Stonebarrow Village
Nestled between the mangroves of the swamp on the south and the thickening forests and hills to the north, this small out-of-the-way and rather peculiar hamlet exists. The town is primarily composed of small shops and cottages that squat around the bubbling fountain of the town square. There is a certain fairy-tale atmosphere to the community, given that none of its denizens appear to stand taller than five feet: Stonebarrow is populated almost entirely by Skeeks and Kadies, with a small smattering of Lapis.

It's errand day for Miranda Chalk. One of the younger does has been left in charge of the bunny ranch while she's been sent to procure some aging vegetables from the produce market for their food. And once that's done, she's supposed to visit the wine shop and get a couple of bottles of apple wine to take back to the warren to store for special occasions. So, here she is in the middle of town. It's a bit before lunch and the town is bustling with activity.

The gray Lapi hums a cheerful tune to herself as she goes about the days errands, immediately heading in the direction of the market in search of some vegetables for the bunnies back at the ranch.

The market is certainly easy to find. It's where most of the bickering occurs as people constantly argue over price and quality. And today is no different, various Skeeks, Lapis, and Kadies are all trying to talk over each other as they vie for the best produce left. The older, more wilted produce is, thankfully, not being fought over. Though … it seems that at least one other person seems to have interest it; a Kadie. It's one Miranda has seen before, but doesn't know all that well. Dieter Wingnut; well known for being extremely odd, even for a Wingnut. He actually looks like he's about to buy the entire lot…

Miranda's ears skew back slightly at the sight. It certainly was strange that the Kadie would be interested in such, and it wouldn't be good for her if he actually intended to purchase all of the… less desirable produce. The gray Lapi immediately scrambles over, politely piping up, "Excuse me, but your not going to buy all those vegetables are you? It's only I'm on an errand and I need to bring some back to the warrens for the Sylvanian bunnies."

"Mmm?" mutters Dieter as he arches his eyebrow at the Lapi. He folds his arms over his chest, then says, "As a matter of fact, I was intending to buy it all. Properly squeezed, most vegetables can be used to produce oils. We are in dire need of oil … well, at least I am in dire need of oil. My prized sprockets are starting to show signs of wear and that simply won't do. Granted oil made from vegetables tends to make the gearing smell funny and if it gets hot it tends to smell a bit like fried food… "

"Do you usually use… err… vegetable oils for things like that?" Miranda asks in surprised tone. "And umm, is there anything I could trade you for some of those vegetables possibly?"

"I use whatever oils strike my fancy at the time. Today it is vegetable oil," Dieter explains if that makes it perfectly normal. "Last week I used fish oil. I do not like the smell of fish oil," he adds after a bit of thought and a scratch on his chin. He then peers at Miranda closely, then hmms. "Do you have any alternate lubrication suggestions? I do not think I can squeeze bunnies to lubricate the gearing… "

"Umm… you could try rendered grease?" Miranda tentatively suggests, and then immediately apologizes, "I'm sorry if that's not a working option, I don't really know much about the upkeep of machines. Or how about nut oils instead?"

"Hmmmmm," Dieter mutters and rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Do you know a supplier of nut oil… ?"

"I don't know if anyone supplies nut oil specifically, but you could certainly talk to the Rootrunners about nuts. It seems like it would probably be easier to get oil from nuts than from vegetables anyways." Miranda slowly replies.

"I suppose," Dieter agrees, "Plus it is more satisfying to hammer nuts than to hammer carrots and potatoes." He deftly spins around on his feet and announces, loudly, "I have changed my mind! Do not send these to the Wingnut territory. Thank you." And without so much as a goodbye … he marches off.

The gray Lapi watches Dieter march off with a slightly confused, and at the same time rather relieved look on her face. Miranda immediately picks up where the Kadie had left off, turning back to the stall and procuring a quantity of the produce left behind.

"Oh, hi, Miranda," the elderly Kadie, Boris, that runs the vegetable stall says to her. She's known him for years and has always obtained produce from him for a good price. "Good thing he changed his mind, he was about to buy the entire lot. I was arguing with him that he should leave some for others to purchase for their livestock … but he was insistent that he had to have it all. Something about the symmetry of filled barrels. Anyway, usual amount for you today, yes? How are the little critters doing these days?"

"Yes, the usual amount please Boris! And honestly I was getting a bit worried myself when it looked like he was going to try to purchase it all." Miranda says with a nod. "The bunnies are all doing very well! Though Cid isn't as active as usual… but he's getting old." The Lapi says quietly, 'Cid' being her own pet bunny still kept at the Ranch. "Oh! And I got my tooth fixed too!"

Boris' head tilts and he leans closer. "Ah, why so you did! Getting a bit on in years and my eyes aren't what they used to be, I hadn't noticed," he says. The Kadie then goes about selecting the better of the fairly wilted produce and putting them in a burlap bag. He starts to close the bag … but stops midway. He reaches down and grabs an extra handful of the carrots and tosses them in too. Cinching it shut, he offers it to Miranda, he says, "Those are for ol' Cid. Give him a scratch for me, eh?"

"Thank you very much! I'm sure they'll help perk Cid up a bit!" Miranda says with a grateful smile, accepting the now vegetable-filled sac and handing off what her Aunt had given her to pay for the produce. "I'll see you again soon then Boris!" the Lapi notes before heading in the direction of her next errand destination; the wine shop.

"Tell your aunt not to be such a stranger. I get enough strange people at my stall," Boris' quips as Miranda heads off towards the wine shop. It's on the other end of town and nestled beneath the shady branches of the nearby trees. Wine needs to remain cool and dark, after all. The shop itself is run by the Silverfoot clan and is usually tended by Curiel, the wife of Aiken. Today is no different as Miranda finds out when she enters. Curiel is behind the desk and chatting away with a customer. Another Wingnut of all things; it's rare to see more than one in a day. Anyway, at least this Wingnut isn't moderately disturbed. It's Elsa Kettenrad Wingnut, a Kadie in her early forties now and starting to gray. Her greatest claim to fame (or infamy, depending on your point of view), is that she's the mother of the well known Zahnrad and Gunther "Terror of the Mint Dam" Kettenrad Wingnut.

Not one to interrupt a conversation, Miranda gives Curiel a small wave to announce her presence, and also gives a small, friendly wave to Elsa as well.

"Just remember, you have to make them think if was their idea, dear," Elsa explains to Curiel, "Otherwise it upsets them. Just comment how pretty flowers are, or how nice they smell. They'll then try and surprise you with them later and sweep you off your feet. Remember, males are simple creatures and need to be managed and directed, just like anything else… "

Miranda can't help but stifle a chuckle at what she hears of the conversation going on between the two Kadie… It does sound very much like what some of her cousins are fond of saying.

"Oh! You have a customer," Elsa nearly chirps when her ears catch the stifled laugh. She slips to the side and smiles to Miranda. "Don't mind us. I already made my purchase. We've just been talking about how Curiel can encourage Aiken to do more romantic things. Since he's going on his big adventure soon … well, I'm sure it's the perfect time to nudge him to be more attentive."

"Oh! I'm just here to pick up some apple wine for the warren," Miranda relays to Curiel, before looking between her and Elsa, asking curiously, "Aiken is going on an adventure?"

"What vintage?" Curiel asks with her usual cheerful smile. "And yes, Aiken's off on some grand and foolish adventure with a crazy otter who calls himself Sylvania Jack."

"Vintage? Um, I'm not sure… Auntie said it was supposed to be for special occasions, so a slightly older vintage I suppose?" Miranda replies before tilting her head in confusion. "Sylvania Jack? Why would Aiken want to go on an adventure with a crazy otter? Especially one that isn't even from the town?"

"Because he's got adventure on that fool brain of his. Has ever since I've known him. Then that Jack just shows up and fills his head with all these wild tails of exploration and adventure. I swear, he walked right into that trap, he did," Curiel quips as she kneels down to pick a few bottles from the lower rack.

"Men are single-minded things, dearie," Elsa notes to Miranda, "Once they get an idea, they never quite let go of it; not even years later."

Miranda blinks and shifts her ears towards Elsa. "Really? Well, best to let Aiken get it out of his system then, I suppose?" the Lapi comments before she seems to think of something, continuing, "Oh! Do you have some free time Elsa? I don't want to get in the way of any errands or anything you might be doing, but I was wondering if I could talk to you a bit… about Gunther?"

"That's what I'm hoping this trip will do," Curiel says with a smile and wraps the wine up carefully in crushed paper and slips them into a bag. "Do you want me to send the bill to the warren?"

Elsa looks at Miranda for a bit, then rubs her head as if she's got a headache forming. "Yes, I have some time," she says, "I hope whatever he's damaged isn't too expensive… "

"Yes please Curiel. I'll be sure to let my Aunt know! And I hope everything works out. Aiken always did seem to have a good head on his shoulders so I'm sure it will turn out fine," Miranda says with a smile to the Kadie woman before turning to Elsa with a small squeak of embarrassment. "Oh! Nono! He didn't damage anything! It's just, he helped me get my tooth fixed, and I really appreciate it, so I was hoping to do something nice for him. Like a surprise present. But, I really have no idea what he likes beyond machines… and that's something I really don't have any skills with," the Lapi rambles, looking worried that she might have upset Elsa.

Elsa shakes her head as if she didn't hear that quite right. "You're not the first person lately to mention he's been … helpful," she admits, but then smiles. "Though if you asked him, he would never admit it. He likes being known as the Terror of the Mint Dam."

"Men," Curiel chirps as if that explains everything. She offers the bag to Miranda.

"Really? He's certainly very … protective, I think, of the town," the gray Lapi starts to say while accepting the bag of wine bottles from Curiel, then giggles at the suggestion that Gunther likes being the 'terror' of mint dam. "Well, the title certainly fits him at times. But do you have any ideas of what I could do for him as a gift? I thought of baking him something at first, but that really seemed too… generic I guess."

"Well, it depends on what you're good at," Elsa answers a bit vaguely. Her head tilts and she looks at Miranda a bit sidelong, then asks, "Aren't you the Lapi who's friends with that gypsy girl? Well, one thing you should not offer is what Lapi are really good at… " She then smiles, adding, "But if you're asking, then that must not have even been considered! So … hm."

The insides of Miranda's ears turn bright pink at the mention of what 'Lapi's are good at' "Err… no, I hadn't considered that. I hear he's interested in Nene and Bebe anyways," she says with a wry smile.

"Yes. So I've heard. Well, one thing you could do for him, then, is try and convince them to spend more time with him," Elsa offers with a smile. "Or just show interest in his work; he likes to show his stuff off. Most Wingnuts do when they get it done."

"Hmm… I should talk to Nene and Bebe then. And, well, I do find machines interesting. Like Zahn's inventions… But they tend to make me rather nervous, and talk about how parts and gears and stuff work tends to go over my head," Miranda replies with an embarrassed frown.

"All right. Just don't tell him you talked to them. Remember what we were saying about males? They want to be the heroes and the ones who win and all that. Helping them hurts their egos. So … you'll need to be subtle about it," Elsa reminds the Lapi and smiles again. "Is there anything else?"

"Err… subtle… Well, I'm sure I can figure something out… subtle… Um, no, that was about it. Thanks for your help Elsa, I think I'll be able to come up with something now," the Lapi replies with a grateful smile before heading for the exit of the wine-shop.

Elsa waves to Miranda and turns back to Curiel. "Now, on the day he leaves, you need to … " the Lapi can hear her starts to say as she slips back out into the town.

Miranda walks through the town, lost in though, and as she heads back to the warren she can be heard muttering "Subtle… subtle… now how do you handle subtle with otters?"