Busy busy busy [Nahashsan!]

[Draconian]

This place was absolutely infuriating.

Lonely Bird pinched the bridge of his nose and tapped his foot impatiently, ready to slam his hand on the table and be done with this business. He needed the money though and while the jewelry wasn't extravagant, it was worth something and from his gauge old-ish. A few hundred was old for humans right?

"Look," He started, looking at the stoney-faced older woman with her arms crossed across from him, "I just want to sell the necklace and be on my way - Do you want to buy it?" The old woman looked him over and he rose his eyebrows and gave her a tight smile - her eyes lingered on his forehead before she looked at the necklace again.

Lonely Bird was a handsome androgynous looking man, with long pale near white hair, rosy cheeks and plush pink lips. A silvery crescent shaped marking on his forehead that looked like it was placed on there and slightly unnatural was the thing that stood out the most. Lonely Bird stood up on his tiptoes so his eyes would be where his forehead previously was and he smiled at the lady again, "So? What do you think? 500 gold?"

The lady look appalled and offended, "500!? 200."

Sweet. "450," Lonely Bird countered, moving his hand to take the necklace back, he shifted his shoulder so the collar of his shirt opened, revealing his pale neck and the hollow of his throat, "350." The woman countered, frowning at that pale exposed neck.

"You got yourself a deal," Lonely Bird sighed like he'd been defeated, giving a longing look at the necklace before the woman counted out the proper amount of money and handed it over. "Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am," He said, looking a little sad that he had to sell the necklace. Tucking some of the money away, he turned away from the stall before whistling lowly and looking at the rest.

Maybe he'd get himself a nice new coat.

Lonely Bird continued to walk, face down and looking down at his hands when he felt his foot collide with something before his balance was thrown off and his hands went out to get purchase on the thing he walked into. "Hey!" Lonely Bird started, his expression sour and angry before he tamped it down, "Do you... Know where a good place to get a coat made is?" That was what polite people did, right?

It was easier to just be mean though.

[Nahashsan]

Nykole and her companion Lucius walked aimlessly through the market place looking for a stall that might deal in magic items. Her emerald green eyes scanned each shop as they pasted but they all seemed to carry the same mundane items. "no good, all no good" she spoke out loud which as habit she had.

Nykole had come into the possession of a strange magic box.  It was long and slender and covered in runes and reeked of magic. Frustratingly it seemed impossible to open without magic.

She was distracted looking at the shops when she ran head long into a tall man standing in the middle of the road. As they collided the box slipped out of her arms and went skipping down the road a short ways. 

"Do you... Know where a good place to get a coat made is?"

"What a strange way of saying sorry." She retorted as she brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes.  "Now where did my box fly off too."

[Draconian]

Ah yes.

Sorry. The singular most hollow word he'd ever heard in his once long and now very short life. He resisted rolling his eyes when that was the only reply he got but instead cocked his hip and rested his hand on it to blink down at the girl with the emerald eyes.

"Look," Lonely Bird started, taking a breath slowly and then letting it out fast, "I'm just trying to--" Then he felt it. Like a breeze on his skin. Something to grab his attention. Familiar and foreign all at once. Known and unknown. A conundrum.

His brilliant blue eyes snapped to the box that flew off and he had a moment of vertigo before he moved to pick it up. Hands gentle like he was picking up something precious instead of just an inscribed box. "You, Girl," Lonely Bird said, voice a little authoritative while he examined it, "What is this?" He didn't hand it over, instead just held it and examined it.

[Nahashsan]

Nykole watched in as the stranger picked up her box.  "That's my magic box, me and Lucius took it from some bandits.  This is Lucius." She gestured to the large feline standing behind her. 

Lucius was a ferguine cat which looked like a very large panther but with no tail. Instead he had a head tail coming from the base of his skull.  The tail was tipped with a poison barb used to paralyze their prey.

She tightened her grip on the glaive that she was using a walking stick.  "The names Nykole not you girl and I would like my box back. . . unless, do you know a mage that is good with artifacts.  The box is sealed and nothing I have tried has worked to open it."

[Draconian]

Lonely Bird blinked wide crystal blue eyes at the girl. Box held in hand, he processed the information he got. Her name was Nykole, the cat-not-cat was Lucius -of which Lonely Bird gave a polite nod to - and the box was magic and she couldn't open it.

Of course.

"I... See," he said slowly and examined it again, trailing his fingers over all the sides and corners. Once upon a time he may have been able to open it but... no longer.

"I have an interest in this box," he wiggled it at her, "If I can get this open, I'll buy it off you for... Fifty gold." His pale eyebrows went up and he flashes Nykole a smile, head tilted before he turned to look around the market.

Lots of fish places. No visible coat places, either. "Probably need to go further inland, for anyone who can dispel magic worth a damn. This is a fishing city." Did he want to go inland? He looked down at the box and nodded, yes. Yes he did. He needed to know what was in the box and why he was drawn to it. "I don't have a horse, but I can rent one, if you needed a guide." Not that he knew a damn thing about the mainland.

[Nahashsan]

"You might have in interest in my box, but it's still my box, not yours" she said in a friendly way. She took a step closer and held out her hand.

"You are probably right about looking elsewhere, this town has been a bust.  I'll tell you what, you can tag along and I might sell you the box once it is opened if I decide I don't want it." She took another step closer "now I would like my box back!"

[Draconian]

It didnt seem like a good deal.

Lonely Bird handed over the box, frowning at the girl and her cat before he shoved his hands into his pockets and began to tap his foot. "And?" He started looking around "you dont travel on foot do you?"

He blinked, eyes wide and looking kind of offended. People did that? Just walk everywhere? "We're buying horses. Your cat can walk on the ground," for a moment Lonely Bird was entertained by the idea of being on a horse, all things considered before he looked at the box and tilted his head.

"Are you... from around here? Like... are you city-humanoid?"

[Nahashsan]

Nykole snatched up her magic box as soon as he handed it over. "Yes I travel mostly on foot unless I'm going a long ways.  If you are offering to buy horse we can ride."

She had to fight to keep her thoughts to herself. This man was a odd duck. He reminded her think of a noble among the common people for the first time.

"You're a weird one, I like it. I grew up in a small village so not a city girl."

[Draconian]

Travel on foot unless going a long way. Wants to go to a bigger city farther inland. Lonely Bird, if he had chin hair, would be stroking it while he tumbled through the conundrum of just how long, a long way was, before it was too long to travel by foot.

"I see," Lonely Bird looked at the girl, "I meant I buy myself a horse and you get yourself a horse and then we either stable them or sell them." He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head, his tumble of silvery white hair hanging over his shoulders.

"Have you ever been in a city before? Or is this... a first?" Lonely Bird didn't try to phrase it nicely, "you're kind of awkward. Like watching a tadpole grow legs."

[Nahashsan]

"You're not the first to say that I'm awkward, or strange, or weird. I was kicked by a horse when I was younger, never been quite right ever since." She replied with a smile

She didn't like horses but would ride if need be. Something about nearly being killed by one spoiled the whole experience.

She tucked a lose strand of hair behind a pointed ear as she spoke sheepishly "you think you could get my horse to, I'm between jobs and gold is in short supply?"

"And yes I have been to the city, I am a mercenary after all"

[Draconian]

A total loss for words.

Lonely Bird stood with his mouth hanging open and blinking while he just processed information and the total and complete honesty? The girl was saying. When she pushed her hair over her ear, he mirrored the movement, pushing his own bright hair behind his regular human looking ear.

Kicked in the head by a horse. Mercenary. Between jobs. "Like, you kill people for money? That kind of mercenary?" Lonely Bird felt genuine pity and grabbed the girls hand before he put ten gold worth of money into her palm, holding the warm hand in his for a short moment. A longer pause while he held her hand, "You are a mercenary?"

[Nahashsan]

She gave a nod. "Yes I fight for money. I also work as a bounty hunter."  She was taken aback by his sudden movement. Startled she tried to pull back but the man held on after he deposited the money into her hands.

[Draconian]

"But..." Lonely Bird looked at the girl and noticed the jump and the confirmation that she was a bounty hunter.

"You're so mousy," he glanced at the cat, "the kitty does all the work, doesn't it?" Lonely Bird smiled and tilted his head, then, deciding he wanted what was in that box that drew him in, held out his hand in official greeting.

"My name is Lonely Bird. Pleasure to meet you," Lonely Bird paused, "both of you."

[Nahashsan]

Kykole smiled at the comment about being mousy. "In a fight, speed wins over strength, and I'm fast.  Lucius does carry his own weight to ain't that right." She leaned her glaive on her shoulder and reached out and petted the feline behind the ears.

"Nice to meet you, lonely bird, you have an odd name, I like it." She remarked as she took the hand in greeting.

Turning back to the feline, "you sure have been quiet Lucius,say hello to the nice man."

Lucius looked at Nykole than Lonely Bird.  "Nice to meet you as will," a deep, rumbly voice spoke in Bird's head. As he spoke Lucius give what could only be described as a bow.