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It was already late in the evening but the merchant seemed unfazed by the passing of time. He sat, poised and elegant, watching the world around him. He didn’t seem bored but he sat, fingers laced atop the table; below it, he kept his toe tapping to some silent tune in his head. He was tall, by human standards, though while sitting down he didn’t seem particularly threatening. If you didn’t look at his face.
He had graceful features--sharp and refined. His chin and nose tapered to a point, giving him an air of sophistication, but that, combined with his slitted eyes and pointed teeth, there was something undeniably predatory about him. He watched with a hungry gaze and a mischievous, nearly sinister smile. His ears were pointed and were prominent despite being tucked behind his vibrant, multi-colored hair. The most intrusive feature that indicated there was something not human about him were the curling horns protruding from his temples and the oil-slick black scales that brushed his cheeks and forehead. He was well dressed, in a fashion obviously otherworldly, and seemed to enjoy dressing himself up in glistening gemstones.
His tables were somehow both simple and overwhelming; each table was draped with a dark purple tablecloth, all with extravagant embroidery in different designs. Scattered neatly atop the tables were an array of items that seemed to carry some magical weight to them.
He did not seem intimidated in the slightest and, upon noticing that the barrier surrounding him rippled to allow his visitor to pass, he smiled.
He did not rise to meet them nor adjust his position in the slightest. He followed them with his fierce eyes and greeted, in a silky voice, “Welcome.”
He had graceful features--sharp and refined. His chin and nose tapered to a point, giving him an air of sophistication, but that, combined with his slitted eyes and pointed teeth, there was something undeniably predatory about him. He watched with a hungry gaze and a mischievous, nearly sinister smile. His ears were pointed and were prominent despite being tucked behind his vibrant, multi-colored hair. The most intrusive feature that indicated there was something not human about him were the curling horns protruding from his temples and the oil-slick black scales that brushed his cheeks and forehead. He was well dressed, in a fashion obviously otherworldly, and seemed to enjoy dressing himself up in glistening gemstones.
His tables were somehow both simple and overwhelming; each table was draped with a dark purple tablecloth, all with extravagant embroidery in different designs. Scattered neatly atop the tables were an array of items that seemed to carry some magical weight to them.
He did not seem intimidated in the slightest and, upon noticing that the barrier surrounding him rippled to allow his visitor to pass, he smiled.
He did not rise to meet them nor adjust his position in the slightest. He followed them with his fierce eyes and greeted, in a silky voice, “Welcome.”
Paracelsian had a feeling from the start that these wisps weren't goodies to be collected. Things that behaved like this had to go somewhere. He'd kept track of where that impact from a few nights ago had come from, and this seemed to be the place. Sure enough, there was that weird "wanted" sign in front of the supposed landing zone with an illustration that matched the wisp he found, and when he stepped past it, there was a slightly familiar face.
He squinted at the merchant at his table, but tried not to sound too accusatory in his greeting. "Hello again," he said. The merchant was every bit as odd and yet oddly compelling as before, and he put two and two together to determine his purpose. "I take it you're looking for something like this, and you'll exchange it for just about anything you have there?" he asked, pulling the Wisp out of subspace and clutching it maybe just a bit tighter than was necessary.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Nambulite was dropping by to investigate the Captain-rank aura that he could feel but not see. The sign by the space caught his attention, as it requested the wisp that he had gotten thoroughly soaked when capturing. He took a few steps forward, and suddenly several things came into view: a stylish man, a table full of knickknacks, and his Captain. "Hey, Boss!" he called out to Paracelsian, hailing him before coming right up behind him. His attention then shifted to the merchant and his wares. "Well, well, well, who might you be? You've definitely got good taste, whoever you are."
Nambulite's magpie eyes were already scanning the treasures on the table, and the sight of so many rare things on a table at once were making his heart go pit-a-pat. It was a shame that there would be too many things to carry, or he'd take all of them.
The Space Cauldron
