#thedarkbornelf

Long white hairs, bronze skin and a slightly pointed ears of an half-elf. Interesting. Her name, Kadri, was also not typical, even if he had no intention of using it. Addressing anyone like that at the very first meeting was a level of fraternizing he preferred to avoid.

‘Miss Verichel, then,’ Devon said, repeating the surname a couple of times in thoughts to learn it. He was trained to do it quickly. Formal approach was one of the few features from his youth he had a luxury to keep. Many had to be quickly unlearned or abandoned.

Not that he regretted.

The young mage definitely took an interest to crystals. Devon eyed her movements discretely and mentally congratulated himself on choosing this shop. Young woman seemed to be competent and her dreamlike gaze was indicating passion. Any work in an aficionado’s hands was going to be better.

Mina started to look around, her head rotating around with ease, like it was a children’s toy. Devon didn’t spare her a glance – he didn’t have to. 

/If you find something interesting, inform me.\

“Oh, please, no worries, miss Verichel,” he assured, “I fully understand the need for a careful examination.” His moth curled in an ironic smile. “Especially now, when I realized I failed to notice the flaws myself.”

Which should have NOT happened.

Yes, the young mage was rambling. Definitely an aficionado. Good.

Upon hearing a question about his name, Devon put a hand at his chest and bowed slightly and very formally. “My name is Devon Tenebris, miss Verichel. A diviner and a mage,” he introduced himself politely. “And your newest client, as it seems.”

He gestured to the crystals now lying on the counter. “I mainly wanted an appraise of their quality, but I didn’t expect all of them to be flawed. If you’re offering an repair, I am certainly interested in that. I need, however, only the most flawless crystals. Is it even possible to fix them back to a perfect state?”

:: ‘House of Cards’ sentence starters ::

With slightdisbelief, Devon walked up to the window and lifted the crystal to look at itin a better light. The sunrays played inside the bluish matter, twinkling and illuminatingit from the inside, and just now showing perfectly a thin and long scratch nearthe bottom. The wizard’s lips parted so slightly in surprise. How could he missthat?

“A… ratherapt observation, I believe,” he said slowly. “Indeed, it is flawed.”

A mediumsized, brown owl with white, spotted tummy who was waiting politely at the shop’scounter, turned her head to the shopkeeper and slowly blinked. Veeery slowly.

Frowning,Devon stroked his beard. He was more displeased with himself than he could leton. Nothing excused his inattention, nothing. Surpassing a snort, he turned backand returned to the counter.

“Hmm?”Ophelia was bused with sharpening her short sword with a stone, but uponfeeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned her head to look behind her.

“Anadventure?” she repeated after Kadri and quirked a brow, puzzlement evident onher face. The question was… unexpected, to say the least, but definitely moreconfusing was it odd vagueness.

“Well… Thatwould depend on where you would like to go precisely. There are many places,where the adventure can hide! Sometimes it’s right behind the corner!” she saidcheerfully and straightened up. She tossed the stone to the side, minding tonot accidentally hit something, then she turned around to face her friend.

With a helpless sigh and a cheerful smile, Jarlaxle holds out both hands as though he doesn’t know what to do with them. “Ah, my dearest Kadri, truly, to think of so pure a creature in that manner is verily unscrupulous! Oh, I am most put upon, to have to entertain such thoughts about gentle, kind Kadri!”

Letting out another dramatic sigh, the dandy drow explains, “I’d imagine that Kadri is in bed as she is at any time -- tender, compassionate, considerate and almost unbearably adorable. Why, at this very moment I can practically see the soft rose hue that’d likely color her cheeks during every heartbeat of it! Her shy glances and involuntary stutters would surely and thoroughly melt the heart of any man -- or woman, if that were her fancy!”

The mercenary raises a white eyebrow. “At least a few months? It sounds like this journey-taker is going quite far.” 

The smile fades somewhat from Jarlaxle’s handsome features. Though appreciative of Kadri’s sentiment, he can’t help but think of her recent query about the Underdark, and the unmistakable curiosity that she displayed when she asked about it.