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 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 7:16 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.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 7:30 pm
Cybele had laid awake in bed the night before, the wisp she'd bottled set on her bedside table. It bobbled around, and every time it bounced off the glass, her jaw had tightened. Eventually, that tension had passed and she'd slept, deciding that it did not seem immediately dangerous, but she was still not completely comfortable with having unexplained magic around. That was why she'd brought the jar with her when she'd gone back out to the festival area, looking for answers. The crater impact had seemed a decent place to start looking, since that was something else that seemed odd, even to those around her who knew something about how the magic in Destiny City tended to go. Still, she was not really expecting to find anything. Maybe there would be someone else to swap rumors about the wisps with, but nothing more. She was not expecting to find an odd aura, or a sign. The barrier was strange, too, but she slipped through it anyway, only to find herself face to face with a man. Her first thought, when she looked at him, was that he was a half-youma, although on second glance, that did not seem quite right. "Hello," she said, holding the jar in plain sight.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:54 am
The merchant’s eyes immediately moved to the jar, and the little wisp inside, and the want was clear in his expression. “Oh, good, you’ve found one. I’ve been missing them so badly. Come closer, won’t you? I’ve got such an array of items I’m looking to find new homes for,” he began. “And, in exchange, all I’m asking for is that you return that wisp to me. It’s not meant to be separated.” He reached from beneath the table and withdrew an extremely ornate chalice that could have easily doubled as an extravagant candy dish, complete with stem and lid. The crystal bowl was cut with many facets that all perfectly seemed to capture and accentuate the light inside. Atop of the clear crystal, an ornate silver lid encrusted with what looked to be a giant diamond in the center. It had a large silver stem and a beautiful, sturdy base with a few more gemstones embedded within it. A few wisps danced around inside already, and he looked up at Cybele expectantly. “I’m sure we can come to some arrangement, yes? I won’t bite. I’m just here for a trade, my dear.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:49 pm
"A trade?" Cybele's gaze brushed quickly over the table, but her eyes only lingered on the chalice that the man brought out. She tapped one fingernail on the jar in her own hands, pointing to the wisp inside. "I'm just looking to find out what this is, and if it's dangerous. You say it's yours?" She looked from the container of wisps to the main behind it, noting his ears and his horns and the point to his teeth when he smiled. There was no obvious sign that he was lying, but for some reason, his appearance did not put her completely at ease. "I apologize if this should be obvious. I'm missing many of my memories, but," she cut off and paused for a moment, trying to think of any tactful way to say what she needed to. "What are you?" No, that probably was not it, but the words were already out of her mouth. "I don't recognize your aura," she added, a bit more gently.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 4:29 pm
“Oh, nor will you,” he assured, not seeming the least bit offended by her words. “I’m a distant traveler. I’m not from Earth, nor anywhere you’d be familiar with, dear. I’m a humble merchant, just looking to peddle my wares. Although, I’ve had a bit of a hiccup this time. When I landed, one of my prized possessions,” he gestured to the wisps, “Shattered. And, now I’m just trying to piece it all back together. These aren’t really dangerous--not yet, at least. But they get a bit volatile when separated.” He sighed. “I need to find them all, quickly. They’re not meant to break apart, so the faster I can get them all back together, the better--for everyone. That, and I might yet be able to salvage its magic. I would say, it’s not dangerous. But, that’s not entirely accurate. Anything’s dangerous in the right hands. But, no. It’s supposed to be protective. And that’s what I intend to use it for. But it won’t grow right if it’s not in good hands, so it’s a bit time sensitive to get it restored, I’m afraid. It’s why I’m willing to trade so many good things for them.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:20 am
There were many things that Cybele was not familiar with. Even Earth, for example, was mostly a mystery to her, let alone any worlds beyond where this man might have hailed from. Still, she'd picked up a thing or two during her time in the Negaverse. She knew how to recognize pretty words when she heard them. It sounded like the merchant was trying hard to downplay something that could be quite dangerous. Still, if he was telling the truth, the wisp wasn't much safer in her own hands. If he was the rightful owner, he likely knew best how to handle them. The tapping of her fingernails on the glass grew quicker as she considered. "You'll watch over these and take them with you when you go?" she asked. There was something sharp in her eyes, but she nodded after a moment. "All right." She put the jar down on the table in front of him, and then finally looked to the other objects she could see there. She'd found herself on a few shopping trips in the past few weeks, but these small items were more unique than anything she'd seen at the mall. "These are your wares?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:38 pm
“I’ll watch over them and take very good care of them,” he insisted, watching the jar eagerly. He expressed obvious patience by not just reaching over to snipe it, and smiled politely. “I’ve got more stored under the table if you’re looking for something specific, or if none of these catch your eye. I can even make suggestions, if you’re willing. For example,” he leaned back in his chair, still carefully holding the chalice of wisps. “You look like you have a lot on your mind, and a heavy heart. Might I suggest something to ease you a bit?” He opened a little box to his left, revealing a purple, palm sized flower. It looked as though it might have been freshly picked, except for the fact that it had a unique sheen about it. The flower was perfectly preserved in a thin layer of crystal, and when he opened the box, a dusky, subtly sweet aroma was released. “I find that I feel a bit more at peace whenever I smell this. I don’t know, it makes me think of home a bit. It’s very easy to focus on when your mind is wandering. You can pick it up if you like. Or if there’s something else you’d rather acquaint yourself. We’ve got time, no rush.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:16 pm
"They're yours," she said with a shrug, pushing the wisp even closer towards him. She'd be happy enough to have the small thing taken care of and not having to worry that it was watching her through its glass prison, or planning to cause trouble in some other strange way she was not prepared for. Almost all of the items on the table were fascinating. She'd been about to pick through a small pile of rings with a unique sheen when all at once he was offering her a flower. She reached out to pick it up and cradle it in her hands without thinking. The scent hit her first, before she even fully processed the shape of the petals. It was as calming as he said, deep and sweet without being overwhelming. After she took a better look at it, she could see the way that the petals mirrored the ones she wore on her tiara. Cybele didn't know much about her asteroid, but Ganymede had told her that it was a place of deep forests and dusky purple skies. She wondered if this was the scent of that place. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that as she held the flower, she felt the same tug of distant familiarity that she did when meeting an old friend. "I'm in transition more than anything else," she told the merchant, "But I do like this one. What's the price on it?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:15 pm
He took the wisp quickly, scooping it into the container and closing the lid promptly to make sure it couldn't escape. With the wisp safely inside, he hid the chalice beneath the table again. “Well, you’ve given me back what I lost. I promised a generous reward. I would give you that, in exchange for helping return my wisp to me. No extra price. I like to keep things simple when I can. So, if you like it,” he smiled sweetly. “Go ahead. It’s all yours. I’d be delighted to see it in good hands. It’s not fragile, but.” He sighed, and ran his finger lightly over his table, as though he had a lot of things to ruminate. “I’ve already lost quite a few things in this trip from damage alone. It would be safer with you. Probably more appreciated, too. It’ll just go back in a box if it stays with me. Which, is a pity. It’s a lovely thing, it deserves to be admired.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:08 am
"No, I wouldn't want it damaged," said Cybele, perhaps a bit too quickly. Although she supposed there was no danger in showing how much she was admiring the lovely flower. According to the merchant himself, she'd paid the price. It was hers. "Thank you," she said instead, and the smile that she flashed the merchant reached her eyes. "It's beautiful. It is generous of you." She took a step back with the flower in hand, but paused. She'd come for answers about the safety of the city, not for a prize. "How many more of the wisps do you think there are?" she asked. "If I find more, I'll bring them back here, of course. It's just," she bit her lip, "Worrying, if you say they're dangerous on their own." The last thing anyone here needed was some sort of volatile explosion because wisps could not be tracked down in a timely manner.
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:43 am
“Quite so,” he agreed. “Which is why I’m willing to part with rare treasures for their return. I don’t actually want this world to come to any harm. I rather like it. So I’d prefer not to overstay my welcome or see any trouble come to it. It’s hard to estimate how many there are. When I first had it, it was, oh, roughly this size,” he said, and he used his hand to estimate a shape that appeared roughly that of a basketball. “So really, I don’t know how it’s broken into so many pieces. It’s hard to imagine, they’re a bit fluid in shape. Sometimes they take up more space, sometimes less. Sometimes they easily merge back together, sometimes they’re waiting for another piece. It’s not like they're sentient, that’s why they bop around like they haven’t got a care in the world. They haven’t matured enough to have any thought to them, and I don’t think they will unless they reform. It’s hard to say, with these ancient things. Cosmic magic is so unpredictable. I’ve been tinkering with some things to try and find a tool to help me in locating them, but it’s such tedious work. I’m a merchant, not a scientist. But I do like finding things, so at least there’s a bit of a middle ground.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2021 4:38 pm
Cybele listened to his explanation, her lips pressed together into a serious line. "No thoughts," she said, glad to know that the little wisp had not been watching her as she went about her day, the way she'd been wary of at first. "So, not quite dangerous yet. That's good to know." He was already plenty well equipped to collect them before anything happened, with his sign and his aura and his table full of rewards, but it didn't mean that Cybele would quite give up. "I'm not much good at tinkering either, but I've got a trick or two for hunting things down," she said with a small nod. "I'll see what I can do." With a final smile and a, "See you later," she vanished behind the barrier.
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