FISHBIN
Fishbin itself was a town of about ten thousand people moving to and from it at any given time, traders would come to barter there from miles around in all directions, and although it wasn’t a major metropolis, it may as well have been for Ava who had never been to such a densely populated area ever in her lifetime. They took the back way into town, following the trail up and along the cliffs of Cove’s Face that would take them up to Fishbin. The path was quite wide and one that several traders would take into town several times a day, the sheer wall of Cove’s Face went straight up into the air for what seemed like two hundred feet, where many buildings could be seen perched at the edge of the cliff along the very top, Ava looking straight up, thought that she would get a kink in her neck from doing so, the closer they had gotten to the top of the path the more traders that they encountered going in the opposite direction. Soon they reached the very top and the path turned into a series of makeshift steps that took them right into the alley that would spill directly into Trader's Row, the main bartering center of Fishbin. They moved through the long crowd of people that lined the walkway of Trader's Row until they came to a fancily decorated shop called the Brass Bottom Trade Center. There were three large decorated windows in the front of the shop and two large wooden double doors with brass handles that formed the entrance, Mox opened the front doors and a loud cowbell clanged, alerting Ferral that he had a potential customer.
There were two large long adjoining rooms that were around thirty feet from end to end and were separated by a half wall running down the middle, there were long heavy wooden tables with neatly placed merchandise on them, forming narrow aisles in between, used coats and different types of clothing, old work boots and shoes underneath, and mended blankets, hats and scarfs. There were rolls of string, twine and wire and various thicknesses of rope. on the walls hung shelves that were full of cans and glass jars filled with marbles, some steel shot, and nails of varying sizes, along with other odd’s and ends, there were oil lamps, hand twirled torches and hand tools hung on the walls at the end of the shelves, Hammers, axe’s and hatchets, but the high end, prized and most valuable items like weapons and fur traps hung on the wall behind the business counter in the other room. There was also a mid-sized area with six round wooden tables and chairs that served as a dining hall where Ferral’s wife would serve daily meals that she had prepared, there was a chalk board that hung above the counter which served as the food menu. Flint rock and tool sharpening stones were always extremely valuable for bartering in Fishbin, and Ferral always had a high turnover rate with them, and they were tough to keep in stock because of high demand. He knew that Mox and Trip always seemed to know how to find the best flint rock, and Ferral was always eager to see what they had for trade.
Being the owner/proprietor of the Brass Bottom Trade Center, Ferral was indeed one of the most intimidating shopkeepers in Fishbin, and all the traders of every size, shape and color, that came and went throughout the business hours there knew better than to test his temperament. He towered above most at well over six foot ten inches, with a huge barrel chest and a round face adorned with long flowing black hair with dark blue eyes, massive hands the size of dinner plates made it all the easier for him to get a firm grip on any offender that happened into his establishment causing trouble. He came in from the back room when he’d heard the clanging of the cowbell, and when he saw Mox and Trip a broad smile spread across his round face, But when he saw Ava, he gave them both a puzzled look. He nervously went to the front door, opening it and sticking his head out the door, trying to look casual as he looked in both directions up and down the length of Trader's Row. He closed the door and locked it, putting out the closed sign before dropping the window shades, then it was Mox’s turn to look confused. Ferral turned to face them, casting a suspicious eye on Ava.
“A lot has been happening in Fishbin in the past couple of days.” He told them. “Come on in the dining room, I’ll tell ma to get ya’s some lunch.”
He sat them down at a table in the corner of the dining hall before disappearing into the back room to find his wife. Mox and Trip both looked at Ava and pondered the strange look that Ferral had given her, it didn’t take them long to piece together that Furlong had arrived in town well ahead of them and had been asking questions about strangers, but something else came tugging at his suspicions, there was something else, something even more unsettling that he could feel, his thoughts returned to the strange riders on horseback on the Temblor Traverse, this had something to do with them, he could just feel it. Ferral’s wife brought them hot soup with fresh bread and a platter of freshly cooked shrimp which was bountiful in Fishbin, Ferral bartered with the local fisherman a great deal and often got the best catch that was up for early trade many times before other merchants even got to the docks, Ferral always arrived early to barter to get the best deals. They all sat quietly enjoying their lunch with little conversation until Ferral reappeared in the dining hall and sat down in a vacant chair across from Mox.
“That prick Furlong is in town, but I’m guessing you already know that Moxie.” Ferral said.
Mox nodded but said nothing.
“There’s something else too-“ Ferral added nervously.
“Three rider’s on horseback, kinda looking like soldiers? looking for a man, maybe?” Mox asked.
“Yeah, that was odd enough I suppose, but there were a couple of guys came in here trying to trade off something they found on a dead guy near Covemire.” Ferral answered.
Mox gave him a curious look.
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