|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:18 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.”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:30 pm
Kalani was going around still from booth to booth, stall to stall, seeing what free items she could mooch off of the participating vendors. Mostly, she was interested in free food, if it was offered, but free was free, and Kalani could never really say no to that- which was how she ended up with the star charm from earlier, that she planned on foist off on Rune later on. This latest stall she had visited, though, gave Lani pause, and she couldn't help but frown when she got a decent look at the person running it. Honestly, there were probably a million different things she could point out as being 'wrong' with this picture, all of them pertaining to the merchant's appearance. Perhaps, if she wasn't so indifferent to being a senshi, she'd have powered up, and maybe questioned his intentions or what he was, but Kalani was lazy, and honestly couldn't be bothered, unless she had no other choice. Instead, she couldn't help but gaze at the items on the table with some mild curiosity. "So, I don't think you're offering any free samples, are you?" it was more of a statement than a question, but Kalani said it anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:08 pm
The merchant laughed richly. “Free? No, I’m afraid I don’t own anything worth parting with for nothing. Why, that would imply that my wares were worthless. No, these are treasures.” One long finger extended to the table and he tapped it thoughtfully. “But, you are free to look. And, if you have brought me something worth trading, you are free to take something as well. How is that?” He smiled, although it wasn’t quite sincere so much as just professional. “Did you bring me something nice, perhaps? I’m open minded. I haven’t been to Earth in so long. Show me your treasures, mine are already on display,” he said, gesturing to the table insistently, as if pressing her to examine what he had. There were many trinkets and odd little things, but--oddly enough--perhaps the most interesting thing rested on a corner near to Kalani; it was a small medallion, antiqued with time despite whatever good care it seemed the merchant might have put into tending to it. The metal was smooth and it was clear that there was some sort of delicate craftsmanship. It was a beautiful piece--with a strange familiarity--that seemed to be calling to her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 6:50 pm
Kalani wasn't really into the whole business of spending money if she didn't have to, preferring things for free or otherwise getting the better end of the bargain out of it. When the merchant pressed her to check out the wares on the table some more, she did, but also frowned when he mentioned something about not having been to Earth in awhile. Of course, while curious, Kalani was also an incredibly lazy person, and really didn't super care to pry more into it... for now. She could ask about it later, anyway. For now, a medallion attracted her attention, for reasons Kalani couldn't quite put a finger on. She wasn't really the type to collect antiques, but this trinket was calling to her for some reason- perhaps it was worth a lot- and while normally she'd walk away and look for a cheaper version somewhere else, Kalani couldn't help but feel like it was important that she didn't walk away without getting her hands on that item. The gem from earlier came to mind, something she had found and thought about maybe trying to sell online, in case someone thought it was rare enough to want to pay a lot of money for. Could the medallion be worth more than this? Kalani supposed she could appeal to some collector better with such an item... Digging the gem out of her pocket, she presented it to the merchant. "So, that medallion there on your table there. You want to trade? I got this- think this is good enough?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 4:16 pm
His eyes flashed immediately at the gem and a pleased smile drifted across his features. “You seem to know just my tastes. Yes, yes. That will do nicely.” He reached for the medallion, letting the chain dangle from between his fingers for a few seconds as the weight of the pendant let it sway back and forth. He watched it as though he were giving it a silent goodbye with his eyes, but smiled still as he extended it for her. “It is a good trade. I should like that. Let us complete the transaction.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2020 11:09 pm
"I like to think I'm pretty good at that," Kalani told the merchant, a sly grin on her face. Although she might have been slightly disappointed at the loss of a sales opportunity to pawn off the gem for some cash, in her eyes, trading for the medallion seemed like the better deal. At least, that was her impression, anyway; the trinket's true nature would be revealed in time, but for now, Kalani felt like she was getting one up on the merchant by trading a rock for something that certainly must be more valuable. Taking the offered medallion, Kalani handed over the stone that the merchant requested for trade. "Yes, let us do just that," she said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 10:18 am
His fingers curled around the little gem immediately, and as soon as it was within his grasp it seemed to disappear from sight. He wanted it badly enough to protect it, but he wasn’t so rude to dismiss her immediately. “Then, I am grateful. Should you find another, you should return to me. I can’t promise to be in the same place twice. But maybe I’ll make an exception for you. Since you’re so good at this. I'm certain I can find something else to part with. But, I am confident that you will enjoy that,” he nodded to the medallion. “I have no doubt it’ll bring you more joy than that pretty rock would have.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2020 6:18 pm
Kalani felt a twinge of satisfaction at the merchant's words, pleased to hear that he was making exceptions for her (maybe), should she find more of the stones laying around. She'd gotten lucky before with the wallet, of course, and then the stone she had just traded off for the medallion now in her hands, so there wasn't any indication that fortune wouldn't strike a third time. In fact, it gave the usually lazy teenager a reason to actually get out of the house, for once in a lifetime, without being nagged to do it by a certain fluffy kitten. "Sounds like a deal," she told the merchant, pocketing the medallion for now, "A pleasure doing business with you, then, eh...?" Come to think of it, she had gone this entire transaction without knowing who she was talking to, huh? On one hand, it didn't really matter, on the other, it was kind of awkward, almost. Maybe. Kind of. Well, it wasn't exactly like she'd be stumbling across anyone else with his appearance, but it'd probably help if she had some kind of contact info other than 'weird gem alien man'.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:06 am
"Almadel," he answered into the silence that clung to her unfinished sentence. He smiled, quite pleasantly. "And the pleasure has been all mine. You make me think that I should come back more often. It isn't always that you find such a pleasant customer, you know. Some people," his smile was still in place but he sounded almost exasperated, "Just don't know how to appreciate a good deal. But you, you give me hope for this place."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:17 pm
"Almadel, then," Kalani repeated. Weird name for a weird alien gem man, how fitting. Still, it made things really easy, because how many people named Almadel out there matched this guy's description? It made things a whole lot easier should she find another of those stones. "And that's quite a shame- those people don't know what they're missing out on, because these are some pretty hot deals you got there." Oh well, all the more for her! If it meant more cool stuff, Lani would be more than happy to trade the merchant all of those weird stones he wanted that she came across. "Well, Almadel, I can't speak for your other customers, but you just earned yourself a customer for life out of me," she told him. Ah, this was the beginning of a very beautiful business relationship... or so she thought, anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
