abraxaslogs | [ CLOSED ]

[ With her back turned to the merchant, they can't see the smug look on her face. Instead of responding right away though she returns the dye samples back to the table, smoothing them down in a hurry. The moment she looks up her misty doe eyes are turned on in an instant, along with an apologetic smile that has a strong dash of, "please forgive me, he was bullying me."

The merchant, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden teary eyed expression doesn't seem to know what to do. They're only further placated by Hilda picking up several other bottles of the red that Reno is holding. ]

Not as valuable as these handcrafted dyes though. They're the best in the whole market. [ And then to the merchant who's still baffled as she reaches in to extract enough coin for half of the purchase - ] We'll take these, please.

[ And then below the stand, Hilda reaches out her leg to give Reno's shin a kind of gentle, not really, kick. She's not paying for this all by herself. It isn't even her hair! ]

[ Oh, now he's the bad guy? (Okay, he is, sometimes, usually, depending on how you wanna look at it, but that ain't the point.) He rolls his eyes, folding his arms back across his chest to let her take her pick.

So maybe he pays a guy to do this for him back home. What is he, some sorta heathen? He's not putting questionable hair dye from some stall outta Wall Market on his head. What if all of his damn hair falls out? You know how long it takes to grow it out?

(He's gonna mark down her little trick, though. Could be useful to get them outta real trouble.) ]

Some of us don't got a salary. [ Despite his complaint, Reno digs out a handful of not-gil from his pocket. No, he's not gonna tell where that came from. Let's just say a few of the drunken idiots in the gambling halls have lighter wallets. He slaps the money down on the counter and makes a hand it over motion at the merchant. ] There's gotta be a cheaper way to do this.

Edited 2023-06-07 22:51 (UTC)

[ An eyebrow arches so sharply that it might as well have cut diamonds. It's aimed not just at the comment about not having a salary, but also at the ridiculously rude hand motion.

The vampire merchant doesn't seem particularly jazzed about it either, snatching the coin from Reno's hand and purposefully placing their chosen dyes in Hilda's hands. Probably not hard to assume which one of them will be welcomed back in the future.

Hilda all but trills a sweet up thank you to the merchant before dragging Reno unceremoniously away from the stall. ]

The cheaper way is making your own dyes but I get the feeling you're not going to pick that up as a hobby, are you?

[ Reno appears unfazed by the whole display, like he exists in a perpetual state where people are pissed at him and that's just how it is. Which is kinda accurate. He strolls off with her, giving the fangy man a cheeky little wave. ]

Eh. [ He moves to slip his hands in his pockets out of habit, only to realize these flowy robes out of Thorne don't have any damn pockets. ] Who knows? Maybe you've inspired me. Anyway, what about you? You selling your rings and shit or what?

[ You know, all that jewelry making she talked about. ]

I got a guy back at the castle trying to sling pizzas, but he's not real good at getting his empire off the ground.

[ Regardless, it's probably a good thing he's got someone at least acting like some level of PR for him. Not that Hilda has any idea what PR is, let alone even stands for. ]

Aw, inspired you? Can you say that again for the record, please?

[ She knows that it's probably dripping in sarcasm, but she'll take the small wins where she can get them. It's mostly something for her to distract from the fact that he seems to have hit on a relatively embarrassing subject. ]

But no, I haven't. [ There's some hesitation on her part. ] I don't really know what to price them at. And it's mostly a hobby not like a business or anything. [ She casts him a sidelong glance, happy to peel the focus away from her. ] What's pizza?

Edited (saw a typo do not perceive me ) 2023-06-11 01:11 (UTC)

A professional never puts anything on the record.

[ That's world-class advice from a Turk himself. He glances back at her 'cause yeah, he does catch that hesitation. She's a little funny to him, if he's being honest. A lot of stuff he wouldn't expect her to care about except she apparently does, like her axe-wielding prowess or, uh, making rings? What's with that?

Look, he ain't judging (this time). It's just something he's starting to notice.

He waves his hand. ] You can sell anything at any price with the right confidence.

[ That's what life at Shinra taught him, so that's the wisdom he's imparting upon her. ]

You never had a pizza? [ He clicks his tongue. ] Boy, you're in for a treat. Now, I could bring you one through that portal, but cold pizza's a hangover delicacy. You want a steaming hot one for your first.

Edited 2023-06-12 18:43 (UTC)

[ That seems to strike a nerve with her and she frowns, protesting. ]

I've got plenty of confidence!

[ If that wasn't evident in the way she carried herself then she isn't sure what did. Although, deep down, even she knows that that's only true to a point. Pretty packaging could really only do so much. ]

I've never really thought about selling them before. And if I did sell them, what if it's too much? Or too little?

[ She had always claimed that numbers made her head spin. In some ways they did - but she was mostly just lazy. Back to this apparent "delicacy" that Reno is apparently offering to - wait a minute. That was definitely an offer. Her eyes narrow for a split second before - ]

Are you...offering to do something nice for me? [ There's a little wiggle of her fingers towards him, lips twitching at the corners. ] What's the catch?

[ Reno pokes his index finger in her direction like she's just hit the jackpot about the point he's making. ] Exactly. Plenty of confidence for plenty of profit.

[ But like her, he's easily distracted by the prospect of pizza. The sort of thing he didn't think twice about back home. Now he misses the simple shit. Pizza, cars, electric heaters. Even chocobos.

He scoffs. Nice. Ugh. You know, he can be nice (this is not a lie), but he's sure as hell not being nice to her. ]

As if. We'll call it a trade. I show you mine, you show me yours. Then we see whose is [ bigger ] better. Deal?

[ Hilda is fairly sure that when it comes to business, confidence is just one part of the equation. And even then, you didn't even need to have a good product to have the level of confidence some merchants had. Diving into her insecurities now doesn't seem like the best idea though, and certainly not with him.

Having chosen to make a little vacation out of Nocwich, she tugs him (rather unceremoniously) down the street towards the inn she's staying at. Where else were they going to dye his hair after all? Somehow she doubts that the spas would be very receptive to them making a mess of their communal baths.

There's a hum of faux thought before she gives him a roll of her eyes. ]

Deal. But I think you're going to owe me double after I finish dying your hair. [ There's a burst of laughter from her. ] Oh, I know! Maybe you can deliver pizzas a hobby around Thorne. That will kill time for sure, right?

[ CLOSED ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

wrap soon?

wrapped! 💕