Cobwebs in the Flea Market

[Ataraxis]

Started for Rayse, but anyone is free to come in and request something. Selling black threads, from steel-strength to Dehlar-strength. Magic-conductive. Can also weave jackets/dresses/shirts and the like. Can change color of thread. The steel-strength threads have the same cost as vlince.

This was a new world to her. Oh, she'd explored the Bazaar before, she'd seen its diversity of stores and wares - countless times, the librarian had come to this lieu of business as a customer. For one, she'd bought a pair of throwing daggers crafted from the blue-white Prevalida at a discount, and that beautiful piece of craftsmanship had saved her hide more than just a few times.

But today was different: she didn't come as customer, but as a vendor. There was no denying that it would be ages before the teenager could own a shop of any sort, in which she could sell whatever items she'd dreamed of crafting at her fancy. No, she was still ages from that dream, and today she would have to do with a raggedy old tarp and a cloth awning above her head to stop the hammers of a battering sun.

On the outskirts of the Bazaar's flea market, she'd set her little business venue, which seemed like a scrawny, cozy mat compared to the wooden stalls and presentoirs surrounding her. 'Professional amateurs... intimidating in their own right.' Lillian shrugged and took a seat on the tarp, cross-legged as she rummaged through her bulky backpack. She removed multiple spools of a silky, black string and lay them out in a half circle around her. She only had to liquidate a few things today, before wrapping everything up and rolling out; hopefully, this would be enough to earn herself more than a few measly crumbs of bread and a stale bed in a third-rate inn.

[Raelyse]

Hardly a bargain hunter, Raelyse had to convince himself every step of the way that the little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow existed. This time, the sense of something significant was dragging the Myrusian deeper and deeper into the recesses of the Bazaar, a place where he did not enjoy venturing into. Most of his experiences here could be summarized into entering the first shop he saw and paying the inflated price instead of wandering from end to end, hunting for that elusive bargain.

This was why he had such a hard time trying to tell himself that the ends of this little trek was going to justify the means that was making his entire foot blister over. He had been fed reliable information that something significant stirred somewhere here, so he had decided to follow it. Not from some shoddy informant or even a trusted friend, Raelyse was following advice from the most reliable person in the world - himself. Such was the weakness of his willpower that despite this, he was still on the verge of giving up. His ability to sense significant magic was as accurate as a bloodhound's ability to sniff out raw meat; and possibly, had the hunger to match the canine as well. It was this lust to attain this magic that drove him on, a nagging thought at the back of his mind that would not give up.

As he followed the scent of the magic, he felt the signal fire from the magic growing, drawing him closer and closer as it piqued his interest. It was grand, he said, as the last thoughts of giving up drained away. His lust for power had taken over.

Then, he saw it with his own eyes, having felt its magic with his whole body, it stood out like a blinding torch in a dark cave.

“Hello, my dear,” he said, composing himself as he approached the stall with the goods that he wanted so much. It didn't exactly have customers queuing around the block, probably because of the humble surroundings and meek presentation of the store, but despite what others thought of him, he knew that when it came down to certain things, the book is much more interesting than the cover.

“Remember me?” Raelyse asked sarcastically, his typical dazzling smile perking across his handsome face, his lips parting to reveal a row of flawlessly arranged teeth, so white it appeared as though they had been polished. “What am I talking about? Of course, you remember me, don't you, Lillian?”

[Ataraxis]

"Mister Raelyse!" Now this was a surprise. Taking on this endeavor, she'd not imagine that there would be a confluence of interested customers, but had even less expected to see a familiar face creep out. This was quite the happenstance, and though she never trusted in the veracity and innocence of such coincidences, she couldn't say this man was unpleasant company. They'd met each other shortly after the events of the war between the New World Order and Imperial, the silver-haired man having been recruited by Godhand in the midst of battle, or some similar turn of events. They hadn't spoken much, but the man, despite all his affectations, was charming enough. "I'm surprised to see you perusing the wares in such an area of the Bazaar. Pleasantly surprised, might I say."

"Might you be interested in anything? What I have is modest, but... I can fashion you any type of garment from these spools, and in record time if I may say so myself." She took one of the spools and handled it roughly, unwinding about three feet of its length, then tugging on it. "Almost as strong as Dehlar - surprising, isn't it? If you don't believe me, you can test it. Here." The librarian laid it out on the ragged tarp, a few feet away from her and just within the Myrusian noble's range. It could not be clearer upon her proud smile that she expected the man to strike it with his blade.

[Raelyse]

“Hardly am I filled with debilitating pain when your company I am in,” Raelyse replied, his jumbled words hardly forming a coherent sentence. From the moment he had greeted Lillian, all of his attention towards her had shifted to her fine wares. The cloth was filled with magic so strong that it almost spoke to him, tugging at primal emotions that lay dormant beneath his sophisticated facade. He watched as she unfurled the material, his eyes the only part of his body not unable to hide their impatience. Unrolling and revealing the cloth was akin to opening a lid to release the contents within and Raelyse felt the magic bombarding him, calling for the Myrusian to take it.

It took him a moment to adjust himself and regain his composure, but he did so. He ran his hand over the cloth. It felt as any type of material should, but everything within him told otherwise. Fully intending to test Lillian's theory, Raelyse reached for the rapier secured to his belt and pulled it free of its scabbard housing in one fine motion. Holding it just in front of him, he took a moment to bask in its beauty before raising it over his head, preparing for the blow.

“In all honesty,” he said with a certain childish mischief about him. “I fear more for your table than the cloth.”

He tried to restrain himself, but was eager to see just how strong the material really was. The child in him won. The blade came down hard and fast in a powerful attack, landing on the cloth in a slice that would have cleaved anything else in two. Instead, Raelyse winced as the recoil from the attack swam up the muscles from his arm, giving him exactly what he was expecting.

“I don't think 'almost' is a good word. I think this matches Dehlar for strength and the finest silk in the world for finesse and beauty,” he said, trying to hide knowledge of the pain in his arms from her. For almost no reason at all, Raelyse ran his blade along the edge of the cloth, even poking it to see if it would burst, all the while knowing it would not.

“Everyone who knows you speaks the world of you and I'm sure that in a few hours, I would have been recruited,” Raelyse said slowly, his eyes locked on the cloth even as he sheathed his weapon, which suddenly seemed so inferior.

“Can you fashion me a two piece suit out of this?”

[Ataraxis]

"Your words are too kind, and I find myself undeserving of the praise", Lillian managed through a sheepish smile, when only moments ago her face was plastered in shock at the sheer power of the noble's downward strike. There were now two sliced lines along the tarp, the cut portions not having benefited from the protection of her special square of fabric. The table itself had groaned at the pressure, and she could swear one of the legs had snapped partway.

"And I believe that is within my abilities," she finally replied to his request. To be honest, she had only though of selling her spools as raw materials, for the weaving of anything so complex as a suit would take her the better part of a relentless day. Yet the girl did not want to disappoint - a pathological flaw in one so talented, one of which she was all too aware. "I can fashion a suit that mirrors your current vestments under a day, if you deem the result worthy enough to endure the wait. I'll just need your... uhm, measurements."

Her fingers snapped, and a thin thread of smoky black stretched between her indices. Following this was a rather awkward moment of wait, in which she looked from left to right, only sparing a few embarassed glances in the man's direction. At last, she walked around the table, searching Raelyse's gaze for a fleeting second and, finding no refusal of any kind, began measuring as prudishly as she could, her few gropes and brushes quick and light.

When that was done, she quickly moved back behind her rickety table. "If you require any specifics, do say so. I'll have this done by the twelfth bell, tonight."

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse limped into the woods, the blazing inferno still raging behind him and filling the sky with black, choking smoke. As he walked, he noticed someone against a tree. It was Lillian, and she was holding her chest with what appeared to be bloody hands.

"You alright there?" Rayse wondered, his own condition not that much better.

She told him she would be fine. Rayse then asked about that thread and where she got it, and she told him she made it herself. After stroking his chin for a few seconds, Rayse declared that he wanted some. She gave him a time, date, and location.

* * * * * *

The flea market of the bazaar wasn't an especially nice place. Rayse didn't like the smell of it, either. He wanted to get out as fast as he could after finding Lillian.

By the time he would turn the next couple corners and get to Lillian's tarp, Raelyse would be gone.

For the sake of a certain future quest together, I'd rather not meet Raelyse just yet. Ignore me until Raelyse is outta here.

[Raelyse]

Being the man that was, Raelyse could not help but suck in his stomach and flex his muscles as she took his measurements. He loved attention, he loved people marveling at how toned his body was and how his perfectly sculpted body complemented his flawlessly constructed face. He had no interest in Lillian as a female, he saw her as a colleague and a formidable one, at that. Just the fact that she could spin such powerful materials was enough to earn his respect, but that she could do it as a fashion statement was nothing short of astounding.

When she was done, the Myrusian took a step backwards and sighed softly in relief, a sound he muffled so well that she probably couldn't hear it, when he realized he didn't have to flex his muscles for one more second. He composed himself and pulled his clothing back to the way it was before, so he was once again as chic as he had been when he had first presented himself to her.

“I have one requirement,” he said slowly, a mischievously childish grin spreading like a wildfire across his face. “Make a stunning suit.”

Raelyse turned his back to her and took one step away, before turning his head and flashing her that same smile that boasted perfectly arranged teeth.

“I'll send someone to pick it up later. I will see you around though, Lillian.”

And with that, he left, his skin already craving to wear the majestic suit that this special girl was going to weave for him. He would wait, but not for long.

Atty, one more post and that'll do it.

Trunks, cheers for waiting. You can go in now, I suppose.

[Ataraxis]

Well to keep Rae from waiting, I'll create two timelines, pacing be damned - it's pretty irrelevant here, anyway.

"Yes... I certainly expect that we will," she replied, smiling with as she waved him goodbye.

Her hand dropped, upon her face a lenient scowl as she watched him leave in his princely strut. 'An envoy?' Though any other would have thought the man beyond presumptuous for not even deigning to collect his order in the flesh, Lillian had remembered that his noble upbringing had probably inculcated this... distance. In retrospect, she was even surprised that he was here in the first place, when he could have taken full use of his errand boy from start to finish.

"Well, let's not dawdle any longer. This suit won't tailor itself... not yet, at least." She grinned and began gathering the spools and unfurling the dark silk over the tarp. She stopped midway as a familiar face crept up from an alleyway, belonging to none other than Rayse Valentino. "You're more than punctual; I wasn't expecting you before noon."

She half-dropped behind her table and lifted the tarp, arm then reaching for the knapsack that was heaped beneath it. "I prepared it beforehand, using the strands I already had. They're only a bit thicker now, but not overly so. The string should be easier to handle, too."

She slapped the roll between hand and tarp, a proud look upon her face. "A hundred feet of nigh-dehlar strength string. I didn't correct its magic-reactive flaw... and that's fine with you, isn't it?"

"I'd make it over 400 crowns or so, but I'll give you a friendly discount. 327, to thank you for your help in that war. Sounds good?"

:::::

She should have told him tomorrow. Not that she wasn't done: no, Lillian was an assiduous worker and had laboured at the table with a surprising, if not frightening relentlessness. But curse the gods, she was spent. Her fingers were red and raw, her eyes were quite nearly bloodshot and, had it not been for her unwonted ability to see in the dark, she would have had to stop for the night, having no fire, oil or a lantern of any kind at hand. Oh, the other merchants, those who'd gone so many years deprived of sleep that just another night bore no import, had such lamps at their disposal, but the light's reach was restricted and none would let her borrow anything, not even a match. 'Competitive pricks, the bunch of them.'

Still, she couldn't help but behold the masterpiece before her. She'd taken the general shape and style out of the few books on the customs of nobility she'd read, notably one on the current trends and leading fashions, this year's bellwethers and the like. As such, she'd sewn a suit that still breathed class in its sobriety and could simply not go unnoticed, especially if worn on someone such as the prince of Myrusia. It was a three-buttoned, single-breasted suit with notch lapels that glimmered with the water-like gloss of black silk - and had the trousers to match. If the prince did not so much as appreciatively smile at this wonder of haute-couture, then the teenager would enter a fit of unrestrained, tiny rage.

Then, she remembered he wouldn't come. She realized she'd only wanted any praise to come from him, if only to be witness to the rarity of a royal's gratitude. "I might just overcharge him for that..."

The sound of shuffling cloth and soft steps made her start. She looked up, to the stranger who'd just arrived before her. "Greetings. I'd wrap this up for you, but I have little to work with."

I'll recopy this when Rae and Ray post their conclusions.

Raelyse gains: A two-piece suit made of of Lillian's special, as of yet unnamed, black spidersilk. It as light as any other silk and is quite nearly as strong as Dehlar. The fabric can be enchanted. As a note, though the threads were create through magic, they become as any other material when severed from Lillian. As such, magic-cancelling of any sort would not make them disappear (though if it becomes enchanted at any point, the enchantment itself will still likely be neutralized by said magic-canceling spell/item). Raelyse loses 2200 GP.

Rayse gains: 100 feet of Lillian's special black spidersilk. It still bears the flaw of her old threads, which made them dangerously reactive to magic. It is somewhat thicker than the usual string, and is quite nearly as strong as Dehlar. Rayse Valentino loses 327 GP.

Ataraxis loses: the equivalent of 2 jackets in dehlar-strength spools of silk. For those who wonder,they were automatically upgraded from steel to almost-Dehlar, at the conclusion of the NWO/Imperial Clan War and the quest Into and Out of Hiding. (Basically, the suit and pants used up almost all of it, and the rest was used for Rayse's 100-feet-long string. Ataraxis gains 2527 GP.

Prices have been agreed to by all parties, though to make it official, Ray and Rae, you should put your agreement (or disagreement) in an OOC note as well.

[Raelyse]

Unlike the person he was working for, Deek Fimble wasn't tall, charming or handsome. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was a gnome, and a stout one at that, with unremarkable features and messy facial hair compounded with curly brown locks filled covered from root to hair with dandruff. The portly halfling had been enlisted to help a dashing, stunningly handsome silver haired man named Raelyse. His job was simple, take 2200 gold from point A to point B, then take the man's package from point B back to point A.

Deek ambled through the bazaar, one hand holding onto the formidable sack of gold and the other trying to hold his enormous stomach from bursting through his belt. When he finally saw the store that he was looking for, he sighed in relief., It had not come a moment too soon.

The gnome threw the formidable sack of gold, jumping up a few times so the girl could see his face from beneath the table, which was a good few inches taller than him, before shouting quite loudly and rudely, to make absolutely sure that she could hear him.

"You Lillian?" he half-grunted, half-spoke the question. When she nodded, he responded in an even more gruffer manner with words that were twisted in gnomish accent, but somehow communicated that he was here for the suit.

"Gimme gimme gimme," he said, when she said that she had it. After making sure she took just enough gold, the gnome pulled the fine suit gently off the table and delicately carried it all the way back.

Take 2200 gold from my account for the suit

[Rayse Valentino]

Casual, casual, casual. That was the word of the day. He couldn't stop from considering all the aspects around this deal and the person he was dealing with, but he won't allow himself to make an issue of it. Come in, get it, and go. That string was something very interesting, as it made his spices seem like toys in the wake of the potential destructive power. Oh the possibilities!

He walked up to her quaint little assembly, ignoring how low-budget it was compared to the quality of goods she was selling. If anything, it was very mischievous. Nobody but the people who knew what she was peddling would understand the value of it all, which makes things go very smoothly and unnoticed. Whether or not that was her intent wasn't Rayse's business, he was just a simple patron.

She confirmed his order and he nodded. Rayse briefly considered buying out her entire stock of products, but he knew that it wasn't time yet for that sort of business. He needed more influence for The Company, and definitely more capital.

With minimal words, Rayse reached into his traveling bag and picked out the amount specified, took his fancy string, and went on his way. As he walked away, he looked back one last time and thought about going back to buy her out, but again knew that it wasn't time yet. He was far too impatient, it seems. Although, he wouldn't have to wait too long.

What she said.

[Ataraxis]

Lillian pocketed the coins into her own drawstring pouch, joining the pay from the prince to the pay from the contractor. It was quite a hefty sum, enough to weigh down on the poor girl's hip: she'd have to exchange these for bigger cuts. That, or walk around the dark alleys at night with a bag of money that jingled with every step like a dropped drawer full of cutlery. 'And I don't need to invite people to mug me.'

"Most of it's gone now," she stated with a sigh while standing akimbo. This had been a long day, longer than she had expected, but also more fruitful. "I didn't think there was going to be that much interest... maybe next time, some place more high profile."

The girl shrugged and turned back, beginning the disassembly of her quaint little stand. The tarp was rolled, the awning unlatched and folded. As for the table, well, she had found it lying about in a shady lane. She doubted anyone would care if she left the rickety old thing right where it was.

"I think I'll keep the rest of the spools for myself," she said at last, slinging on her backpack. 'After all, giving it the properties of Dehlar is only the beginning.' On that thought, she left the flea market, and then the Bazaar itself.

Perhaps now she could afford more than just stale crumbs and a noisome bed. Perhaps now, she wouldn't have to live in paucity and squalor.

'Yes. Perhaps.'

Raelyse gains: A two-piece suit made of of Lillian's special, as of yet unnamed, black spidersilk. It is as light as any other silk and is quite nearly as strong as Dehlar. The fabric can be enchanted. As a note, though the threads were create through magic, they become as any other material when severed from Lillian. As such, magic-cancelling of any sort would not make them disappear (though if it becomes enchanted at any point, the enchantment itself will still likely be neutralized by said magic-canceling spell/item). Raelyse loses 2200 GP.

Rayse gains: 100 feet of Lillian's special black spidersilk. It still bears the flaw of her old threads, which made them dangerously reactive to magic. It is somewhat thicker than the usual string, and is quite nearly as strong as Dehlar. Rayse Valentino loses 327 GP.

Ataraxis loses: the equivalent of 2 jackets in dehlar-strength spools of silk. For those who wonder,they were automatically upgraded from steel to almost-Dehlar, at the conclusion of the NWO/Imperial Clan War and the quest Into and Out of Hiding. (Basically, the suit and pants used up almost all of it, and the rest was used for Rayse's 100-feet-long string. Ataraxis gains 2527 GP.

Prices have been agreed to by all parties.

[Slayer of the Rot]

To make it official:

Raelyse loses 2200 gp and gains his suit and 100 exp.

Rayse Valentino loses 327 gp and gains one hundred feet of the special spidersilk and 100 exp.

Ataraxis loses...up there. What she said. And gains 2527 gp and 100 exp.