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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:43 pm
Yes, that's right. It was orange the last time. The petite woman had said it was alive, but he couldn't shake the impression it had been some kind of decoration for All Hallows Eve. That probably meant everything else about it was real as well. Oh dear....
"Dress like what?" Bauta blinked in confusion, looking down at his clothes. Was there something amiss with his jacket? Was his hat askew? He brushed non-existant dust from his front. No, everything was in its place, just as it should be. How very odd. The harpy answered the question the only way left to him. "No, I do have an extensive wardrobe. It would be a bit improper to wear the same clothes each day, one must exercise proper care in laundering them."
Chivalry, dead? His father would have been scandalized at the very thought. The statement made the dark skinned man blink in confusion a second time in less than thirty seconds. What a very complex young woman! "Of course not, Miss. Chivalry lives on in the heart of every gentleman."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:21 pm
That was a pretty memorable discussion. Wasn't Bauta also the one who thought the Raevans present at the party were all some sort of elaborate Halloween decorations? Poor guy, he must have been feeling terribly out of the loop.
...wardrobe... what? How out of the loop was this guy? He didn't even seem to be able to catch on to common modern slang. "I didn't mean like that..." Mouse started, trying to clarify, but decided it would probably be best to drop the subject entirely and trailed off there. It wouldn't have been very nice to explain that she had thought his wardrobe was a part of his costume and was a bit surprised that such a style of dress was what he wore every day.
The girl is momentarily unsure whether Bauta is being sincere with his Knights of Camelot remark about chivalry, and she is once again at a loss for a response. For a moment she just... looks at him with a curious little smirk, as if he's expecting him to explain himself further or keep on waxing poetic. "You can't be serious," she finally replied. The sneaking feeling that he was had a harder time being shaken off.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:00 pm
"Of course I am serious, Miss. I would never lie to a lady." The dark skinned man smiled, his face genuine. There was nothing insincere about treating a woman with the honor they deserved, it was the duty of every gentleman. He would never have expected anything less of himself.
"I am pleased to see you again, Miss Mouse. I have not seen you at the market before, is this your first time?" Strange that he had not seen her before, she seemed the kind of woman who would have caught his attention. The market was always a popular place, but he was sure some of Durem's residents frequented the "supermarkets" or whatever they were instead of buying from the farmers themselves, or the multitude of small speciality shops. What a horrible thought.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:43 pm
"Really," the girl grins, encouraging Fredmitri to climb back up on her shoulder so she can cross her arms. So he was being sincere... what do you know, a genuine gentleman. "Well, then you better be careful, since that won't stop a girl from lying to you."
Mouse chuckled a bit at his next question. "Yeah, you caught me. This is my first time in Durem." Strange that she would run into someone she had never seen since a five-minute conversation in October all the way up here. "I don't even know where anything is, or even if I'm really looking for anything." The whole 'being short' thing made that part of being in such a place a mite difficult, but she wasn't about to admit it. It was the market's fault for being poorly organized! At least supermarkets usually had nice, readable signs hanging from the ceiling that told you where to find what you wanted.
Along with subzero air conditioning, giant hazardous displays of canned goods, small children that would almost always be crying at something, people at the checkout line buying half the store when she was just picking up some ice cream and batteries, creepy individuals giving out samples, bulk items being kept on higher shelves...
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:19 pm
"First time in the city itself? Well, let me be the first to welcome you, Miss Mouse. We're an older city, but not without our charms." he said, voice low but carrying through the crowd. It was deep, a testiment to his size, but warm as aged oak.
"This is our market, it is much more convenient than those overly larged stores with the unhealthy canned goods. Everything here is fresh and worth the trip, and many of the local craftsmen sell their homemade wares along the fringes. You can buy almost any local good here."
Hmmm...first time ever in the city and now lost in the chaos and bustle of the market. It could be a bit overwhelming for those who were new. "Would you perhaps like a guide, Miss? I would be happy to help you around the market."
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:43 pm
Talking about the charms of the city was pointing out the obvious as far as Mouse was concerned. "I noticed, it looks a lot more livable than the city I grew up in," she's quick to reply. "For one, I can breathe without worrying about getting cancer." Next to Bauta, her voice was... well, it's always like a tightly coiled copper spring, but the contrast made it a bit more noticeable.
She took in the taller man's information appreciatively, nodding slowly while turning in place in order to try and take a look around. When crowds of people weren't getting in her line of sight, she was able to see what he was talking about, taking note of various stands selling the myriad of things that Bauta appeared to be so fond of. Lots of fresh food, and some of them were interestingly specialized... there were enough places to go that she wasn't sure where to start.
"You think you have the time for that?" Mouse adjusts her glasses and ruffles her hair, looking sidelong up at the harpy. This didn't seem the place to take a casual sightseeing stroll. Then again, he didn't look too terribly busy, and she liked the idea of having someone around to show her where all the good stuff was. "Well, okay. Sure."
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:31 pm
"Of course, Miss." the hapy said, inclining his head towards her slightly. Her concern was quite touching. What an odd, yet facinating young woman. With her fashions should could have seemed out of place anywhere, yet she seamlessly merged with the crowds around her. Unafraid of her surroundings. What an enviable trait.
"My store is closed on the weekend and it is a lovely day for a stroll. I would be happy to help. I was born in Durem and have lived here all of my life. It would be an honor to show you a few of its treasures." He offered an arm to his new companion for the day.
"Where shall we start, Miss?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:14 pm
"You have a store?" A few seconds of thought into the question, and it was surprisingly easy to picture this man behind the counter of a small shop of some kind. What would a anachronistic harpy sell at his store then, cravats? Fancy hats? Tiny little porcelain figurines that have no purpose besides collecting dust, yet somehow are always decent gifts when you can't think of anything else?
His voice and manner of speech probably made him into quite an effective salesman, fancy words could add untold value to just about anything...
The proffered arm is looked at with the bit of confusion Mouse was slowly coming to expect whenever Bauta started saying or doing something that had drifted outside of the social norm literal decades ago. She was about to respond to it with something along the lines of 'I only do that on the third date or with close friends', but she quickly remembered how proud he was of his chivalry and decided that she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
So, accepting the offered arm, she said, "Alright, lead the way."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:47 pm
He smiled warmly, a slow gesture as sweet as warm melted chocolate. As much as he tried to live a pious, humble life, it was impossible not to have some pride in his shop. It was a family legacy, entrusted to his care. An honor and a responsibility he took most seriously.
"Yes, a small mask shop a few streets over. Venetian and carnival styles, though I can make most anything requested." Bauta said, unable to keep that touch of pride from his voice.
"But now, the market. It is over one hundred and fifty years old, I hear, though most of the buildings are older still. The farmers bring their goods from all over, and you are promised the best, freshest of everything. Is there anything in particular you are searching for, miss?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:55 pm
A mask shop. So he was a... mask-maker. That was pretty interesting. "An artisan, huh? You don' t see very many of those anymore. I'll have to stop by and take a look around sometime." Not that she could think of any reasons to own a mask at any time of year besides Halloween, but it would be a welcome change to see some that weren't made out of cheap plastic and rubber.
"I didn't even know this place existed, so I'm not really looking for anything," Mouse said, somehow managing to curl her arm around Bauta's own enough for her to rub her cheek in thought (he had relinquished his rights to his personal space the very moment he offered it). "I mean, I already have plenty of unhealthy canned goods at home, and it's not like I'm always going to go out of my way to the next town over just so I can get some food."
Some food for now might be a good idea, though. She had planned to find a nice restaurant or something to eat at while visiting here, and now she was getting pretty hungry. If any generic snack stands showed up in this fancy place, she would be making a quick beeline towards them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:38 pm
"Yes, it is a dying trade, unfortunatly, though Durem seems a home to those of us who refuse to give up our craft. I think tradition roots us, we will be around for many years yet." He smiled, thinking of his dedicated neighbors with stores just as old as his, and the new additions to the neighborhood bringing energy and new talent to the street.
"It would be an honor to have you visit my store, Miss." Bauta said, preening almost imperceptibly as he led her past the market stalls. The scent of fresh baked breads and spiced rolls mixed sweetly with the roasting nuts of the stand beside it. A bit further on, a vender offered mounds of silk ribbons and long bolts of cloth, all locally made. The harpy nodded his head to each as they passed, familiar figures after all these years.
"Perhaps a trip to the market would be just the thing, Miss. Much better than canned, I assure you. You wouldn't mind a bite to eat, would you?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:17 pm
Things were fairly calm and normal as Mouse was led through the market and given a glimpse of what it had to offer-- well, as normal as it could get when she was a green-haired girl being used as a napping perch by a mollusk-cat and her guide being a tall-dark-and-handsome winged man whose choice of fashion was over two hundred years out of style. And that was the level of normalcy that the girl had grown used to, so it didn't cause her much distress at all.
Passing so closely by so many food stands was making her hunger all the more aggressive, too. Everything in this place smelled so good that it was practically making her weak in the knees (compared to supermarkets, which usually smelled like cardboard and air conditioning). "Well, I am getting kind of..."
A chance turning of her head in the right direction made her notice an absolute miracle. There, among the fringes of more refined salespeople and products with greater quality, was a tiny row of fast food stands. Mouse could only assume that they were put there because this was a good place to market to spoiled rich kids and tourists. Thankfully, she was the latter.
"Hey, let's go get some nachos!" Before Bauta could have a chance to protest, she was already weaving past the droves of other shoppers over to the Promised Stands, which reeked of salt and grease.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:19 pm
Naaa....chooos? That sounded a wee bit nefarious. Was it some kind of foreign insect? He had heard some people liked to eat fried ants and other frightening things. Oh dear, oh dear. He wished he could ask, but he didn't want to sound so simple.
"Ah...yes...nachos. Lovely idea." he murmured, letting himself be pulled towards the venders. This did not bode well.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:55 pm
Mouse had never eaten an insect before, whether it was foreign, local, fried or still squirming. In any case, she didn't even suspect that Bauta was having paranoid thoughts about the area she was leading him to, and continued her blissfully oblivious task of dragging him over. The crowd soon thinned to straggling little lines and clusters around the vendors selling junk food.
She didn't even give him the chance to be a gentleman and offer to pay for them-- one advantage of being below average in size was that it was easy to squirm her way through a crowd. It was only a few short moments before she was holding out a paper tray of hot nachos to the nervous harpy, expecting him to take it before getting some for herself.
"Be careful with those, they're a bit messy."
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:26 pm
The harpy looked at the greasy cheese mess, one skeptical eyebrow raised. What was this thing? Messy seemed to be an understatement, the entire thing looked as if it were drowning in molten cheese.
He stripped off his gloves, folding them delicately into one coat pocket, watching his cheesy nemesis warily. How best to attack this dish? Better make a decision soon, he didn't want to give the wrong impression to his companion. Oh dear...this could spell disaster.
Mottled wings fluttered his minor distress as he reached into the plate, extracting one oozing chip, carefully keeping the cheese from dripping on his impeccable clothes. He crunched...and paused. "These....these are fantastic!"
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