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Post by ☆|Atrium on Jan 30, 2018 23:19:01 GMT -7
It is early in the morning, not that one could tell unless they have spent a good amount of time in Soiyam or lived near the entrance of the mountain. Two young rouges are in the middle of setting up their small trading shop, which is an old dusty rug that they found in their travels. Chiharu is putting the items up for sale on the rug, in some order that Keska has shown her. The items on sale are: A bundle of good rope, 4 daggers, 1 healing potion, fire wood, some animal meat that was uneaten from last night's hunt, and some scrap metal that was salvaged from almost anything Chiharu found.
The spot that they are in is both a good and bad spot. It is right on the edge of the light area that the flea market uses, however that also means that they are on the edge of the dark area as well. Nothing bad has happened as of yet, but they have been their long enough to know that it isn't always going to be safe. As they are setting up, they can see that there are already plenty of people up and going about their day with the cool morning air making their breathes mist lightly. Most of the other shops and merchants have already set up shop and are calling out to the people walking past, wanting to get their attention. There are a few people that walk past the two fox girls but they don't pay them any mind.
(Rotation: GM, Chiharu, Keska)
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Post by ★|Sayu on Jan 31, 2018 19:05:01 GMT -7
Chi dusts off the last edge of the rug and adjusts the wares a little. She scratches her forehead and briefly glances down the row of other merchants that have been a lot more vigorous and prepared - as was always the case as of late. "Ah..." she sighs and looks down at her selection of things to sell. "...sometimes I really wonder how we make ends meet anymore." She pouts, watching customers stop at the stands - Stands, my goodness - that other merchants were able to afford. Food... Clothing... Weapons... They had it all. "...and we have this. Well... it's better than nothing."
She muses to herself for a moment and then turns around to look for her partner. "Keska!" her eyes become a little flat "C'mon we got to attract some customers. Stand here and look pretty and get some of these guys' attention will ya?" She calls out in a tone that starts out a bit serious but turns into a bit of a joking one. Internally Chi sighs and face-palms thinking of yet another harsh day of just getting by. Her stomach grumbles at her in rebellious fashion, unwilling to accept the scraps of food it was, quite frankly, blessed with the night before. Back at the caravan she would have been cooking and eating left and right and now all they could afford was some tiny scraps of meat and fennel potatoes. "Fennel Potatoes... who even eats those... that kind of nonsense couldn't be saved by all the condiments in the world." A shiver runs down her spine after visualizing that image.
"Keeeskaaa, c'mooon" she pushes again.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Jan 31, 2018 20:26:52 GMT -7
“Ahhh... Get. In. Place!” Keska whispers to an incredibly stubborn strand of silken hair, as she repeatedly combs it into place. “Yes, perfect!” she celebrates with a slight pump of the fists. As Keska remain wrapped in her self-involvement, Chiharu, her dear indentured servant, called out to her in an initially blunt tone. “Excuse me, I can’t help you sell this...” she glances at the rug’s catalog, “...junk, if I don’t look like a lady of my caliber should.” The girl continues to primp, largely disregarding her duty for the time being. Truth be told, she heard her friend’s plea for help, but she knew she’d need to 'bring the whales home' so to speak, if they were going to make enough money to eat. The importance of a meal would always be an understatement in her partner’s eyes. It seemed like Chi was constantly hungry. Even when food was plentiful, her appetite was impressive. Not to mention her cooking skills… Keska often pondered their choice of employment; particularly why they didn’t just open a restaurant somewhere. She didn’t get paid to make big decisions; Chi would do what’s best. Now, to just wait on my signal.
“Keeeskaaa, c’mooon” Chi pushed again. Right on cue~ “Yes yes, I heard you the first time,” Keska replies with breathy, feigned irritation, before putting her comb in her pouch. She takes a graceful stride and positions herself next to the rug’s front, right-most corner, and collects herself for a moment.
“Come one, come all to the Keska Co. General Store!~” Keska exclaims in an extremely cute voice. She makes sure to smile brightly, and make her presence fill the area in the best way she knew how; by accentuating her assets!
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Post by ☆|Atrium on Feb 2, 2018 9:28:03 GMT -7
As Keska calls out for the crowd, there are a few people that just walk past without looking. Soon a gruff looking man wearing dirty clothes covered with grease and other oils. He stops in front of the girls and is looking at the metal on the rug. It's easy to tell due to how he is dressed and the stains on the clothes that he must work in a smithe. He then points at Chiharu with one hand while scratching his neck with the other.
"You. I see you have some fine metal here. How much are you selling the entire pile for? Seeing that you are selling on a rug, I am guessing it isn't going to be at an unfair price, right?" The man sounds gruff as he speaks. As he waits for his answer, he is looking through all of the metal.
As the man is looking at the items, there are more people that just walking by not even looking down at their wares due to being in a hurry to get somewhere. It is early in the day, safe to assume that people are rushing to go to wherever it is that they work. One older lady shuffles past the shop but is looking at what is being sold. She stops shortly after passing it and move back and stops in front of Keska. The old lady is wearing very old clothing and is very dirty. She looks at Keska with a sad begging look in her eye.
"Excuse me. You wouldn't happen buy items would you? I need to scrap some silver together so I can eat today. I do have something to sell you. An old family heirloom."
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Post by ★|Sayu on Feb 3, 2018 14:02:53 GMT -7
"Ah, welcome~" Chiharu greets the man cheerily, happy at the opportunity to earn a meal without dipping into her rapidly declining savings. She eyes over the pile of scrap looking at the various types of metals found within. She muses for a minute and then notes.
"Aye, we normally sell copper at 3 silver a pound, aluminum at 1 silver a pound, brass at 2 silver a pound and any iron scraps at 3 silver a pound." She then tucks in her elbows besides her ribs and holds out her hands in a shrugging gesture. "But I can tell you know your stuff so I'm willing to offer you 2s 20c/lb on copper, 45c/lb for aluminum, 1s 20c/lb for brass and 2s 20c/lb on iron. You seem to be someone quite versed with metals so for the sake of supporting another local business we could sell the whole pile to you at a 15% markdown." She ponders for a moment about whether or not she should draw attention to the daggers suggesting they can be melted down - but someone who works with metals wouldn't pay a whole lot for those whereas people who are up to no good or over-eager adventurers will pay a lot heavier for these kinds of things. "Best save those for customers with less wit. The scrap will do... I hope."
"Say, good man, where is your workshop, anyway? If you offer commissions on crafts we may soon stop by and repay the favor." She tries to initiate a brief chat with the man. Those usually helped make customers feel more comfortable and more inclined to buy. It's only a half lie. There are indeed things Chiharu wants made, but not enough to immediately look into anything. But then again a smith would likely know a goldsmith and that would be something Keska wouldn't be able to pass up.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Feb 4, 2018 16:33:46 GMT -7
“R-Really? Is there something on my face?” Keska mutters under her breath, as no one seems to immediately pay attention to her dazzling performance. Her efforts are quickly rewarded, as their first customer of the day lumbers on up. “Welcome!” she exclaims cheerfully as he transitions his attention to Chiharu. She takes a subtle step to the side in response to the man’s rather poor cleanliness. Grime stains on her clothes simply wouldn't do for someone of her stature. After all, a noblewoman’s clothes are a reflection of her soul! Or at least something to that degree; she wasn't quite sure.
As Keska continued to advertise herself and the things that were actually on sale, an older woman passes by that catches her eye. The lady looked disheveled and unkempt. Dirt riddled her clothing, and the fabric bore a generous amount of tears. Keska couldn't deny, it pulled at her heart-strings, but it’s not like she could do anything to help her. “A fine morning, ma’am!” she says cheerfully to the older woman before her, trying her hardest to not be rude by simply staring. “See something you'd like? If you can wait one moment my clerk ca-” the woman didn't seem interested in the duo’s wares as much as she wanted to sell her own. The old lady offered what was apparently her family heirloom, in exchange for silver to buy a day’s meal. Usually when someone directly interacted with her like this, it was jeers and catcalls, but here this old woman was trying to sell something out of pure desperation. It caught Keska completely by surprise. The young girl stood like a statue as she processed what was happening. Chi… Chi knows what to do. “Hey Ch-” she starts to call out, before immediately stopping herself. Chiharu was negotiating prices with the other customer, so Keska was on her own for now. “I see,” she sighed, displaying a vaguely pitiable expression. Suddenly adorning a more pompous aura, Keska places her hand on her chest and replies, “While I am a lady of the aristocracy, I do occasionally lend my generosity to the commonfolk. I’ll give you a benevolent deal; 1 gold piece for your product. No need to thank me. This amount is nothing; my purse is as boundless as my beauty!~” The air around Keska seems somewhat radiant as she makes an extravagant motion to drop the coin in the woman’s hand. Flawless, Keska! Flawless!
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Post by ☆|Atrium on Feb 5, 2018 22:38:24 GMT -7
The man scratches his beard as he thinks. "I have to say, you two seem new to this area but you really know how to sell. Sure, I will pay your 15% marked down price for all of the scraps you have." He digs into his pockets to get his money to pay and pulls out 2 gold coins. "Here you go lass. As for you other proposal. If you can keep a steady supply of scrap for me to make things out of, sure. But I will get a cut out of whatever you sell with what I make. My blacksmith is two blocks away called Hammer and Tongs. I myself make simple weapons and tools but I do have someone else that I share my stuff to make artsy things. Come by the forge if you are interested. The name is Magowan by the way." After that, the man picks up all of the scrap metal and quickly disappears into the crowd.
The old lady smiles brightly at Keska. "Gods bless you." She says before she walks over and gives her a tight hug. After a few moments, she lets Keska go and she takes off her necklace and puts it in Keska's hand. "My great-grandfather found that in one of the many ruins here. I was told that he claimed that this rune had magical properties but my family can't use even the basic of magic, so it is just a stone with carvings on it. I hope that it will help you." She then waits for her payment.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Feb 5, 2018 23:18:18 GMT -7
"Sounds like a plan, Magowan~!" Chiharu says as he makes his leave. She waves as he disappears into the crowd and then, almost in an instant, snaps her attention to the money in her hand. "2 gold... 2 Gold!! Imagine all the meals this could pay for~!" she cheerily thinks to herself as images of various roasted and fried meats and seafood flashes through her mind. She catches herself before she starts drooling and her ears twitch at the mentioning of a necklace. "Aeee?"
She turns and almost comically eyes in Keska's direction to try and make out what's happening. As she sees the necklace she tries to discern the value of it and if there are any interesting features worthy of note.
If Keska buys the necklace Chiharu will smack the sides of her own face in shock of half their earnings being spent. Even if there is a potential turn-around.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Feb 6, 2018 0:15:35 GMT -7
“My dear lady, it is the Gods that have blessed you! What with meeting meeee..." Keska’s voice trails off as she realizes the woman has latched on to her in a snug, comfortable embrace. Keska felt a tinge of heat on her cheeks as she returns a somewhat awkward half hug. “Y-yes well, like I said, it was no problem at all. Think nothing of it,” she stammers with pretentious confidence. As the older lady spoke of the origins of the heirloom, Keska’s ears perked up slightly. Keska was no salesman, but magic items usually meant more money; and more money meant proper bedding, the finest wines, and all the delicious confections she could eat. “It will undoubtedly help me, madam! My name is Keska by the way~! Keska Jacques, on the unlikely happenstance you’ve never heard of me. It was a pleasure meeting one of my loyal subjects,” she says as she places the gold coin in the woman’s hand. It was hard for Keska to not treat her as a grandmother when the woman seemed so sincerely sweet. Truth be told, this is one of the few encounters where Keska didn't drive away a customer when she talked to them… Wait…
An immediate jolt of fear shocked Keska’s entire body. She herself had become the customer! And given away an entire gold piece no less! Oh gods, I hope Chi didn’t see that… Hunching over slightly like a shameful goblin, the girl slowly turns her head back toward her friend. Chiharu stood with both hands clasped to her cheeks in horror, as her soul visibly left her body. “D-don't look at me like that!” Keska snaps as she scrambles to defend her poor decision-making. “She said it had magical powers! S-she did! Chi!!” Keska’s voice goes up several octaves as her eyes begin to tear up. She then pouts in anticipation of the coming reprimand.
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Post by ☆|Atrium on Feb 6, 2018 21:56:22 GMT -7
The elderly lady smiles as she takes the coin, but it is clear that the smile is fake. This must of been the last thing she could sell and that was the last gold coin she would make without begging. "Thank you very much Madam Jacques. I hadn't heard of your royalness before but I will preach of it from today on."
She then tilts her head to the side in confusion as she watches Kaska make an odd stance, then turn to Chiharu and start defending what she did. The old lady takes a step back. "Oh bother...Madam Jacques, you really shouldn't let your servants treat you like that." She pauses as she thinks. "Then again what do I know about how royalty should be treated..." She listens to what Kaska tells Chiharu what was said about the necklace and she nods with everything. "It's true! I didn't make it up, I swear it!" She quickly covers her mouth, not meaning to yell.
While all of this is happening, people are passing by and giving the two girls odd looks for making an elderly woman yell. Most just roll their eyes while shaking their heads while others scough at them openly. Most of the other shopkeepers just keep going about their day, to busy to care about what is happening to the business next to them.
[Chiharu earned 2 Gp] [Kaska lost 1 Gp but gained 1 unknown rune necklace]
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Post by ★|Sayu on Feb 8, 2018 19:53:00 GMT -7
"A necklace!" Chiharu drags a hand down her face. "It's probably not even worth half of what she paid for it..." She is about to scold Keska when the both of them insist that the necklace has some kind of magic imbued in it. "...Magic?" she furrows her brows as she looks about some of the people passing by and giving them odd looks. "...It's always magic. Magic this, magic that. I can't use magic, so what use is it to me. In fact... given that I can't, for all I know it's fake. That thing will have no re-sale value."
She sighs in defeat, turns away but reaches out her hand. "Give it here! So I can examine it...! Dummy..." Chiharu tries her best to ignore her stomach grumbling and waits for Keska to hand her the necklace.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Feb 10, 2018 0:19:39 GMT -7
“Really! I can tell with this sort of thing!” As Keska hands Chiharu the necklace, she can barely make out the faint noises of her companion’s grumbling stomach… Or at least she thought she could. She was uncertain, but given it was supposedly coming from Chi, she didn't doubt it. Keska felt a tinge of guilt for spending their money on what was essentially a rock-necklace, but it was nothing taking Chi to a buffet couldn't fix.
Deciding not to tease Chi about her stomach, Keska turns back to the woman. “I’m sorry for the commotion,” she says with obvious embarrassment. Keska had felt the negative gazes of the people walking around earlier. It wasn't anything new, but she still didn't want to be thought of as ‘that girl that riles up old women’. ”You’ll have to excuse my assistant here, she’s a bit skeptical of magic. I fully trust that your House’s heirloom is nothing short of what you say. As for your comment earlier, surely you know how royalty is treated! As the saying goes, all women are queens, right!” Keska giggles slightly as she gives the woman a sincere smile. “May I ask your name by the way, madam?”
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Post by ☆|Atrium on Feb 11, 2018 23:29:52 GMT -7
The old lady smiles. "Thank you very much for believing me, not many people do anymore..." She looks to the side, a looks of sadness and guilt shows on her face as she thinks back to her past. She quickly snaps out of it as Keska asks for her name. "Oh, I am very sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Edith Shilton. However someone like you has no reason to remember the likes of me. I am just a nobody doing what she can to survive. I think I have taken enough of your time. Thank you very much for helping me. I will make this last as long as I can." Edith bow in front of Keska and quickly moves into the dark area, clearly not wanting to talk anymore. Chiharu examains the necklace the best she can however since she can't use magic, she cannot tell if what the Edith said was true or not. To her, it just looks like a stone with symbols carved in a circle. What she can make out however is that the carving is finely made. It is smoothe and there is no sign of cracking or tiny fissure made from whoever make the carving. The runes on the stone looks like this:
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Post by ★|Sayu on Feb 13, 2018 13:34:22 GMT -7
Chiharu examines the heirloom. She stares at it, turns it around and around in her hand, checks for any kind of interesting signs. Other than that it seems to be in perfect condition the only thing of note is the runes. She continues to stare at it for a moment... and further... and further... She lifts it really really close to her eyes and then- She lobs it overhead towards Keska for her to catch knowing she has the reflexes for this kind of thing.
"It's at least in good condition, we can make up some story and triple its value if we find the right kind of gullible... investor." She looks away and rests her arms on her hips as she continues "Maybe that wasn't a completely terrible idea or anything. We'll have to make up the gold later, I guess."
She relaxes her stance a little and looks at the rest of the wares. "...Should have sold those daggers for melting..." "Aeee... We need to get rid of some more of this stuff and hopefully we will have enough time after lunch to find some good deals or scavenge some stuff in the lower parts of the city." with that said she goes back to trying to grab people's attention.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Feb 14, 2018 18:35:16 GMT -7
Keska returns the woman’s bow with a curtsy of her own. “Of course, take care madam.” she replies cheerfully. “Edith Shilton...” the girl repeats the name in a whisper, staring out in the direction of the old lady. Keska had a feeling that there was more to the woman than she previously thought. That sorrowful look, the way she scurried off… it carried a tone that just felt off. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was intriguing nonetheless. She made it a point to remember the name in case it came up later.
Pushing out a lengthy sigh, Keska turns on her heel to see Chiharu tossing the necklace in the air. As it falls, Keska snatches it out of the air. She gave it an inspection of her own before placing it in her pack. “A gullible investor? Why do I feel like I’m going to be the bait again, Chiiii...” The posh girl emphasises her companion’s name with a slow, pleading tone in tandem with her best puppy dog eyes. Usually the ‘right kind of gullible investor’ ended up being a sleaze-bag that didn’t want to keep their hands to themselves. If it wasn’t for Chi’s silver tongue, Keska’s job would be pretty perilous. In almost every instance since the two met, the saleswoman always managed to make money without selling her partner. Her conversational skills were quite the marvel. It sometimes scared Keska how persuasive Chi could be; she could probably talk a king out of his throne!
“Okay, back to work it is!” Keska says with a chipper tune. Lunch couldn’t come soon enough, really. Even her stomach started to grumble. Shrugging it off, the Aristocrat goes back to showcasing their remaining wares.
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