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 Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 8:33 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: Mon Jul 06, 2020 8:57 pm
"...well, hello."
She remembered Caedus. She knew aliens weren't... entirely a new, super unheard-of thing. Didn't make her any less intrigued or, well, confused, by the man before her. Standing before his object laden table in her somewhat fragmented uniform, Morgan quirked a brow as her arms crossed over her bare midriff. The lights she'd seen in the old warehouse had drawn her in to investigate, along with a strange... tickle of sorts in the back of her mind.
Not unpleasant, perhaps. Just... not... something she was accustomed to feeling. It was no energy signature she'd experienced before. There, but fleeting, like a firefly's light. A butterfly's kiss. There, but soft, for mere seconds, before it vanished and she was left wondering if she'd imagined it. Then it resurfaced, luring her in. A beacon.
She'd answered, for curiosity was a curse all its own, and for the life of her she couldn't be sure what to make of the sight she found.
The man was humanoid, sure, but the horns and black scales illuminated by the lights--which, how they were on when the rest of the building was so decrepit and decaying, she wasn't sure--made her for a moment question if he was one of those half-youma. His energy signature alone kept her from attacking outright, though the good looks he sported and the nice voice didn't hurt anything.
"Morgan, Senshi of Gateways," she offered, inclining her head respectfully towards him as she approached his table. Bright cyan met brilliant gold without hesitation or delay. He had an air of intimidation about him, sure, but she did not shrink from it. "May I ask whom it is I've the pleasure of addressing this fine evening~?"
Indeed, the weather was calm, the night warm. The patrol had been uneventful, all the more reason for her to roam the docks and old warehouses, just to see if any creepy critters or agents might be lurking about. None had come out to play, but she'd found something else of interest, it seemed.
Her eyes flickered briefly to the contents of the long table, fascinated by the collection laid out. "Here to show off the collection? They are lovely, though seems a shame to hide such a pretty sight in a place like this."
She kept her voice warm, cheerful--a sweet smile graced her lips even as she looked back to him, again meeting his gaze if he continued to stare so directly himself. Perhaps she might be a tad too friendly, but she saw no harm, and often found it to be an interesting way to see the sort of person she was dealing with in how they responded.
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 5:57 am
The merchant was an appraiser of all things, including works of art. He was shameless in taking a moment to appreciate her. “Quite the manners you have, Morgan, Senshi of Gateways. Most people don’t ask for my name.” He held out a hand, as if to shake in traditional custom. “Almadel,” he introduced. “And it is a pleasure.” Flattering businessman or not, he seemed to be enjoying himself. “I’m not hiding anything. Come, take a look. Tell me, Morgan, have you come to make a trade? Any of these lovely things can be yours. I'll even help you find something special, if only you have something worthwhile to trade…?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2020 7:40 am
Having strangers look at her, make their appraisals or approvals (or lack therefore), was nothing new to her. Yet that didn’t keep Morgan from, at least in this instance, make sure her hair was pulled back into some level of organized and hood folded around her shoulders. Seemed only fair to keep herself at least somewhat more visually open. The Senshi was taking her time looking him over in turn, tucking away details and notes for further review at a later time.
The fact that so few inquired to his name made her quirk a brow, a slight scoffing snort slipping from her nose as she took his hand gently. "I’m sorry to hear that. I’d have figured that would have been the very least anyone would ask you. Just out of professional curiosity, has that just been Senshi like myself, or others from around the city..?"
On the surface, the question was casual enough. Merely a member of a group trying to determine if others roughly associated with her were being on their best behavior or not. For the wary or keen ear, however, the fishing attempt was obvious—Morgan’s eyes lingered at his gold gaze only briefly as she tried to determine where his loyalties lay, if anywhere. Was he Order-bound, did he prefer Chaos agents? Or was he one of the few true neutrals out there?
As her hand dropped back to her side she frowned, hands going to her hips as she stepped back half a step to stare down at the various goods on the table. Looking with her eyes instead of her hands, more of those nice manners. Trade..? She decided to keep the more... baser offers to herself, though a smirk played across her lips briefly. "I doubt you have any reason to trade a dance for your wares," she teased. Though, a more genuine offer occurred, and she reached down to the three-eyed crow skull at her hip. Inside, within one of the eye sockets, she’d stuck the iridescent purple star-like gem she’d found on her windowsill the other day. Plucking it from the skull, she held it aloft between her thumb and index, ensuring it caught the lights around them. "Would something like this interest you? Seems to be your color." Though she kept an eye on his face for his reaction, she did notice how it did seem to match some of his other gems thus far.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:27 am
"Oh, I've seen quite a mix of people out here. Honestly, I'm quite surprised at how populated this planet is. It's unlike anything I've seen in, well." He clicked his black,forked tongue against the roof of his mouth, briefly exposing very white, very sharp fangs. "Quite an age." He wasn't a picky trader and nothing about him implied that he cared who was trading with him, only what they were trading. The moment she had produced the gem, his eyes were on it. "But I'm happy to say that something like that most certainly does interest me. I'd be more than happy to trade anything on my table for it. You can throw the dance in as well, if you like. I am a patron of the arts, I appreciate such things. But. I must take home something tangible, I'm afraid. Come, let me see if I can find you something worthwhile. You're free to look yourself, of course. Though I think I'm very good at reading people. You, for example." He was contemplative, for only a second, and reached for a key. At first glance, it didn't look to be anything particularly impressive--a pale white key, stained with age. A closer inspection seemed to reveal that it was bone, and there were tiny, intricate carvings all along it. "They say it's the key to the heart. Or at least, they did. Lifetimes ago. It takes a fair bit to charge it, but when you're near to your power source, it can open up nearly any door. Nearly," he clarified, "Because some doors simply weren't meant to be opened, no?" A smile on his face. "A bit finicky. It doesn't work all the time. But then, you are a Senshi, with a homeworld, yes? You don't seem to be the Senshi of Earth. But as long as you can get home--can you?" he pressed, suddenly, "Because I swear, most of the worlds out there are just hopeless. Lifeless, lost." He waved the key slightly with each following word: "All. Locked. Up."
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