Cloths and Such

[Arawn]

Shadows grew longer with every passing second, elongating the chimneys atop houses to breach the streets beside them. People scurried to close up shop and return to their homes and family. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, bidding farewell to the diurnal beings to retire for another night. Meanwhile, creatures of the dark were beginning to stir. Those who thrived in shade had waited their turn to awaken and now rose to dominate the land. One such creature was gazing through the wooden blinds of his inn room, making sure the fiery orb had been hidden completely before venturing out. The parts of his skin that had been exposed to its dying rays simmered and issued white smoke. The lone vampire ignored the sting.

“Finally,” he spoke to the empty room, “now to find a shop that stayed open.” Arawn knew it wouldn’t be terribly hard to find one. “Greed is a wonderful motivational tool.”

Closing the blinds, he made for the door and out of the inn. The bazaar was sure to have its fair share of shopkeepers who braved the perils of night business for the sake of less competed profit. Arawn’s steps seemed muted as he glided over the cobbled street toward the commercial district. Here and there, he caught evidence to support his belief. A light shining out a shop window. The clang of metal from a man bustling about in his armor shop. Finding one that tickled his fancy, the vampire swept through the doorway of an establishment that announced itself to house a tailor. There was a hush about the place and no other patrons, at least for the moment. Many shirts and decorative cloths hung from the ceiling, displaying the artisan’s mastery of his craft.

“Good evening,” Arawn hissed to the individual he found behind the counter. “I’m looking for someone who can improve the weaving of this garment.” In one fluid motion, he removed his vlince cloak with a swish and placed it on the table between them. “If possible, I’d like it woven tighter to block all light. An odd request, to be sure, but one to be duly rewarded.”

A smile spread across the vampire’s face as he touched the pouch at his waste, rattling the gold within noisily.

[AdventWings]

The Silk Road had a rather successful sale that day and Edna was particularly in high spirit. She had just put away a large roll of cloth in the storage room when, upon returning to the front of the store with her ledger book, the shop owner nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Oh-! ...I'm sorry, you startled me."

Edna's eyes went wide upon realizing the nature of her customer, but she was reluctant about turning him away. The challenge put forward, however, was incredibly impossible except through magical means. Regular cloth would naturally allow light to shine through - the weave of threads being the sole deciding factor - but there were other means to create such a request.

But such methods were not cheap.

"...Well, I suppose I can help you with that..." She spoke uneasily, afraid of setting the vampire off in anger, "However, I will need several weeks to find a suitable method. If anything, I won't be able to use your garment for the actual weaving..."

She thought over the possible implications nervously before holding up five fingers.

"Would five hundred gold pieces be alright? I may need to charge you more, for materials, but this is the general price..."

[Arawn]

Arawn could smell the fear radiating from this woman and almost shivered with delight. It struck him that he hadn’t had a drop to drink in almost eight hours and the female’s neck line seemed to beacon him close, taunting him to have a taste. A vein upon it pulsed with every heartbeat, now accelerated by the vampire’s presence. He shut his eyes and took several seconds to master himself. It would not do to feed in the bazaar, where witnesses abounded even in the darker hours. One scream from the seamstress and he’d have guards upon him and certain banishment from the shops. His eyes opened slowly and took in the empty shop once more. On the other hand, he might just be able to do away with the woman before she signaled her distress.

No, he told himself, there’s business to be done.

“Five hundred pieces of gold seems a bit excessive, don’t you think?” he said aloud, venom in every menacing note. If he could not turn the fear into a snack, it may as well serve him to make a deal. “Going anywhere above four hundred and fifty just seems an attempt to swindle a customer. That wouldn’t be good for repeat business.”

He chose that moment to smile broadly. This was not, as in most people’s cases, a sign of amiable intentions. On the contrary, the action exposed the vampire’s pearly white overlong fangs. They came just over his lower lip, pinching it slightly as they would that precious vein on her neck. Inside, Arawn was reeling. Playing with this woman was putting him in a sporting mood. If he didn’t end up feeding on her, he felt sure some other fun nearby would entertain him soon after the transaction. Perhaps an orphaned street urchin or a meandering beggar. No one ever asked many questions when the likes of such individuals vanished.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” he prompted the shop owner after a pause.

[AdventWings]

Edna literally fell into her chair when the customer made his advance with teeth and fangs bare. The tailor had remembered to lock up the shop earlier that day, but apparently it was only in her memory. Struggling to find a reply for this dangerous customer, the lady almost lost her voice in fear.

"A- Ah, ah, well, yes. I suppose..." Edna's fingers fumbled with the ledger, trying to avoid his piercing eyes as she ran down the list of possible material and any cheap labor she could hire. "A- a- I- I suppose... Five hundred would be a bit too much..."

A gust of wind blew through the shop, startling the already half-hysterical tailor to drop her book altogether. Not wanting to risk her life to retrieve the item for fear of giving the vampire an opening, she could only resolve to collect herself and propose a new price.

"...Umm, how would..." Raising her eyes, she saw another person leaning against the door with the trademark wide-rimmed hat covering her face. Taking a gulp of air, the merchant woman continued on. "Ho- How would four hundred sound to you...?"

((OOC: The new arrival is an NPC, no need to be alarmed. She's only armed with revolvers and silver bullets. ))

[Arawn]

“Four hundred would be perfect,” Arawn said graciously.

The woman didn’t look like she could handle much more aggressive negotiation. The vampire withdrew his gold pouch and counted out the right amount of coins. When this was done, he placed the currency on the desk between them and gave the tailor another broad smile. She practically begged to be preyed upon, so fragile and afraid. Yet the witness at the door was not lost on Arawn and he knew better than to stir up unnecessary trouble in a crowded town. Every vampire was only a few publicized feedings away from having mobs with pitchforks dogging their steps across the continent.

“A pleasure doing business with you,” he continued silkily, leaving the cloak on the counter as well. “I’ll return in some weeks to see what progress you’ve made and cover any expenses that may have cropped up.”

Arawn then turned and made for the door. As he passed the human leaning against the door, he gave the slightest nod of acknowledgment and walked on through. Back outside, the scents and sounds played at his predatory senses. He heard the sound of a child laughing, still out and playing in the night. An old man was limping heavily on his way home, coughing in the cold air with every other step. The perfume of a young woman reached him from an open window. The vampire scarcely knew which direction attracted him more.

“Age before beauty,” he whispered to himself, deciding the old man would struggle least.

He then walked over to the aged human and offered his arm in lieu of a cane. The man thanked him profusely for this act of kindness and explained he lived only a few blocks away. He leaned heavily on the tall, pale stranger. Arawn described a short cut he knew through the dark back alleys and the man rejoiced at his good fortune in finding such a companion. Arawn rejoiced too, though he hid it behind a mask of sincere aid.

The hunt is easier some nights than others, he thought to himself as the pair disappeared into a shadowy alleyway.

[Taskmienster]

GP removed!