for everything Zahny," Amelia says, giving Zahn a quick sisterly peck on the cheek before heading off into the crowd.

"Feeling any odd thymptomth?" Igor asks Aiken after he's taken a sip.

Tears welling up in his eyes from the stoutness, Aiken wipes off his muzzle. "Only if you count tastin' some a the best dang brandy I've ever had the pleasure a tastin'!" The squirrel stares at the bottle in complete confusion, slowly handing it back to the rat. "That's a peach blend brandy, aged to perfection… it makes no sense… "

"Which part?" Igor asks, carefully recorking the bottle. "The peacheth?"

Zahn rubs his cheek and just grumbles. He heads over towards the wine merchant. "Aiken, er, what was that?" he asks. "Oh, hello Silas, thought I smelled something fishy."

"I wish I knew, Zahn," Aiken rubs his chin in thought, tail twitching in concentration. "It smelled horrid, then it was fine, I ain't ever seen that before." He looks at the other three around him. "Did none a y'all hear that voice?"

"My earwax wath all runny at the time, I'm afraid," Igor admits. "Can I cook with thith brandy, or ith it for fanthy partieth?"

"Ain't me for once, Zahn!" replies the Akwavi, animatedly hopping off his stool and scanning the floor. He sniffs thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as they do when he's trying to find a trail. "Aiken says he heard somethin' when that bottle opened… somethin' stunk awful powerful and now it's gone… somethin' got loose, I reckon. Seen weirder in the swamps before, I'll tell ya."

"Been tasting your wares a bit much today, Aiken?" Zahn asks warily and flicks his tail. He then goes about trying to de-puff it. "I didn't hear anything over those two girls making fun of my trade."

Aiken watches Silas go into track mode with interest. "You can use it for either, actually. That's good stock, I'd shake the hand of the person what made it… " The Kadie rolls his eyes at the younger squirrel, "I ain't had a sip all day, kiddo. Never good to drink when you're tryin' to sell." He turns back to Silas. "What you on the trail of, Catfish? Ain't no fish around here… "

Zahn, satisfied with his de-puffed tail, holds out his hand to Igor. "Mind if I take a whiff?" he asks.

There's not a trace of the mystery stench now, even to the otter's sensitive nose.

Igor pops the cork again, and offers it to Zahn. "Here you go, young marthter."

Zahn takes the bottle and sniffs quickly over the opening. His eyes water, then he starts coughing again. "Angels, that smells like something I'd use to strip grease off gearing. Potent," he says as he collects himself. He offers the bottle back to Igor, while wiping his eyes with his free hand.

Silas is silent for a few moments, his brow scrunched up, but eventually he slowly straightens, a paw lifting up to scratch the back of his head. "Ain't sure… nothin' to go by," the otter grunts, disappointed. "If somethin' came outta that there bottle, it's long gone now." He eyes the Skreek sidelong. "If it ain't something I can track, it's prob'ly more a job for Morgan."

"Perhapth thtrong thpiritth can give rithe to the other thort?" Igor suggests, after taking back the bottle and sealing it again.

Aiken sticks a finger in an ear as if to clean it out. "Maybe it was just my imagination." The Kadie shakes his head to clear it, then chuckles. "Well, I ain't ever hear a that happenin' before. But that's good stuff there, nonetheless."

"Dr. Pike will be pleathed to know there is thome value in the newly dithcovered thellar then," Igor chortles, and stashes the bottle back under his cloak.

A prickly feeling hits Silas then, starting at his tail and rising quickly up his back! It stops at his head though, where Kiona latches onto his ears and says, "Unca Sy! Unca Sy! Bring me a present?"

Zahn considers something. "Say, Igor … what is Dr. Pike a doctor of? And … does she have a decent library? Is she willing to loan books? I'm looking for books on birds and airships," he says.

"Bookth," Igor says, sighing. "The plathe ith louthy with bookth! The doctor leaveth them all over the plathe… oh, what ith thee doctor of, you athk?" The Skreek pauses, and seems to mull the question over for a bit. "Doctorology, I reckon. Thee theems interethted in everything."

Curiel appears directly, carrying a sack of assorted roasted nuts and a fresh apple for Aiken. "Oh, hello Silas! Where've you been, hmm?"

Snapping out of his ponderance, Aiken laughs at the sight on his daughter on Silas' head. "There ya are, Kio! Careful, Silas might just keep ya as a hat!"

Zahn hmms and nods. "Well, I'm working on several revolutionary designs in air ships. I'd love to look over any current designs and theory to double-check my own," he says. "One day, my name will be famous and known all over the world! I won't have to stay in this town, stuck working on keeping the dam operating properly."

"Well, I think the doctor hath thome thort of report about a flying mathine that cauthed a thtir up on Rephidim," Igor says. "Thee was very exthited about it."

"Guh!" yells Silas, and it takes some amount of discipline to keep from leaping straight up. His surprise turns to laughter as he realizes what's ambushed him, and he holds his sleek head still for Kiona to keep her hold on. "My word, but you gave me a start, Kio! Ain't never seen such great stalkin' skills in all my years as an Oggton," he exclaims, and he reaches into the tangle of nets covering his upper body. "Well, let's see here… a reward fer the li'l tracker… here we go, cleaned this off for ya just yesterday." He comes up with a greenish lump of vegetable matter. "How 'bout some swamp poppers? I picked out some extra noisy ones fer ya!" He doesn't pause in speaking when he spies Curiel, but he gives her a warm grin hello.

Silas shakes some of the leafy bits off the water-weed, revealing clusters of shiny bladders on the stems.

"Really? I, ah. She won't mind me asking her questions will she?" Zahn asks Igor. "I wodn't want to disturb her." His tail flicks and he casts a glance to the strange otter and his newfound 'hat'. "Kiona, be careful! You might fall," he says quickly.

Taking the apple from his wife, Aiken takes a huge bite. "Don't worry Zahn, she's fine." The Kadie gives an apple filled grin. "Why, just the other day Curiel had to get her off a the ceilin'. Li'l fireball was all over the place."

The little girl grabs the green lump enthusiastically, and squeezes a bladder until it makes a loud, embarrassing 'BRAAAAAP!' sound that sends her into a spate of giggles.

"Oh, the mithtreth liketh it when people athk her quethtionth," Igor says. "Thee thayth I'm a terrible converthationalitht though."

Zahn grins sheepishly. "I can talk peoples ears off when I get going. I'm usually told to shut up," he admits.

"You need to come in out of the swamp more often, Silas," Curiel chides the Akwavi. "It's not like we worry to death about you when you vanish like that, but we do miss you."

"That'th normal for Kadieth though, ithn't it?" Igor asks Zahn.

"Eh, some of us anyway," Zahn comments and shrugs. "Well, I think I should leave you folks to your own devices. I've got work to do, anyway." He shakes his head and mumbles something about storm preparation.

"Yeah, Catfish," Aiken says, taking another bite of his apple. "You oughta come up to the tree some time this week, I'll let ya sample the new chestnut rum."

"Perhapth we could trade then?" Igor asks, turning back towards Aiken. "Thome of our old thpiritth for your new oneth?" He also bows politely to Curiel, who smiles back cautiously.

"I look forward to theeing you and your friendth the morning after tomorrow then, young marthter Zahnrad," Igor says to Zahn. "I will prepare a thuitable breakfatht."

Silas laughs hoarsely right along with the little Kadie girl, then falls to simply grinning at both Zahn and Aiken. "Li'l monster's got a grip like ironwood." He tilts his head and lays a paw on his chest, looking appropriately chagrinned for Curiel. "Aww, you were always too sweet to stray leathernoses like me. I'll drop in with a load of water chestnuts for you, Oggton's Honor. A nip of Aiken's brew's always worth comin' to town for anyway." He winks.

"Just … nothing too weird, please," Zahnrad replies distractedly. He digs in a side pocket and pulls out a notepad and starts scribbling down something. He wanders off into the crowds, narrowly dodging children and their parents as they mill about.

Curiel hmmphs, and says, "What, you don't find my warm presence and scintillating personality and beauty enough of an excuse then?"

Silas's paws fly up. "Oh sure, sure Curi! I just can't tell you apart from Aiken's rum, is all… you're both warm, sweet, an' intoxicatin'!"

Turning to the Skreek, Aiken rubs his chin thoughtfully, wrapping his bushy tail around his ankles. "That might be arrangable. No doubt an ol' castle like that has some interestin' brews. Sure, why not? Does the doctor prefer any particular types of spirits? Oh, where are my manners. Igor – it was Igor, right? – this is my wife Curiel. Mister Igor here has invited me to th' big ol' castle to take a look at their wine cellars."

A dark form slinks up next to Zahnrad. It's Emmett Oggton, who gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder and says, "Hey there Zany, heard you've been giving backrubs to Bruiser Blacktail and still have all your teeth! Way to go! I guess those flying contraptions just aren't giving you enough danger in your life, eh?"

"Ma'am," Igor says, bowing again to Curiel. "Well, mithtreth Pike enjoyth everything, I think, but pleathe, nothing too thtrong. Thee can't handle her drink well, I'm afraid."

Zahnrad snaps his notepad shut and tucks his rough coal pencil between two clean pages. He looks oddly at Emmett and says, "What are you talking about? I haven't been giving Amelia any such thing." His brow is furrowed.

Smiling, Curiel nods in acceptance of the compliment. "That's better, Silas. Kiona, please stop popping those things now, alright?"

BRAAAAP! "Okay Momma," Kiona says, and stuffs the rest of the bulbs into her cheeks before scampering down Silas' arm and jumping onto her mother's shoulder.

"I hear ya, I hear ya friend," Emmett nods, then winks and taps the side of his muzzle. "You were just… holdin' hands right?"

"Alrighty then, I'll bring her a zinfandel assortment. Good tastin' and not too strong." Pulling out the binder from under the countertop, Aiken makes a note, then replaces the book to its holder. "Why, hello there, Emmett! Figured you'd be off chasin' those Chalk twins about now." The Kadie grins, slicing off a bit of the apple and handing it to Kiona.

Zahn realizes what Emmett must be referring to. "Look, I was just helping remove her corset. I wasn't giving her a backrub," he says quickly, then puts his hand over his eyes at realization how that must've sounded. "I barely know her. And I haven't been holding her hand. She just yanked me out of the Tavern, is all."

Caught in the eye of an official grown up (even though Aiken is only a year or two older), Emmett straightens up, but almost chokes when Zahn mentions the corset. "G'day Mister Briar, Cousin Silas, Mrs. Briar. You're all looking fine today! And Clover and Parsley are off running the kissing booth right now."

Silas reaches over to ruffle Kiona's ears. "You be good fer your momma, an' I'll bring ya somethin' back from the expedition wrecks 'round the Stone Barrow." He gathers up his harpoon and hat, leaning on the former and tipping the latter to his Oggton cousin. "Hey there, Emmett! Tsch, aint'cha got nothin' better to do than give poor ol' Zany here the business? Whatcha been up to?"

Zahnrad rubs over his eyes. "Great, I bet mother is going to stop by my cabin tonight and ask me what's this about Amelia," he mutters and shakes his head. "It'll probably be weeks before I can kill off these rumors."

"Kissin' booth, you say?" Aiken grins sidelong at Curiel. "Hmm, might have to check that out with them two at the helm. What ya say, Silas? Up for any carrot scented kisses?"

"I've just got off manning the booth meself, Cousin!" Emmett says. "Nearly ran out of coins before someone told me the gels is supposed to pay me for the kisses," he adds with a wink.

The swamp hunter returns Aiken's grin, stroking his whiskers thoughtfully. "Oh, I daresay the poor gals'd be earnin' their shekels and then some tryin' to fight through this face-forest of mine. Hmm, hmm, hmm! Well, the Festival is only once a fiver… "

"The muckty-mucks are saying it'll be every year now," Emmett says, throwing his thumb towards the Inn. "Some deal with the Frog King. Gallee says it'll bring in tourist money."

Zahnrad leans over and whispers to Emmett, "Hey, please don't go starting any rumors about myself and Amelia? She's just an acquaintance, after all," he says… He leans back and hmms, "Say, was there another Eeee in town today? Didn't he help beat up the Frog King?"

Aiken plucks a nut from his wife's grocery bag, and tosses it to Zahnrad. "Cheer up Zahn, there are worse things than havin' people think you have a girlfriend." The Kadie playfully winks, then turns back to Emmett, ears perking up. "Tourists, you say? How do they plan on gettin' em?"

Silas's normally cheerful face falls into a deep frown, and he folds his arms over his chest, his harpoon tucked into the crook of one elbow. "Every year? More tourists? I have to fish enough townies an' their junk outta my swamp already. Pff. Richebeaus never did set right with me."

"Oh yar," Emmett says to Zahn. "Big evil-looking fella. The pig even tried to take a bite outta him. He and his friends is staying with His Nibs up in the Inn. Girl is kinda cute though, having them big feathery wings but not all skinny like an Eeee, if you know what I mean," the otter says, winking and nudging the Kadie with his elbow.

Zahn just looks at Aiken. "It's not … it's just … argh. I'm sleeping in the shop tonight. I don't feel like defusing the excitement my family will be in if they hear some rumor," he says and just shakes his head. Slowly, he looks over at Emmett and just rolls his eyes. "Hm. I think I'll go look for him. I'd like to get some wing measurements. The shaping may also be a clue as to how to maintain flight. At the inn, you said? Right, I think I'll head over there, then."

"I might have to make it a point to get to know these fellahs." Aiken finishes off his apple, and tosses the core aside. "Did they say where they're from originally? Rephidim maybe?"

"Sylvania," Emmett tells Aiken. "Come up through the old swamp road from the south. Dunno about the wolf though. Could be a Titanian, you know?"

"More candy!" Kiona chitters, happy enough at the prospect of more festivals, even if she doesn't know what a year is yet.

"As for getting folks here, Erik keeps talking 'bout paving the west road and stuff," Emmett reports to Aiken. "Went on the other night about how the wines from hereabouts used to be famous."

Aiken scratches his head. "Never seen a Titanian before, though I got a few figurines of em… " Hearing the comment about the wines, the squirrel puffs out his chest, raising his tail high in pride. "Why, they're still famous! Least, they should be!" The Kadie chuckles. "I know they're famous with the ol' swampdog here." Aiken nudges his old pal.

Emmett shakes his head, and pats Zahn on the back before he goes. "Just remember Zany, there's more to life than just wings," he says, then whispers to the Kadie, "Like, there's thighs and tails and other good bits too."

"Not if you want to get out of this town," Zahn mutters under his breath and heads off. He winds his way through the crowds and into the inn.

Silas's frown deepens, and the otter tugs his straw hat off so he can put a paw to his head. "Now why's he gotta go pavin' us now? That Erik! Build this and drain that." He looks slightly mollified by Aiken's words, nodding grudgingly. "Though… I guess it'd be good for business. Still, y'don't gotta tamper with th' natural order a things."

"Poor guy," Emmett says to Silas. "Glad I'm an Oggton! The world is my mollusk, and so on!"

Aiken's smile fades as he watches the younger Kadie walk off. "Naw, he just wants to see what's out there, s'all." The squirrel falls silent for a bit, then brightens as he snatches Kiona from Curiel's shoulder, and plops her in his lap. "Just like Kiona will some day! Wontcha, kiddo?"

"Mollusk!" echoes Kiona, having emptied the swamp poppers out of her cheeks.

Curiel musses up the top of Aiken's head, and says, "I'll man the booth now. You boys go have some fun, okay?"

"Hey yeah, gotta obey the missus and all!" Emmett says, eagerly. "You can buy me a drink and I'll tell you 'bout how I swam as far east as Splotch Town the other day, and not a one of the rocks they threw hit me!"

Silas' expression lifts some, and he smiles at Kiona, then nods at Emmett, grinning a bit more widely. "You be nice to Zahnrad now, Emmett… rile up that Blacktail girl, you're liable to get a black eye."

Aiken smiles up at his wife, then gets up from the stool, carrying Kiona in his arms. "If you insist, Hon." Patting Silas on the shoulder, the squirrel moves from behind the booth. "Now Emmett, I've told you before! Your ol' man'd have my tail if he caught you drinkin' again! Don't you remember what happened last time?" The Kadie chuckles in spite of himself.

"Of course I don't remember!" Emmett says, grinning from ear to ear. "The drink was just that good! And I reckon a black eye might be a small price to pay, especially if it's from a popped button. I know there ain't nothing twixt Bruiser and Zany anyway, but it's so hard to get that guy to laugh!"

Aiken laughs, placing Kiona on his shoulders. "Well, I can't argue with that! C'mon you two, let's go to the pub for a bit. I can get Fireball here some apple juice."

"Hi Ho Daddy, away!" Kiona cries, and points off in some random direction. "Juice juice JUICE!"

The hunter rubs his paws together, then rests his harpoon on his shoulder. "No worries, Aiken. I'll drink for Emmett!"