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| No title. |
| (2013-04-11 - 2013-04-13) |
| No description. |
| Count Valos | He'd heard it from the grapevine- Rosemarie's was the place to procure rarities that could help one to heighten their satisfaction in life, or to at the very least, provide wares that could lead to one realizing their happiness. The Count was not somebody who bought into something as ridiculous as the idea that one could bottle happiness, lest they where some kind of scientist who sold brain-altering effects without the drawbacks that came with a lot of illicit drugs, but since he believed he knew how to reach his destination, he therefore believed he knew what would act as a springboard to accelerate the process. It was towards the evening, and the shop wasn't supposed to close for another hour or two, but Gidarch Valos suspected Rosemarie was preparing to head home- wherever home was, after a hard day at work, yet, since he felt his needs were simple, unless she voluntarily engaged him in conversation, which he'd oblige, the gargantuan would try to keep a pragmatic attitude while making his purchases. Opening the door gently, he negotiated the threshold of the frame, and entered into Rosemarie's shop, hoping that there wasn't a long line of cliental already barraging her, for if that was the case, he'd have to wait, and bide his time; Gidarch didn't like lingering around when he could make better use of his mortal coil. |
| Rosemarie | Madame Rosemarie's shop is not especially unusual in and of itself, save for the general oddity of an apothecary in some places. Well, not quite a standard apothecary, as even from a cursory inspection it's clear that Rosemarie carries an assortment of herbs, brews, and draughts beyond the mundane. They are all meticulously arranged throughout the shop, apparently intended to lure in customers with the menagerie of bright colors and strange bottles. But the Count may not be interested in those. If so, the proprietor herself is also quite present, though presently occupied with dusting off her countertop. She does, however, turn to greet a potential customer when the bell of the door rings. "Ah, hello! Welcome," Rosemarie says, putting the duster away. She pauses for a moment once she gets a better look at her visitor. She regains her composure swiftly enough. "Is there something I can help you with?" |
| Count Valos | The shop was, a bit more vibrant than other shops he'd seen, fortunately.... it wasn't loud, and didn't have blaring music like some diners designed for the more modern, younger generation. The coloration of the interior didn't impress Gidarch or annoy him, it was merely an element of the place that was different from others; in any case, he saw the woman dusting off the countertop in her spare time, demonstrating to him that she was not a slacker. Some people would play on their blackberries and ipads when there were no transactions, but the she-elf was more diligent than that! Probably because she was the actual owner, and was personally invested in its success. The ring of the bell as the door opened did cause a minor wincing on Valos' part, almost imperceivable to anything but the most highly trained eye- if Rosemarie needs use of spectacles, it may be she wouldn't notice his discomfort caused by the chime.... but if she had excellent vision, maybe she did! But his wincing could've been due to anything, for non-telepaths. When she states that he's welcome, Count Valos acknowledges that he's not intruding, and proceeds as he'd intended, moving forward a few steps, but staying fairly close to the doorway, in case she can't actually help him. Conservation of energy is the utilitarian way to approach life, and if she was of no use to him, he'd be that much closer to the exit upon the contingent of being unsatisfied with her products, or services, "I do not know." He shrugs, then he states, "I desire an item that can help bolster one's ability to hear, though it need not be a product that alters one's auditory acuity on a permanent basis, yet, I would prefer to bring into my possession something that either provides multiple uses, or that can be recharged after a single use. Do you believe you have something of this nature?" |
| Rosemarie | "I believe that I have something in that vein," Rosemarie says, moving around the counter and toward one of the shelves. Her eyes trace each shelf in turn, for the dark elf seems to know quite where her product /should/ be--it's simply a matter of whether customers might have moved it around while browsing. Or perhaps she has several options at her disposal. If she noticed the twitch of the ear she does not draw attention to it, though judging from the position of her spectacles she does not often use them, in actuality. "I do declare that my speciality is primary in potions, but I'm certain I have a Bat's Ear Potion around here someplace. I don't believe I've sold all my bottles--they come in doses of ten. Would that suit your fancy?" Rosemarie's hips sway as she walks about the shop, not so much from an intentional movement of that variety so much as a side-effect of her callipygian figure. |
| Count Valos | Gidarch folds his arms over his chest as Rosemarie promptly places confidence in him that his time he's already in the process of spending, is justified, and so his lips curl very slightly upward, but only a smidgen, since he's not often inclined to becoming ecstatic or despairing due to one singular, small boon or setback. When she starts to rummage around for the so-called 'Bat's Ear Potion', followed thereafter by questioning whether it would suit Valos' fancy or not, he shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know." Again with the lack of confirmation as to whether he feels certain that she'll be of assistance- but it's then that he begins to step forward, and ask, "I would like to either get some data on the logistics of its effects, or else sample it for myself to see how useful it is." The dark gigas comes to a halt when he's still a good distance from Rosemarie, since he doesn't want to appear invasive towards her personal space. He nods his head, "I have.... acute hearing at present, but I can not quite hear your heartbeat's subtleties from this distance. I -can- hear it, but just barely.... simultaneously, even so, I can not hear it well enough to ascertain what your degree of emotional output is, at this time." The lofty geomancer starts to move off to the side, perusing her other products idly, just to see if there's something else for sale that he can use- he doubts it, but if his initial enterprise fails, he doesn't want the opportunity cost to be so high that his excursion to her shop instead of someone else's, was a complete waste of his time. |
| Rosemarie | "Oh, of course," Rosemarie says, perhaps realizing her faux pas. "This particular potion boosts one's hearing from two to five fold, depending on how it interacts with the person taking it. One dose lasts for two to four hours depending on metabolism and all that scientific business," Rosemarie says. She listens to the Count's explanation of what, in particular, he's looking for. "Listening to heart rhythms to read emotional states," Rosemarie says, thoughtfully. She almost rolls the words around in her mouth, as though sampling them. "A bit invasive, possibly, but a certainly an effective way of seeing through dishonesty I'd presume." Rosemarie considers for a moment. "I'm not certain that a Bat's Ear Potion is quite what you're looking for. The background noise might be a bit--much. You're welcome to try a sample of if you'd like," Rosemarie says, holding up a bottle between her long, almost talon-like fingernails. "Just two drops should serve for a trial run. In the meantime, if you please, I'll see what else I have in the back." |
| Count Valos | Gidarch Valos was a bit of a calculator, and so he took nothing at face value, hence, when Rosemarie didn't quite give him all the details, he didn't know if he was about to get snake-oil, or elixir, but this wasn't an act of negligence on the woman's part that was so devastating that the giant would eject steam from his ears as his face turned red, and then storm out the door, slamming it upon exiting, only to plot her utter demise for the remainder of his days! Some people might be that sensitive, but for Gidarch, the logical course of action was to seek more information if an insufficient amount was offered initially, otherwise, he'd be making a scene for nothing, and the nobleman is hardly a drama-queen. Tilting his head to the side when she renders an explanation as to the effectiveness of the tonic, and how it might correspond to different physiologies, he rubs his chin, thinking about it. When Rosemarie claims that listening to one's heartbeat is intrusive, Valos shakes his head, "I beg to differ, and I assert that your logic is flawed, if you believe it possibly invasive." He shakes his head, then points, "If one hears a question that they feel would cause discomfort to answer with honesty, they have the right to remain silent, and speak not their sentiments. Only by one's voluntary admission of speech-craft does one forfeit the power over the interpretation that the listener might presume to conclude." He shrugs, "If one naturally had the hearing capabilities harboring the capacity to hear one's heartbeat, then would you blame the individual who inherently has no means of abstaining from the assimilation of the addressee's vocalized data, as the addressee might've seen fit to elicit, barring that the hearer chooses to impair their auditory ability?" He rolls his eyes, "Communication is voluntary. Each person is responsible for the actions they take, whether those actions be the emanation of sounds, or motion of muscles, when deliberately trying to convey, or admit to a particular sentiment." A bit verbose of a retort due to a mere imperfection in Rosemarie's line of thinking- but being somewhat mechanical in nature, Valos is the type to refuse to remain silent in the face of inaccurate proclamations, as though suggesting that he concedes the other person's views.... or, in some cases, accusations! The tall sylvan observes as she holds up the bottle, but shakes his head, "It would be more rational to examine all available options before making a decision; considering that you have taken into account the possibility that background noise could be difficult to stomach, which is a variable that is indeed relevant to the entire equation." He folds his arms, "I will not sample the potion prematurely, if a better alternative avails itself, for that would be at your expense, and possibly mine, too....." |
| Rosemarie | Rosemarie ears droop, slightly, as she receives a lengthy counter-argument regarding the Count's stance on such 'eavesdropping', if it could be called that. Rosemarie listens well, however, and does so patiently. She smiles pleasantly when he concludes his explanation. "Ah, well. Certainly that's one way to look at it. Hmm. It's come up with seldome that I hadn't put much consideration into it. You make a very valid point, Mister--?" Rose realizes she hasn't carried out a proper introduction--something which is often against her policy--but sometimes there are customer who are so busy and need their goods with such expedience that there's no time for such formalities. "--whatever the case," Rosemarie says, giving the Count a few moments to introduce himself before she continues. "I haven't had such a request before, but it's certainly not outside of my abilities. I think our best solution in this case might, perhaps, be a personalized order. Such a thing would take time, of course, and that may not be a luxury you have." |
| Count Valos | Rosemarie is indeed a patient one- for most people who have to listen to Valos' words, however technically viable, tend to get annoyed with him very early on. Does this bother him? Not one bit.... by the same token, he doesn't seem to care much if people praise him, so all in all, he just doesn't care that much; not outwardly, at least. He gives a very diminutive bow of head, which is more like an amplified nod, when she admits that he's made a reasonable argument, "Thank you for acknowledging the legitimacy of my postulation." When she asks what his name is, he stands there, silently, wondering if she's actually asking for his name, or not. It is true that common courtesy dictates one introduce themselves to others, however, because his relationship with her is presently only business-oriented, he doesn't see it as a 'necessity' to bequeath, or see lack thereof to qualify as rudeness on his end.... but, because he can hear the upturning at the end of the word 'Mister?', which has the inflective qualities of a query, /plus/ the fact that.... well.... she's an attractive-looking dark elf, he decides to be charitable, and feed her a name, ".....The name that I have been imputed by my parental units, was Gidarch Valos. Formerly, I held the title of nobility, but that has little bearing on my economical, or political status in this nexus of worlds, so you are free to call me 'Mister Valos', if you desire..... or barring that, whatever you wish, but I will not promise that I will answer to some designations, if referred to by them, mayhap due to lack of foreknowledge to the fact that said names have been applied to my person....?" Which is a generous offer, on his part, since he's essentially given her permission to call him sh*thead, if she deigns it appropriate, and notifies him in advance that this is the name she has ascribed to him. Briefly distracted by some of the unusual items on her shelf, Gidarch assesses what he can while not taking his attention fully away from Rosemarie, until she suggests a personalized order, "I have time. Probably several hundred years, at minimum, negating the possibility that some environmental, or biological influence brings about the expiration of this body, and all its aggregates." He nods, thinking that the most reasonable answer possible. |
| Rosemarie | Rosemarie continues to listen. If she finds Valos' manner of speaking difficult to follow, she does not show it. She deals with a lot of interesting and unusual visitors, and while the Count has his own peculiarities he is not "generally" much more unusual than some of her clientele. She must also give him credit for leaving very little ambiguity in what he says. "Mister Valos works just fine for me," Rosemarie says pleasantly. "It is simple and polite. I like that." She listens to him explain his issues--or lack thereof--regarding time, and nods. "Oh, wonderful! In that case I can pen you in for a custom-tailored order and, provided it's to your liking, reach an agreement that should work much better for the both of us." |
| Count Valos | Valos' manner of conveying ideas was hardly endorsed for the sole purpose of bewildering others, though at times he recognized some people had a little bit of difficulty in comprehending him fully; usually enough, people could figure out what he meant with not much labor more than was expended for others, unless they had to put in a tad extra just to understand conventional speech to begin with. Regardless, he wouldn't be willing to amend his methods, so it as convenient that the dialogue between himself and Rosemarie was efficient enough to get the job done, and much to Gidarch's delight, devoid of evident obvious emotional exhibition notwithstanding, there seemed to be a promising future in store for him, because the woman in question had a plan of action to get him something even better than a Bat's Ear Potion. When she agrees to calling the ogreish elf 'Mister Valos', the taller drow aforementioned gives a measly not of acknowledgement, and nothing more, but it wasn't a query, so there was no real call for exposition. "If.... I am going to have to wait for what I desire, then I would like to maximize the potency of my order. I would like a product that I can use one time, to allow a permanent improvement upon my hearing, in such a way that it will allow me the kind of manual control to concentrate on certain sounds, while bypassing what you referred to a moment ago as 'background noise', for while it may come at great cost, it would accentuate my abilities in the long term without need for frequent maintenance, making life much more convenient. I'm certain that there are chemicals out there that can alter one's genetic structure so that certain potential that still possesses some degree of dormancy can be drawn to the surface in their full capacity; what I mean is, I have no doubts that there are those of my race who are prodigious in their knack for tuning in to electromagnetic wavelengths, and things of that nature, something into which I've yet to tap." With a further interjection-oriented gesture, he places a hand directly in front of him, as if it were an obstruction, or verbalizing 'back off', he adds, "....But, I do not want this to cause added /intolerance/ towards high pitched melodies, and sounds in that particular spectrum, seeing that it does no good to increase my power while also simultaneously expanding a weakness; that is not in any way an authentic upgrade, so much as it is a tradeoff." |
| Count Valos | The nobleman folds his arms across his chest, again, and remarks, "I gather it may take more time to locate such a thing, and you may have to even cross-reference different products from sellers affiliated with the scientific community, but.... this is a vast realm, this World of Ruin. I have faith in your power of investigation.... Once you do find something that you think has a high potential to work for me, I imagine you'll want a downpayment, in light of the fact that what I seek will surely take a toll on your bank account. For me, munny is..... rarely an object, so do not be hesitant to appropriate the most ideal resource possible." He shakes his head, "No.... this will not necessarily make me a mind-reader, or even give me a surefire mechanism for deriving the truthfulness of one's words, but it will definitely allow me to assess, from a distance, how heavily, or lightly one feels invested in their words in a positive or negative way, which can /improve/ the likelihood of my being able to guess the integrity of their words....." He bobs his head from side to side, "....A money-back guarantee would be nice, though, if it turns out that what I purchase ends up doing absolutely nothing, so I can only guess that you'll be keeping a very tight leash on the vendors you target, since I, in turn, will hold you no less accountable to hold up your end of the bargain....." |
| Rosemarie | "Certainly," Rosemarie answers with a nod. "I only offer satisfactory products which sometimes mean it takes a little time to get the recipe just right or to find exactly the item that the client needs." Rosemarie makes her way over to the counter then pulls open a drawer to fish for her quill and parchment. She sets them on the desk and begins making out a note. "Of course not," Rosemarie nods in agreement to his statements about mind-reading. "It's not quite that, but it is a decided edge in your endeavors, whatever they may be at the time. Recognizing integrity is always important." Rosemarie continues to make out the contract, writing in broad, artful strokes. "Ah, yes," Rose nods, "a guarantee. That seems reasonable. An act of good faith on my behalf that whatever I produce will be satisfactory. I'll be sure to document that." |
| Count Valos | Gidarch Valos has little to add to the spiel he already gave, podium not required due to his default lofty height, and undoubtedly, once Rosemarie finishes scribbling whatever she needs to, Valos will take the pen and sign his name as expected. That presumably takes just a few minutes or so, after which, Gidarch will step back from the counter and glance sidelong at the other flasks for another second or two, before his attention veers back towards the female fae, "I trust that our business is complete, for now, and you need me no further for the remainder of this eve....?" More of a question than a declaration, since it's not definite in his mind that Rosemarie has nothing else to state, or ask. It is pleasant to run across another dark elf, in Valos' mind, but that doesn't supersede his need to behave efficiently, which means taking his leave, if everything is concluded. |
| Rosemarie | "Oh, yes," Rosemarie says, giving Valos adequate time to read the agreement and provide his signature. Despite what some people might suspect about Rosemarie due to her species and the sometimes dubious nature of her business--the contract is clear-cut, precisely wordy, and without any sort of deceptive clauses. One must operate a legitimate business to be successful, lest your clients quickly cease to be such. "I hope you have a good evening, Mr. Valos," Rosemarie calls as he takes his leave. She carefully folds and files her contract away for safe-keeping before moving to make finishing touches on the shop before closing for the evening. |