|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 10:52 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, 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.” —- Satori, or Sato for short, once heard of a mysterious merchant from guardian cat Runelucia. She hadn’t quite comprehended all of the details per se, but she understood a few things from the story. It was that the senshi Rune was attached to had once encountered the mysterious merchant and traded with him for something most wonderful, or so Runelucia claimed, anyway. His name was… Almadeus? Almadis? Almonds? Wait…those aren’t quite it. Oh, wait. That’s right… it’s Almadel, a mysterious merchant extraordinaire. And, if Sato recalled correctly, there was some sort of barrier, much like some sort of boundary field divorced from reality. While Runelucia herself wasn’t present when her senshi engaged in an exchange with the elusive merchant, she did describe the experience as such. And, well, lo and behold. There was one such barrier anyone could venture into now! As much as she would like to leap into the field right away, she was not alone in this encounter. Besides the mysterious yet possibly-desired-by-Almadel tree pod she pocketed not too long ago and the caterpillar she was raising with her today, her twin sister Nemu insisted on joining her as well. Sato knew exactly why Nemu joined. It was to try keeping Sato out of trouble, and well, Nemu would be ready to call out for help should anything shady and nefarious actually happen. Sato protested that she heard from Rune that such mean behavior shouldn't happen… but that didn’t deter her twin from joining. Before long, the twins located the boundary and entered it. Satori was worried it would leave her feeling weird, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, what she immediately saw was a table laden with various wares and the very person she would wish to make a trade with. “Uh, hello! I’m Sato and I’m here today to make a trade, Mr. Almadel” Sato beamed a smile and held up the couple of things she had with her today. nyamomask sorry for roping you in nemu, feel free to hide
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2023 5:16 am
Nemu wasn’t so sure about this mysterious alien that was looking to trade for these pod things, to be honest. She herself had nothing she wanted to trade for, and hadn’t wanted to climb the tree for the pods either, but had tagged along with Sato, because well, because Sato was her twin and Nemu went (mostly) anywhere Sato went as long as it was safe. This wasn’t her first encounter with the extraterrestrial kind of course, but Almadel looked nothing like the aliens she had encountered before- he looked… intimidating in a way even if he carried himself in a way that seemed to be non-threatening. Sato stepped forward to greet the merchant; Nemu hung towards the back, behind her twin and also towards the exit, just in case she needed to flee and get help. Her sister greeted the alien by name, and Nemu looked at her twin in shock, having not been privy to any conversation where Sato had gotten the name from someone else. Had they met before?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 8:54 pm
“ Mister Almadel, how formal!” He seemed amused by the title, but still had to take a second to place if he recognized either of the two before him. He was usually good with faces, but today he couldn’t quite recall. Which meant they must have gotten his name from someone else, but really–what was the harm in that? “It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Sato.” He tilted his head to the other girl. “And you as well, my nameless friend. Come closer, I won’t bite. You’ve nothing to fear here. Well, I suppose some of my wares might be a bit scary, but I won’t let you find anything dangerous. I’m going to suppose you’ve seen the sign out front and have brought me that to trade? I’ve got quite the array to make it worth your while. Are you in the market for anything in particular, or just browsing?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 9:19 am
Against what was drilled into her head multiple times about listening to what strangers have to say, let alone words from someone obviously unusual in these parts, or anyone in spaces far removed from so-called reality, Sato approached the polite merchant after being beckoned anyway. She couldn’t resist it, because her eyes immediately widened and she wowed at the wide array of wares spread in front of him. There was so much to see and most of the goods emanated the same mysterious aura Almadel himself exuded. While she quickly scanned the wares, she answered, “Ah… yes, so Mister Almadel, I want to trade this mysterious little pod I found from the old downtown tree the other day. I tried keeping it safe, of course, and I made sure it wasn’t thrown away for safety reasons…” Sato grinned slightly and nodded to herself as she fished out the item wrapped in a small cloth from her small satchel, feeling a bit proud of her achievement. After all, she managed to keep it safe from those who would think to heed caution due to the reported events surrounding them in the first place. None of these reported events surrounding the pods could be considered good… but no harm befell before Sato, so she boldly assumed that she was in the clear. More importantly, she heard and eventually confirmed for herself that Almadel was actively seeking to collect these… for whatever reason. With her other hand, she gently lifted up the bug box filled with clipped plants and a caterpillar and added, “Oh, I also have this new caterpillar friend I’ve raised to trade as well. So… could I trade these two for a super cool alien insect? One from outer space? An insect that won’t be… what’re the words I learned from science class... oh, be an invasive species?!” Sato stared pointedly at the merchant. She was serious, and she couldn’t wait to hear what he has to say and offer in exchange.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 4:17 pm
The strange alien merchant that Sato spoke so casually with invited Nemu to come closer, but caution won out over curiosity, and so she remained rooted to the spot where she currently was, even if he assured he wouldn't let them come across anything dangerous. This decision was further cemented by her twin sister's next action, upon which she produced a box with a bug in it, eliciting a small shriek from Nemu, who massively disliked bugs. And Sato was wanting to trade that for space bugs!? Was Sato even listening to herself talk, to what words were presently coming out of her mouth?? "Y-y-y-you can't do that!" Nemu couldn't help but squeak out, "Mama and Papa will be upset if you do that!" Actually, she wasn't sure, but she knew that their parents cared a lot about the environment! And, well, technically this would be really hard to explain to their parents, not to mention, Nemu couldn't help but fret over any potential dangerous consequences of this deal... Why did it have to be bugs!?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 9:46 pm
Almadel stared at the girl for a moment before a smile spread across his face. He was interested, obviously, and it wasn’t often that someone could take him by surprise. But here she was, asking for an insect! Her poor sister seemed like she was struggling with the idea but Almadel was not to be swayed. “Well, I don’t think I’m the best caretaker for any sort of insect, so maybe you should keep that caterpillar, especially since it’s your friend. It’s in far better hands with you, I’d wager. But I will absolutely take that pod off of your hand. I think I’ve got something you’ll love.” He leaned towards Nemu and assured, “Nothing danerous. Just a lonely little friend who can use a good home, how’s that? You won’t have to worry about invasiveness. There’s only one, and it isn’t like it can breed. But I found it stuck to my clothes after a trip and didn’t know what to do. Just a moment.” He had to get up to go look for it, it wasn’t with the rest of his belongings. In a trunk in the back, he shifted things around until he produced a round terrarium, roughly the size of a soccer ball. It had fat neck and an ornate cap. Inside, there were a few strange plants, and a sizeable looking firefly inside. It seemed almost fibre-optic; its entire back end lit up like a little light show. “It likes to eat cabbage. They light up when they’re happy, and it’s always glowing when it’s eating. It’s very food motivated. Look, see it now?” It nibbled on a green leaf and shivered before it lit up in an eruption of color. “You can put it in a larger home if you wanted to trade for it. I tried to let it go earlier–” He paused, as if reconsidering if he should have said that but it was too late to take it back. “...But it kept coming back. For the cabbage. I think it’s a friendly creature. And you seem sweet.” He held out the bottle. “Do you want to try holding it while I inspect those pods?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:36 am
Truth be told, even though it wasn’t an impressive insect from outer space or a rare insect that could fetch plenty of street cred among insect enthusiasts, Sato’s eyes widened and shone like gems. She nearly bounced up and down in glee, but she only refrained, since she wanted to appear respectable in front of Mr. Almadel. “Of course, Mr. Almadel! How did you know I had wished for a rare firefly?” Sato grinned widely. In exchange for the terrarium with the firefly, Sato immediately handed over the goods pods. She then placed the caterpillar bug box aside and offered her vacant hands for the firefly. Overall, Sato was more than pleased to see Mr. Almadel understand where she was getting at. How could he have known she had wanted to capture a firefly? Or how she’d need to acquire a suitable home for it thereafter? How lucky and marvelous! Mr. Almadel’s actually amazing as long as she played her cards right, anyway. It was a good thing she collected those mysterious and potentially dangerous tree pods and connected the dots about what they were for. The round terrarium was a bit big for her to stow away back home, but hey, it would be more than easy to tell Mama and Papa that it was a present from a friend at school. Sato felt confident that sort of story would work. Oh, but she’d also need to get Nemu to provide an alibi as well. Luckily for her, Nemu shouldn’t be too hard to convince or please. All Sato needed to do was to scrounge up some of the allowances she saved and use it towards winning the crane game prize Nemu had been eyeing since summer began. nyamomask so nemu you've been spared from being asked to hold the caterpillar bug box - your twin sister actually remembered that you are still terribly frightful of bugs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 6:59 pm
Nemu wasn't sure how she felt about her twin getting to trade for more bugs, especially since it looked like Sato was going to get to keep the caterpillar as well. Fireflies... weren't as bad as wriggly worms and weren't a bug she would consider to be creepy crawly, either, but... did it really have to be another bug? At least Sato didn't make her hold the caterpillar box. "How are you going to explain that to Mama and Papa?" Nemu whispered to her sister, as she slowly (and cautiously) inched closer, because while Sato didn't receive anything that supposedly would disrupt the balance of Destiny City's ecosystem, well... a firefly that changed colors was still pretty sus. Given that Nemu also really disliked lying to their parents, who were unaware of their daughters' magical escapades, she hoped Sato wasn't going to try to rope her into covering for her... though that probably was going to happen regardless.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:36 am
Mirth lit up across Almadel’s face, and in lieu of a laugh, he smiled at the girls. “Oh, well. What can I say, maybe fate is just on our side. But I was determined to see that you leave here happy, and I’m glad we could make that happen. You take good care of our little friend now, won’t you? Maybe when I’m back again next year, you can tell me all about how he’s doing? Or she. I’m not really sure, I’m not a bug expert,” he confessed, but the smile never left his face. He didn’t mind the girls whispering; they seemed too sweet to be scheming, so they could take all the time they needed to sort things out before heading home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:31 pm
"Don't worry about that-" Sato whispered back. Her eyes glimmered almost like puppy dog eyes, hoping to appeal to Nemu further with her plot. She really, really wanted to keep her newly procured friend. She'll try her best to keep it safe from the evils of the world. Yet, this will require particular cooperation, one that she had to convince sincerely, "I have an idea so you don't have to worry about a thing... but you'll have to help me, pretty please? I'll tell you the plan later and it'll be easy for you. A-and I'll help get you the new crane game prize you wanted, too!" Sato was convinced that there was no way Nemu would turn down her offer. It's too good to resist! That aside... "Okay Mr. Almadel, we'll both be leaving now. Thanks for giving me the firefly. I'll try to take really good care of it! If I see you again next year, I'll tell you what happened," Sato smiled and nodded. Next, with her free hand, she lifted the handle of her bug box and made her way out with Nemu following close behind her. And this marked the end of the Shirogane twins' first encounter with the impressive merchant extraordinaire Mr. Almadel. nyamomask I think Sato will ask Nemu to carry one thing later... carrying two bug containers is gonna be tough The Space Cauldron Thanks for entertaining the twins. It was a lot of fun!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
