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 Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:22 pm
Amerald worked busily on a new potion for the shop down in his basement. This one was supposedly for aging and was supposed to be some salve for wrinkles. His time was well spent, as he had his shop closed for a few more minutes than usual to perfect this new cream.
He had done it though, it was great and smelled much like the exotic fruits of Levintol. It was beautiful. He placed what he had created into a little container and left the recipe on his desk.
He made his way up the stairs after blowing out the lit candles and finally went into the shop itself. It was empty, obviously, due to the fact that he hadn't opened it yet. He placed the cream on a shelf and went to open it. He allowed the light to flow into the room as he opened the curtains and switched the sign on the window from closed to open.
He unlocked the front door and went to his seat. He was now ready for another day on the job.
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:50 pm
No sleep for those with deadlines. Another night had passed with Sera leaning over a desk going from sketch to sketch to waste basket and back again. Thankfully, as always, she had finally come up with something she knew the client would like. The crowning glory was the golden waterfall set back against the new retaining wall. He wanted me to make him the talk of the town. Sera thought as she finished dressing. “Well that’s what he gets for destroying half an acre of home for abandon animals. He is going to love my bill.” The smile on her face was devilish as her blue eyes lifted into the mirror. What looked back made her gasp.
Dark rings formed under her eyes. Faint lines showed from concentration. Even her cheeks looked a bit sunken. “What on earth?” Her hands ran over her skin, almost refusing to believe what she saw. “What have I done to my…”
Sun rays peaked into her window. There wasn’t time left to complain and cry over her appearance. The attire was to the nines and perfect to impress, even if her face made her out to be working to hard. “Please let him be drunk or something…And for goodness sake, let the train be ON TIME!”
After whisking herself out the train station, papers and all in hand, Sera found herself walking the streets of Nuen. All her thoughts were on selling this design and then quickly getting out of his sight. Never again will I let myself…
Movement from the corner of her eye caused a quick glance to the left. A shop owner was just flipping his sign open. He was late compared to the others but something about that movement drew her to it. Rumor had it that someone was working on an instant beauty cream that could hide all flaws. Even though I do not believe something like that would ever work, I might as well…
Pushing in the door, Sera shifted the papers in her hand and looked around. “Hello? Someone here? I am in a hurry.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:56 pm
Amerald instantly stood up from his desk in the shop. "Oh! Welcome to Amerald's Alchemy! It's great to see you. Haha. You're my first customer of the day, congratulations! You get to choose something on these walls for fifty percent off!" he stated, walking up to the new customer. He had always given his first customers of the day a little discount. It was his way of keeping himself interested in the shop, and keep people coming back for more.
"What can I get for you today madam?" he asked as he approached her, slowly. He heard that she was in a hurry, and of course, he didn't want to keep her long. 'This is the first customer? Well, I guess she'll have to do.' he thought, smiling at the woman as he did.
He eyed her up and down before giving a glance at the papers she had in hand. She seemed like the business type, one that was very overworked and hardly had any free time to have fun or just enjoy what life she had. Amerald now felt sorry for the woman, but he was sure that a new surprise would definitely shake her life up a tad, whether she wanted it or not.
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:15 pm
Half expecting no one to really be in the main part of the shop, Sera's sudden jump would have been easily noticed by the man she assumed to be 'Amerald'. He did not appear to be much at a first glance but being able to offer a customer fifty percent off just for walking in? There had to be more than just what she saw. What side business was he running?
Snap out of it! You only have so much time you stupid girl. Those thoughts shook those eyes back to life as she turned her attention from the seller to the goods. Bottles, random items, and things never like she could begin to explain lined the walls. Each was suppose to have some reason use, she assumed, but did they even work? I half expect anything I buy to turn me purple and make me sick for a week.
"I need something for these." Fingers danced lightly on her puffy eyes before moving to her faint lines. "Rumor has it that some in the science field are looking for ways to bring more women into their stores. I assume that includes you?" Was that really a question? Hardly. Sera already knew that anyone would sell to a rock if they paid. "A simple yes or no would do."
No reason. Why did he need one? Being a twenty-five year old architect had stolen a good deal from her. Was it wrong if she wanted some of that which was taken from her?
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 8:52 pm
"Ah, sleepless night I take it? Slaving over...work I assume? No bother, just a moment." he said. He did have what she was looking for right on the shelf. But, he wanted to do something more; something a tad different. He was interested in this woman and he needed some kind of excuse to get a swab of her DNA or a strand of hair.
With those words, he left the main portion of the shop and scurried to the basement where he would definitely find what he was looking for. Grabbing it, stuffing it into his pocket, and running back upstairs he smiled as he walked back into the room. "Sorry about that. Here is what you may be looking for." he said, walking towards the shelf that had a cream that helped smooth over the pains of a sleepless night.
He pointed at the case of cream and smiled. "My name is Amerald Laraan by the way. Well, you seem to be high in the business field, yes? Very professional indeed. What is your line of work if you don't mind me asking? Oh, and do you think you could keep a secret if I told you one? I try to tell my clients secrets and it seems to keep them coming back for more. Also, do you have children? Oh, how I love children. Sorry, I just like to get to know my customers haha." he asked, holding out a hand for her to grab as if asking for an introduction and a life story. All the questions were asked so suddenly, he didn't know if she would actually take the time to answer them all. He was just spewing words from his mouth, none that even made sense together. He didn't really know what to expect from this woman. It was obvious that his crazy side was taking him captive, or was it really a side of him at all? The talkative one for sure. But he wanted to see how much patience this woman really had.
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 9:23 pm
Seems as if I'm not going to get a simple answer. Sera thought as she watched the man walk from the room. Somewhere else in the building, she could have sworn her ears caught the sound of a door shutting. Seemed whatever he was going to sell her was not a grab and go item. Still, this did give her some time to look around on her own.
Placing her papers on the main desk she had seen Amerald rise from, she took her chance to walk around and explore the little bottles and boxes. The entire experience had her mind wandering back to her eldest brother. He had loved Alchemy with its notion of science and endless possibilities. Long had his desire been to open his own shop. Much like this one. Sera caught herself thinking as she placed a small box back on the shelf. Yet as he was the eldest he was doomed to take over their...his...father's work.
Turning at the sound of footsteps, blue eyes went from the smiling face to the small bottle he handed her. Had she not already been questioning herself for seeking his help there was no way she might have realized that what he gave her had been in front of them the entire time. What are you up to?
Sera didn't have time to do more than take the cream before she was suddenly thrown into an inquisition. In under a minute she had been introduced, questioned, informed, and asked about secrets? Had she heard correctly? You have my attention now, Mr. Laraan.
Holding up her free hand as her eyes closed, one could suddenly hear her breath quicken. "Mr. Laraan, I do not know how you connect business in your shop but I can say that suddenly asking for a life history of your customer seems a bit off. If I did not know any better, I would almost say you had some alternate game going on here." Her eyes opened up with that to look him in the face with a very stern, very hard look. "Be that as it may," Her eyes looked away for a passing second. "I see little harm in humoring you."
Extending her hand out, she took it in a firm grip learned by working with men through her years. They never trusted a weak woman. "They call me Sera. Sera Alexander. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Laraan." For the first time since she walked in, a smile played over her face. There was no longer a sinister look in her eye as she continued. "I am an Architect by trade so you have a good eye. As for children, I am not planning on having any soon." Her eyes went playful for a moment betraying everything else. "For I found no match for my desires."
As quickly as it came, the look went. Pulling her hand back, Sera brushed loose hair behind her ears and watched him again. "Now I wish to ask you something in return." Locking eyes with Amerald as her voice spoke "This thing isn't going to turn me into a frog is it?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 9:51 pm
Amerald smirked as the woman began to answer his questions. He was happy that she was 'humoring' him. He nodded at her answers. "You do very well under pressure, Ms. Alexander. I knew you'd probably catch onto my trick, but not so soon. You're quite the clever woman aren't you?" he said, chuckling a bit, taking his own hand back from the grip of the stranger and placing it in his pocket, fiddling with what he had grabbed earlier.
'This woman is definitely interesting to say the least...I'm glad to have met her. She'll make a fine specimen.' he thought to himself. He was sure that she was going to make a great mother, even if she wasn't 'planning' on children quite yet. She would definitely need to be soon, for he knew her whole life would change.
"No man that suits your interest, eh? Haha. Well, what if I said you didn't need a man in this day and age?" his voice sounding more playful than anything. He obviously didn't want to give away his secret dealings just yet.
The silver hair fluttered into his face as he chuckled; taking his free hand to cover his mouth as he laughed. He shook his head slightly to remove the excess hair and smiled. "Of course not. It may turn you into a locust, maybe a fly, but never a frog...more like frog feed. Haha." he said, chuckling once more at his own joke and amusement. This woman intrigued him, most definitely.
"Well, it is very nice to meet you nevertheless. I expect that you, being a woman doing the work you do, is rather time consuming, no?" he asked in a more serious tone now. He was unsure of how she would respond to such a change in her busy schedule...raising a creation of his was a large task, especially raising him or her in secret. That made things even more difficult.
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:20 pm
"One must be cleaver in our world, Mr. Laraan." Sera answered back with an unreadable smile on her face. "For if we are not cleaver, how many traps would we walk into? Or in your profession, how would you continue to have customers return?" He was interested in her. She was just as interested in him. What bothered her the most was the question that remained opened in her mind about why she had come here in the first place. Of course she had some time to kill not wishing to endure another meal with the man she was working for but still. Amerald had a draw about him that Sera had not seen in a long time.
Raising an eyebrow at his statement, Sera felt her arm come and rest on her hip. Lifting the cream up to shoulder height, she shook it lightly in his direction. "Then I would say you have spent far too long creating these and not enough time with women. They do say some animals can reproduce without males but humans?" Attention was all on him now. That simple statement had raised a few hairs on her skin. Maybe now would be a good time to walk out that door. This man might just be nuts.
"Well, I cannot say a fly would be a bad thing." Sera answered, now truly watching him with more intent then ever. There was something he was not telling her. "I could land on a wall and learn things I was never suppose to know." Crossing her free arm over her other at the bicep, she watched him for any movement at all. Come now. What are you hiding? No merchant takes this much interest in a customer. Even when I have to flirt with clients they are never this questioning.
"Time consuming?" The question caught her off guard. She had been expecting something more out of him after the idea of lacking a man and sex to have a child. No, this was almost too innocent. Still, she knew that she could drive a point home. "You could say that depends upon my client at the time. And currently, yes. This one has seeing as he wishes to make a spectacle out of himself here." Twisting the cream again in her fingers, she gave a forceful grin. "And I would not think you needed to ask such a question. If it was not something I was so dedicated to, why would I be loosing sleep over it? You never would have laid eyes on me had I not spent the entire past day and a half finishing this project." Which might have been a good idea had I just ignored him in the first place.
"Now." Sera continued as she looked at her paper work. Time was ticking away. Unless he had a very good reason to keep her, this was over. "I have given you about as much time as I can spare. Please, how much do I owe you for the cream?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:50 pm
Amerald smirked. "You have a great point there." he said, a small chuckle could be heard deep down in his throat. She was definitely an interesting character to have met this fine morning. What a great way to spend ten minutes of his time. Hopefully, if things went as he had planned, he could begin to spend much more time with her. She just seemed different from any of the other guardians he had met over the years, she was interesting to him.
He looked at the floor and smirked. He then locked eyes on the woman before him and nodded his head. "You're quite the little joker, aren't you? Yes, I too have heard those rumors as well...though I don't believe it's all too impossible for those humans that are willing enough to give a little part of themselves over to science. But, to respond to your...quite accurate assumption, I may not spend much time with women, dear, but at least I can swoon over those pretty girls that stray into my shop every now and again and hope, yes?" he said, laughing a bit.
"Oh, my dear, there are many things in this world you cannot know about. For if you did, people may just want to take your life. Now, what kind of a life would that be...to be taken from this world just for the information they hold. Hmmm...interesting to think about, don't you agree, Ms. Alexander?" he said, taking his free hand and stroking his chin ever so slightly. Tapping it twice, his face lit up a bit after listening to her little speech on what he shouldn't have asked her in the first place.
He just smiled at the rest of what she had to say. He then spoke up himself, "Well, I'm actually rather glad that this man has taken up much of your time to be completely honest. If he hadn't, where would I be this fine morning? Probably talking with another stranger just like yourself asking about a bottle of ointment or some strange cure for an unknown illness, heheh."
Seeing as she had to leave...or wanted to rather, he had to come up with a way to keep her around. "I do have one last request of you before you leave. Will you give me a lock of your hair...or perhaps just a strand? I know, it seems so old fashioned and probably quite strange a request, yes? But in all honesty, I am lonely and am in need of something to keep myself busy with. You're a beautiful girl and I wish to see you around more often. Maybe with a strand of your hair you will return for it one day, thus allowing me to see you once again." he asked smiling.
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Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:36 pm
It isn't hard to say that Sera was pleased to hear his praise. Little things, like a business man admitting she was cleaver and then agreeing with her, made any day worth a sleepless night. After such a childhood, Sera would have even taken a surprised look at the fact she was more than willing to retort him. Something even told her that he wasn't about to throw her out the front door and tell her not to come back. Well Amerald, you seem to have at least a small amount of humor to add to that mad side of your brain.
Something almost like a laugh escaped Sera's narrow throat. Slightly shocked that he would even push such a subject when the comment was meant to be taken with a grain of salt left a sour taste in her mouth. So he was finally showing his true colors. Joking or not, Amerald had just stepped on a small nerve Sera had. He's nothing more than a horny man who lacks luck with the ladies. No wonder he had to 'create life'. What woman would be with such a creature?
Ignoring everything he had just said about women, Sera narrowed her eyes and lips. He had annoyed her and already she was fighting back controlling her temper. One wrong move and he might be wearing the face cream.
"Yes. I do agree that you have a point." Not a sound of playful retort in her words as she moved to his idea on life. "But I guess it all depends on how much you go flashing it around. Take it to your own, natural grave and no one will ever come after your head. Spread rumor of it, even for a pretty penny, and some greedy being will likely slit your throat without a second guess or a care in the world. Information. Second only to money and power."
By the time he had finished his 'speech', Amerald had just lit the rest of her fuse.
Inhaling so much that she appeared to puff up, Sera's mouth became a rather thin line. Her head dropped slightly and those big blues turned into ice. You backwards pig...Slowly, something like an animal-like reaction took her slender, sleepless form. "Mr. Laraan, I do not know what you take me for but a request such as that is not only uncalled for but completely overstepping every bound there is. I do not know what led you to believe that I had any interest here other than the cream but I am pleased to inform you that I have no need of that either now." Stepping forward, Sera's left hand quickly shove the box back against Amerald's chest. She wanted nothing to do with this man or his business with a light thud. "Fifty percent off or even free, I would not take it." Withdrawing quickly enough that he could not reach her, she picked up her papers and turned towards the door.
"Find someone else to 'swoon' over in your mornings because you will never see the likes of me again. I am not a woman to be placed on a pedestal and admired. Nor am I a lady willing to give anything of mine to a man who has already proven himself to have hidden knowledge of what he wishes to do with my hair. Good Day Mr. Laraan. May your next customer be male. Maybe then you will get some business."
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:01 am
Amerald was shocked at this woman's actions. She seemed as though she was fine one moment and angry the next. What was up with that? He wasn't completely sure how to take any of it. He didn't mean to come off as 'inappropriate' but maybe he did and just didn't realize it. This woman definitely had a fire in her that he couldn't just throw away.
"No, wait!" he called, standing from his once leaning position and with a burst of energy, jogged towards the door before she had left.
"I-I'm sorry! Can we please talk? I didn't mean to come off that way. I was just poking fun at you. Please, don't be hurt or upset. I didn't mean anything by my jokes." he stated. He was genuinely sorry to an extent. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted some of her DNA. But, how would he explain to her about getting a child from her hair? The idea was already out there, but did he really want to expand on it? Maybe he would end up telling the truth, though, if he did, he had a strong feeling she'd up and leave faster than she did before...thus making it impossible. He hoped she didn't leave however, but he was definitely going to need to choose his words wisely.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:46 pm
Sera was already out the door before her uninvited host's voice called out to her. Rolling her eyes as she gazed around the road, she gave out a sigh seeing several people look her way. Though her hair was blocking her gaze, it was easy to see she was warning him not to come near her form.
"You talk, I'll listen." One hand went onto her hip as she turned completely around. Is it really wise to make a scene outside like this? The thought quickly slipped out of her mind when she realized the other choice left her alone with the man who had just tried to pin her there with a promise to return. Better to have people see me than never lay eyes on me again. The honest truth was that had the cream worked, she would have come back. Why did he have to ask her so much? It wasn't as if she was regular or someone he could see around town.
"You have sixty seconds to explain yourself before I walk away. I have business to attend to and I will not be made late by a man hooked on my hair, Mr. Lanaan." Blue eyes blazed red as she watched him. One wrong move and she would call for help. Still, something inside of her was pondering if this was really called for. The man was about twice her age and raised in a slightly different time. However, after her mother and father, Sera did have a hard time accepting it. "So, please, explain yourself."
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:30 pm
Amerald sighed as he walked outside to join her. He quietly spoke, for he didn't want anyone else to hear. Plus, it was still rather early, so many people may still have been sleeping. "I'm an inventor..." he said softly. It was true, an inventor...a creator of creatures beyond many people's imaginations.
"But please...if you want to learn of my secret dealings...and the real reason I want a strand of your hair, please come inside." he said. He obviously was unsure what he wanted to tell her. Would he tell her the truth, or continue to lie and pretend things were different? Maybe he would make up a complete new lie to add to the pile. Who really knew?
With that, he turned around and walked inside. It was now up to her. Was she all that curious to know what his 'secret dealings' were? Or would she continue on her way to her meeting? The choice would definitely be up to her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:25 pm
An inventor. Now that made a few more light-bulbs go off in Sera's head. So is he creating a wife for himself out of DNA? Blinking her eyes slightly at the thought, Sera brought her free fingers up to her eyes. Rubbing them slightly, she gave a long sigh. Now I am just letting my sleepy mind take control. This isn't some nightmare.
"Alright." Dropping that hand back to the side with a thud, Sera move forward. Maybe she had blown everything out of control. Alchemy was a science that required many things she did not understand. But still...her DNA? Why her of all people? Others had to come into the shop every now and then. Couldn't their DNA be used. As long as it wasn't a clone...
Pushing the door back open behind Amerald, Sera stepped back inside the darker, cooler room. Moving to the side but still without of the crazy man's reach, she leaned against his wall. "You have my attention, Mr. Lanaan. If you want my hair you have to give me a very good reason to hand it over to you. No man touches me without one." Giving him a dark smile as she spoke, her voice snaked around threatening him to lie to her. Sera was going to be kind again but not playful right now. Not until she got her answers.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:15 pm
Amerald smiled. "I really appreciate you hearing me out, Ms. Alexander." he stated. He truly was excited that she hadn't left completely, but he wasn't ready to tell her the complete truth.
"As I stated, I am an inventor. I create things, potions to be exact. Now, what if I could interest you in a very special one of a kind potion unique to only yourself? With a strand of your hair, I could do such a thing. The potion can also be used by mixing other potions together. The reason it is specifically for you, is that your DNA is infused into it. It's part of the recipe. If someone else drank your special potion, they could possibly become ill. It's an experiment I'm doing to test what exactly I can do with science." he stated. He was happy to come up with such a lie on the spot. He didn't act nervous, nor did he even tremor. He was completely ready for anything. The woman could storm out of here completely upset and never come back, or she could allow him a piece of her hair and she could move on with her day.
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