𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓

“ Ah— is that so? ”

One drop of the rose liquid touches her wrist - with the aroma immediately filling the room. Not something of her personal like, but it's not as terrible as one may think.

❝  as  for  myself,  i've  been  told  this  marketplace  holds  many  unique  and  interesting  treasures  if  one  knows  where  to  look.  i'm  a  simple  merchant  by  trade,  you  see  —  it  would  behoove  me  to  study  the  competition.  ❞   volo's  voice  takes  on  a  playful  undertone  as  he  speaks;  it's  clear  he's  only  using  that  as  an  excuse  to  satisfy  his  own  curiosity.

❝  were  you  searching  for  anything  in  particular,  miss?  not  to  impose,  of  course  —  consider  it  an  innocent  inquiry  from  a  lost  soul  simply  trying  to  gain  his  bearings.  ❞

❝ And I can feel it… 

         THE EMBERS BURNING DEEP IN MY SOUL

                                                             pushing me to my next adventure. ❞

                  indie.     private.     semi-selective.     drunkenly penned by pokecat.

                                             rules.          about.         team.         nav.

                  welcome to the next chapter of the rareitan champion six's adventure !  

₊˚⊹ ㅤa collection of loose quotes taken from various characters from hades (supergiant games). these quotes are from the first game of the series. writing/roleplaying prompts. from fluff to angst! feel free to edit as you see fit, especially since some are gendered.

“ My, it seems neither of our partners are particularly pleased about this.” Grimsley shook his head in tacit agreement with his partner’s reservations. “ And what a shame it would be if we couldn’t get along.” His usually guileful smile turned rueful, after all, there was no ill will between them. They were all friends here.

❝  i  was  going  to  ask  if  you've  any  interest  in  making  a  purchase,  ❞  the  merchant  continues,  turning  back.  ❝  although,  i  suddenly  feel  obligated  to  reassure  you  about  the  integrity  of  my  wares.  ❞  it's  phrased  with  a  semi-joking  undertone  —  an  attempt  to  inject  a  bit  of  levity  into  an  otherwise  awkward  situation.

❝  unless,  of  course,  there  may  be  something  else  you're  after?  ❞

Just  as  he's  about  to  speak,  his  Toxtricity  nudges  into  his  side.  And  leans  in  to  sniff  at  the  bag  Volo  has  set  down.  Well  now  that  he's  curious,  Jericho  will  have  to  buy  him  something-  or  he'll  never  hear  the  end  of  it.  "  Somethin'  fer  them,  I  got  two  others  so  make  it  three.  And...  "  a  pause,  "  Some  questions  maybe. I ain't from 'round here- like t'get  my bearin's... y'know? "

in  any  case,  the  inquiry  that  follows  is  far  more  interesting  than  matters  of  mere  commerce.  merchants  are  an  invaluable  source  of  information  —  the  ginkgo  guild's  propensity  for  gossip  was  once  the  most  terribly  kept  secret  in  all  of  hisui.  idly  volo  wonders  if  the  true  purpose  of  this  exchange  was  for  precisely  that  reason  —  knowledge  is  a  resource  worth  its  weight  in  gold,  after  all.  (  assuming  that  is  the  case,  this  customer  has  earned  an  ounce  of  genuine  respect  for  his  shrewdness.  )  ❝  by  all  means,  ask  away.  ❞  the  merchant  says  aloud,  a  slightly  knowing  tilt  to  the  curve  of  his  smile.   ❝  truthfully,  i  don't  hail  from  this  area,  myself  —  although,  if  the  crowds  have  caught  your  interest,  i've  been  told  there's  an  important  historical  exhibit  on  display.  very  rare,  very  valuable  artifacts.  exciting,  isn't  it?  ❞  that's  certainly what  has  drawn  volo  in  like  a  mothim  to  flame.

...and since fucking WHEN is there a hole in the goddamn wall, anyway?!

Guzma was all but ready to kick the guy's ass right out of Po Town, when he instead pointed at the Pokèmon currently chilling at the top of the Shady House - a feeling that just gets harder to ignore when the tourist starts rambling about legends and whatnot.

"Sounds like a load of bullshit.", he answers, as polite as ever, accompanying that comment with a loud groan "And that your weird bird should get its eyes checked.

a  hand  raises  to  his  chin.  in  the  absence  of  volo's  gratuitous  chatter,  the  steady  pitter-pattering  of  the  rain  seems  to  drown  out  any  other  sound.  ❝  suppose  the  only  option  is  to  get  her  attention.  ❞  he  finally  says,  clicking  his  tongue  in  exasperation.  a  fairly  obvious  conclusion  —  though  that  is  assuming  she  isn't  ignoring  him  on  purpose.  (  idly,  the  merchant  thinks  he  affords  her  more  lenience  than  he  does  any  of  his  other  pokemon.  it  isn't  even  much  of  a  contest.  )

❝  fortunately  that  shouldn't  be  too  difficult  —  if  it  isn't  already  obvious,  her  sense  of  curiosity  is  insatiable.  ❞  a  bit  like  someone  else, really.

❛ i'm sorry to bother, but is your togekiss friendly? my ninetales has never seen one before, and snowy would really like to say hello! ❜

❝  oh,  she's  perfectly  friendly  —  almost  a  bit  too  friendly,  one  might  say ...  ❞  it's  a  comical  sight  to  behold,  the  way  he  has  to  use  his  body  as  a  shield  to  prevent  the  ball  of  fluff  and  feathers  from  rushing  over  to  greet  a  prospective  new  friend.  togekiss  has  always  been  a  bit  too  curious  for  her  own  good.  (  much  like  someone  else  in  her  orbit.  )  it  was  manageable  when  she  was  still  a  togepi,  too  small  to  scramble  far  without  catching  volo's  notice  —  yet  now,  equipped  with  a  sizeable  wingspan  to  match  her  boisterous  personality,  keeping  her  out  of  trouble  has  proven  a  full  time  job  unto  itself.

❝  although,  i've  never  seen  a  ninetales  quite  like  yours before.  ❞  a  flicker  of  interest  lights  up  his  eye,  momentarily  distracting  him  from  the  fairy  type's  antics.  ❝  is  that  fur  color  common in  this  region?  i've heard tales of vulpix with white fur, but suspected they were mere rumor ...  ❞

"hm?" farrows head turned,he hadn't fully been paying much mind to the fact the stranger before him had been looking at his pokemon beside him for a moment now honestly farrow had become quite used to this sort of thing at this point miraidon wasn't exactly a..very common (if you can even say that) pokemon,all farrow had been mentally preparing for was how to explain well anything about it without giving too many details a stranger shouldn't need to know.

"oh dont worry about it,im..or well miraidon here is used to it" the android said giving a slight wave of assurance as well as getting a chirp from the lizard like mon laying besides him.

❝  the  eyes  are  a  natural  part  of  its  body  as  well?  they  appear  unlike  anything  i've  ever  seen  —  like  lights,  projected  behind  a  cage  of  glass.  ❞  in  hindsight,  the  merchant  supposes  that  isn't  entirely  accurate.  he  HAS  seen  something  like  this  before  —  in  the  screens  adorning  the  settlements  of  this  era,  flickering  through  brightly  colored  advertisements.  the  difference,  of  course,  is  that  they  were  not  attached  to  a  living  creature.

volo  pauses  then,  awareness  crashing  over  him  like  a  splash  of  cold  water.  needling  information  out  of  others  is  a  delicate  dance,  and  too  many  questions  in  such  quick  succession  threatens  to  have  the  opposite  effect.  ❝  does  your  companion  eat?  ❞  the  merchant  asks  instead.  (  a  calculated  move;  providing  value  to  his  continued  presence.  )  ❝  i  make  it  a  point  to  carry  treats  in  my  bag;  one  never  knows  when  they  might  come  in  handy.  ❞

He gasped almost as if he was offended as Volo continued, seemingly taking his nonchalance as an insult to Emmet's locational knowledge of the region. 'If nothing of the sort came to mind'? Of course Emmet had suggestions. He considered that an incredibly important part of his job. Everyone had to get somewhere, and if was unable to help those that didn't know where they ought to go, he would be a station master. Thankfully, the followup seemed to appease Emmet and he let out a sigh of relief as he realized he'd taken his former words the wrong way. Calling Emmet a seasoned expert was absolutely not a strange thing to say in this context. In fact, it was exactly the right thing to say to him in this moment to earn his favor and relief. As someone who'd been born and raised as the seemingly less preferable twin, he tended to be a bit starved for compliments and it showed in the way his default customer service sort of smile brightened into something wider and far more genuine.

"No need to pick at random!!!" He insisted, a bit too loudly. He took a large step backwards as he swiftly crossed his arms in an X, as to not accidentally collide with Volo or his map. "Leaving things to fate can be fun sometimes, but if you have preferences they should be catered to! I would feel bad if you arrived somewhere boring instead of somewhere you would have liked more!" He gave a few matter-of-fact nods in an attempt to show just how serious he was about this. "I have the perfect place for you, okay?" In a series of rapid movements, his arms broke apart and fell back to his side just for him to thrust them forward and place his hands on the commuter's shoulders, as if to make him stay in place until Emmet had given him a destination.

"If you like historical sites, you're in luck! Relic Castle is rrrreally really close to here- you wouldn't even have to take the train." More like he wouldn't be able to take the train. They didn't have a line that led directly to it. "If you would allow me, I would be happy to take you! You have to go through the desert to reach it, but I know you would really like it! It is all that's left from an ancient city built by the twin heroes that founded this region over two thousand years ago. A lot of it has been filled with sand over the years, but some of the floors are still accessible!!! It can be sorrrt of dangerous, but I promise to keep you safe as long as you're in my care, okay?"

historical  sites?  relic  castle?  ancient  city?  (  TWO  THOUSAND  year  old  RUINS?  )  there's  a  sharp  intake  of  breath  —  followed  by  the  audible  crunch  of  crinkling  paper  as  volo  hugs  the  map  to  his  chest,  forgotten  in  the  sudden  surge  of  excitement.  where  he  once  maintained  a  pleasant  and  presumed  socially  acceptable  degree  of  interest,  the  merchant's  eye  lights  up  with  enough  raw  enthusiasm  to  power  an  entire  city  block.  ❝  oh!  ❞   a  single  syllable  escapes  him,  buzzing  with  delighted  shock  comparable  to  a  child  greeted  by  a  surprise  party  and  a  mountain  of  birthday  presents.  another  crinkle.  ❝  ...  oh.  ❞  volo  looks  down,  blinking  at  the  map  —  once  pristine,  now  carelessly  crumpled.  fortunately,  the  merchant's  dismay  lasts  only  a  moment.  he's  practically  vibrating  with  excitement.  he's  had  precious  few  opportunities  to  study  the  history  of  the  unova  region  —  geographically,  it  was  never  exactly  feasible.  what  few  texts  and  artifacts  did  make  their  way  into  volo's  hands  painted  a  picture  of  a  rich  and  long-spanning  history  that  left  him  ravenous  to  sink  his  teeth  into  it  in  earnest.  (  a  bit  like  reading  an  excerpt  of  a  fascinating  book  with  no  way  to  hunt  down  the  source.  )  ❝  oh  —  ?  ❞  he's  crumpled  the  map  to  his  chest  again,  smiling  genuinely  at  his  would-be  guide.  it's  only  the  hands  on  his  shoulders  that  keep  volo  glued  in  place. a blessing in disguise, lest he go scrambling away all by his lonesome; it's been known to happen.

❝  yes  —  yes  please,  i  couldn't  possibly  think  of  anything  more  perfect.  ❞  his  voice  wavers,  a  rare  departure  from  his  usual  smooth-talking  merchant  exterior.  noticing  this,  volo  pretends  to  clear  his  throat  as  he  rapidly  reassembles  his  composure.  ❝  ...  and  you  sound  very  knowledgeable  about  these  ruins!  it  would  be  an  honor  to  have  you  as  my  guide.  ❞  idly  volo  muses  that  he's  never  actually  traversed  a  desert  before  —  is  it  hard?  (  the  merchant  isn't  exactly  accustomed  to  heat.  )  well,  certainly  nothing  he  can't  handle.   ❝  by  all  means,  lead  the  way  my  friend!  ❞