I'm contemplating just writing up the journal response ahead of time and using it to buy the items and stuff so i stop pressuring you. Thoughts?
Scrolls? "Oh yes. I know where those are." Said Raemos simply, watching the exchange between the Dovaa and the Khehora somewhat uneasily. Giving meat to the khehora really did feel like one of those situations... oh, what was that old story... Give a bouken a cookie and it will ask for milk, something like that.
He caught himself staring at the dovaa. While it was obvious that the other boy had eyes and horns and scales - he thought he could see the glimmer of small scales on the other boy's face and hands - he was also very dark colored. Not that Raemos hadn't seen tanning - or sunburn for that matter. Vona had gotten very sunburned that one time, and she'd been dark. So, perhaps this was a sunburned Dovaa? That was better than the alternative - a very dovaa looking oblivionite hybrid. The idea was unsettling. At least he has eyes Raemos thought. The mention of the plane confused him a little though - his Mother had told him that hybrid Dovaa weren't allowed there. So... A very diluted hybrid? Or just a dark Dovaa? Did they have those? Raemos decided it would be rude to ask.
"No." he said, "Not really very hungry..." he replied, biting his lip. This was very difficult, figuring out what would be polite or impolite to ask this boy his age. Raemos was so used to dealing with family, adults, and merchants...
"I'm actually interested in, um... magic." he said, following Lithian, "Whats your clan, if I may ask?" clans, he remembered, were a thing that Dovaa did and it governed their magic and that they could take on any element aside from light and dark. "And... what magic do you want to learn?"
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 5:17 am
Lithian blinked. Pureblood oblivionite, then, he deduced, not a hybrid that was hiding. Or, alternatively, a hybrid who had not inherited a sense of color. Lith had grown so used to people automatically pegging him as peisio without a single question on the matter that it was a novel, of sorts, to have someone not pick up on it. His hair was hard to miss for those who saw the blue.
“Peisio,” he answered. After making a quick exchange with the stall merchant and appeasing Jijikko’s appetite, he smiled. “Most branches of magic interest me, though today I am hoping specifically for some tomes with an aedaun focus. My primary tutor has always emphasized to me the importance of never relying entirely on one path when it comes to anything, healing included. I feel that at least trying to tap into the workings of the other elements must have some benefit…if nothing else it will teach me some respect for mages. Do you…think you could point me in the right direction?” Lithian asked, hesitant. “If it’s not out of your way, that is. Or, perhaps, if any of the things you need are in the same direction, we could walk together…?”
Jijikko licked his chops, swishing his tail eagerly. Finally more or less satiated, for the moment, he took the time to eye the other shops, giddy with curiosity. “I think we should definitely visit as many places as possible. How big is this two-legger city? I want to see all of it!”
Raemos had been worried that the little (little, hah!) Khehora would go bezerk at the meat stand, but apparently things were under control.
"It isn't out of my way." said Raemos, intrigued. Peisio... The clan of water, something always needed in the desert. "We were merely..." he gave Jijikko a smile, a little apprehensive. "...looking around."
He looked around for a moment, orienting himself. The market shifted, but things tended to stay close to each other and in relation to things that went with what they sold - better for business, that way, for everybody involved. Or so his mother had taught him. The Taliuma Market, at least, did this. Not so much Tukyere - that market was a maze of stalls and wares. More like a treasure trove than a market, really.
"That way." he said, nodding to himself. Yes, he was fairly sure the magic items would be there, with materials to craft them as well. "Let us go, then." he looked at Jijikko again, "And see a few more places in the process..." he hesitated, "If you don't mind me accompanying you, of course."
Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 1:48 pm
Lithian blinked, thrown off by the last statement. “No,” he hastened to add. “No, of course not. It’d be a pleasure to have your company. A kindness on your part, really, since I’m the one who hardly knows the way…”
With that, they departed, Raemos leading at the head of their group, Lithian just behind him, and Jijikko trailing along like a kite on a string, swishing to either side in their wake, sniffing out every possible new piece of territory and bounding around at will no matter how many times Rae attempted to convince him to keep in close. Eventually, thanks to Rae’s guidance, they did locate one of the primary enchanting stalls: a massive, shaded tent draped in varying shades of cloth, thick and thin and of all colors, with a mind-boggling variety of wares on display in addition to a good many more behind the seller’s table.
Lithian stared, in awe, eyes hopping from one bundle of trinkets to the next. Vials of all shapes and sizes. Ingredients. Scrolls. Inks. Feathers. Tomes of all shapes, sizes, and ages: thick, thin, pristine, ancient. Some with elegantly etched letters and others in dull print that looked barely strung together. String, ores, jewels, eyeballs.
When he reached out, especially curious of a tiny, glinting metal bird, a scratchy voice croaked at him from behind the counter.
“Careful what you touch there, girl! Break it, buy it. Or suffer an unsightly little present of mine, is my motto.”
Lithian jerked his fingers back, cheeks burning, and he huffed, blowing hair out of his face and then tucking it back with a disgruntled hum. He didn’t bother to correct her. Curious, though, he glanced over towards Raemos, wondering what the other boy had come to buy after all.
At some point in the marketplace adventure, Raemos began to wonder if Jijikko wasn't some sort of mutant super intelligent Kugel with wings. He nearly looked like one, and certainly acted like one of the insatiable beasts, right down to the ignoring orders part. At some point, Raemos just gave up and prayed that the khehora would keep out of serious trouble, as it was clear that he could not be controlled.
Raemos smelled the enchantment stalls before he saw them, a mixture of herbs and paper and something indescribably magical. It was a rich cocktail of scents that woke him from the headache that was brewing as he tried to manage the rampant khehora and find his way at the same time.
He loved the scent of magic, of old tomes and page-hidden power. He loved looking at the strange things that went into the magic, the items that would be transformed from mundane objects into conduits of power.
Gently, he ran a hand over a set of quills, sitting by their seller. They were etched with designs, striking in their contrast.
The shopkeeper roused. "And the same as my colleague..." he said, giving his fellow salesperson a sharp look, "To you boy." the old lady behind the ingredient counter laughed, sharp and painful to Raemos's ears.
"Well sir." Raemos began, setting down the quills gently, "I fully intend to buy." he eyed a series of ink vials nearby, "So I don't think that that will be a problem."
"Oh?"
Raemos studied the quills, picking out two. The inscriptions on them were basic and the material - as he inspected it - was not very expensive. Beginners items he thought, Because I am a beginner.
He did not often act on a whim. And it wasn't precisely a whim. He had been interested in magic for some time, and had read about enchanting in his mother's books. He had even found some enchanted items with her, which she had later sold off to friends at the market.
Making them would be interesting, and would be - he felt - something entirely of his own. He didn't understand why it was so appealing, but it was.
So it wasn't really a whimsical buy... And he'd have to argue that to his father.
"I'll take these." he said confidently, holding up the quills - one blood and one astral, judging by the runes. Both necessary for enchanting for different things. Astral for bolstering, Blood for destruction. As a warrior, he felt he should study both. "And these." he pointed to the vials, "And... a basic primer, if you have it."
The seller held out his hand for the coin and told Raemos the price. Raemos negotiated him down a little, but he knew the man wouldn't budge. He gave him the coin, the metal disks clinking mournfully into the man's palm - Rae only had so much to spend. "That lady over there... she sells books. Might have your primer." said the man with a shrug, wrapping Raemos's purchases in soft cloth.
Raemos thanked him and turned away, looking for Lithian and Jijikko, and hoping the Khehora-Kugel didn't get into too much trouble. He caught Lithian's gaze, and smiled - almost meekly.
"I've wanted to try Enchanting." he explained, walking over towards where the primer books might be. Raemos wasn't sure, but the recommended stall looked to be interesting anyway. Books were always interesting.
Usually interesting.
Interesting... Most of the time.
He paused, turning to Lithian, about to open his mouth to comment on the 'girl' thing. But no, he'd seen enough to be convinced of Lithian's male-ness. He gave Lithian a polite shrug instead and continued on.
"What about you? Anything here catch your eye?"
Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 11:54 am
Quote:
Thanks! It's actually super old art I did, but it's one of the few older pieces of mine that isn't that bad. XD
As Raemos bartered with the apparently more even-tempered of the shop clerks, Lithian browsed, careful not to touch much as he went along, but getting progressively worse at that as he went along. He did want to buy a good bit. Or, so he realized as he browsed. All the spells available! He’d never known there were so many available for learning from outside sources, and each time he flit through a new tome, his interest was peaked afresh.
When Raemos wrapped up his purchase and moved over, inquiring about his own plans for purchase, Lithian nodded. “Oh, yes. There’s so much here…” He turned his head to the man Raemos had been speaking to. “Do you have a shipping service?”
The man blinked. “Pardon?”
“For larger purchases that customers can’t carry out, or wish to have delivered across a great distance,” Lithian said. “Do you have a shipping service to have them transported accordingly?”
“That would cost extra, but yes—”
“Magnificent.” Lithian turned back to the tomes, squinting briefly before waving his hand broadly. “I’d like one copy each of every spell tome on this table, as well as…” He eyed the selection, moving to the next shelf of goods, and began carefully plucking down every title that caught his eye. “This, this, this…” His eyes widened a bit, even as his arms began filling close to beyond their capacity. “Oh, this, and…” He glanced to the section of patterns and recipe books as he laid out the goods he’d gathered on the purchasing counter. “Everything you have for an apprenticing tailor, please, if you would.”
The man stared, briefly, before clearing his throat. “That’s a lot to pay for up front…”
“I can pay in gold,” Lithian said, his tone dismissive even as his eyes flit back around the selection, wondering if there was anything he missed or might like to add in while he was at it. His attention caught on an elaborate, glinting staff, looked to be carved of prime wood and glossed with varnish and etched in magic. Later, perhaps. For now, he could likely barely carry such a thing, let alone wield it properly. Besides, between the spell tomes and recipes, he would have more than enough on his hands to keep his time busy. “Anything I don’t have the coin for immediately, you can charge to the names of Ahtti’sha and Nevhin Bhardvaris. I’ll stamp the purchase note with the family seal, and leave the transfer to you. I am sure my parents would be happy to tip you well for the extra effort, as well as carry the fee for the shipping and additional hassle…” Lithian glanced to the man. “Do you have parchment for me to write the order address on?”
After only a brief, startled pause, Lithian was provided with parchment, and he handled the transaction as promised, scrawling down his residence address on the Celestial Plane in long, looping script, and signing his name. He stamped the Bhardvaris seal with their ink beside his signature and piled a small heap of gleaming gold coin on the table before sparing the elder woman a glance.
“Also, I’m not a girl. Do you have a satchel, perchance, that I might take a few of the tomes with me now?”
The two sellers exchanged a glance before the man notched his head meaningfully and the woman snorted before turning to rummage through something. A moment later, Lithian had his satchel, and happily loaded in the first of the tomes he wanted to work on studying. As he finished, Jijikko tilted his head, eyeing the coin pile intently.
“You could buy a lot of meat with that gold…”
Lithian blinked, almost having forgotten about Jiji before tossing the khehora a wide grin. “That I could. I have a bit more still for food if you wanted. Are you hungry again, or…?” Glancing to Raemos, Lithian flushed. “Where are you headed next? Is this where we part ways? And thank you ever so much for the help, again. It was very nice, making your acquaintance…”
Raemos was about to agree that yes, there was so much here, and perhaps would have commented on how, if he only had the money, he would bring home more than their poor Kargoth was ready to carry, and probably more than he could fit in his home.
And then his new acquaintance proceeded to do just that. Raemos could only stare as the young Dovaa proceeded to buy everything. Everything.
He had thought that he had done well - perhaps impressively so - with his haggling. He had wanted to impress the other boy. Well, not impress him, but make an impression of competence and geniality. Something that a friendship could be based on because Raemos did like the idea of a friend.
But here was his potential friend, who didn't need to barter, who just slapped down a pile of gold and paid in credit like it was nothing at all. Clearly this nice, polite older boy had money. Lots of money. More money than Raemos's family had ever had in his lifetime, or even before he was born if the debt on their ranch was anything to go on. a lot of meat... his thoughts echoed, A lot of money...
Raemos touched his purse. He had... maybe a few coins remaining. Enough to buy him a primer and some cheap, second hand, basic tomes. And then he might be able to buy a few supplies. Might.
He held back a sigh. He was likely to be in trouble after this trip, and could almost hear the lecture now about 'spending frivolously'. But still... He did want those tomes. He found his primer and his second hand tomes and bartered it down to something reasonable that would leave him some coin in his pockets. He packed his purchases carefully away, his sidelong, longing glance unreadable through his tinted lenses, even if he had had eyes to read.
"It was no trouble, Lithian Bhardvaris?" he stumbled over the unfamiliar draconic, "Did I pronounce that right?" he wasn't sure what to do in a situation like this. The other boy was a nice person as far as Raemos could tell, but - though Raemos did want to make friends - he was not feeling enthused about watching the other boy buy things that he could never afford. "I suppose it depends on what you plan on buying next... I need to buy medicines..." Animal medicine was among the things he was supposed to buy, and as were the ingredients for the hangover remedy that his father favored. "And find my mother... But if indeed this is where we part... It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well..." That was what he was supposed to say, right?
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 3:05 pm
Lithian nodded, passively picking up on the fact that Raemos seemed rather less enthused about something than he had a moment before. What it was, however, Lithian couldn’t begin to guess, so he opted for diplomacy and a genuine smile.
“You did,” he said. “You seem to have an ear for language…and bartering.”
Bartering, though he’d heard of it and occasionally seen it in practice, was a fairly foreign concept to Lithian. For starters, he’d never needed to make use of it himself — he rarely purchased anything himself to begin with, and when he did, he hardly needed to barter for it — but additionally, he was fairly sure it was a more common practice on Eowyn than on the Plane in general. In his limited experience, it seemed most shop keepers, at least where his family shopped, stated the price they wanted and trying to suggest they sell for less was an insult to the value of their wares. Here, though, it looked far more common. Expected, even, though Lithian couldn’t begin to understand how to participate. His personality strongly clashed with the concept of trying to argue or insult a seller’s product in order to suggest it was less valuable than the given price.
“In any case, I won’t bother you any longer, but I hope you find what you need and perhaps the gods will see to it that our paths cross again one day.”
With that, they said their final farewells and parted. Lithian, for his part, felt satisfied with his purchases and pleased to have found such a helpful market-goer on a whim of luck. Now all that remained was for him to find his way home…
