Forums » General Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Vendors of the Trader's Hub

"I trust that you will," Llyr replied with a smile, waving to Wanda as she departed and made her way around the ring.

As it was, Viola had been straightening out some of the decorations that hung over her stall. Some bunch had passed by and ended up tripping over a loose rope that had been keeping the tarp secure over her area. Standing up with a sense of accomplishment, Viola turned her attention to Wanda once her dress had been addressed and complimented.

"Oh, this?" Viola's French accent was evident, and a smile grew on her lips as she felt even more accomplished thanks to her dress costume being noticed. "I made it myself. It was originally used for a masquerade themed event that I went to with my significant other."

Looking to the tombola machine once attention was brought to it, Viola nodded and replied, "ah, bien sûr! Feel free! Just give it anywhere between three to four cranks, and a coloured ball will be deposited onto the tray below it. There's a chart here for what the colours will give you in terms of prizes."

Viola then pointed to the laminated chart that had been secured to the top of the counter.

Wanda admired the dress some more, then looked down at her own costume. It wasn't bad in comparison, but Viola was definitely the more skilled and experienced seamstress between the two of them. "It's gorgeous, and it makes me want to work hard to make my own one day."

She turned to the chart and studied the prize list for a few moments. All of the things listed were useful. She always liked carrying a soda, juice box or candy around, and the toys would be amazing gifts to hand out at the homeless shelter. Wanda grinned at the win-win situation. "Thank you! Here we go I guess."

Carefully she began to crank the handle, going once, twice, three times... She held her breath as the colored ball hit the tray.

Smiling warmly in response, Viola drew her hands together momentarily and then said, "thank you. I'm sure that you'll be able to."

Viola then looked over Wanda's costume. Certainly it was far more in line with the spirit of the festivities than Viola's own attire. Straightening back up, she commented, "if this is something you made for Halloween, then you really are well on your way to making something even better. I love the creativity for your costume. Mermaids are always such elegant beings from myth. And not only is your costume very pretty, but your makeup is lovely as well."

Hearing the small 'tink', Viola looked down to the tray. A small, blue orb had fallen out onto it. Gathering herself, Viola turned and reached up on one of the shelves and pulled down a medium sized tub with a purple lid on it and a witch's face on front. The label read 'Pastel Witch Confections: Cauldron Froth Cotton Candy'.

Placing the tub of fairy floss down before Wanda, Viola said, "here you are. Cotton candy~!"

After a short bout of wandering seperately, the brothers met back up in the middle of everything. The 'assassin' with his haul of cards and candies, the 'knight' with nothing but a big grin and talk of honest-to-god pirates. They teased and bickered amongst themselves, walking along, until a few interesting scents caught their noses and they paused.

Following their nose led the duo to the potions stall, and they bowed and greeted the twin sisters running it. "Evening, ma'ams," said the knight, cheerfully, and "How are you this night," came polite small-talk from the assassin.

Only after answers were had, if they came, did the duo devolve into bickering again. "C'mon, try *that* one!" the knight gestured at the chocolate-smelling one, "Or that one!" pointing at the bright green liquid.

"Nuh-uh. You try one. I'll watch," said the assassin, getting a face and a "You're no fun," from the knight.

Finally, they agreed to each try one if the other did. And try the one the other chose. With so many great ones to choose from, the knight wiggled a bit, chewed his lower lip, and whined softly. He'd then close his eyes and cover his nose and mouth before using the other hand to point at random. Whichever bottle was closest to that, he took and handed to his brother.

The assassin just frowned, watching his brother's embarrassing antics, scanned the display, and picked one that looked sufficiently weird.

The twins stood at their stall, the black-haired one greeting both boys with a cheerful smile and wave of her hand, and the white-haired one looking placid as ever, especially with only one eye peeking through the purposefully bloodied and dirtied bandages wrapped around her face.

"It's been a good evening so far! How about the two of you?" Roin replied with the same amount of cheer she greeted them with.

Once both of the teens that had started bickering over which phial to take up, the twin fox girls exhibited a large amount of patience as the boys prodded and poked at one another over certain brews. It seemed that the ninja clad twin had propped her head in her hands as she leaned on hers and her sister's booth stall counter with a grin on her face.

Roin's expression only grew more devious as the boys finally figured out what potions they were going for. Sure, none of the potions brewed were ever concocted with the idea in mind to actually harm anyone for the festivities. However... each brew did have their own effects that lasted that always made Roin giddy with anticipation. Even her tail and ears twitched while she watched the knight and assassin down their bottles.

Once Rudi had finished his green, syrupy potion, it took a moment before a few soft 'pop's could be heard. Orange, yellow, and white flowers were beginning to sprout and blossom. They were not too big nor imposing, though they decorated the locks on his head quite artfully.

"Oh my..." Roin commented, bringing a hand up to her mouth to hide her laugh. "It seems that you're more in theme for a spring festival now!"


As for Rick, after drinking the chocolatey substance, there did not seem to be any change... not even a glow, or something to indicate something happened. Perhaps it was a dud?

There was a small noise from Mana as she cleared her throat. She looked to Rick with the same placid facial expression as she said to him: "if there are any... non-chocolate candies in your possession that you enjoy... I suggest saving them for tomorrow or the next day. In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy chocolate."

As always, during his meditations, Eli drifted in and out of several neighboring realities.

Lack of discipline, his father would grumble. Clumsy, destructive child.

Eli himself liked to think it was a matter of preference. Some people plumbed the abysses of reality in their meditations. Eli liked to shout funny things into the pit and wait for the echo.

But for whatever reason, Eli eventually found his astral self floating through a bustling festival. "Festival of Terrors" a great banner proclaimed overhead, but it all seemed more wonderful than terrible to Eli. He cooed over the grinning pumpkins. He oohed and aahed as a troop of pirates, a beautifully made-up lady in a mermaid costume, and a pair of squabbling, redheaded brothers wandered through the grounds and won prizes from fabulously-decorated booths. (He loved the little bandaged cat the best.)

When one of the brothers sprouted a veritable garden on his head, Eli chuckled and drifted closer. "You, sir," he said, with the confidence of someone invisible to most realities, "are the loveliest man I have seen today!"

Unfortunately, the planes chose that moment to align, and Eli found himself right smack in the middle of the festival grounds, woefully underdressed and in the midst of what felt like the most awkward pause in history.

He blinked and decided that he might as well make the best of it. "If I were a bee," he told the flower-headed fellow, with what he hoped was disarming earnestness, "I would pollinate your roses like mad!" He flashed his brightest smile to hide the fact that he was wishing for the earth to swallow him up.

He turned his smile towards the golden-eyed fox girls in charge of the booth.

"My goodness, I love your eyes! They're like miniature suns. May I try one of these, please? I know I'm not in costume, but my scarf here is. She's a person and she's disguised as a scarf!"

Of course, both sisters had their attentions drawn to the newcomer as he approached. What really elicited different responses was the compliment he so happily gave the both of them before asking about the potions. Mana could feel her face flush underneath the bandages that covered her face, though Roin met the compliment with a wide and happy grin.

"Well aren't you a charmer~" Roin said with an upbeat attitude. Her ears twitched some as Eli asked to try one of the potions, though it seemed that both she and her sister were a little thrown off by the mention of Eli's scarf being a person in disguise. With a bit of a raised brow, though her smile remaining ever present, Roin just moved one of the phials that seemed like it was getting more attention forward.

"Knock yourself out~"

Once drank, the apple-flavoured substance only took a few moments before the familiar soft 'pop's were heard. Just like Rudi before him, Eli would have flowers adorning his blond locks. However, unlike Rudi, Eli's flowers would be blue, violet, red, and lilac in colour.

"Not one, but two spring-ready people!" Roin commented, her hand hiding her mouth as she feigned surprise.


((Please feel free to decorate your personal profile or character profile with this token of appreciation for partaking in my thread game! ^ v ^))

((Sorry for the confusion. Rick picked a potion for Rudi to drink, and Rudi picked a potion for Rick. ))

The moment the flowers sprouted, Rick cackled at his brother's new look and laughed harder as the compliments were brought to bear. Rudi, to his credit, blushed and stammered under the pleasant onslaught from the softly handsome stranger.

"Oooh~ And you said meeting people at festivals only happens in stories... You wanna disappear off, Rude? Don't worry! I'll only tell Gramps you met somebody and you'll be back in the moooorning!" Rick's relentless teasing carried on, despite his brother's protests, until the stranger's locks were similarly adorned. There, the knight's words failed him, swallowed by gleeful wheezing.

"...you ma... ha... you match...!" Rick finally managed, and Rudi (now nearly as deep a red as his hair) slid his mask around to hide his face. Still, he managed to thank the stranger, and compliment him in turn. "I've always rathered wildflowers to roses, the way they liven up the world around them."

If Rick had heard Mana's warning, he was too giddy to properly respond. It seemed likely he would find out the effects of his potion the hard way, and what a fitting end to his evening that would be, considering how loudly he laughed at his brother now.

"Um... Don't mind him," Rudi's voice settled and got stronger, as if wearing the mask made him feel more bold. "He's an idiot."

With that, he would thank Mana and Roin, then thank the shameless flirt, wave to him and his scarf, and go about leading his brother away. Silly knight could barely stay upright without help. From body language alone, it was clear the 'assassin' was considering dropping him on his face.

But they managed to wander elsewhere without further incident.

Eli couldn't help the enormous grin that split his face as flowers began sprouting out of his own head. His shoulders shook as he tried to hold in his mirth. When the red-haired knight began to howl uproariously at his brother's predicament, Eli gave in. How absolutely, wonderfully absurd it all was! And even better, his father would be furious if he saw him now. That made him laugh even harder.

He tried to look appropriately delighted when the assassin paid him a compliment in turn. Did his brother just call him "Rude"? How odd when he seems like such a sweet, polite fellow! But he couldn't help the little giggles that burst out of him even as the man was speaking. For shame, he scolded himself. Be gracious when someone says something nice!

Trying to regain his composure, he plucked one of the little wildflowers from his head and held it up to "Rude". "To you, Rude, my fellow flower-head," he said, with what he hoped was proper, mystical gravity. "May your roads always lead you to wonders upon wonders. And if they don't, may you at least find plenty of wildness and flowers along the way." He flicked the little blossom towards the masked assassin and dissolved it into sparks of light.

He waved as the brothers ambled off, the knight still laughing. "I really hope he doesn't fall over," he told his scarf. "That armor looks heavy."

Eli turned back to the sisters, blushing as he met the black-haired fox-woman's raised eyebrow. Rapidly, he tried to explain. "Her name's Skin. My scarf, I mean. You won't get a word out of her though, she's very determined to, um, stay in character." Why oh why, did I even mention it? Oh Eli, you and your mouth.

He brought up his hands in an expansive gesture, trying to bring their attention back to the garden on his head. "But ladies, this is amazing! Such artistry! Such flair! I've never understood the finer points of alchemy myself." He paused. "Now I know it's a bit late, but I suppose there's a reason the planes have brought me here. I've been helping a friend, and I might need a bit of feminine advice. Even better, feminine advice from skilled potions masters. You see, my friend is suffering from lack of imagination. You can even say she's... stuck in a box. Would you happen to have anything for that? I know this is irregular, but I'll try to repay you somehow."

((Oop, my bad. I went ahead and edited both of my posts so that it aligns with that. :>))


Once it seemed that the potions caused much mirth and merriment to at least one of the brothers that had approached their stall, Roin could not really help but to keep smiling. However, it seemed that Mana sighed and just propped her head up on her hand as she glanced to her sister and then watched the twins.

As the brothers wandered off after Eli's interaction with them, Roin waved to them and then turned her attention back to the golden-haired man that had been subject to the same flower treatment that Rudi had been. He seemed a little flustered regarding the scarf around his neck. However, Roin waved her hand nonchalantly to his explanation before saying: "haha, no need to tell us anything you don't want to. We've seen a number of spells and enchantments in our time studying. Transfiguration isn't uncommon in our studies. It's just interesting to choose something like an article of clothing rather than an animal."

However, once Eli asked his question, that was when Mana readjusted herself to sitting up a little straighter and appearing more attentive. Of course, the sisters would have been fools if they did not at least have a small stock of their wares somewhere close after people had been affected by the simpler, joke potions that they (correction: Roin) had concocted.

"A potion to stimulate the mind is a helpful tool, especially one to bring out one's inner muse..." Mana said. She leaned down and pulled out a bottle that was actually smaller than most of the presented phials on their stall table. The liquid inside shimmer and swirled blue and silvery. It seemed like a brilliant concoction, though Mana kept a firm hold on it for now.

"It's not... a pleasant tasting brew..." Mana said after a couple seconds. "But two to three drops in tea or whatever it is they drink should suffice for a day's worth of time. I advise that you don't go over that amount, it could have... unintended consequences. Stimulation of the mind should not be abused."

Eli grasped at the offered explanation, like a man clutching at a log in whitewater rapids. "Oh yes, of course, transfiguration, that's it." He sighed in relief, beaming at the cheerful brunette. "I should have known such wise and lovely ladies wouldn't be fazed by such a thing." He bowed to her and mimed kissing the air above her hand.

His attention shifted to the white-haired sister though, when she took out a shimmering, silvery blue potion. To be honest, he'd made the mistake of mentally dismissing her at first, in favor of her more charismatic, outgoing sister. But as she spoke, he had to admire her matter-of-fact intelligence, the cool, calm mastery of her subject.

"Yes, yes," he murmured, his gaze fixed on her face. "Two or three drops. But what would happen if she took more than that? And, er, what would you accept as payment?" Suddenly, Eli realized that his Sung credits probably wouldn't count as actual money here. Or would they? He queried his LiD console, but it stayed as cold and dead as it had ever been since he'd first fallen into the Faded World.

He scratched his head, suddenly unable to meet either of those clever, golden eyes. Just brilliant, Eli. Try to pay them with virtual money from another universe. Think! "Will you accept a favor owed? Indirect karmic recompense care of the, er, multiverse? It's all connected, you know. Everything is center."

He plucked a strand of hair from his head, which immediately turned white the moment it came away. "If you ever need something from another plane of existence, just burn this, and I'll somehow get it to you." I hope. He wasn't quite sure if that sounded to them like it sounded to him: a fancy way of saying, I don't actually have any money, but here, have a strand of my hair.

Worse, the planes were rapidly moving out of alignment. He could hear the dimensional threads ripping apart, like the disgruntled members of an orchestra who'd managed to play in glorious, perfect harmony for only a few minutes before breaking out into a knock down, drag out fight. Whatever had caused the special alignment of planes, it was over.

He really wanted that potion, but he could feel himself starting to fade away.

((I'm sorry for dragging this out so long! I know the event is pretty much over, so this can be my last post. But thank you for hosting this and making all those great giveaways! I just couldn't resist jumping in and trying to snag one of the prizes.))

((Haha, it's no problem. I'm happy you had fun. :>))

For a moment, Roin's ears flicked back and then back up as she giggled at Eli's actions. However, she kept a generally good nature about her as she glanced from Eli to her sister. Eyeing the small bottle of Thinker's Draught in Mana's hand, Roin leaned on the stall table and just hummed to herself as her sister was conducting business. Roin's attention turned to those that were passing by for now.

"If she were to take more than that..." Mana started, her brow furrowing, giving the single eye that was visible a more intense look to it. "Then it could result in a number of things. Severe migraines that last for days, sometimes even weeks if stories from abusers of the substance are to be believed. There are some obsessive symptoms that sometimes come as a result if more than the recommended amount is taken, and having to deal with someone whose teenager was dealing with dermatillomania and another person who started plucking hair from their body, that was not fun."

At the mention of alternative payments, Roin looked back over, her expression changed from the cheery one to a more questioning one. Mana's expression was a little harder to read, though she seemed to keep a firm grasp on the bottle. It was when Eli pulled a strand of hair from his head that Roin's expression visibly changed to that of more severe bemusement.

"Listen... we're not heartless..." Mana started to say. She looked at the strand of hair with a bit of a frown from underneath the bandages, though she was hoping that it was not visible. "Sure, the money is appreciated, though my sister and I are quite... gifted in our arts and well enough versed to get more made. We can let this go this one time."

Reaching out, Mana was freely giving this draught to Eli.

Eli winced as Mana detailed the possible symptoms of overdose. As she described the sufferers of skin-picking and hair-pulling, he made a mental note to measure the drops with care. Clearly, this was a potion not to be taken lightly.

As he feared, both of the fox women reacted to his strange payment offer with confusion. But when Mana responded by holding out the draught to him--"We can let this go this one time"--it was his turn to blink in bemusement. Free?

All of a sudden, he could hear his father's voice whispering into his ear: hateful things about witches and traps and hidden costs. "Free" is the most expensive thing. Nothing is truly free. But he tried to push it away. The ladies had been nothing but generous and gracious, overlooking his alternating awkwardness and over-enthusiasm. Not to mention the fact that he'd crashed into their festival without warning.

For a couple of heartbeats, he just stood there, eyes glazed as his internal debate went on.

Then the Skin Girl shifted around him, tracing words against his neck. Eli perked up. "What a marvelous idea!"

He bowed deeply: once to Roin, once to Mana. "Thank you. Many times over, thank you. Perhaps we will meet again the next time our planes align. I'll bring my friend, and we can both show you the difference made by your kindness."

As he spoke, the dissonance between the planes grew stronger. By the time he reached out to take the potion from Mana's hand, the sound of it had turned into a crashing, painful tumult, like the deafening roar of a waterfall.

And just like that, Eli vanished back into the Faded World, his fingers clenched tight around the phial.

The sights and sounds of the Festival melted back into darkness, cold, viscous fields of nothing. But the potion he had still shimmered with a soft, silver-blue glow.

Eli smiled. He wasn't going to forget this night.