"This is going well!" Sam said, "Chip you've got this."

Chip waved an arm in a weak salute. Any moment now, Sela would show up with ka-pi. That would that to invigorate them, and then Sela would use his break to show off some moves, drawing in customers, starting a chaing reaction. It had been more than an hour and a half into the four hour long contest and there was no Sela in sight.

"Sam, have you seen Sela anywhere?" Chip said.

At this point, only three rabbits and one fox waited on the line to purchase from Mr. Steal Your Pearl. Chip was still wary to send anyone away to get refreshments.

Uncle Brit kept the waiting customers happy and took their orders. Sam offered them the spices that they needed and enforced crowd control. She was also trying her best to sell, sell, sell.

Chip popped off the last three pieces and turned to his washing.

Scrub. Scrub.

With no outstanding orders he could dig into the tins that needed to be washed. Uncle Brit would help him if he wasn't chatting up some hooded figure.

Alarmed, Chip leaned over to see that Uncle Brit was trying to talk to a lizard with a severe underbite. Behind him, Sela was fully engaged in bodyguard work, keeping an eye on everyone around his well to do companion. The regal looking yellow lizard had purple robes and the only piece of adornment besides her cloak was a jeweled clasp above her breast. As she came closer to the stand, Chip could see that the dragon god of death, Miru was represented there.

Chip has rarely seen a member of the reptile cult of Miru. Supposedly they ruled a swampland far to the south of Yellowrock, and didn't take out contracts with the Riverfolk. Contracts were there riverfolks chief venue to learn and spy on other cultures. It had never stuck Chip as strange, but now he realized that an otter would stick out like a sore thumb in their country.

"Well, I guess Sela can't break contact with his... Ambassador," Sam said, stepping up behind him with a hug.

"We're going to need to do it all without a break then, huh?" Chip replied, squeezing her paw.

"We can do it. We just need to dig deep down."