(Part 1)
The faint wisps of feathery clouds stretched further across the Rhydin skyline as the newest cold front came through. The weather man had predicted storms for the day and by the sounds of thunder clapping steadily in the distance, Quinn had little doubt that he'd be wrong. The sudden clicking of the nearby thermostat followed by the gust of warm air blowing across the wooden floor of her bedroom snapped a rather distracted Anjolie back to attention. The sideways scribbling in her usual journal was barely legible.
A mellow sigh escaped her lips as she stood slowly and knocked the leather bound journal and pen in the top drawer of her oak desk and vanity set. Olive skinned fingers tugged incessantly at the unruly curls of sugared sepia hair batting around her face. The curled mass was pulled back into a very loose ponytail in frustration. The sounds of galloping and forceful commands being barked in the background told her that the boys had things under control for the moment. She needed to go to town and do some grocery shopping for the ranch. With so many people to take care of Anjolie and Elizabeth often had to rotate days on the trips to town.
Taking hold of a bulleted list for today's purchases, Anjolie gave herself a look over quickly in the mirror. Kallie had blissfully slept in this morning and she had managed to find time to apply a healthy coat of make-up and at least pick out jewelry that matched her outfit. Dipping down to grab the suede handle of her purse Anjolie then pushed forward and out of her bedroom. The noises of a sugar-filled child running around downstairs was fueled by the sound of boots clip-clopping down the stairs.
A rather rambunctious three year-old flung herself up and into her mother's arms. A latent smile etched its way across coral-colored lips and Quinn showered her daughter with kisses, swung her around in a circle, and then lowered her down gently to rest on the floor.
"Can't I come with you, mommy?"
The precious, watery eyes of Kallie widened and quivered as they looked up longingly at her mother. For her part Anjolie could only smile as the look on her face melted into awe at the cuteness of her daughter.
"I'm sorry, precious. I have too many places to go for you to tag along. Perhaps tomorrow, okay?"
The toddler gave a mock sniffle and nodded her head slowly. Elizabeth came around the corner much to Quinn's delight and beckoned the child to come help her with the chores in the basement. Kallie agreed immediately. A bear hug was thrown around Anjolie's legs before the little girl ran off into the other room. Without wasting a second, Anjolie grabbed her keys and headed outside to the truck. Quick steps scooted across the gravel, the engine was flung into action, and the femme was pulling out just in time to throw a wave to her beau and the boys as she left. Just another busy day.
The Wrong Side of Town
Moderators: Cory, Anjolie Quinn
-
Anjolie Quinn
- Proven Adventurer
- Sarcastic
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:40 am
The Wrong Side of Town
"Even some stories that seem to have been going for ages must eventually come to an end."
-
Anjolie Quinn
- Proven Adventurer
- Sarcastic
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:40 am
The Wrong Side of Town
(Part 2)
A blaring voice of soprano guts and glory filtered from the speakers in the red pick-up truck as it drove from the countryside into town. The to-do list was spread out across the passenger's side seat along with a musetta bag full of trinkets and coinage. The rhythmic tempo of the right turn signal clashed with the music playing enough to snap Quinn out of her daydream state to concentrate on the road. Dockside was up ahead and the parking appeared to be, thankfully, quite open for a Saturday.
The blinker was flicked off and the truck shifted into park as the femme slid from her vehicle and took hold of her purse. A line of about three cars went by before she went scurrying across the street to the feed store and farm warehouse. The bell above the door swung to life as Anjolie stepped inside. The man at the front counter turned and gave a polite nod of his head to the femme. She waved in response. They knew each other fairly well at this point. Without wasting a second, Quinn headed to the back of the store to tag the larger bags she'd be needed and inspect a few different bits that were to be purchased as replacements. The cost of doing business was far from cheap.
A man in his later forties could be heard pounding up the back stairs and onto the feed floor. The noise caused Quinn to turn and give him a smile. The gesture was returned easily as the six foot bulk of a guy went to retrieve the items she had tagged. She couldn't remember his name off the top of her head. Something like Ted or Terry, maybe. It started with a 'T' she knew. Prying little fingers wrapped around a silver bit on one of the upper shelves. After pulling it down she made her way to the front counter to pay for the day's purchases.
The receipt was being carefully tucked into the contents of her billfold and shoved back into the darkness of her purse. A wave was given to the man whose name she couldn't remember as she approached the truck. The bags in the bed were double checked as she pulled the tarp over them and locked it shut. Climbing into the cab, she started the vehicle and merged back into traffic. Time to head over to Old Market District to finish up getting supplies.
Traffic on that side of town was less accommodating than the previous district. With some care and a mumbled string of unpleasant words, Anjolie finally pulled into a lot close to the open market alleys. There were only two vendors she cared to see this afternoon, but a little bit of casual shopping always occurred along the way. Quinn locked the truck and sauntered off to engage the crowds and "reasonable" prices of the various salesmen. The first stop was a rather quaint area reserved for foods. Elizabeth refused to buy fresh fruits from the stores when there were, "honest farmers trying to make money out there on the streets."
The elderly gentleman and his wife both smiled in greeting. They probably didn't remember the femme with all the faces swimming constantly through the Old Market crowds, but she was friendly all the same. One hand reached out to grab a paper sack to fill with Liz's list of necessary items while the other dropped the fruit in carefully. The stand was 'pay by the pound' and always gave you your money's worth. A mere 15 silver nobles were given in exchange for the heavy sack of groceries. The truck was close enough that Quinn backpedaled to drop off the fruit before continuing along with the shopping.
Surfing through the crowds once more violet peepers set out on their mission to hunt down a rather slippery vendor known as Karl. He was a seller of all things botanical and would be of much use to assist Anjolie in the expansion of her new greenhouse. The clouds were gathering slightly overhead as the sun dashed in and out through patches of snowy white wisps. The increasing number of cloaked figures around signaled to Quinn that she was getting close. Surely enough... a turn around the corner and there was Karl in all his shrouded glory. A nervous smile met Anjolie as a welcome. The femme returned the gesture.
"Good afternoon, miss. What can I interest you in today?"
The greasiness of his character was reflected through everything he did. The tone of his voice, level of his posture, and even the overall appearance of his person just oozed with slimy feelings.
"I need three different species of carnivorous plants, nightshade seeds, a vine support, magically enriched soil, and a thistle plant."
The specifications were nodded at slowly, Karl's head bobbing up and down like that of a serpent. The oily texture of his skin gleamed in the occasional breaks of sunshine through the clouds over Rhydin City. The salesman then turned to the femme and gave his reply.
"I can give you two species today and I'll have to locate a thistle. Everything else is here."
The response was far better than what Anjolie had expected. The femme wore a pleasant smile upon her face and canted her head momentarily.
"What'll it cost me, Karl? And how long until I can expect the rest?"
Karl wheezed with her pleasure. The cloaked vendor shifted his weight and rotated to seek out a piece of paper. He already had the price in his head, but things of this nature were meant to be dealt with lightly.
"250 silver nobles for the whole order. The rest of the purchase should be in by next Thursday. Do we have a deal?"
Tan skinned fingers of an olive hue dipped down easily into the musetta purse to retrieve the billfold. 175 nobles of the total bill were handed over very discreetly. Karl nearly choked in his giddy delight. Not many of the customers around here were honest enough to pay upfront or without haggling. Quinn saw no reason to make an enemy of Karl. Not just yet. There was still quite a bit of work to be done in the greenhouse and he was, quite obnoxiously, the best vendor she'd been able to find thus far.
Karl packaged up the femme's purchase and sent her on her way. Taking care of the afternoon's errands had used far less time than she'd expected. This opened the femme's eyes to the wonderful world of window shopping through the rest of the distract. Dark medallions and scrying bowls galore along with crowds dressed head to toe in black told her that this was the less reputable part of the market. Still... everything has its appeal and curiosity got the best of her. Surely no one would mind if she just spent a little time shopping here. Surely not....
A blaring voice of soprano guts and glory filtered from the speakers in the red pick-up truck as it drove from the countryside into town. The to-do list was spread out across the passenger's side seat along with a musetta bag full of trinkets and coinage. The rhythmic tempo of the right turn signal clashed with the music playing enough to snap Quinn out of her daydream state to concentrate on the road. Dockside was up ahead and the parking appeared to be, thankfully, quite open for a Saturday.
The blinker was flicked off and the truck shifted into park as the femme slid from her vehicle and took hold of her purse. A line of about three cars went by before she went scurrying across the street to the feed store and farm warehouse. The bell above the door swung to life as Anjolie stepped inside. The man at the front counter turned and gave a polite nod of his head to the femme. She waved in response. They knew each other fairly well at this point. Without wasting a second, Quinn headed to the back of the store to tag the larger bags she'd be needed and inspect a few different bits that were to be purchased as replacements. The cost of doing business was far from cheap.
A man in his later forties could be heard pounding up the back stairs and onto the feed floor. The noise caused Quinn to turn and give him a smile. The gesture was returned easily as the six foot bulk of a guy went to retrieve the items she had tagged. She couldn't remember his name off the top of her head. Something like Ted or Terry, maybe. It started with a 'T' she knew. Prying little fingers wrapped around a silver bit on one of the upper shelves. After pulling it down she made her way to the front counter to pay for the day's purchases.
The receipt was being carefully tucked into the contents of her billfold and shoved back into the darkness of her purse. A wave was given to the man whose name she couldn't remember as she approached the truck. The bags in the bed were double checked as she pulled the tarp over them and locked it shut. Climbing into the cab, she started the vehicle and merged back into traffic. Time to head over to Old Market District to finish up getting supplies.
Traffic on that side of town was less accommodating than the previous district. With some care and a mumbled string of unpleasant words, Anjolie finally pulled into a lot close to the open market alleys. There were only two vendors she cared to see this afternoon, but a little bit of casual shopping always occurred along the way. Quinn locked the truck and sauntered off to engage the crowds and "reasonable" prices of the various salesmen. The first stop was a rather quaint area reserved for foods. Elizabeth refused to buy fresh fruits from the stores when there were, "honest farmers trying to make money out there on the streets."
The elderly gentleman and his wife both smiled in greeting. They probably didn't remember the femme with all the faces swimming constantly through the Old Market crowds, but she was friendly all the same. One hand reached out to grab a paper sack to fill with Liz's list of necessary items while the other dropped the fruit in carefully. The stand was 'pay by the pound' and always gave you your money's worth. A mere 15 silver nobles were given in exchange for the heavy sack of groceries. The truck was close enough that Quinn backpedaled to drop off the fruit before continuing along with the shopping.
Surfing through the crowds once more violet peepers set out on their mission to hunt down a rather slippery vendor known as Karl. He was a seller of all things botanical and would be of much use to assist Anjolie in the expansion of her new greenhouse. The clouds were gathering slightly overhead as the sun dashed in and out through patches of snowy white wisps. The increasing number of cloaked figures around signaled to Quinn that she was getting close. Surely enough... a turn around the corner and there was Karl in all his shrouded glory. A nervous smile met Anjolie as a welcome. The femme returned the gesture.
"Good afternoon, miss. What can I interest you in today?"
The greasiness of his character was reflected through everything he did. The tone of his voice, level of his posture, and even the overall appearance of his person just oozed with slimy feelings.
"I need three different species of carnivorous plants, nightshade seeds, a vine support, magically enriched soil, and a thistle plant."
The specifications were nodded at slowly, Karl's head bobbing up and down like that of a serpent. The oily texture of his skin gleamed in the occasional breaks of sunshine through the clouds over Rhydin City. The salesman then turned to the femme and gave his reply.
"I can give you two species today and I'll have to locate a thistle. Everything else is here."
The response was far better than what Anjolie had expected. The femme wore a pleasant smile upon her face and canted her head momentarily.
"What'll it cost me, Karl? And how long until I can expect the rest?"
Karl wheezed with her pleasure. The cloaked vendor shifted his weight and rotated to seek out a piece of paper. He already had the price in his head, but things of this nature were meant to be dealt with lightly.
"250 silver nobles for the whole order. The rest of the purchase should be in by next Thursday. Do we have a deal?"
Tan skinned fingers of an olive hue dipped down easily into the musetta purse to retrieve the billfold. 175 nobles of the total bill were handed over very discreetly. Karl nearly choked in his giddy delight. Not many of the customers around here were honest enough to pay upfront or without haggling. Quinn saw no reason to make an enemy of Karl. Not just yet. There was still quite a bit of work to be done in the greenhouse and he was, quite obnoxiously, the best vendor she'd been able to find thus far.
Karl packaged up the femme's purchase and sent her on her way. Taking care of the afternoon's errands had used far less time than she'd expected. This opened the femme's eyes to the wonderful world of window shopping through the rest of the distract. Dark medallions and scrying bowls galore along with crowds dressed head to toe in black told her that this was the less reputable part of the market. Still... everything has its appeal and curiosity got the best of her. Surely no one would mind if she just spent a little time shopping here. Surely not....
"Even some stories that seem to have been going for ages must eventually come to an end."
-
Anjolie Quinn
- Proven Adventurer
- Sarcastic
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:40 am
The Wrong Side of Town
(Part 3)
The rows upon rows of disreputable street vendors were attracting all sorts of unsavory characters. The prodding feet of the curious femme was a lighter presence amongst the rest. Prying eyes of violet were gaining more interest as the aisles were being scanned. One tent in particular was intriguing enough to change Quinn's path and send the femme heading that way.
What seemed to be a mountain of various hardback and mostly leather-bound books engaged Anjolie's curiosity to a pivotal point. The salesman, ever plying his trade, gave a serpentine smile to the approaching lady. Boney fingers of insanely pale skin wrapped around each other in an effort to conceal the unnatural placement of an extra joint in the extensions. The hands looked more like talons due to the framework mutation. The thin layers of the cloak and cheap clothes he wore seemed to fail miserably at hiding the grotesque thinness of his body. A voice of hissing whispers greeted Anjolie as she browsed.
"A good evening to you, dearest lady."
There was the slightest of pauses as he uncurled his fingers in order to tuck both arms safely behind his back.
"Come to take a look at my collection, I see. A fine variety of magical texts collected over the last one hundred years. All of them in very good condition."
The femme couldn't help but let the first two fingers of her right hand reach out and touch the side of one of the books. There was something dreadfully alluring about such simplicity. As both eyes of violet became entraced by the multiple variations on facets of magic something strange struck within her mind. As if speaking while under hypnosis, she continued to pour her gaze over the texts.
"Is there something in these books that could create a protective sort of magic? Something that could be ritualized... something permenant?"
The salesman hardly allowed a beat to skip between her question and his answer. A bubbling cauldron of information was throwing mischievious ideas across the landscape of his mind. A strange smile spread across his gaunt, pale face with the response.
"Of course there is, my dear. A hard magic to work, though. It would take much practice from easier volumes to work up to such a level. But over time... it can be done."
The excitement within the femme reached a climax as strands of golden color etched themselves across the violet of her eyes. The salesman seemed oddly pleased at this reaction. It was something he had witnessed before. The mishappen fingers of the vendor sought out and wrapped around three seperate books. The trio were then dropped into a shoulder bag of soft cotton material. With a rather sure look on his face he spoke to the femme once more.
"Why don't you try these on for size. I'll only charge 75 nobles and give you two weeks to decide if you like them. If you don't, bring them back for a full refund."
He was VERY sure she would be pleased with the selections. The natural curiosity within the femme caused her hand over the money and take hold of the books. A nod of thanks was given to the vendor as the femme turned upon heel to make her way back to the truck. She wanted to get home and get a better look at these unusual books. The salesman couldn't blame her. He gave a friendly wave as Quinn darted through the unsavory crowds and back to where she "belonged".
The rows upon rows of disreputable street vendors were attracting all sorts of unsavory characters. The prodding feet of the curious femme was a lighter presence amongst the rest. Prying eyes of violet were gaining more interest as the aisles were being scanned. One tent in particular was intriguing enough to change Quinn's path and send the femme heading that way.
What seemed to be a mountain of various hardback and mostly leather-bound books engaged Anjolie's curiosity to a pivotal point. The salesman, ever plying his trade, gave a serpentine smile to the approaching lady. Boney fingers of insanely pale skin wrapped around each other in an effort to conceal the unnatural placement of an extra joint in the extensions. The hands looked more like talons due to the framework mutation. The thin layers of the cloak and cheap clothes he wore seemed to fail miserably at hiding the grotesque thinness of his body. A voice of hissing whispers greeted Anjolie as she browsed.
"A good evening to you, dearest lady."
There was the slightest of pauses as he uncurled his fingers in order to tuck both arms safely behind his back.
"Come to take a look at my collection, I see. A fine variety of magical texts collected over the last one hundred years. All of them in very good condition."
The femme couldn't help but let the first two fingers of her right hand reach out and touch the side of one of the books. There was something dreadfully alluring about such simplicity. As both eyes of violet became entraced by the multiple variations on facets of magic something strange struck within her mind. As if speaking while under hypnosis, she continued to pour her gaze over the texts.
"Is there something in these books that could create a protective sort of magic? Something that could be ritualized... something permenant?"
The salesman hardly allowed a beat to skip between her question and his answer. A bubbling cauldron of information was throwing mischievious ideas across the landscape of his mind. A strange smile spread across his gaunt, pale face with the response.
"Of course there is, my dear. A hard magic to work, though. It would take much practice from easier volumes to work up to such a level. But over time... it can be done."
The excitement within the femme reached a climax as strands of golden color etched themselves across the violet of her eyes. The salesman seemed oddly pleased at this reaction. It was something he had witnessed before. The mishappen fingers of the vendor sought out and wrapped around three seperate books. The trio were then dropped into a shoulder bag of soft cotton material. With a rather sure look on his face he spoke to the femme once more.
"Why don't you try these on for size. I'll only charge 75 nobles and give you two weeks to decide if you like them. If you don't, bring them back for a full refund."
He was VERY sure she would be pleased with the selections. The natural curiosity within the femme caused her hand over the money and take hold of the books. A nod of thanks was given to the vendor as the femme turned upon heel to make her way back to the truck. She wanted to get home and get a better look at these unusual books. The salesman couldn't blame her. He gave a friendly wave as Quinn darted through the unsavory crowds and back to where she "belonged".
"Even some stories that seem to have been going for ages must eventually come to an end."
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