t.w.o

[tigerhound]

[She's still in the clothes she arrived in, though she's taken the advantage of being able to wash them so at least they're clean. This was, of course, after she'd ventured out into the city to plumb the depths of allies and dumpsters in order to collect materials to make goods to sell so she would have money for clothes and food.]

[It was a very practiced ritual of hers.]

[So now she's got a blanket (dumpster behind a home goods store) spread out with some cuff bracelets and woven wire necklaces that she'd been working on diligently for the first few days. Even as she sits patiently waiting for customers, she's got her hands busy wrapping feathers and bones into the wire and gear framework of a larger wrist cuff.]

[Dictated into the grimorie, which she's got laid open by her side,] So this whole gears and steam aesthetic ... it was pretty popular in my world among the more financially endowed. I never had the means for it, so it's interesting to be able to experiment with it here on a limited income.

Comments

[heresyandlace]

[he tends to prefer the flashier shiny things in the market, but he's enough of a fan of jewelry that he simply must go investigate when he notices a corner occupied by a new 'vendor.'

So, Sandrine gets an absurdly pretty man wandering over to her blanket. Hands in his pockets, he leans down to get a slightly closer look]

...Bones?

[tigerhound]

[Sandrine's already watching him carefully as he approached. Way too pretty people weren't generally people she trusted.]

[But then he speaks, and she recognizes the name, she trusts him even less.]

[She smirks, leaning slightly forward and catching his eyes with a knowing glance, hanging onto the silence intentionally long before answering.]

For the morbidly curious, there is a certain beauty in death that can be celebrated, in my opinion.

[heresyandlace]

[and his is definitely on the inhuman side of pretty. He doesn't seem to be putting any effort into making himself seem particularly trustworthy at all, really.

Ah-- and the pause catches him. That knowing glance gets him to pay attention enough to recognize her voice right away when she responds, and a smile slithers across his face]

You don't need to convince me. I entirely agree.

[tigerhound]

[Okay that smile is a little disturbing along with everything else, but she tries to hide her unease as she leans back casually against the building behind her. She waves a hand over her current collection of goods.]

See anything you like? I might be able to give you a discount.

[ladiesss]

[ugh, Krista haaaates it out here. the whole steampunk thing should make it candyland for her, but the banality levels out here are pretty harsh. it's like a migraine. she'd kill to find a balefire out here, or anything that isn't drenched in a stubborn disbelief in magic and dreams and the very stuff she's made of.

so when she notices someone not completely non-magical hanging around, she kind of drifts towards them out of a mix of curiosity and 'god finally something that won't give me a splitting headache'. but when she gets closer, she realizes that they're selling jewelry, and that feathers and bones are fairly prominent in the designs...

...and so Sandrine will get Krista, dressed mostly in black and speaking quietly as usual, crouching down to peer at her face as if she can figure her out like a puzzle.]

Hey, are you...?

[heresyandlace]

[he lowers himself into a graceful crouch so he can really get a good look at the selection-- and, more importantly, so he can touch them.

The only ones he bothers with are the ones with bones, and he gravitates towards pieces that shine. Anything with chain, metal, beads.]

You're quite the entrepreneur. You wasted no time at all, did you?

[tigerhound]

[Sandrine watches curiously, and as soon as Krista speaks she gives her a small, careful smile.]

Sandrine. Yes, we talked over the Grimorie ... ?

[tigerhound]

[She's noticing that, thinking it's more a matter of preference than anything else.]

It's what I do. Even with free housing, I still need to afford food and clothing. The sooner I get started, the better off I'll be.

[heresyandlace]

Smart. I'm a little surprised at how long it has taken anyone else to take up ventures of their own. Very few have.

[he's playing with the pieces as he talks, whether he'd been invited to or not. He's thoroughly inspecting them--the bones especially. Picking up each and closing in his palm, it's as if they're frozen and he's trying to thaw them, inspecting each of them the same way]

[tigerhound]

[She's used to people handling her goods, trying them on, trying to filch them. She doesn't comment but she is watching him with a very close and careful eye. His actions are odd, and she files that away for future reference.]

Let's just say I've had plenty of practice.

[heresyandlace]

I can tell. These are--

[oh, he opens his fingers as if the bracelet he's currently clutching surprises him, and he trails off to get a better look at it. A pretty little wire bracelet with snake vertebrae woven in.

He turns it around in his hands. The bones are good, it meets the minimum sparkle amount, there isn't anything that clashes with his general color scheme...]

I like this one.

[ladiesss]

Yeah, wow...! [she leans back a little, looking more natural now that she knows she was right.] It's always weird to see the voice suddenly attached to a face.

[tigerhound]

[This guy is just a trunkful of curious behaviors. Sandrine peers at the bracelet and purses her lips. Yup. The snake. She absently rubs her arm where the thing had nipped her before she'd been able to snap its neck.]

That one's thirty. Or -- we could work something out.

[heresyandlace]

[ha, that gets another good smirk out of him, and he gives a little incline of his head]

Did you have something else in mind?

[tigerhound]

It is, isn't it? I'm sorry, what did you say your name was? [Trying not to appear paranoid, but she feels off-kilter, having just given away her name with nothing for it.]

[tigerhound]

[She sighs and leans back, considering quietly for a moment.]

Groceries for the week. Or, dinner tonight. Maybe a decent coat. The sort of thing I'd be spending that $30 on anyway.

[heresyandlace]

You want me to take you out to dinner?

[the amusement is absolute, brow raising in surprise]

Alright. That sounds fun.

[tigerhound]

Well, it was just one of the options, but yes. My first week here, wouldn't mind something a little fancy.

[She'd thought it was a nice way to get to know him, figure out if he's the kind she can push and prod for her own motivations. Now she's thinking not so much, maybe, but he's already pulled that prize from the list and she couldn't back out and still save face.]

[She considers something for a moment, then pushes a matching ankle cuff towards him, that utilized other bits of the snake.] Get me something nice to wear, I'll throw this one in as well.

[Not that she generally has use for fancy clothes, but she's testing to see what she can get out of this.]

[heresyandlace]

[she's actually bartering with him. Oh, he could not be more pleased.

A creature after his own heart. It endears her to him... as well as preemptively giving him a potential outline of her motivations. He knows this game well.

He can't help but give a low little chuckle.]

Keep it. If you turn out to be a good conversation partner, I'll get you something as a gift.

[pulling out money for the bracelet in the meantime]

[tigerhound]

[Okay, this was unexpected. Sandrine raises her brows as he pulls the money out.]

It's $30, or dinner. I'm not out to rob anyone. [She's also not about to let herself get endebted to anyone, either.]

[heresyandlace]

[ah, good to know. She pushes limits but isn't clumsily greedy. So, he shrugs and puts the money away]

No gestures of goodwill--got it.

[tigerhound]

Good. [She smiles at her small victory.] So just tell me when and where and I'll be ready.

[ladiesss]

Oh, I'm Krista. [she holds out her hand. handshake? 8>] I dunno if I ever actually introduced myself, I'm kind of bad at social interaction. [haha... ha. :'D]

[tigerhound]

[Yes! Handshake! Sandrine's hand is calloused and strong, her handshake firm.]

Krista. That's okay, I'm not the most socially rambunctious either. [She'd be just as happy sitting here selling goods without getting recognized at all, but she felt she'd probably need some allies at some point. As long as she could just keep them at arm's length, that is.]

[heresyandlace]

Meet me at the tram station nearest to here, at seven. I'll have somewhere picked out by then.

I need to do some research in the meantime.