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 Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:17 pm
Quote: It was already late in the evening but the merchant seemed unfazed by the passing of time. He sat, poised and elegant, watching the world around him. He didn’t seem bored but he sat, fingers laced atop the table; below it, he kept his toe tapping to some silent tune in his head. He was tall, by human standards, though while sitting down he didn’t seem particularly threatening. If you didn’t look at his face. He had graceful features--sharp and refined. His chin and nose tapered to a point, giving him an air of sophistication, but that, combined with his slitted eyes and pointed teeth, there was something undeniably predatory about him. He watched with a hungry gaze and a mischievous, nearly sinister smile. His ears were pointed and were prominent despite being tucked behind his vibrant, multi-colored hair. The most intrusive feature that indicated there was something not human about him were the curling horns protruding from his temples and the oil-slick black scales that brushed his cheeks and forehead. He was well dressed, in a fashion obviously otherworldly, and seemed to enjoy dressing himself up in glistening gemstones. His stall was somehow both simple and overwhelming; it was only a table with a deep purple cloth over it, but scattered neatly atop it were an array of items that seemed to carry some magical weight to them. He did not seem intimidated in the slightest and, upon noticing a customer approaching, he smiled. He did not rise to meet them nor adjust his position in the slightest. He followed them with his fierce eyes. In a silky voice, he greeted, “Welcome.”
It was over now and she was back in comfortable clothing for the walk home. Her hair was still styled and she didn't bother to get rid of all the make-up on her face. She preferred the products she had at home for that.
"You made sure to smile in at least some of them, right?" She dug her elbow into her twin's side as they walked. She was always teasing him, no reason to act any different now. Before it could go further than that for once, she paused and glanced around. She felt...something. Normally, she'd only get this sort of feeling as 'Nubi.
"Do you sense that as well?" She couldn't place what it was, it certainly wasn't like anything she'd payed attention to before. It could easily be something dangerous. Yet, it was absolutely impossible for her to ignore. "Dangerous" might as well have been her middle name. Landry had no chance to protest before she turned in the opposite direction of home and straight for whatever it was that was calling out to them. It was a bit of a trek, especially after a long day. But the booth stuck out in a way. For one, it was definitely the source of whatever was calling out to them. Second, it was all lone out here.
As they got closer, her attention went more to the person behind the booth. Whoever they were, they definitely weren't from around here. Well, actually they could have been a youma, perhaps? Maybe it would have been wise to approach him in a different form, but it was too late for that now. And he had even greeted them.
"Hello! You're very interesting." She certainly wasn't very good at hiding her enthusiasm.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:20 am
"You'd think by now you'd have some trust in me. I'm certain I smile more than I used to. I can most assuredly smile enough to do my job." Landry's face still felt stiff from the glitz and glam, as he wasn't really accustomed to wearing makeup beyond a bit of lipstick and eyeliner for the most part, but he seemed good enough.
The photographers would say he had become less stiff, lately, smiles more genuine, eyes more loving towards the cameras.
He'd tell them to shut up and do their job. He knew the reason as to the 'why' but that didn't mean he wanted to hear it from them.
Just as he was about to say something to his sister, he felt it too, some sort of.. Pull. Of course, there was no choice in the matter as Lori tugged him along, but hey, he could better roll with the punches now, and he had a weak spot for giving into her craziness anyway. Besides, it wasn't as if all things in the city could end in the worst case scenario these days. Especially not, since he could be the worst case scenario for someone on a bad day.
And.. Well, who was this? What a strange man. Everything screamed 'probably a weird a** alien, or a devil', and Landry gave Lori a little warning squeeze on her arm. Don't you dare do anything stupid.
"... Hmm." He had no words for now, but would let Lori lead. Worst case scenario, they'd have a fight on their hands, but the twins were more than a little prepared for it.
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:19 pm
“I am, aren’t I?” he replied shamelessly, eyes scanning the two of them. “But then, so are you. It’s like I’m seeing double.” He didn’t seem to mind that one was talkative and the other more reserved but he took his time to appreciate the sight of both of them. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company. Have you made your way out here tonight to make a trade? I’ve the finest wares,” he said, sitting up straight now and gesturing to his table of antiques and oddities. He paused, hand hovering above two fluffy little dolls--immaculately preserved in their age, though resembling no Earthly creatures. His long fingers brushed atop their heads and he eyed the twins. “Like you. I’ve had these as a set for quite a while. There’s something special about them.” He stroked the plush form with his long finger. “...I’d be willing to let you see them, keep them even, perhaps. If you’ve got something worthwhile to trade, of course. Though, I do have quite an array of treats if you'd like something a bit shinier.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 8:20 pm
Lori was already immensely fond of this merchant. A person with no shame was someone she could easily relate to. Of course they were interesting, she'd known that since birth. While she, barely, listened to him talk and noticed him gesturing at his wares. Instead, her focus was more on him. It wasn't often she got to meet a real alien.
Some people might consider her an alien. But really, she was a human as far as she was concerned. She'd been born on earth. No matter what powers she unlocked or anything like that. Her eyes lingered on his horns for a moment, then the light scales high on his cheeks, his pointed teeth as he talked so smoothly, and then finally into his golden eyes with their sharp pupils.
"I didn't necessarily come here for a trade. It's true we did sense something that brought us here, but I had no idea it would be a beautiful creature such as yourself." She gave him a smirk even as he talked on about the dolls.
There was something oddly appealing about them. And it wasn't just the fact that her room was full of adorable stuffed creatures. She was a fan of all things horror and all things cute, so she had a fairly diverse collection already.
"They are very adorable." A matching set, just like her and Landry. "But it's hard to make a deal with a complete stranger. Can you tell me anything about yourself? A name, or maybe a nickname? I'd even settle for your number if you have one and assuming you'd stay within my service range." Two could play at the shameless game. She didn't really expect to get much out of him though, besides she liked a man full of mysteries.
"And, just to be fair, my name's Lori. Lori Croix. And this tall drink of water next to me is my older, smarter, only just as lovely twin. Landry." Landry would be here to listen on on their conversation. If he did reveal anything about himself, it was only fair he knew both their names.
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:45 pm
Whoever said that twins had some sort of psychic link to one another was absolutely dead wrong. Moments like these had Landry wonder if they had any sort of sibling connection at all! Physical signs where clearly not enough, perhaps next time he would have to tape it to her forward don't give out personal information.
No one in this city could really be trusted, though he kindly pushed Gryphon out of that category for the moment. The entire city was constantly filled with weird nonsense, situations that simply couldn't be explained away with science. And even if it could, it felt like no one was truly doing anything to keep them safe. The only ones they could rely on were themselves.
And yet HERE SHE WAS, blabbing all over the place.
How could he not let his expression shift to a scowl, or reach over and give Lori a slight, but very evident scolding pinch?
But he damage was done, and as long as he wasn't trying to potentially lure them away, Landry supposed he could play along. His lips remained closed for now, and he did take a glance or two at the table, doing his best not to roll his eyes at their flirting.
.... This was why their shopping trips were few and far between these days.
Of all the things on the table, the little toys the man poked at did seem to speak out to him... He couldn't help it! He did enjoy cute things just as much as Lori did, though wasn't big on hoarding them. What would he do with a toy given to him by a stranger anyway?
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Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 4:15 pm
The man looked amused and, for a moment, seemed as if he might not have intended to respond. And yet, a slow grin crept across his face; he propped his chin into the palm of his hand and kept himself propped up, elbow on the table. He looked at them with lazy entertainment. “Little doll,” he said to her, “You share far too much information, far too freely. But. I am a fair businessman. So I will give what you give.” With his free hand, he flicked his wrist and produced a simple, glossy, black card and offered it to her between two fingers. On one side, an ornate symbol that looked incredibly similar to a fingerprint. It was printed with a red, holographic ink. On the other side, in opalescent ink, a single word in elegant script: Almadel.There was more to this card than he’d said but he offered no further explanation of it. “Alma, for short, if you are so inclined. But as long as you’ve got something to trade, I don’t rightly care what you call me. Just make it worth my while.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 11:47 am
Landry's little pinch did little to phase her. She was used to her brother scolding her and she was she she'd hear more about it from him later in the evening on their way home. Even their new alien friend seemed to be scolding her a bit, but nothing venture, nothing gained. For her 'troubles' she was rewarded with a very sleek card. She took it gently from her new friend, she she already considered him a friend. It didn't take much to earn the title from her.
She was a little surprised she could read his name honestly. Maybe it was magic of some kind, or he conveniently had them printed for his intended audiences.
"Alma, hmm? I feel more inclined to do business with someone who not only shares their name, but a business card at that." She wasn't sure what she had to offer that he might want to have though.
For now her attention finally went to the goods on his table, specifically the adorable dolls he'd hovered over before. It was almost like he knew exactly what they would have wanted. Nothing else caught her interest, even though it probably would have normally.
She finally opened her bag and dug around in it for awhile. Somehow, she knew money wouldn't be interesting to him. Even though she had plenty of that to go around. It wouldn't exactly buy her goods from this particular stall. After digging past countless lipsticks, powders, pens, her phone, and a notebook she finally found something at the bottom she'd almost forgotten. At least, she'd forgotten about it long enough to forget to have Obi take a look at it, or even mention her find to her brother.
She pulled it out and held it delicately between her index finger and thumb. "I did happen across this the other day and thought to hold onto it. It has a certain radiance to it that I find appealing. I'm not quite sure it's to your liking though?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:29 am
Had he not been the proper young man he tried his damned to be, Landry was certain he would have gagged at this flirting disguised as business talk. But there was not luring to come closer, or promises of free candy if she helped find a puppy, so he would let it pass.
Besides, something had caught his eye. Partially because the stranger had once touched them and pointed them out, but there was something about the that called to him. As if he knew them, and that one very specifically belonged to . It was nothing like anything he had seen on this planet, so how could that have been?
But the asking about payment, about something interesting caught his ears first, and he turned to Lori, before pulling out one surprisingly similar out of his own bag.
"It appears we have one of the same. It figures, doesn't it? Things always seems to come in pairs with us. But if these are worth something, best to tell us what they are, Mr. Almadel?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:19 am
Almadel wore a bemused smile, eyes drifting between the two of them. So alike, and so different. He couldn't help but be impressed, but any personal fondness was immediately overshadowed by their offerings. "You'll find they have no value anywhere you can pawn them," he said, gaze drifting between the little gems each of them had to offer. "They're lovely little things. I want them, yes," he announced. "--They are small and beautiful, and will go well with my collection. I'm trying to downsize." It sounded honest enough, but there was no telling how much of it was the simple truth and how many other truths he hid behind the simple explanation. "I have a fondness for shiny things." There was a glint in his eye as he eagerly looked between the two offerings again. This was certainly a straightforward truth, an earnest confession. "...So I would make a trade for them. I don't know that they will serve you any purpose, unless you collect, as I do. But, let me have them," he insisted. "I will let you choose whatever you like from the table in exchange."
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