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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.”
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.”
Elsa knew he had to look like an idiot, but he wasn't sure what else anyone could reasonably expect from him. A little shocked staring was a perfectly reasonable reaction to what looked at first glance like an ordinary craft merchant's stall, but on closer inspection...well. The table was odd enough; the items seemed strange and disparate. But what was really attention-grabbing was the man sitting at the table.
Because he was 1) clearly not human and 2) absolutely ******** gorgeous.
Seriously. What, Elsa could only ask, did anyone want from him? What was he supposed to do other than be utterly dumbstruck?
"Uh," he said, articulately, "thanks?" It came out a little strangled, which just made Elsa feel incredibly stupid. "That, um. I mean. Thank you."
