World Building Challenge - Day 13 - Bazaar

This is part of Faranesque's World Building Challenge from r/WorldBuilding. Check out my hub post for details.  

Preface: Most of my posts from this point on will likely focus on the crew of the Rōnni and the refugees with them, now I've done some of the cosmic establishment from Day 1.

In today's installment, welcome to the Market at Reach Point Prime.

XIII BAZAAR

"Welcome to the Reach Point Prime Market," Etane clapped Izzur on the shoulder as he stood with the young man at the railing. Nearby, Ferrin hovered near Sleita, watching her rather than their surroundings. More of the Ship's crew was moving past them, many of them already familiar with the place, and having their own errands to run, or at least being more focused on enjoying their brief shore leave while they could.

The Market filled an area which was at least twice as big as the cargo hold on the Rōnni, and even then, he could see that the stalls and stores stretched out into the corridors beyond it. Colorful ribbons and pendants were strung between railings and storefronts. Various stalls and wagons had been arranged throughout, the air filled with the shouts of the buskers and barkers. It also swirled with the scents and aromas of cooking foods, meats and savories, and of other fragrances and spices.

Ferrin lifted her head, listening, and pointed. "Maldasi," she declared. Indeed, there was a stall which displayed various bladed weapons. Its sign boasted the emblem Izzur had seen as the Ship had approached the station, which Drazen had identified as Whiteshard Tribe. She turned back, grinning and showing off her sharpened teeth. "Must find Scarhide. Will need to greet them."

"Try not to make too much work for Doc when you get back," was all Etane had to say, as the Maldasi stretched languidly, tapping Jaqin on the shoulder. The two left to go find the Rōnni-Maldasi chieftain. The junior engineer sighed. "Try not to wander off," he said to Sleita. "While the Pacami are in charge around here, they've been known to turn a blind eye to things, especially if the coin is right."

It was dizzying to walk through the market. The smells were even stronger when down among their sources. Izzur's mouth watered as he passed a stall with a slab of seasoned meat turning on a spit over a heating coil. Nearby, another stall had crates and baskets of fruits, and the worker behind it took a knife to lop the stem off a gourd, which she passed to a customer. Coin was exchanged, and the customer walked off, tipping the gourd up to drink of the juices within. Etane bought them both one, and when they drank, it was sweet, with a slight bitter tang to it, but it was refreshing and kept the hunger pangs away.

Another wing of the market was given over to the clothiers. Some stalls sold bolts and swaths of fabric, spools of thread, and the tools for hand-weaving and -knitting. Storefronts alternately had dollequins displaying colorful outfits, others had hired actual models to pose like statues in their wares. One eschewed both these in favor of hologram dollequins, which shimmered every minute or so to show off another outfit. A haberdasher with a wide-brimmed hat of feathers and shining stones tried to convince them to try on some of his stock, but Etane waved him off. Cobblers had shoes and boots and sandals and other footwear which looked horribly impractical, but seemed to be highly-desired by some of the Pacami clustered around a window.

Izzur glimpsed a wing of stalls and stores which seemed to be dedicated to the tinkers and more metal-minded. He could feel the heat of smithies and foundries. This corridor seemed to be arranged differently. The stores themselves were home to the forges for the smiths, where they did the work of their trade, honing and crafting the ores into alloys and then shaping them as their clients demanded. The stalls out front were where they then sold those wares which they had crafted for general sale. Some sold weapons, he could see, while others made more general goods.

Etane soon steered them toward a larger shop, whose sign declared it to be Total Goods Emporium. "Come on," he said. "I need to place an order here to get delivered back to the Ship. Maybe we can get you guys something to take with you when you go. Souvenir to remember us," he said. He paused, then added, "Just be careful. Gord Papazian is a good businessman, and we've done good business with him, but he's Pacami, and he'll try to take advantage if he can. It's how Pacami stay in business, after all."