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 Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:59 pm
Mikaril cocked his head at Valin's sudden outburst. "Huh? Dead? Who?" He watched with a mixture of horror and amusement as Valin broke the door of the ramshackle shop down instead of merely walking out through the hole she had created. She didn't even seem to notice that in her scramble she had torn her dress. Whatever was in this shop that she apparently knew, it was obvious enough that she didn't want to remember.
He looked questioningly at her, letting her compose herself as she spoke of merely 'getting a momento'. He eyed the deeper shadows and surrounding buildings nervously, dagger still at the ready. He hadn't seen what she had, and it made him nervous knowing there was something out there that eluded him and was dangerous enough to frighten a female with as much power as Valin.
He looked at Valin once more, a tiny hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. "That's right; we were looking for possible stolen wares. To find your great sword." He still had a bit of trouble keeping the sarcasm out of his voice whenever he added an adjective to the sword. He expected Valin to salvage her pride and march haughtily away and toward the marketplace, but when she continued to stand there, Mikaril shrugged and began to walk back in the direction of the marketplace, loking back every few paces to make sure Valin was following him. He knew that beings in a daze got lost easily, and she had seemed pretty shaken up.
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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:00 pm
Valin nodded, looking with a hard gaze at Mikaril before she began to follow him, "I do not care what value the sword holds for you, but if you continue to insult what it means to me you shall find yourself wandering the market place without your great cloak and armor."
With that to hopefully let him compare how important and not to be scoffed at the sword was she followed closely behind him. All of her panic and the questions that whirred around in her head about what she had seen were shoved forcefully to the back of her mind, giving her an almost instant headache. Her doe-eyes furrowing slightly into a frown, she focused her attention on her surroundings.
Even sending all of her energy into looking at the shops and not losing sight of Mikaril, her mist still partially entwined in his cape, she couldn't help but let her gaze wander into the crowd. "He is dead," she muttered feircly to herself, tearing her eyes away from the shadows of people for the third time, "And he was not my father."
There was no way; her mother had said she did not know him and her mother did not lie. At least... No, she couldn't doubt her, any one else she could doubt to the deepest pits of the earth but her mother was one who did not lie.
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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:17 pm
Hearing Valin's disgruntled words, Mikaril couldn't hold back a genuine laugh. "Nothing great about my armor; it's just pretty, and the cloak......well, you DID make such a to-do about it when you squashed me into the shoreline. I'll tell you what, lay off the cloak, and I'll lay off your sword. After all, I do know a thing or two about items with.....sentimental value." He neglected to mention that he only had two such items and the rest were items he stole simply because of said value.
He walked out into the busy crowds once more, his eyes darting back and forth from shop to shop and booth to booth, looking for any sign of sinister undertones. He spotted a vendor selling miscellanious trinkets from a covered tent, peering at passersby with red eyes, the rest of his face covered by scarves. That set off two signals in Mikaril's mind: having a tent could indicate that there was merchandise that the merchant kept for the more......persuasive customers, and speaking from personal experience, anyone who hid any part of their head like that surely had something to hide.
He gestured to Valin and pointed the merchant out, staying at a far enough distance so that if the drow looked their way, it wouldn't look like they were casing his area. He told Valin his reasons for trying, and looked at her seriously when he finished. "Shall we try him? Also, these people are edgy and mistrusting by nature; anything out of place might startle them or make them get defensive. What say you to having me pretend to be your bodyguard? It wouldn't seem as fishy as a male with a female tagging along."
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 11:34 am
"Agreed," she said, though she refused to draw her mists from the cape. She would not humiliate him without due cause, it was only to keep track of him in case he tried to run, though she was beginning to doubt that he would do so. Still, she could take no chances with her current find; he was the best lead she had caught in a while. And if she learned enough of how to figure out who might have her sword, or have sold her sword, from the Marketplace then she would no longer have need of him then he and his cape would be free.
Another thought nagged at her, but you wouldn't be-he's still out there, and she had to quickly shake her head to shove it out of her mind. She wasn't even sure if it was indeed him she had seen. And there was only the rest of the day to learn all she could about finding theif shops in the marketplace before she would have to release Mikaril; she wasn't going to waste time being distracted by someone who might or might not be dead or alive. Besides, she let out a calming breath, if he does show up again I can take him... Maybe I might learn something...
She brushed the idea away with more ease and turned her attention back to Mikaril as he steered away from a shop and then pointed it out, telling her about the possibility that it was a theif merchant's. "Al right," she complied, "But if things start to turn sour I will show them why I do not need a bodyguard and how I get information from people."
With a nod to herself, and partially to the male Drow, she turned and strode over to the shop, pausing when she got there to let her doe-eyes grow big and innocent as she playfully inspected the wares that were out in the open.
She pretended to ignore both Mikaril's and the merchant's presence as she looked at the trinkets in the same manner she had observed so many spoiled and vain females doing in other areas of the marketplace. "This one is pretty," she said, pointing to a small figurine of the spider queen, "But it needs to be bigger..." Turning her innocent and unsuspecting eyes to the merchant, she asked, "Are there any more that might be bigger?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:19 pm
He grumbled a bit as he felt the slight weight settle on his cloak again; so much for mutual trust. Hell, who was he kidding? This WAS a world of drow. Supressing a chuckle, he shifted his cloak slightly so that his dagger was half-revealed, so that his position would be plain. Pretending to look indifferent, he followed close behind Valin, hoping that she wouldn't have any need to 'show them why she didn't need a bodyguard'. He believed that normality and inconspicuousness were their greatest covers; if she did anything rash, word would quickly spread to the other black market merchants that there was a dangerous female and male traveling about seeking them out, and that would pretty much kill any chances they had of finding her magical sword. It was always delicate work dealing with these sorts; show any signs they didn't like and they would drop you like a hot stone with little loss to them; there were, as the humans put it, plenty of other fish in the sea.
His eyes hovered over the spread of trinkets, trying not to let his eyes linger on anything; a bit hard, since there was enough diversity to hold his interest, and he managed with some difficulty to keep his fingers still. He heard Valin addressing the merchant and shifted his gaze over to the pair, looking poised and ready for action like a bodyguard should look.
He watched as the merchant seemed to size Valin up, looking for any signs of treachery. Apparently finding none, he spoke in a gravelly voice, "We do have larger, for those seeking to honor the Spider Queen, and many more items that might interest the same....." Casting a narrowed gaze at Mikaril, the merchant rose carefully and walked over to the tent, lifting a flap and beckoning to Valin.
((Are you wanting her to find the sword in this one?))
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:27 am
(She's not going to find the sword for a looong time, it's, like, her eternal quest 8D
*So cruel to her pets*) Valin smiled and followed the merchant, her doe eyes betraying none of the threat her voice was tempted to unleash on the man. Once they had entered the inside of the tent she began to look around in as best she could manage of an 'awe' face. A hum began to build in her throat, quiet, undisguised as a bored little tune. She had discovered there were few who knew of anyone who could use their voice to project their spells in song.
A few strands of her mists coiled softly around her wrists, the rest hidden underneath her skirt for now so as to not draw the attention of the merchant and to be ready in case she had need of it. It was a little difficult to keep it confined to one space and it gave her dress an eerie outspread and floating look at times, but other than that it remained hidden, calm and swirling softly.
"Many idols," she said, her eyes shining once more in her vain female act, "How large do you have?" She fingered her belt, her hand itching to stroke the sheath to her sword but instead moving in the opposite direction as if to a money pouch, her hopes to entice the man into showing her more than what she had asked for. Of course, she had not a coin to her person, but he didn't know that.
As she had excommunicated herself from her House with her mother she had little means to acquire funds other than to earn them. Mainly out of city jobs that gave her enough to buy food with; or there was always the poor soul who tried to buy himself freedom from Valin's mists. She had always continued until they revealed what little information they had before throwing their coins back at them. But there were always some who ran away without retreiving their money, and so it fell again to Valin's hands. She did not like how similiar it seemed to stealing, but she brushed the thought off with the reasoning that they never came back afterwardsand it was better off in her hands than gathering grime on the ground.
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:28 pm
Mikaril followed Valin inside the tent, retaining his seeming disinterest. He really hoped that Valin wouldn't do anything foolish or something that would give away their position. In his opinion she was entirely too free with her freaky mist powers, and he hadn't had much time to brief her on ways to learn what you wanted to know. He felt like he was walking around with a temperamental scorpion on a leash.
The merchant gestured further to the back of the tent, where a half dozen idols almost the size of small children lurked in the shadows like imps, and Mikaril shuddered at the thought of one of those sitting in his room and staring at him as he slept. The merchant gestured to the idols with a shriveled hand. "Do these suit the lady?"
Mikaril bit back a sigh of impatience. He didn't care for the stifling atmosphere of tents, and he didn't think this particular merchant had what they were looking for. Quite the opposite; he was feeling more and more antsy the longer he was in the merchant's company. He wanted to follow his hunch, but unfortunately, thanks to the antics of a certain untrusting female, he couldn't follow a child for 6 feet without slowing up.
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:57 pm
"Hmmm," Valin said, musing to herself, "I don't suppose you have anything more...?" She sighed, her eyes sweeping the store quickly to find that not only were there no swords, but there were no weapons within the tent period. "I'm sorry, I'm looking for something with a little more... Edge..." she said, her look of disappointment not as forced as her previous expressions had been.
She turned to leave, arching a questioning brow at Mikaril that could have been mistaken for a command to go. Experience at this sort of thing she might not have, but she was willing to learn all she could in as little time as possible so that she could terrorize the shops on her own without the need of Mikaril's 'assistance'. If it could have been helped that she could learn on her own she would have, but she knew theivery to be a dangerous and deadly business, so she decided not to leave the experience to chance.
Awaiting Mikaril's approval or disapproval of the shop, she let her eyes cast about more casually. A thin dagger, the first and only weapon she could see, caught her gaze and she found herself wandering over to it, noting that she was supposed to be looking at idols and averting her direction to a rather lude looking figurine on the shelf next to the dagger. It was almost similiar to the dagger used to kill Tarien, but all she could see was the hilt. She couldn't tell if it was real or ornamental from her current standpoint and she was unsure of how to shift it without drawing attention to what she was really looking at.
A somewhat curious and frustrated gaze went back to Mikaril, her mists roiling a little more energetically than before to billow her dress about in the absence of wind. She wasn't sure what she should do next.
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:02 pm
Mikaril's eyes widened and he tried to give her the most miniscule shake of his head at her inquiring glance in his direction. He was almost quite certain now that this wasn't it, and lingering there any longer would waste their time and give teh merchant more time to discover that it wasn't idols they were looking for at all.
And sure enough, he saw Valin move toward a dagger, the only one he had seen in the shop. That was one thing that made him think it wasn't here; a place having only one weapon usually didn't keep it; the fact that it was the only one the merchant was selling tended to make one think that there was something special about it, and that was usually incentive enough to take a chance and buy it.
He did notice, to her credit, that she was trying to make it seem as though she was not looking at the dagger at all. He decided that in a situation like this, he might actually be of some assistance. He walked over with a look of interest on his face, and he slowly and deliberately picked up the dagger. As he expected, the merchant appeared behind the counter like magic, rubbing his hands together with a sound that reminded Mikaril of someone flipping through a dusty old book. "Your escort has a good eye, Lady. A fine dagger indeed, and the crown jewel of my collection here in the tent. It is said that-"
Mikaril let the merchant ramble on, not worrying about the rest of the intricate yarn that was probably less than half true anyway. If the dagger was the best he had, no sword would be found here. He wanted to leave now and try another booth, but being a mere escort, he couldn't take the lead. That would have to be up to Valin.
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:15 pm
The hilt was similiar alright, but the blade was different. Her eyes merely had to pass in a glance as if to see what her bodyguard had found for her to see that it was not the same. Dispite the fact that they had found nothing, not that she was expecting to on the first try, she felt as if she had learned something from the trial.
"I'm sorry, but we must continue," she smiled innocently at the merchant and stepped out of the tent. Abrupt as her exit may have been, she figured if Mikaril had stayed with her so far he would probably be quick to follow her out of the tent. This did not mean she lifted her mists from his cowl, but she did move quickly out of sight of the shop and paused to get her bearings, looking for Mikaril to spy the next shop.
She arched her brow again in its questioning way, as if to silently ask, 'how was that?'. It had seemed rough to her, and she was the inexperienced one, but overall she thought she had done pretty well for herself. But Mikaril was still the expert so his critism would prove useful to her and she would take it to heart.
She wrapped her mists closer to her, trying to edge away from all of the people a little more without seeming afraid of them. Her uneasiness had quelled a little the longer they had been there. Still she was wanting to leave, though she knew she couldn't, at least, not yet.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:18 pm
Mikaril kept a snort of laughter down at their abrupt departure. He wondered if the merchant had dropped his jaw or was indignant that his colorful and well-rehearsed story about the dagger had been so rudely shoved aside. Probably, but at least that particular gesture had more than likely done the trick in convincing the merchant that they were nothing but a snobby female and her silent but deadly escort.
He nodded slightly. "I admit you seemed to be blowing it at first, but I think that last bit did the trick. You undoubtedly made him think that you're just a hard to please noble who doesn't waste time. Keep doing that when we know it isn't there and it will help. But in case they maintain contact with each other, vary the way you say it; too mechanical-sounding and they'll suspect something. Remember, whether we're sending messages or not, they detect messages EVERYWHERE."
He pointed down one of the market streets. "Let's try another place; how about a shop that specializes in weaponry? And one that has more....vintage weapons. Just how old is this sword of yours anyway?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:35 pm
"Al right, I'll get the hang of this yet!" she muttered to herself, trying to maintain her look of spoiled dignity, "Messages everywhere... Got it..." This wasn't proving as difficult as she thought it would be. Of course, it helped that she wasn't figuring it out on her own. It sounded as if she messed up in only one shop she would lose her chance at all of them, which she wasn't going to let happen. Her top priority was to find her sword, no matter what decided to oppose her will to do so, even if it was the whole marketplace turning against her.
"It's generations old," she replied, "Passed down through my family for years and years and years. It holds our very name within its metal and is the object which proves the next heir to the House's Matronage worthiness. House Piranor is a warrior House, or was, until the sword was stolen and I chose the path of the mage from the incident." She shook her head; she didn't need to explain that much, not to this theif. A sigh parted her lips and she began to walk down the street Mikaril had indicated.
"The jist of it is that I need that sword to avenge my mother's death and I will let nothing stop me from retreiving it," she said, holding her head high and staring ahead with blazing eyes. They slipped sideways once to shed their anger towards Mikaril, "You can help me or you can oppose me, that is your choice at the moment." Then her dead-filled gaze returned forward and masked itself in pride and an arrogant snobbish slant, her ploy as a rich and female costumer returning to flaunt her through the street.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:33 pm
Mikaril nodded at the description of the sword, then his forehead crinkled with worry as he spoke as much to himself as to her. "Hopefully they wouldn't try and scrape off the name, unless you were speaking more figuratively about having your name within its metal. There might be wards on it to prevent such a thing, if it were possible...." He knew he was rambling, but he didn't really care at the moment.
Mikaril blinked in surprise as he suddenly found himself prey to Valin's anger. He felt a matching anger rise inside of him as a result; he was helping her, giving her advice on how to look for her moldy old sword, and here she was berating him as though he had a damned choice with her and her mist covering him and weighing him down like the cheap shot it was. Typical female; throwing out threats when they weren't needed to make herself seem more in control.
He slipped his own eyes sideways and did nothing to hide the anger simmering in them. "I've helped you already, haven't I? Have I wronged you somehow in a past life that you should threaten me like I'm some beast who constantly flees from you? You aren't exactly making me want to continue helping you, you know." He didn't go so far as to mention that he could have given no advice to her at the last shop and let her become a person of suspicion to the thieves' market; apparently she didn't need anything to make her more paranoid.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:03 pm
Valin shook her head, "It is figurative; that sword is a symbol of our name, and it is very important to us, enough so to die for. At least, it is to me." She shook her head again and kept walking, though slowly as she didn;t know what it was she was looking for exactly.
Valin held in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "No," she replied, her eyes calming somewhat, "You have only tried to help, unwilling as it may be. I am sorry." Her mother's teachings were the only things she had left from before the sword was stolen, and she would follow them to the end in order to reclaim the sword with her mother's pride.
Though she had spared no thoughts for anything other than despise towards the theif, he had indeed helped her, and farther than she had asked him to. It pained her to admit it, but he wasn't exactly the bloodthirsty type of vagabond she had seen so often in her memories of her mother's death. She judged him currently as the sole exclusion to that veiw of theives she held maliciously as if she could crush it in her hands.
"After this shop you may go; I will hold you no more as an object of information," she said, adding to herself, which means I need to get this one right. She was no where near aware as to how he could have exposed her, though if she did know she would be a confusing mixture of the unfamiliar emotion of gratefulness, and the all too familiar surge of mistrust and almost instant hatred she shared for all those of such deceitful minds.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:52 pm
Mikaril was surprised to say the least that Valin spoke of letting him go after the next shop, but he couldn't help but wonder if she planned to be true to her word. He coundn't deny that he was anxious to be on his way once more, leaving the frustrated female to do her own search and face her own demons. Still, he figured the least he could do was say nothing of her to anyone from the thieves' market that he might encounter.
After hearing her apology, Mikaril sighed and said something he felt had to be said in spite of the consequences it might hold. "I'm sorry too. I know what it feels like to be frustrated to the breaking point, and though I am not the thief responsible, I have no doubt caused others to feel the same way you do by making of with their possessions, especially those that have as much sentimental value as yours does."
He didn't know what else to say that wan't obvious in the world of drow. When you caused another harm, one didn't usually think on the feelings of the victim, unless of course that had been your intent all along; causing them pain. He had no such cause to hate the ones he stole from, save for maybe his own House, but in the world of which he was a part of, you cared only for yourself, because that's precisely how everyone else thought. There was no room for thinking of the ones whom you stepped on to get up the ladder.
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