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For the third time in as many seconds her heels sank into the grass, continuing her night of annoyance and frustration. It was hard not to wobble when every step quite literally wanted to throw you backwards as your own foot tried to twist under you. So no, she didn’t return the greeting she got as she practically stomped into the merchant’s ‘bubble’. She should have. She could have if she wasn’t holding a nasty bag that held those gross fruits that he wanted. Maybe if she had thought that putting a smile on and a sashay into her step that she would have gotten more for her little ‘delivery’ she would have. But silver eyes quickly took in the figure that was sitting there behind his table. A, not ugly, figure of a male, he was just strange looking in her eyes. Strengite knew that he was observing her, deciding her worth, or at least the worth of what she brought.

Rather than trying to flirt with him, instead she took a moment to compose herself. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t have seen her coming anyway. Besides she was the one that was holding what he was looking for, not the other way around. After taking a deep breath she approached the man and his table, walking on the balls of her feet so she didn’t sink into the ground any further than she already was. “I have heard that you are looking for something rather specific and I believe I might have what you're looking for.” If she was wrong then these little pods were going right in the trash, although she did have to admit their acidic nature did make her wonder just how much damage they could do when used for less than savory reasons.

((If it matters, this rp occurs just after this solo ^-^ where she gathers the 'fruit'))

Strengite eyed the boxes of shoes, as tempting as it was to switch out her footwear it would do her no good in the long run. Heels were part of her uniform. Honestly she was quite jealous of those who got to stomp around in combat boots… even if she loved what heels did for her legs and a**. “Certainly,” She said with a professional smile as she pulled out two red bundles from the plastic bag.

“I was quite specific in my selection of these fruits, as you called them. I selected only the best and in order not to damage them I even wrapped them in the 100% cotton gloves they were picked with.” She had no clue what the fiber content of her gloves were but it sounded better than saying that the fruit started to eat away at her gloves so she just tied them up so she didn’t have to handle them with her bare skin. “I will admit that there were quite a few specimens that fit some of the criteria you mentioned in your request so I was quite picky and chose only the best of the best.” She grabbed the first ones that fit everything his note mentioned. She hadn’t wanted to stick around forever nor did she like the looks of the damn things. They were gross, no other way to describe them. “So I’m sure you will be quite pleased with my selection.” With that Strengite opened the red wrapped bundles to reveal two strange pods that she had plucked off of the old tree in the city.

“Thank you,” Strengite said even as she eyed the box that the merchant pulled out. She was quite curious as to what he considered a handsome reward. The shoes he had pulled out earlier were nice but considering just how nasty those little fruits were she wasn’t entirely sure if shoes would be worth it. However, when the box flipped open she definitely changed her demeanor. When he had said he wanted to drape her in jewelry he actually meant it apparently. There were quite a few ‘shinies’ in that little box.

The woman edged closer to the table, a finger nudging a few pieces in the box. “You have quite some taste. It's quite remarkable really.” Her untrained, and yet discerning, eye spotted several recognizable brand names. Many a fascinating stone, with nary a costume piece in sight that she could tell. Just one of those larger pieces could pay her bills for months. The big question though was just how many she could trade for? Was it possible to just claim the whole box as her reward?

It was while she was eyeing the jewelry that something odd stuck out at her. Attached to a large pale-blue necklace was a purple and white ribbon. It stood out really for how abnormal it was. A painted nail helped nudge some of the necklace chain away to reveal a golden heart attached to the ribbon. The golden profile of man was on a purple background. She knew exactly what it was, having seen one decades ago. Curious, Strentite flicked the little medal over only to narrow her eyes slightly in surprise. She recognized the name etched on the back, in fact it was her grandfather’s name… This meant this little Purple Heart medal was the one he received ages ago after being removed from service because of his injuries. She thought it had been lost in the house fire, along with much of military memorabilia her grandpa had collected over the years of his service. Now she had a choice. Choose a piece of lost history and memories or choose something she could sell.

“I do believe a bargain can be struck. The question is, just how much are you offering?” And how much could she get away with? She didn’t know this alien figure, so she didn’t know what he was capable of… didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try to get as much as she could out of him. It just meant she would have to be more cautious going about it.

“Fair enough,” She wasn’t about to look a gifted horse in the mouth even if she wouldn’t mind trading the Aquamarine for a more expensive stone. Its size alone would make it worth the trade, if it was real of course. It looked real, had the right heft and everything, so she was betting that the merchant either had no idea what he had or didn’t care all that much. Considering his comment regarding financial improvement… she figured it was the second one rather than the first one. Especially since he didn’t seem to be overly concerned with the deal he offered.

Strengite slipped the necklace into a pocket after detangling the medal from it. “Just so you know, this is called a Purple Heart medal. They are presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military.” She flipped it over to show the merchant the embossed ‘For Military Merit’ and right below it a faded name engraved, one she mostly covered with a finger because… well it wouldn’t take a genius to connect the name to her. “Typically frowned upon to sell these since its bad form, but when one is found it's always best to return it to a surviving family so for that I thank you. Another piece of information for free,” She was feeling generous and besides it wasn’t info that couldn’t be found with a quick google search, “if you ever are offered a Medal of Honor, turn it down. It is a federal crime. Wouldn’t want my favorite merchant getting in trouble, now would we?” She smiled at him before pocketing the purple medal as well.

“If I am able to select more fruits that meet your criteria would you be interested?” As much as she detested, and she meant detested, dealing with those nasty little things, it would be worth it if she was able to pocket more jems from trading them.

Was she concerned? Acting nice? Being kind?

Honestly?

Maybe.

She had come to his table grumpy and feeling more than a little petty. Ready to drop off the nasty little fruits and receive her payment, instead he had been overly nice. Not only taking note of how his current location sucked on heels but also offering her both the gems and the medal. Granted most good merchants were generally nice and she might have been able to get away with two pieces of jewelry rather than the one she had. Then again he had apparently found, or at least collected, a piece of her history.

Eh, just mentally call it even and let it go or she would spend all night trying to figure out if she was going soft or not. She was not going soft. Not if any of her plans currently in motion were any indication.

“I might just take you up on that offer, in better footwear of course.” Strengite joked. “But first I’ll see if there are any further fruits worth gathering for you” She was not about to pass up a further payday just because the things were nasty, that and she wanted to see just how much the large aquamarine was worth. A bit of gem research would do her well since it could assist in picking the best jewelry piece for the price.

With that she gave her good-byes and headed on her way. She had a jewel to research and a pawnshop to visit… as well as a medal to clean and find a small case for. It was the least she could do for the man who raised her.