Reginald sent the Crusaders off into the changing room to try on their new attire, then approached Applejack. "You mentioned they were not all your blood relatives. It must be difficult, watching three foals at once."
Applejack raised a brow. "Least ah can do, being the only responsible adult around."
Reginald nodded quickly, "Of course, but you aren't the only one... I could watch one of them for you, if you like. I'll even pay a fair price. Is the darling little earth-bound yours?"
Applejack flipped her ears back, "Ah don't like the direction this conversation's headed. How about ya give a fair price on the clothes ya rustled up and we leave before ah have hard feelings."
Reginald held up his paws, "No offense is intended! I am no brigand or scoundrel. If you don't wish to sell, then I won't be buying today. Thirty gold pieces will settle the balance."
Applejack snorted softly, "That before or after Sweetie's discount?"
Reginald clapped his paws together, "Ah, how forgetful of me, we'll make that twenty, and give Sweetie Belle a free outfit for that mesmerizing little voice she has. Are you certain you wouldn't part with that one? I'd give you the other two for free, and fifty gold on top of that, a fair price for a household servant."
Applejack's eyelids narrowed. "She ain't a servant, she's practically kin! She ain't for sale so stop askin'." She produced the coins angrily. "Here, now kindly be quiet. Yer really working mah nerves."
The three emerged from the back, gussied up as their chosen profession. Apple Bloom looked quite pleased with her plentiful leather hoops to hold her potions and vials, Sweetie Belle looked like a little performer, and Scootaloo was presentable in her explorer's attire. Apple Bloom rushed up to Applejack, practically bounding in place. "How do we look!?"
Reginald nodded at the three. "You look like three angels descended from the upper planes to grace my store."
Scootaloo looked baffled. "What's an angel?"
Applejack gently nudged them towards the door. "Ah'll explain later. Thanks kindly, mister. Bye." She couldn't be out of the store fast enough, and let out a breath once they were safely outside. "Y'all never going back in there ever again, ya hear?"
Scootaloo repeated her question. "What's an angel? And what's wrong?"
Applejack shook her head, "Ain't nothing ah wanna talk about. Y'all look good. Let's find a place ta rest, it's getting mighty hot out here."
Sweetie raised a hoof, "I know where to go!"
Applejack hiked a brow, "How?"
Sweetie tapped her ears with a hoof, "I've been listening while we walk. People talk about things."
Apple Bloom held up a hoof, to be met by Sweetie, "Ah didn't know ya were so good at listening."
Scootaloo bobbed her head, paused, then peeked at Sweetie's flank for any changes. Nope... "Well lead the way, Sweetie!"
Sweetie did a slow turn in a circle. "I think we're... That way." she pointed. "That should lead to the main street. There's a nice, but not too expensive, inn ponies were talking about not far up on the left side called the shiny something or other."
Applejack nodded, "Alright, let's get moving." They set off together down the road, emerging onto the main thoroughfare as Sweetie had predicted. There were more purrsians about, but Applejack's eyes fell on a pegasus perched on a crate. She pushed towards the winged stallion, "Hey, mister."
The pegasus looked Applejack and her wards over quickly. "What kin I help you with?" He wore loose and airy clothing that seemed to fit both his flying nature and keeping the heat off. Strapped at his belt was a small dagger, a compass, and a few other things in pouches.
Applejack smiled, "Don't mean to be a bother, but it's nice to see a fellow pony. Do ya know a good place to get a job or at least directions?"
The pegasus extended a wing before folding it down and across himself in a sort of bow. "I am Hot Zephyr, pleased to meet you. This is no city for ponykind, it's true. It depends what manner of work you seek. You look like an adventuring party?"
Scootaloo perked her ears up, looking over Hot. "What makes us look like that?"
Hot pointed at Applejack. "You have a warrior." Then Sweetie Belle, "A bard." Then Apple Bloom, "Clearly an alchemist." He paused on Scootaloo, looking uncertain.
Scootaloo puffed herself up. "I'm a warrior too!"
"Of course. If you are being adventurers, there is no lack of work to be found, pony, purrsian, or something else entirely." Hot leaned back on his perch. "I don't mean to be very rude, but it is custom in this city to trade favors with money. You understand?"
Applejack's happy expression fell to suspicion. She sighed out heavily. "How much are ya talkin'?"
Sweetie interjected, "What if we paid you after we got lots of treasure and stuff?"
Hot barked out a laugh, clopping his hooves on the box he was seated on. "Oh, what spirit in that one! I would feel bad sending her to her death, but you chose the life of adventuring, not me."
Applejack hesitated, stepping back. "Ah'm not trying ta get the girls mixed up in more danger."
Apple Bloom looked up at hot and rolled a hoof. "Is there another way to get money?"
"Quickly? As a pony? No." Hot crossed his arms. "I will trust you, because you may go far, or die. Either way costs me nothing. If you succeed, find me and return the goodness I show you now." He gave directions to a different inn several blocks away. "Look for a purrsian, male, green cloak, brown eyes, calico coat. Name's Louis Bristletail. He has all the jobs and will give you something to do for quick gold."
Applejack's head sunk a little. "Don't suppose ya could just point the way to Viljatown?"
Hot extended a wing, pointing in a direction. "Just go that way. You'll have to pass through dangerous desert, then across fields of hungry monsters, cross a river, and likely cut through a forest of wild fey creatures-- besides us, I am meaning. I'm sure you can manage it in about a month of hiking."
Applejack blanched at the idea. Apple Bloom nodded her head firmly. "Looks like we're going adventuring!" Her upraised hoof was met swiftly by the other two girls. All three looked to Applejack. She added her own hoof to the bump with a grumble.
Applejack nodded at Hot. "Appreciate the spot of kindness. This whole city seems plum out of its mind."
Hot saluted with a wing. "I know the feeling all too well. These cats have some kind of shared disease I am thinking. You watch out for yourselves, eh?" He spread his wings and took off, ascending into the sky with lazy circles before heading off into the city.
Their destination settled on, they started through the streets, passing by 'The Shining Goblet' that Sweetie Belle had mentioned and eventually arriving at the far less reputable looking 'Six Feet Brew'. The door was ajar, allowing them to see the dimly-lit interior. "This time y'all stay by me, no wandering, no touching, and definitely no meddling."
The three smiled with innocent expressions that did little to relieve the tension in Applejack. She nudged open the door and stepped in. A few purrsians loitered at the bar alongside a crystal pony. Scootaloo pointed to the right, where private booths were. A wealthy-looking purrsian with a ring on every furry finger was sipping from a goblet while reviewing papers. "I think that's the one!"
The barkeep, also a purrsian, bellowed out at the newcomers. "Hello! Welcome to Six Feet Brew! We have drinks so strong they'll put you that far down." He barked out a loud roaring laughter, while his clientele groaned softly at the repeated joke. "What can I get for you and your little friends? We have fresh-squeezed agave for the little ones."
Applejack shook her head, "Maybe in a moment, thanks kindly." She ushered the girls towards the back, her eyes taking in the pampered features of their contact. "Ah hear ya can get us a job?"
Louis leaned forward, "We don't get many ponykind in here looking for work. What are you good at?"
Apple Bloom piped up quickly before Applejack could get in a word. "We can do anything ya want! We're adventurers!"
Applejack shot an intense if brief glare at Apple Bloom before chuckling nervously, "Ah heh, foals, ya know? Whattaya got?"
Louis snorted softly, "I'm quite happy to report all my kittens are earning their own livings now." He fingered through the papers on his table a moment, eyes scanning them before he pulled out out and slid it towards Applejack. "We'll make this easy. Rich cat can't even hunt rats in her own basement. She's nice enough, if a little loopy. Be nice to her, don't damage her property, kill the rats, get paid. Can't get easier than that."
Sweetie made a face, sticking out her tongue in disgust. "Yuck, rats?"
Applejack accepted the letter, "We'll take it. Do ya know how much she's paying?"
Louis shook his head as he shrugged. "Afraid she never specifies, but she's always fair. I don't take bounties from someone twice if they aren't, and we've been doing business a long time." His eyes wandered over Applejack. "I'm going to be forward. I'm appreciating the half-naked warrior motif you have going there. Stetson and a saddle? Nice."
Applejack's ears sunk, "Uh, yeah, thanks partner. Do we come back here after we're done?"
Louis wobbled a furry paw. "If you want more work, or want some strong drink, yes. She should pay you herself, so don't leave without being paid. The rooms are clean and reasonable, if you don't already have a place. Avoid the food. I've seen better in trash cans."
Sweetie hopped up suddenly, landing lightly on the table before seating herself. "How do you get money out of this?"
Louis pointed at Sweetie. "Now you, you could go far. You wouldn't believe how many saps run through here and never ask that question. It's real simple, kid."
"I'm not a goat."
"Whatever." Louis waved dismissively. "The clients have to pay to post the bounty. She already paid me, and it's good until the job's done. It's my job to find people like you to make her happy. Everyone gets paid, everyone gets happy."
Applejack nodded as she glanced towards the bar and its selection of drinks. "Any rush on this, or would taking care of it first thing in the morning be alright?"
Louis lifted his shoulders. "It's waited this long, the morning should be fine. Just don't sit on it. I look bad when my agents get lazy."
A questing we will go .
it seams ever one wants Sweaty Bell, me well lets just say Scootaloo is my #1 best pony.
Harts Fire
I take it the performer's outfit leaves those exposed. In any case, hooray for bardic knowledge! It's amazing what you can learn just by keeping your ears open.
Ah, the rat hunt. A traditional first-level quest. I've been through it on both ends of the DM sheet. It should be interesting to see how the Crusaders manage it. And Louis has a pretty sweet gig, acting as a middle-purrsian.
And yeah, AJ did kind of forget to outfit herself with an outfit. Whoops.
5867038 I blame her charisma.
5867044 Would it be bad if I admitted that I am not entirely certain of the outfits of most of them. Eventually, my artist will provide the rest of the pictures and then I will know. I usually do not give my artist to specific of instructions, preferring to see how they see the scene and trusting in their ascetic sense. yes this was dictated into a phone so I apologize for any typos.
I'm imaging Applejack as the Amazonian (Amanezonian?) in the group now. There is very little you can do to change that mental classification. She would even qualify for the thunder thighs with all her Applebucking...
Local Purrsian society is certainly an interesting one. Like all profit, all the time. Murrage makes me miss Sasha, Sunflower and Willow Leaf.
5867560 I feel like I should know those names...
5867647 Don't worry, I too forget the names of my NPCs. Sasha: purrsian who gave Spike that... protection amulet, Sunflower and Willow Leaf; son and mom from the train crash.
5867657 Ah yes! I knew those names were familiar.
This new inn sounds like the kind of place where all the wrong sort of adventure can be found. In particular, you shouldn't drink anything that's been out of your sight.
a
creatures--besides us, I mean.
grumble
fresh-squeezed
I think you need a verb in there.
the
I was going to say something about Applejack not getting a outfit for herself, but as long as you meant to do that, I guess it's fine (after all, nudity is only a problem because you said it was).
Wonder when a certain duo are going to show up again...
5866086
With Scootaloo flapping happily into battle? At least we know where her skill points are going to go, or at least as many as she can spend.
And probably her feats.. Though a Magus with Flyby Attack would be a little alarming.
5868151 I actually meant with the detailed Apple Bloom.
5867823 Fixes applied, and fingers should have been fingered, which is a verb: touch or feel (something) with the fingers.
"the thin man fingered his mustache"
5868297
Very anime, very awesome. Appropriate for the Crusaders!
Yes! Rat quest!
... What happens if a pony catches Lycanthropy, actually? With AJ, theres sure to be at least one wererat.
5868317 Being fey type, ponies are immune to standard lycanthropy. This didn't stop me from making a special were-bat strain that just infected ponies designed by a demon lord for dark giggles during a game I was running.
5867046
Sweetie just always struck me as to much like her sister. a rich mussel in the air kind of pony.
but then I grew up like Scootaloo , having to do things for my self I have hade to work my hole life.
The interior is "dimly-lit."
The purrsian there is "wealthy-looking."
So Reginald turned out to be exactly as much of a creep as I was expecting. Interestingly, between this and the other purrsians we've met, I'm suddenly starting to understand exactly what kind of place Murrage is. That is, this is a city where questions of morality - be it moral or immoral - simply don't factor into the equation. Rather, this is a city where most of the population is amoral, concerned purely with satisfying their own needs and desires, and recognizing that everyone else is in it for exactly the same reasons.
That's a subtle change with major ramifications. If that's the case, then things that would be considered so heinous as to be criminal in other cities - such as slavery, prostitution, and narcotics-trafficking - will all be legal here. The only crimes will be those things that impact the populace's safety and ability to function (e.g. murder, kidnapping, arson, etc.). Of course, this is a general guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule - note the kindly purrsian female who helped Sweetie Belle out, or the masked slaver who bribed the guards to look the other way - but it's going to be the basic presumption for any resident, particularly purrsian ones, that they deal with.
...and holy crap, I just realized that there's an excellent chance that that same purrsian female that helped Sweetie Belle out was probably the masked slaver! Who else would have had such an excellent insight into four fresh new marks in the city? Wow that puts a dark spin on things.
As it stands, I'm a little surprised that Louis is the only one that's commented on the fact that Applejack is strutting her stuff all over town. True, they sort of just exited the inn, but still...she's in the human equivalent of nothing but a hat and backpack, trusting her hair to cover her goods. Presuming that the residents aren't xenophobic - and given their "if you can afford it, do it" attitude, I doubt that they are - then I'm willing to bet that there are a lot of males, and probably some females, walking pointedly behind Applejack, trying to cant their heads just right to look at what her tail is covering. Heck, for that matter I'd say it's only a matter of time before someone offers her a bag of gold for a half-hour's worth of "her time," so to speak.
In short, there's no presumption of reciprocal altruism in play here (it's notable that the closest thing to that they've had so far came from another pony), just a collection of individuals all intent on using each other for their own needs and gratification. I expect that's going to offend AJ's sensibilities quite thoroughly the more she experiences that (see Reginald wanting to buy Sweetie Belle as a "domestic servant"), and that the CMC will be truly horrified by that realization, if Applejack can't shield their innocence.
Ah well, what better way to distract themselves from what an awful place they're in than by killing giant rats? It's the sort of pay-your-dues scenario that every adventurer has to go through.
5868743 A dangerous place that is only more dangerous when you're both clueless and foreign. On the other paw, the visibly wealthy can usually enjoy quite a comfortable life there.
5868743
So you're saying the whole place is Neutral Evil?
Ah, the cellar full of rats. The traditional starter quest for a rookie party.
6148065 Nothing could go wrong!
Killing rats in the cooky old ladies basement... gaaaah rpg flashbacks.
6346682 Nothing ever goes wrong.
a
Ah'm
Surely.