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 Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 2:50 pm
It was almost midday when Amerald realized that he wasn't getting many customers. The sun shone through the shop's windows as he swept the dust and dirt from his shop floor. It was not a busy day by any means and he was beginning to fall asleep at his post. He was bored, lazy, and uninspired to do much of anything. It was getting later into the summer months and he was just having a tough time trying to keep interested. He needed a wake up call, something interesting had to happen.
He swept the dirt into a pile and then into a dustpan, throwing it into a garbage near his desk. He then went about his shop tidying up what little things he had to clean. He went about with a rag, dusting off the shelves and items that were found within them. He realized that his shop wasn't all about alchemy, holding much more than just alchemical supplies and bottles filled with medicine. No, he was somewhat like a pawn shop as well, selling little trinkets and things that he had acquired from other customers over the years.
He hadn't had a customer all day, what was going on? Was some phenomenal circus in town? Or had he missed some large news about some sort of carnival? His shop was never this empty. He was quite bored with knowing he wasn't getting any business. Being an alchemist was all fun and dandy though, he liked helping others, but things were just not what they used to be. It was time for him to break out of his shell and start something new. That was a plan, he needed a distraction...maybe...just maybe he would create yet another hraapea soon and give it to some random person to care for, or do what he had in the past and taken the DNA of a complete stranger...something to get his interest peaked in work again...anything.
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Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 3:29 pm
While the fisherman hadn't intended exactly on coming to Nuan, it was still interesting enough to hold Kaden's attention. Then again, anywhere but Korr and home was interesting to the simple man. He should get out more. Though, he was feeling closed-in. The trees surrounding the town seemed to choke any strong breeze and the smell of salt was definitely missing. Things Kaden had never really paid much attention to his whole life until they were suddenly absent.
The morning had been spent wandering several stalls set up. But the sun had reached over the tops of the trees and it was warming up considerably. Kaden started looking around for a place where he could get in and out of the punishing sun.
Most of the larger stores and local restaurants seemed to be crowded already with what had to be half of the population of Nuan. Scowling, the fisherman walked on in hopes of finding a little out-of-the-way place. More wandering led him to an area that certainly seemed less populated. In fact, it seemed rather vacant. Some of the stores were even closed.
Kaden was about to turn back towards the center of town when another shop caught his attention. An alchemist's shop? Well, it was something different than what he'd been browsing that morning. Why not? At least he'd be inside for a little while.
The fisherman pushed the door open, pausing for a second as his eyes adjusted to the change in light before glancing around. Well, it was certainly less populated. He was the only customer in it. Kaden headed towards the nearest shelves to browse, hoping the shop owner wouldn't be expecting him to buy something.
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Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 3:38 pm
'Finally...' the man thought when the door opened. It was a man, he seemed that of a strong build, one that could definitely hold his own weight. Amerald hadn't seen him around town before, maybe he was new or visiting? Amerald shook the thought of that from his mind as it was swirling around with so many ideas of what to do.
"Welcome to Amerald's Alchemy. How can I help you today, sir?" he said, standing from his desk and walking around to the front, leaning his lower back upon it softly. This man was definitely rugged. Yet, he was surprisingly a breath of fresh air for Amerald. Most of his customers were regulars, he however, was definitely new.
Amerald smiled as he waited for a reply, only wondering what he could do with this man's DNA. So many things could happen. So many possibilities.
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Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 7:08 pm
Kaden glanced up from the shelf of bottles he was looking over to spot a man moving out from behind a desk. "Just browsing," he responded, turning his attention back to the wares. Cures for headaches, stomach aches, back aches... The fisherman looked them over for a moment before moving on to the next shelf. He seemed unaware of Amerald's focus or perhaps he was ignoring it. He was the only customer after all and those tended to draw all of the attention of store staff.
The next selection of bottles seemed to be focused more towards women as they had rather strong scents. Flowery and fruity scents. Kaden's nose twitched at the barrage of perfume before sending up a sneeze. Grinning wryly at the older man, he commented, "Seems I've wandered in the wrong direction..."
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:59 am
Amerald nodded. "Well, if you do need anything, I'm here." he said. He had a bit of a plan when it came to this. He was going to watch this man, maybe figure out a few things and possibly give him a feather. He was bored out of his mind, and this man just seemed to give off the scent of a different kind. One that was hardworking and...fishy? That was it. Amerald obviously figured this man was not from around here.
As he was browsing, Amerald smiled. "So tell me, are you from around these parts? I haven't seen you in Nuan, so I figured maybe you're from a different city. Are you here visiting?" he said. Just some small talk to get it going, then after that, he could definitely make a move and talk a bit more about more...personal matters. Hopefully the man wouldn't get too scared and run out of the store. That was Amerald's only fear.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 12:35 pm
Kaden glanced up from the shelf of topical treatments for various skin conditions when the man spoke again. "Visiting. I live in Korr, or well, just outside of it really." He did enjoy the peaceful setting of his home. Though, Nuan seemed fairly peaceful for a town. Not quite as busy as Korr could be with various fishermen bringing in their hauls at odd hours of day (and sometime night).
The silence crept back upon them. Kaden found himself hoping that another customer would come in to shift the older man's attentions off him. Awkward~
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:25 pm
Amerald smiled as he knew that small talk wasn't working. He decided to take a leap and act a bit...different. He was bored with the days events and so, he walked up to the man. "My name is Amerald Laraan. Obviously, I own this place. Would you like to see something...a bit...eccentric? Something that will definitely catch your eye? If so, follow me." the man said smiling. He was definitely not going to show him the girls, well, not yet anyway.
He smiled and turned on his heel, making his way back to the door. "If you'd be so kind as to just humor an elderly man." he said, opening the door to his house and holding it open for the man, just in case he did want to see what was behind it. The mystery of what Amerald was doing, was even unknown to himself. He just wanted to make some fun happen.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:18 pm
Kaden put the jar he was inspecting down as the man walked up and introduced himself. "Kaden," he said in way of introduction. At the man's question, the fisherman paused, studying Amerald for a moment. Curiosity was getting the better of him. What could this old man have that he would consider eccentric? Potions to turn one into a frog?
"Sure." The man followed Amerald. After all, what was the worst this old man could do?
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:38 pm
Amerald smiled as the man walked into the back part of the house. He then walked down the hallway, opening the basement door and beginning to walk down the staircase. "Coming? Hahah!" he said, smiling.
As he hit the bottom floor, he lit the candles that were around and went to sit behind his desk. He looked through the basked on the ground to pull the crystals to light. "Kaden, please pick one of these colors. I'd like to see your preference." he said, waving his hand over the colorful crystals. He wondered what the man would choose, if any.
He smiled as he sat back in his seat, folding his fingers over one another and resting his elbows on the chair's arms. Amerald crossed his left leg over his right, as a main custom he generally did tend to do. He smiled at the man, his glasses glaring so he looked almost evil. Nevertheless, he was quite excited about this new 'victim' as he sometimes called them.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:45 pm
The fisherman paused for a moment at the top of the stairs, then shrugged to himself. What the hell. In for a penny, in for a dollar, right? As he descended, Amerald began to light candles and Kaden glanced around before moving towards the desk where Amerald sat.
Rocks? This was the eccentric thing he was being shown? Rocks. Well, okay, pretty rocks. He started to reach out to look them over but paused, hand in midair, to glance up at the older man. "Why?" Why was this man showing him sparkly rocks? Why was he supposed to choose one? Why was he down here? Why... there were many whys. And not many answers.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:11 pm
"Why, you ask? The answer to that is simple." he began. "But before I explain...please, just choose one." he continued. "Any that...spike your interest?" he finished.
What was he up to? This was all so out of the ordinary for him. Maybe something was wrong? Maybe not? Who really knew? He was just liking this mysterious way of acting, even though he secretly wanted to burst out laughing. He wasn't good at acting necessarily, but he definitely wanted to make a deal with this man. One that would change his life forever.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:28 pm
Kaden looked at Amerald for a few moments longer before glancing down at the gems. So he'd get an explanation after picking. That made a whole hell of a lot of sense. Still, he looked them over. It seemed that just picking one at random wouldn't satisfy the older man.
The pretty aquamarine drew his attention for a while as it reminded him of the sea. Then again, the sapphire was like the deep blue of the deep water. And then this one was like the sand on the beach. So many reminded him of familiar things and so he started looking at the ones that didn't.
After a few more moments, the fisherman's hand landed upon the onyx and picked it up, turning it over for a moment before glancing back up to Amerald. "This one." Well, he supposed. Was this some sort of test? And... had he failed or passed?
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:06 pm
Amerald smiled. He seemed pleased. "Alright, now give it to me." he said, snatching it out of the mans hand and walking upstairs with it. He expected the man to follow. What was he doing exactly? He was taking this step by step, that was a fact. He made his way into the living room, luckily the girls were upstairs at the time.
"Please, have a seat. You've chosen the Onyx Crystal, Kaden. Do you know what that means?" he asked him, totally sure that he didn't truly know. "It means that you've chosen the power of night, the power of darkness." he said, going behind the counter, tossing the onyx as he did so up and down, catching it when it came down. He was interested in this man, that much was for sure.
"Would you like a drink?" he said, pouring the man a glass of 'beer' from the refrigerator and walking over to him. It was a special brew created by Amerald himself. He would get this man drunk and learn what he can. A little drink wouldn't hurt anyone, but it was potent. Amerald had poured himself a glass as well, not planning to drink nearly that. He set it on the coffee table for Kaden and smiled as he sat down on the couch. "You've picked the rare crystal Kaden. That's special because not many people pick such a color. Please, drink up. No need to be shy." he said, taking a miniature sip of his drink.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:25 pm
Kaden was about to hand it over, only to have it snatched away. He stared at his suddenly empty hand for a moment before glancing up and realizing that Amerald had left him and was headed up the stairs. The fisherman quickly followed, not really wanting to be left alone in the basement.
The fisherman took a seat when it was offered, frowning slightly at Amerald. He'd picked a rock and... what in all of Levintol did that have to do with night and darkness? Well, other than the rock being black. And... "Power?" What did the man mean by that? Rocks didn't have power.
Taken by surprise by the offer of a drink, he glanced over towards the man. "Uh, sure..." Oh, a beer. Man's drink of choice. Though, after his last encounter, he was going to be sure to keep track of how many he was drinking.
He started to ask what Amerald was going on about when the older man encouraged him to take a drink. Well, it seemed he wasn't going to get any answers without doing so... So, bottom's up. Kaden took a drink, larger than a sip but smaller than a gulp. Now, perhaps he'd get some answers...
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:33 pm
'That's it...just keep drinking.' he thought to himself as he took a very little sip of his own. He then sat back and relaxed a bit on the couch that he was sitting upon. He moved his hand to the arm of the couch and rested his head upon it.
"Well, being an alchemist I tend to like experiments, see? My latest being with those rocks downstairs. This one you chose, was a rare one that I had come across when chiseling away at the rocks I gathered on a trip. If you look closely, you can sense an aura about it. That's the aura of darkness...deception...a powerful crystal this is." he began. He was definitely trying to confuse the man, speaking vaguely. He did want him to fall asleep, take a little snooze. Maybe that beer would knock him out a tad or make him so drunk he didn't know what he was doing, then Amerald could get what he wanted from him.
A grin appeared on the elderly man's face. He took yet another sip of his drink and then placed it on the table, peering at the crystal once again. It was as if he peered through it to give a glare at Kaden. He then tossed it at the man. "Catch."
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