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.”
Jupiter was totally prepared for whatever she was going to find, she was sure of that. She'd spotted one of the weird signs hanging in the park, asking for fruit from that tree that had only just blossomed this year. Her parents, and her grandparents, couldn't stop talking about it--how it was a good omen in a sea of a lot of bad. How something coming back to life bode well for the rest of the year, and especially for the rest of the Star Festival.
So if someone was looking for the fruit, they probably had something cool in mind for it, right? And honestly, Jupiter was, first and foremost, a helper. Someone wanted something, and as long as it was safe, she wanted to get it for them. With presents.
So she had her cute little basket slung over her elbow, with a few of the strange fruits inside, carefully checked to ensure they were up to the requested specifications, and next to them, a rather large Tupperware container filled with homemade snickerdoodle cookies. She'd made them standard recipe, but if whoever was waiting had any allergies, she'd just have to come back with a fresh batch.
She approached the strange barrier and regarded it with curiosity. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before, and she couldn't help but be curious about how it worked. Carefully, she reached out to touch it--and it didn't hurt or anything, so she moved forward, and through.
And on the other side was a man. A stranger. Handsome, for sure, and Jupiter felt her heart do a little skip just on first glance, but more than that--
"Oh, wow, you are not from around here, huh?"
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 1:14 pm
“Is it so obvious?” The merchant sighed, looking down at his outfit with what must have been fake concern. He smoothed out the fabric over his chest, picked at an invisible speck of dust, and then returned his attention to her.
“Well, I hope that doesn’t deter you from doing business with me. Not being from around here has its perks. For example.” He gestured to the spread of unique wares placed around the table. “I have things to trade that you simply cannot get anywhere else. Provided, of course, that you have something worth while to trade me.”
He eyed the basket she carried and smiled politely, eagerly.
Jupiter shook her head, very quickly, at the very implication that him being an...an alien, maybe? She wasn't entirely sure--well, at the implication that might be any kind of deterrent.
"Oh, not at all!" She walked up to the table, and hefted up her basket. "Actually, I'm very excited to meet you! My uncle swears up and down that he met an alien once, but it was such a brief visitation--and there wasn't much of a conversation in his case." She sighed, shaking her head. "But you seem much friendlier than what he described."
She tugged the blanket covering her basket off, revealing the container of cookies and the selection of fruits.
"I saw the signs, asking for these, and I thought--well, it only seemed polite to bring something else, too, so I made some cookies. Have you ever had snickerdoodles before?"
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2023 6:24 pm
“Possibly,” the man answered, but leaned forward with interest, anyway. “But I’ve never had your snickerdoodles. And those fruits look lovely, too, thank you.” He nodded approvingly, and though he was very excited to see them–taste them, even–he didn’t try to pry them from her yet.
“I’ll be very happy to trade with you. Have I met your uncle? Actually, no. Probably not. I’m always looking for conversation. Unless I’m in a hurry.” He shrugged, but smiled at her as he caught her eyes again.
“I don’t think I caught your name. Tell me a bit about yourself, maybe I can help you pick something nice off of this table. Have you met any other ‘aliens’?”
Oh, that was a nice compliment. Jupiter beamed, ever so pleased with herself. "That's true, you haven't!" She agreed, brightly, as he took her basket. "I hope you like them."
Generally, people liked her baked goods, but it was different when it was someone from outer space. Maybe he had different tastes than an Earth human! But hopefully, cinnamon sugar was cinnamon sugar, and a winner as ever.
"Oh, I don't think so, the alien he met wasn't nearly as handsome or as charming as you," Jupiter said. "I'm Jupiter Butterfly, and you are the first extraterrestrial I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Ah..."
What kinds of details might help him?
"I like pretty things," she said, "though that probably doesn't help. Everything you've got looks so lovely." And honestly, any artifact from actual space given to her by a bona-fide alien would be more than enough.
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 7:52 am
Almadel nodded, certain that he would enjoy them. Naturally, he was also pleased that she hadn’t met an alien as handsome or charming as him.
“It’s a pleasure, Jupiter. You have a lovely name.” He placed his hand on his chest and introduced, “I’m Almadel. And you have given me very much to work with. I can find you something pretty. You have good taste, I can tell. I also appreciate lovely things. But I’ve got so much more than I can manage, so it’s worth it for me to find them good homes where they can be properly appreciated and given the care and attention I lack time for.”
He hummed to himself, and rearranged a few things on his table before he produced a beautiful butterfly hair clip. It could almost have passed for stained glass, but the details were far too small and delicate for that. He held the hair clip up to examine, and it caught the light like a rainbow. The glass had an otherworldly, ethereal sheen to it, and no matter how he twisted it, it seemed to shine like little lights were pointed right at it.
"Almadel...an otherworldly name for an otherworldly man," Jupiter said, and she was clearly and unsubtly delighted with this. Handsome, charming, From Actual Space...what wasn't to like? "You're flattering me," she said, but in a way that indicated that she very much appreciated it.
It was fun, to be flirted with by someone who certainly had all the options int he universe.
And when he produced the hair clip, she gasped.
"Oh," she said, voice and face full of awe. It was clearly something wonderful, and magical, and otherworldly...and Jupiter couldn't help but feel like it was perfect. "Yes, I think that'd be more than a fair trade."
Certainly it was something she would never be able to get anywhere else.
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2023 5:02 pm
Almadel was visibly pleased, but perhaps it didn’t take much to put him in a good mood. He was flattering her, and he was enjoying that as much as he was sealing the deal.
“Oh, good. I was hoping you’d say as much. I was thinking it might suit you. Perhaps I can bother you to try it on before you leave? You’re free to decline, of course. It’s yours, now.”
He eyed the basket for fruits and his tail twitched eagerly beside him.
"Oh!" Jupiter nodded, excitedly. Carefully, she took the hairpiece and clipped it into her crown braid, excited to see if anything else happened when she did. Once it was settled into her hair, she pushed the basket towards him.
"I hope you enjoy everything in there," she said, "my cookies and the fruit both. And thank you again, this is....really wonderful." She sighed, contentedly, fiddling a little with the butterfly in her hair. "I always knew there was more magic in this world than people thought, but it really is something else to see it face to face."
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2023 6:30 am
Almadel’s fingers curled around the basket and he pulled it closer to him with both hands. “Oh, there’s so much magic in this world, Jupiter. And in this universe? Keep your eyes open, it will find you. I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The next time I’m in town, I hope you come find me. I hope you’ve got stories of all sorts to tell. Thank you for this trade.”
He looked into the basket and was already nodding approvingly. It was difficult not to just dig in now, but he was gentlemanly. Or, at least, a professional. Sometimes.
“I’m certain I’ll enjoy all of it. You take care of yourself now, won’t you? Not all magic is good. And I am very much looking forward to seeing you again. Maybe we’ll make another trade, even better than this one.”
Jupiter nodded, excitedly. "I hope you're right, and it does find me." Well, it already had, in some ways. And she certainly wasn't going to stop looking.
There was too much beauty and wonder in the world to let it go.
"I'll look forward to seeing you again," she promised, "and I'll bring something special next time, too!"
With a wave, she turned to leave, with a skip in her step as she did. What an incredibly lucky night.
