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 Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2025 1:52 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." Tempesti had never met the alien before, not in person anyway, but it was her understanding that Almadel was the source of the items that helped her return from the void surrounding the Dark Star. As little thought as she wanted to give that experience, she felt that she at least owed the man a “thank you.” Tea blends might not be the most spectacular way of showing gratitude for helping survive some unholy horror from beyond the stars, but she hoped it would get her point across. If, of course, the merchant drank tea. Hopefully he wasn’t allergic to anything in the small glass jars, but each bore a meticulously applied label with a comprehensive list of everything they contained. It wouldn’t do to poison someone, after all. The less mundane items she brought rested securely within a small wooden box in her subspace. Naïve gratitude obscured anything sinister or otherwise untoward she might have detected about the stranger as she approached and she returned his smile warmly. “Um, hello, I’m Sailor Tempesti.” She really had no idea how to begin this interaction, particularly given the proprietor’s otherworldly nature and access to any number of powerful artifacts. “I’ve brought a few things to trade.” She hoped that the trinkets she carried would be adequate.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 8:25 pm
“Tem pesti, how exciting. Rolls right off the tongue. It’s lovely to meet you,” he said, promptly holding out a hand. “My name is Almadel. I’m delighted to have you at my humble little display.” There was nothing humble about it. He was surrounded by a surplus of items, and even the untrained eye could see that he hadn’t come with garbage. “I’m so glad you’ve come with your own currency. You would not believe how often I need to explain that dollars do not work in space. Although, I’ve been spending more time on Earth. I suppose I could benefit from lining my pockets a bit more. But.” He smiled still. “Who could put a price on these treasures?” Gesturing to his display with his free hand, Almadel invited her to examine them at her leisure, all the while peering at what she’d brought. “Tell me, are you in the market for anything specific? No pressure, of course. I’ve acquired an expert skill at helping find not just what you want, but what you need. No one leaves my table unsatisfied. You won’t, either.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2025 12:00 am
Tempesti gently but firmly grasped the merchant’s outstretched hand, “It’s nice to meet you too.” She gave a slightly self-conscious smile, feeling decidedly out of her depth amidst Almadel’s eclectic inventory. “I was with the group that fought the Calamitous Hollow, and well…the bracelets you sent us saved a lot of lives. Mine included.” The senshi swallowed hard at the memory. The Dark Star staring back at her in that void. Even by horrifying void standards she had to imagine that the Dark Star’s neighborhood was particularly bleak. “It’s a bit silly with…all of this.” She gestured to his wares, “But I brought these to say thanks.” She set them down on a small empty space among the items. “I don’t know if you drink tea, but they smell nice if you don’t. They’re not what I want to trade though. A small wooden box materialized in her hands, its contents shifting softly inside as she set it on the table beside the tea jars. “I don’t really know what I’m looking for, I was just curious. About you, I mean. The items you sent were…fascinating.” It sounded a bit awkward coming out of her mouth, but it was the truth.
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2025 7:44 pm
“ Oh,” Almadel crooned. “You brought me treats? That’s so charming of you,” he said, and accepted the box of teas with great interest. “I’ll try anything. I love new flavors. This was very thoughtful! I wish more people were like you,” he said, tail dancing eagerly behind him. “I don’t get enough credit for how hard it is to get to Earth, it’s very hard to visit! So it’s nice to feel a little appreciated. I’m glad you liked the presents. It wasn’t easy to get everything packaged, you know. My poor hands were so sore.” He sighed, perhaps a bit dramatically, and flexed his perfectly manicured fingers. “But I’m very proud of you. Very happy with how things turned out. You all gave me quite a scare! Tell me, how are things going since you’ve been back to Earth, hm? Is everything going well? No more troubles, or…?”
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2025 9:18 pm
Tempesti was more than a little bit pleased that the merchant liked the small gift she’d brought, smiling brightly at his response. She’d put a lot of thought into what she made and hoped fervently that he would enjoy them. His comment about the difficulties of traveling to Earth naturally raised a good number of questions, not least of which were where he spent the majority of his time. The array of items surrounding him undoubtedly came from worlds she couldn’t fathom. She’d never tried to go to someone else’s world on her own but she was under the impression that it would be impossible, for someone like her anyway. Someone like him? His items were able to reach them in that void, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find out that he had his own ways of popping in and out of worlds at will. “It’s been calm, mostly anyway. Nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing that compares to that snake.” She grimaced slightly at the memory of the battle, “I did bring a few things. Some of the Hollow’s scales, and a couple of brooches I found on Tempesti.” She opened the box in front of her, revealing a small pile of the Calamitous Hollow’s scales and two jeweled and enameled brooches: one in the shape of an insect resembling a firefly and the other bearing the shimmering likeness of a bird of prey with a human skull grasped within its talons.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2025 11:26 pm
Now, Almadel leaned forward. He cupped his chin in one hand and pressed his lips together. He made no effort to hide his interest in the objects, though it certainly would have been easy had he wanted to. Almadel gave the impression of someone who might have been able to command an impenetrable poker face. His tail danced behind him, one lazy swish after another. “And you’re willing to part with these scales? You might never have a chance to acquire more,” he pointed out. “ Not that I’m trying to dissuade you from offering them to me, but I’d hate if you left my table with any regret. Well–no, actually. Nobody leaves my table unsatisfied. It simply means I’ll need to find something worthwhile to trade. “You’ve been exploring Tempesti? How well are you navigating?” he asked, obviously fishing for information. “Are you a 'maps' sort of person or do you just let your feet find the way and hope they'll take you where you need to go?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 11:09 am
Tempesti smiled at the merchant’s interest in what she had to offer, “I do have a few set aside to study, but I thought these might be a good addition to your collection.” She wondered where he kept all of these things when he wasn’t carrying them around, and where he got them, for that matter. She suspected that a lot of empty worlds catered to his curiosity, a notion that admittedly raised some conflicting feelings within her. Still, if someone from the world that created an item asked her for it back she would return it after all. Maybe with a trinket or two from Tempesti as a form of interest. The senshi smiled slightly as she thought about exploring her own homeworld, the exuberant revival she was seeing in its cracked streets and hidden gardens, the hum of new life throughout. “I started out just wandering the old capital, but I’ve been drawing maps as I go. The streets, the canals, inside some of the buildings. It takes a lot of time to match them up with the videos I take as I go but it does make things easier for me.” Excitement rose in her voice as she spoke animatedly of her passion project.
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2025 6:21 pm
“Ahhh hhh, I knew it. I’ve got a good sense for those things. I’ve got just the thing, hold on,” he said, and without needing to turn, he stretched his hand out to the table to his side. Just behind him, and slightly out of his peripheral, was a small, handheld, golden armillary sphere. He lifted it delicately, as one would any treasure, but his eyes were locked onto Tempesti’s the whole time. “Perhaps this might help you expedite things. It’s seen a lot of use in its days. I’ve used it myself, quite a few times. But where I go these days, I don’t have much need of map-making assistance. I keep it all up here.” He tapped his temple, but passed the sphere over for her to analyze. “Hands free map-making. Instantaneous and, usually, accurate. An incredible tool if you want to keep your hands free and save a lot of time while moving. Now, the charge isn’t great,” he explained, “It is very old, like I said, but it’ll get the job done. It’ll save your maps, you can transfer them to paper as needed, or just access from the device itself. It’s got decent storage, too. Really, it’s a good little tool. You’ll probably be able to do more with it than I can. What do you say, interested?”
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2025 7:25 pm
Tempesti’s eyes widened as he described the device and its uses to her. Ancient or not, it would almost certainly save her a lot of time in her mapwork both on Tempesti and off. “That sounds perfect, thank you!Undisguised eagerness colored her speech and expression, admiring it from different angles as it rested in the palm of her hand. Even though testing it on Tempesti itself would have to wait, that would just give her extra time to figure out how it worked.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2025 5:46 am
The corner of Almadel’s lip twitched, in soft, but unhidden, delight. “Very good, then. Shall we shake on the deal?” he asked, offering his hand for such tradition. “Under the condition that you come back to me sometime, you’ll tell me how your mapping is going? I do so love to hear about Senshi worlds. Perhaps, one day, you’ll bring me along as your guest? I’m a very good tourist,” he assured. “And very good at finding treasure. If you're ever looking."
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 3:47 pm
Tempesti grasped the alien’s hand in her own, her grip firm but gentle as she shook to seal their arrangement. “Thank you so much! I’d be happy to show you around sometime, I’m sure you’d find something nice for your collection. I stumble over interesting things all the time there.” Once she cleared some of the rubble in the palace complex she suspected she’d find some treasure that would be to his liking. “I’ll let you get to your other customers, thanks again!”
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2025 6:12 pm
“It’s a deal!” Almadel declared, obviously pleased with the exchange in the present as much as he was the possibilities for the future. An offer to be shown around? To find things for his collection? He’d have been a fool to resist, especially when she’d already stumbled over interesting things. It didn’t take much to win him over; he was sold, then and there. “Do take care of yourself, Tempesti. I’ll be waiting for that invitation.”
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