In the center of a bustling city stands its crown jewels, a trio of grand, enormous pavilions. Within the facade of this old palace churns a city all its own, bodies chattering and exploring and roving about in search of the exotic and new and awe-inspiring. After all, no place could be better, for here, in the form of these stalls and displays for this fair, is where the worlds have chosen to convene. On the convention floor, they hawk their creeds, their products, their livelihoods, all competing for the attention of attendees as diverse as they are. But who is this 'they'? Why, anyone, from anywhere at all. From friendly small businesses to ominous corporations, from rebellions trying to gain ground to dying regimes attempting to rekindle their glory, from scientists and scholars to artists and storytellers. If an attendee can think of it, it could very well be here. Who knows what you'll find?
- Current Time: Noon/Early Afternoon (Day 2)
- Current Weather: Clear
Hello, Writer's Block, and welcome to the latest installment of the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises give you the opportunity to develop your characters, practice writing, and have fun alongside your fellow writers, no signups, profiles, or GM approval necessary. Want to join? If the thread's gotten long, there's no need to fear Archive Panic- just head on over to our discussion thread
and say so, and we'll give you a recap of what's going on and good spots for working your characters into the thread; how you choose to do this is up to you. A little communication in endeavors such as these can go a long way towards having fun, helping others, getting that kink in your character worked out, getting your characters out of their comfort zone, or whatever you're here for, so if you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask. We're all for helping each other out.
This thread's designated trope page is here, and its map is here
◊. Don't forget to add your contributions to the page!
In this thread, as the introduction and name suggests, your characters will be coming to a convention, a gathering open to the various and sundry worlds of our stories, whether as attendees hoping to see something cool... or as parts of the exhibition themselves. Yes, you, the writer, will be shaping not just the cast and plots, but the setting as well in the form of stalls and exhibits. Note that this necessitates that we keep a few small things in mind to keep things running smoothly.
- Our standards of location for this thread are intentionally vague to allow ourselves the freedom to make up stalls on the fly as our plots demand, as well as to account for the fact that wandering around between stalls and chatting with your friends is as much a part of the convention experience as the stalls themselves. For the sake of keeping track of people, in lieu of standard location tags in the vein of [Market Hall], we recommend that you also append the names of the characters you're with.
- Though you're welcome to bring a piece of home in the form of a stall and control the characters running it, you're also welcome to bring a stall that exists solely as a plot device without ever mentioning it again. The basic rules to keep in mind are to write a stall as long as it takes to fulfill its raison d'être, whether that's to develop a faction or similar in your work or to keep the plot moving along, and that stalls can be anything. More specific info can be found on the trope page linked above.
- If you find yourself unexpectedly busy in other endeavors after entering the thread, there are easy ways to back out, whether you're writing for attendees or stalls. Attendees can step out into the covered walkways connecting the convention buildings or the adjacent courtyard for some fresh air and relief from the constant noise of the crowds, while stalls can suddenly become flooded with enough nameless background characters to render the stall too busy to reply to any troper characters that were interacting with it at the time.
With all that out of the way, we cordially invite you to stay and experience the Character Worlds' Fair! Onwards!
(Credit for this post and much of the work on the thread belongs to Crystal Glacia).
Fair has now concluded.
edited 31st Mar '15 2:06:36 AM by nrjxll
Attitude is prohibited
[Market Hall - Tevarian's Booth with Tamara]
"R-Really?!" Said Tamara, excitedly. "Wow!" Tervan's sales pitch combined with her own youthful naivety, and as a result, she became quite convinced that she had to have the sword. "Can I hold it, mister? Please?" She said. The sword was nearly half as long as she was tall...
Not entirely dead.
[Market Hall - Tevarian's Booth with Tamara]
Ah, definitely young - she's too easily impressed, Tevarian thought.
"Sure, just be careful not to hurt yourself with it," he said, "it's very sharp."
The sword was sheathed in its scabbard on a small wooden stand, and while it looked very much like a katana, even having the same size and shape, it was clearly not an ordinary katana. The first difference one would notice is that the sword and scabbard were very light, as if made from black plastic. However, the scabbard and handle were composed of what could only be described as a futuristic carbon-fiber-rubber - textured for optimal grip, but light, strong, and easy to clean. Once unsheathed, it could be seen that the blade itself was made of a mysterious black metal, ambient light almost disappearing into it, with an incredibly sharp edge. The sword was overall finely crafted, perfectly balanced, and spotless down to the atom. Not a single scratch or ding could be seen anywhere.
It's practically indestructible, and is sharp enough that it would be very easy to get a paper-cut like injury just by touching the edge. However, it's not impossibly sharp - it won't make a deep cut without some force applied.
A bit stuck on what Ila should do at the moment, probably post for her later.
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Market Hall
"Ooh! Look!" Lihiri cried out cheerfully. "It's Sotto Stimme!" She bolted off.
Nioba sighed and set off after her.
Sotto Stimme was not hard to find. He'd set up a large purple and black striped tent in one of the corners. He was a pale, diminutive man with large, deceptively sad brown eyes, slicked-back black hair, and thick lips. With his soft, accented voice and cheap suits, he tried to radiate the aura of some desperate, simple immigrant who was incapable of lying. Many people had fallen for it over the years and been swindled as a result. He was out in front of the tent.
He smiled widely as she approached. "Ahh! My dear Nioba! I see you've come here as well. Can I interest you in...?"
"No. Where's Lihiri?"
"Just inside. Go have a look. Perhaps one of my swords will catch your eye..."
Nioba growled.
The tent was surprisingly large inside. Four tables stood in the center, with another three set up against the left, right, and rear walls of the tent. The tables were fully laden with weaponry, supplies, armor, books, and other items. Nioba suspected that everything had been marked up.
A massive, hairy wall of a man with huge arms and a wide chest stalked the floor. This was Brosk, Sotto's bodyguard. He eyed her warily. They'd fought once, and she'd handily outmaneuvered him. He wasn't used to that.
Off in a corner was a hideous armchair occupied by a man in a long dark purple robe that covered everything except his face and black gloves and boots. He was a Vardalgari Orthodox priest, and if he had a name, he'd never bothered to share it with Nioba. He was curled up in the chair, clutching a long, slender hose attached to a large glass bottle filled with corpsefire wine and taking the occasional suck from it. He regarded her in a roundabout way, as if she were a butterfly or a moth hovering around his consciousness; he was usually blitzed out of his mind, and today was obviously no exception. But one bothered a Vardalgari Orthodox priest at their peril; that corpsefire wine that they drank imbued them with dangerous powers.
Lihiri was idly browsing a table laden with books. "Have you seen all this stuff?" she asked cheerfully.
Nioba sighed. "Babe, this is the same shit he tries to sell us back on Muttra."
"It is?" Lihiri looked more closely at the books. "Oh. I guess he's just polished everything. Let's go see something else."
They headed out, ignoring Sotto's attempts to convince them to take another look.
"So where to now?" Nioba asked.
Lihiri scanned the hall. "That 'Youkai Showcase' looks interesting..." She started walking towards it.
By now, it should be clear to all except the most dense of us that sheep are secretly conspiring to kill us all and steal our pants.
[Courtyard - Solin, Nore, Makoto, Adelphos]
"Likewise, Adelphos," Nore said. Solin briefly moved to keep both Adelphos and Makoto in his line of sight and within range of a good swipe if necessary. And at least Adelphos would feel a slumbering presence stirring in Solin's club. (It had gotten a whiff of Adelphos' being, and he smell delicious.) Nore continued, "so, from where do you hail? I'm here from the Uelane Magocracy — we couldn't get a stall set up, long story, but I figure I can still do my job without one. Y'know, meeting new people, seeing what the cosmos has to offer, all that."
Alright, back for good now... I think.
[Courtyard]
Makoto was still there, quietly watching the others.
edited 23rd Sep '14 6:16:59 AM by Inceptiond
"Doki Doki Lit. Club" is a happy game where nothing bad happens. seriously tho? not for the faint of heart.
[Courtyard]
On the bright side, Solin thought, she's probably not with Western Amalgamated. I hear they never shut up. He continued to watch Makoto, awaiting an answer to his question about her gun.
[Courtyard]
Kassandra tugged on the sleeve of Steve's jacket with impatience. "Come on Steven, enough standing around. I'd like to see some of the stalls within the next hundred years."
"You have time," Steve replied dismissively, his attention caught by the lady carrying the gun, which was pointed out by another guy in the courtyard. "We might have some trouble."
"The violent kind of trouble?"
"I hope not, but it's worth checking out anyway." With that, Steve approached the woman with the gun, Kassandra following close behind. "What's with that thing?" he asked the woman, pointing out the sniper rifle slung across her shoulder. "I mean, I don't think any shoot the target stalls here are expecting you to bring your own weapons, and that thing's just overkill."
The future of warfare in UC.
Showcase Hall [Martian Dynamics]
"Projectile, propellent, tube with one end capped securely. The propellent is placed at the rear against the cap, with the projectile just in front of it. You ignite the propellent, which explodes. The explosion, contained by the tube and cap, can only expand by pushing the projectile down the tube at high velocity. The projectile accelerates down the tube and flies off in the general direction the tube was pointed. That's the basic principle behind a firearm, anyways. The technology is several hundred years old, and has grown considerably more refined in that time." Dimitri shrugged. "There are alternate ways to move a projectile, but chemical reaction firearms are the oldest and very well-understood. There are benefits in relative simplicity compared to something with lots of temperamental magnets."
Nous restons ici.
Just flowing with it.
[Showcase Hall - Bindery of Leison] (Lyra, Amanita)
Hearing Amanita's description, Lyra realized that her reaction was Lyra's own misstep, "I apologize for having thought of prayers in such a shallow light." she bowed slightly, "The prayer of balance certainly was an odd practice back at my hometown, where we pray daily for things we desire, and against things we dread. It was said that when we wish for things good, we simultaneously wish for things bad, and stating only the former upsets the all-knowing Sol." Lyra explained. Unbeknownst to even herself, such tradition was one of the artifacts of a great war long past, a time when religion and culture were mere tools of propaganda.
"Considering where we are, I will most likely be wrong, but as I understand it the sacrifice you speak of is also a way to maintain a prayer of balance. Whereas the wishes in my belief placed fears and bad omens as its counterweight, perhaps the wishes in those who worship you placed those sacrifice as the counterweight." Lyra said, a bit amused by the link she made.
[Showcase Hall - Bindery of Leison] (Aida, Rosa)
Aida was unfamiliar with the currency Rosa proposed as payment. Unlike Leo and Lyra, Aida was still relatively foreign to the ways of the tradesman. Although Lyra did brief her on it the night before, Aida was afraid of undervaluing the shard. At this moment she'd usually ask Lyra for help, but she seemed to be very occupied with the old lady, whose true identity Aida failed to realize.
Seemingly out of options, Aida made a little sigh before she spoke, "As an artificer, what do you deem is of equal value to the shard you want, and the spell it held? It might disappoint you to know this, but I cannot confidently assign in terms of money the value of this shard." Aida said, her expression bearing only the faintest hint of apology.
To begin with, the purpose of the stall was not to turn a profit for the Bindery, but to share with other worlds the wonder of the item that is the Spellshards, as well as gaining knowledge of things just as (if not more) inspiring from other worlds... although that might be Aida making excuses for sleeping through Lyra's impromptu lecture the night before.
edited 23rd Sep '14 10:56:42 AM by FlowingCotton
NO ONE SUSPECTS THE LAMP!
[[Market Hall – Youkai Showcase – Nagako, Mahiro]]
“Right then,” Adelphos said, “I think I’ve made up my mid.” He turned to Mahiro and, making his voice a bit louder and more jovial, said, “Your daughter is very persuasive, good sir. It seems it would do me good to buy one of your scrolls and I’m rather inclined to do so. Tell me, would you accept payment in gold?”
He gave a quick glance as he noticed Lihiri walk towards the stall. Unusual ears, he thought, This place attracts all sorts, doesn’t it?
[[Showcase Hall – Martian Dynamics]]
“Indeed,” Adelphos replied, though he was lost again by the end of this explanation, “But I find it disturbing that what’s hundreds of years old for you has yet to be seen in my world. Still, I think I’ve grasped the idea behind it, and I could probably recreate one with some time.” With the right amount of potions and metal, it would be rather easy to build one, in fact. It would only be a matter of ratios, nothing that couldn’t be cleared up after testing it a few times. This stall was interesting indeed.
“By the way, you mentioned your guild works on generating power?” he added, “What kind?”
[[Courtyard - Solin, Nore, Makoto]]
Adelphos glanced at Makoto hoping for her to introduce herself, but turned to answer Nore when it was clear he was waiting in vain. “A noble endeavor, I must say. As for my world, some named it "Gaia", others call it "Terra", though the former tend not to live very long in the wrong company. The finer details of my world are rather unsavory, but a man has to live somewhere. What’s your world like?”
He turned to Solin as he felt it; a strange sensation, like something just rubbed against his soul. What is this? he thought, what in hell am I feeling here? Is it him or… He narrowed his eyes on Solin’s club.
[[Entertainment Section – House of Horrors]]
As before, one of the beasts pounced on Leo, but let out a shriek at it collided against the barrier. It leapt backwards after picking itself up from the floor, and joined the other beast in a low rumbling growl.
Adelphos opened his eyes. He had expected this would happen, that someone would come exploring the house fully prepared, but he hadn’t expected one this soon. Still, he had prepared for this eventuality. He opened the closet door, and releasing his flux, hovered over the floor. In a low voice, which Leo would be unable to hear from this distance and above the growl of the beasts, he said, “Vos Mos Exuro.” Above his right hand, a ball of fire about a foot wide appeared.
He silently flew across the room until the doorway was barely in his line of sight and then launched his fireball. The ball exploded instantly upon hitting the ground, engulfing the lower half of the doorway and a good three feet of the ground leading up to it. The two beasts left the room through the entrance, only for the manager of the house to enter moments later. After one look at the fire, he yelled at Leo, “Outside, quick! Help me put it out.” He darted back through the hallway to the entrance of the house, and pulled on the bucket of water kept to douse the torches, hoping Leo was right behind him.
Meanwhile, Adelphos pulled out a potion from his pocket and released some flux to smash it, spilling the contents on his hand. He teleported to the empty attic of the house, which was cut off from all the other sections. No one would find him here unless they decided to break through the ceiling.
edited 25th Sep '14 5:25:29 AM by Elfhunter
If I knew how I know everything I know, I'd only be able to know half as much because my brain would be clogged up with where I know it from
Market Hall (Youkai Showcase) (Mahiro, Nagako, Adelphos #1)
"Excellent!"
Mahiro's small smile suddenly turned into a big grin. "It is nice to see that my daughter is actually attempting to practice. It is what I brought her here to do, yes yes." He gave Nagako a look of sincere approval as he said this.
Nagako turned to her father herself, with a look of confusion on her face. But I didn't do anything?... She opened her mouth to say as such, but then paused, closed her mouth, and thought better of it. In the end, she just gave Mahiro a small smile and bow. "Always a pleasure, Father."
Mahiro then turned to face the man again. "Anyway, gold will work quite nicely, yes yes. Just take your pick and we'll work out a deal."
He did notice the approaching newcomer, but did not move to acknowledge her immediately. Right now his concern was the sale in progress; he would address any questions she might have once it was over and done with.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
[Courtyard]
Makoto gets up and walks over to Solin.
"Did you speak to me earlier?" she asks, knowing that the answer is probably yes.
"Doki Doki Lit. Club" is a happy game where nothing bad happens. seriously tho? not for the faint of heart.
[Courtyard] (Solin, Nore, Adelphos, Makoto, Kassandra, Steve)
Surviving Maurosian high culture had given Solin a lot of patience, and he logically and consciously knew that being polite to people wielding massive firearms was a good idea in general. But he couldn't quite hide his exasperation when he muttered, "dead gods." Then, aloud, he said, "yes. I," he glanced at Steve, recalling he'd just asked a similar question, "or rather, we, are wondering why in Amu's name you you are carrying a rifle that could down a westland brontosaurus in the middle of a crowded fairground. Maybe you have a good reason, but as Nore's bodyguard, it's my job to ask." He also gave Adelphos a sidewards glance when he said "Terra." He knew that name all too well, but... strangely, Adelphos didn't look Terran. He'd be watching him still.
Nore also looked at Adelphos more warily when he said "Terra." Then she said, "You wouldn't be an 'American' by chance, would you?" Those, she had gethered, were the most trouble. "Anyways... Alos? It's home. I don't really have much else to compare it to. There are good days and bad, epics and tragedies, heroes, villains, and monsters. I could never truly speak of Uel — my homeland — until I'd immersed myself in other nations. It's probably the same for worlds." She looked around. "Still, I can say a few things. Few can match my people in several arts: glasswork, hunting, tea-making, hand-to-hand combat. And it's usually men who have trouble climbing up the social ladder," Solin grimaced in rueful agreement, "which I understand is unusual." She gave a friendly smile and a slight tap on her chest (a sort of social greeting) and said, "so, your turn."
[Showcase Hall - Bindery of Leison] (Lyra, Amanita)
Amanita tilted her head. "Not wrong," she said. "Not right, but not wrong. Interesting, yes. Balance or price? Perhaps both." Then she shook her head. "No matter. Your Sol sounds... familiar." There was a vicious note in "familiar" that implied a being Amanita had no love for, and a very brief scent of decaying meat wafting from Amanita confirmed her distaste. Sol sounded oddly like the Demiurge, an old enemy of... well, every other god or goddess of her world. Enough that they had (briefly) stopped fighting one another to ally against Him on several occasions. "Tell me more. We may have met."
edited 23rd Sep '14 4:32:51 PM by KillerClowns
[Courtyard]
"Ah," said Makoto. "I have been tasked to be on the lookout for Kaiju. This fairground is of some importance, so it should be protected in the event that a large monster arrives. This gun of mine is designed to take down such monsters. Does that answer your question?"
"Doki Doki Lit. Club" is a happy game where nothing bad happens. seriously tho? not for the faint of heart.
[Courtyard] (Solin, Nore, Adelphos, Makoto, Kassandra, Steve)
Solin looked at Makoto thoughtfully. He'd gotten "big game hunter," but didn't most large beasts avoid human settlements? Well, except those spawned in the Badlands, but that place was different. Of course, that meant Makoto's homeland could have its own Badlands. Or something else that would make for a large beast that actively harassed humans. So he said, "well. I suppose that almost answers my question. Except... what is a 'kaiju'? I'm guessing big, mean, and not afraid of people?"
edited 23rd Sep '14 4:53:47 PM by KillerClowns
[Courtyard]
Steve's mouth hung open in bafflement for a good few seconds before he was able to compose himself. "That... does answer the question, but it kinda raises a few more."
"Large monster?" Kassandra exclaimed, in a tone which more resembled irritance than it did panic. "Didn't we just save the world from an alien invasion, Steven?"
"Yes, but that was an entire week ago," Steve replied sardonically, "We're about due for another ridiculous crisis."
"Amazing." Kassandra turned to the woman with the gun. "So, how large is this monster supposed to be? Is it akin to a Cyclops, a Titan or Steven's ego?"
[Makoto- Courtyard]
Makoto nods. "No one knows if these many-stories-tall creatures bear ill intent or not, but their occasional attacks have caused widespread destruction. I am currently at the top of the Kaiju Containment leaderboards."
Makoto takes a bow. "Makoto Miyamoto, at your service."
edited 23rd Sep '14 4:57:29 PM by Inceptiond
"Doki Doki Lit. Club" is a happy game where nothing bad happens. seriously tho? not for the faint of heart.
[Courtyard] (Solin, Nore, Adelphos, Makoto, Kassandra, Steve)
Solin thumphed his fist to his chest in greeting and said, "Solin ul'Oriyith, bodyguard. And that," he motioned to Nore, "is the woman to ask important questions of. Nore ul'Alitoth, the brains of this operation." Well, really it varied; they both had their moments of stupidity, but between them managed to remain functional. Then he glanced over at Steve and Kassandra. They looked like less trouble, but then, the woman had been drinking right out a fountain. Not something sane people. Best to get a few details. "So how about you two," he said to them, "while we're getting to know one another?"
[Courtyard]
Steve folded his arms and scoffed at Solin's question. "You're kidding right? Steve Roveri? The Amazing Blur? C'mon, this gorgeous mug's been plastered all over the papers for weeks now!"
Kassandra sighed and stepped forward. "That's not particularly important right now-"
"-Kinda is important, actually. I'd say it's a huge deal-"
"-It doesn't matter. He is Steven, and I am Kassandra. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
(Showcase Hall- Bindery of Leison) (Rosa, Aida)
Rosa continued fishing around in her pockets before pulling out a small cropper bracelet covered in glyphs. "Here's an amulet of health. Prevents most minor diseases, including colds, the flu, and marsh fever. Just be warned, it won't do anything if you're already sick when you put it on."
Forward, boys! For God's sake, forward!
[Current Time: Early Afternoon]
I'm currently figuring that the time will advance roughly an hour every 90 posts or so, though that might change depending on circumstances.
The future of warfare in UC.
Showcase Hall [Martian Dynamics]
"Electrical, in various forms." Dimitri shrugged. "That...is rather more advanced. I am not sure I can explain it in simple terms." There was actually one of the smaller tokamak designs here, or at least a mockup missing a few key bits. The turbine was from a more standard pressurized water reactor.
Nous restons ici.
NO ONE SUSPECTS THE LAMP!
[[Market Hall – Youkai Showcase – Nagako, Mahiro]]
“Certainly,” Adelphos replied and, walking up to the table with the scrolls, said, “Let me take a look at what’s inside.” He picked up one of the scrolls at random and opened it. He raised an eyebrow as he found no words inside, only a series of portraits depicting some kind of story. One by one, he opened up the rest and found much the same inside them. This is unbelievable, he thought, I am actually going to waste gold on these scribbling. Earning the girl’s trust better be worth it.
He suddenly paused on one of the scrolls as a portrait caught his attention. It depicted a being using some kind of strange power to subdue his opponent. So these people were capable of using magic. “What does this one depict?” he asked, pointing to the scroll.
I'll edit this portion if you can't think of a myth to match this description, though I've kept it as vague as I could.
[[Courtyard - Solin, Nore, Makoto, Steven, Kassandra]]
Adelphos had not missed the change in Nore’s demeanor, nor Solin’s glance when he mentioned his home world. Had they already encountered someone from Gaia? he thought Well, whoever it was managed to leave a pretty bad impression. But when Nore mentioned the word 'American', he realized they were confusing his world for some other.
“Unusual indeed,” Adelphos commented, after Nore's response. Or maybe your skill in bed outweighs what most men can offer. Although I'd love the opportunity to judge that for myself.
“But you want to know more about my world?” he added, “Well, first off, let me assure you; I am not an ‘American’, nor have I ever heard of any kingdom or continent whose people identify themselves as such. Unlikely as it may be, it would seem two worlds have chanced upon the same name.”
“I’ve been traveling for quite a few years now, but I’ve only ever been on Arborealis and there isn’t much to say about the culture, since if there ever was one, it seems to be dying out. The mainlanders are all either born as Awakened or Unbound and back when The Holy Order used to have a lot of influence, they were revered as God’s chosen. But support for The Order died out once Sorcerer factions made a firm footing on the mainland. The Order mostly just operates in the provinces around Edinford now. As it stands, people are starting to forget the old ways, and most have lost the motivation to develop their gifts.” But I'm not complaining, makes it that much easier for me to get things done.
"But if I'm making it sound like things are changing quietly, then I apologize for misleading you. Monsters come out of hiding more often than the sun rises, wars scourge the land, bandits raid villages, and all while Sorcerers and The Holy Order work to rid the world of each other." He smiled down at her, "Make no mistake, if you can't fight, the world will devour you,” I should know, I've had a lot of good meals myself, "and if you can fight, you will be doing so for the rest of your life."
He turned to the two new people that had joined the group, bowed and said, “And I am Adelphos, at your service.”
edited 25th Sep '14 9:27:45 AM by Elfhunter
If I knew how I know everything I know, I'd only be able to know half as much because my brain would be clogged up with where I know it from
[Makoto- Courtyard]
Makoto listened to Adelphos' speech, thinking to herself. She pondered her world, comparing it to the one Adelphos had described. It occurred to her that there were worlds out there many times more chaotic than her own; it certainly put things in perspective. Life is never easy, but it shouldn't be that hard, she thought.
After Adelphos had introduced himself, she gave him a nod.
"Doki Doki Lit. Club" is a happy game where nothing bad happens. seriously tho? not for the faint of heart.
Market Hall (Youkai Showcase) (Mahiro, Nagako, Adelphos #1)
Nagako gave the man yet another strange look. "...Does it really matter that much?"
She then shrugged again. "If I do sell all of them, then that's a success on my part. Father will be happy with me and hopefully I can spend the rest of my time here seeing what everyone else is offering. If not, then oh well."
It was around this time that Mahiro noticed their conversation. Beyond a small smile, however, he made no move to actually interfere. If his daughter succeeded in selling something, than it'd make up for his own failure. At least, so he hoped. This, of course, assuming this man actually wanted to buy something. Some part of his mind doubted that someone who wasn't interested in the wonders of youkai culture certainly wasn't going to be interested in beetles.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!