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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 tables were somehow both simple and overwhelming; each table was draped with a dark purple tablecloth, all with extravagant embroidery in different designs. Scattered neatly atop the tables 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 that the barrier surrounding him rippled to allow his visitor to pass, he smiled.
He did not rise to meet them nor adjust his position in the slightest. He followed them with his fierce eyes and greeted, in a silky voice, “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 tables were somehow both simple and overwhelming; each table was draped with a dark purple tablecloth, all with extravagant embroidery in different designs. Scattered neatly atop the tables 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 that the barrier surrounding him rippled to allow his visitor to pass, he smiled.
He did not rise to meet them nor adjust his position in the slightest. He followed them with his fierce eyes and greeted, in a silky voice, “Welcome.”
He'd said he would take this wisp back to where it came from, or at least to someone who was looking for it, and he would. Just not as Basyl. It still seemed unwise to deal with aliens as a civilian. And besides, the Merchant was more likely to recognize Narcissus than Basyl (maybe? Did the magical glamor thing even apply to nonhumans? Even after a year, everything about this war and these powers and his magic was pretty ungraspable. Literally nothing had changed).
He'd made sure he had time for a quick jaunt around the outskirts of town as Narcissus. If he'd been smart, he would've placed a mirror in the vicinity in preparation for his arrival, but he hadn't, so he'd have to walk the mile out of the city, with his aura broadcasting that he was alone and wandering.
Great.
But not unbearable. The evening was at least cooler than when the sun had been out, and there was a gentle breeze fluttering through the air. Things could be worse. Nothing felt like it moved to intercept him, and it didn't seem like anything malicious followed him around. Good, hopefully the night would only have the excitement he'd planned. The whole expedition still only took him less than twenty minutes, even shorter than his typical commute from work.
When Narcissus arrived, it was to see the watery barrier still in place, though it seemed much easier to see through now, and the man he'd come calling for was seated in place, not so differently than he had been last year. For all he could tell, the Merchant looked exactly as he had the year prior, young and well-kept and dangerously grogeous.
Narcissus tried a smile as he stepped through the barrier, fingers up in a little wave of greeting as he approached. "Th-thanks. It's nice to see you again-" The sentence had all but fully escaped his lips before Narcissus could conjure up a memory of what this man's name was. He couldn't recall one. Had he asked? Did the merchant have a name?
Surely. Surely to both.
But it had been a year, so it wasn't impossible that the specifics had gotten away from him. Red tinted his cheeks as heat crawled for his face. "Uh, s-sorry." Narcissus twisted a finger through his hair, gaze darting away from the man seated in front of him. "I've forgotten what to call you..."
But it probably didn't matter. Narcissus was under no illusion that the Merchant cared about what titles either of them chose to go by. Even if the horned man didn't seem opposed to pleasantries, at least he hadn't last time, it wasn't the reason either of them were here. Clearing his throat, Narcissus summoned the tear of his space pocket and reached a hand inside. He procured the cup with the Saran wrap covering the top, that housed the little wisp he'd found outside his apartment the night before.
"S-so, you've, uh- Found something else worth s-seeking after, huh?" He tried lightly, setting the cup on the table before the Merchant.
