Arrival. [Open]

[Aleksei]

Spider legs flipped the thin pages of the bulky magazine. The colors flew off the pages, and with these colors were pictures of frisky woman dressed in provocative clothing. Each little article was decorated in neat squares of text that spoke of nothing close to the weather. Instead you were filled with the current gossip which left one wondering if it was all real or just another way to keep you hooked. It was a guilty, gushing little pleasure which most actually felt the need to buy or else something horrible would happen. Either way, it kept her stained fingers busy with something and her mind in a flurry of womanly wants which she was apparantly missing according to the new sweater selection of the month.

It wasn't much of a grand opening, just a few words from mouth and maybe a poster on a few buildings. The intention was to let the interest come to the customer, so it leaves the minds clean of any judgement until they honestly step through the door. Riforte and Abraham didn't have intentions on bringing much attention to themselves or the shop. As long as inquiries start to trickle in, then the income could start flowing in.

There were shelves covered with product and everything specially labled to make shopping easy. Behind her was a list of services and their prices in great description. There was things to be left hanging though as on the counter sat special little pamplets speaking of a different service. Riforte being the one to write it, making sure that the customer only got the idea of etc. is here to help find or aquire certain products.

Killian would 'look' towards the door from time to time, noting the salt air shifting the tiny little bell above the door rim. The smoke that replaced her head shifted around her thin torso looking for something to hang on. At times it felt the need to poke around at a few books or toy with the pages she was flipping through, and she really couldn't blame it. There had only been one person to come through and they wanted something boring: a shirt died green. Who wears a green shirt anyways? Depending on the shade it was a rather ugly color and didn't go well with many skin tones.

"Suess ...."

The voice that came from her chest was somewhat heavy and thick, saying 'sweet' to a new little gadget mentioned in the magazine. Now where that voice came from was a different story.

[Rivermane]

Tania was having a very difficult day, she had arrived in town as an escort for one of her fathers merchant wagons with the express purpose of visiting the many exotic stalls in an attempt to locate a few rare items. But after several hours as the sun had began to get lower she found herself frustrated with disappointment, just as she had been about to give up and return to the wagon to wait for the return trip she spotted the flier. After looking it over for a few minutes as well as noting the location which was nearby she decided to try it, the worst that could happen is that they don't have anything for me and I spend the rest of the night playing cards with the driver. Shivering just thinking about being in the presence of the man she made her way towards the store, the wagon driver had watched her the entire trip and even though she wore armor that covered her from the neck down quite effectively she got the impression it wasn't slowing his imagination down much. Looking in through the window as she walked toward the door she saw alot of odd items on the shelves which gave her more hope, her hand on the door she found herself hesitating for a moment when she saw what she assumed was a woman behind the counter.. a moment later however she pulled the door open and stepped inside.

Adjusting the large sword on her back so it ran parallel to her spine so as to avoid it knocking against anything Tania made her way towards the counter slowly, her eyes wandered as she did so seeing alot of items she had never seen before which caused a small thrill to run through her. Her father was a incredibly wealthy merchant and as his daughter she had grown up around merchandise of every kind, hence seeing so many new things after being surrounded by so much of the same filled her with a small feeling of excitement. Stopping just short of the counter a necklace caught her eye, it was made of what looked like polished stones each different from the next and ended in what looked like a jade sword carving. Tania continued to study it for the time being wondering if it was magical or not.. at the same time forgetting she was in a store and less than a few feet from the front desk.

[Aleksei]

Between light and the falling of the afternoon to night, Killian had helped a grand total of five people and only three of those actually bought something. She was happy enough to move from behind the counter every now and stretch her legs from their current state. Business was better than honestly expected and Killian felt she could easily report back to her employers with a diligent nod of approval.

Darkness had fallen across the port, leaving only a few merchants out and about to please those late shoppers. There wasn't a time in which etc. closed the doors as there was always going to be someone there. Riforte believed that business never slept, and in essence that was fairly true. You had to be able to work long nights and days to close a deal or even get one for that matter. Killian didn't require sleep, but she did enjoy it whenever it came along. She had actually made plans to take a nap where she could actually stand at the counter, who would know the difference? She didn't have a head so no one was able to catch her expressions.

Before she was even able to doze off a customer walked through the door. She didn't ask for help, instead she looked at the merchandise peppering the shelves, especially the nice set of jewelry they had. Killian could agree though, that was her favorite little section out of anything. The woman was eyeing a certain necklace, almost mezmerized by it, so Killian knew it was working.

"Zhat iz nice eh?"

She made her way from around the counter and began to approach the woman, the smoke trailing close behind her.

[Rivermane]

Tania had been quite lost in looking at the necklace till the other womans voice drew here back to reality, turning her head slightly her bright eyes fixing on where she thought the other womans head should about be. The sight of the other woman made her feel a tad uneasy but she rationalized that if the shop was indeed filled with exotic items why not also be staffed by exotic people, she managed a slightly uncomfortable smile not wanting to be rude as her eyes were drawn back to the necklace.

"Yes.. it is very nice, I recognize the Jade the sword is made of.. but I can't tell what most of these others are." She replied clearly interested in learning more from the tone of her voice, reaching to a small pouch on her waist she checked it wondering how much the item cost.

After a moment though she paused remembering that she hadn't come here to buy a necklace though if what else she was after wasn't too expensive she might end up leaving with both, turning back to the approaching woman she found herself watching the smoke wondering what was causing it in part.. at the same time wondering where her head had gone.

"Do you know what the gem is in the hilt?" She pointed to the small purple gem that seemed to glimmer innocently.

[Aleksei]

"Bone."

Killian snatched the necklace from its spot, weaving the chain about her fingers and letting the pretty sword hang in front of the woman's face. The bone had been craved and wiped down to give it a beautiful shine, almost clear as the light mingled in the middle of it. She had been told of the various little stories behind every little artifact in the store, and this one in paticular was possibly her most favorite.

"Follow, follow."

She waved her hand for the woman to follow her trail of smoke to the counter. Killian placed the necklace on top while she knelt down to tinker around a little, trying to find something as to further the interest of this customer. While below the smoke that spilled from her throat crawled across the counter, swivling around the necklace a little. A few trendils reached towards the woman, almost doing a little dance for her entertainment while she waited ever so patiently. Killian had to keep them under wraps from time to time since they liked to play with people or grab things just because they wanted.

"Eet's special. Here."

She held a small packet above the necklace, sprinkling a white dust on the bone. At that point the sword would suddenly lift itself on its tip, spinning a little to gather balance. Within the bone flashed specific memories just for the lady to see, as they were her own.

[Rivermane]

The answer wasn't what anywhere close to what Tania had thought it to be but she was still intrigued, it was an odd combination though since most of the rest of necklace was made of stones so why would this one small piece be made of bone. Another question that swam to mind as she moved to follow Killian to the counter was who's bone was it? People as well as other creatures she doubted just willingly gave up their bones for jewelery, a small uneasy feeling had began to form in her stomach but she ignored it for the time being as she let curiosity lead her by the nose.

"Bone? that I wasn't expecting.. looks a little too shiny not to mention purple, there is something that had purple bones?" She said quietly just to put a voice to her thoughts, perhaps the other woman could put her doubts to rest.

Resting her elbows against the counter she found herself watching the tendrils of smoke as they seemed to try an entertain her in their mistresses absence, reaching a finger out she tried to link her finger with one of them to join the dance to which she was surprised to learn that the smoke was more solid than it looked. Entwining one of her other fingers with the other she found herself almost giggling now and then as the touch of the smoke tickled her skin, she let them lead as she did her best to keep up but ultimately found them to be far superior to her meager skills. Her attention moved back to the necklace as Killian sprinkled the power onto the necklace, listening and watching in rapt attention especially as the sword began to spin the playing of memories further intrigued her.

"And I thought I couldn't find myself falling more in love with this necklace than I already had, but.. surely something like this must be expensive right?" She replied but didn't take her eyes off the necklace, leaning down so she could look closer she watched bits from her past flash before her eyes.. her previous worries seemed to have vanished for the time being.

As the first question of her wanting to buy the necklace was more than answered with the display Killian had shown her a new one sprang to mind, they were part of the same question though one always followed the other.. the cost.

[Aleksei]

"A creature, ja. Eet has bone deep, deep purple und when cleaned eet becomes lighter."

That creature in paticular had a name, but as far she she was concerned it was extinct. It came from a long, lost island in which Abrham has only traveled to in her age. It was a strange little artifact that held only specific powers, but none of them threatening to it's holder. Most of the things in the shop were meant to hurt or cause some sort of damage to another. The third wheel that helped in causing chaos while their customer kept their hands clean of the situation. This necklace simply protected and warded off any evil doers.

When the woman asked for a price Killian lifted it up to where her eyes should probably be. The price was a good question, because she wasn't so sure which one to really pick. The dust she had poured on the bone wouldn't be included since the enchantment was already activated. Now the enchantment itself had only taken some hours to create and then a couple more to place it upon such a mundane piece of jewelry. So the price would be relativly small, considering what this woman had on her and what she was really wanting to haggle for it. She wasn't fond of taking fingers and noses as cash, so she hoped the lady had something of value.

"What have you?"

She was giving the woman a chance to haggle, claim why she wanted it and why she deserved the item.

[Rivermane]

Tania felt her heart drop just a little as it seemed the odd looking woman wanted to haggle which was an art her father had tried time and time again to impart to her, she knew the general idea but she had always just preferred to just pay what was offered unless the price was incredibly unreasonable. Making a mental list of her items she couldn't really thing of much she could off if coin wasn't an option, suddenly though an idea came to her one of which she thought might prove suitable given the shops nature.

"How about two or three vials of my blood? In my youth I began to take small doses of poison to build up a resistance to the stuff, a side effect being that my blood is now quite poisonous." She said hoping that the odd sounding payment would satisfy Killian, if that didn't work she could try the silver she had on her but if she used all of that she would have no money for the poisons she had wanted to buy.

"Also I originally came in here looking for a few samples of deadly poisons, I looked around town but found almost none aside from some rather potent snake poison." Slipping her hand just inside her breastplate she produced a small list of four deadly poisons though there was a line through one, Tania found her eyes drawn up to watch the smoke that was rising up as she found herself feeling more comfortable now than when she had first entered.

[Claire Of The Mute Heart]

Their journey was as troublesome as it was long. And with each passing month Claire had begun to wonder why this stranger looked after her with a sense of genuine compassion. This being knew what she was, and understood the risk of harboring her. Yet without hesitation he took her under his wing as if she were his own flesh and blood. Her former master had sent many men after them, however they all fell to either Claire's awakened powers or to the true form of this old man. Silently the group would walk into town. Boots stained with dust from the road they've traveled. A testament to the miles they've traversed. The locals would pause from their daily routines and stare at the odd pair. Cerulean hues would lock with their own curious gazes, forcing them to avert their eyes. As the Old man seemed content on ignoring the locals as a whole. Which was to be expected considering his hatred for mankind and most other species. If the mute had a voice she'd probably ask why he took a liking to her. Why he taught her how to control her powers and why he hated the sons and daughters of men.

But something told her that he would elude such questions. for he seemed far too content in maintaining the mystery surrounding him. "Claire, stick near me. I do not trust these folk. But it would seem we might be forced to trade with these creatures." He would state, once more implying how he was not human, despite his outward appearance. Claire would simply nod, her long wild hair soon finding itself dancing in the touch of a gentle breeze. The lot would press deeper into civilization, until they reached the shop. Gently Claire would turn the knob of brass, pushing the door opened as they made their way through the threshold. The scar on her face and throat were pronounced as ever. No doubt attracting as much attention as their foreign attire. "Hello, sorry to interrupt you ladies. But we have Gold we must spend." The old man would speak in a rather soothing tone of voice. meanwhile Claire would squeeze his arm tightly.

The old man would simply smile as he looked down at the mute. "it's alright Claire, no need to be so nervous. I am sure though your not use to seeing such pleasantly attractive woman." Claire would frown as she flared her nostrils, taking in the shops aroma. Silently she would shake her head before letting go of his arm. "I see, why don't you handle this. I'll simply browse her wares." The old man would conclude as he drifted away from Claire. His gaze fixating on the various decorative jewels and weapons which inhabited the shop.

Claire would bite on her bottom lip as she stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and the other beautiful females. She was embarrassed, her gaze fixating itself upon the floor as she folded her arms across her bare, defined abdomen. She would wait till the other woman was through so that she could inquire into a few things. At first glance Claire might come across as lost and weak. However upon studying her one would sense a feral nature. A tainted aura and an unnatural glow about her. Almost as if she was forged not from the flesh and blood of man. Rather a chimera of sorts. Though this level of deduction would require a keen eye.

Casually she would raise those cerulean eyes of hers. Watching the lot intently, as if studying them. Claire was once a slave and a trophy. She knew only abuse. of a physical, mental and sexual nature. Couple that with the fact she was currently mute was more then enough reason for her to feel awkward in just about any social setting. and to make matters worst, despite her physical appearance, she was quite young and ignorant. Silently she would listen to what if any words were exchanged. Their body language and even habits. All in an attempt to successfully synchronize herself with her current environment. Claire found both of these woman to be far more soft to the eyes then herself. And to some capacity was jealous. What she wouldn't give to be normal and to be beautiful. To age like everyone else, and to die living out a simple life. But she knew that even though the bonds no longer held her down literally. She could still feel their influences on her soul.

For Claire knew all too well and came to terms with the fact that no matter how hard she tried to escape her past. It would creep up on her from time to time. And one day she will find herself facing a difficult choice. Claire would however shake her head, in an attempt to escape her thoughts. And focus merely on the situation at hand.

[Aleksei]

"Wunderbar!"

It was obvious that Killian was satisfied with the offer, especially since she could easily sell and possibly mutate it all on her own. Adding something new to the shop was a treat and she was sure Abraham would agree. This woman was quick to come with an answer, so this would indeed be something worth it all. She was about to go grab the syringes needed for this operation, but she was interrupted by a few more entering the shop. Automatically Killian became a little more defensive.

She didn't mind the crowd, but the odd air surrounding the girl that had so eagerly clung to the man made it a little awkward. He, so calm and soothing with that voice, there was something to keep an eye on.

"One minut ja? Read, read."

She offered over the magazine she had earlier been flipping through. Except to the woman the colors were far more vibrant and smoother. It was a trick to make sure that people kept buying the magazine along with other things that it suggested.

"Gut day lady, man."

The smoke spilled across the floor as she approached the girl, nodding a little to show she was indeed acknowledged. She stayed close to the girl while observing the gentleman she had come in with. He was still browsing the shelves, eyeing each little item as if he were trying to make some sort of decision. Whatever he was looking she hoped it was there so the two could leave and she can continue with the other customer. She didn't want the lady to wait until morning for her blood to get drawn.

"May I help yu look?"

[Rivermane]

Tania was visibly relieved when Killian's odd but obviously favorable reply marked her first successful trade with the odd little store, the caravan group wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow morning sometime which gave plenty of time for the lost blood to replenish. Her ears caught the sound of the doorbell but at first she payed it little mind since now all that was left was to get the poisons, that was until she heard the man call herself and Killian 'beautiful' as this got Tania's attention and her ire at the same time. Tania had never once considered herself to be beautiful or anything even close, she had learned early that in it's own way it was a word that could be used to bewitch and control those who put too much pride into their vanity. With that thinking in mind Tania like Killian didn't like the man who accompanied the girl, something in the way he had been speaking seemed oddly detached while at the same time she was also sure he was hiding his dislike for her.

"Sure, not a problem." Was Tania's quiet reply to Killian, glancing down at the magazine a small smile crossed her lips as what was on the pages danced and tickled with her senses.

Unfortunately for the book Tania's attention was far more interested in being directed to the girl who had arrived with the man, she had a manner about her that suggested that the innocent or shy look she was putting on seemed less fake than her companions. But that wasn't what really caught Tania's attention since a dozen times in the last few days she had seen such a look, what really caught her eye was the scar that traced down her face and ended at her throat. That Tania thought to herself is a thing of beauty, she couldn't imagine what the girl must have gone through to receive such a scar but in her mind the girl would look totally different in her eyes without it. A small smile tugged at her lips without prompting followed by a small nod of her head in acknowledgment before Tania's attention turned from the girl and back to her new necklace, placing her back to the counter while she waited while being careful not to let her sword knock anything she went back to examining the necklace as she traced a pair of her fingers over the smooth jade sword.

[Claire Of The Mute Heart]

The old man would continue to browse the wares as he pondered a great deal regarding the value of this womans blood. Even if her blood was somehow toxic. He saw little value in it. for such a thing would be hard to duplicate. As oppose to an alchemical formula. Still it was not his place to voice such thoughts. Instead he'd wait for Claire to finish her shopping. He was only here to lend aid if she needed it. Meanwhile claire would lock eyes with the other customer. She began to ponder over the look in her eyes. It was almost as if this woman saw something in her that claire herself fail to take note of. Whatever she saw or thought, proved to be quite elusive. And due to claire's inability to speak. She knew it would be far too difficult to express her thoughts or inquiries. It's funny how something as simple as ones voice can be taken for granted. Claire never thought it would be so hard to adapt. She found it funny how a single action in a single night can define the rest of ones life.

Gently claire would cover the scar on her neck. she became self conscious of it due to the other customers gaze. At this point the shops owner would approach her. Claire would gaze into her eyes as she tried to mouth her words. But no sound resonated form her lips. she'd quickly give up and focus on another means of communication. With her hands she'd imitate the action of writing. Flicking her wrist like one would with a quill.

[Aleksei]

"Course."

Killian went over to the counter to grab a pencil and a piece of paper. The girl was a mute, she hadn't been in contact with one for some time, but that would explain why the air was a little stale. It was awkward to talk to someone who wasn't able to respond, and you're just standing there dense. She handed over the tools to a small trail of smoke, letting it hand them over to the girl while she went to the back. She was going to work with the other customer, draw some blood and make sure everything is recorded correctly in the book. Riforte had pressed the importance of making sure everything is recorded for later use.

The smoke spread out a way, checking up on the man as he browsed the store and also joined the girl so she could write down whatever she had on her mind at that moment.

"Kaay, arm please."

She was going to allow the rest of her body wander about and make sure the customers were finding everything alright. When the woman would hand over her arm Killian cleaned it with a small pad while also wearing gloves. It was the safety for them both, and she was never fond of blood herself, so this was somewhat a treat and terror wrapped up all together. Her thumb hunted for a fine vein, wanting to catch one early so she wouldn't have to keep pocking the woman over and over again. She found a healthy one, lifting her throat a little to look at the customers on her own one last time before pocking the fine needle to the vein. She didn't give much of a warning, working diligently to gather the prize.

"Hold eet there."

She pressed a small piece of cotton against the small poke, and then began to label the vials one by one. While doing so she handed over some paper work which asked for the woman's information, reason for offering up the blood, and some basics of health.

[Rivermane]

Tania hadn't noticed the girls discomfort as her gaze had returned to her necklace, it was strange in a way how she always seemed so captivated by the small piece of bone lodged in the hilt. Perhaps it was an enchantment cast but the owners to lure people into buying things, if so then she had completely fallen for it but she surmised that the owners wouldn't be likely to do so since if word got out about such a thing people would stop coming. Killian's request behind her pulled Tania back from her thoughts, turning slowly she looped the necklace around two fingers she took a moment to remove her bracer. A white line ran along her wrist which the bracer had been concealing as well as a short distance up her arm till it formed a jagged T shape, setting her arm down on the counter her eyes seemed to be drawn to watching Killian work but her mind silently wandered when she saw the scar. Her memories of the event were hazy but none the less the picture her mind painted was reminder enough, snapping back to reality she flinched before Killian even had a chance to touch her.

"Sorry.. don't mind that." She said apologetically, Tania had few truly bad memories for which she was quite grateful for but whenever one came up she always felt a shiver down her spine.

Watching intently as her blood drained into the vials her lips curled into a small smile for a fleeting moment, it was odd in a way that the very incident that had given her wrist that scar had also given her an odd love of blood. Not that she drank blood or anything like that although she had tried a few times to learn her blood tasted terrible, merely the sight of it however was enough to send a small thrill through her whole body which confused her to no end. After it was done Tania replaced her bracer back on her wrist leaving the cotton there to absorb any leakage, moving over a bit so that there was room for the girl to approach she began to fill in the information.

[Claire Of The Mute Heart]

Claire watched as the transaction was paid for in blood, quite literally. The mute had begun to ponder over much to herself. Just being in town and in a shop served as an epiphany. Though this revelation was quite troubling. She had finally noticed how her disability separated her from the others. How it served as a barrier limiting her ability to properly synchronize with society. And though her hands and feet were free from the bonds which once bound them. It would seem that the scars would serve as a burden, weighing her down and serving as an everlasting testament of her troubled past. She could feel it weighing down on her. Even now, with frown plastered on face. The mute would feel her heart sink to the deck. The old man would turn, eyes attempting to lock with Claire's own. However she would intentionally elude his influential gaze.

Deep down inside he knew that her emotional state would never properly mend. The flesh was always the easiest to restore. But the spirit was hardly resilient. For once broken, it resembled a piece of paper that is crumbled. No matter how profusely you try to iron out the wrinkles. The scars would never fade. And the picture which once was, will never be perfect again. The old man wanted to comfort her. However he knew all too well that babying her will ultimately make matters worse for her. For sometimes once must fall over and over again. In order to learn how to walk on their own. And so with sigh parting from his lips he'd turn his attention back toward the miscellaneous trinkets which decorated and littered the shelving. Claire was relieved to feel his influence fixating on something else. For at the moment she felt weak and was embarrassed of her emotional frailty.

As the shop owner served the other beauty. Claire would press the quill against the parchment of paper. The ink would stain it's surface as she flicked her wrist, weaving together word by word her thoughts. This was the most effective way she could communicate with others. This being the case she wrote at a rather impressive pace. Her thoughts read as follows, "Good day, My name is Claire. We are in need of Methane. As well as a bow and arrow. Perhaps even a dagger. We also require some food, medical supplies and explosive powder if you have any." Her request would no doubt come across as odd. However this shop dealer knew not the kind of men and women that were hot on her trail. and though a few may be stronger then her. She knew that one tool would give her the edge she needed, that being her intelligence and problem solving skills.

But before she would finish. Claire would conclude her note with a final thought."What form of payment would you accept? My blood is tainted and of little value I am afraid. Just my head is worth some coin." The closing line no doubt would strike her as peculiar.

The old man would make his way toward Claire's side. Placing his hands on her shoulder as he glanced at both women. a friendly, warm and genuine smile gracing them as he nodded his head. "Thank you for your tolerance. But we must be going as soon as possible. If you have anything on our list at all. I will be willing to pay whatever it is you desire. So as long as we can get it quickly." He'd conclude. Clearly something was wrong with these two. It was as if they were hiding a dark secret.