Justice, Jewels, and Jugs (Private)

Sugary chuckled a bit at Baker's first suggestion as he waited on her to make her request out of him, and while he had no problem taking the caps and placing the bowl where it needed to be washed later, he still humored her. "I would have been fine just keeping you company, but I can do that too." He winked lightly at her this time, and quickly placed his mane under the robe and hood as he quickly went over to the other merchant.

It seemed Sugary was making a bit of effort to get as much as possible for a bulk purchase, and eventually succeeded in convincing the seller to give a slight discount for all the finer containers he could give with what Baker had given Sugary to buy with. He then returned to Baker's shop tent with several of the requested items in his arms and magical grasp as he went straight over to wash them all for more customers. "Heh... I think this should cover it, don't you?" And so he scrubbed and cleaned without hesitation, ready to give any of the items to Baker.

Baker smiled and used her magic to levitate clean dishes onto the table as they were cleaned, and she happily handed them out to customers who didn't have their own, filled with stew and a spoon to eat with. Baker kept happily serving the customers in the light rainfall, and she soon ran out of people to serve, with only a couple mugs and bowls leftover. Baker let out a sigh and gave a warm smile to Market, arching her back and getting a couple soft cracks and pops from her joints. "Mmm.... Thank you so much for the help, Market. I needed the extra hands with that." Baker smiled and looked back at the people around the street, tuning her radio a little and adjusting the antenna before shutting off the lantern light. She was about out of stew and bread, anyway, until she got around to making more to sell. "It always makes me happy to see people with good food. The smiles on their faces are worth all the work and then some." Baker tuned the radio into a regional news station, a sort of talk show between two radio hosts about local happenings.

Sugary obviously looked less tired by comparison at the end of it all since Baker had done the brunt of the job, but at least he kept himself busy washing anything else that needed washing while he was at it. He perked his ears up at the sound of her back, and stood up to move to her side with a light smirk. "You're welcome, Miss Baker, though it sounds like you needed to catch a break a bit sooner... I have no doubts they all left just as satisfied as I am now though! Best stew I had in years!" His compliment was perhaps a bit too spirited, but it was genuine of him to her as that was how he felt about it.

He listened to the radio briefly, but nothing really caught his interest... yet. Instead, he thought now was a good time to make do with something he had been meaning to do for some time. "... By the way... I was wondering... Where do you get your ingredients? It really is all fresh and good. The sweets from yesterday didn't even have a hint of staleness on them like several others I had... Or is it some kind of trade secret as to why your food is so good? I mean... If you're just that good a cook, then... well... You're awesome!" Some might be able to tell he was struggling a bit to just talk to her, but he was honestly trying to have a decent conversation to get to know her better. And he was genuinely curious to know bout the quality of her goods, as well as her good qualities.

Baker just giggled as she ate the last bites of stew herself, then got around to washing the pot out in the water basin she had set up. She listened to Market ask a slew of questions about her food, and she giggled once more and waved her hand to her cart. "I have a few secrets. For one, I always buy my ingredients in bulk and keep them out of any sort of moisture as best as possible." She replied with a flourish of her ladle, washing it as well. "Second, while I buy my flour and sugars from all over, I quality check them myself. I know exactly what to look for and what to avoid. Thirdly, I just don't cut corners. I was my pots, thoroughly cook and clean, I don't substitute ingredients for cheaper substitutes to make a quick profit. Quality is top priority in my kitchen, Mister Market." The huge mare just sighed and looked out at the street again. "What kind of chef would I be if I sold people food that wasn't the wuality I advertised it to be?"

Sugary eased down a bit as Baker responded well to his attempts at conversation, and so he listened well and obediently. The more he listened, the more he respected her as a cook and as a professional in general, still smiling at her as she was done. "A lousy chef and merchant... Which you clearly aren't, Miss Baker. I'm very glad to meet someone that takes even small details so seriously. I do wish many others followed that example..." He looked to the side and at some of the buildings as his expression soured lightly. "... Many a decent folk here and there, but still many others act as if we were still living off of nothing but scraps. I've been told that might have been the case a few centuries ago, but not anymore..." He then smiled softly to look and speak to her directly again. "... Which brings me to my next question... Where do you get your supplies from that you manage to travel so well and safely outside the city borders by yourself? I know many a merchant travel with company or at least a bodyguard, but I heard you tend to arrive and leave by yourself. Not that I don't think you have what it takes to defend yourself, of course..." His eyes wandered a bit more over her large body to admire it, but mostly her strong arms. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... How do you manage to do so well for yourself in this day and age?"

Baker smiled as she listened to Market speak so highly of her, blushing lightly at the compliments she was receiving. When she heard her friend ask about her safety, the huge mare just grinned and tilted her immense hips. "Well, I may not look it, but I happen to be a little bit of a combat enthusiast. I have my own little hand cannon..." Baker moved her trench coat aside, revealing the humongous revolver on her right hip. It was a pre-war revolver known as the M29 Satan, chambered in .44 magnum. It was a beast of a gun, and a normal person using it would be hard-pressed to keep control of the hefty hand cannon. "Easy to use, accurate, compact." Baker smirked at her personal description of the handgun, knowing any normal sized person would find the weapon huge, heavy, and kicking like a mule. Baker let her coat fall back down as she turned to her backpack, sitting on the floor, and she picked up her seeming miniature cannon with a rifle stock. "This, here, is my actual cannon. I save my tin cans, pack them with some homemade explosive powder, which I can easily make with some salt and sugar, and stick something inside them. Most of these shells are buckshot, with a few rifled slugs. My weapon is single shot, break action." She broke open the barrel, revealing the tin can inside, used as a giant shotgun shell. "Not very fast firing, but it kills whatever I point it at."

Sugary was, admittedly, not as knowledgeable in firearms as others might be in the land, but he did know just enough to follow Baker's explanations for them and assess their possible destructive force through sight and interest. He also got to admire again at her figure while she moved around. "My, that's quite the pair you got there..." He meant the firearms, of course. "I would assume you travel around quite safely and often then... I don't suppose you'd be willing to share some more about where you've been and what you've seen? Oh, and don't get me wrong, I of course intend to return the favor and share my experiences with you, if you're interested." He figured that if she was interested in getting to know him more, she'd take the chance now to do so and ask more to him instead.

Baker just chuckled again and adjusted her coat, tight and outlining the immense curves of the huge mare's chubby, plush body. Her chuckles made her breasts visibly ripple, her exposed cleavage jiggling slightly and sighed. "I travel okay, yeah, but not nearly as safe as I could be. I don't have a vehicle, much as I'd like one, and I have no accurate long-ranged firepower, or anyting with sustained firepower." Baker patted her revolver through her coat and thought about how much money she had. She wanted a pistol and a rifle, very badly. They'd give Baker a lot better of an ability to defend herself. "Well... Where I've been, uh... I haven't gone on many adventures, exactly. I mostly stick to the main paths. Sorry, I don't have many amazing stories to tell."

Baker sat down in her chair, hands in her lap as she thought about her travels in the past. "Well, um... There was this one time I got jumped by bandits. Strange group of bandits, actually, had some mutants on leashes, chains with metal collars. First time I had to use my cannon, but it worked quite well, thankfully." Baker said as she looked out at the rain, remembering the incident. "They let loose this really big mutant at me, looked like a big ape with scales all over it, something like that. My cannon blew a hole in its chest before it ever got close. I was able to drive them off with another cannon shot, they were scared of the thing. Granted, I was a bit, too, before I learned to use it."

The more Sugary spent time listening to Baker, the more her subtle body movements became noticeable. But he wasn't distracted by her so much as it was his attention to detail kicking in, for better or worse.

Her story about the bandits with leashed mutants struck a cord with him though, as his expression became a more neutral one. It was a topic he took quite seriously, though a light smile did resurface once Baker told him she managed to protect herself at the end of it all. "I can hardly think of a better tale to share than one of survival against tough odds. But I am glad you told me about that... You see, I was once part of a small force of mercenaries in a small settlement, and our main job was to clear up banditry and mutant outbreaks in the area. We were doing well for ourselves as far as success against that went, but in time, bandit attacks lessened, mutants were scarce, several in the settlement were starting to go their own ways as resources in the area were growing scarce regardless... We eventually just disbanded as well to find work and make a living elsewhere, but as far as my travels went, I began to see a rise in mutant slavery and abuse. Some of it I took care of myself, but other cases were just too big for me to deal with, and pay was very little. I want to help, I really do, but even I can't take on a whole crime net alone and survive at the same time... I've been trying to do my best to save up as much in funds as I can, and hopefully form or become part of a new team, and really take on the tougher jobs that way... Ah! Sorry, I got carried away with that, didn't I? It's something that's been bugging me for some time, you see..." He looked to Baker sheepishly as he thought she talked her ear off too much, but he was no less serious about his intentions.

Baker listened to Market's tale of fighting mutants and slavery and oppression, and she nodded with an intense gaze as she heard of his struggles. The huge mare gently reached her hand out, taking Market's and giving it a gentle, soothing squeeze, a quiet gesture of affection. "Market, I fully understand your passion to help people. I'm trying to help people by providing quality food. I charge only enough to keep myself financially stable, I've seen merchants charge food of half the quality for twice the amount of caps, and it sickens me." The giant chubby mare sighed and closed her eyes, laying her head back in the chair. "You know, I've always wanted to go on an adventure. I travel between settlements, but that's not the same as going on a quest to do something significant." Baker opened her eyes and looked up to Market's handsome face, offering a warm smile. "If you do ever need help with something, any job or task, though, I'd be happy to help. I'm no slouch in a fight."

Sugary made no effort to keep his hand away from Baker, but he did blush lightly as her grip was gentle and reassuring. He smiled brightly at how she felt about things being unfair and wanting to make a difference, and more so about her desire for adventuring.

He then then gently held her hand between both of his, and spoke softly. "Well... I would certainly feel more at ease having a strong gunner of a merchant by my side. Why, I think we could benefit mutually with me protecting you with my magic while you travel and sell your wares to make a living in the settlements as well." He looked at her resting on the chair more intently, and then at the soothing sound of rain, still holding her hand. "... But let's worry about that later. You look a bit tired, and I decided to take at least the morning off. Is there anything else you'd like to do or talk about? I got time to spare." He merely thought a change to something more lighthearted would be good for them, but left it up to her to set the mood for that.

Baker smiled as she heard Market's offer to go do something, and the huge mare slowly stood up to her fully height and gently took Market's hand in her own. "I would love to grt lunch with you. It's about noon, and I think I want to try someone else's cooking for a change." With her small satchel of caps tucked inside her cleavage, and her lockbox locked and hidden in her cart, Baker smiled to her friend and led him down the street, putting her hood up to keep herself dry in the incessant rain. Baker led Market down the street, her immense hips slightly swaying back and forth as she looked around the area. "Do you know of any good places to eat ariund here? I'm sure there's at least another nice cook somewhere around here."

Sugary was quite surprised at Baker's proposition to eat from elsewhere, and with him no less. He also had just realized that it was noon. He smiled a little at the thought of losing track of time from enjoying himself, and began to lead the way into the rain. "I do. And if you don't mind leaving your tent here for the other guards to look after, we can stop at my place to eat some takeout. It's warmer there, and the cook lives in that direction too."

He'd lead the both of them to the base floor of the hotel in fact, greeting a few of the familiar faces he recognized by now as he led her towards an area where workers could get oriental food. Perhaps it wasn't the most prestigious spot to get a meal from as the main cook and assistants worked in a small area behind a mildly decorated wall, but there was little doubt the ingredients were fresh as well since any could see the group at tedious work, and the smell was quite enticing. He'd ultimately pay for a couple large orders of noodles and vegetables in sweet and savory broth, with a hint of pepper spice in it. Simple, practical, and delicious.

Eventually, he'd lead the both of them while holding their lunch up several floors higher to where he was staying at. When he opened the door, and turned on the lights which flickered a bit before showing everything well slowly, the room was mostly bare with the exception of a few necessities and personal belongings. Among them: several papers made to fit together as improvised books with notes on magic and travel details, a large cabinet with his clothes, the sofa which was actually a fairly large sofa-bed kept in an upright position, a few chairs and a table, a barely used kitchen with some basic utensils, a small fridge, a bathroom, and otherwise a good view of the city from the windows inside the simple but convenient location. It was also rather well insulated, and hardly any of the cold from outside could be felt at all unless one were to open the windows deliberately.

"Home sweet temporary home... Oh, yes, you can hang your coat there if you want. I'll join you at the table shortly..." He pointed to a set of hooks on the wall, before levitating the meals over to the table, and taking off his own robe for a change. As it were, he had been wearing nothing but blue shorts under the robe once he took it off, seemingly only needing the robe to keep himself warm and covered when he went out. He didn't even seem to mind that she was nearby to see his body, as he merely placed the robe in place, and went over to the cabinet to get himself a cotton red shirt. It also meant she had all that time to look at his body: ruggedly stocky with little else but muscle, to the point one could swear he was an Earth pony that had merely been shrunk a bit if he didn't have a horn sticking out of him, and the rest of his coloring showed as most of his body was light brown as well, with white patches, spots, and freckles on the tip of the legs, and his waist and thigh area; Almost as if he were a walking caramel cream treat, that would soon be sitting right there with her.

Baker had followed Market to the restaurant, eagerly getting some teriyaki noodles for her dinner. She held it in her arms with an excited grin as she walked into the hotel, following Market up the steps with a grin. However, her grin dropped when she saw Market drop his robe. Not that he wasn't attractive, he was surely attractive with his muscled frame and fluffy, clean fur, but... He was walking around all day in his shorts. "Are... Are you crazy? Havw you been walking around all day in your shorts?" She asked with disbelief.

Sugary was honestly surprised at Baker's reaction, at least at first, but then it clicked in his mind about why she thought he was crazy as it wasn't the first time he got that reaction in recent years. "Ah... Is that really so strange? I can assure you, I feel fine now. If I had really been feeling cold, I would have come back a while ago. I mean, yeah, it's cold, but even you would have seen me shaking up if I was having trouble. Like I said, these are tough times... so some like me have to try and go the extra mile to be tougher still, little by little. Sorry if I worried you, honest, but this is something I still do from time to time to keep my body tolerant. And yes, I know it's crude..."

He then pointed to the meal before them on the table, hoping she would still join him. "It's nice and hot. You'll still join me for lunch, won't you?"

Baker just sighed and gave a soft smile as she hung up her coat, showing her curvaceous body that was outlined by her sweater and jeans. The huge mare unclipped the minimal plastic revolver holster from her waist, clipping it to the inside of her trench coat for safekeeping. "Just put a shirt on while we're eating dinner, and we'll call it good." She replied, sitting down at the table. The chair creaked under Baker's weight as she settled in, and she licked her lips and picked up her chopsticks, but she waited until Market was seatsd before digging into her teriyaki noodles. "Mmm... I really should learn to make teriyaki sauce... I don't know the blend..." She mumbled after swallowing her first bite of food.

Sugary chuckled very lightly with a smile and nodded, grabbing the sleeve of the red cotton shirt he wore. "Of course. Honestly, I feel you have nothing to worry about... But, it does feel nice to actually have someone worry over your health than whether or not you're trustworthy. I'm sure you can imagine how often I deal with the latter... Do you have anyone that worries over you like that often?" He was basically asking if she had good friends and family around, before he began to blow on his food a bit, and began to eat with a light hum, occasionally looking over her now more alluring form for a response.

Baker sighed as she thought about Market's question, seeming a bit glum and idly stirring her noodles with her chopsticks. "Honestly... No. I've met a nice person here and there, but I don't think I have anyone who worries and cares about me." The huge mare looked up as her ears flattened to her head, and she sighed and took a slow, small bite of her noodles. "Honestly, you're the only friend I have, Market." Baker slumped on the table a bit, her ginormous, round and perky breasts squishing against the tabls as she rested her cheek in her hand, elbow on the table.

Sugary's ears flicked lightly as he cocked his brows in surprise watching Baker look unusually glum for her demeanor so far while slurping up his meal hungrily. He then beamed a bright smile and sparkly eyes at her as he spoke back with enthusiasm. "A good mare, and no good friends for you? Well, I can keep being your friend! Heck, we might even be best friends if we do get around to working together!" It took virtually no effort for him to offer his friendship. However strange she might think he is, his desire for companionship was doubtless.

Baker looked up at Market, her glimmering eyes staring at the friendly unicorn with an intense gaze. Her frown slowly turned up into a soft, grateful smile. Market's enthusiasm and vigor was a nice change from everyone being so glum, herself included. The huge mare set her chopsticks down and slowly stood up, then walked around the table and promptly picked Market up from his chair, hugging the smaller stallion tight and burying her face in his shoulder. Market seemed to just sink into her body, like how one would slowly sink into a water bed. His face was buried into her cleavage, likely on accident, but it let him experience the incredible softness of Baker's bust, as well as her super fluffy fur. Market was also treated to the alluring smell of wam, sweet milk when his muzzle was squished into her sternum. "Please stay my friend, Market." She asked softly, seemingly unaware of where she had put her friend's face. "I'm lonely. I don't have anyone to live for or care about but myself, and it hurts."

It wasn't a problem that Sugary couldn't take the time to appreciate Baker's warm plushness from her outer layer of girth while her muscle pulled him towards her in the tight hug, nor smell the distinct aroma of milk, or even enjoy her affections while listening to her pleas; The problem was that breathing was a bit hard to do at first as he found himself muzzle deep into her cleavage. So his first response, though somewhat inaudible mumbling of warm air over her chest fur only, was to ask for a chance to breathe and speak; But with a bit of effort on his part, he managed to poke his nostrils and mouth right up from between her cleavage and relax while the rest of his face was perfectly snuggled between her breasts.

"Ah...! Um... Goodness, Miss Baker... I didn't think it meant so much to you... Er... What I mean is... I'm right here, so you don't have to feel lonely." He was a bit unsure of what to actually say to comfort her, but eventually he did return her hug with one of his own around her waist. He thought the least he could do was to hug her until she felt okay, or at least a bit better. He also calmly kept breathing and exhaling warm air from his nostrils upwards, likely right towards her cheek or under her neck, while his lips remained pointed right at her.

Baker rested her chin on the top of Market's head as he held her friend tight, and she closed her eyes and sat down in her chair, still snuggling the unicorn like a little plush doll. His warm breath felt nice on her neck and sternum, and she smiled and cuddled Market tightly in her arms, his body sinking into her big round, plush tummy. The huge mare had been starved of affection ever since her parents died, and this was her first hug in over two decades. Eventually, Baker slowly and reluctantly released the hug, her cheeks blushed crimson as she gently set Market on the ground. "Sorry... I... Oh, I just... I needed that. I haven't been hugged in over 20 years." She admitted, hands in her lap and her head hung in embarrassment.

Sugary was glad, and yet not glad, that Baker had let go of him at last from her iron grip and plush comfort. He honestly wanted it to go on, but hearing her reasoning was enough to keep his priorities in check. He then leaned forward a bit and placed his hands on her shoulders while looking up at her a bit. "Hey, it's okay... When you put it that way, I guess I can understand why you'd miss it. Even I haven't had that many friendly embraces aside from what little the of the good old days I did have as a foal, hugging hearty comrades and..." He paused a bit as he looked to the side briefly in thought. "And sharing warmth with a lover or two on a really cold day..." He cleared his throat a bit, and focused on her again. "Now come on, pep up! Nothing wrong with a good hug, right? We can keep at it if you want. Or..." He then looked to his couch and the windows. "... We could sit over there and just relax and look at the rain in comfort."

Baker's eyes and smile brightened up a bit as she felt Market's hands on her shoulders and heard his enthusiastic voice. Such optimisim seemed contagious, Baker thought to herself, and she was very glad it was. The mare slowly, gently wrapped her arms around Market again and pulled him into another squishy hug, then released it and smiled widely. "I'd love it if we hugged more often. It'd make me feel a lot better." She said softly. Baker stood up and took their two bowls of food, chopsticks included, and eagerly walked over to the couch, sitting down and waiting for Market to join her so they could eat and stay snuggled up together. The huge mare seemed eager for affection, and she had more than enough to give.

Sugary hugged back eagerly with a light chuckle, and then moved out of the way to let her stand and move. "Sure. We can do that." He would have found it odd that Baker clamored for something that would have been mundane, but with the world as it was, even the little things that were good held a lot of value.

He was glad that she took his advice, and so he followed her onto the fairly large couch that, when looked at closely, turned out to be a couch-bed instead if needed. He quickly moved a pillow and a sheet out of the way for them and left them over hanging over the top of the couch on his side, and then sat down with her while taking his food. He'd calmly look out the window as he slurped while watching what little entertainment the apartment itself allowed. "... It's relaxing to see rain and lightning from up high while dry, ain't it?"