Post by Sky Blue on Jan 31, 2012 10:17:12 GMT -5
/\/\/\/\/\/\---PONYVILLE MARKET---/\/\/\/\/\/\
This is the business center of Ponyville! Seldom quiet but usually peaceful, this minor mercantile hub combines aspects of the bustling and the bucolic. A multitude of colors and patterns make it visually busy. Carts brimming with baskets, charming stands and ornate tents with pennants are used to sell wares here. The most common products on sale are vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, and even pineapples. Sweet treats like tarts and cupcakes can also be found, as can non-edible items like books or cookware.
The marketplace is more than just a place of business, however. It's a common area for the community! Anypony who wanders through Ponyville is likely to pass through here, which makes it a good place to look for friends new and old. It's not unheard of to see painters at work or sportsponies at play here, as the market is a great place for communal activity. Even gentle animals like rabbits and ducks are known to find its lively atmosphere welcoming. Don't you?
With an overcast day out, it's not really the optimal time one would want to go shopping. A smart pony would stay home and relax. Patch is probably not the smartest of ponies. He's out in the market, rounding up a few goods for the farm. He came with his brother, but he's run off somewhere, so Patch shops alone currently. He seems to be about halfway done with whatever he's doing, as the saddlebags he's wearing - emblazoned with the symbol of the Pumpkins Farm - is about half full.
Pumpkin Patch
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pumpkin Patch is probably pretty close to your typical earth pony. He's all strong and strapping, body colored for the most part with an odd brown color that's just about orange. The only exception seems to be a patch of white in no particular shape (Unless 'blob' is a shape) upon his right flank. His mane and tail are black, dark and somewhat unkempt and a little long as well. He's a stout little workpony though, powerful body and legs mixed with (If you ask him) ruggedly handsome looks. His eyes are colored jade green, and are bright and lively. Lastly to note, his mark, upon his flank is a grouping of three, small pumpkins, tied together with a vine.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And, predictably, Sky Blue is doing the exact opposite of what she's supposed to be doing, and that it hobbling about Ponyville, without any form of protection from the cold, aside from the cast on her right hindleg. "Ah still reckon ah'm fine t'do some ploughin'," she comments to Pumpkin Patch as she hobbles past, eying up a nearby selection of farming implements.
Sky Blue
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Just half a head taller than most fillies her age, Sky Blue is otherwise quite unremarkable for an Earth Pony, being of a fairly standard build and possessing a brilliant sky blue coat, no doubt the source of her name. Her mane, a mostly tied-back affair that doesn't so much resemble a proper ponytail as an incredibly poor attempt at one, consists of sunset gold hair, the same colour as her eyes, tied back in a few places with cheap yarn. Her tail, the same colour as her mane, is pretty much just left to hang as it is, without any sort of attempt to neaten it up. Positioned upon her flank is a simplistic Cutie Mark representing the Sun, without any further embellishments.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For Salsa Verde, saucemaker extraordinaire, rain is a wonderful time to set up under the trellis of her shop to do some street vending. She has laid out a wonderful array of sauces, ketchups, mustards, mayyonnaise, two canisters of liquid nitrogen, and she appears to be preparing a big bowl of her legendary Guacomole. There is a sign next to her store in barely legible writing: "Do the askings about the samplings that must be freed from the costness." It took her several attempts to make that sign.
Salsa Verde
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
With an overcast day out, it's the optimal day for a lovely stroll! The winter bare tree branches, the icy winds off the hills, the scuttling tick of desiccated leaves jumping through the streets in gritty swirls. How could anypony not want to be out in it? Nettleglum is like any other filly, and can't stay indoors when the weather is right, and she supposed it was just the day to see if the market had any luck finding her some Drakestongue from distant parts. So, with a skeletal tatter of an umbrella fluttering at her shoulder like a scrap of bat-wing, she strolls amiably into the market, fog swirling in her wake.
Nettleglum
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nettleglum is about a head taller than the average filly, lean and somewhat grave, with a carriage of innocent foreboding. Her hide is a shade of purple so dark that light itself cannot escape the surface, except when it feels like it, with a long and lank mane of the same mixed shades of sable, ebon, and jet that make for cheerful decor, tightly pulled back and parted down the center of her forehead, a rope-like braid dangling on either side just behind her rather pointed ears. Her tail shows much the same sense of style, though the braid is thicker and longer, lacking only the hangmare's noose on the end to complete the image. Add a doleful and straight-faced expression sure to liven any occasion, and violet eyes, slightly pointed up at the corners, and a cutie mark on her flank showing a tangled knot of sharp-thorned brambles in dark greens and blues. She's wearing a stiffly starched white Victorian collar above a silvery vest the color of a thunderstorm.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Uh huh," comments Patch, giving Sky a sidelong glance. "And wh'cha t'ink would happen first time yer out an' about? Get caught up in th' mud. I dunno if I wanna be out there pullin' yeh free." His tail swishes a few time and he hmms, pausing at the salsa place, reading the sign, "Ah, wha'cha figger this is all 'bout?" he wonders.
After giving Pumpkin Patch a disapproving frown, Sky Blue stares up at the sign for a few moments, squints her eye and tilts her head to one side, then looks down at Salsa Verde's display. "Howdy!" she greets the toxic green filly with, a bright smile plastered over her face. "What're ya'll sellin'? Sauces? Ah don't think ah've come across this place before."
Blue Feather has been ignoring the doctors orders for far longer than Sky has, having made the long trip from Sweet Apple Acres all on her lonesome, her only bit of clothing, aside from bandages and the cast on her foreleg, a lone bandanna, that's almost as dirty as she is, and of unknown providence. Perhaps in an earlier life, that bandanna had been a cloth for whipping down dirty tables or something. She takes advantage of the fog that seems to be following Nettleglum, and slips into town as quietly as a three legged filly can, angling to slip behind one of the unoccupied carts.
Blue Feather
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A pegasus, furred and feathered in a soft sky blue. There really is not a much that could be considered as remarkable about her looks, rather she is but shades of blue. Her mane and tail are a deeper darker blue, with a few thin streaks of almost white, and a few thin streaks of almost black. It might also be noticed that she is rather young to be out and about on her own, wings not quite grown enough to allow her to really fly. Currently, she is well wrapped in bandages, covering many scrapes and cuts over most of her body. Her wings are firmly wrapped and bound down to her flanks to hopefully prevent her from injuring her wings again. Her right foreleg is in a large heavy looking cast. Her chest is well wrapped with tight bandages as well, perhaps to help with a cracked rib or something.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Despite the possibly inclement weather, Solar Solstice is up and about Ponyville today, the young stallion trotting through town basically on a mission to relax from a day's hard work at his father's workshop. A pair of saddlebags hang on either side of his body, laden with tools and other belongings that he hasn't bothered to remove before heading out for one reason or another. He spots Salsa's stand and canters over there, intrigued.
Solar Solstice
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Solar is a young Earth Pony of very light gray with a brown mane and bright, hazel eyes that seem distant, even expectant. As is common for his race he is well-built and strong, suited to heavy work, but the bag of delicate tools that hangs by his flanks and the goggles lying around his neck seem to suggest that he has far more esoteric interests than field work. One hint of his odd talents is his cutie mark, a swirl of white that ascends to a half-sun, presumably at the zenith of its precession. Whatever the case may be, Solar seems to be a pony with big dreams, bigger than what his everyday world can likely contain.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The beady eyed seller of sauces looks at the comers to her shop, and looks overjoyed. She doesn't get why the rain hasn't been pulling in more shoppers. Clearly, the rain is the perfect time to walk around the market to buy food, have a picnic, maybe even have an impromptu street parade and musical number! When she is asked about what she sells, she gushes forth, "Yes! There is much in the ways of saucesness! The mayonnaise, and some ketchups. Mustards, spreadings, ohmai!" She nudges the sign, as if hinting. She is proud of her condiments. She spends so much time making them. Soon she sets the guacamole bowl alongside the bottles. A few of the empty condiment bottles for sale are encrusted with semi-precious gems, too! Well... and a few just have rocks embedded in them.
Nettleglum recognizes - or has been lead to believe she does - Salsa as an old school-mate (assuming a finishing asylum and sausage factory counts as a school), and seems interested in seeing what the filly has done since graduation/escape/catapult-flinging-over-a-moat. Nettie trots a little closer to the display and peers more closely at the greenish substance. It's slimy! It's a hideous color! Nettleglum loves it instantly and wonders if it tastes as good as it looks. "Wait - can that be? Did you really worm Sister Penitent's recipe for slimewort souffle from her?" Worm is probably the operative word, too. It was quite the little ecosystem in a meal, that dish.
Pumpkin Patch blinks a few times, looking over the sauces and, quite honestly, trying to ignore that disapproving frown. He knows what's best after all. "Well," he says, "Whot's all this 'bout costlessness then?" he wonders, then blinks lightly, noticing a crowd gathering. Perhaps free samples -is- the way to draw in customers. He busily ponders doing such things for the farm a few moments, before blinking out of the thoughts.
Solar Solstice peers at the green stuff and, seeing the others having doubts, takes a sample and licks it a few times for taste. "Hey... this stuff tastes pretty good!" he declares. "Some of the best guacamole I've ever had." He grins enthusiastically at Salsa, though its partly to be polite and encouraging. He's had some salsa before, in the past, but not for a long time.
"Can ah try a bit of that green stuff?" Sky Blue asks curiously, poking a hoof at what is either discoloured ketchup or something from the bottom of a pond. She glances about at the newly arriving ponies, then gives Nettleglum a friendly bump on the flank when she recognizes the other filly... until she mentions slimewort souffle. "Say what now?" she asks the strange pony in a fairly blank voice.
Blue Feather slips out from behind the empty stall, and behind the second one, moving towards the group, slowly and carefully, and with what she thinks is stealth. Course, it's kinda hard to be stealthy if you think they can't see you when you can't see them. She does manage to pick up some produce that ended up left behind, which she stashes in the bandages over her wings.
Salsa seems at first a bit astonished when the colt samples directly from her guacomole. But forgives it instantly when he praises her delicious sauce! As Sky asks to sample one of her varieties of ketchup, unfortunately one of her spiciest selections, she seems overjoyed and soon ducks under her kiosk table for several moments and comes back up with a saltine cracker and hands it to the filly. "That is the green hot hotness of ketchupingnesses! Yes. Yes. It is capable of many things, including making your beloveds love you more. Also good for the keeping of bees."
Nettleglum does hope it's from the bottom of a pond. If she can get that here in the market, it would save her ever so much time. She flatly greets Sky Blue back - it's not coldness so much as her natural lack of visible emotion. "Oh, yes, do give it a try - it's ever so tasty on stale slices of bread. They used to slide it through the slot in our doors once a month..." Ahh the... good... old days? "Do you remember that, Miss Verde? It does take me back so." Nettie's anxious for a taste of what she's mistaken for something even more intimidating than guacamole. "May I?"
Solar Solstice doesn't seem to mind Salsa's admittedly high-strung demeanour, shoveling several Equestrian bits out of his saddlebag with his tail and depositing them on Salsa's counter, enough for a few jars. "I haven't had any of this stuff for a while, not since we moved into town anyway, so I'm really glad to have a taste of this again, miss..." He peers at Salsa's cutie mark, trying to guess her name, though he has a few guesses what that might be.
"What's this then? Ketchup's spicy?" He makes a light snort sound, "Ah bet it ain't all that spicy. Go 'head Sky, take a lil' nip," Patch says with a big grin.
"Here goes nothin'!" Sky Blue cheerfully declares as she receives the green-spread cracker, then tosses the whole thing into her mouth and starts chewing it thoroughly, her eyes going skywards for a few moments, before she swallows it with a content sigh. Then her eyelid twitches. Then again. "AAAAAAAAGGH~" is promptly screamed at the top of the cyan filly's voice, before she wheels around and canters off behind a building at a surprising pace for a crippled pony, followed by mixed sounds of retching, small gouts of flame, and more screaming.
Blue Feather really can't help but giggle at Sky, though she does nothing to help the filly. She slips around behind another stall, a bit closer to the group, close enough that she can actually hear whats being said finally. She sits in the mud and cocks her head, trying to figure out what's going on.
Salsa seems satisfied that she has made this sale, and she takes the money and the bowl and goes into her shop for a few minutes. Soon she comes out with three freshly-sealed jars of guacomole for Solar Solstice and presents him with his new purchase. Each jar proudly emblazoned with certificates of authenticity. Can't go having copycats trying to be like Salsa, can we? And she completes his sentence in the end. "My namings would be of the Salsa Verdeness. Yes. That is... that is the naming that was given to me." She is also sure that Sky is a satisfied customer, having seen her rocket off after trying her ketchup. All of her products are of the highest quality and flavour.
Watching Sky Blue lurch off, trailing acrid smoke, Nettleglum can't help but be impressed. "Does that come in mesquite flavor as well?" She needs a gift to repay Rarity for her kind visit the other night, and she's sure that the white unicorn is a pony of exceptional taste, for whom an exotic condiment would be appreciated! Especially if it can double as a drain cleaner and rust remover!
Solar Solstice tilts his head curiously at Salsa Verde's manner of speaking. She was definitely a weird one. "I'll be sure to come back next time when we run out, Salsa, thanks!" He waves his hoof and trots off, only to spot Blue Feather hiding behind a nearby stall. "Hey there, filly, whatcha doin' there?"
"Well, Tarnation," Patch says. He, of course, looks more amused than anything else. "Mebbe it is warm. A lil' bit. Y'look good in Red," he tells Blue and gives his best winning grin. He looks over to the salespony, "Ah, ah'm Pumpkin Patch, from our Pumpkin Farm down outside-ah town. First stop fer all yer gourd needs!" He's been well trained. He gives his newest companion a glance, "Should we get a jug o' that green stuff?" he asks Blue. "Mebbe give it to Pumpkin Seed?"
"Ah think not," an exhausted-looking Sky Blue replies as she hobbles out from behind the house, looking considerably worse for wear as she rejoins Pumpkin Patch by Salsa's stand. "What do ya'll put in that stuff?" she asks the shopkeeper, poking a hoof at the fiery ketchup-like condiment. "Ah can't say ah like it much. Way too hot t'be able t'taste."
Blue Feather remains where she is, close enough to listen in, but, she thinks out of sight, her tail gives a little flick, sending a little mud arcing through the air, not seeming to care in the lest that it's raining
Soon the crazy maker of sauces disappears once more into her shop. Clearly she has customers of good taste. And comes out with another green bottle of ketchup clutched in her teeth. Mesquite, very spicy, and like all her sauces, very delicious. She sets the bottle on the table and says, "That will be of the three-" And then the off-hand comment about not liking the ketchup falls on her ears. And her smile drops, her eyes get even beadier and fix right onto Sky. Nothing is said. Nothing.
Nettie drops a few curious bits onto the counter - they're good, genuine royal mint, only they're of a pattern and cut that hasn't been seen outside of a museum for about three hundred years. Frankly, they're probably worth more than face value just as collector's items. She doesn't seem to be aware, or if she is, worried, and looks blandly satisfied as she carefully tucks the bottle into her vest pocket.
Solar Solstice stares in shock and concern as Blue Feather reacts in what seems to be utter fright. "Um... miss? Are you all right? Is it..." He backs away slowly. "Sorry if I... well, if you think it's... um..." Really, he's not sure how to respond to this. No one's ever been afraid of him before! He wonders, with some worry, if there's something very wrong happening.
Pumpkin Patch gives Sky a little nudge in the side and whispers, probably loud enough to be heard, "Ah think she's mad y'don't like 'er stuff." He gives a few light nods, mane dipping over his eye a moment before he puffs a breath and blows it out of his face. He then starts to look around a few moments, noticing the others and perks, trying to get a good gauge of what everyone's doing. "Popular place," he tells Sky.
"Oh..." Sky Blue comments softly to Pumpkin Patch, before smiling with a mixture of nervousness and apology... ness. "Ah'm sorry, ah just meant that that sauce ain't the right sort of sauce fer me," she corrects herself with, stepping back over to the counter. "Ah tend t'prefer milder and sweeter stuff. Ah've got one of those sensitive tongues, y'know?"
The stare goes on for another several minutes after the explanation. But soon she recovers and her pupils dilate once more and her smile returns. If Sky hadn't apologized who knows what the crazy pony would be doing. And she looks around a moment, then disappears into the shop, then comes out with a bottle... of green barbecue sauce. Ah ha! Something sweet!
With her surprise gift for Miss Rarity safely tucked away, the dark purple pony gives her 'schoolmate' a polite nod and retreats to the marketplace to finish the rest of her shopping. And then, it's such a lovely gloomy day she may just trudge down to the swamp and see what's bubbled to the surface!
Pumpkin Patch gets distracted, watching the other pair. His head cants and he puffs up some, figuring things seem to be going well and he keeps his big ol' nose out of the business. He looks over as the storekeeper returns with a new bottle. "Ah, ah'm thinkin' she's not gonna want another taste..." he says, looking from Sky to the kooky shopkeeper.
"... this one ain't got any of that freaky spice in it, like that other one ah tried?" Sky Blue asks in the most guarded possible tone, whilst cautiously surveying the jar of green sauce, then gives Pumpkin Patch a sidelong glance, before returning her gaze to the condiment. "Ah don't want t'loose my sense of taste fer the next week 'cause of any bad sauces."
Bad sauces. Bad sauces? Once more the pupils constrict, the smile falls away, and it is now joined by a severe eye twitch. For several minutes she stares... then suddenly her mouth opens wide as an enraged scream emits, loud and long into the rain, and soon, then the crazypony dashes into her shop. Some rummaging later, the crazed unicorn runs out with one of her much larger, scarier looking whisks - used for making mayonnaise - and comes charging after Sky in a furious, insane rage.
"Ah still think we should get a jug o'the other stuff fer Pumpkin Seed," Patch says with another devilish grin. He opens his mouth to say something to Sky, before the scream starts. His eyes widen a moment. "Whoa, ah think it's time t'book it!" he tells Sky. Despite his teasing he does plant his big self between Sky and the pony wielding the Battle Whisk.
Heading his way into the square from the market, Pumpkin Seed, the older, more handsome brother, is carrying a pair of saddle bags over his back filled with groceries and other nick-nack's that he picked up before returning to the trip home. He is lightly humming in his throat as he walks with a bit of a saunter to his step. His dark bangs are bouncing in front of his lush green eyes, and his cowboy hat is ticked to one side.
Pumpkin Seed
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pumpkin Seed is a strong, strapping pony with a burnt colored pelt that wraps about his body. The mane that sprawls along mid back and neck is a dark, rustic brown with a hint of red woven throughout. Broad chested and strong legged, this stallion appears to be built for hard work. Over his backside is a cutie mark of a laughing Jack-o'-lantern with yellow eyes. His tail matches his mane, brown and usually whipping about his hindquarters with each trot. The eyes of the male is a dark forest green that borders on intense and mischievous.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"OHMAHGOSHPUMPKINSEEDCRAZYFILLYWHISKRUN!" is shouted out at the older, more handsome of the Pumpkin brothers by Sky Blue, who promptly hobbles off as she fast as she can back through the market, casting fearful glances over her shoulder towards the whisk-wielding maniac.
First and only rule when communicating with Salsa: Never, ever say anything negative about her sauces. They are never bad. They are never too much. They are never, ever disgusting. As soon as she sees the filly trying to get away as fast as possible, the crazy mare bellows out a war cry and tries to run past Sky's protector! The whisk will make her see the light! The Whisk Speaks Only Truth! The Word is the Whisk!
Pumpkin Patch blinks as the raging pony tries to slip past. "Whoa there, filly" says Patch, the way more awesome, and totally better looking brother. He nabs the shopkeeper's tail with his mouth to try and stop her murderous rampage! The pony is brave in the face of Whisk-Wielding Warriors.
Eyes widening as Salsa starts to chase after Sky with a murderous look in her eyes, Pumpkin Seed blinks a few times. As Patch goes to snag her from behind, he steps forward with his large bulk, looking to stick a shoulder right into her with a deep rumble in his throat. "Woah Nelly! Yah' bettah simmah down ma'am!" he calls out.
The next time Sky Blue glances over her shoulder, she spots that the fairly equally handsome Pumpkin brothers are dealing with the murderous Salsa Verde, then opens her mouth to call out something, shortly before tripping over her own cast and falling straight into a stall consisting predominantly in china and pottery. A considerable amount of crashing, smashing, and wailing from the poor shopkeeper ensues.
The crazy pony is successfully held back. Best keep clear of the whisk though. Otherwise she may begin selling a new kind of mayo. It is her mayonnaise whisk! One can hear a loud 'whiff!' 'whiff!' 'whiff!' as the unicorn saucier attempts to get at the young pony. Snarling and all.
Pumpkin Patch tries to say something, though keeping his grip on the tail "Juff boof ih!" he tells Sky, unsure how long he can hold the crazy back, even with the help of his brother. Besides, there's no telling where that Whisk has been. It's probably best he doesn't ask. Definitely better.
Cutting Salsa off, Pumpkin Seed stares hard into the filly's eyes and says in a deep, rumbling voice. "Calm down right now!" he says with a narrow of his eyes. "Go back to your stall before someone gets hurt." His tail gives a bit of a snap behind him, lifting his chin up a tad higher to tower his gaze over her.
"My pots! My vases! My plates!" "Oh, mah head..." "WHAT ABOUT MY POTTERY?!" From the sounds of it, Sky Blue is making firm friends with the rapidly-balding store owner of the stall she just demolished, a fragment of a large pot serving as a 'hat'.
A few more whiffs of the whisk and she finally gives up and grabs her whisk. But that is when their eyes meet. Well, her pupils re-dilated, so she isn't homicidal anymore. And the crazy pony has her eyes on Pumpkin seed and oh dear. Her smile slowly returns. Oh my! Seems the crazy pony is crazy in another direction. Best just ignore this. It'll pass.
Pumpkin Patch blinks again as th tail slacks and sanity returns. He looks around, realizes how silly he looks and lets it go. "Yeh, oooookay, c'mon Sky, let's skedaddle fer a bit, still got shoppin' to do, yupyup." He takes a step, then another step and then gets up to Sky and nudges her backside, pushing hard to urge her out in a 'gogogo' sort of manner. He really doesn't want to set off the nutty pony once again.
"Ah'm comin', ah'm comin'," Sky Blue replies in a dazed manner as she staggers up to all three legs and cast, totters about a bit, then wobbles off towards Pumpkin Seed, while the rather irate-looking owner canters off towards the two younger ponies and exclaims, "Hey! You've got to pay for that!" before throwing a dramatic hoof behind him at the demolished stall, just as a wooden beam from the roof of it drops down to the ground.
Once Salsa calms down, Pumpkin Seed gives her another look, then turns his body and starts lumbering off after Sky Blue and Pumpkin Patch, tail snapping about his haunches. With a deep breath as Sky Blue once again causes mayhem, he points with his hoof. "Help clean that up," he says to her. "And apologize. Didn't you learn anything from the Princess?" he asks with a grumble in his voice.
But the mare doesn't head back to her shop. Well, her whisk does after a well-applied telekinesis places it back there. But she seems to be... hopping, rather merrily, right behind Pumpkin Seed. She doesn't say anything or make any sounds except for maybe a quiet, delighted, and quite demented giggle. Oh dear.
Well, ok, things seem more normal now. Honestly, that fact, seeing the previously murderous shopkeeper hobbling along behind his brother, Patch just cocks his head lightly. He's not sure what to make of this. "Ah... bro, it really wannit her fault," he notes. "Well, not really."
"That still isn't gonna make amends for the damages!" the shopkeeper announces as a dejected Sky Blue hobbles back over towards the remains of the stall, then starts clumsily trying to sweep it up with her forehooves. "That's over 300 bits of pottery that friend of yours just smashed!" the angry male pensioner announces, glaring at Pumpkin Seed.
Continuing to trot after them, Pumpkin Seed stops near the shop keep, then looks at all the damage. With a loud sigh, he opens up his coin bag and roots through it some. With a squint of his eyes, he unhooks it from his shoulder strap and hands it over to him. "Here you go, sir. That should cover it." 300 Bits is a lot of money to lose, and his ears slant back some, but he feels incredibly guilty and he knows Sky can't pay for it. He starts to help clean up as well, cutting a look back towards the stalking Salsa.
Salsa doesn't seem to care about the destruction of the ceramics nearby. Chaos is a part of her life, after all. But now she is working on getting the stallion's attention. Seems someone has a crush. But she doesn't really know the best way to handle it. So fawning around behind Pumpkin Seed follows. Well, that and trying to walk around and get in front of him and smiling sweetly. Hi!
Pumpkin Patch gives a bit of an angry glare to Salsa. He lets out a deep breath and trots over to help clean up as well. Still he notices Salsa following around his brother and gives the other stallion a light nudge, "Uh, I think you made a new friend, bro." He leans in and stagewhispers, "A crazy, crazy friend."
"Ah'm so sorry, Pumpkin Seed..." Sky Blue mumbles sadly to the aforementioned pony as he helps her clear up the destruction she caused, her eyes focusing on her work, ears splayed fully back. "Ah'll work fer free, once mah cast is off, until those 300 bits are paid back."
Plucking up a broom and starting to sweep up, Pumpkin Seed lets out a slight grunt towards Sky Blue. "Yeah, yeah, you're always sorry," he mutters to himself, then blinks as Salsa steps in front of him with that big smile of hers. He rears his head back some, ears lifting some curiously, before he gives her a smile back, then goes back to sweeping.
Salsa is trying of course to keep his attention on her. He seems to be doing an effective job of not letting her bother him. So she gets closer to that he can just see her. Her smile, ever present unless someone says something bad about her work. She giggles again, a little more presumptuously and NO less insanely.
His heeds gone unheeded, Patch merely sighs and shrugs. He resumes working, though as he passes Sky, he nudges her lightly, "I know it weren't yer fault," he tells her with a nod. "Ah think Pumpkin Seed's just a little... well, yeh know." He flashes a grin before making himself useful for the next several moments, cleaning up the shattered mess with the rest of them.
"Ah dunno... ah did just do 300 bits' worth of damage..." Sky Blue replies to Pumpkin Patch in a dubious voice, looking ashamed, stealing a glance at Pumpkin Seed and Salsa Verde, then leans towards Patch and adds, "And ah sure don't like how that crazy lady with the nasty sauces is hangin' 'round Pumpkin."
"So... Patch... uh... ah' think it's 'bout time we' head back home," Pumpkin Seed says as he continues to give quick, uncomfortable smiles to the creep filly that is looming over him and getting into his line of sight. He clears his throat and then flicks his tail about his haunches some, pushing some debris to the side before saying, "Gotta get these supplies back ta' pa."
Salsa doesn't seem to hear the third disparagement of her sauces. If she had it may end up resulting in her going back into a rage and going after Sky again. As it happens she is trying to woo Pumpkin Seed by giggling crazily and staying in his sight. She finally speaks again for the first time since making her transactions earlier. "You are of the returning to m shoppings, yes? Yes. I will be of the sures to have bestest sauceness for the one who is of the youness, baby." Wow, how could anyone resist such feminine wiles?
Pumpkin Patch's ears wiggle as he's whispered to and he clears his throat, "Yeh but yeh were runnin' for yer life." He clops his hooves on the ground a time or two and looks to his brother, "Yyyyeahhh, let's get on back home b'fore pa has a hissy fit." Hearing the shopkeeper's statement, he looks to Sky, then his brother again, "Geeeeeze," he says then rubs a hoof over his mane. Maybe it's too long. Or not long enough? The fillies in this town are quite obviously bad at picking their boys as he is obviously the bestest of the brothers. Still, he says nothing, just turns a bit, "Ready when y'are."
"... Uh, yeah, when ah' need sauce, ah'll be back by yah' shop miss Salsa Verde, ah' promise," Pumpkin Seed says with another grin as he starts to inch over towards his brother, giving him a butt to the shoulder with his muzzle. Go on, go, go, go. As he trots off, he lets out a soft hum in his throat, tugging his cowboy hat a bit lower over his eyes.
The beady eyes shopkeeper soon goes back to man her post selling sauces and condiments of high quality for a reasonable price. She is smitten with Pumpkin Seed. And she knows she hasn't seen the last of him.