"My friend! My sincerest apologies for sending you through to voicemail. Leave a message and I'll get back to you just as soon as I can. I trust you'll make it worth my time."
[ Perhaps to neither of their comfort, the mysterious merchant simply grins and shrugs her shoulders, saying, "Whose? Surely nobody that you would know... Or?"
The look that Sumina returns to Aventurine is offered less furtively, skepticism and concern plain in her gaze as she turns her head to glance at him for a moment. On most days, she wouldn't readily believe in the concept of souls being split into shards, or that such shards could be contained in something like a bottle like this, and even less so that they would somehow end up in the hands of a merchant, but...
Well.
Such practices seem to be more... universal than she had previously believed. And so she finds herself leaning in to more closely look at the bottles they've been presented. To think that a shard of someone's soul could take that form... ]
I don't expect a straightforward answer on this, but... how did you come upon these...? How could part of someone's soul end up like this?
[ Sumina isn't alone in her skepticism, but there's no shortage of bizarre phenomena across the cosmos or across the Diadem, and even if it does wind up being nothing but a sham, there's only one way to be certain, isn't there? He doesn't have to consider himself hoodwinked if he's only following through to satisfy his own curiosity.
With a slight chuckle, the merchant answers, "Shrewd of you to ask only after coming all this way...I can't give away the secrets of my trade, now! Then you'll go off and start your own! But needless to say...there are plenty of wandering souls out in these parts, just like you and me. Maybe fluxdrifts who never fully took? Who can say..." ]
Who indeed. [ Dryly. ] You asking us to operate on an awful lot of unearned trust here, my friend...could you cut us a deal to coax open our wallets? The gas for the return trip is still cheaper than what you're asking.
[ He still fully intends to buy one either way — he can't not after coming this far — but he can at least try to save them a few joolies. ]
[ There's no shortage of strangeness to be found, certainly... some of them need not even look any further than themselves.
Sumina, on the other hand, isn't quite sure she'd actually want to take one of these back with her. Does she really need to invite more soul-related oddities into her life? She'd come out here hoping, perhaps, for some insight or wisdom around how part of someone's soul could just... be captured in an item, or even instilled into someone.
But perhaps there is only one way to find out.
The merchant holds up a finger to Aventurine, wagging it playfully. "You chose to come all the way out here with your own free will, my dears. But your negotiating is best served elsewhere - I'll let you have these without payment. An undeniable deal, hm?" ]
Ah? You'll really not ask for anything in return, madam? I've only more questions, hearing that. What's to happen if these slivers of a soul are released?
[ Sumina earns a sly, unsettling smile for her continued curiosity. "Let me ask you - what do you think would happen?" ]
[ Oh, this is absolutely some sort of terrible trap, to be given these for free, and yet is that going to stop him? It should, and yet here he is.
He arches a brow at Sumina's mention of "possession" — a curious thing, perhaps, for her to jump to first, but isn't it possible? It seems like it'd either be that, or... ]
Or perhaps, we gain a new, less-desirable companion while you have a laugh at our expense? Well — I'll bite. Let's see which of us is right — or if we'll be pleasantly surprised.
[ He honestly doubts it, but he's holding out his hand anyway, into which the merchant is quickly depositing one of the bottles. ]
[ Sumina can't quite meet Aventurine's gaze even knowing what she's said, but soon enough she finds herself unable to look away when she watches the merchant deposit the mysterious bottle into Aventurine's hands. ]
I'll...
[ ...Should she? Shouldn't she? At the end of the day, what's one more mishap or misfortune in this place, anyway? If there's any way this can offer her some kind of answer or insight, then...
She reaches out with an opened palm. ]
...I'll take one as well, madam.
[ "A wise choice, dearie," the merchant says with a grin as she places another bottle into Sumina's hand. "Do take care now!"
And just like that, as if there's nothing else to do or say, she rouses her pair of phantom steeds to ride again, and they're off... ]
Edited (mochi sent my tag before i finished it,) 2025-12-06 02:18 (UTC)
Aventurine turns the bottle over in his hands as he watches the retreating caravan, his mouth forming a little frown, but he doesn't appear overly concerned (when he probably should be). ]
A shame. I'd hope to work out some sort of distribution partnership with her...
[ For what purpose? Who can say. Regardless, he would have been getting ahead of himself without testing the product first! His gaze turns to Sumina then, his brows drawing together. ]
I know I should say that since we came all this way, you ought to open it, but...at the very least, let me go first.
[ He doesn't have the reservations that she seems to, even if, once again, he probably should. ]
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no subject
The look that Sumina returns to Aventurine is offered less furtively, skepticism and concern plain in her gaze as she turns her head to glance at him for a moment. On most days, she wouldn't readily believe in the concept of souls being split into shards, or that such shards could be contained in something like a bottle like this, and even less so that they would somehow end up in the hands of a merchant, but...
Well.
Such practices seem to be more... universal than she had previously believed. And so she finds herself leaning in to more closely look at the bottles they've been presented. To think that a shard of someone's soul could take that form... ]
I don't expect a straightforward answer on this, but... how did you come upon these...? How could part of someone's soul end up like this?
no subject
With a slight chuckle, the merchant answers, "Shrewd of you to ask only after coming all this way...I can't give away the secrets of my trade, now! Then you'll go off and start your own! But needless to say...there are plenty of wandering souls out in these parts, just like you and me. Maybe fluxdrifts who never fully took? Who can say..." ]
Who indeed. [ Dryly. ] You asking us to operate on an awful lot of unearned trust here, my friend...could you cut us a deal to coax open our wallets? The gas for the return trip is still cheaper than what you're asking.
[ He still fully intends to buy one either way — he can't not after coming this far — but he can at least try to save them a few joolies. ]
no subject
Sumina, on the other hand, isn't quite sure she'd actually want to take one of these back with her. Does she really need to invite more soul-related oddities into her life? She'd come out here hoping, perhaps, for some insight or wisdom around how part of someone's soul could just... be captured in an item, or even instilled into someone.
But perhaps there is only one way to find out.
The merchant holds up a finger to Aventurine, wagging it playfully. "You chose to come all the way out here with your own free will, my dears. But your negotiating is best served elsewhere - I'll let you have these without payment. An undeniable deal, hm?" ]
Ah? You'll really not ask for anything in return, madam? I've only more questions, hearing that. What's to happen if these slivers of a soul are released?
[ Sumina earns a sly, unsettling smile for her continued curiosity. "Let me ask you - what do you think would happen?" ]
...Possession, perhaps...
[ oh ]
no subject
He arches a brow at Sumina's mention of "possession" — a curious thing, perhaps, for her to jump to first, but isn't it possible? It seems like it'd either be that, or... ]
Or perhaps, we gain a new, less-desirable companion while you have a laugh at our expense? Well — I'll bite. Let's see which of us is right — or if we'll be pleasantly surprised.
[ He honestly doubts it, but he's holding out his hand anyway, into which the merchant is quickly depositing one of the bottles. ]
no subject
I'll...
[ ...Should she? Shouldn't she? At the end of the day, what's one more mishap or misfortune in this place, anyway? If there's any way this can offer her some kind of answer or insight, then...
She reaches out with an opened palm. ]
...I'll take one as well, madam.
[ "A wise choice, dearie," the merchant says with a grin as she places another bottle into Sumina's hand. "Do take care now!"
And just like that, as if there's nothing else to do or say, she rouses her pair of phantom steeds to ride again, and they're off... ]
tell mochi i said hi
Aventurine turns the bottle over in his hands as he watches the retreating caravan, his mouth forming a little frown, but he doesn't appear overly concerned (when he probably should be). ]
A shame. I'd hope to work out some sort of distribution partnership with her...
[ For what purpose? Who can say. Regardless, he would have been getting ahead of himself without testing the product first! His gaze turns to Sumina then, his brows drawing together. ]
I know I should say that since we came all this way, you ought to open it, but...at the very least, let me go first.
[ He doesn't have the reservations that she seems to, even if, once again, he probably should. ]