Of Wealth and Taste

[Synchronicity]

Davian Immersmere

'Well, there's living dangerously and there's living dangerously. I wonder what that halfling's up to? Not many'd tweak the nose of a rooster just for fun. Unless they want to end up counting worms, that is.'
Davian plays a little more, idly wondering where the halfling's going with his antics. Then, on a whim, he turns to the Vrock, swinging his monocle out of his waistcoat pocket and scrutinizing the demon for a moment through it. In a friendly and inquiring tone, he speaks. "Pardon me, friend fiend, but a body's got to wonder. If your winnings cause you such discomfort, why is it that you gamble? Seems to me there's got to be a tale behind it somewhere..unless you play to lose?" Appearing for the moment as the epitome of foppery (were it not for the longsword belted at his side), Davian's face remains politely inquiring even as a small frisson of excitement travels up his spine. After all, fiends can be so excitingly unpredictable.

((@Boddynock: Any better?))

 

[Eluvan]

The halfling titters at Davian's remark, making little effort to hide his obvious enjoyment of the situation as he swings his legs happily under his oversized chair. The Tanar'ri glances across for a brief moment and Davian sees a spark of hatred and bloodlust in its eyes before it looks back down at the table, obviously restraining itself. After a few moments it snaps "Less chatter. Throw the dice, <meat>."

((<> is in Abyssal. Davian doesn't speak the language, but anyone who's spent much time on the planes knows the word. It's implication is somewhat more complex (and unpleasant) but 'meat' is the usual translation.))

 

[Synchronicity]

Davian Immersmere

Davian lets out a small, slightly disappointed sigh. "You know, you really should try and lighten up. Find a bit of fun in life. It must get a little wearing, having to be snarlingly abrasive positively all of the time. Or do you feel you have an image to maintain?" He punctuates his words with a cheery smile, seemingly unfazed by the fiend's utter lack of interest in talking to him, and throws the dice with a neat flick of his wrist. Before the demon really has a chance to respond, Davian glances at the halfling. "How about you, cutter? Just here for the dice and pleasant company?"

 

[Boddynock]

Dante looks into the doorway of The Ubiquitous Wayfarer, gives a wry smile at the thought of comfort forgone, and says as he steps through the doorway, "Red Death, Golden Lords, greens ... clearly I have more than one or two questions to ask! I tell you what, I'll buy you a drink, and we'll have that talk."

He gives the place a careful once over before heading to the bar. "So, friend - say, what is your name? - what will you have?"

 

[Boddynock]

***

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Sitting up on a stack of scrolls and files that goes higher than anything else in the room is a small blue-skinned humanoid about 15 inches tall. It peers over at Vestra as she comes in, chirping "don't step on anything! If you step on anything, you're paying for it!"

"But what if you're sitting on it, like you are? Do you get it for free?" Vestra asks impishly. "Oh, and do you have an hourglass or other timepiece? Magically enchanted or otherwise?" Vestra adds the last to prevent the little blue man from turning red.

 

[Eluvan]

The Vrock next to Davian seems on the verge of exploding into violence, but keeps itself just barely in check and seems somewhat relieved when Davian does not wait for an answer to his question but instead turns to his other neighbour.

The halfling looks up and grins at Davian at the question he is asked, and for a fleeting instant Davian fancies he sees... something... behind the halfling's gleaming eyes. It seems almost as if for one brief moment a perfect curtain of illusion was drawn aside and the bleak horrors laying behind it were revealed. The impresison is gone ina ninstant, though, and Davian is left wondering if he imagined it. The halfling's smile seems perhaps a little wider, as he speaks but again Davian cannot be sure of anything. "Aye, ye pegged me right cutter. Dice and pleasant company. Well said!" The halfling looks past davian and meets the Vrock's eyes, and something seems to pass between them though Davian cannot make out what it might have been.

***

Dante's companion chuckles. "Well, never let it be said that I turned down an offer like that. If I recall rightly, there's a particularly good year of Arborean wine in the cellar here. I'll take a glass, and recommend one to you as well. My name is Elisden," holding out one hand for Dante to shake.

***

Sniffily ignoring Vestra's first remark, though he is obviously satisfyingly riled by it, the shopkeeper floats quickly down form his perch and begins zipping around through the air peering into various piles of merchandise. Finally he exclaims "Aha! I knew they were somewhere around here!" He pushes hard against a stack of wands, straining in an amusing fashiona dn sending them all tumbling to the floor and revealing a small wooden box filled with hourglasses. "Hourglasses here. These ones are mundane, these ones are magical. This one can stop time... pikin' expensive, you can't afford it so don't ask, this one's got a cantrip on it that lets it run as fast as you like to measure any amount of time... this one glows, don't ask me why... this one was sold me by a gnome, he said it opened a Gate to the demiplane of time if you spoke the word 'chrona' and tapped the end... don't know why you'd want to, mind you, so I haven't tested it. You can if you want, but not in my shop. Oh..." He burrows in the box for a second and comes up with a small disc made of gold, about a centimetre thick and beautifully engraved. He fiddles with it for a second and it flicks open to reveal a tiny clock face. "Got this from some cutter who'd been to Mechanus. Nice, huh? Doesn't work in the Cage, 'course. Hours of the day don't mean a whole lot here. But take it most other places and wind it up, it keeps time pretty nice by all accounts."

With that the strange little man seems to snap out of a trance and turns back to Vestra. "So, that's what I got. You buying something, or were you just wasting my time?"

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

[snip] "...this one was sold me by a gnome, he said it opened a Gate to the demiplane of time if you spoke the word 'chrona' and tapped the end... don't know why you'd want to, mind you, so I haven't tested it. You can if you want, but not in my shop. Oh..." He burrows in the box for a second and comes up with a small disc made of gold, about a centimetre thick and beautifully engraved. He fiddles with it for a second and it flicks open to reveal a tiny clock face. "Got this from some cutter who'd been to Mechanus. Nice, huh? Doesn't work in the Cage, 'course. Hours of the day don't mean a whole lot here. But take it most other places and wind it up, it keeps time pretty nice by all accounts."

With that the strange little man seems to snap out of a trance and turns back to Vestra. "So, that's what I got. You buying something, or were you just wasting my time?"

*It's obvious that Vestra did not expect the little man to have found such fascinating things, and Vestra sighs in contentment as she looks at them all.* "Such wonderful things. Both of the last interest me though... What kind of price were you asking? I have a fine sapphire and diamond worthy of such treasures," Vestra says winningly.

OOC - Diplomacy +8

 

[Eluvan]

The shopkeeper peers at Vetsra suspiciously and moves protectively over to pore over his treasures. It seems to Vetsra that the odd little man is actually reluctant to sell anything. Clearly though he realises he has to make money somehow, and since he does advertise as a shop, he realises that properly he probably ought to sell things. After some time he seems to come to a decision. "Alright, show me ye're gems."

Assuming Vestra does so, he exmaines them for a couple of minutes before speaking. "Alright, we can make a deal. I'll give you the timepiece -" he hold up the small disc - "in exchange for the diamond. But as for the hourglass... mebbe I can't see why someone'd want to go to the demiplane of time, but anything that can open a Gate is powerful magic nonetheless. You're going to have to sweeten the deal a fair way if you really want to get your hands on this one."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Vestra wanted that hourglass that could take her to the purest form of time, wanted it more than anything else... There must be something... ah!*

"I am skilled in the art of creating tattoos with powerful properties. See this on here on my collarbones? It lets me go anywhere I have seen. This one on my arm will heal me. The one running down my right leg lets me push things away with great force... I have many powers, and I could create one or more such tattoos for
you," Vestra offers. "I have powers to move across other planes, to slow people where they stand, to fly, to be free of all obstructions, to skip across space and be somewhere you can see in the blink of an eye... Would something of that manner be a fair trade?"