Martens in the Market

Liam hires his first employee, fellow marten Bajardo (played by Ragg). Will bajardo prove to be an asset or a hindrance? We think the answer is pretty obvious.

Another day dawns on Ferrevale. The chilled weather has lessened up over the past few days, allowing in some warmth as the sun shines down on the village below, melting at least some of the snow that has fallen there. The market place is a mad house of beasts and activity. Shouts of vendors trying to sell merchandise fill the air. The smell of cooked food is over powering. Walking between the crowds a young brown furred pine marten is looking for supplies for the inn that was almost literally handed to him. Liam's eyes have dark bags around them, his fur is frazzled from stress, and his waist line has grown thicker from the influx of food he now gets for free at the tavern. The last however doesn't bother him so much.

Another pine martin is nearby, lounging beside one of the food vendors. Hes sitting with his back to the cart, a rather bored expression on his young face. His nose is pierced with a golden hoop and around his neck is simple leather cord, though it's doubtful that it attaches him to anything. His hat is tossed carelessly in his lap. The vendor of the cart gives him a rather annoyed glare, muttering loud enough for him to hear, "Get going, you lazy lump. This ain't no restin' spot" In reply, the martin merely grunts, waving a paw at the vendor.

Liam sighs as he walks through the market stalls, paws folded behind his back. The marten casts a disapproving glance on all that he sees. When the last Inn keeper met a grizzly fate on the road, her workers saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship, taking 'souvenirs' along with them, some of great value. There wasn't much left in the treasury either. The inn needs new decorations, cheap, but pretty. Not to mention rugs, bed sheets, pillows...Liam cringes as the list goes on an one. He never knew being the owner of a business was so...challenging.

The food vendor sends another glare at the rebellious youth, Bajardo, lounging on his cart and says a little louder, "I warn you, I'll get the guards if you dont scram!" Bajardo merely rolls his eyes and lets out a contented sigh. The vender snarls and grabs a loaf of bread from his cart. He roars at the hapless martin, "I said LEAVE you disrespectful little!!...." He isn't really sure what to call the martin, but that doesn't stop him from bring the bread squarely down on the youths head. Bajardo was certainly not expecting this and he lets out a screech of surprise, quickly scrambling away from the cart on all fours and running straight into the legs of Laim.

The pudgy Liam is so engrossed in worry and stress that he doesn't even see the marten coming. He makes a screech of his own as he falls over onto his back. Supporting himself with one paw behind him, rubbing his head with his free paw, Liam hisses, "That was...unpleasent. Why don't you watch where you are going you oaf!"

Bajardo glares at the other martin, "Oi could say 'eh same fer yew! Is et a abbit of yours to step on beasts?" He glances quickly over his shoulder to see if the vendor was making chase, but was relived to find that he had made a clean get away. He smiles smugly to himself and settles himself into a sitting position, right in the middle of the street.

Liam glares a the young beast, hissing through his teeth, "Only when they prove annoying." Liam moves his paw from his head to his eyes. Barely a week in and the job is already starting to get to him. "Sorry...it's been a long day, all the competent staff at the inn left, everyone else I had to personally fire." The fat marten pulls himself up, sitting cross legged in the street as beasts walk by them, "Why were you running like that in the first place kid?"

Bajardo curls his lip, grumbling, "It takes an annoyin' beast to foind an a annoyin' beast." The apology seems to fly right past him and he shrugs as Liam mentions his staff, " 'hats not moi problem. An if et was oi wouldn't be tellin yew." He says this all rather matter-o-factly, seeming oblivious to his own cheekiness. He shrugs at the question, saying in an almost hurt voice, "Some crazy vender startid' hitting me with some bread."

The inn keeper tilts his head forward, raising an eyebrow. He begins to chuckle, which soon turns into full on laughter. Shaking his head the marten picks himself up, "Right...I don't have time for this." Liam stretches to his full hieght, poping his back as he does, "Lissin kid. I need an excuse to take a break from work. You want to grab some food at the tavern?" The marten makes no motion of helping Bajardo to his feet.

Bajardo raises his own eyebrow at the laughter, a look of indignant bewilderment crossing his face, "Whut? Oi could 'ave gotten hurt!" Considering the weapon of choice was bread, it's debatable how catastrophic the wound would have been. He scrambles to his feet, considering the invitation, "As long as you're the one buyin', oi fink it moit be 'ather tasty." He searches the ground for a moment before locating his hat, which he grabs and plops on his head. He grins cheekily at Liam, "Lead da way!"

The other marten laughs again, "Oh...that shouldn't be a problem. One of the perks as inn keeper is I eat for free at the tavern...more or less." Liam chuckles taking a step in the direction of the tavern to the north. "If the stress doesn't kill you the diet will!"

With the noon sun yet to grace the sky the tavern turns out to be empty with the exception of a few beasts, a couple fox's at the bar, a traveling rat in the far corner, and the weasel bar keep. Liam strolls in through the doors as if he owns the place, and smiles cheerfully at the weasel behind the bar, who rolls his eyes at the sight. "Oh blast...YOU again. What will it be today? Leme guess? Pancakes?" The weasel retorts, paws on his hips. Liam chuckles, "You make them so well, why would I order anything else? Also, what ever the marten behind me can stomach of what you pass for food please." Liam declares on his way over to a corner table.

Bajardo saunters up to the bar and addresses the weasel with a rather superior note to his voice, "Oi fink oi'll 'av sum...." He pauses a moment, before saying promptly, "Poi. Oi want every flaver a poi that yew got. An don't gimme just a sloice, oi want 'he /whole/ poi." He nods once, satisfied with his order, and turns to go and join Liam at the table.

The weasel's jaw drops..."You...but..." He shakes his head angerily. "Blast it, now there are TWO of them." The weasel mutters something about poisoning the food as he walks into the kitchen. The orders should not take too long to make up. Liam tilts his head to the side and laughs, "Carefull there friend, You eat like that and you will end up looking like me in no time!" The marten leans back in his chair, crossing his legs and arms, "I'm Liam Grey by the way. Sorry for the late introduction."

Bajardo pauses before sitting down, giving a snort of laughter, "Oi fink it would take more en' a few pois to look loik yew." He settles himself down in a chair and props his feet up on the table, "And oi'm Bajardo, son of sum mysterious origins."

Liam clutches at his plump stomach, "I suppose you got me there mate..." The marten then raises an eyebrow to the 'son of mysterious origins' part. As he replies. The weasel returns from the back room, carrying three pies on each arm. Large thick pies of every shape and color and flavor. He sets them down in front of Bajardo. "I'll be back with the rest...and your waffles..." Liam laughs, "I forgot to mention...they have a lot of pies here..." Leaning back in his chair the marten asks again, "Nice to meet you Bajardo. I don't think I've seen you before, you new in town?"

Bajardo rubs his paws gleefully together as the pies come and he quickly removes his feet from the table. He looks hungrily at the pies, but restrains himself long enough to line them up. Where to start! He grins at Liam, "Good! Oi loik pois. In every flava, shape or soize." He has shunned eating utensils and so uses his paws, dipping into each pie, one at a time. He looks over at Liam. A messy, yet happy smile plasters his face as he says to the other martin, "Oi dunno, new enough oi s'pose. Whut aboit yew?"

Liam gives the marten a pleasant but also horrified smile. Please tell Liam he doesn't look like that when HE gluttonizes. "I...I am fairly new myself. Been here for a couple of months. Now I am the inn keeper." The weasel returns again with a large stack of pancakes, and three more pies for the gluttonous marten. Unlike Bajardo Liam uses a knife and fork after smothering the pancakes in syrup. "I see you are a beast who likes to be...er...well fed. Tell me, how you like to eat like this, everyday." Of course signifigantly less in each meal but he doesn't have to tell Bajardo that. Blazes, Liam is getting desperate for employees, stooping to this level.

Bajardo grins as the new pies arrive, looking not unlike a cat about to pounce on some hopeless baby bird. He dips his paws into the new pies, stuffing the food into his mouth with both of his 'eating utensils'. Two of the pies have already been absorbed. He nods seriously at Liam, stopping to chew for a moment and speaking at the same time, "Any beast would be silly not to enjoy fooid en this amount!" He narrows his eyes skeptically at the other martin as he shoves more pie into his mouth, "Oi fink tha' would be might' noice. Whut did yew have in moind?"

The other marten begins on his own food. Slower for some reason this time that Liam does not quite understand. "I could use some more employees at the Inn. Desk clerks, house keeping, a beast to keep up repairs..." he looks at the marten with a raised eye brow. "Bell hopes to carry the luggage. It pays a few ferrin per work day, but you get two free meals at the tavern each day. All you can...eat." Liam wonders how long that deal will last with the marten stuffing himself until he explodes at every meal. "Sound interesting?"

Bajardo literally stops chewing. He starts to chuckle, which slowly grows into full fledges laughter. Pie bits spew out of his mouth. After a few moments he regains his composer and calms his guffaws, nodding slowly, "So whut your sayin' is yew want me ta come and /work/. Loik, actually work." He sits there for a moment, chewing slowly. The humor in the proposition seems to have left him and he actually seems to be contemplating the idea, "And Oi could get daily meals? No matter whut?"

The inn keeper smiles, "Kid, by this time next month you would have so many free meals you would have grown too large to fit through the front door." Liam's grin becomes wider, "Provided you can work. If you laze about...well...the inn does need some new rugs." The marten takes a bite of his waffles after delivering the poorly veiled threat. "How are the pies?"

Bajardo smiles blissfully at the thought. Free food! He'd never have a night of hunger. He gives Liam a calculating look before saying slowly, "Oi fink you've got yourself a deal. And Oi seen some beautiful rugs in the market, if tha's whut youre intrested in." Another nice thing about a job is, there's plenty of opportunities to help yourself to beasts personal positions. He nods decisively before take another two handfuls of pie. One paw holds cherry and the other raspberry. An interesting combination to be sure, "Well enough, Oi s'pose."

The inn keeper rubs the bridge of his snout. Bell hop. Most certainly a bell hop. The sad part...the really sad part, is this beast reminds Liam of himself when he was younger. Back before his days as a slave beat it out of him. "Glad to have you aboard. You start tomorrow. Be there in the morning at day light." The marten tosses his fellow gluttonous scoundrel a paw full of Ferrin, "You're job tonight is to pick up some decent clothes. Doesn't have to be fancy, just something that doesn't scare away customers."

The frowns creases the youths forehead, "Day break? Isn't tha jus' a little early? Oi dunno how manageable tha' is." He grabs the ferrins up greedily, getting them all messy with pie. He is in the middle of looking them over, when the other martins words hit him, " 'Ey! Whut's wrong wit me clothes?! Oi fink they look rav'er noice!" He glances down at his tattered and very stained shirt, muttering, "Oi washed em just last week." He stuffs the coins into his pocket, seeming slightly resentful.

Liam isn't known for violence. He isn't known for hurting the feelings of others. At the moment though he narrows his eyes at the younger marten in a way that is completely contrary to his usual suave and joyful attitude. "Do you want to eat?" Liam steeples his paws and asks bluntly.

Bajardo bites his lip grimly when faced with the question, "Well, Oi s'pose so...." He hunches down in his chair and glares at one of the pies. He mutters darkly, "Black mail, is whut et is. Black mailing the young! Et's 'ardly fair!"

Liam grins like a mad Cheshire cat and chitters in laughter, "I don't remember life having to be fair as part of the contract." The marten finishes his pancakes and stands up. As he walks by the marten on the way to the exit, he stops to pat him on the shoulder and poke him in the side, "Don't worry Bajaro...if you want to keep your gut fed you will find a way to be there at day break...and in something presentable." Liam pauses to sniff the air. He sighs, "And clean." With that he pats the marten on the back one last time and heads to the exit, "Welcome by the way to the Inn! See you tomorrow!"

Bajardo curls his lip at the other, trying to hide the fact that the laughter and grinning rather unnerve him. He can't come up with any quick replies to the martin's words, but he does manage an indignant huff. He hunches down lower in his chair, and starts stuffing more pie into his mouth. Ah pie. The only thing that understands him.