|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2021 2:34 pm
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 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.”
“I hope this thing is waterproof,” was Sessrumnir’s response to the man’s greeting as he entered into the barrier. Somehow, Sessrumnir was unsurprised by the man's appearance. He certainly looked like he could possibly pass as a human in a costume, but there was something… distinctly not human about him that Sessrumnir couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Or if the storm makes this a bad time, I could always come back,” he suggested, although by now he knew the man had seen the little wisp in his hand. In the distance a low rumble of thunder could be heard.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:10 pm
The merchant’s gaze was quite expertly trained to the wisp in Sessrumnir’s hand, and he had to force himself to look up to his face quickly to reply. “Oh, waterproof. Yes, of course. I doubt an Earth storm would give me much trouble. Jupiter though, perhaps. You’re a Knight of such, yes?” He seemed familiar enough with the symbols to make an educated guess, and shifted to sit a bit straighter. “Come on, come closer. I won’t bite. It’s never a bad time to make a good deal, and I would love to take that wisp off your hands. We should make a trade. Are you in the market for anything in particular or are you just browsing today?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:53 pm
“I sure am, Professor Langdon,” Sessrumnir confirmed being a Knight of Jupiter, although he doubted the merchant would understand the reference, unless he happened to have a stack of Dan Brown books hiding somewhere for trading purposes. He frowned as he looked at the purple tablecloths with the extravagant embroidery and all of the items that spread across them. A lot of the items he had no idea what he was looking at, but there were some that just looked like junk.
“You seem to be pretty well traveled. I bet knowing a few things about planets and their symbols is useful. At least for conversation starters. I’m afraid I don’t see any symbols that will help me guess where you’re from,” he said as he approached closer.
“I don’t suppose you have an umbrella you’d trade for this?” Because Earth or not, he wasn’t looking forward to getting home soaking wet.
“I’m Sessrumnir. And you are…?” he asked, giving the merchant a curious look, like he was expecting a noncommittal and/or witty response that would give him nothing to work with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 2:24 pm
The merchant laughed, perhaps a bit richly. He seemed genuinely amused and his smile easily reached his eyes. “Just a humble entrepreneur, I assure you. I come from here and there. I might have a parasol or two, but I can’t say I have an umbrella. But you can’t be of Jupiter and be afraid of the rain,” he insisted. “But, if you’d like to pass me that wisp, I can get it nice and safe and we can find something you might like. I mean, I suppose I could get you a tablecloth or something if you really wanted something to get out of the rain.” And yet, his lips pursed contemplatively; he was clearly eager to get the wisp, but retained a pleasant enough smile to try and encourage it. The table was full of pretty little ornaments, from weapons, to cutlery, to jewelry. There were obvious things and completely unidentifiable objects. Of all the shiny and eye-catching things though, only one thing seemed to pulse, just once and like it was trying to catch Sessrumnir’s attention. A small glass orb on a thin chain was far from the most attractive items on the table, and it seemed nearly forgotten, lost under a lovely embroidered scarf. Black smoke swirled slowly inside and there was something sickly about the twisting haze.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 5:56 pm
“A humble entrepreneur,” Sessrumnir repeated, not bothering to hide the fact that he rolled his eyes. How did he know that was the kind of response he’d get? “Right.”
However, he kept the wisp in his hand, not as eager to give it up as the humble entrepreneur seemed to want it. He took his time and glanced around the tables at the objects, although he couldn’t bring himself to be interested in any nicknacks or weird decorative items. At this rate, he was probably just going to give the wisp to the merchant and leave with nothing.
That would probably be the smartest option.
“So, do you have a name? Or am I going to have to make one up for you? Does your… shop have a name? Not really good business practice to not have a name for your shop, unless you’re doing something shady.”
Suddenly there was a pulse, and Sessrumnir froze. His eyes were on some kind of small, ceremonial drum, but the strange sensation was from the table behind him. He wasn’t sure why he felt like something was calling to him, but it felt as though his heart skipped a beat in response.
Or was it his starseed?
He lifted his wisp-free hand to rub at his chest, not sure why his heart was still racing. This was how it worked, right? Some strange items for them to trade for a strange creature?
“What’s the deal with all these items? Are they magical? What’s the gimmick?” he asked as he continued to browse, not touching anything in case they were cursed. He looked at a red handle letter opener, and then some creepy looking doll. He had to force his feet from moving on their own, to seek out whatever had called to him. Slowly he made his way around the table until he got to--
Some weird scarf…? Was this the thing that had been calling to him? He rubbed at his chest again, because it didn’t seem right. But he caught sight of a thin chain poking out from under the scarf.
“What’s that?” he asked, nodding to the chain, even as his heart felt like it was skipping another beat, or his starseed was resonating, or maybe he just had bad indigestion. He was still cautious about touching anything. He didn’t want to lock himself into some unspoken agreement of the first thing touched is what you trade for, or some other bullshit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:57 am
“Oh?” the merchant asked, and followed Sessrumnir’s gaze. He moved the scarf to the side and then plucked the necklace up. “This thing?” He gave it a look over, but the black haze just seemed unimpressive and uninteresting to him. The piece was dusty, so he brushed a thumb over it while he scrutinized. “Just a charming little necklace, I think. Do the storm clouds appeal to you?” he asked, but passed the piece over for observation. “You can touch it, it’s fine. It’s got a bit of power to it,” he mused, “But I can’t quite place it. I’ve had this for a little while, though. From Jupiter, of course. But it’s really not the style, is it?” He hummed thoughtfully and then shrugged, “Someone worked very hard to hide it away, if I recall. So, Sessrumnir. If it would ease you at all, my name is Almadel. You don’t need to get creative with what to call me. Take a look and tell me if you like it. If you don’t, I’m sure I can find something else to catch your eye. There’s not a gimmick to my items, they’re just treasures I’ve found, that I’m looking to move to a new home. Preferably, after adequate compensation.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 1:38 pm
Sessrumnir stared at the orb with its swirling, sickly black haze. His heart was racing for absolutely no reason, and he couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away from the fog. He didn’t reach out to touch the necklace when Almadel held it out to him, even if every fiber in his body wanted him to.
“So you just happened to find this, hidden away, somewhere on Jupiter,” he said for clarification. “I guess because no one’s there, you decided it’s free for the taking? Do you sell off all the good stuff first, and these are the leftover clearance items you can’t find a buyer for? Anyway… do I look like the kind of guy who would wear jewelry?”
Even if he wasn’t being entirely sincere about the rejection, his starseed seemed to resonate with distress, making his pulse quicken and fingers twitch as he held himself back from reaching out for the necklace. Thunder shook the trees around them, and a heavy wind seemed to have picked up. Sessrumnir didn’t even realize how quickly the storm rolled in, but he could hear the rain start to pelt the ground outside of the protective dome Almadel had set up.
And still, he couldn’t take his eyes off the orb now that he saw it. In his hand, the wisp was warm but still trapped. Sessrumnir sighed and held out his hand to offer the wisp. “Maybe I should take that tablecloth.”
Once again, his starseed seemed to reject that idea, and he almost didn't notice that he'd lifted his other hand as well, holding it under the necklace to take from Almadel. Just to look at, he told himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:05 pm
Almadel could tell when he had a difficult customer, and it was better that the wisp was in his possession if his Knightly friend was going to be so cranky. Deftly, his fingers plucked the wisp from Sessrumnir’s hand and it disappeared into his sleeve. “I could give you a tablecloth if you prefer,” he said, and almost looked like he was going to set the necklace down. Like he was going to put it away. “I suppose this is a bit underwhelming. I wouldn’t say it’s a clearance item, just…” He sighed thoughtfully. “ Different. But it’s got a good weight to it.” He almost set it back down, but with Sessrumnir’s hand just underneath, it was all too easy to let the orb fall into his hand. The necklace wasn’t heavy by any means, but it did have some weight to it. The sickly haze swirled slowly, like some bottled poison. And then, like little stars peaking through a cloudy night, pinpricks of golden light appeared. They were faint, and scarce, at first, but there was something more in the necklace. The smoke never stopped swirling, and sometimes it seemed to swallow up the little golden lights--and sometimes, more of them peaked through. The necklace was doing something in Sessrumnir’s hand, and now that he was holding it he could feel a slow, steady pulse beating from within it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:58 pm
Sessrumnir stared, completely mesmerized by the orb. His heart never stopped racing, especially now that the strange orb with its sickly black haze had been dropped into his hand. He watched with growing anticipation as slowly… tiny pinpricks of gold could be seen.
“What is this?” he asked Almadel, even as his eyes remained on the orb, as though afraid to miss something if he looked away. He could feel the steady pulse in his palm, and he couldn’t tell if it had already warmed from being in his hand, or if the orb itself was warm to the touch.
“Is this some kind of illusion? A party trick?” he asked, although his voice still seemed like it was distracted. Probably because he was distracted by the shift in the black haze, as slowly more of the gold shined through, as though it was healing. He couldn’t understand why Almadel would leave a necklace like this, blackened and sickly looking, when it had the potential to change into the shining gold it was slowly shifting towards.
He continued to hold it, but slowly his fingers curled to clasp around it, as though he couldn't bear to part with it again.
Again?
He could still see the orb through them, shining with the gold that was replacing the black.
“Are all your items like this?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:34 pm
Almadel blinked. “Special? Yes. But no two are alike.” He leaned forward a bit in his chair, as if trying to see what exactly the necklace was doing in Sessrumnir’s hand. “It’s never done anything like that for me, though. If it is a party trick, it’s a neat one. But, I don’t think it’s an illusion. I’ve had it for a while now. I haven’t kept my eye on it all the time, but.” He tilted his head, clearly fixating on the gold light filtering through the grey swirls. “Maybe you were just destined to have it, no? Which would make this a perfect trade. Better than a tablecloth, I think.” Although, now he seemed to have renewed interest in the necklace. “What are you doing to it?” he finally asked. “Is that some Knight trick of yours? I don’t lie. It’s never done that before.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:22 pm
It was as if something was there, just beyond the grey, beyond the sickly haze that shrouded the orb’s true nature. He could feel the steady pulse in his hand, not at all in tandem with the excited skip of his own heart, which just proved that he wasn’t imagining it, or mistaking the heartbeat for his own.
“You don’t lie. Right,” Sessrumnir snorted, and for the first time since setting his eyes on the orb, he finally broke his gaze free to look back up at the merchant. He didn’t know Almadel well enough to be able to tell if he was lying, or if he actually took an interest in the brighter shining orb of swirling gold and black in his hand, but he knew there was something that wanted him to keep the necklace.
He just couldn’t tell if that something was nefarious or if it was a purer desire. Something ingrained in him that reacted to finding something long lost. Above them, light flashed across the sky, illuminating the dome that protected the merchant and his wares. A crack of thunder shook the ground as the winds continued to rage.
“Have you met a lot of Knights with tricks like this?” he wondered. “Or is this a clever sales tactic to try and make me think this little necklace is actually worth something?”
And yet… there was something that seemed strangely sincere about Almadel’s interest. Perhaps he really wasn’t lying when he said the necklace never did something like that before.
“Where did you find this?” he shifted his line of questioning, although his voice was more curious than accusatory. For now. The necklace chain was securely around his fingers so he could let the changing orb hang down for Almadel to see. “You said Jupiter, but where? It’s pretty big. And it’s not typical Jupiter style, as you pointed out.”
There was another pause, and he sighed in resignation, his shoulders easing a little from the tension he didn’t realize was there.
“I bet you get harassed about this stuff a lot. Sorry, I don’t like this time of the year. It puts me on edge. Just… you’re not going to use those little glowy things for anything evil, are you? I really, really don’t feel like fighting anyone.” Not at the moment. Not when he was already on edge about the beginning of July.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:58 pm
“No, nothing evil,” Almadel confirmed, eyes locked on the way the gold light seemed to be bleeding through the shadows, swallowing up the darkness. He seemed a bit dazed by the brilliance of it. “It’s actually supposed to be a protector,” he mused, “Only, it’s not supposed to be broken up into so many little pieces. I’m hoping to recover it before there’s irreparable damage. I’m afraid that if I don’t have all the pieces back, something might go wrong. So it’s very important to me to get them all collected as quickly as possible.” He seemed curious of Sessrumnir, and finally looked up from the necklace. “I’ve met a lot of people with a lot of tricks, but my wares are never deceitful. I’m sorry I don’t have more information. It’s hard to tell one place from the next when no one’s there to give you the tour. On Jupiter, tucked away, like someone wanted it taken care of. I couldn’t understand why, mind you. It didn’t look particularly inspiring. But it seemed a waste to leave it there in the darkness, when someone had wrapped it with such tenderness. I wonder if it was like this in their hands as it is in yours now. Now, it looks like a treasure worth protecting.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:31 pm
Nothing evil was enough for Sessrumir to let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He still wasn’t sure he could trust this man, but the orb felt real. Like it was meant for him.
On Jupiter, tucked away.
He collected the orb back into his hand, holding it to feel the barely there pulse against his palm. “I guess I’ll take this then. If you consider it a fair trade. I’ll probably regret not getting something for the rain, but…”
There was something calming and strangely familiar about it, even though Sessrumnir knew he’d never seen it before in his life. At least not this life. Was it something from his past?
Thunder rumbled overhead and pulled his thoughts back to the present.
“Good luck getting your pieces collected. I’ll keep an eye out for any more,” Sessrumnir said and closed his fingers around the necklace. The Space Cauldron I’m okay calling this closed if you are!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
