[Easy - A God in Need] Noah "Seriously how on earth does a God, of all people, and not just any God but a my God... ugh this really does not bode well for me does it. Guess that means the omnipotence was just some drunken humor. But really how did he loose one of his... special weapons." The entire situation was quite perplexing though then again maybe in some light it just displayed that even the gods are still just, well at least in a way, human. As he strolled down the streets of the trade district he continued to look over the minuscule amount of details that were given to him by Hephaestus for the quest at hand and as he did something incredibly obvious had just struck him. "..didn't even tell me what the weapon looked like did he... why do I even bother some days.. this special reward better be worth it." In any event he would just have to go by the information that he had on hand which meant that this was just going to be him going from one weapon shop to another asking the same questions over and over. Within a few minutes of entering the trade district Noah had already entered and exited a few of the smaller weapon stands on the street though he knew that the chance of it once being in one of those stands was incredibly low at best but it was best to check before he went into the more obvious choice's that dealt with better brand items. Noah eventually made his way into one of the larger shops and beginning to stroll through the selections until he came up to the counter to lay eyes on the Dwarven owner. "Nice selection you got here, not the best in terms of outward looks but the quality seems to be at a decent level." The Dwarven shop-keep behind the counter only seemed to be paying half mind to Noah, probably waiting for the main point to come across his ears. "I'm looking for something specific... a Hephaestus." At the sound of that specific name rushing through his head the Dwarf's ears quite literally sprung up as though he were more akin to one of the more bestial races. The dwarf turned his head towards the customer before him as his attention was now actually given to the man though perhaps quite expected the face of the dwarf did not show any sign of change itself or at least he was attempting to hide the fact as the dwarf knew clearly well that a poker face went far when in this business of steel and gold. 441 @Mal
(Balls. Didn't see this for whatever reason. My bad! And sorry for the post...I had a whole bunch of ADHD writing it >.>) The trading district. Probably a place that Mal should spend more time and coin in, but ended up wasting both in the entertainment district. His equipment was shoddy, although the shops he finds elicits the most drool are the ones with string instruments, specifically fiddle-like instruments. Mal does like to fiddle with his...ahem...fiddle. But his other equipment was going to need an upgrade soon or else he'd have to fiddle all of the creatures in the dungeon to death. Which would be pretty awesome. Fiddler on the roof? Nay. Fiddler on your LIFE! But that wasn't even the reason Mal found himself strolling through the trading district. Picking up some work on the side for a god other than his own, he found himself looking for a misplaced and accidentally sold weapon that belonged to Hephaestus. Mal started to wonder how often a situation like that actually happened. Maybe the gods and goddesses were just as forget as humans? Still a bit more dangerous though, if say a god like Zeus misplaced his thunderbolt and blew up a whole area as opposed to a mortal forgetting to shut their door. But Mal was going to have to walk around and ask about the missing weapon? Would adventurers actually come clean if they accidentally bought a godly forged weapon on the cheap? Mal didn't think he would, especially if he could re-sell it for a crazy amount of coin. So how was this going to work? As luck would have it--or a bit of misfortune, depending on how one is viewing the situation--Mal ran into a gambling associate of his. And by gambling associate, Mal means a guy that lent him money that he now owes...and hasn't paid yet. Smiling warmly to the catfolk, he gave a sheepish smile to Kylon. "Heeeey, Ky, where've ya been?? I haven't seen you in awhile." Mainly because Mal had been dodging him because he owned the man a debt. And Kylon's expression and irritated tone seemed to recognize that very same fact. But Kylon was a man who knew a lot about what was going on in the trading district, having friends all over the place. Just like Mal, except...Kylon's friends were actually useful and sober. "Listen, I know...I owe you some money. And I'll pay you...but right now I need a favor. Have you heard of an adventurer buying up a Hephaestus weapon on the cheap? Like...really cheap?" Kylon hinted that he may know of such a transaction, but withheld that info due to the fact that Mal hasn't paid him back yet. To which Mal decided to use his super important skill of Beginner's Luck to say the proper phrase in order to get Kylon to give up the info. And with a deadpan expression, Mal started to speak. Negotiation Tactics, begin! "I'll sleep with you." http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/003/878/1237917779613a.jpg Ky's irritation immediately washed away from his face, replacing with disbelief, and then a sudden giddiness. Mal knew that Ky had been trying to get into his pants for awhile, and the fact that Mal wasn't into men did not deter the catfolk. But he knew it was Ky's weakness, and before confirming whether Mal was serious or not, he divulged what he knew to the half-elf. Mal smiled wide and patted Ky on the back. "Thanks! I owe you...because I'm not going to sleep with you. But I will pay off my debt soon, I promise!" Mal quickly made haste as a stunned Ky stood there, confused as to what just happened, but became increasingly irritated at how he had been tricked. He should've known better. And luckily, the shop that Ky had mentioned was right around the corner, slowing down as he entered the shop. Mal came in just in time to hear the conversation between Noah and the shop owner. A bit out of breath from running--because it's hard--he spoke to Noah in bursts, leaning over slightly as he spoke with his hands. "Hey...I'm Mal...same quest...missing god thingy..." Catching his breath, Mal stood upright and exhaled strongly before speaking normally. "Whoo! Sorry...had to run from a guy that I promised sex to but never intended to deliver. So...what's going on?"
Noah "Boy, do ya think that a Hephaestus comes though here every day and if I did there would be a line looking for it. But alas." At this point in the mental struggle Noah already knew that the Dwarf knew something about the item he inquired about though the question remained as to what level of knowledge he had on the subject. It was either that or he really did not actually have the weapon and the simple fact of bring up the name itself caught his interest so that he himself could get his hands on one. Figuring out which one it was would be the difficult part. "Master Dwarf, everyone worth their weight knows where to go when they are looking for something... unique, and if you don't have what we are looking for ourselves you at least know the general direction to look." While his words were meant to flatter the Dwarf there was actually a lacking of truth too them as this Dwarf, while being good at his job, could be a bit of a dullard in many retrospects and was known for this even if no one said it. "You think to just flatter me?.. ah but it might of done ya some good heheh. Trust me boy if I had one and you had a offer I would give ya the time of day to stake a claim to it or if I knew that one was floating around I would just go after it myself but in that case do ya think I would be here stroking my beard?" Noah knew all too well that the Dwarf's words held some truth to them that common knowledge of a Hephaestus being on the market would be enough for many to seek it out to for personal or commercial gain. But then again that left out a important question... that being as to if the Dwarf didn't even know what he had. "True but... what if you had a Hephaestus on your hands and sold it off without even realizing it... and the person you sold it too did?" The face of the Dwarf showcased his internal thoughts ranging mostly confusion to intense self thought for even he knew that just because a weapon was created by a well know smith did not mean that it would be blatantly obvious that it was made by them. "You mean to Insult me now boy, that I gave up a Hephaestus without knowing?! You're stranger than that boy from earlier today who... oh? Welcome to me humble Shop." As the Dwarf spoke his attention was drawn away from the conversation at hand to some other entry to the shop. At the sound of both the Dwarf and the guy entering the shop Noah's own attention was drawn towards it as well. "Hey...I'm Mal...same quest...missing god thingy... ... So...what's going on?" In all honesty the guy named Mal looked... well entirely out of place aside from out of breath, most of it stemming from as to why Hephaestus give out the request to someone else and not bother telling him about it if he did at all. Then again he lost the weapon in the first place but the idea still warranted thought. Mal had already made it clearly obvious that he was looking for the Hephaestus himself though as to whether or not he was actually looking for it due to the request or for his own gain was up for debate as anyone in their right mind would strive to obtain one even if it was of lower quality and a request stating that one was... well lost provided the opportunity to obtain one easily. Whatever the truth to the matter was at this point it did not matter as it was much more likely that he was looking for his own gain. "You should turn around and keep your promise then, otherwise what is your word worth." Noah stated his intentions rather blatantly before turning his attention back towards the Dwarf. "Mind if we speak without more ears in it? Might just be worth your time. Just write down what what you know of the weird boy from earlier and it will be that... between us then." As he finished speaking Noah held up a small bag of coin in his right hand to well incentivize the Dwarf as he wanted to know about what he spoke of earlier pertaining to the strange boy. "... Ey, fine." The Dwarf almost immediately snatched the coin bag from Noah's hand after thinking on it for a spell and a few moments later handed over a folded slip of paper with detains written on it to Noah who took it all too willingly. With what he came for in hand Noah proceeded to exit the shop walking-by and ignoring the man named Mel as he did hopefully, though for some odd reason he doubted as such, for the last time. 832 @Mal OOC | That's fine, was going to PM you tonight about it anyways if you didn't post.
Ooo, Noah with quite the witty retort. Internally, Mal was giving a rapid succession of light clapping for that shot, but two problems existed within that sentence--that he kept his promises and that his words, at least most of the time, had any sort of worth. He was a bard, after all--you can't sing songs about someone brushing their hair or stubbing their toe. You have to exaggerate; amplify; inflate. He's fallen into the habit of assigning worth to his own words despite the perception of others. A promise was just a nice way of attempting to reassure someone that a task could be done. So until the task was done, a promise was potential. And potential is nothing unless realized. But that's the answer that Mal would give Noah. Oh no, after a witty warning shot over the bow, Mal would retaliate in kind. Which meant taking a double meaning to Noah's statement. "Turning around and keeping my promise is exactly why I won't be turning around and keeping my promise." Mal thought himself quite clever, but didn't know if his answer would be received in the way he meant it. "Y'know, because...literally turning around and keeping my promise...as in, striding down the cobble road?" Not that Noah seemed to care as he and the dwarf resumed speaking to each other, which was slightly irritating, considering the half-elf thought himself to be quite clever. Watching as some sort of transaction took place between the shop owner and the person he was attempting to convince that they were on the same quest, Mal looked on as Noah walked right past him, as if he meant to ignore him. Little did Noah know that Mal was a hard one to shake, especially when there's money and/or a reward involved. "Hey...hey, wait up!" Catching up to Noah and keeping his pace, he spoke to his back unless he would stop and turn around. "I'm Mal, by the way. Stuck doing the same quest you're doing, which is why it would be super helpful if you could let me in on what you and the dwarf talked about." Truth be told, the thought had crossed Mal's mind that getting the weapon and selling it would probably be a better profit than simply returning it to the god who lost it. On the other hand, there was a "reward" promised, but that could be anything. It could be a thank you. Or it could be what the weapon is worth. But Mal knew if he had the weapon, that was coin in hand, no questions asked. Two problems with the whole taking the weapon and selling it for profit--Noah was already aware of the quest, and pissing off a god is not the best thing to do. So he continued to follow Noah until he either stopped or started filling him in. "If you don't talk to me, I'm just going to have to sing to you." Mal cleared his throat, and sang as loud as he could, making sure that everyone they passed knew he was singing directly to Noah. And made it very clear that they were having a lover's quarrel. (Singing to the tune of You'll Be Back - Hamilton) "You say, the price of my love's not a price that you're willing to pay... You tried, but I could not repay the sweet love that we made that one night... Why so sad, remember we made all that love when you said you liked men, now you're getting all maaaad... Remember despite all your shame, your my maaaan..." So this could definitely backfire if Noah was in fact hot for the same gender. But if he wasn't, Mal was betting on the fact that Noah would stop to shut him up so that the entire trading district didn't think the two was sleeping together. Sadly, this isn't the first time he's done this to another man. There was that one time in a bar where a man was heckling another man about his sexuality. At first, Mal was simply going for a light ribbing, but the heckler became so flustered over Mal talking about his made up homosexual escapades that the bard kept singing. Although, now that the half-elf thought about it, he distinctly remembered that same patron finding him later and taking him down a dark alley for a good pounding. And yes, Mal did make the ironic comment before fleeing like a man with no shame.
Noah Noah honestly did not know at this moment how this would end with the Mal character around and while he severely doubled it he had at hoped that he would lose interest and float away like some sort of fairy though his luck was never that good... or entertaining. Though as Noah passed Mal in the shop he really did not even have to try not not focus on the character at this time as his attention was concerned on the more pressing matter at hand even if he was speaking right next to him. Besides even if Mal was actually there one hundred percent to help him out with the quest like hell he would just give up any of the spoils willfully; it being one of his general policies to not betray the bottom line. ""Hey...hey, wait up!"" During the time in which he was in the shop the streets had seemingly become somewhat more crowded with loud bustling groups of people scattered around various stands on both sides of the street forcing anyone looking to pass to bob and weave from one side of the street to the other in order to make any progress. As he did Noah unfolded the paper he had received from the Dwarf shop keep earlier. 20 Minutes ago.. young pretty face lad... blonde hair... blue cape... hastily bought a low-quality sword at 3 times market price... asked about good armor smiths... Leos.' As he read the hastily written notes he was content enough with the results that they were worth what he paid for, that being if it actually lead to what he was looking for; he gave it a twenty percent chance. "I'm Mal, by the way. Stuck doing the same quest you're doing, ... ... what you and the dwarf talked about." He knew that the Mal guy was going to follow him but had at least hoped that he would become distracted by some pretty bauble in one of the nearby stands and be on his way but alas.. such is the fickle luck of the world. He didn't really find it annoying just.. distracting like a crying child that you just need to ignore until it gets bored and goes away. Then again part of him was just itching to mess with the guy. I mean if he was going to act like a lost puppy might as well get some entertainment value out of it... then again. Leos shop was one of those lesser known shops in the trading district where the human owner while he was not known for carrying around any sort of top-tier gear he was often or not frequented by those looking for their first few pieces of gear. This basically meaning that the boy who bought the sword was a new player to the delving scene and if he knew more about smithing than that that sorry excuse for a dwarf he would of gotten that sword for a steal. Unlike most people who would have to ask around for directions to the place, as it was not exactly in the most obvious of places, he already knew where to find it from his dealings in his former occupation. "If you don't talk to me, I'm just going to have to sing to you... ... Remember despite all your shame, your my maaaan..." Honestly the song was not too bad, a little off key and not really his style but not bad. The sounds made of the man behind him as well as itself only produced the image of some child begging for attention and who was not used to not getting his way. Though unfortunately it was not a some attention seeking child him but a somewhat grown man seeking it more unfortunate was that unlike a adult sized man a child was much easier to kick away. As the song continued the itch started to come back too the point of nearly begging and with the scene he was attempting, and somewhat successfully causing it would just make it all the easier. At this point Noah stopped his continued push forward through the crowds and decided to play Mal's own game. "...You need to stop this." At this point it from his tone and mannerisms it sounded more along the lines of that he was reaching his tipping point of annoying escapades for the day but that idea would soon be rectified. "...you need to stop this needless courting and think about your wife and children, how they would see you now. About your betrayal... against your beautiful wife and my closest friend who gave up her life long dreams as a adventurer to raise your children... a love you return with naught but nights of bottomless ale and beatings. Go back and apologize to be a better man to your family... and besides I already told you... I'm into thick beards and burly men." As the words left his mouth they were filled with colorful tones almost as if he were speaking lines of some play. On the finial note Noah continued to move forward and disappeared into the crowds heading towards Leos shop quite satisfied with himself to leave Mal not just on his own little own but quite literally surrounded by somewhat confused and increasingly angry crowds who clearly held onto the idea of family values. Though besides the point at this moment he wasn't really into burly men but rather slender dark humored women. At least 10 or so minutes later after more than a few turns and down a alleyway Noah reached the armor shop known simply as Leos. He turned his gaze back over his shoulder to look behind him but didn't see another soul in sight. In his head he had images of a post-beating version of that guy being dragged off to apologize to his probably non-existent wife and hey if he was a man who stuck to his word he would find a way out of it to continue the search. If he did find his way here then Noah figured that the chances of him actually being there to return the blade were higher than they were before; plus for him. With that in mind Noah entered the shop. 1050 @Mal OOC | N/A
Touché Noah, touché. Mal had misjudged his questmate into thinking he might either have enough shame to be deterred by the outburst of a sexually charged song, or not enough ingenuity to come back with a retort like that on his own. The battle had been decided, and Mal had been handed a swift defeat. And in some instance, the half-elf would just leave it at that--pressing on seemed to be too much work, but two things drove him. The first was that he didn't want to let this man get the best of him, especially since he thought his song should have defeated his opponent. And second, he wanted some sort of reward--whether it was from the god directly or finding that weapon and selling it for a sizable profit. And it was that second option that gave him an idea of how to find the weapon as quickly as Noah could. But first thing's first--time to get out of this uncomfortable crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you enjoyed that performance, please seek my out my friend and I in the entertainment district to see our play, Summer Sizzling Sunsets -- The Betrayal! I thank you all for being here!" A few odd claps here and there, but mostly stunned looks from those who had gathered. And yet Mal moved through the crowd of people unabated, and back up to the shop where Noah had been talking to the dwarf. He was going to make a deal that was sweeter than whatever money Noah had given the dwarf. He approached the stout man, leaning against the counter and speaking to him in hushed tones. "Listen, I need to know what you just told my friend who was in there a few minutes ago. I know there's a weapon that someone accidentally sold that's worth a lot of money. If you give me what I need to know, if I find that weapon, I will sell it for what it's truly worth, and we can split the profits. Right down the middle. 50/50. And you know it's worth a lot because Hephaestus never meant to sell it in the first place. One of a kind." Mal never intended to split the profits with the dwarf as he didn't think selling the weapon was going to be a possibility--not if Noah beat him to wherever he needed to go first. But he wanted to entice the small man's greed. And thankfully for Mal's sake, the gamble worked. The dwarf gave up the same information that he had given Noah with the promise that Mal would come back with his share of the profits. Aaaaand a hop, skip and a jump, and Mal is walking into the store just moments behind Noah, a bit out of breath. It's not that having to do the metaphorical legwork to find the shop was a pain, but the actual legwork--Mal didn't even move around this much in the dungeon, let alone for a quest from a god he's not pledged to. This was starting to become counter productive to being non-productive. This reward better be decent. As Mal caught his breath--yet again--he spoke to Noah. He wasn't upset at the man--in fact, he was smiling. "You're quite the squirrelly one. Not even mad about what you said earlier--that was pretty good. But seriously...stop running away. It makes me have to move faster than I'd like, which is super tiring, y'know? I just want to finish the quest and get paid for it, yeah?"
Noah "You're quite the squirrelly one. Not even mad about... ... " As Mal entered the shop and the words exited his mouth he would soon find them slightly interrupted by what could only be described as well... a flying boy that was just going to crash into or possibly through the front door to the shop but now that it was open; you get the picture. Though at this moment you may be asking what exactly happened in those few moments between Noah and Mal entering the same store with only a few moments in between them that would cause some unknown boy to start flying into the air and with a mere inch or so in-between his chest and Mal's face. Honestly it was probably even close enough for Mal to see a rather suspicious stain on the boy's shirt and increase that said suspicion with the smell. Let us turn back the sands of time and see. Ten or so seconds before Mal entered the shop Noah had already stepped well inside the shop only to see some young looking boy around 15 years or so holding a solid piece of metallic plate armor that was clearly a little to heavy for the boy. Noah locked eyes with the boy who at this point was more confused than curious as to why this newcomer was starring at him. Noah could not help but see a rather familiar looking sword on the boy's belt. "Stolen Hephaestus weapon... know where?" As he spoke there was a rather suspicious looking smile on his face as if he was just playing around with his words though the way he spoke made it much more apparent that he wasn't really asking rather stating that he knew; least that is what he wanted the boy to think if he had it on his belt. One's guess was good as any other as to what thoughts flashed through the boy's mind at this moment but if Noah were to have the time and take a educated guess it was probably along the lines of Stolen?! My evil plan was ruined, how does he know that I the great ME stole it?! most likely without the more weird parts but what most likely did run through the boys mind was fear and confusion as while he recognized the Hephaestus he though that the dwarf just didn't know what he had not that he was just trying to get ride of a stolen item! Technically it wasn't but the boy did not have to know that as the look of fear on his face probably meant that his look of innocence was probably very real and did not exactly know the proper response. The boy's instincts kicked in and almost immediately after the thoughts flashed through his mind his subconscious forced him to make a break for it towards the door behind Noah hopping to catch him off guard or at least be quick enough to escape him; he didn't want to go to prison! As the boy passed him Noah's hand went into auto drive by grasping the handle of the sword letting the fleeing boy do the unsheathing for him and then quickly pivoted his feet and jumped at the boy feet first until they smashed right into the back of the boy. With the 2 forces combined it sent the boy slightly airborne towards the shut... or rather to say the now opening door with quite a number of colorful sounds exiting the boy's mouth. And that brings us back to the present. "You're quite the squirrelly one. Not even mad about... ... " 610 @Mal OOC | N/A
Mal wasn’t even able to get through his conversation he started with Noah, as he saw a human projectile being flung in his general direction. Having been hunched over with his hands on his knees from traveling to the shop in record time, Mal had glanced upward with a fisheye, focusing on Noah—only to see the boy stumbling toward him. A being more graceful than strong, Mal immediately leaned his upper body to the left and lowered himself a bit more, avoiding a flailing arm, but getting clipped on the side of his hip by the boy’s leg. Mal stood up and rubbed the side of his hip while listening to the boy violently exiting the shop with a loud crash. He looked out the door, then back to Noah, a bit cross now. “Okay, maybe not mad…but I am annoyed. You can’t just—“ But Mal immediately changed his tone after he saw the weapon that Noah was carrying in his hand. It was either Noah’s own weapon, or the one they were supposed to retrieve for the quest. The half-elf gave a weak smile as he walked over to Noah, still rubbing his side. “Is that the weapon? Did that kid have the sword?” Mal turned to hear the clinking of armor as the boy started to stand up. Probably embarrassed, and definitely looking like he was a bit more than mad, he marched back into the shop. He didn’t know the fighting capabilities of either Noah or the boy, but it didn’t take any amount of violence to solve this issue. Stepping forward quickly, he placed a hand against the boy’s armored chest. “Woah, woah, woah…do you know who this guy is right here?” Mal pointed a thumb in Noah’s direction, as the boy, still angry, shook his head that he didn’t know. “But you do know he’s an adventurer with one of the greatest familias of all time, correct?” The boy, losing a small bit of his anger only to be replaced with confusion, shook his head no again. Mal slightly lowered his head and widened his eyes ever so gently, implying that the boy should try to answer the question. As a question, the boy responded with ‘Zeus’s familia,’ to which Mal did not correct him. He technically didn’t lie to the boy—he just never amended the statement. “We’re on a mission to return this weapon to a god, who has claimed ownership of it. We don’t want to piss this god off, because he could be quite cranky…” Still not a lie, because it’s likely Hephaestus could be cranky. But the more Mal spoke, the boy’s anger lessened. “And the guy behind me? He’s killed before for less. So I’m here to make sure that no one dies and the weapon is returned to the god that wants it.” Again, not a lie, because if Noah was an adventurer, there was a good chance he has killed something—not necessarily someone—and did it for a coin or two per monster. Which was monetarily less than what this sword was probably worth. But Mal left that vague on purpose so the boy could assume the worst. He took his hand off the boy’s armored chest and stepped back. “Now I don’t want to leave you empty handed, so I’ll tell you what—we’ll see if we can put in a good word for you if you’d like to join the familia. Alright?” The boy seemed to be more interested in joining the Zeus familia over owning the Hephaestus weapon, which obviously wasn’t going to happen, but hey…perhaps the boy shouldn’t assume so much. He gave the youth a quick smack on the bottom and sent him on his way, turning to Noah and sighing while dragging his hand over his mouth. “You probably could’ve talked him out of the weapon, y’know…but hey, I love to celebrate our differences over a pint or a glass of something. After we complete the quest, of course.”
Noah After quite literally kicking the boy out of the shop with his tail in between his legs Noah almost immediately lost interest in the state of the boy whatever it was at this point as now it was more or less just now attempting to focus on the sword he had acquired from him moments earlier and determine as to whether or not that scene was at all worth the effort. In the time that the eventful kicking transpired Noah had barley even taken notice of Mal entering and nearly almost being hit by the flying boy or it might of been more accurate to state that he chose not to already figuring that shaking the guy would be more akin to trying to stay out of the thoughts of a stalker. "Okay, maybe not mad…but I am annoyed. You can’t just— ... ... Is that the weapon? Did that kid have the sword?” The sound of Mal's voice in the air was initially only able to produce a rather light unamused sigh from Noah who would only give Mal a slight glance in his direction. "No clue, why not ask your new friend..." As Noah's rather monotone words left his mouth the sound of footsteps and clinking armor could be heard entering back into the shop. The source of which stemming from a fairly obvious individual, that being the man who had just gotten kicked flying. A individual that from the next few moments would show that out of the two of them only Mal would decide to interact directly with. "Woah, woah, woah…do you know who this guy is right here? ... ... ” As Mal turned around back towards the front of the store and the armored lad Noah deiced to spend the new few moments on something he would consider much more productive and began to inspect the sword in his hand. With his own merchant's eye combined with his rare appraisal skill it did not take him very long to conclude that it was in fact the weapon they were looking for, either that or it was just another lower ranked Hephaestus. With the newfound knowledge in mind Noah turned his gaze back towards the two individuals speaking near the store just in time to make eye contact with the boy who seemed to be growing a slight amount of fear in his face from the words being spoken by Mal. Though whatever those words were Noah had slightly more important thoughts in mind most of which concerning how to deal with the man known as Mal. While their conversation continued Noah lowered the blade from near his chest to the ground began to turn his body around seemingly to take a look at the wares in the store around him and at his moment, if Mal and the boy were too look towards Noah, the Sword in his hand would now be out of view behind Noah's legs. "Tsk, what a sh*t store, nothing to even gain from here..." Noah would disappointingly state under his breath though just loud enough for the two of them to barley catch. While it seemed innocent enough of a statement to state what the two of them would not of been able to see is that as Noah spoke the word store the sword in his hand would literally vanish from his hand without a sound and as the word gain left his mouth shortly after another sword would take its place that would look familiar enough to pass at most glances or looks unless someone with a keen eye took a close look at it. “You probably could’ve talked him out of the weapon... ... After we complete the quest, of course.” As the sound of the armored boy left and Mal's voice began to penetrate the air in the store Noah's head would turn back slightly to look back at him. "Could of, but you seemed to quite like using that mouth of yours so figured that you would just handle that one way or another... anyways this was quicker and that kid would of lasted about two seconds in a real fight." Mal would not really understand all of Noah's reasoning for stating that about the boy's physical abilities though it was besides the point though now that the boy was gone and the sword was in hand the question remained on how to deal with Mal. He began to walk towards the left side of Mal towards the front door of the shop and as he did Noah looked at Mal a rather unmistakable smile would grow on his face "We? Pfft... You should just go get pissed back in the brothel you came from... and if you want it that bad... prove it." By the time that the last few words left his mouth Noah was already out of the front door of the shop and in the alleyway leading back towards the main strip of the market district. At this point he honestly did not have any intentions of giving Mal the sword in his hand let alone a piece of the reward that he tagged along for let alone any sort of easy satisfaction. 873 @Mal OOC | N/A
Mal had a soft spot for the young and the elderly, and since one of his most versatile weapons is his speech, he would much rather solve things by talking than fighting. Gauging from Noah's comments and actions, his style was of a different variety. As in the shoot first ask questions later sort. And despite not being able to finely gauge the two to predict who would win before the fight even started, Mal sighed gently and shook his head at Noah's comment about the boy not lasting two seconds in a real fight. This guy was just looking for trouble. Which Mal was usually in, but it was hardly ever this aggressive. As Noah dismissed Mal and told him to prove, he decided enough was enough. This guy had him running around this district, and for what? He wasn't even sure the reward would be worth it at this point, let alone if he would even get the reward as it seemed likely that Noah was going to deny him that as well. There were few people that could annoy Mal, and it seemed Noah was in that select group. Perhaps if he was drinking and not beholden to a quest for some coin, he might not care as much. But that's not the case here. He threw his hands up as Noah walked out, unable to comprehend what the hell was going on. He followed behind him so that Mal could give Noah a piece of his mind. "Unbelievable. It's like trying to retrieve a lost item from my ex's quarters after I slept with her friend. Only I know you're not my ex, and I'm pretty sure I haven't slept with any of your friends. Prove to you? Prove what? I'll tell you what...you keep the sword. I'm gonna go have a talk with Hephaestus over at the forge. Maybe I can get some kind of consolation prize or a few coin for having to put up with your outlook on life." Mal began heading in the direction of Hep's forge, mumbling to himself. "Prove it...you prove it...I'm not drinking enough to deal with this..." This whole experience did make him want to a brothel--but technically he had come from a tavern. So if he were to go back to the tavern, he would just have to knock back a few and then walk across the street. Which sounded a hell of lot easier than running around for this quest. And maybe he gets back to the forge and Hep tells him to go f*ck off, and the whole day was wasted. Which would suck in epic proportions, but Mal was done playing this little back and forth game. Between him and Noah, he actually felt like the more responsible party, which made the half-elf feel a little sick inside. And so he trudged to the forge, feeling as though he wasn't going to remove this cloud hanging over his head until he spoke with Hephaestus about what had transpired during the day.
