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 Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2023 10:34 pm
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.”
Seeing the signs brought the not too distant memory back, and before long she found herself walking past them and coming upon a man sitting at a table full while carrying a hefty-looking cardboard box in her red, slightly irritated hands.
It would be a lie to say that she found absolutely nothing odd about this kind of thing. Random table, random stuff, random man behind it looking the way that he did. The whole thing reeked of oddity, but in truth that was probably part of the reason she was there in the first place. She was curious, the pods were easy enough to find, and quite honestly not enough interesting things happened in her life, so why not?
Several documentaries on serial killers came to mind despite the question being rhetorical, but she quickly snuffed out her inner voice of reason.
“Hi, I think I have a couple of the things you’re looking for,” she said, lifting the box slightly. “Can I put this down somewhere so you can take a look?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 8:32 pm
The Merchant raised his brow with great interest when she approached with a ful box. “Of course,” he answered pleasantly and was quick to relocate a few things near to her so he could make space for the box. His tail twitched the entire time, and the corners of his lips stayed ticked up in a pleased smile. “You seem like you’ve got quite the collection already–are your hands all right? You poor thing. Allergies? I might have a cream to help. No charge, of course. I fully intend to make a respectable trade. Of course, you’ve got my interest piqued. Come, set that down. Let me see your hands.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 10:25 pm
Mel offered him a small smile and set the box down in the space that he cleared. "Thank you," she started, already starting to fiddle with her hands to try and relieve the itching, burning sensation in them. "It's honestly not much, just a couple of the big ones that I think you're looking for. There are some others, but they might be too small? And not all of them are leaking. Not sure if that's good or bad. Anyway, I thought I'd just bring what I had and you can decide which ones you wanna trade for."
She considered his offer to see her hands while she spoke, though at the start she had already decided to politely refuse. Something about accepting kindness from strangers not being the smartest thing to do, but...well. Rubbing them together didn't seem to do anything to help, and now that she didn't have a heavy-ish box to distract her she couldn't help but focus on the discomfort. So, when she finished speaking, she extended them for him to see.
"As for my hands, 'all right' might be a stretch right now. I didn't think I had allergies. Nothing like leaky pods to prove me wrong. If you have something that could help, that would be amazing."
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Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2023 10:45 pm
“Well, I’m impressed by your thoughtfulness and attention to detail. You can’t say ‘it’s not much’ when it sounds like you’ve gotten exactly what I’ve asked for, and more. You should leave them all with me, I’ll be happy to take them off your hands. And, I’ll be sure to return the favor. First, though.” He reached under the table and fished around very briefly before he pulled out a ceramic jar. It was simple, albeit the opalescent sheen and apparent weight of it implied that it was well constructed and worthwhile for that alone. He twisted the top off and revealed a milky, pink tinted cream inside. “This should help the agitation. Dip two fingers in and take a bit. It’s just lotion. Human safe, I assure you. I carry it for emergencies. It should soothe your hands. It encourages healing, but everyone takes it a bit differently. At the very least, it will let us talk in peace and bring you relief for the time being.” He held the small jar out for her and didn’t seem to be in any sort of rush, though he was already scanning the items spread out across the table. “For you, it will have to be something special.” But then, she didn’t even have any magic about her. He could have given her shiny garbage and she might not have known the difference. And yet, he was apparently grateful for the effort she’d put into retrieving his fruit, because he began looking at some of his more interesting treasures. “Do you like mysteries? Or shiny things of value? I’ve got more than you can imagine, but I’ll see to it that you leave with something you’re happy with.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 7:57 pm
Mel offered him a beaming smile, then quietly watched and waited while he got something from under the table. Soon he presented her with some kind of cream that she hoped would be her saving grace, and she gave a bobble of her head at his instruction to take some.
Quickly she applied the dollop she’d taken all over her hands and, as advertised, it began to cool and soothe her hands until the irritation became nothing more than a faint tingling sensation that she could very easily ignore. “That honestly worked wonders, thank you so much!”
His question had her shift her focus to the table, though her eyes flickered to him every now and again to see what he was looking at and considering for the trade. She wasn’t trying to be clever or anything like that, it’s just that nothing on the table looked even remotely familiar. He seemed pretty very grateful, given the compliments and even helping treat her hands, so she was hoping he was considering things that were about equal in value to what she’d brought.
“Yes, and yes,” she replied eventually, and with a little giggle. “Do you maybe have a mysterious shiny thing of value?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:46 pm
“Of course! What kind of merchant would I be if I didn’t?” He smiled, visibly pleased with himself and her reaction. Within seconds he produced a small, ceramic device that looked like a carved, white crystal. A blue gemstone in the shape of a Mercury symbol had been fixed to the front of it, and it had a metallic fixing to the top, as if it could have been worn on a chain. He held it out so she could see it, but he did not yet pass it to her. Instead, he pulled the two ends apart to reveal what seemed to be some sort of plug in. It resembled a USB, and almost even seemed to be the perfect size and shape to be as much. He recapped the crystal and then presented it to her for her own inspection. “I’ve been sitting on this for a while now and I just cannot get it to read. There’s data on there, but every time I plug it in, at best, I get it to a screen and then it won’t load beyond that. Someone worked very hard to protect this information, but I just think it’s too much out of my skillset to unlock what’s on there. I don’t have time to play with it. But Earth has so many different technologies, you might have more luck than I do. Unfortunately, the colors don’t match my outfits much, so I can’t even wear it. It catches the light nicely when the sun’s up. And it’s got such a good weight to it.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:29 pm
Mel laughed lightly at his response, watching and waiting expectantly for whatever he might produce.
What he revealed was small but incredibly eye-catching, and very clearly checked all the boxes of her request. She watched as he pulled the ends apart to reveal it was some type of USB device. When he finally offered it to her she very carefully took it from him, her mind already racing with the possibilities.
The young woman looked completely enraptured by it. In part it was a pretty, crystal type bauble done up in her favorite colors, but more so because of the mystery of it all. Was this actually a USB or just something similar? Where'd it come from? Would it work like any other USB? What was on it? Why go to any length to protect it? Why the Mercury symbol? So many questions, so little time.
She looked up at him as he explained his experience with it and why he was willing to part with it, excitement and curiosity clear in her eyes. She didn’t even register that it was a little odd to specifically mention “Earth” and its technologies. “I mean, if you’re sure then I’ll take it! I love a good challenge and a good mystery, so this is honestly too perfect to pass up. And I do have clothes that would go really nicely with this, so that's kind of a bonus.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 6:56 am
There was a sparkle in Almadel’s eyes that hadn’t been there before, because the only thing better than good company was a good trade. "Oh, that's most excellent, then. I love when things work out. I think you'll be able to make much better use of it than I will, so, yes. I'm quite sure. You've brought me such a fine specimen, that's not something to turn my nose up at. But you must promise me that if you figure out what's on there, you'll have to tell me. I won't rest until my curiosity has been sated. I can't help it. I've had it for so long, I’ve dreamed of what’s on there. So I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you can unlock it–but, at the very least, you’ll look good wearing it.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 12:41 pm
Mel squeed, absolutely giddy at the trade. She clutched her new item and listened as Almadel made his request. The young woman didn’t hesitate to bobble her head in agreement. She also loved when things went full circle, and reporting her findings would do exactly that.
“Of course! Not a problem! Thank you so much…” It was only then that she realized that she’d never gotten his name, nor given hers.
She apologized quickly and introduced herself, then asked for his calling card so she could contact him when she found anything out. It was, by far, both the fanciest and strangest card she’d ever seen. Stranger still were the instructions on how to use it. For the time being, and for the sake of being polite, she set her thoughts on that aside. She was, all the same, incredibly grateful so she took the card with as bright a smile as ever and committed its instructions to memory.
“Thanks again, Al!” Hopefully he didn’t mind that she shortened his name. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve figured something out.”
With the trade, formalities, and even pleasantries now done, Mel pocketed the USB, turned, and headed home. She pulled his card out as she went and thought about the whole exchange. It had all been so pleasant, but as she went over their conversation there were some little things that she realized she missed in the moment. It was the first time she truly questioned who this man was beyond a simple merchant.
More than that, she was starting to think the more important question wasn't "who," but "from where."
Almadel's card: On one side, an ornate symbol that looked incredibly similar to a fingerprint. On the other side, in opalescent ink, a single word in elegant script: Almadel. It was printed with a red, holographic ink. Use: Drop of blood, press finger to it.
Personal Item Acquired
Mercurian Data Drive
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