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 Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:24 pm
Previously . . .
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."
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 8:02 pm
The small, crystalline star he'd found the other evening had sat on his desk glittering innocently each day, and each night he'd found himself taking it with him as he'd leave his apartment for a patrol.
It was a scarcely noticeable weight within his pocket, warmed by calloused fingers that fidgeted with the facetted surface as combat boots trudged through dark alleyways, or stalked across rooftops. He wasn't entirely sure why he bothered to bring it along--a sudden strike of superstition, perhaps, fueled by that woman's notion of a lucky star? The idea was amusing in its childish nature, but he couldn't otherwise explain the urge he had to bring it with him.
He wondered, then, if he was able to just call it a random chance, a coincidence, that after a couple nights of that, he came upon a rather... odd energy signature. His brows furrowed, the Captain pulled along after the energy as he made his way over apartment complex rooftops, past neon lights signaling nighttime food delivery services, and other fragments of nightlife of the neighborhood that leaned a touch more urban than suburban. He'd already gotten a fair amount of energy collected from random evening joggers that sought refuge from the daytime heat, but no senshi or knight auras had hit his internal radar to lure him in any particular direction for a fight.
Part of him he knew, as he rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers near the holsters at his hips that held the twin swords he carried, hoped that perhaps this unusual energy could offer him such an outlet, instead.
It was... not Order, though, nor Chaos…? Or was it? It felt like static in his head, a radio station just on the edge of being properly tuned in. Parts were filled with the white noise instead of proper voices or music. This was... something was there, he could tell that much. But what, that was lost to the white noise.
Pale eyes narrowed as he touched down with a heavy thud into the predominantly empty lot. Sections of wood and planters were set up for an eventual community garden it looked like, and again, his mind drifted briefly to that woman before snapping back to the priority of the now. The street lights in that neighborhood worked well enough, shining plenty of light on the purple and silver clad figure behind a table.
Seraphinite stood just within the padlocked gate of the fence around the lot, watching the unknown figure. On appearances alone, he'd have assumed the man was perhaps a half-youma agent, judging by the horns and inhuman eyes, among other features. The closer he got as he began to approach with a straight back and neutral face, the more little details of the other's appearance he picked up. The energy signature... definitely wasn't a youma, or half-youma.
The greeting was simple enough, though Seraphinite felt the hair at the nape of his neck stand on end. Tall as he was, he wondered briefly if this man would rival or even surpass him. Not that it mattered much--he still met the predatory gaze with his own cold eyes throughout his approach after taking stock of the... salesman.
"Odd hours to be keeping shop," he remarked in turn, staring down at the man once he was a few feet from the table. Instead of looking over the wares, however, he cut to what he perceived as the priority in that moment. "What are you?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 4:17 pm
“Oh, right to the point. I like that. I am nothing but a humble businessman, hoping to peddle wares.” He gestured to the table. “A trade, though. I don’t want any of your currency. It’s useless to me. But! You’re certainly one to criticize my hours. You’re here, aren’t you?” he asked, a plain little smile on his face. He watched the man, perhaps somewhat guarded, as though he could sense the chaos leaking from him. He was cautious, but there was something unwaveringly resolute about him. Chaos or not, he didn’t seem afraid. “Have you brought something to trade? I have quite the array.” He gestured to the table, fingers finally finally to rest very near to a pretty little orb. On its own, it may not have seemed like much, but when the light caught it, it was clear that there was something carved in the center of it. The lines glistened like little gemstones within the orb and seemed to depict a multi-winged figure. Six pointed stars seemed to catch the light and glimmer every bit as much as the stars in the sky. It was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand and the merchant dragged a long finger along its smooth edge. “Perhaps something here to catch your eye?” he asked, nudging the orb just slightly. It barely moved any closer to his guest, but the movement allowed the shapes inside of the orb to catch the light and sparkle.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:40 am
The turnabout on his question only caused the corners of his lips to twitch further downward, a faint glare forming along otherwise neutral features. “The only merchants I find at these hours are drug dealers or others with less than ideal wares to push. I’m sure you can understand my... suspicions,” he stated, his voice nearly a bored drawl as his gaze slowly raked over the odd contents of the table.
“Where did you manage to procure these?”
He didn’t budge once he stopped a few steps from the table, beyond what was necessary to look over the man’s wares. Light snagged his eye, and pale gaze flickered, focusing on the small orb beneath the non-human’s finger. His brow furrowed slightly. Even from where he stood he could make out the stars and wing formations beneath the smooth surface of the gem. Something in the back of his mind... felt like static.
The weight of the green star-like gem in his pocket felt all the heavier in that moment but he resisted the urge to grab for it. “What sort of things do you trade for, then? If not our currency, what has value to you?”
“The Space Cauldron”[/quote
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:11 am
"My word!" he said, with what almost sounded like slight surprise. It faded quickly, smile still on his face. "My wares are quite certainly ideal. I've invited you to take a look. I suppose I can't blame suspicions, I am perhaps a bit out of touch with customs in this part of the universe. It's been a while. Forgive me," he insisted, seeming pleasant enough despite the distance between them. "I'm looking for something shiny. Something different. It's a good deal, perhaps you've found a rock or two, hidden in the gutter, down the drain? I don't know. If you have something, let me see. I'll tell you if it's enough. Although, I can assure you that my wares are legal." He sat up a little straighter to explain, "They have no owners. I find them all around. I've made good trades for some of them, liberated others, excavated more. I procure relics and antiques, of civilizations and worlds long gone. Every item has its own story. If you're interested, I can share it. Though, you'll have to pick something out, first."
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