riverviewlogs | [open] we tried to bury it and rise above

[ He finds a chair and takes it, sitting a little prim--one leg folded over the other, manicured nails resting on his knee. He leans forward, his presently lavender eyes searching. A smile plays on his face, and the same playfulness he had on the network comes back to his tone. ]

No, you're certainly not. Most of your kin usually aren't too happy to see their subterranean cousins, though.

[ Can't imagine why! Nothing to do with all the efforts to exterminate them over the years, surely. ]

[Their what now.]

Are you kidding, I love the Underdark, did a great show there once! [It was pretty fucking weird, but it was a fun show and he met Ren, who is an angel that no one deserves to be friends with.

More importantly, in an attempt to be a decent host:] Coffee or tea, my dude, or we can go mimosas if you're feeling it?

[Taako is always feeling mimosas.]

[ Rin doesn't know how to process like, half that sentence. He prides himself on being generally ahead of the curve in any given situation, but he feels like he's talking to someone from an alternate dimension right now. Maybe he is? The universe teems with possibility. ]

A show? That--must've been a pretty liberal city.

[ He rubs his chin. We're just gonna assume he knows what a mimosa is, because why not. I'm sure fancy Waterdeep parties have something like it. ]

Make mine mostly champagne.

I guess? I never really thought about it much, we just kinda rolled up and went with it.

[Not exactly his busiest show ever, but the Underdark was big enough to draw a reasonable crowd.

But! Two mimosas coming up; he has everything for them in reach, because that's the sort of person he is, and makes Rin's heavy on the champagne.]

Now I'm curious, do you have trains back home?

[Based on what's "typical" in the fantasy media he's consumed, technology is lacking, so he's curious if Rin's world is like his.]

[ Rin knocks back half the drink as soon as Taako hands it over. He's not fond of sweet flavors, but the ratio here is just as he asked for, making the drink pleasantly acidic and sharp on his tongue. He rubs the side of his face with one hand. ]

No. I haven't the first clue as to what you're talking about. In general, honestly.

[ He sets the drink down. No point trying to dance here; no benefit in acting like he understands something he doesn't. ]

Listen. In my version of this world, we don't let high elves into our cities. Sometimes we enslave them. But typically we just fucking kill them.

And I have no idea what a train is.

[ He takes another sip. More like a swig, really. ]

Maybe you're from a kinder dimension. Kudos to you, in that case.

Edited 2017-07-04 23:18 (UTC)

[Well, he appreciates the honesty, at least! Though he's just going to take a second with that, looking a little surprised, before he smooths it over with a smile.]

Okay, so, just to check we're like... cool, right? Because I don't wanna get anyone's blood on the furniture.

[It's not a threat, he has no interest in throwing down, but if Rin comes from a place where they apparently just fucking kill high elves, and Taako is a high elf (even if he has no real attachment to the label), he wants to clarify that there won't be any murder.]

[ It's a rare moment for him. But it's easier to be honest about things that aren't exactly personal -- in his forgotten realm, this is just standard stuff. ]

No, no.

[ He shakes his head, leaning back in his chair. ]

You're not in any danger from me.

[ His shoulders relax. He feels that champagne now, bubbling in his stomach. He shuts his eyes briefly, and his demeanor shifts, like an actor getting into character. He smiles. ]

I'm just a merchant.

Thank fuck, I meant it about the furniture, my housemate would kill me.

[Ellie is sixteen years old and the most terrifying person that Taako knows, which is why he likes her.

But now that he doesn't need to worry about getting murdered, Taako is willing to just sit and chill and drink his mimosa, even if he's kinda wishing he took Rin's lead and went higher on the champagne to juice ratio.]

And hey, you should'a mentioned the merchant thing. I'm totally down to sell some shit, it's not like I'm adventuring a whole fucking lot.

[He still hasn't decided if that's a good thing or not.]

[ It's not quite correct to say that Rin doesn't share the prejudices of his people. He lived in that world for most of his life, and indoctrination is a hell of a thing. He was raised to disdain other types of elves in particular, and high elves above all. While he's dealt with plenty of them in his time on the surface, the old rotten whispers of his family never quite go away.

Still, he seems to be genuinely at ease as Taako talks--it helps that there's almost nothing 'high elfy' about him at all, beyond the basic facts of his appearance. ]

Right. Well, I expect I might be in the market for whatever you've got.

[ He winks as he leans forward. ]

Show me some magic.

[ Items, that is. ]

[If there was a Fantasy Costco here he probably would've sold half his shit back to them by now, but he's kind of just kept it tucked away in his room except when he's heading out beyond the barrier. Today, though, his bag is just tucked down beside the couch, since he was planning this, so he hauls it up, sets it in his lap, and rifles through as he figures out where to start.]

Ring of frost is kinda boring, just makes your drinks cold and gives you some resistance to frost damage. But uhhh, this is kinda neat.

[He pulls out a small rod, with a button on top. He sets it on the ground in front of him, rather than the table, and presses the button.]

Immovable rod, there's nothing that can make that sucker budge.

[ Cold drinks are pretty fine. But he has to agree: it's not exactly wondrous. Just slightly amazing. He rubs his chin, some interest flickering in his eyes as Taako sets up the rod. He kneels down in front of it, presses on it with the palm of his hand. No give at all. ]

Well.

[ He looks up and grins, because he is not the kind of man who looks at a golden arch and walks away from it -- ]

Who wouldn't want such a hard rod?

[Ayyyyy.

Taako laughs, because there's nothing quite like a dick joke.]

It's just lucky you can turn it off, mornings tea with your grandma could get real awkward otherwise.

[Stop this.]

[ Finger guns. It seemed like a good way to lighten the mood.

He leans back on his haunches, raising an eyebrow. He's never had tea with any member of his family, awkward or otherwise, but he just plays along. ]

Not the most genteel breakfast topic, to be sure.

[ He can think of actual, practical uses, though--keeping a door forced open, for instance. Might be useful for exploring the ruins. He taps on it again, apparently a little fascinated by the button. Not many automated things in his world. ]

I'll keep this in mind. Got anything else?

Edited 2017-07-09 18:15 (UTC)

I got a whole lot else, how about I just..

[It's like a repetition of his evening with Kravtiz; Taako just lays a whole bunch of stuff out on the table, then points them out one by one.]

Sheriff's badge, it's enchanted to make lying easier, if you're pretending to be an authority figure. Hole thrower, does what it says on the tin. Uh, trickster's glove that makes a mage hand invisible, good for a rogue, I don't use it a whole lot. Mockingbird gum, if you can't guess that one I'm gonna be disappointed. Cool bracelet that lets you communicate telepathically with anyone in a 300 foot radius. Salt that detects poison, andddd- [He grabs the cloak of the manta ray, which was thrown haphazardly over the back of a chair.] - This one adds a little protection when you're wearing it, and lets you breathe underwater.

[He has some cool stuff.]

[ Good gods. Rin keeps it cool as he looks over the collection, but it's impressive by any definition of the term.

The badge he doesn't need; he's great at lying and at pretending to be an authority figure. Holes could be useful; he touches that one carefully. Glove, no, gum, no. Bracelet, maybe. Cloak, interesting. But ... ]

How much for the salt?

[Of course he had to ask after the most difficult one. Not because it's the most useful, he's never even needed the salt shaker, really, not for what it's intended purpose probably was. They don't accept meals from potentially hostile strangers very often, so it's not as though they need to test for shit.

It's just for his own peace of mind.

And the thing is, after remembering everything, one fucking asshole betraying him seems so small. Taako wasted years of his life after Glamorsprings, but in the face of losing Lup, of the goddamn apocalypse, it just feels stupid to keep caring.]

I got it as a kinda pack deal, so there's no exact price, but 150 gp sounds about fair. It doesn't taste like salt, either, it's almost like cummin? Adds a nice flavour.

[As a little perk.]

[ Peace of mind--a rare commodity for the drow--is exactly why Rin wants the salt. ]

Done and done.

[ He prefers savory, spicy food, too, so that is a bonus. He fishes a handful of platinum pieces out of his bag, then plunks them down on the table. It's a little more than Taako asked for, by about fifty gold, but he wants to appear carelessly generous. ]

I assume this currency's familiar to you?

[He's still not... entirely sure about this, but money is money, even if he doesn't need it the same way he did at home.

It also feels a little like a trap, when Rin offers more money than he'd asked for, and Taako can't help but arch an eyebrow rather than just accept it.]

I would've thought merchants were good at currency conversion.

[ Rin just smiles, easy as anything. ]

Merchants are good at knowing what things are worth.

Well, don't let it be said that I'm turning down money. You've got yourself a deal.

[He doesn't think they need to shake on it, so he just gestures at the salt shaker for Rin to take. Taako will miss it, but... it's not the end of the world.]

[ He snatches up the salt, then drops it into the yawning cavern of the bag on his belt--the salt disappears into it as though swallowed by a black hole. ]

Pleasure doing business with you.

[Taako quirks an eyebrow at that bag, but he's familiar enough with pocket dimensions to assume it's something along those lines.]

Didn't you say you had something cool, too?

[He likes cool magic shit.]

Right, right.

[ He might've hoped to slide out of this visit without actually showing Taako anything, but he has enough meager honor in him not to back out now. He takes an onyx figurine from some hidden depth in his tunic; it's well-polished, shiny, and carved in the shape of a dog.

He throws the figurine, then calls: "Who let the dogs out?!"

As the figurine falls, it transforms into an actual dog--an extremely fluffy Tibetan mastiff, with black fur like a lion's mane.

The dog whimpers, as though it heard the summons and didn't much appreciate the phrasing.

To Taako, Rin says: ]

His name's Brantz.

Edited 2017-07-24 03:55 (UTC)

[Taako can imagine Magnus losing his shit at this, but Taako just chuckles as the dog appears.]

Hello, Brantz. [Look at him, being polite, though he doesn't reach out to touch the dog. He has no problem with them, but he does have a little self control.] That's a pretty neat trick, some kinda transmutation?

[It could be a handful of spells woven together, but turning flesh to stone is at least one he's familiar with.]

[ Brantz curls up at Rin's feet, though he's looking over at Taako with bright, intelligent eyes. Rin reaches to rub behind the dog's ears, which he clearly likes very much--his fluffy tail thumps eagerly against the floor. ]

Hmm, I couldn't say. I found [ stole ] the little statue while visiting a particular town once, and it took me weeks to even learn that the thing was magical.

[open] we tried to bury it and rise above

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way to pick like the one thing that doesn't have a canon price!!!

GOMEN ...

so rude

T_T

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