Laura departs from The Great Horned Toad's perch, and begins winding her way through the streets of the goblin market. Most of the stalls are set up now, and a hand full of shoppers are trickling through the streets. In a few hours the arteries and capillaries of The Tumble Down will be clocked with throngs of shoppers; hobgoblins and changelings alike, and navigating the area will be like swimming against a massive current.

Without such challenge, it takes Laura a little under 15 minutes to reach Shadow's stall. From about twenty yards away, Laura can see that a "Closed" posting still hangs on the stall's overhead sign. However, Shadow is there, accompanied by three other figures. As Laura approaches, the old man recognizes her and she can see a big grin spread across his face, as he gestures towards the others who stand about the stall.

Laura's eyes are drawn immediately to the massive ogre towering over the other three. His face is snouted like a lizards, his eyes yellow orbs with black slit pupils. The Ogre's skin is speckled with leathery green scales, and his long sinewy arms end in clawed talons, the black keratin split and marred with the scars of a brutal durance. Membranous bat's wings sprout from the changeling's shoulders. Laura has never seen this Ogre before, and it would be hard to forget such a monster.

Next, Laura recognizes a far more familiar changeling. Annie the Trickster Spider stood patiently next to Shadow, her "normal" arms resting over her abdomen, while one of her eight arachnid legs rested supportively on Shadow's shoulder. Annie was a member of the Lagniappe Tribune; a separate Freehold in New Orleans meant to cultivate the elite and wealthiest Changelings. She was known both for her ability to weave beautiful garments woven with Wyrd properties, but also as one of the great Hedge navigators, just like Laura. Perhaps it was the woman's quiet nature and cold expression, but Annie had always come off as aloof to Laura, her silence seeming to spill with disdain.

Shadow's third companion was not a Changeling at all but a short hobgoblin of sorts. Standing at maybe two and a half feet tall, the scruffy creature had a bulbous pocked nose and was covered in a main of coarse brown curly fur which hid most of its form. The thing was dressed in a button down shirt and slacks held by suspenders, but it's massive clawed feet were bare.

As Laura approaches, Shadow beams, "I have held up my end of our agreement!"