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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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 Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:02 pm
The Space Cauldron 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, even as he leaned forward and laced his fingers 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 table was somehow both simple and overwhelming; it was draped in a dark purple tablecloth, with extravagant embroidery in different designs. Scattered neatly atop the table was 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 when his visitor entered, 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.” Should he have been intimidated? Probably. But there was something about that fierce gaze, that smile, that statuesque appearance, the mystery of it all-- well, Abzu was the faintest bit intimidated, but perhaps moreso he was quite intrigued. His eyes widened a bit as he took a deep breath, and then he approached the mysterious alien and his table of things he was no doubt hawking. With an appearance like that, Abzu had no doubt that it would be easy to charm people into giving him interesting things. "Thank you," Abzu dipped into his own warmth in response, his natural tendency to flirt kicking in without much of a thought to it. "You're not from here, are you?" An alien, but not like the Velencians or Daphne, it seemed. "Where are you from?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 8:45 pm
“Oh,no. Not from Earth. But I’m a little bit from here, a little bit from there.” He shrugged, not quite dismissively, but like the topic was hardly interesting enough to get into. “You know how it is.” He looked Abzu over, taking in the fine details of his uniform, and then locked eyes with him. “I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Neptune Knights. And you’re certainly easy on the eyes. Come closer, you’re more than welcome to take a good look at my wares. I am, after all, but a simple merchant, looking to share my treasures. And take home a lighter load than I arrived with, ideally. Are you in the market for anything in particular or,” he flashed a charming smile, “Just looking?”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 3:04 am
Not from Earth, but from everywhere? The merchant in front of him was dismissive of the whole thing, but Abzu was increasingly intrigued. Watching the way his eyes wandered along his body--or at least his uniform, but Abzu was wearing that uniform--and the compliment only increased that intrigue. He ran his tongue quickly along his top lip as he found himself breaking the distance to the table almost on autopilot. Sure, he'd take a good look at him. Or his wares. "Thank you," Abzu's warmth filled his voice and his body as he leaned in. "You're not hard on the eyes yourself." Not hard might have been the understatement of the year. That charming smile-- "Looking. Quite intrigued by what you've got here." He let his gaze shift from Almadel for at least a few seconds to actually take a look, but his eyes didn't stay elsewhere for terribly long. "I can tell you're well-traveled." The Space Cauldron i am so sorry he's a disaster lmao
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2022 12:27 am
The merchant laughed easily; it was a good natured, pleasant sound, like he both genuinely enjoyed Abzu’s words and was also fairly amused by them. “Quite so, yes. A bit more well traveled than most of these treasures, but they’re all special, I assure you. Is there anything that’s caught your eye? More than me, at least. I’ve jewels, antiques, tools.” His fingers glided across the table, gently touching a few of such objects for landing on a strangely shaped instrument that was a bit shorter than the length of his arm. While parts of it looked like they might have been made of some golden metal, most of it looked like a well-polished abalone shell. The mottled blues and greens and purples shimmered like the sun on the ocean. It looked like some kind of woodwind, though the exact shape wasn’t quite easy to place. It looked similar to what might have passed for an extremely stylized saxophone, but there was something distinctly not Earthen about it. Probably the gilded Neptune symbol on the side. “Whatever your heart desires. Tell me, what shall I call you?”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 6:41 pm
He would take both enjoyment and amusement from his words; honestly, the important part was that this draconic merchant from space was enjoying any part of what he was saying, and beckoning him over, and speaking with him--there was a part of him that was tempted to ask if he was willing to entertain more, but then the merchant's fingers are gliding across the table and he was following them. "Oh, you've certainly caught my eye," came a warm, teasing confirmation, as he looked over what the merchant was showing him. He could see what he meant by saying that he was more travelled than the items, each item had different vibes, a different appearance, a different impression, and then one in particular was abalone, shimmery, and had a symbol that stuck out to him as one that matched with his own outfit. Neptunian. It was enough to take his eyes away from the merchant for a few seconds as he inspected it a little bit closer. "Fascinating," he purred, "you were right about being well-traveled." That almost made him more interesting-- Michelangelo duPont-- "Abzu of Neptune," he shot that charming grin right back at the merchant. or whatever was wished-- "And yourself? I'd love to know the name of someone who is so interesting." As an afterthought, he added, "and of someone who managed to find a Neptunian instrument..."
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:03 am
The merchant seemed quite pleased with this response–delighted, even. “Oh, Abzu. That’s rather charming.” He extended his hand to shake and made sure to keep eye contact when he introduced, “My name is Almadel. You have a good eye.” Briefly, he nodded to the instrument, but his attention didn’t stray from Abzu’s face. “Are you familiar with it? Perhaps you know how to play, or are you just a connoisseur of unique and rare musical instruments?”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 12:43 am
The positive response he was getting was only encouraging him. The compliment to his name brought a charming smirk to his face, and the offer of a handshake might have only increased that even more. He took Almadel's hand, keeping the eye contact that Almadel made with him as he purred in turn, "Almadel has a nice flow to it. Musical in its own right." His eyes flicked to the instrument briefly, taking in every bit of it that he could without needing to fully break contact. The material it was made out of rang familiar. It easily looks like something that could have been on his own Wonder. Well, if he could see much of anything beyond his phone flashlight when he went there anyway. "Both," was his easy reply, as he kept his focus moreso on Almadel than the saxophone-like instrument on the table. He was a virtuoso at the saxophone. The universe had even granted him one as an artifact. "I do like getting unique instruments. One of my favorite ones is a particularly small saxophone. Sopranissimo, smaller than a flute. But," his chuckle was once again warm, "I'd like to think I'm an expert in instruments like that." Was it not quite the same as the ones he recognized? Yeah. Was he confident he could pull it off anyway? Absolutely. "Carry something similar, after all."
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:56 am
Almadel liked the attention–for good reason. Abzu seemed like a fine specimen, so naturally it was flattering to be admired by someone of the sort. “Oh, you are delightful. Yes, I rather like you. Well, I should give you some time with that, you can practice first. And then, maybe come back and give me a show. Oh, but of course, there’s the matter of payment to discuss, first. As much as I wish I could be paid with smiles and flattery, I’d run myself out of business if I tried. But I’ll make a good deal for you, Abzu. Since we’re such good friends already.”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 10:02 pm
The delightful compliment earned Almadel a winning grin and a flirtatious wink. He'd certainly like to think so, and he was also certainly willing to encourage thoughts like that; in his opinion, it could only go good places and ones he was certainly willing to pursue. At the concept of practicing, his hand slid to the instrument even as his attention remained on Almadel. He felt the valves, the keys; let his fingers explore the patterning and translate something into his own familiarity as he pondered the inevitable payment. "Mm, are you sure?" There was a warmth in his voice both inviting and teasing. "I could certainly ramp that up if you'd like." Wasn't too hard to flatter someone as interesting as Almadel. Honestly, Abzu would chat him up all day if allowed-- He paused, slipping a hand into his subspace pocket and withdrawing a gift card, slipping it between two fingers, and showing it to Almadel. It worked at a few assorted chain restaurants in the area. "What if I treat you to dinner?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2022 4:42 pm
Almadel purred, thoughtfully. “Well, I can’t say no to a good meal with good company. Especially if you’ll put on a good show for me. You should take that home and practice with me, I’d like to see what you can do with it.” He eyed the gift card curiously, because while typical payments and transactions were not ideal, he could probably make something worthwhile from this. And, Abzu was giving him a good time about it. “All right. I’ll make that trade, yes. Who could say no to a face like yours, anyway?”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:53 pm
"Oh, I'd love to put on a show." Putting on a good show for a very intriguing person? That was something Abzu would never protest. And if it came with a good meal afterward? It sounded like a winning afternoon, a winning evening, winning nighttime depending-- Abzu set the gift card on the table as a show of good faith -- even if he had to be the one to get the two of them the food, although late enough at some of these locations, Almadel wouldn't even be questioned -- and slid the saxophone-like instrument toward himself. He idly played with the fingering, trying to quickly map in his muscle memory where each piece truly belonged. "Mm, I appreciate the compliment. You're quite the flatterer." And yet. "Honestly, I would have trouble finding it in me to say no to you, either." And of course, he winked again, picking up the saxophone now.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 3:28 pm
Almadel laughed; it was a rich, charming sound, and he slid the card across the table to pocket it. For a rainy day; for now, he had too much business to attend to. He settled himself in his chair and propped his elbows up comfortably. He laced his fingers and rested his chin atop them. His smile seemed less predatory, less playful; he looked like he might have actually been excited and eager to see what Abzu could do with the instrument. “Well, I am a highly desirable figure, myself, if we’re being honest. There’s not a world I go to that I’m not in high demand. So naturally, it’s only befitting that I return such compliments when I have the opportunity. If I’m being honest, it’s not every world that’s equipped with such delightful patrons. I’ve got to appreciate them when I can. I’m not in town often enough, I’ve got to cram all my indulgences into very little time. But,” he looked him over again, a little expectantly, “I think it’s time very well spent.”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2022 3:18 pm
To see the change in mannerisms from Almadel might have made Abzu even more intrigued. It showed that as much as Almadel generally piqued Abzu's interest, and they had been playfully and flirtatiously bantering throughout, there was something there. He liked that. He might have also liked being looked over like that, and he winked at Almadel. "I am quite happy to help you cram your indulgences in while you're here," his voice was still quite warm in turn. He idly practiced fingering on the instrument in his hands; he could definitely do something with this. Might need to practice overall to make sure it sounded the way he expected as he played it, but that was something he would do eagerly-- "Want to keep you coming back, yes? People like you don't come by terribly often." If he came by more often-- Well. Abzu put aside that thought, for now, briefly setting the new instrument down in favor of his artifact. The reed was lifted to his lips, and he played a version of one of his favorite soprano covers he had heard recently, a smooth vibe of a song that was needing in its own right.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:35 am
Almadel sat up straight and watched with great interest, listened with great intrigue. For the first few seconds, he kept his eyes on how Abzu moved, and seemed entranced by the way he controlled the instrument. Then, he allowed his eyes to close so he could hear every little sound the instrument made with perfect clarity. A few moments passed, and when the song came to an end, he nodded approvingly and fixed his gaze back on Abzu. “Yes,” he nodded, “This is a very good trade, I think. I could listen to you play that all night, but you’ll be an unfair distraction while I’m conducting business. I’m glad you’ve got that, though. The next time I’m in town, I hope you’ll play something for me. If I find any other nice instruments, I’ll have to keep you in mind. Thank you for humoring me this evening. I think it’s been time well spent. I hope we'll get to do it again some time.”
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2022 3:21 am
Abzu grinned at Almadel's reaction, both because Almadel liked what he had played -- someone of good taste to recognize the skill of the saxophone -- and because of the compliments in himself. Yes, he was a professional. Yes, he knew he was good. That didn't make the compliments any less enjoyable. "Oh, absolutely. Next time you make it through here, I'll be back, right? Maybe we can find some time where I can play you some more tunes and not be a business distraction." A distraction in general, though? Perhaps. "This has definitely been time well spent. Glad I slid over to your table." He winked, tucking his soprano saxophone safely away as he collected the Neptunian instrument. "Can't wait to spend more time with you, hm? In the interim, I hope you have some more good trades, Almadel." His departure was a flirtatious wink with an amused blown kiss, and a saunter away. The Space Cauldron I think this will work as a fin!
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