[Location: The Market] Stalling out

[skinandbone]

This is completely terrifying.

Somewhere at the outskirt of the Market, Metody has rented a stall with the last of her money and some very fast talking. She sits at the front of it, giving the world a tense, edgy smile.

She is not wearing her environmental suit, and that is completely terrifying. Appearances matter and no one looks friendly in a black space suit, and so it is stashed under the tablecloth. In it's place, Metody is wearing her impression of business dress: Electric pink jeans, a green blouse, a blue net scarf and a blazingly purple jacket. She's done something complicated with a pink ribbon to one arm, and there's a band of carved ivory flowers holding back her hair, and okay, it's maybe not the most staid of outfits, but the jacket means it's professional, right? And so does the scarf.

Her wares are displayed as attractively as she could manage: on one side, delicate carvings of bone - little boxes with geometrical or botanical themes, long strands of interlocking beads, flowers with petals so thin that light shines through them, intricate ivory hair ornaments. On the other side is meat of the operation, ha ha: purplish venison steaks and what looks at first glance to be chicken thighs and cutlets, but is actually rabbit. She's even got a(n ivory) plate of samples with frilly toothpicks sticking out of them, and neatly hand printed recipe cards.

There is paper and string to package up the meat, and little boxes for the jewelry and carvings, and if no one buys anything, she is facing a long walk home followed by another meal of yet more freaking venison and rabbit.

She might just try eating grass and rocks instead. Or she'll try staring at the crowd and willing them into purchasing.

C'mon. C'mooooooooon.

Comments

[kings_fool]

"Hey!!!"

Jeremy waves cheerfully as he abandons his 'post' as busker to push through the light foot traffic, a number of rubber balls held in his hands that he had been juggling.

"Lookit you," he beams as he gets full sight of Metody in her extremely eye-gouging colors. "Wow. You are making me miss San Francisco."

[skinandbone]

"Jeremy!" She'd lean over the table and hug him if that didn't risk her wares. She'll settle for reaching out in an attempt to clasp his hands.

"Look at you! Isn't this weather wonderful!? How are you!?"

[kings_fool]

He has no problem with hand-clasping, even if he does turn it into a secret-handshake type deal complete with a fistbump and a finger-wriggle.

"--aw, c'mon, finish the high-five, don't leave me hanging.

"And yup, the weather's great!" As evidenced by the fact that he is happily wearing flipflops and not the sturdy boots Metody had purchased for him. "You're selling stuff?"

Poke, poke among the things on the table.

[skinandbone]

She laughs and slaps her hand against his.

"You are kind of ridiculous, and that's great! I am!" Buy things! Please.

"Want a sample? It's really good. Wild venison. Or there's rabbit, too."

[kings_fool]

"I am," Jeremy answers agreeably, and looks down at the wealth of things on the table.

"--woooaaah like, this is the deer you go hunting on? Gnarly. I have never seen raw deer before. Not counting roadkill."

Note he is definitely not poking at the meat, but the little boxes instead. "Holy shit, did you do all these?"

[skinandbone]

"Yeah, it's - " Purple. There is no getting around it. The meat is purple, and for someone who was raised on beefalo or cow or chicken, all shades of pink and red, purple can be unsettling. " - very healthy! Very lean."

"Yes, I did. I like carving."

[kings_fool]

"I'm not sure I can eat it. I need some fatty fats in my meat," Jeremy says earnestly, and picks up one of the boxes to open it.

"--these are seriously cool. Did you tell me you carved? I might have forgotten last time, what with the incipient hypothermia."

[skinandbone]

Inside the box is a nest of interlocking shapes and lines pinwheeling around a little smooth spot at the center. Metody ducks her head, pleased embarassment warring with the worry that Jeremy will drop the box.

"Thanks. I - I don't think I did? I used to sell little carvings and things back home, and I figured that since hey, I'm going to be carving anyway..."

Way to talk up your product, Metody.

[kings_fool]

"Wooahhh you even carved the inside up! Badass. I'm not sure what I'd use it for but I kinda want it. If I could find somebody dealing pot I could totally store my weed in-- do you carve bongs?!"

[location]

[personaldemon]

Jason Blood strolls through the marketplace with hands in his pockets, gaze wandering from booth to booth. After the cold, even the most anti-social of people find it good to be among at least the semblance of people.

Metody's brightly-attired self draws the eye (how could it not) while also making that eye ache. Jason watches from several booths away for a moment, and eventually approaches, giving the pale and tense stall proprietor(ess?) a small, measured nod.

He is not at all looking at the wares on display, merely at Metody.

Re: [location]

[skinandbone]

"Um."

Metody stares right back, a touch wide-eyed, then takes a small step backwards.

"....Hello. How are you?"

[location]

[personaldemon]

Jason studies Metody a wordless moment. Since the encounter at the mountain he has been thinking about what he knows of Metody, which, really, is precious little, other than that he has control of bones in some fashion and that he's.... connected to that thing of nightmarish proportion that he had sensed.

Yet Metody doesn't entirely seem to be aware of that. Oh, aware of the first, yes. The second... is another matter.

One which, he must admit, is not really his concern. Unless Metody becomes hostile, which seems unlikely.

"Well enough, thank you," he says before the silence can get much more awkward. Jason drops his gaze to the wares for sale, examining one of the strings of beads a moment.

"I believe the last of my bruises from that mountain have faded. And yourself?"

Re: [location]

[skinandbone]

Fortunately, the chances of Metody becoming hostile are slim to none. Fleeing is much more her style.

"I'm...trying to treat it all as a monstrous dream. It was..." She trails off. She's killed plenty of animals, and not just in Taxon. Lots of creatures have met their end at her metaphorical hands. But these creatures were unpleasantly person like. "I didn't like it."

The beads are carved to look like fish, one swimming after another in a long ivory chain. They have delicately faceted scales, and round, goggling eyes.

"The warmer weather is nice, though."

[personaldemon]

"I do not imagine most people would 'like' it. I found it unpleasant myself."

Mostly because he dislikes being half-frozen and banged up, but that's a moot point.

Jason doesn't deign to respond about the weather-- his interest in most small talk is practically nil, and he sees no reason to fake it with Metody of all people-- but he is (to his own surprise) rather genuinely interested in the craftsmanship of the beads.

Of course, if you can reshape bone as he witnessed the bone-steed doing, then such work as this would certainly be-- easier. He lets the fish-links slip through his fingers, then sets it down to inspect another, eyes flicking sideways to glance over the meat as well.

"These are well-made," he says of the beads, scrutinizing the next string. Bone is accounted for-- Metody uses that, he presumes, in a myriad of ways-- and the meat, leaving only....

"What do you do with the hides?"

[skinandbone]

There was some reshaping, yes. But the details, the subtle shimmer of the faceted scales, the grace of the curling fins, the smoothness of the finished surface - that was all carefully cultivated skill.

Of which she is justifiably proud. She all but glows at the compliment. "Thank you!"

"Ah...not much, I'm afraid; I don't have the materials for tanning. I'm hoping to purchase some, though."

[personaldemon]

Jason does not particularly want fish beads, but looking through the other options on display, he may not have anything that is less cutesy to choose from.

He glances up at that, thoughtfully. "Really."

He checks his balance-- rather less than he would like, in a perfect world, but it's enough to afford an investment.

"Perhaps I can suggest a business proposition..?"

[skinandbone]

There's one less cutesy option - Metody made a little box in one of her Daisybelle shapes. The creature's skull rests on the tablecloth, nesting admist a tangle of folded limbs. An errant spine is squiggled across the top of the skull, knotted up to form a little handle for the lid.

There are lush, thorn-petalled flowers scribed on the entire inside of the brain case.

"Yes, it's - I'm not familiar with all the plants here, and while there are certainly ways to, uh, make the right chemicals myself, um, I'm pretty sure no one would want anything to do with the leather that I - " soaked in my own concentrated, poisonous urine.

"Yes?"

[loves_bitch]

Spike, still wrapped up as though it were winter, makes his way through the market. Sometimes a man cannot allow the sun to dictate what he can and cannot do, you know? It's not right.

So, it might be a bit disconcerting when a man wrapped head to toe in cloth and welding goggles makes his way over to where Metody is.

Then again, maybe it isn't.

Either way, he's drawn to the ivory and bone things, carvings and thinking, just maybe, that there may be a connection here.

[skinandbone]

Disconcerting? Metody's whole city is wrapped up in muffling environmental suits, breathing gear and eye protection. Looking up at Spike is like seeing home again.

Except forhis bones looking dead. But he's over on the other side of the table, and it's not like he can help what he looks like. So she gives him a happy smile, trying to shove back her apprehension.

"Hello! Can I help you?"

[loves_bitch]

"Y've got quite an affinity for bone, here," he says from behind the smoked lenses. The accent, though, is a dead give away.

[skinandbone]

This is Metody stifling a sigh. Why does everyone bring that up?

"Yes; my father taught me how to carve, and with Daisybelle around, there's plenty of raw material. So."

Wait, she knows that voice. She picks up a band of carved violets and toys with it, studying him.

"William? Is that you?"

[loves_bitch]

"Daisybelle?"

Spike looks at her and tilts his head to the side at the name. Right. He's going to have to get used to that, "I've been called that, yeah."

[skinandbone]

"She's a.." Metody makes some vague gestures, feeling a bit awkward about the while thing. "Sort of a dog. Thingy. She brings me bones."

[loves_bitch]

"I think she likes playing fetch with me," Spike comments almost a little too idly.

"I think she does a lot more than just bring you bones, really, pet."

[skinandbone]

"Oh, you've met her? Isn't she sweet?"

"- I mean - okay, a little - a little - " There is no dang way she's going to use the word 'creepy.' " - unique looking. But still, very sweet."

Metody's reaction to Spike's unsubtle hint is a touch of confusion. "I take her hunting sometimes....?"