Placeholder [Zhongjie Warren] Shop Till You Drop

[Sunette]

Date: 32nd of Spring, 514 AV
Location: Zhongjie Warren

Finally, Sunette decided it was time to buy herself some new clothing. Really, she just wanted a distraction. Since her trip with Tydus, her "favorite Svefra," she had… Less clothing than she started with. She had turned her shirt into a sort of tube top, only wrapped around her breasts, and had cut her silken pants into thigh high shorts. She looked risqué to say the least, but she didn't do it for the appearance. She did it because she had needed to climb a mast (oh, how happy she was to know some ship-lingo) and the more skin she was showing, the easier it would be to climb. Nonetheless, she had been getting stares. Some positive, some not so much. Regardless of other people, she enjoyed the shorts; it was a nice breeze in the warm weather. But, she definitely needed to get a new top and perhaps some shoes (she couldn't figure out where she'd left hers…)

Having been in Riverfall for several days, Sunette had passed the bazaar many times. She'd noticed the copious amounts of shopping pavilions with every type of item on display somewhere among the tents. She was sure she'd find something.

Entering the bazaar, she walked among the rows and rows of merchant stands with an overwhelming sense of awe. There were so many things! Tools, jewelry, weapons, food, even animals in some places! She stopped at nearly everything to at least look. The occasional food stand would offer her a sample, always a piece small enough for her to eat easily. The experience had already made the day fantastic before she'd even found what she wanted.

And then… There it was. A clothing booth. The Symenestra was so excited she was almost skipping as she made her way to the stand, immediately going through everything they had. She'd decided to go without her red lip pomade today, so she tried to find something that matched her porcelain complexion. After some searching, she found an adorable loose fitting, backless, knee length dress made of ramie, nice and white and still somehow whiter than her. She held it up to herself, running a hand along it to press it against her self.

This was the one she wanted.

[Zander Guile]

Zander Guile had been in the city of Riverfall for less than a month, looking for either a worthy opponent or a possible lifelong companion, whomever they were, thus far he had yet to find either, but then again he had yet to apply himself to the search because he was still getting accustomed to the city’s layout just in case he happened to get lost, or wanted to go to any of the significant landmarks throughout the city. Zander had considered going to the dojo to practice using his Rapier in various new ways, like how to turn a parry into a counterattack, or even finding out how to effectively dual wield his Sword-Breaker and Rapier, anything to improve his skills. Zander had also, when he had the time and space, tried to practice his acrobatic skills to make himself more mobile in and out of combat. Yet on this day, Zander found himself in the Zhongjie Warren, a large bazaar of tents which sold just about anything from weapons to clothing to even animals, and a location which he had passed many times before today. Zander had decided that he would go into the Bazaar today to get himself some new equipment, possibly a new weapon or some armour, probably armour, as Zander had always been somewhat of a defensive thinker and his current armour could do with a bit of repairing, or even replacement. Thinking about his armour also meant that he thought about his weapon, and Zander, being Zander, partly unsheathed his weapon to check on its condition, it looked as though it would need repairing as well. Just another thing to add to my growing list of supplies. He thought. Zander found a tent which offered weapon repairs, and walked in, there was an individual there who looked every part the blacksmith, muscular, soot-laden face and hammer in hand, bashing away at what appeared to be a broadsword. Zander cleared his throat to get the man’s attention, which he did, as the man looked up and called out “You got some business here?” Zander nodded and began speaking “Yes, I believe I do have business here, I don’t suppose you would be able to take a look at my weapon and armour, it could use a blacksmiths care.” As he spoke Zander took his sword out of the sheath and armour out of his pack and showed it to the blacksmith, who had finished his maintenance of the broadsword, who looked at the Rapier then at the armour then finally at Zander before asking a single question “How’d you come by such a weapon, mister?” Zander had a look of slight sadness on his face when he replied “It is my sole inheritance from my father.” The blacksmith looked to the Rapier and armour once more, then spoke again “OK then, come back in about an hour, and your blade will be as good as new… your armour on the other hand will need a while longer, come back tomorrow to collect it.” Zander thanked the man, but before he left, he asked how much the repairs would cost and left the appropriate sum of Gold Mizas on the counter. A short while later, as he was thinking about how the repairs of his weapon and armour were going, not really taking in any of the grandiose of the Bazaar, Zander passed in front of a clothing booth, he absentmindedly looked up to check the booth’s wares and saw something which made him stop in his tracks, a beautiful woman, skin as smooth as porcelain and as white as snow, holding a knee-length dress, which was, if it were possible, whiter than her, against herself. Zander stood there and simply observed her as she ran a hand along the dress, wondering who this curious and beautiful individual was, and what her story was.

[Sunette]

Sunette glanced down at herself, her hand keeping the dress held to her torso, taking in the aerial perspective of the outfit pressed against her. Not that it would actually fit that way; it would probably be a loose fitting dress, but what did she care? She moved her hand to pull her pendant out from under the dress, plopping it back against her chest to see how the white dress and crimson glass heart looked when paired, moving her hand to hold the dress at the shoulder after releasing the chain.

It was near perfect, her smile only growing and excitement bubbling in her stomach. She couldn't wait to be seen in this dress.

I'd li--

She turned her head to face what she expected to be the stall vendor, but instead found herself looking at a man that was looking at her. Her voice choked off when her gaze met his, her face changing to hold a surprised expression long enough to make it a bit awkward. She never lowered the dress, still having it held at shoulder level to her front.

With him looking at her, she suddenly became ridiculously aware of how short her trousers were. She hadn't minded knowing people were glancing… when the glances were glances and not stares.

Why was he staring at her, anyway? What gave him the right to stare at her? She wasn't doing anything wrong. Didn't he know that staring was rude? Was it a race thing? Her porcelain skin was painfully obvious in the midday sun, giving away that she was either very sickly or very foreign.

Her eyebrows creased as she continued to hold eye contact, increasingly more confused and frustrated at the man gawking at her. She did a quick once-over of him, taking in the man that was treating her like a spectacle, eyes returning to his after the millisecond separation. He wasn't as average as she first thought, his appearance becoming more appealing the longer she looked at him. Perhaps this wouldn't be as awful as she thought. Her creased eyebrows relaxed, though her stance didn't.

…Can I assist you?

[Zander Guile]

Zander had been looking at the woman for barely ten seconds when she lifted her head and turned, talking as she went "I'd li..." She cut her sentence off when she looked at Zander, a look of surprise painted on her face. To Zander it appeared as though the woman had thought of him as the stall vendor, a reasonable assumption, considering their location. Zander kept his face impassive so as to try to appear non-threatening as possible, and thought to himself She looks quite... Beautiful in that dress, but should I say something or... Trailing his thought off to re-absorb himself in the present situation. The woman simply stood and stared at Zander, never lowering the dress, for some reason which he couldn't fathom, but he guessed that it was perhaps embarrassment or shock at Zander looking at her, but there was always the chance that she was confused as to why he was looking at her. Zander on the other hand was beginning to notice some of the details he might have missed while he was thinking to himself, mainly the red pendant on her necklace which was shining even though she was in the shade. Zander looked up at her face and noting with a wary thought that her eyebrows were creased, for reasons which Zander wasn't even going to guess at. After a few moments passed however the woman's eyebrows relaxed a bit, though her stance remained neutral, as though she was deciding what to do next. Then she spoke, asking a single question "Can I assist you?" Zander, who, during the last few moments leading up to this point, had been looking around at the wares of the stall, looked directly at the woman and thought carefully about his reply, trying to measure up whether to be kind or cruel, and eventually decided on kind. So Zander drew a deep breath and then spoke with a warmth in his voice "I'm not quite sure that you can, ma'am, but I must say that dress looks perfect for you, it compliments your snow white skin and the red pendant around your neck. My name is Zander Guile, by the way, might I request yours?" Finishing his little 'speech' and bowing for good measure, to appear as harmless as possible.

[Sunette]

"I'm not quite sure that you can, ma'am, but I must say that dress looks perfect for you, it compliments your snow white skin and the red pendant around your neck. My name is Zander Guile, by the way, might I request yours?"


Sunette's expression changed to one of surprise, a rosy color filling her cheeks at the compliment from a stranger. No, not a stranger. He introduced himself. An acquaintance, now. Her stoney expression relaxed enough to let a corner of her mouth raise into a half smile. This feeling was a nice contrast to what she had just experienced that morning. Perhaps this was a new beginning.

Well, thank you. I'm Sunette, since you asked.

She looked back down at the dress, pulling it away from herself to hold it before her, fingers pinching at the shoulders. She still wasn't wearing shoes with her makeshift hot pants and tube top, but she thought she'd look in a moment. Not wearing shoes was easier for her, anyway. She held the dress out in front of her, looking up and down it.

I do like the way it looks, so I think I'll get it. Didn't think I'd find anything I liked this quickly.

She chuckled, looking back at him.

Especially something that would draw even more attention to me. Perhaps I shouldn't get it after all.

She looked back at the dress, making a "tsk" noise as she continued to think on it. Her race should have been obvious to the man, what with her black finger and toe nails, ridiculously pale complexion, snow white hair, fangs that were obvious with every word.

People don't generally seem to be fond of my kind.