bakerstreet | Sweet to mouth and low to sigh. Come buy, come buy.

Sweet to mouth and low to sigh. Come buy, come buy.

The Goblin Market Meme
Based on the Demon's Lexicon

A haven from magicians, a tourist trap, and most of all – a business; the Goblin Markets of the world are places of wonder and magic. Within these mobile night markets, you can find a collection of potion makers, fortune tellers, goods and true answers traded by money or favours.

Things to do:

JUST VISITING: perhaps it's your first time at the market, found through need or by invitation. Take your time browsing through the shops: enchanted weaponry, protective charms, fine crafts and decor. Go get your fortune told.

STEP IT OUT: as a dancer, you're one of the main reasons people show up. Dancing is not only a performance, but done correctly - it can call up demons who will trade their services for a price. Careful - breaking the circle or a misstep can be disastrous. No one wants to be possessed.

WHAT A LOVELY WAY TO BURN: fever fruit and fever blossom water can be a quick way to lower inhibitions. From a dancer, the fever blossom is a way to show favour. How that turns out depends on what you do after.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK: if you need a demon's mark removed, or answers to questions that can be found nowhere else, stop by the dance circles. Demons never lie. And their price is always higher than you think it is.

HOME IS WHERE...: you have our own booth, is the leader of the market or are one of the many persons who make their home at the market. Maybe you've got your own abilities - a Pied Piper perhaps, or a necromancer. Not everyone who has magic goes on to become a magician. There's a life outside the market, yes - but it's not where your heart is set.

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There are certain points in your life when you should stop and really look at what you're doing. Tifa is pretty sure this isn't one of those times. So she'll just shake her head.

"No mask. That's fine. You're - I like you just fine the way you are now. Just - " and this is probably something she shouldn't be reminding whatever's really in front of her but - "aren't you supposed to be a bit more... sanity shattering?"

"Oh, um, yes." He shifts from foot to foot shyly. "That can definitely happen! I try to avoid it when, you know, interacting with others. It doesn't always have to be 'welcome to this crazy time'."

"It doesn't?" Because everything she'd ever heard indicated that it most certainly did. "Not that I'm arguing!" Because, really, she was all right with things, you know, not suddenly shifting into more dimensions than her mind was capable of handling.

Or tentacles. She was really, really okay with the lack of tentacles.

Honestly, she really shouldn't believe the kid in front of her at all. It was just - it felt too - solid to be a lie. Like a stone dropped in the liquid of reality and even, maybe especially, at the Faire, things that were real and true resonated like brass bells.

"Well... um, thank you. For - not making me go crazy. That's a permanent offer?"

He looks at her very seriously. "Permanent... so like, forever? Forever is a very long time... how long are we talking...? Promising a permanent offer seems like it could backfire on you somehow..."

Not going crazy sounds like it shouldn't have any down sides to it, and, even living at the Faire, Tifa doesn't exactly expect to make it to 'forever'. When an ancient eldrich conscious from the beginning of time asks you 'are you sure?' however it seems like a good idea to pay attention.

"How about for this visit then? And perhaps at least at the beginning of the next if you ever do come back?"

"Oh, of course!" Hastur clasps his hands together. "You seem like a real nice oneesan anyway. I'm happy that I came to shop with you."

He seems to mean it! Apparently. Probably.

And she'd thought her life was strange before... With an exhale she'll, if not relax in her seat again, at least not look like she's on the verge of bolting for the door. It is pretty hard not to smile at the cheerful enthusiasm of that reaction, even if it is apparently, probably.

"All right then. Let's find that gift for your friend. Do you think he'd wear jewelry?"

His face falls a little. "No, if I tried giving him jewelry, he'd definitely just turn around and pretend he hasn't seen it."

"That's all right," that sad face might be worse than permanent insanity. "That just helps us narrow your gift down. It would be nice if we could find something he'll keep on him most of the time, right? Would he use a key chain?"

Perk. "He does use keys," Hastur says. "When we all walk home from school, if his mom isn't home already, he has to unlock the door!"

This seems to be a great realization, as if he hasn't actually bothered to pay attention to things like locks and doors before now.

No. She wouldn't suppose someone like that would be acquainted with having to mundanely unlock doors. This friend that was getting the gift must be a very interesting person. Cute and eldritch though... with a humming sound, she'll lean down and dig for a small box near the back of one of the drawers still in its case behind her. Weird isn't beginning to cover her day but she can handle this.

"All right. It's a charm for a necklace but we can make it into a keyring charm instead. And it's small enough that it shouldn't get in the way. You can decide if you want yours to stay a necklace or make it a key chain as well. If... this is something that you think would work."

Because sweetheart gift shopping for the King in Yellow isn't exactly her area of expertise but particularly not this kind of King in Yellow. She'll shake the small charms out into her palm and hold them out.

"What do you think of this
?"

"Hmmm..." He frowns a little. "It's cute, but I've never gotten along with Cthulhu..."

Maybe Derleth's classifications were right.

"I mean, honestly," he continues, "I like it, and I like cake, but the Cthulhu Corporation's always trying to undermine my family's business, and I've only ever managed to get along with one of the Cthulhi. R'lyehland is nice to visit but I wouldn't go there openly, either, even if we have some nice memories together there..."

He looks embarrassed by having to reject it, though, ducking his head and shifting more. "Um, maybe we can move away from the eldrich part," he offers. "Cute and yellow?"

"Someone is really writing the books wrong," Tifa murmured but she had no problem putting away the first and digging through another drawer. The charm she could lay over the key chains wasn't the hard part at all but finding the right one was what took a bit more doing. Something matching that a boy that still lived with his mother would be willing to carry that would be a reminder of the blond in front of her...

"Well, I'm not sure about the cute but it is yellow
," she offered the next in her hunt for inspection. It was amazing what she picked up on her travels... but the kid said cute. She gave in and pulled out all the stops. "And there's this."

"Oh!" He lights up, completely happy. "They're perfect! They're both perfect! Um, um..." He picks them up, turning them over and over and looking at them. "I think -- I think the first one's perfect because it's a star. The first time we met, I bumped into him in the street and fell down and lost my bag. He gave it back to me -- it's shaped like a yellow star. So, um, I think -- you're perfect, it's wonderful, miss!"

He's almost tripping over his words as he gushes.

Soul flaying creature from beyond or not, Tifa can't help the little laugh of pure delight at seeing the blond's happiness. Knowing she's helped feels good and she reaches out to touch one of those rising strands of blond hair.

"Take them both. Your hair reminds me of a bunny." She's got a weird thing about matching hair to animals, don't ask. "If you like, I can put a charm on the star for you before you go. Something simple that will make it warm when the other person needs you."

Edited (needed a link) 2013-05-12 09:20 (UTC)

They bounce and twitch under her touch, more like antennae than the hair wisps they look like. But he smiles up unto it.

"A-are you sure? They're really cute! Thank you so much. A-and that charm would be perfect. Then I can rush to his aid like Nyarlko-chan does with the Shining Trapezohedron...Um, what do I owe you, Oneesan?"

"I'm sure," just seeing the blond that happy makes it worth while. So often in her job that's not the way people leave her. What to charge though...? Usually she'd paid in memories. There's nothing on this earth though that would have her trying to contain something like that from what's in front of her, no matter how small and cute they seem at the moment. That whole 'staying sane' thing is still important to her.

"Well," she'll hold out her hand for the star charms so she can added the binding magic. "This is the goblin fair. What are you willing to trade?"

"Hmm..." He considers this with the seriousness it's due. "A token for a token? I could give you this..."

He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a necklace with a 3x3" flat disc pendant on it -- the yellow sign.

"If you need help sometime you can always use this. Um, though I mean, I dunno how much help I can be, but I'd definitely try! You're so nice."

Summoning the King in Yellow? That sounds... well, he is awfully small and cute looking but still -

"I think that sounds like a more than fair trade. Thank you." She'll take the pendant while her other hand closes around the small star charms and, for just a moment, there are opal colors in her wine red eyes. It's simple really, just sharing a memory of a promise to come be a hero with the twin stars. A red thread to tie them together always. Opening her hand, she'll offer the charms back to the blond with a smile. "There you go. All done. If one of you is ever in a bind, the other's star will heat."

Bound together with the red tentacle of fate.

"Thank you! This is so wonderful..." He takes them happily. "I'm sure he'll really like it too... and if he doesn't I'll just sneak it onto him. Safety first, right?" He hesitates as he rises. "What's your name, Oneesan?"

The pendant will go in her pocket because you don't just wear that kind of thing and she'll smile as she stands up too. As visits from ancient dimension hopping beings go, this one was... pleasantly non-existance threatening. Who would even believe her if she told them though?

"Right!" She's not above sneaking protection. She's a firm believer in it. Names are power but - something like what's in front of her doesn't need her name to do terrible things or not to her. "Tifa. You'll remember me?"

"Of course! I'll never forget a friendly face. If you ever need help, just let me know! It's not a far trip." As ominous as that statement is, surely, at least it's well-intentioned.

He beams, then turns to vanish into the crowd -- waving over his shoulder with a fully extended arm, of course. "Thank you again! Bye-bye!"

((OOC: Thanks for this, btw! It was my first bakerstreet thread and I had a blast.))

ooc: really? awwww, I'm glad you tagged me for it. It was fun. We will have to run these two into each other again :)

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Sweet to mouth and low to sigh. Come buy, come buy.

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http://novaren.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/bunny1.jpg?w=610

sdfjfjj omg

it seemed appropriate at the time lol

Re: it seemed appropriate at the time lol

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snicker - red tentacle, beautiful

Sadly a canon joke

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