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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, 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.”
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.”
It had taken Lourdes a minute, but she'd gotten it. She'd gotten the exact quality of seed pod... fruit... nut... thing... that the sign had been asking for. Her hands were cut up from her grabbing and shaking and inspecting the rough exterior for damage. Her legs were equally as cut up from her having to clamber into the branches, not an easy task in her venus-assigned uniform, and cling to them with arms and legs to reach the pods themselves. There had been pods on the ground but those had all been sampled by local insects. Hence... tree climbing. Something which Lourdes, forever the princess that she was, hadn't taken part in until that day. And would not be doing now that the whole affair was over with. If the merchant beyond the barrier decided that the pod she brought him was sub-par, then she'd call him ungrateful, tell him to get his own, and go home. Nothing he had for her would be worth a second trip up that stupid tree.
At the sound of his welcome, Lourdes at least had the grace to smile, even if she was still sore in the way of mood and body about the ordeal she had to go through to win her payment for... whatever it was he had. Word around the court was that there wasn't really any rhyme or reason to his wares. Everything seemed like a hodge podge, she had been told, and it seemed like the rumors were true. Nothing on his admittedly interested table of objects seemed to have any overt theme. Aside from... odd... which seemed to be a theme that he carried over to himself. And honestly, if she hadn't been through what she'd been through... if she hadn't had her ear cut off by a child with too much power, been to space, fought literal aliens, and met actual monsters... she might have been a little struck by his other-worldy appearance.
As it stood, however, she had been through all that, so she simply grinned at the being before her and offered her own, "evening," in response.
And if he found her tone somewhat clipped, then that was his problem, not hers.
"I heard you were in search of these things. They aren't easy to find in the state that you want... which begs a couple of questions..." she tossed her pod into the air, catching it back in the cradle of her palm as she stopped far enough away from the table to be able to retreat if needed. "What are these, and why do you want them so badly?"
Which, of course, begged a few more questions... the primary one being what Lourdes would do if this being didn't answer her question. Or worse, what if he admitted to something... unsavory? If this being was supremely stupid and admitted to less than honorable intentions with the pod, that was easy. She'd probably burn it, honestly, along with every other pod she could get her hands on. But if he simply didn't answer... would she leave? What would she do with the pod?
She'd have to cross that bridge when and if she got to it, she supposed.
