There was a caravan coming through.
Thank God, there was finally a goddamn caravan coming through. The last one had been weeks ago. It had been elven, which meant good pickings, since they only traveled with useful shit. Human caravans, like this one looked, were a bit more hit and miss. Sometimes it was like, an entire wagon of turnips. Sometimes it was completely useless shit, coal or gems or any number of inane trash.
Sparta squinted at it as it wound up the mountain path, perched as he was up in a high tree. His nails gripped into the bark a little sharper than they should have; the fae-touched never escaped intact, but his nails were the least of what they'd given him. There didn't seem to be a lot of guards. This was good. Not because guards were a concern, but because more guards were normally a sign of a useless caravan full of glittering garbage.
It wasn't like he had a choice. He was out of apples and sick to death of skinning rabbits. He was going to get scurvy at this rate. He dropped down out of the tree and head towards the road.
He let them come across him, sitting on a rock by the road. He sometimes wondered how he must look to others, but rarely. His smile was charming by definition; the technicalities of how it looked were irrelevant. He was a beacon of adoration, everything else, from his ill-fitting elven flannels under a ragged coat of mixed animal skins, down to his disconcertingly new shoes, was details no one's eyes ever got around to taking in.
"Hi," he said to the first man who laid eyes on him, watching as his eyes grew wide and slack. "What are you guys carrying?"
"Um," the man stammered, and Sparta didn't bother not to roll his eyes at the flush rising on the man's cheeks. He didn't wanna know what that freak was thinking about. "Glasswear? The fancy stuff; we're taking it into Crithe."
Sparta sighed. Useless. What the fuck was he supposed to do with glasses? "Anything else?"
"Some leathers, furs... really high quality!" the man said, with the air of someone trying to impress. "Got some real nice rice from down south, some cheese, grains..."
Sparta perked up at this. What kind of idiot lead with "glassware"? "Can I have it?"
"The... cheese?"
"Whatever you think is nice," Sparta said, his smile bland. "It gets so cold out here, and I'm hungry. I want furs and cheese. Maybe some grains. Oatmeal?" he mused to himself, considering what he could use. He wasn't entirely sure about rice, but he wasn't exactly in a position to be picky.
"Oh. Uh. Sure?"
"Carl, who are you talking to--oh."
A woman, older. Even better. "I need supplies," Sparta said, no charm or seduction or batting of eyelashes sinking into his words. The way the woman reacted, you'd think he was an injured child crying by the side of the road.
"Of course you do! Poor thing! Carl, break open some of the crates. What do you need, sweetheart?"
By now, a crowd was gathering, from which a few soft gasps emitted as people, en masse, were struck with the agonies of love at first sight. None of them would ever doubt it again, after this; or maybe they'd doubt it all the more for how fleeting it would be. Well, it would be a good lesson for them. Love was taking.
"Oh, that's a lot!" Sparta said, impressed, as Carl pulled a large sack of what was some kind of grain, maybe rice, off a wagon. "Maybe you should give me a horse, too?" He glanced at the number of horses they had. Would they still be able to get through the mountains? Oh, probably. He was lightening their load, after all.
Thank God, there was finally a goddamn caravan coming through. The last one had been weeks ago. It had been elven, which meant good pickings, since they only traveled with useful shit. Human caravans, like this one looked, were a bit more hit and miss. Sometimes it was like, an entire wagon of turnips. Sometimes it was completely useless shit, coal or gems or any number of inane trash.
Sparta squinted at it as it wound up the mountain path, perched as he was up in a high tree. His nails gripped into the bark a little sharper than they should have; the fae-touched never escaped intact, but his nails were the least of what they'd given him. There didn't seem to be a lot of guards. This was good. Not because guards were a concern, but because more guards were normally a sign of a useless caravan full of glittering garbage.
It wasn't like he had a choice. He was out of apples and sick to death of skinning rabbits. He was going to get scurvy at this rate. He dropped down out of the tree and head towards the road.
He let them come across him, sitting on a rock by the road. He sometimes wondered how he must look to others, but rarely. His smile was charming by definition; the technicalities of how it looked were irrelevant. He was a beacon of adoration, everything else, from his ill-fitting elven flannels under a ragged coat of mixed animal skins, down to his disconcertingly new shoes, was details no one's eyes ever got around to taking in.
"Hi," he said to the first man who laid eyes on him, watching as his eyes grew wide and slack. "What are you guys carrying?"
"Um," the man stammered, and Sparta didn't bother not to roll his eyes at the flush rising on the man's cheeks. He didn't wanna know what that freak was thinking about. "Glasswear? The fancy stuff; we're taking it into Crithe."
Sparta sighed. Useless. What the fuck was he supposed to do with glasses? "Anything else?"
"Some leathers, furs... really high quality!" the man said, with the air of someone trying to impress. "Got some real nice rice from down south, some cheese, grains..."
Sparta perked up at this. What kind of idiot lead with "glassware"? "Can I have it?"
"The... cheese?"
"Whatever you think is nice," Sparta said, his smile bland. "It gets so cold out here, and I'm hungry. I want furs and cheese. Maybe some grains. Oatmeal?" he mused to himself, considering what he could use. He wasn't entirely sure about rice, but he wasn't exactly in a position to be picky.
"Oh. Uh. Sure?"
"Carl, who are you talking to--oh."
A woman, older. Even better. "I need supplies," Sparta said, no charm or seduction or batting of eyelashes sinking into his words. The way the woman reacted, you'd think he was an injured child crying by the side of the road.
"Of course you do! Poor thing! Carl, break open some of the crates. What do you need, sweetheart?"
By now, a crowd was gathering, from which a few soft gasps emitted as people, en masse, were struck with the agonies of love at first sight. None of them would ever doubt it again, after this; or maybe they'd doubt it all the more for how fleeting it would be. Well, it would be a good lesson for them. Love was taking.
"Oh, that's a lot!" Sparta said, impressed, as Carl pulled a large sack of what was some kind of grain, maybe rice, off a wagon. "Maybe you should give me a horse, too?" He glanced at the number of horses they had. Would they still be able to get through the mountains? Oh, probably. He was lightening their load, after all.
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Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-18-2021, 09:38 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-18-2021, 09:58 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-18-2021, 10:41 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 06:59 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 07:11 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 07:21 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 07:32 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 07:53 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 08:24 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 09:02 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 09:23 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 09:48 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 10:01 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 10:19 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 10:36 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-19-2021, 10:54 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-19-2021, 11:09 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-20-2021, 11:40 AM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-20-2021, 12:03 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-20-2021, 08:42 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-20-2021, 08:53 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-20-2021, 10:13 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-20-2021, 10:31 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-20-2021, 11:07 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-20-2021, 11:18 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-20-2021, 11:33 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-20-2021, 11:44 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-21-2021, 05:45 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-21-2021, 06:16 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-21-2021, 06:55 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-21-2021, 07:08 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-24-2021, 11:06 AM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-24-2021, 11:47 AM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-24-2021, 08:00 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-24-2021, 09:02 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-27-2021, 01:57 AM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-27-2021, 01:48 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 02-27-2021, 06:46 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 02-27-2021, 07:06 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 03-21-2021, 05:21 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 03-21-2021, 05:32 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 03-21-2021, 06:23 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 03-21-2021, 06:50 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by skiesofpurple - 03-24-2021, 06:21 PM
RE: Cat and Dragon - by SolitareLee - 03-24-2021, 06:31 PM