Cauter's Shoppe

[Vyn]

Ophelia strolled into Cauter's shop with two very unhappy adolescents trailing up behind her. Mephit was unhappy because, honestly, when was she not? And now, on top of all her usual displeasures, her mother had decided to take her out with Cecilia! It would not have been so bad if it were Severus or Xylia or...honestly, anyone else. No, it had to be the child harlot, Cecilia! On the good side though, Mephitisia was quite pleased to see that Cecilia was terribly unhappy with this situation too. Especially when one brought into consideration the delightful fact that Ophelia had just announced this little side-trip was for Mephitisia and not Cecilia. O the way that little doe sulked! It delighted Mephit so.

As Ophelia slipped through the isles of odds and ends she at last found the trinket she had browsed not but a few days prior: a golden bracelet studded with rubies with a rather interesting property, if Ophelia could believe the tag. While Ophelia and Cecilia wandered off to find the bracelet, Mephit remained near the counter and stared up at the bipedal Horse that owned the shop.

For a moment her eyes glazed over and a look of envy replaced that usual cold hatred and then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. She'd brought herself back from whatever memory she'd been lost in and was now glaring at Cauter as, from the back of the room, a high-pitched whining broke out. Cecilia had seen her mother's choice item and the youthful diva was absolutely fitting about it.

"But why, dad! I'm the beautiful one, I deserve to be showered in shiny things! Not...not... her! She's atrocious, she doesn't care about beauty and jewelry! DAD!"

[Nathalia]

Cauter had no sooner pushed two people out of his shoppe than two more wandered in, Corvistowneians...the lot of them. Well, the one tiny one looked like a Torque-y but still...his people.

Smiling in relief he headed over to the dark feline first, eying her as she paused by his last Tove. He moved behind her, pushing neon hair out of his eyes.

"Good morning, my dear...like that one, do you?"

Out of the corner of his eye he watched the deer in his store meander over toward the trinket shelves...almost at once whining broke out from the little Torque-y. He chuckled softly, wondering if that would ensure him a sale...

[Vyn]

As usual, Mephitisia watched.

She studied everyone that occupied Cauter's shop and studied his interaction with the feline specifically so. The Corvistowne/Avington mix was rather curious about how his haggling techniques worked. Not to say that Ophelia would not give her a proper display in a few minutes time. Once she pried the crying lump of youth that that was now Cecilia off of her.


At last the biped Corvistownian stepped up toward the counter, looking frustrated and just a tiny bit flustered but undeniably succeeding in ignoring her piteous child. Noting that Cauter was busy with a customer at the moment, she settled against the counter to wait; turning the gold bracelet over and over again in her hands.

"What does that thing do anyway, Ophelia?"

If Ophelia hadn't grown so accustomed to the use of her name by her daughter, she might've twitched. Instead she simply shook her head and smiled slightly, pleased to focus on something other than the still-complaining Cecilia.

"It, supposedly, allows you to tell the true intention of your companions."

For most this might've been more of a curse than a blessing but for Mephit, who thought the worst of everyone to begin with, Ophelia hoped it would ease some of the child's paranoia and, to her notable pleasure, she was able to catch the slightest flicker of interest in the doe's chilling eyes.

"Well then... perhaps it won't be so useless after all."

It wasn't much, but it was better than Ophelia had honestly expected.

(Forgive the long posts >_> I'm bumping for Ophelia/Mephit/Cecilia pointage >_>)

[Dark]

Minh gave a little surprised start, not having heard the rather eccentric equine sneak up behind her. Her wonderful ears had failed her again--which seemed to be happening with increasing frequency, lately. It wasn't consistent, though, which ruled out permanent hearing damage from one-too-many unprotected explosions, and hinted more at a chronic case of absent-minded professor syndrome. Which sucked.

But, yes--he'd asked a question.

"I do; it's a rather interesting specimen. 45 seems a little high, though..." She cocked her head to the side and twitched her ears in thought, "Could you tell me a little more about it?"

She'd never had a Slithey Tove, nor really ever considered owning one, but its mutations were just so otherworldly she couldn't help but want to take it home and run a few experiments. It did, of course, also have the cute-factor going for it--Minh had always had a soft spot for cute things.

[Nathalia]

Cauter grinned, the look on her face told him that he had her hooked, regardless of price.

"That little one, miss? He's a regular ball of energy, rarin' tae go wherever he's headed."

He tapped the cage and watched as the little creature scuttled over to the bars on its many legs, head jerking about excitedly as it made tiny whistling noises.

"He can be a great help iffin' yer in trouble too, making an oddball clicking noise...trust me...it'll drive people insane."

He grinned at the creature as it rolled over in an attempt to garner more attention.

"M' glad yeh like him, miss...really I am. But sadly, I don't think 45 to be a steep price at all. What're you willing to pay?"

[Nathalia]

((Bump, Dark, I need you to reply or risk losing Catuer's interest XD. He also has a wide variety of nice new items to sell...go look!))

~Nathalia

[The Jenn]

Fifteen and fluffy, Lior walked into the unusual shoppe that he had heard about from Papa. It was where he'd found his odd, terrifyingly wonderful spine, apparently, and got it for quite a bargain from the shopkeep. Some of the things he'd described, the items he could have gotten but passed over, had utterly fascinated the boy. He'd seen all sorts of esoteric items in his uncle's possession but never got close to any of them, afraid to mess something up. He probably would.

Things sparkled and shone all around him, something he hadn't quite expected. There were certainly a lot of pieces with gems for such a seedy location. The man was famous for getting his wares from unusual places, though, again second-hand rumor. Or third-hand. Who knew?

Some of the gem-studded items caught his eye, and the potions gleaming in their flasks. He admired the rich ruby red of one for a moment before a real ruby caught his eye, small but obviously well-crafted. He walked closer and stared at it in quiet interest, wondering just what that odd little description meant. It wasn't like he didn't see all sorts of unpleasant things in people anyway.

[Dark]

((Oh! Geez. Totally forgot about this!! And--pretty new things. *drools*))

Minh watched the little curiosity scramble about its cage and felt an undeniable twinge of affection for the creature, and from the look on the shop owner's expression he had noticed as well--there was no chance of bargaining down the price at this point. Ah well.

"Fourty-five is fine, though I want to look around a bit more before I'm on my way. I'll also need some sort of guide explaining the proper care and diet of Slithey Toves."

She whistled back, wondering if he'd respond. She'd need to think of a proper name, of course, but she enjoyed that part of getting a new pet--or having children. Naming stuff was fun.

She dug out the proper amount of money, and handed it over, "Are there any special sorts of supplies I'll need?"

[Nathalia]

Cauter smiled as he accepted the money, stowing it in a belt pouch ((Remember to subtract the points for our records 83)).

"This one likes to eat almost any vegetable matter I can think of, I haven't found anything to poison it with yet. Though if you'd like to know more, I could offer you a pamphlet, they're complimentary."

So saying, he handed her a small, folded piece of parchment.

"Please, by all means continue shopping, I'll be around, of course, just come and find me if you have need."

He pulled on a thick leather glove as he spoke and pulled a much smaller cage out from under the counter. Reaching in quickly, he grabbed the Tove and shuffled it into the smaller cage.

"There you are, enjoy the little beauty. I'm sure you two will get along just fine, just don't let her have more than one cup of water a day...it'll put her out if you know what I mean."

He chuckled and handed her the cage, before moving across the shoppe floor toward the trio of deer gathered over by the register. A small white and gold cat caught his attention and he did an odd-looking double take...but no. This was a different Highland cat...this one had wings. Odd.

Shaking it off, he approached the green and black Biped.

"Good day, madam. How can I help you all?"

[The Jenn]

Lior pulled back from scrutinizing the beautiful piece, wings tucked to his sides so as not to accidentally bump into anything. He had no idea whether becoming a biped would make his clumsiness better or worse, but having so many limbs made it difficult to coordinate himself as a teenager. It was another reason he wished to be slimmer, to take up less space... maybe it would even improve his coordination? He didn't know.

The shopkeep was a decidly odd creature. He caught himself staring for a moment before quickly shaking his head and looking away. How very rude. "When you're done with your other customers, I'd like to express an interest in the ruby ring," he murmured, not wanting to interrupt any other transactions. The man would get to him, he supposed. In the meantime, he continued studying the small chips of ruby as they winked and sparkled in their silver band. How beautiful...