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Post by ultralilly on Feb 28, 2024 18:32:55 GMT
Ah, Scala Ad Caelum. The big easy! The place where ancient as all get-out folk train even older things that...do stuff. Keyblades. Right. That was the word...maybe. Humanity's Haven sure was a nice spot and all to get junk from but this was where there was Munny to be had! They transitioned to Snails pretty handily. Not to mention junk from across several worlds fetched alot of cashola. Especially in a place that was essentially the hub of all worlds right now. Pretty great spot...even if she doesn't peddle wares legally.
That cat thing gave her the okay but it still felt weird to operate legally under the umbrella of authority. That was why she "subtly" went to other worlds and collected lots of souvenirs. Hah! People are suckers for a good old fashioned uh.....glass box that only reflects shame.
Now that she got all her wares set out on display, it was time to open shop!
"Hey all you lazy people! Tired of reaching for that thing you can never quite reach? Try this extra hand extending thing!"
A boisterous aged lady with greying orange hair declared, holding a long rod with a clawed end that weakly gripped as she pressed a button on the base of it.
"Best part? You don't even need to get it grafted into your skin! It's absolutely hands free! Well...besides having to use your OWN hand to operate it but hey it's not YOUR hand that could get potentially scalded by handling a teapot!"
The stall read "Otherworldly Junk n Stuff" and was headed by the lady who was pointing at the various passerbys who showed vague interest. That was another great thing! No Emperor's Guard folk to tell her to close up shop! Hah! Life was good here. Something rustled in her pack ."Hey, I'll get you something in just a bit, alright? Gotta make a sale here first." she would whisper as she placed the rod down on the shelf behind her.
Then she turned her attention to more passerbys as she unveiled."Or how about this noisemaker that will annoy and forcibly grab someone's attention whether they like it or not?!" She placed a finger in one ear and pressed upon the nozzle for the air horn that blared out.
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 28, 2024 19:09:39 GMT
Tsukiko didn't normally do much shopping. It wasn't like she didn't have munny to spend, she just didn't want much outside of the necessities. When she did splurge, it was on equipment to help with her training or missions. She'd been here at Scala Ad Calum for a while now, and she was growing in strength rapidly under the tutelage of people who actually knew about the keyblades from more than just legends and techniques handed down over time. She'd learned much, but not enough to get her home back, that was what really mattered... spending munny on things that didn't contribute to that was frivolous...
And yet a loud blaring horn noise got her attention anyway, drawing it to a stand full of miscellaneous items of all shapes and sizes... the lady running the stand was intriguing too, she definitely wasn't dressed like a local. An ally from another world pawning junk in the streets then? That was... odd. Sheer curiosity drew Tsukiko closer, along with the reasoning she might find a useful accessory or something in the mix.
As she got closer though, she noticed a variety of items that banished thoughts of useful tools from her mind. First was a small wooden fox statuette, that one was most visible... but she saw other items too. A floating lantern, a small replica of a shrine complete with a Tori gate... that stuff was... it was from HER world. She knew of a place in Humanity's Haven that had a similar aesthetic to her home city, but it was more futuristic and didn't look quite the same. This stuff, it was older, more traditional, and undeniably from her home city... she could spot a few objects from the other city of her world too, but those were a bit harder to pick out as she wasn't as intimately familiar with them.
Tsukiko glanced at her wallet... she probably couldn't afford everything from her homeworld that she saw here if the stall runner was a scammer like she very clearly seemed to be, but... she had to get what she could. And if this woman had any info on her world...
She approached the stall, grabbing the fox figurine and the shrine replica and placing them in front of the saleswoman "How much for these?" she asked simply, for once glad her face wasn't very expressive, she was sure this woman would price gouge if she knew how important the items were to her... she'd divulge that info eventually but not before buying at least these mementos
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Post by ultralilly on Feb 28, 2024 20:49:06 GMT
She placed the air horn down and watched someone step forward! Aha! Someone she could get a nice healthy sale from! "Ah, see? The noise maker is an effective tool after all!" she gestured to Tsukiko to the rest of the people walking around. Wait, that actually worked? Huh, that was a first. She carefully watched the customer and what objects she went for, ready to tell a story on the spot as to its functions and what price she'd be willing to let it go at. The fox figurine... Her eyes slightly contracted and she gripped her arm. She had that? When did she pick that up? Why did she pick that up? it's just a simple wooden fox. A fox...just like... "I think we should see..." "Aahaha y-yes this thing and ah...um...that small human abode with the archway...thing." she spontaneously declared with clear anxiety on her face. Her saleswoman energy faltering just a tad. "They're just...baubles...good luck charms! Yeah, that's it!" She stared intently at the figurine but jerked her gaze away from it by focusing on the other thing. She tried to gauge Tsukiko's need for it by looking at her eyes but this one seemed pretty dead inside. "...can probably let you have that one for 20 Munny. It's just a cheap little trinket..." The girl looked like she had that much on her at least. Though she looked at the fox figurine...hesitantly. |
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 28, 2024 21:05:47 GMT
Tsukiko resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow as the strange lady's demeanor noticeably shifted and she gave a pretty cheap price for the fox figurine. A sore spot perhaps? It benefitted her but something felt... off about just taking advantage like that. Maybe all her prices were this low? But that seemed odd considering she had been coming off as a hustler a second ago, starting low and haggling up wasn't how that worked...
With some hesitation, Tsukiko pulled out the required munny and began to hand it over, then paused. "...are you sure?" she asked, kicking herself mentally for letting her good nature get the better of her "you kinda seem like you don't wanna sell it. I know I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth but... I can tell I hit a nerve somehow."
if Eda examined Tsukiko's face now, the skilled saleswoman would have enough people reading skills to pick up on the subtle shifts in her expression, it was a bit softer now, her eyes showing a hint of concern and kindness, her mouth position shifting slightly. She was hard to read, but it seemed her concern for Eda was genuine
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Post by ultralilly on Feb 28, 2024 21:51:10 GMT
Oh this girl knew something was up! For sure! Hitting a nerve? As if! She was WAY past that stuff now! Really, it was nothing! Her arm twitched. Time to take her elixir. But first, the sale!
"Abupbup!" she lifted a finger and placed it upon the non-fox figure. "Twenty for uh this..." She shifted it forward...then her finger laid on the fox one and she narrowed her eyes "Four-hundred for this." she said low and looked into the genuinely concerned look in Lucille's eyes. It was a tell for sure. She had some value staked in this little thing but what was it? Oh, titan why did she HAVE to give it such a higher price than the other thing?! She's gonna know something is up now for sure!
"It's a really good charm." she insisted with a cattish smirk. "Sure to make your life much happier and fuller. Heck, I think it'll make ya live a bit longer too!"
As she tried explaining why the price hike, something peered from her pack. It had bright yellow sclera with pink eyes and was just just an itty-bitty little thing. It bore a skull-head with one full horn and one broken one. Its head had poked out enough for it to stare at Tsukiko.
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 28, 2024 22:21:38 GMT
Tsukiko sighed, there it was, she could afford both items, munny pincher as she was, but she was annoyed with herself for hesitating and trying to be kind only for her to get price gouged over it. Damn her bleeding heart, she couldn't keep letting it land her in hot water like this... oh who was she kidding she was never going to learn that lesson.
"You can drop the sales pitch, I know what both items actually are." Tsukiko said, shaking her head "I'll give you 500 for both, and whatever info you have on how you obtained them, particularly if you got them recently. I'm not expecting much but there's an off chance you might have a lead for m... oh my gods"
Tsukiko abruptly cut off her counter offer as she saw a little head poke out of Eda's bag. Her expression changed again, and it didn't take a master salsewoman to read this one. She was absolutely enamored by a source of cuteness
"Hold that thought, first off who is this adorable little thing!" Tsukiko said as she leaned in to examine the new arrival to the conversation, though she just barely restrained herself from snatching him up for immediate snuggles "he's.. he's so fluffy and small and precious!"
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Post by ultralilly on Feb 29, 2024 0:50:04 GMT
"Listen, kid; you can't hustle me! I practically invented it! I...wait what? That's...more than...huh?" she wore a face of utter confusion. Was this kid dumb or was she actually trying to be nice? She paused long enough for Tsukiko to notice something she did not. She blinked a few times. "What's the matter? Something in my hair? Did another rat get in there? Ugh. Buncha freeloading, no good-"
"Weh!"
"Ah, farts..."
She realized it the moment it made its sound. She was hoping to avoid this but now that he openly revealed himself, there was no hiding it anymore. Hesitantly she replied. "That is King." As Tsukiko reached but restrained, King would grunt in its squealy cry as it reached out with its clawed hand in an attempt to grasp at Tsukiko. "Yeah he's a troublemaker alright; takes after me, heh..." She sighed, realizing why she was trying to get a higher price today. Then she caught onto how she wanted to know how she got ahold of these. These were from...oh. Oh. "...They're from a world that I think got consumed by darkness. Nice place." It recently dawned on her where they were from and how...they might have been important to someone. Maybe. They were just found at the wayside, right? It was junk now that no one needed. No one needed...she sighed as King continued to playfull reach out at Tsukiko but the woman simply tapped him on the nose to push him back.
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 29, 2024 1:08:04 GMT
Tsukiko smiled at King, especially as he reached back for her, clearly wanting to be doted on. With that encouragement she moved closer and let him grab onto her. "He looks young, he must be a baby of his kind, you can't just expect him to hide in a sack all day, no wonder he's acting up! Here let me hold him for a moment, I used to help with kids back home, he'll settle down. she said, her aloof demeanor from before having melted away, now her vibe was entirely different than when she was in a pseudo-battle trying to haggle for things. Now someone needed her help and she was gonna provide it. Unless Eda stopped her she'd pick King up and cradle him in her arms
"And yes... those items are from my homeworld. You have a few others too. Did you get them before or after it fell? That's the crucial bit of info I need" Tsukiko said, bouncing a bit for King "I want to restore it one day, and if things from my home are showing up somewhere else, that's where I'm gonna need to look for leads. I'll buy the stuff off you either way though, if you've got a little one like this to care for then I'm happy to contribute."
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Post by ultralilly on Feb 29, 2024 1:45:49 GMT
Eda reached for King when he was taken but relaxed when she saw how decent this girl was at handling him. He squirmed a bit n her grasp but eventually relaxed as he flailed his little limbs pretending to be something alot bigger. "Weh...ehhhh WEH!"
She watched on and couldn't help but smile a bit. Dang. This girl was good with kids. She was admittedly jealous but pushed that aside. So these were from the world that fell, huh? She didn't normally feel guilty about swiping from swag from worlds but then again, not many worlds she went to fell to darkness after. Holding on to something from home. She looked back at a staff with an owl decoration sitting atop it. As Tsukiko bounced King in her arms, Eda replied.
"Before. Yeah, I was scoping out the place and there was a big to do about wielders and junk but my attention was on making a profit. Lots to be made during festivals and all that. Stick a piece of human treasure at a stall during an event and people just snatch them right up! Boom! Momma's rolling in sweet sweet munny! Eheh...but ahhh..." she shook her head as the cattish smile faded. "Yeah, I don't do scavenging from broken worlds. They're all the way on the edge of existence and there are some crazies living out there. Wouldn't catch me dead out around those parts."
She looks upon the two things and gives a small sigh. "Two-hundred and fifty munny for the lot. if they mean alot to ya then, who am I to try and keep you from them? I know what it's like to not have much..." she reaches out and strokes King's tummy, the recipient defiantly grabbing at Eda's hand but eventually relaxing once more. "...but we make do with what we got."
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 29, 2024 2:31:35 GMT
Tsukiko smiled at Eda, like many of her expressions it was a subtle thing, but there was warmth there "I'll give you 500 as I said, for the items and the information. I can afford it, and you've got this one to look after" she said "we're all weirdos and outcasts here, and people like us gotta have each other's back."
Tsukiko rummaged in her bag for a snack for King to munch on while she rocked him, eventually finding some granola bars, they were a chewy kind and with King's jaw he could chew them fine she was sure, so she offered one up to him.
"I'm curious how you got to my world though, we were pretty isolated... didn't even know the keyblade could enable travel between worlds until I ended up here, and from what you've said you're not a wielder yourself." Tsukiko asked "Oh... and when you were on my world, did you see anyone else who looked out of place? A figure in black robes perhaps?"
Tsukiko kept doting on King as she talked, eventually noticing his necklace and the symbol attached to it... that looked familiar somehow, she was sure she'd seen something like it before... was it special in some way? There were a lot of things about her home that had just... always been there. People knew they were important but not why most of the time and simply just accepted their presence. It got easy to forget about them... but she was sure she'd seen these engravings before. It didn't much matter though, even if she remembered where it was just going to be another thing forgotten to time by her people anyway.
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Post by ultralilly on Feb 29, 2024 18:55:05 GMT
Eda rolled her eyes, readying to talk down the price again but then saw how well she was handling King again. It had just been the three of them back home and there, she had to fend for herself. It was the only place that had the elixirs she needed to keep "that" at bay. But it was also a place where she was the most wanted criminal. Here, they only knew her as that crazy lady that sold junk. But she knew she couldn't stay here forever; Hooty couldn't take care of himself. Besides, it was a place she held near and dear to her heart. Heart, huh? These preachy Masters here loved to teach that drivel. Bet theirs don't have a bile sac attached to it like the folk back home. "Us weirdos have to stick together....got a nice ring to it. Fine, 500 for all of it but anything more and I'm gonna start doubling my prices for you, missy!"
Now that that was out of the way, she could answer some of the more juicy questions after she accepted the payment graciously with a nod. She reached into her hair and withdrew a key with an eye on its handle. She pressed her thumb to the eye and near her, a case arose and began to unfold itself into a door. She gestured to it proudly with both hands. "This baby lets me travel between worlds. It's not exactly on the up and up but its been approved by this crazy pale-skinned chick with a flame on top of her head. Yeah no don't ask about her; she's super stuffy. Even the Masters kinda find her a bit much but they got a nice agreement or so I'm told."
"As for a person in black robes..." she thought back with a hand on her chin. Heh, she charged alot for a few things there. She saw someone walk up to her asking for a charm for a friend. Nice girl. Charged normal price cuz she was kinda wild. She continued to recall the memory but then shook her head. "Yeah...I got nothing." she shrugs. "Sorry."
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 29, 2024 19:32:03 GMT
Tsukiko nodded and fished out the munny with her free hand while she continued doting with the other, then listened to the info Eda had... which wasn't much. Well she hadn't been expecting a grand revelation anyway. "It's fine, was a bit of a longshot asking about that. I never saw the person before the day the world fell. If you do see people in black robes around be careful, the robes look a bit like the clothes I'm wearing now but covering the whole body. I don't know what the person's deal was, but they showed up, and my world fell right after..."
Tsukiko's smile faded at the memory, but she kept it together "they're definitely bad news, I can kinda tell you're no slouch in battle just looking at how you carry yourself, but I wouldn't go picking a fight. A... friend of mine... tried to attack them and couldn't land a single blow."
Tsukiko would take a moment to put her new purchases in her bag, then see if King would let her put him down or hand him to Eda. "if you come across other stuff from my world, I'll buy it off ya. Oh, my name's Tsukiko by the way.
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Post by ultralilly on Feb 29, 2024 21:48:38 GMT
"Thanks for the tip, kid. Though I'm pretty sure I've seen one or two them roundabouts. Thankfully, not where I'm from. They just appear and then up and vanish like they were never there." she sighs as she recalls the door by pressing the key's handle again which reverts back into a case. "Messing with worlds like that, that ain't right."
At the mention of combat prowess, a smug look appeared on the woman's face as she perks up. "Yeah well, I learned a thing or two about wild magic. See where I'm from, it's illegal to use different kinds of magic. They try to segregate people into covens and the whole system is one-hundred percent bull if you ask me. Which is why I use 'em all! Here, folk use it willy-nilly and I gotta say, I appreciate that sort of freedom."
King tiredly submitted to whatever Tsukiko wished to do and was gingerly handed off to Eda who stowed him gently back into the pack wherein he would quietly snooze. "Tsukiko, huh? Alright. You got a deal. I'll give you a fifty percent discount but then I gotta charge ya more for repeat customer by fifty percent so it all evens out. Ah, the system works!" She chuckled proudly to herself then looked to Tsukiko. She was a go-getter. Smart, kind, and just maybe a tad bit lost. Like herself at times.
"Course...could also throw in a free magic lesson or something if you wanted instead of charging you. You handled King so...I dunno, if you wanna waste your time with an old biddy like me...though I am a cool old biddy...Eda the Owl Lady of the Boiling Isles!" she declared out loud, earning a few errant looks from the passerbys but nothing more.
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Post by cmd1095 on Feb 29, 2024 22:27:16 GMT
Tsukiko was glad this strange old lady was willing to keep an eye out for relics of her home. It wasn't like finding them would restore the world or anything but... well it would be nice to have more touches of home. As King was put back in the bag for now, she considered what Eda was saying about her home... limiting magic? What would be the point of that exactly? Magic was at it's strongest when practiced freely and without restraint, hell she even had a technique she'd developed to fuse different spells together to make stronger ones...
"Sounds like that system might be trying to limit people's power, you're probably right, it sounds like a load of bull to me" she agreed, then chuckled a bit at Eda's system of discounts and price raises all evening out. Most interestingly though, was the offer of magic lessons... lessons from a person from a world of magic users, who explicitly mixed multiple types of magic together? Now that was something to explore, if she could refine her magical fusions even more... the guardians here were teaching her well, but the fusions were her signature technique... and this Owl Lady was her best bet on perfecting it
"You wouldn't be the first cool old biddy I've trained under. And we have something in common" Tsukiko said as she held up a palm, forming a fire spell in it, then mixing in aero magic to amplify it into a bigger flame before dismissing it "we both like mixing our magics. I would be delighted to get some lessons from you. Plus if I hang out with you I can spend more time with that cutie King. You said your home is the Boiling Isles? I'll be sure to drop by from time to time... that being said, why are you called the owl lady? You look decidedly not owl-like."
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Post by ultralilly on Mar 2, 2024 19:43:47 GMT
A knowing smirk gave rise to Eda's features. Seeing a practitioner of magic and one who mixes them just made her feel like there was some hope here. "Just be sure when you come around to watch yourself. You can probably handle yourself well enough but where I'm from, there are some there that can give some of the folk here a run for their money and I don't need that kinda heat on me." This girl was something else. Sure, she looked young and all that. Maybe she was getting sentimental because she saw something similar in herself when she was a young hellion. Ah, Ms. Jenkinmeyer's teeth. Classic. She sighs wistfully but gets back on track, clearing her throat to answer the burning question.
"As for why I'm called the Owl Lady, I can only account it me being so wise." she declared, looking proud of herself and tossing back her hair. She held out her hand and the staff sitting a ways away began to wobble. She continued posing then turned her gaze to the uncooperative implement that then suddenly flew right at her face. "Agh!" she picked it up as it clattered to the ground, spun it once, then held it upright. "Maybe it's this little guy that's made em think that." She gestured to the owl figurehead atop the staff...or what WAS one that suddenly came alive and hooted inquisitively as it sat upon Eda's shoulder.
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