Wanted Wisps (11) : Small, wispy orbs are floating through the city. They can be found during the day but are far more visible at night. They seem to bob along a few feet off the ground and sometimes flicker in and out of sight. They are warm to the touch and seem to be somewhat magical in nature. Anyone can gather them in their hands; they do not quite feel solid but cannot slip through fingers or escape any container. If you find one of these, you must return it to the merchant. If you do not roleplay with him, it will be assumed that you returned the piece to him anyway; there is no way to keep these. Please see this post for information on turning in the Wisp and claiming your prize.
Maybe he only saw them now because he knew they existed as separate and unique entities. If Basyl had seen them at any point previously, he must have thought the wisps were lightning bugs or distant car headlights. Certainly he wouldn't have suspected they were light orbs that could be carried. But since he'd seen the Merchant's sign requesting they be returned to him, Basyl knew better than to disregard the shimmery blobs so easily.
He'd been on his way home from work, nearly there, in fact. He'd only needed to skirt along the sidewalk at the edge of his apartment complex, tuck into the courtyard between two buildings, and head up a flight of stairs to reach his door.
It was dark already (because of course it was; it seemed like he was never outside when the sunlight was), but that made it all the easier to spot the flickering, floating orb where it was tucked beneath the green leaves of a manicured bush, right at the edge of the sidewalk. Basyl almost thought nothing of it. He was tired and wanted to get inside out of the heat, and there were really just some days when he didn't want to deal with all this.
He took a few steps away, toward his building.
Then huffed and crimped his fingers in the shirt of his scrubs and whirled back around, taking short, quick steps back to the orb.
No, no, obviously he wasn't just going to leave it there where anyone could find it while he didn't know what it was or what it did. The last thing he'd traded to the Merchant had apparently been 'harmless,' but what were the chances these radioactive-looking things were? So, no, he couldn't just leave it for a child to pick up.
He'd have to do it himself and see that it was returned to where it belonged, and he'd certainly ask if this was any more dangerous than the stone from last year, and if there was maybe, possibly a chance at another particularly shimmering plant for his tank- Or a fish? He doubted the Merchant carried fish with him, but what if he did? Maybe it would look like Rainbowfish from the storybooks.
Regardless, the collection of the wisp was for purely unselfish reasons: to see that no damage was done to anyone collecting it, and that it wouldn't be used for trouble once it was in the Merchant's hands.
Definitely, definitely not because he wanted a new trinket or anything else that would enable Nataniel to make That Face when he entered his apartment again. He'd always warned everyone beforehand that he had a lot of stuff and not too many places to put it, and they always assured him they didn't care until they saw his home and really obviously did care. Nat was hardly an exception, though it didn't bother him enough to scare him away, apparently...
Swallowing, Basyl stooped to the earth. He didn't know what this thing really was, but when he cupped his hands beneath it, it didn't phase through his hands. It felt slightly warm, and it was maybe a liquid? Or... some other phase of matter that didn't seem to be all there.
What could it possibly be?
It didn't get away from him as he made it up the stairs. It even stayed in one hand as he fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door. It fit easily into a cup, and when he placed a patch of Saran wrap over top, it didn't do anything besides sit in the cop, flickering and roiling. Okay. That was good. It didn't try to escape or anything. Yet. Hopefully it would still be there tomorrow, and he could bring it back to the Merchant's stall.
[WC: 633]
