1621 replies and 217 files omitted.
>>172524Looking carefully at the road in front of her, Posey can trace the tracks of her quarry:
Wider than the ruts left by carts and automobiles, Posey can see the ruts left behind by numerous larger, heavy equipment pulled by trucks or more likely ponies. These go forward and are accompanied by occasional stumps of cutdown trees close to the road, before it trails off to a fork on the left, running between a submerged section and dry ground.
>>172525"Off to a great start."
Posey follows the tracks.
>>172527Mason insists on Posey taking several tools with her, including a wrench.
Going left, Posey follows along an oddly slightly wider track. To the right is moss and leaf covered ground, but to her left is true swamp - a series of numerous cypress trees, some with leaves and some without, sticking out of the water. Exploded trees become more frequent, and Posey can guess that this isn't the work of simple lightning strikes. This continues for some hundreds of feet, until Posey comes across a break in the path and a break in the land to where there is a lake or river in between the break, with no cypresses growing in it. The distance isn't great, perhaps only something like 80 feet if that much, but there is a break in the path. Looking to the other side, either a wooden bridge has been blown out, or a dirt path, reinforced by wood, has been washed away. There is a wrecked wooden raft on the other side.
>>172528>wrenchI was just thinking about that myself, lol.
>there is a break in the pathOkay, so I already gave Posey a phobia of running water...
So, is there any place where she can cross that isn't a river? A bog is fine, just not a river.
>>172531>>172530I take it that doesn't pass.
Posey goes the long way around if she can. She walks along the bottom of the lake if she has to.
>>172521Wordlessly, Silver ceases kissing Jubilosa...only to resume, this time planting a kiss on her neck, then one just a bit further down, and on and on he goes down her slender body.
>>172521Kira follows close behind, slithering in and eagerly looking around at the place of business.
>>172535Neela enters in, and Kira follows behind. Kira sees several shelves with numerous wonderous items. A plethora of watches, both for the wrist and pocket watches. Brooches, necklaces, pendants, peytrals, and fancy shoes.
Inside, there are two ponies. A white mare with a blue mane, and a brown stallion with a light yellow mane. Both appear to be earth ponies, although it's hard to tell with the mare as she immediately says "Ahhh!" and dives beneath the counter. The brown stallion is clearly taken aback as well.
>>172537Kira's eyes lock onto the adorable ponies. She doesn't know entirely why the mare dived beneath the counter, she doesn't mean them any harm and even if she did, a counter probably wouldn't stop her. Thankfully for them, Kira is a friendly lamia, who smiles and waves at them.
"Hello! I heard you buy valuables?"
>>172538>That counter won't save you from being strangled and eaten/Pinned to the wall by arrowsKek
The brown stallion stays in place at the counter, his own eyes locked on Kira, and ears moved back. "What are you doing here?" He says quickly.
>>172539Kira continues to smile brightly, not put off by his so far negative reaction to her. She pulls out the sack full of treasures given to her by her mother.
"I have precious cultural artifacts and treasures to sell!"
>>172540He moves back slightly and takes a moment to reply, but then says
"We can't accept scavenged artifacts under the Antiquity Act..."
>>172541"Oh, these aren't scavenged, these were given to me by my mother to trade for local currency. There's nothing wrong about them, I promise!"
>>172542>>172543"We don't really allow exotic animals in here" He says
>>172543flicks tongue curiously>>172544She looks at the stallion with big pony...err, lamia eyes.
"Pleeeeease, mister?"
>>172545>>172546"You may scare other customers'
Neela moves in, and says
"Why don't you see what she has to sell?"
[1d20+5 = (15+5) = 20] >>172547>>172546>>172545He looks to Neela, then to Kira, and says
"Very well. What do you have?"
>>172547>>172548Kira smiles gratefully at Neela, before slithering deftly into the store, being careful not to knock anything over and to bring her whole tail inside the shop as she makes her way to the counter. There, she opens the sack, and shows the stallion all of the artisan-crafted jewelry (that hadn't been given as gifts to the ponies at Customs), foreign coins of copper, silver, and gold, and (small) gold bar(s).
"I bring tiddings from foreign lands in distant Zebrica!"
>>172549He looks down at it, clearly surprised.
"And you want to... sell these?"
>>172550Kira nods vigorously, smiling friendly al the while.
"Yes please."
>>172550"Notice the fine craftsnakeship in the jewelry, the details painstakingly working into the metal by the most skilled artisans and goldsmiths the Kuwinda Kwa Maua tribe has to offer!"
>>172551>>172552The mare pokes her head up, and looks at the small horde. The two ponies spend at least a couple minutes looking through it.
[1d20 = 18] >>172551>>172552>>172553The stallion turns and looks up towards Kira
"I think we could do... 2400 bits for the lot"
>>172553>>172554Kira looks towards Neela, to see her reaction if it's a good deal or not.
>>172555>>172556She whispers
"You could probably get a bit better than that, but they didn't lowball you either. It's not easy to sell."
>>172558Kira thinks for a moment with a "Hmmmmmm", before deciding that it's good enough, and looking back to the pair of ponies.
"Deal!"
>>172559Neela scrunches, but the stallion says
"Excellent, let me get cash." He starts to extend a hoof for a hoof shake, but them withdraws, and motions to the female to go to the backroom.
>>172560Let's roll Dexterity, to see if she can receive the hoofshake before he withdraws. Bonus points if she can manage it with the very end of her tail.
[1d20+3 = (19+3) = 22] >>172561Kira grabs ahold of his hoof. This frightens the stallion, who seems to think that she is trying to pull him over the counter
>>172562No pulling, just an exceedingly friendly hoof(possibly tail)shake from an overly eager lamia who enjoys physical contact with ponies.
"Thank you so much!"
>>172563"Ahh!" The stallion braces himself against the base of the counter... to find that it's just a hoof shake. He looks up at her with a wide, toothy smile, and then shakes her tail in response.
"Thank you"
The mare comes back with a rather large amount of paper money, ans starts counting it out.
>>172564Kira looks with awe at the little paper notes as they're counted out like it's the most amazing thing in the world.
"Ponies use paper for currency?"
>>172565"Yes... We used to use coins primarily, but with the fascist occupation, we've switched to paper."
>>172566"Oooooo, neat! And these are just as good for spending as the old coins are?"
>>172567He breathes out, looking more clearly scared than at any point before. It must be a delayed reaction
"More-more or less. It's required to be accepted. Tell you what. Do you want some coins? Or maybe an item? On us."
>>172568"Oh, well, if you have some, they might be useful to have too." She attempts another friendly smile and relaxes her posture, to try to calm the pony down. "It's okay, I'm perfectly friendly. I wouldn't ever dare think about harming you. Sorry if I seem overly eager or aggressively friendly, I just...it's my first time being here in Equestria and seeing ponies, and you're all just so, so...
cute! I love it and I'm having trouble keeping myself from giving you all just a big friendly hug."
>>172569He holds up a hoof
"That's okay, that's okay."
He looks around
"Uh, here's the bits." He hoofs them over
"And some coins as well." Moving them over one at a time with his hoof
"And, maybe if you want something small?"
He makes another wide, toothy smile with his ears down
>>172570Kira looks around, and picks up a pocket watch. She knows vaguely what it is, and what it's purpose is, but it's the first time seeing one this up close. She seems mesmerized by the ticking of the second hand.
"Does this really tell you the time of day? No need for a sundial or nothing else? How much for it?"
tick tick
It's a 12 hour clock, placing the time at near noon.
"Yes. Wind it periodically through the knob on the side. Consider it a gift for your sale."
>>172572She looks astonished at the stallion, before beaming a wide smile at him. Maybe the tales of friendship and harmony she heard about Equestria weren't all so wrong?
"Thank you! I'm going to recommend your store to everyone looking for nice things!"
She takes her new acquisitions - the pocket watch, the paper Bits, and the coins - and waves to the friendly if a bit scared ponies as she leaves the store, her tail trailing behind her keeping the door open for a short bit after she leaves.
That's one thing on her list done. Now she needs to find food, and a place to stay, possibly not in that order. She looks to Neela, once she joins Kira. "Are you hungry? Want something to eat?"
>>172573He smiles with that same, wide, teeth-showing smile that the ponies seem so fond of, lowers his head a little bit, and waves at her
"Thank you..."
Neela looks over towards Kira, giving her space as she slithers out of the store
"That went pretty well"
With Kira's question, she looks down, then back up
"Maybe?"
>>172574"I know! Thank you so much, Neela! I couldn't have done it without you!" With Neela's ambiguous answer to Kira's question, she nods to the deer. "Well, you're my guide to the city! Isn't Equestria one of those lands with the places you go to order food, already ready to eat? What do you call them?"