- Messages
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- Character Biography
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"What called?" Soleil asked the shopkeeper, Douglass Mueller.
"That," Douglass said of the reptile on the counter which had caught Soleil's attention, "is a chameleon."
A slow day was it, here in Mueller's Odds and Ends general store. Not situated in the bustling markets closer to Anir Square, Mueller's served a smaller community of homes close to the northeastern wall within the grand city of Vel Anir. It was a humble little father and daughter operation, Douglass's wife having passed and his sons choosing full-time service in the Guard. Douglass knew a good number of reliable merchants and traders from his caravanning days, and with Kyla's help he kept the store stocked and running well.
Just sometimes you had slow days. It was just an elf from the Elven Quarter (Doug kept his eye on him) and this odd girl with odd eyes inside his shop right now.
Soleil watched with fascination as the chameleon, in its slow loping way, walked across the brown counter and atop the green mat at its center. And she watched with more fascination as its colors began to change.
"Magic?"
Doug chuckled. "No, not magic. That's just what these little fellas do. They blend in with their surroundings. Makes it easy for them to hide from predators and to catch prey."
"Where find?" Soleil asked curiously.
"Oh, uh..." Doug, not used to the laconic manner in which this odd girl spoke, deciphered as best he could what she meant, "...well, I didn't find it. Friend of mine, a trader, found it aboard one of his wagons a few days ago while he was offloading. As he joke he just asked if I wanted it as a freebie and I said sure, and that was that." Doug chuckled again. "Friendliest little creature. They're probably not all like this."
Soleil reached for her jacket pocket. Pulled out a small pouch of coins (heavy for her, light for anyone else) and set it on the counter. Those funds were supposed to be used for her to purchase supplies for an upcoming mission, but instead she asked: "You? Sell to me. How much?"
Doug, that affable chuckle a mainstay of his interactions with most everybody, replied, "What? The chameleon? Oh no, I'm sorry sweetheart, I kinda like the little guy now. He's been growing on me."
Soleil smiled pleasantly. Asked again, "How much?"
"I know you like him, but..." he sighed, trying to let her down as gently as he could, "...he's not for sale."
Soleil glanced over her shoulders, back at the rest of the store. The elf was browsing over a small case of lesser gemstones a few aisles over, his back to them. Segmented light poured in from the slats on the closed window shutters. She looked back to Doug. Tried another approach.
"Please?" She pushed the pouch forward, indicating for him to take all of it. "Yours. Good trade!"
Doug shook his head, feeling bad but sticking to his decision. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll sell you just about anything else inside my shop, but the chameleon isn't for sale. I really am sorry."
Soleil took the pouch back. Slipped it back inside her jacket pocket. "It's okay."
Just then, the elf smashed open the case of gemstones. Not worth much individually, mostly used as cheap alchemical reagents, the elf grabbed two fistfuls and shoved them into a sack and then bolted for the door.
"HEY!" Doug said, standing up from his stool behind the counter.
But it was too late. The elf had flown out of the door, and the door was arcing back around to close itself after having banged off of the wall.
"Damn it. These stinking elves. Why did we ever allow them a Quarter in our city? They hate us, and just cause us troub...what are you doing?"
Soleil had taken off her Pendant and began twirling it around as Doug was speaking and she belted him in the head. His skull cracked from the unnatural force of the trick weapon, blood seeping through the tears in his flesh and his right eye coming loose from its broken socket and hanging limply as he fell lifeless behind the counter.
"What's going on?" Kyla said as she stepped out from the backroom, having heard her father's shouting over the elf. And then she saw him on the ground and her face paled and her hands steepled over her mouth. "Dad...dad...?"
Soleil rounded the counter and spun the Pendant and struck Kyla in the head as well. The force made Kyla spin and hit the wall face first, and she slid awkwardly down it leaving a streak of blood until her body came to rest. Dead.
Soleil cleaned her Pendant in Kyla's bloody hair and put it back on. She went to the counter and scooped up the chameleon, said, "You? Coming with me," and then placed the docile lizard in her other jacket pocket.
Then she assumed a face of panic and ran to the door. Threw it open. Ran out into the street, only a light and sparse crowd going about their business, and she shouted while pointing her finger in the general direction she had seen the elf go.
"ELVEN THIEF! ELVEN MURDERER!"
But it was too late. The swift elf was long gone, already disappeared and likely on his way back to the Elven Quarter. Yet the Anirians on the street near her stopped, surprised and captivated and curious as to what was going on.
Among these Anirians, a fellow Initiate, also on brief leave in Vel Anir city. Soleil spotted them and called, "Killed! Elf killed them! Come see!"
"That," Douglass said of the reptile on the counter which had caught Soleil's attention, "is a chameleon."
A slow day was it, here in Mueller's Odds and Ends general store. Not situated in the bustling markets closer to Anir Square, Mueller's served a smaller community of homes close to the northeastern wall within the grand city of Vel Anir. It was a humble little father and daughter operation, Douglass's wife having passed and his sons choosing full-time service in the Guard. Douglass knew a good number of reliable merchants and traders from his caravanning days, and with Kyla's help he kept the store stocked and running well.
Just sometimes you had slow days. It was just an elf from the Elven Quarter (Doug kept his eye on him) and this odd girl with odd eyes inside his shop right now.
Soleil watched with fascination as the chameleon, in its slow loping way, walked across the brown counter and atop the green mat at its center. And she watched with more fascination as its colors began to change.
"Magic?"
Doug chuckled. "No, not magic. That's just what these little fellas do. They blend in with their surroundings. Makes it easy for them to hide from predators and to catch prey."
"Where find?" Soleil asked curiously.
"Oh, uh..." Doug, not used to the laconic manner in which this odd girl spoke, deciphered as best he could what she meant, "...well, I didn't find it. Friend of mine, a trader, found it aboard one of his wagons a few days ago while he was offloading. As he joke he just asked if I wanted it as a freebie and I said sure, and that was that." Doug chuckled again. "Friendliest little creature. They're probably not all like this."
Soleil reached for her jacket pocket. Pulled out a small pouch of coins (heavy for her, light for anyone else) and set it on the counter. Those funds were supposed to be used for her to purchase supplies for an upcoming mission, but instead she asked: "You? Sell to me. How much?"
Doug, that affable chuckle a mainstay of his interactions with most everybody, replied, "What? The chameleon? Oh no, I'm sorry sweetheart, I kinda like the little guy now. He's been growing on me."
Soleil smiled pleasantly. Asked again, "How much?"
"I know you like him, but..." he sighed, trying to let her down as gently as he could, "...he's not for sale."
Soleil glanced over her shoulders, back at the rest of the store. The elf was browsing over a small case of lesser gemstones a few aisles over, his back to them. Segmented light poured in from the slats on the closed window shutters. She looked back to Doug. Tried another approach.
"Please?" She pushed the pouch forward, indicating for him to take all of it. "Yours. Good trade!"
Doug shook his head, feeling bad but sticking to his decision. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll sell you just about anything else inside my shop, but the chameleon isn't for sale. I really am sorry."
Soleil took the pouch back. Slipped it back inside her jacket pocket. "It's okay."
Just then, the elf smashed open the case of gemstones. Not worth much individually, mostly used as cheap alchemical reagents, the elf grabbed two fistfuls and shoved them into a sack and then bolted for the door.
"HEY!" Doug said, standing up from his stool behind the counter.
But it was too late. The elf had flown out of the door, and the door was arcing back around to close itself after having banged off of the wall.
"Damn it. These stinking elves. Why did we ever allow them a Quarter in our city? They hate us, and just cause us troub...what are you doing?"
Soleil had taken off her Pendant and began twirling it around as Doug was speaking and she belted him in the head. His skull cracked from the unnatural force of the trick weapon, blood seeping through the tears in his flesh and his right eye coming loose from its broken socket and hanging limply as he fell lifeless behind the counter.
"What's going on?" Kyla said as she stepped out from the backroom, having heard her father's shouting over the elf. And then she saw him on the ground and her face paled and her hands steepled over her mouth. "Dad...dad...?"
Soleil rounded the counter and spun the Pendant and struck Kyla in the head as well. The force made Kyla spin and hit the wall face first, and she slid awkwardly down it leaving a streak of blood until her body came to rest. Dead.
Soleil cleaned her Pendant in Kyla's bloody hair and put it back on. She went to the counter and scooped up the chameleon, said, "You? Coming with me," and then placed the docile lizard in her other jacket pocket.
Then she assumed a face of panic and ran to the door. Threw it open. Ran out into the street, only a light and sparse crowd going about their business, and she shouted while pointing her finger in the general direction she had seen the elf go.
"ELVEN THIEF! ELVEN MURDERER!"
But it was too late. The swift elf was long gone, already disappeared and likely on his way back to the Elven Quarter. Yet the Anirians on the street near her stopped, surprised and captivated and curious as to what was going on.
Among these Anirians, a fellow Initiate, also on brief leave in Vel Anir city. Soleil spotted them and called, "Killed! Elf killed them! Come see!"
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