Ala Moana was a massive open-air shopping, known for its sales and its crowds. That would be during the daytime, it was past midnight now and most of the shops in the main structure were gated and locked up for the night. It was the parking structure that still have people, and none of them fit the description of tourist. It was like individuals that the tourist industry wanted you to ignore at come for a meeting. Most of the bare skin on them had some amount of dust, and if the smell was any indication, sand and Oceanside baths was the preferred way of doing it. There was definitely commerce happening, small baggies and cash being exchanged, and prostitutes settling prices and pulling tricks.
Sylvi had come to the market at this dubious hour with Conni, though it seemed that after the multiple recon rounds she'd taken throughout the entire island, she knew better than to dress like one of the street walkers finding their food money for the night. Instead, she'd dressed in a pair of black jeans that fit her well but didn't manage to get to the point that she looked like she'd painted them on. Sylvi's shoes were comfortable trainers, K Swiss, white with a little purple stripe up the tongue. For a top, just a simple, feminine cut, Tshirt with a shallow V-neck that was mostly the color of bruised eggplant with the slogan 'Live Free or Die!' in pale pink printed along her ample bosom. She wasn't even flashing any tummy, but her bare arms certainly looked defined and tanned as evidence of her time in the sun. All of that thick, long, blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail that bounced as she walked, leaving her face free of anything that might block her vision. And yes, those gray-blue eyes of hers were scanning around, but she looked almost more curious than cautious. "Well, if we want to party, we can always kill two birds with one of the rocks, ja?" Sylvi gave Conni a lopsided smile and a wink as she waited for the other Valkyrie to indicate who they were supposed to 'shop' with.
"It is tempting but then we'd never get out I think." Conni says this with a grin to Sylvi. It's a lovely evening for shopping and so Conni is going to make the most of it. Dressed in blue jeans and sneakers, a bikini top and a thin cardigan over the top, an artist tube over one shoulder. "This is a little rougher than I thought it would be. I was expecting something like an open-air market but not quite this." She speaks softly, looking to Sylvi and gesturing towards one of the groups. "It's like a flea market but with guns and hookers. I still have no idea who to ask though, you'd think they'd put up signs or something." The tall Dane doesn't seem bothered by what is on display, merely confused as to where to start. "Have you noticed the movement round the pillars? A couple of people now, some moving backwards, all counting the paces on their fingers. Really, really odd."
One of the local girls in a black miniskirt, and a violent red bikini top walked up to the two Valkyries, her flip flops snapping at the underside of her feet, "Aloha, plenty of rocks if that's your thing, but uh..." Barely legal varied from state to state, but this one was pushing it. She pointed arched her back in an attempt to highlight her A-cup breasts. "I can do the party." She checked out the woman, offering a warm smile. Glancing at Conni, "Is it really that odd?" She glanced back to said individuals, and back to the Valkyries, "Maybe it's not the half of it." She held out her hand, palm up. "Girl's gotta get paid for her time, right? Make it heavy enough, and I'll eat your pussies until your toes are numb."
"Aloha, guten taag, miss." Sylvi gave the approaching hooker a broad smile that was friendly and open, though her eyes soon left the girl to scan and watch, a fine, blonde, brow arching up high for a moment. "Intriguing, truly. And your offer, while entirely kind and even tempting, is not quite what we're here for. Though I'm sure we'd be very grateful if you were to help us in the direction of what it is we are actually here for." Sylvi didn't seem uncomfortable, in fact she stood like they were there in any normal market. More than likely she'd actually been here just at this time in some recent days, considering her overwhelming dedication to knowing anything and everything she could about the island to prepare for when she was used in her vocation here. "I'll leave that up to my partner to discuss with you, though." Sylvi nudged Conni gently, then went back to tracking the people that were walking in odd patterns.
"Numb toes?" The hookers offer has Conni thinking for a moment, only to be jolted out of her reverie by the nudge from Sylvi. "Oh yes! We're looking for anti-venom, the alchemical kind. Can you point us in the right direction?" Reaching into a back pocket, she pulls out some notes and places them in the girl's hand. "That really is all we're here for, thank you for the offer all the same." She offers the girl a warm smile, generally cheery to be at this most interesting of markets. Looking to Sylvi she winks, "I mean, we can always circle back..."
The hookamakama teen put on a smile that seemed to communicate youth more than anything, but she licked her lips, "Ten for a hint, twenty for a tour, and fifty for a map." A chuckle oozed out, and glance back to follow Sylvi's vision, "Promise, it's not the sort thing to want to get wrong." Her brown eyes went back to Conni, as she put the 'money' in her hand. The girl stared at Conni, then the twenty in her hand, picking it up to show Conni, it was just a piece of a bill, like a third of it. She stared at it, "Oh... That would explain it." The hooker groaned. "I'll make change for this, but I'll be losing fifty percent at all." The hooker pointed to a cement column, "Start on the east side, but like I said, you don't want to fuck it up." She stuffed the piece of a twenty into her bra, her focus moved back to Sylvi, "Let me know if you change your mind." And she walked back to the side to 'advertise'.
Sylvi looked at Conni with both of her fine brows raised high. "Did you... come here without any money, Conni?" Syl blinked her eyes, the bewilderment obvious there, even as her lips curled into an utterly amused smile. "Thank you, lovely miss, your help is most appreciated." She nodded to the teenage hooker, her blonde ponytail bobbing a bit as she does so. then, she turned her attention to the cement column at the east... looking thoughtful. "I wonder if we're going into a goblin market." The preponderance was given voice as she started toward the pillar that had been indicated, thoughtfully continuing to watch the people as they took their precise, specifically timed and measured, footsteps. "I imagine we'll have to do exactly what they're doing to get into wherever we're going, the girl was at least helpful enough to earn her... fee." The thought that they had paid with a fragment of a bill still obviously amused Sylvi, because her lips were decidedly in a grin.
"I really thought I brought my cash with me." Conni really is bewildered, now starting to wonder if she was pick-pocketed on the way there. "Goblin? Oh!" Only mildly confused now, she turns back to Sylvi, glancing quickly to the pillars. "Follow them round and hope we don't fall off? Sounds easy." It really does and this has cheered up Conni immensely, having thought the shopping trip was a bust just moments before. "I think I got it! Three steps, a turn, two more steps, blow your nose, vomit, two steps. It seems easy."
A rather filter man, smelling of sour milk walked up to Conni and Sylvi, keeping his eyes down as he waited for them to move. He checked his palm, the only washed part of his body, and eyed the pillar. The man was sweating heavily, with all the layers of clothes he was wearing, and it only added to the smell. "You two should really have a map, but really I just want you two to move so I can get out of this heat."
The tide is low and slack.
Sylvi eyed Conni, then reached over to place the back of her hand against Conni's forehead as if she were a normal, human, mother taking her daughter's temperature. "Conni, did you uh... take something before we came out? First forgetting your money and now... you seem to behaving trouble counting. If you need, you can use your fingers to keep track, but I left my pen and paper at home. Either that, or you can follow me, if you think maybe you can trust what I'm seeing more than what you're seeing right now?" Worry had creased a line between Sylvi's eyebrows, leaving them a bit furrowed, so when she looked at the stinky man that was trying to get in, Sylvi simply nodded to him and stepped back to get out of his way. "By all means, sir, please do go before us. Maps are helpful, but so is having someone to follow that has a good map already." Sylvi's brow crease vanished as she smiled beautifully at the man, her ponytail bopping behind her as she motioned with her arm for the man to precede them.
The first quarter moon sets, leaving the stars to spangle the crystalline night sky.
"I didn't even take my wallet." Conni looks to Sylvi, a dejected expression on her face. "I'm starting to think I've been concussed lately and not noticed." Stepping to one side, she lets the other map past, glancing at his 'map' as she does so. Watching the interaction between Sylvi and the man, Conni offers her best 'doe eyed' expression, hoping to help in anyway she can. "That really would be very kind sir, I'd hate to get lost on a night like this."
The man groaned, "Fucking tourists... I should fuck it up just to have us all look in idiots." The man shook his head, shouldering past the woman to slap the exposed rebar, on the pillar, with his unclean hand. He hissed with pain, hanging his hand against it, and adding blood to the rebar. "A name from each of you, and it's a deal. I ain't got to know the whole thing, just a piece seems fair." The man looked between them, "Cash ain't getting you far on the other side anyways. And no pen to give either." He shook his head, "Just a whisper in my ear." He gave Conni a glare for glancing at his map, when pushed his greasy hair from his waxy and hairy ear. "Ain't got all night."
Sylvi took a slow breath and nodded her head in total understanding. "Of course, sir, that's reasonable. You have our thanks, most assuredly." Sylvi grinned over to Conni and gave her a wink before getting closer to the man, leaning in, and whispering "Syl" into his ear softly. Once she'd paid her admission, she stepped back to allow Conni to make her own payment, which, luckily, one didn't need to carry in a wallet. Or a pocket for that matter. "I can assure you that we'll do everything we can to not make you look like a fool for helping us with the navigation."
Following suit, Conni heads over to the man and leans into his ear, whispering 'Con' with all the inflection that it needs. Stepping back over to Sylvi, she nods her head. "Thank you for this, I really came ill-prepared and am sorry about that. This is really very kind of you." This said, she steps to the side of Sylvi, determined to get a good view of what the man is going for when it is their turn to navigate the weirdness of the market.
The man gave a grunt of approval as Sylvi whispered in his ear and waited for Conni to do the same. "Ain't kind, selling them as soon as I give to the Market." He showed his palm to the woman, a rough map of the pillars and numbers between them, step counts, and pointed to a spot with a grimy finger, "Backwards there... And give the crotch a good scratch there, sniff your fingers for luck." The man waited for some sign of understanding, "And don't stop once we're through. Bleed on the pillar." Giving another grunt, he started on his walk around the pillars.
The tide is low and rising.
Sylvi took a little breath and nodded, watching the man as he explained what he was doing. She stepped up to the rebar and cut into her pinky finger, on the back side of it, between the first and second knuckle. Then, Sylvi rubbed the back of her finger against the rebar to give it the taste of her blood. Once that was done, she sucked on the back of her pinky to get the blood to finish flowing from the burst capillaries, and waited for Conni to follow suit. Sylvi waited another moment, then started onto the path, following the instructions and of course giving an enthusiastic crotch scratch when necessary. Sniffing her fingers, because luck was always good, Sylvi finished up the path with the blood on the pillar.
Listening as if her life may depend on it, Conni nods slowly to indicate that she has understood the instructions. Stepping after Sylvi, she runs her thumb over the rebar until it bites, letting out a faint his but then squeezing it to get the blood flowing before leaving her mark on the rebar. She offers Sylvi an encouraging smile, nodding to indicate that she is right behind her before following the directions, barely able to resist a giggle at the enthusiastic crotch scratching and then finger sniffing before repeating the motions herself, ending up behind Sylvi moments after she has gotten back to the pillar.
Rounding a pillar, reality itself spit plunging the Valkyries in total darkness. Even if their steps began to slow with caution, they felt the press of flood of bodies urging them forward. Occasionally, they stumbled, the ground crunching under their feet, wet with the scent of blood. What started as near-silent mumbling, grew louder until it was a sea of voices, shouting and bantering. The pressure of bodies threatened to suffocate as they lurched forward into a forced march, the man that was in force of they, tripped and fell into that sea, his howl of panic lost under the marching feet. Conni, only managed to a few more steps, before she took fell, getting kicked and stomped on by the flood of footfalls like a Tokyo subway station during rush hour. Light grew, along side the noise, languages from all over the planet were shouted.
For all the stomping, Conni was grabbed by a passing individual that nearly fell over her. A 3-meter tall, forest green troll grabbed the valkyrie to lift her up by her wrist to hold her in front of his face. The tusked creature sniffed at her and growled. "I like the dead ones... Not you dead?" Bringing the valkyrie closer to his mouth, his mouth opened, showing a row of yellow teeth used for grind rock and bones, and a long purple tongue slipped out running up her chin, cheek, and across her left eyes, lifting a thick, foul smelling mucus on half her face. The troll howled at her, "STILL BREATHING!" Its breath smell of bloated corpses and she was dropped into the marching crowd to be carried by its currents into the ten thousand tents of the Goblin Market.
The place was packed, tents of every culture from every time in history lined the maze-like paths of pure chaos. Creatures of every type, known and known, bartered and shouted about wares, "Broken promises! Ambrosia, 10 pure! Forgiven virginity! Darkest Sin! Liverpool annual tube pass! Pixie legs! Fresh pixie legs!" Long scrolls were hung outside of tents, 'Accords enforced!' and 'No refunds!' The insanity continued as eyes went up, and people walked through tent-lined on upside down streets above them. The scent of every food imaginable, along with perfumes, sweat, sex hung heavy in the air.
Not long after being enveloped by darkness, Sylvi seemed to lose sight of both Conni and the foul, sweaty, man that had led them into the entrance. As she moved with the crushing wave of people toward the many tents all offering their wares, Sylvi sidled through the throng of beings to get to the side, where she could stand near a corner of a tent and scan the crowd for Conni's blonde head. As she sees Conni go flying out into the pack of moving life that were the patrons of the market, Sylvi first looks quizzically at the troll that had done the flinging. Shaking her head, and with a wry sort of twisted smile on her lips, Sylvi slipped back in through the flow of 'traffic' in order to intersect with Conni's path. Reaching for her, Syl grabbed Conni's arm just above the elbow as she turned a corner into the 'main' drag of tents, and pulled the other woman closer, laughing with the sheer insanity of the situation. "You need to go to more summer festivals, sister."
"Thank you I think?" Conni tries not to breathe in as she is licked by the troll, weighing up being trampled on to be thrown about by a troll. Blinking and looking thoroughly confused, she tries to straighten her now crumpled and quite dirty cardigan, holding out a section and looking at a curious boot-print. The tug at her elbow makes her jump, her breath coming quickly until she notices who it is, relief showing plainly on her face as she regards Sylvi. "I..." She sighs and gives Sylvi a quick hug. "Thank you, I uh... there were so many feet and then a troll with the licking, it is not how I wanted to get here. Thank you though and yes next time I will bring the axe." Looking around her, she takes a few moments to really look at her surroundings. "I can't see the fellow who led us here, I hope he is okay."
The troll had little in the way of response for Sylvi, or Conni for that matter, electing to run his tongue on the shoulder of his dirty burlap to clean it off. He did look incredibly displeased the Conni failed to taste like properly rotting carrion, and he headed into the crowd.
People and creatures of every persuasion spread out through market, chattering about wants and prices. The madness of randomly traded items that had nonsensical value was confusing to say the left. And save for the barkers listing their wares, there was little in the way to navigate by for particular items. Hell, there was little in the way of rules of movement when left, right, and vertical cultures jockeyed for supremacy and only gaining the upper hand due to mass in a given moment. Directly in front of the stalls and tents had a bit of a safe zone, where one could lean over the counters to look and make exchanges.
Sylvi's sardonically amused grin stayed on her slanted lips as she scanned the area. "Is there some reason you didn't just go to a wizard for this, Sis? I mean... I'm not sure that this is the safest alternative." Her gray-blue eyes scanned over the area again, catching all the movement and bright colors, her ears almost shutting down versus the onslaught of barking and selling.
"Maybe we should at least start browsing to see if you find something fitting to what you need. Some sort of apothecary?" Sylvi sounded hopeful, and started to walk along the vast line of tents, peering at tables and counters, dragging Conni with her via the tight grip on the other woman's arm, which she didn't seem to be letting go of in the near future.
Conni looked to Sylvi and raised her hands in a helpless gesture. "I honestly thought this would be the easiest way to do it. I really, really did." While she sounds sad, there is no despair in her voice, she is a Valkyrie after all. "Apothecary or Alchemist should have what I need. If there's a spare brain anywhere I might be putting bids in too." She lets herself be led around by Sylvi, although 'let' might be too strong a word.
Pulling to a stop and hoping not to fall over, Conni tugs on Sylvi's wrist and makes an excited sound as she points off towards a rather tatty looking tent. "That one! It says directions oh and left socks! Has to be worth a try? Although I'm not sure how much it'll cost."
The tide is high and slack.
Unable to help herself, Sylvi's nose scrunched up a bit at the thought of walking into a tent filled with left socks. "Uhm... Let's look around a little more before we start bartering for directions again. We already gave up a little something earlier just to get in." Sylvi eyed the tent with all those socks for a long moment, frowning. "Hmm, too bad I threw away the right one.. those were nice socks." Her words were given in an off-handed sort of statement, until her eyes fixed to a tall blond man, and she smiled wholly. "Ah, there. Come." Sylvi tugged at Conni's arm and started dragging her toward a man that was calling out 'Veibeskrivelse!' and 'Maps!' loudly enough to cut through the din of the market. The way Sylvi's eyes had lit up somewhat indicated that she might be happy with the find. "He's speaking my language." Sylvi grinned at Conni and winked as they navigated the flow of foot traffic, every indication from her body language that she thought she'd made a joke, even if she hadn't quite made one that would be funny to anyone but her.
The blonde man was dressed in a gambeson with speckles of spray paint on it, though the reds definitely seemed more like blood stains, while the yellow ones tended to be in line with his chin thereby likely mustard stains. He was middle aged, and clinging to a wooden pole that held a half dozen lamps and extended to the market place above them. The man continued to belt out 'Veibeskrivelse!' and 'Maps!' with his Norwegian accent over the flood of bodies. The blonde man leaned in close to someone have to yell in his ear, nodding he gripped their wrist to hold them against the flow, getting out a sharpie as he looked his leg around the pole to maintain his position and write on one the woman's hand a map. When he done, she spit into his hand, then went on her way into the crowd. The blonde got a flask, opening it and scrapping some of the saliva into the container.
The tide is high and ebbing.
"This is all looking promising. I'm going to be wondering about those socks though!" Dragged along as she is, Conni soon finds herself within talking distance of Sylvi's countryman. Stepping close, she waves to get his attention, leaning in close and asking "I'm looking for Red Court Anti-Venom, can you help me?" She makes a point of not grabbing onto him or his hand, that's how you get hepatitis.
Sylvi was cautious not to get within easy distance of being stepped on as often as possible, considering the tumble she'd watched Conni take earlier. So, when she came up near the man, it was a little bit to his left, far enough to try to give him breathing room, but also close enough that if she was jostled she could hopefully keep talking to him. She glanced at Conni and nodded, then looked at the man and spoke in her native tongue.
The blonde man leaned in closer to Conni to take her wrist and drag her and Sylvi closer to the lamppost, and downstream, keeping his leg looped on the post. He was working on sorting out Conni's words. When Sylvi spoke up, and nodded seeming pleased, holding out his dirty hand. "Spit the last word you said in anger."
The man took out his sharpie, biting off the cap to hold between his lips, offering the flask toward the two women. "Paper, or that palm?"
"On paper please." Conni asks, reaching forward to get within spitting distance of his hand and then pausing before spitting as requested. Not sure as to whether Sylvi was asking anything, she waited to one side for her to get in should she need to. "Paper seemed safer, I'd only lose the hand when I wasn't looking." She says this with a wink and a grin to Sylvi, although only partly in humor.
Sylvi chuckled and nodded, though it seemed more in agreement than in any sort of claim otherwise. "I asked him if he could direct us somewhere that they make a good deal for red court antivenom, an apothecary or alchemist. I'm fine paying for the directions, since we came to someone I felt drawn to, Sis." Leaning forward, Sylvi spoke to the man. "The paper my sister provided is good, I'll pay." Then she looked at his palm, cleared her throat a little, and spoke harshly, while spraying spittle from her lips into his hand. "FINT!" Once done, she leaned back again and waited for the man to write the directions onto the paper.
The man took the paper from Conni, holding it to the pole that he clung to. "Far end of the row until your orientation reverses, right two round, tent of skins with the smoke, smells strange." He drew a map draw quickly with lines and numbers before passing the paper back to Sylvi. He leaned into Sylvi to share her line of sight and pointed to the underside market above them, indicating an isle with the smoke.
The man nodded to the woman, and straightened as he called out 'Veibeskrivelse!' and 'Maps!' The man waved his sharpen, twirling it in his fingers.
The tide is low and ebbing.
Having gotten some of her confidence back, Conni feels she's able to read a map, although she does perhaps take quite a long time making sure of the directions. "I really, honestly believe I've got this right." With some surety and perhaps a little hesitation, Conni sets off on her adventure, gently leading Sylvi as well and taking care to perform the correct number of rotations when needed and with the minimum of groping.
Sylvi flashed a grateful smile to the directions vendor and nodded her head once in understanding. "Alright, Sis. You lead... just remember. Don't breathe too deeply while we're in there." Sylvi motioned to the smoke and then waved her hand ahead of her nose a bit to illustrate. "I received a kind warning, so I'll heed it, and I think maybe it's good for you to do the same." The corners of Sylvi's eyes were crinkled with the cheeky smile she gave to Conni. "We want to get out of here with what we came for, and in one piece, hopefully with our clothes still on our backs, ja?"
It was really impossible to know the exact moment that gravity have reverse itself as there was no sensation of the shift. For that matter, there was no incline that required their foot to be lifted higher, they had simply follow directions and made into a hazy area of the market that seemed of burning wood, roasting spices, and asphalt, and poppies. In fact, they had to walk around people just laying on the path.
The tent of skin had several bronze pipes that carried smoke from the tent's many fires. From the ceiling hung hundred of snakes, writhing and coiling to free themselves, there were other creatures as well, dwarven wyverns, a baby green dragon in a cage, spiders in glass cages, as well as creatures on the far edge of imagination, tentacled things covered in teeth, a bat-like humanoid bound in chains. The whole of the space was far larger than one have imagined, the fae fuckery running high.
The individual working the many oversized wok and chemistry sets that had more in common with a distillery was a bipedal Siberian Tiger, moving from one place to the paint, pouring ingredients, giving a stir, or adjusting a flame. The oddity was the way that creatures fingers bent, backwards by all other living creatures. The creature was dressed in fine robes, royal purple in color, held closed with crimson sash.
Googly eyed but with her mouth shut against the fumes, Conni tries to take it all in very quickly whilst being aware of the warning about the smoke. Breathing shallow for when she has to speak, she gets the Tiger's attention before making inquiries. "Hello good sir, I'm looking for Red Court Anti-Venom." There is a moments pause and then she adds "I'm also interested in the price for those cute baby dragons." The last is said in something of a rush, almost like an after thought.
Sylvi walked along with Conni, her curiosity getting the better of her more than once when she fixed her attention on some specific ware or some outrageously odd thing or another as they moved. "I can only imagine that you can find anything and everything here. I should see if they sell boyfriends that are loyal, good in bed, and stick around even if you're sent off to work for months at a time, sometimes years. They have to cook, too." Sylvi pondered this out loud, her voice wistful. Maybe she missed dating a chef. Purposefully lowering her rate of inhalation, Sylvi made sure to be attentive when she spoke and when she breathed, not taking the earlier warning lightly. she offered a smile to the tiger, then looked at Conni with wide eyes, surprise obvious. "Since when did we want to see about baby dragons?"
The tiger didn't stop what it was doing, rather its robe moved with an irritated twitch of the tail beneath. "Dreams of conquest, regrets of yesteryear, unborn child..." the words came out as a rattled purr, it's pupil drawing into a vertical lines, "For the emerald venom fog whelp, of course... I cannot name a price for the anti-venom as I lack the amount... Or are you asking for a recipe, or simply ingredients? Speak..." Its predatory eyes locked on Conni, its toothy grin flashing its ivory, before it gave a wide catlike yawn and licked its lips.
"My apologies, I would like five doses of the anti-venom please." Pausing, Conni looks to Sylvi. "Do you think five is enough? Perhaps I should get more?" She frowns and then shakes her head. "I suppose we could always come back if we need more." Her attention then shifts to the dwarven dragon in the cage. "Isn't it the cutest little thing though?" The is a crooning quality to her voice, almost pleading with Sylvi at this point. "Although I admit I am curious as to what Emerald Venom is now. Is it dangerous? Would it make a good pet. Would there be scorch marks and poo everywhere?"
Sylvi raised a brow at Conni. "I suppose it depends on how much of the red court you're planning to be around and for how long? But.. it does go bad, so if you have too much, you'd be wasting it, ja?" Sylvi then looked at the little dragon, which was indeed adorable. She grinned for a moment, then couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "Conni, it's very adorable. But I don't think we should come for the anti-venom and go home with a pet. There are other people in the house you should probably talk to, like the woman that owns it?"
The tiger's ear twitched as she explained, "A dose for a flying whale, benterogg, or a creature of similar size and anatomy of your own? I assume for yourself." Giving a wok a stir, the mixture hissing and steaming as it was ran up the hot side, she turned to go to a table, and started scribbling down notes for her own consumption, eyeing the bat like creature hanging above her, eyeing its belly. "A pint of blood for feeding the creature, three valkyrie feathers, and a high C note, in the range of 1045 hertz." The tiger smiled at Sylvi, raising a hand at her, all finger folded over what should be the back, save the clawed index finger the waved side to side, "This is the Goblin Market, deary, one rarely knows what they want until they see it." She purred, and reached for a bronze goblet to take a long drink from it. "And boyfriends are the next row."
Raising a hand to scritch the creature under the chin, Conni pauses and then withdraws her hand, she'd probably need those fingers later anyway. Turning to look at Sylvi, she nods sadly. "You make a good point, it is a big decision and people should know first." Trying not to pout too much, a Valkyrie with her bottom lip jutting out is a terrible sight after all, she takes a breath and looks back to the Tiger. "Five doses for a humanoid if that's specific enough? I'll have to come back to you on the incredibly cute Dragon, people will need to be consulted first."
The stars in the east begin to look washed out as the sapphire night sky pales.
Sylvi gently rubbed Conni's back, below where her wings attached, and gave the other woman a smile. "Not a problem, but I figure that would be quite a surprise back home." She winked to Conni and then looked at the tiger with a slight grin. "Thank you for that, I might have to pop over there on the way out." Sylvi continued to keep her breathing shallow, not trying to get knee deep into whatever that strange smell was, or whatever it might do to her in the long run.
The waxing gibbous moon sets, leaving the stars to spangle the crystalline night sky.
The tiger stared as Conni's madness, its tail swishing with annoyance, "One pint of blood for feeding the red court vampire, three valkyrie feathers, and a high C note, 1045 hertz for five doses." A warning growl hung at the back of its throat. "I would have preferred making a batch for a flying whale... Perhaps one day. And no... Golems are humanoid, of a humanoid of your size, give or take 25 kilograms. I could do exacting, but you would have to be weighed, and I would have to perform a few tests at your expense." Her gaze moved to the dragon hatchling, "It's breath crystallizes the living into emerald so it may consume it. Quite rare, but when a cure is needed, the potion fetches an excellent price." The tiger nodded, "Just be warned on the boyfriends, if they are attractive, the Svartalves are quick to bid."
Pink-gold light gilds the land as the sun creeps over the eastern horizon into a cloudless blue sky.
The tide is low and slack.
"I can do nearly all of that, I'm not sure about the high C note though." looking a little wild eyed, Conni turns to Sylvi. "I can't sing..." Turning back to the tiger she smiles, the high C note, what would the preferred delivery medium be? For that matter, how will you be taking the blood?" It takes just a moment for Conni to drop the veil that hides her wings, the Valkyrie letting out a long breath and flexing her shoulders once the raven-black wings have appeared. "The three feathers won't be too difficult."
Sylvi chewed on her lip for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I can't personally hit a high C to save much of my life, not to mention afford your anti-venom. I'm sure I could find a tuning fork to hit the note with, if we looked around the market a bit." Sylvi looked at the tiger curiously. "Would you happen to be able to direct us to somewhere that would provide instruments or tuning forks, so that we could provide for you the required payment?" Sylvi glanced around the shops nearby, almost forgetting to lighten up her breathing, and getting a little more of the scent of what was going on around them, which made her back teeth ache slightly.
The tiger nodded slightly, "The note need not be pristine, just sang." The chemist walked over to get some instruments, to include a hosed vacuum pump attached needle. She walked to the front table, looking at Conni. "Give me your arm, and the bargain is set. No need for tools, I'll just take the note as I hear it. The sooner its done, the sooner I can brew your potions." She offered another smile, that was as toothy as ever, and waited.
The sun climbs into a brilliant blue sky.
Conni makes a show of rolling up her sleeve, not that there was much need for it, her cardigan was of light enough material anyway. "I really think it won't be pristine but I can have a try?" Clearing her throat, Conni hums a few bars and then tries to sing a note or two. It's not quite claws on the blackboard bad but it's up there. "That... that really wasn't a 'C'. It felt like a sin, not a note." She shakes her head and then looks to Sylvi. "I guess it's just in the Opera's that we sing."
Sylvi snorted and gave a dry chuckle. "I imagine we could learn to sing if we put our minds to it. There have just been so many other things to learn, ja?" She eyed the tiger for another thoughtful moment and then simply seemed to take a relaxed stance, as this was Conni's deal. While she waited for Conni to donate blood to the replenishment of the tiger's vampire, and pluck feathers, Sylvi looked over the other items available for barter in the strange tent, taking care to ensure she didn't take any deep breaths.
The tiger cleaned Conni's arm, checking the veins, cleaning it with something that certainly smelled like alcohol, and took the needle in its reverse grip. It stung a bit, and she gesture for Conni to hold the needle as she started to pump Conni's blood. She listened for the note, and pinched the air, Conni's voice oscillating, and now skipped the note to not be able to hit it. Reaching out to an empty jar, the tiger released its clawed fingers. As jar began to fill, the bat creature hanging from the ceiling started to move, chewing on the bar in its mouth. "Yes, yes..." The tiger purred, watching the measurement until it hit short of a pint. Clawed fingers moved Conni's hand aside, and the tiger removed the needle, unscrewing it and tossing it into a pot of boiling water. Moving to get a bowl to catch the saliva falling from the bat's mouth, and second beneath. She opened the blood jar to madden the bat farther. "And for the magic." Clear liquid was added to a heated wok, with some herbs, then the saliva. Her tail lifted, and she gripped her robe as she bent over, directing her rear towards the wok, and like any other feline on the planet aimed a jet of urine into the wok, the heated steel hissing. And purring happily, she stirred the mixture to reduce. Those predatory eyes went to Sylvi, "A lust potion perhaps? Potion of cooking slavery? Just say the word, and I can brew you up a few."
Having decided that she probably shouldn't be involved in the decision making process, Conni visually browses the rest of the store while her blood is taken, the Valkyrie thinking that the next recipient is in for a treat when they drink it. The catching of the note while impressive is not commented on, the tall Dane staring at the needle when it is thrust in a bowl of hot water for cleaning, her eyes dropping to the spot on her arm and her head dipping as she tries to remember when she last had her shots.
The tide is low and rising.
Sylvi watched everything in fascination, some curiosity in her eyes recording all of this, no doubt, for the lovely story she'd be telling tonight or some night soon to all of the sisters in the house, or anyone that would listen. "Hmmm... well.. at least it was sanitized." As if Sylvi were reading Conni's thoughts as the needle was dropped into the boiling water. "That's better than I'd originally worried." Looking at the upside, that was our Sylvi, especially as she gave a beaming smile to Conni. "You're almost done. Maybe I'll splurge on the way home and we can pick up some yummy cookies, when we're in a normal market." Sylvi blinked and looked at the tiger woman, finally shaking her head and giving a smile. "The offer is kind, but I don't think I would feel right with having a cooking slave, and if I can't get someone interested in a little sex on my own, I should not start using things that will trick them into wanting to have the sex with me." Sylvi shrugged a little.
The tiger stirred and stirred, reducing the mixture in what seemed like no time at all. She took another jar to set near the wok as she tipped it and poured it. "One dose in preparation of contact with the venom, or after exposure. The better is before to avoid certain addictions." From the jar, the tiger poured the mixture into five small vials, corking them all, and putting them into a small cloth bag. She offered it to Conni, waiting for the feathers in exchange. "Cooking suggestion with a hint of inspiration? Perhaps with a half mixture of empathy for the week?" She purred, "I led to the school of thought that men do as I please since I have the ability to remove their throat with one bite... But is it so much better then they run. Was there anything else the you wanted from me?"
Nodding slowly as she listens to the instructions, Conni hands over the feathers and takes the five small vials in return. "Thank you, I believe this is everything I needed." The anti-venom ends up in her artist tube, the carrying contraption has evolved pockets over time as Conni tinkers with it. "I think I've taken up enough of your time now. It was a pleasure to do business with you." Turning to Sylvi she smiles triumphantly. "I'm not going to say it was easy but we have done it! Was there anything you wanted while we were here? Less lethal house pets perhaps?"
Sylvi grinned at the tiger, though the smile turned into something a little more predatory as she flashed her own teeth in response, white and clean. "A woman after my own heart, though I think of it more as them not getting out of line because they can't fly, and I can." Sylvi winked at the Tiger and then looked over to Conni. "I'm definitely good! if you need nothing else from this particularly fair saleswoman, Sis, let's we move on to give her time to provide her wares to other guests?" Sylvi seemed genuinely pleased that Conni hadn't decided to buy the dragon at this moment, or maybe just pleased she hadn't decided to buy anything else.. of course, there was still the walk out to be vigilant of.
The tiger bowed her head, licking her lips and turned to get a rather large feed bag. She poured Conni's blood into it, shaking out the drops and set the jar into the boiling water as well. Carefully, she rose up to wrap the harness around the bat creature's head. The bat creature immediately and greedy started lapping up the blood, and the tigress rested her hand on its belly. "Time to work the other end, nothing goes to waste." Turning to wrap a glove over her hand, she dipped in a clear jelly and grabbed another jar.
"Go team!" Conni grins and then hooks an arm around one of Sylvi's. "Let's go Sis. I could spend hours in here but I probably shouldn't." Turning, she waves goodbye to the little dragon in its cage, letting out a soft sigh before pulling the two of them away from the shop and its smoke. "So uh next time? The Wardens. Definitely the Wardens. Wait, did you mention cookies? I'm suddenly very hungry. I could eat a horse. Okay, perhaps not a whole horse... but a lot of one. Probably not the back bit though. Maybe one of the legs? Cookies would be nicer I think. Much nicer."
Amusement laced through Sylvi's voice as she responded "I do not know, horse done right is quite sweet and tender. Very flavorful." She snorted and laughed then, comfortably walking with her arm looped with Conni's. "Alright, now to find the exit to this place." Sylvi started scanning the traffic flow. The notable influx from the entrance was obviously not the same place you could get out, or there would have been not just people coming in, but people tripping over them going out as well. Sylvi frowned a little, listening and looking around, then took a slow breath, squeezing Conni's arm. "Well... I'm about to bring home a present. I'm sure people won't mind, though, this one will clean our bathroom." And with that Sylvi waved to a creature that looked... a little rancid. The individual's skin was pink with yellowed boils, his features with his black hair were vaguely Asian. "Excuse me, can you include passage from here to Oahu as part of the deal? And are your cleanings thorough?" Sylvi smiled to the poxic man, her gray-blue eyes fixing on him in a friendly way as her ponytail bobbed behind her.
The man nearly moaned as somewhat approached him about his offer. "Passage to Oahu? That is all very well, and yes, yes, cleanings are thorough to human surgical standards. Modern, of course. Would need permission to enter the bathrooms at any time. As a bonus, any used sanitary napkins, paper, and tampons left on the floor would be taken as an acceptable tips. Emergency cleanings when paper or bidet lacking are done on first call, first serve basis. Is this agreeable? For a year and a day?" The licker drew its pink tongue across his lips, and offered his hand.
"Passage home and surgically clean bathroom for a year? Okay, that's much better than what I was thinking of bringing home, less lethal too." Conni gives Sylvi's arm a gentle squeeze as she regards the warty fellow that will be leading them home. "How are you to be addressed?" She asks of the chap who will very soon hopefully be letting Conni off bathroom cleaning rota.
Sylvi nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds fair. Its passage for the two of us, and we live in house of many women, so you will likely find yourself with plentiful tips." Sylvi chuckled softly and glanced at Conni, giving her a wink. "The way home should have far fewer foot tramplings involved, at the very least." She looked back at the mannish creature that would be cleaning their bathroom for the next year. "We can exchange names once we're in Oahu, if you'd like to avoid others overhearing." And with that, she offered her free hand out to the man to shake in agreement. "Also, are you available to leave now, or do we need to wait a bit?"
"Food for a year? I am available now for you are ready to return." The pink skinned man shook Sylvi's hand and nodded, "Females are so delightfully messy, and many females." The man shivered with excitement, "I shall lead the way, do keep up." The man led them on a merry chase through the market, that required backtracking and crawling through the backs of tents and underneath flaps. At some point on the crawl through, the ground beneath them became sandy, and they had to squeeze under a hard beam of wood. The licker had no problem with the movement, and the salty air filling their lungs. "Oh, and corpses that expel their bowels are divine as well. We are in Ahuimanu, Windward Coast of Oahu." He reached out to help up Sylvi and Conni stand. "Aoki Obutsu... The name uttered should be enough for me to hear." Reaching into his pocket, he picked out a notepad and pen from his pocket, to thrust into Sylvi's hand. "Address... A key is unnecessary with permission."
Sylvi nodded her head, standing fully and wiping off the front of herself to get rid of some of the sand mixed with dirt she'd collected upon exiting the other side. She blinked, the sun bright, but it made her smile broadly. "Taak for the trip home, Aoki." She accepted the pad and pen and wrote down their address for him, which wasn't really all that far from where they currently were. "I'm Sylvi, and this is Conni. You may or may not meet several others. I have no doubt this will be a wonderful business arrangement." Sylvi handed the pad back to Aoki and offered him another smile. "I'm sure we'll be seeing you." And with that, she looped her arm back into Conni's and started off toward home, ready to shower after that little adventure.
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