Imperfect Con, Tabbies + Spotty

[Spotty]

La Rouche-sur-Foron was prosperous and wealthy, boasting of beings from the mortal and human to magic users, witches, and warlocks, to other creatures and beasts that should find nothing in common. But within the city, flourishing businesses, grand manors and homes, interesting architecture, and the like encouraged peace, well at least tolerance, for the chance at the wealth to be acquired. It was a festival day within the city and not a patch of cobblestone wasn't being stepped on by a brightly dressed peasant or finely clad noble.

And the gypsy was no exception to delighting in the festivities.

Dancing was one of her few hobbies that didn't involve scamming others. Sure, she still expected payment for her performances, but it was something she took enjoyment from, instead of just the thought of receiving gold from the act. It reminded her of her people...and with the reminder of her people, she remembered her mother. Gypsies were a tight-knit, exclusive people. They traveled this world, peddling trinkets and potions, and various items for modest prices for the sake of survival. They were performers, they were rumored to be promiscuous. So, it was not too unexpected to hear whispers of their "kind", nor was Verusha ever surprised at the various insults and slanders thrown at her from married women, from drunken men, nor any of the other mortal creatures prejudiced of her kind.

No.

Why be bitter when it was their money that lined her pockets? People bought necessities; she was skilled at convincing those same people the wares, items, charms, and other goods she peddled were necessities as well.

And speaking of bitter, the girl was never that. Be it a day such as this one, a day of festivities, with food, drink, good company, and other activities...or the common incident when she had been chased from towns with pitchforks and fire. People were just too sensitive... They could not see that she was only doing them a service and taking the gold from them before they purchased something more damning; like...alcohol or weapons to beat their wives. But that was her burden to bear, the general population just did not understand her motives at all.

Ah well, astfel este modul de viata.

The crowd that had gathered near was composed of several wealthy nobles; cheeks touched with red from the consumption of alcohol. The drunk with expansive coin purses were her favorite...and even more so when they were men. An enticing smile, a provocative swinging of her hips, and they literally threw fistfuls of gold at her feet. She was fortunate a group of minstrals had taken up playing various instruments nearby and provided her with music for her performance. Of course, they seemed far from pleased that her "exotic" movements were garnering more interest than their modest playing, but a wink with the addition of several conspiratorial smiles were more than enough to win them over. She would give them a share of her gold -- though, their share would likely be only a handful of gold and the rest of the bag lined with metal trinkets to make the bag appear more full.

The girl moved towards one of the especially wealthy members of the crowd observing her performance. She danced in a suggestive manner for him and was soon rewarded with a pouch of gold coins. With an appreciative wink, she crossed the area that served as her stage and performed several movements for a handful of the other men, receiving more and more gold by the minute. This day had definitely been a success. Especially if judging by the large bag she was throwing the various coins into, to keep her hands empty and her waist not weighed down by the precious metal.

The girl was attractive, despite her usually negatively connoted gypsy heritage; which, if anything, made her just as "exotic" as her movements. It made marketing her products all the more effective if she was easy on the eyes and it was something she was decidedly too aware of. All of her features were dark; hair, skin, and eyes. She tended to be taller than most females and her eyes an almond shape. No fashionably pale skin, no blonde curls, Verusha was dark, her hair black and pin straight. And she possessed a tireless energy about her, making her eyes lively and trustworthy.

Through the few hours she'd been at performing, her crowd only continued to grow, until it was obvious that the minstrals were becoming irritable. The music was less precise, the tempo slowing. Giving up on the two males, she bowed to her crowd, receiving several shouts of approval, while others muttered in disappointment for the abrupt end. She collected her belongings, slipping on her boots and tossing some of the excess of her jewelry in with the bag of gold. As previously decided, she bestowed a bag of "gold" to the minstrals and headed off through the crowds.

For the evening, she had a new place scoped out to perform readings from her crystal globe and so she slipped through and around the congregations of people, keeping her own belongings close to prevent being pick-pocketed.

She brushed a lock of nearly black hair from her face with a dark skinned hand and Verusha continued on her way, toying with her earring in concentration to locate the area she had spied before. "Damn."


ooc;;
Verusha. ^-~

[Tabbies]

Tadrian was a quiet male. He was not out of place amonst the other shapeshifters, of course; he looked very human at the moment, lacking even the pointed ears of his other body. Surely brows would be reaised if he wandered about looking like a giant blue fox- but not just any giant blue fox- a giant blue fox with a long silken mane and feathered jay bird wings. And so, to avoid stares and avoid the simple inconvenience, the creature appeared in his human form as he looked about the many tents.

Having recently parted ways with his coven, a sassy centaur named Resiiln and a ever-calm elf named Emeriil, he wa on hsi own. His absense would only be temporary, of course. He'd find them soon enough again. He simply wanted alone time. He was the type of man to listen... and watch... he saw so many strange things.

The brown haired male crossed his arms defensively over his chest, in case someone decided to bother him. He supposed he was about as strong as a human.. in his other shape, he was built to dart about in the skyy away from those condemned to the ground. For now, however, he was just going to walk around, taking in the muted sights and sounds.

And what a sight this dancer presented. He joined the crowd, a majority of men, lowering his bright brown eyes to the sandy clearing almost bashfully. He wans't necessarily attracted to the dark goddess... he didn't suppose she was a shifter like himself. She did, however, appear to have the pointed ears of an elf... but Emeriil was so very pale... and she had such dark skin. It suited her, though, to be a living shadow. She certainly moved with the same litheness of a shadow...

As the female went on her way, the male ambled to the side, arching around in a wide semi-circle. He'd seen some sort of stand close by that sold hot food... and he was very hungry... and rather lost, come to think of it. He was very much used to a bird's eye view of things. On the ground, he struggled to find his way even in a simple forest. Resiiln joked that he could not even stay on a path... she was probably right.

"Pardon me." He'd kept his eyes on the ground, as if to help him find his way, pausing in front of a pair of boots. His husky words paused as he looked up, recognizing the gypsy dancer. Tadrian had no extra senses as a human- however, when he spoke, his voice was a husky, little-used bark that belied his soft, friendly, somewhat naive apperance.

OutOfCharacter- Sorry! Dx I rushed this.

[Spotty]

While her ears may have been pointed, it was a coincidence -- or a birth defect -- and she was assured she any elf blood was nonexistent in her own ancestry. Gypsy, surely... and perhaps something else, but... her heritage was something she tried to avoid much thought over.

Her frustrations were interrupted when the male nearly ran into her and she paused in her trek, glancing up towards Tadrian with a lifted eyebrow. She began to mutter something most likely impolite -- though probably not in Common -- when he offered an apology.

The woman regarded him for a moment, switching the slowly spreading scowl to a teasing grin. "Do not fret, my friend," she replied easily, though her voice was garbled by a thick and foreign accent.

Verusha lowered her hand from furiously toying with her earring to retrieving an object from her pocket. Tilting her head, she procured a folded piece of parchment from the folds of her fabric. "Are you lost?"

It was easy to sense the quiet despair of summon that had lost their way within his gaze and his demeanor and speech. Priding herself on being able to recognize weakness in others, it wasn't difficult to surmise such a thing and she observed Tadrian expectantly, waiting his predictable answer to her question.

ooc;;
Sorry it took so long, I was away from my computer the better part of the last four days. ><;

[Tabbies]

OutOfCharacter- I thought Verusha's ears were pointed in her picture- did I assume incorrectly? D:

BackInCharacter-

Tadrian regarded the female with some wariness, tilting his head to the side as he looked her up and down, before flicking his gaze between her eyes. She'd seemed annoyed with him at first- well, he could only imagine. Most female's he associated with had extremely fiery tempers- namely Resiiln, but she couldn't possibly represent the entire female population, could she? He hadn't thought that all women were so easily angered, but instead of backing away, he simply stared at her contemplatively.

"Do not fret, my friend."

Oh, he wouldn't. The male offered a small smile, glancing again to the side. He wasn't not happy with his current form- all his senses were muted- even his sight; the colors were duller, and he felt like he was viewing the world through a muddy stream of water. At least the scents of food was relatively strong- it was interesting, nonetheless, to taste the cocophany of wafting scents in the air.

"Are you lost?" Tadrian watched her hands as she pulled out the cloth package, tilting his head first to the left, then the right, blinking up at her- much like a bird. Or in his case... a fox. His lips parted in a more casual grin, teeth dull and unthreatening.

"Yes." He admitted honestly, glancing about his bright, cheerful surroundings with an expression of frustration. "I am not used to such a view..."

OutOfCharacter- Sorry, don't know when you'll have a reply again... D:

(If we keep this up, we'll have apologies at the end of every post- -snicker-)

[Spotty]

She was not unaccustomed to the sizing up that Tadrian bestowed upon her, and really, found it refreshing to not see a scowl or judgmental expression accompanying the action. Why people thought the most horrible things of her, she had no idea. Really.

This woman had no fiery temper about her at all. She seemed to possess only one temper and that was an even-tempered, teasing, cheerful one. Of course, that personality served her well in this profession; peddling wares with a scowl did not bring much business, no?

"Ah the view, it is quite distracting, no?" Again her speech was garbled by her odd accent, but her charming smile more than made up for the difficulty...at least, in her oh so humble opinion.

Verusha's demeanor changed immediately when he confessed to being lost. Unfolding the parchment, the paper worn from use, she revealed a map. Eyes twinkling in slight amusement, the gypsy regarded the map for a second, then glanced up at Tadrian. "Perhaps you would have interest for map?"

Pursing her lips in consideration, she seemed to size him up, regarding him with those infuriatingly teasing light eyes. "For you, my friend, I make a deal of thirty gold."

The map was folded and she waited for his reply, trying not to eye his gold purse too eagerly.



ooc;;
The ears are pointed in the picture, but she's not elven. ^-~
Don't worry about it. xD

[Tabbies]

"Ah, the view is quite distracting, no?"

"The world from above is better." Tadrian nodded carefully, craning his neck forward to make out her words. She spoke differently then his fellows- it was interesting to compare. The shifter found himself constantly noting differences in this new female from any he'd met before- and now, it wasn't just looks. There was, however, one thing he did recognize- and that was her convenient two-legged ability to procure things out of midair. Well- perhaps it wasn't limited to the ones who only had a single shape- after all, Resiiln carried bags around frequently.

Tadrian was the only one who walked around with hardly more then the clothes on his back. And of course, his money. For this single adventure on his own, Tadrian had a third of the funds he usually carried- Resiiln and Emeriil trusted him with large portions their money more often then not. After all- who would dare steal from such a being- with huge flaring wings and a snarling muzzle that dripped saliva onto wickedly black claws?

... It was rather a shame he was so soft and huggable in this form. Tadrian wasn't as street-wise as his companions, and Verusha was offering him the world. Literally- the world on a map, if he understood her correctly.

With only slight misgivings, the male nodded at the price, admiring the worn parchment carefully.

"What does the map show?" He queried- feeling very proud of himself. After all, he only needed to get through this town- unless he wanted to keep wandering. This was proving rather enjoyable.

[Spotty]

"This map shows the boundaries of the city," she declared with a nod, tapping the parchment to her forehead, as if reading the page without having to view it with her own eyes, "And the surroundings for miles," she lowered the map to her side and grinned, teasing charm never leaving her eyes.

"And all for thirty gold," the gypsy repeated her offer with a wink, moving to offer the map to him, but keeping the parchment close to her own person. She would not be parting with the invaluable item without the offer of gold in return.

While Tadrian might have been a snarling and horrible monster in another form, the gypsy, obviously, found him to be as innocent and harmless as could be in his current form. As such, she spoke to him with ease and made this offer with even more unreservedness and smoothness.

Her free hand lifted to her earring, toying with the item in a coy and alluring manner, hoping to encourage him to agree to this arrangement.

"A better trade you could find nowhere, my friend." She vowed with another grin.

[Tabbies]

The boundaries of the city... but not how to get through this bazaar itself?

The male faltered only momentarily, watching as the female lifted the parchment to her head. Perhaps she was a mind reader?

Miles around... I could wander for so long! He was in absolutely no rush to get anywhere. Well- besides finding food... and he supposed he would need shelter...

"Thirty gold..." He repeated softly, searching her eyes before tensing as she shifted- his own hand fluttered down to his side where the small bag of gold was tied to his hip. His wide brown eyes stared as she toyed with her ear- the movement automatically distracted his gaze- all too easily he wondered at the way her earring twisted her malleable ear lobe. Huh. He wasn't sure if his ears could do that.

"A better trade you could find nowhere, my friend."

"Alright." Tadrian finally decided, letting his face go blank as he twisted the bag in his hand and counted out the desired amount of gold- he rarely used facial expressions anyway- they did no good in his other body, right? His hands extended and cupped loosely to hold the gold- his hip was twisted away to protect what gold he had left- as his eyes latched back onto the paper he was paying for.

OutOfCharacter- I figured you would like the pictures... >>; 'Cuz I forgot to put them up earlier. xD

Tadrian- Jay Fox

Tadrian- Human

[Spotty]

At the appearance of the gold, the gypsy graciously offered the map to the man, though she made no move to release the parchment until the gold was placed in her own hand. When the transaction was complete, she bowed deeply to him and straightened, offering yet another grin.

"I hope that map serves you well, my friend."

With a wink, and a sweeping motion of her arm to signify her departure, the gypsy pocketed the gold, and moved off within the crowds with that. She purposefully made herself scarce within the crowds, which likely didn't not bode well for her credibility in Tadrian's opinion, but... if she disappeared, what matter did it if he suspected her of selling a bad map?

Which, was precisely what she had done.

[Tabbies]

The male didn't think twice as he tugged the parchment from the woman's hand, bringing it to his forehead as Verusha had done, wondering if the paper had magical qualities.

... It did not. By the time his brown eyes had lifted again, the female had vanished. Just as well, he supposed. He didn't want to buy her lunch- and eating in front of people could be so very embarrassing. Or, so he was told. Emeriil seemed to think it was incredibly rude- Tadrian didn’t really care.

"... Thank you..." He murmured softly, tucking the papers into his jerkin's belt and allowing himself to be jostled along with the crowd like a leaf in a current, feeling quite proud of himself. After all- he now had a map. He could relax until sunset if he wished...


It was not until a few hours later when the male wished to read the map, that Tadrian stared at the parchment- completely baffled.

. . .

He could not read it. And the lines seemed... wrong- they did not appear to match the area he'd been wandering. After a brief thought, the male began jogging through the crowds, jumping on his toes every so often in attempt to see over the many heads. It was infuriating to be so slight in his human form! He would much rather have flown- but shifting quickly took energy, and besides, he wanted to sleep in a genuine bed tonight, not on the forest floor-!

"Excuse me- sorry-! I am simply trying to-" Tadrian broke off with a grunt and edged past a very large muscular creature- an ogre, perhaps?- before his eyes lit onto the woman who'd sold him the map.

"Excuse me- my lady?"

[Spotty]

Admittedly, the ogre had been a poor individual to proposition for a business transaction, but he happened to possess a very large amount of gold on his person. Which was enough reason to bat her lashes in an all too appealing, practiced manner. Along with her charm, the gypsy wielded a glass orb, toying with the object enticingly. It hadn't been long before she had finally worn the ogre down, and they had agreed on the price.

But as the ogre began to offer the sum of gold to Verusha, someone nearly collided with his colossal form. Her gaze barely acknowledged Tadrian until she spoke. Eyebrow lifting slightly, she was faced with the sudden feeling of familiarity. Turning her gaze towards the man, her lips twitched downwards.

Damnit.

Verusha tossed the crystal globe into the air, catching the object with a perfected flick of her wrist. Pocketing the globe, she winked at first the ogre, and then Tadrian.

"Many apologies, my friends. It seems I have just remembered something important." Wicked grin fixed on her lips, she disappeared within the crowd, in a flash of dark locks and the tinkling of her metal jewelry.

After slipping past many individuals, she took off at a sprint, hoping to evade and lose Tadrian. How had he found her again? And, it was likely he was angry, no?

[Tabbies]

The male stood, stunned, his index finger still lifted as he tried to speak, only to blink at the spot where the female had been a split second ago, his breath hesitating. He'd been planning to speak- now what was he supposed to do?

"Er- but-" Exchanging a glance with the ogre, Tadrian carefully looked the other up and down, twiddling his thumbs as he sidled after the woman. Had she been upset to see him? He was only wondering if she could tell him what each little symbol meant-! Oh, he was so very confused.

"Excuse me- my lady-! I just-" The male scratched helplessly at the back of his neck and frowned, slowly assuming chase. He wondered at her expression- it had been mildly alarming, and Tadrian's lips twitched as he scrambled up a ladder in effort to see over the many milling creatures in the bazaar, his brown eyes catching sight of the disturbance in Verusha's wake.

"Please wait-!" He called, before realizing she probably couldn't hear him, and with a resigned sigh, he shot after her, dancing between the figures with a practiced ease. He was not angry- simply confused and fearful he had misunderstood her very kind actions of selling him the map.

Gasping for breath and at the pain in his side, the male winced and clutched at his gut, lifting his gaze to stare at the female's back before he gave a final lunge, hand outstretched. He didn't even think he'd catch her- she was fast-! Why, oh why oh why oh why was he stuck in this form? He was so helpless!