The Moonlit World

[Ellisra]

".....Right." He said neutrally before considering.

"Hmm....Happened a week or so earlier actually. Thought twas just a hiccup in the works, it happens ye know? And then the stories started filtering through. Might be attacks, might be accidents or perhaps even a curse. Few know what and why, save those who was guarding the loot. Got a few in the Market now actually, now that I think of it."

@Ellisra​

"Well if I can talk to someone who knows what and why, I'd like to talk to them. And also, about that comment I made about Goblins? I suppose I should rephrase from now on to mean certain Goblins. I have nothing against them." ~She had a run in with a Goblin Horde about a century back that didn't go too well for her. They'd stolen her head and used it to decorate their lair. It took a few of her then friends knocking them around to get her head back. Cracking her neck a bit she'd ask more about the incident.~ "So, who are these people whom know what and why things are not the status quot around here? I'd like to get started as soon as possible. Not that I don't enjoy talking. If I have time later I might come by and we could exchange some more?" ~Anyone who she could get along well with in conversation she'd consider as a friend or at least a friendly acquaintance. But work came first after all.~

@Ringmaster

 

[DNA]

Nil was well aware of the shortage of supplies going around the troll market. It was bad for business. They were actually in the process of hanging a sign outside their shop, saying "TEMPORARILY CLOSED". Climbing off the side of the building and retracting their claws, they muttered, "now... where to look first?"

Nil was in a mostly humanoid form, besides the usual wings, horns, tail, and a pair of large, batlike ears. Their ears twitched as they tried to listen into a good conversation. It was the Troll Markets; people were always gossiping about something.

Curses were out of the question. Nil would've felt something was up. These failures were too consistent to be mere accidents- It must have been deliberate attacks or sabotage. Their ears twitched as they walked around, looking for anything suspicious, or even someone who might know what was going on. Perhaps even some brave heroes trying to save the market. Whatever came across their path.

@Ringmaster ((and whoever else would want to show up))

 

[Ringmaster]

Nil was well aware of the shortage of supplies going around the troll market. It was bad for business. They were actually in the process of hanging a sign outside their shop, saying "TEMPORARILY CLOSED". Climbing off the side of the building and retracting their claws, they muttered, "now... where to look first?"

Nil was in a mostly humanoid form, besides the usual wings, horns, tail, and a pair of large, batlike ears. Their ears twitched as they tried to listen into a good conversation. It was the Troll Markets; people were always gossiping about something.

Curses were out of the question. Nil would've felt something was up. These failures were too consistent to be mere accidents- It must have been deliberate attacks or sabotage. Their ears twitched as they walked around, looking for anything suspicious, or even someone who might know what was going on. Perhaps even some brave heroes trying to save the market. Whatever came across their path.

@Ringmaster ((and whoever else would want to show up))

Seems a lot of places were either rationing like the bars and cafes or closed temporarily. The Mundane goods were thriving however, as Nil saw fishmongers, glass blowers, forges and the like all running a brisk trade. But in terms of magical ingredients and the like, it seemed to indeed be somewhat closed down. Any attempts to ask would get the following replies.

'No Undercity shipment today.'

'Bet the goblins are trying to drive up the prices.'

'I heard the railway got smashed to bits.'

"Oi. Nil, right?"

"Hi. Larry Prince of Water Under the Bridge. As an esteemed shopkeeper, I was hoping to get an interview?"

It was funny how some took faster to others in the world around them. Case in point, 'Eadless Larry.' About the closest a goblin ever got to educated outside of the mechanical stereotypes. Not that there wasn't any, they were just rare. Larry was something of an oddity, owning a ham radio broadcast he played off as a conspiracy channel to the Mundanes, in reality a radio station specifically for Moonlit Folk. Snoopy as all his kind, wearing a salesman grin he added sweetly.

"Won't take long, cross me 'eart!"

@DNA

​

 

[DNA]

Nil eyed the stranger cautiously. He sure was, well, strange.

I was hoping to get an interview?"

"Ano...," Nil muttered, "Eh, you know what? Sure. Just no trick questions or nothin', y'know?" they said as they fixed their large, witchlike hat.

"What'd ya wanna talk about?"

@Ringmaster

 

[chrono]

(Elsewhere, A FEW STREETS OVER)


The Brooklyn Troll Market is a place of supernatural structures and cannibalized pieces of the New York sewer system. Within its interior hundreds of booths, shops, and trade markets sprawl across an unknown distance, selling mundane and magical food, clothing, items, and more. Here was the soul of the magical world, a dark and raw place where everything and everyone had a price. However, no matter how dark or raw there was still light and laughter as well. One such area is a narrow, pedestrian choked street called Glistening Passage. This little side street hums with a life of its own, even with the current supply shortages.

Michael stepped out of his shop carrying a small sign. "If You Need It, We can Find It!" This was a last ditch effort to drum up some business, perhaps bring in some people looking for information. He sighed as he looked over the street before him. There was plenty of people going about their business, but it seemed as if most of them were down near Tsuki's.

Tsuki's was the local open air café for the street. Its owner was an older Asian man that was whispered to be a nogitsune or a type mischievous Kitsune. No one knew for certain, however he was not someone to be crossed. His restaurant was always opened and anyone was welcome as long as you enjoyed Asian food. Not that Americanized Asian crap you could find in the mundane world, but true fresh Asian food. Tsuki was Japanese, but his employees were a motley collection of people and creatures of Asian descent.

The reason for the crowd was because it was the equivalent of lunch time and most people in the area congregated there for the daily special.
Over and through the crowd flew the local Spriggen. They were the type to collect anything that hit the ground or was left behind. Gum wrappers, watches, coins.
They had a nest in the walls of the shops that lined the street.
The Spriggen numbered in the hundreds, and sold what they collected at a little junk booth across the street from his shop
.

​

Michael stared at the crowd for a few minutes, they were a mixture of local residents and a few tourists. The conversations were loud and sounded as if there was a lot of debate going on about the scaresty of supplies. Michael just shook his head. People could debate, and gossip as much as they wanted, but that would not change the situation. Most of the shop owners on Glistening Passage were variety shops and could survive on mundane sales for a time. Suddenly there was a loud bang from behind him and his neighbor shouting.

"Get back here you pestilent, turnip stains!!! I have warned you about playing with the Floo powder for the last time!!!" Trolls! His neighbors had to be trolls. They were not the tall dimwitted type but they were still trolls. For the last year he had stayed quiet about the loud noise, and the foul odors that came from their apartment windows in the back. Sometimes there was even tiny ultrasonic squeals from fairies that were about to be eaten. Woen and his family owned Portals and Beyond and lived in the lower apartment under the shop and rented out their upstairs apartment to a variety of tenants that seemed to change once or twice a month. He watched as Helen shook her fist at their two children, Wiss and Vine that had just escaped out the door and were running up the street as fast as their little legs could carry them. They looked as if they had bathed in Floo powder.

Helen was still grumbling and swearing as she realized Michael was standing in front of his shop. She stopped and explained, "It was the last barrel of international floo powder. Now it is all over the floor and we are the only shop in six blocks that still had the stuff. Now it's wasted!! We may end up closing up shop and going to live with my cousins in the Undercity until shipments start running steadily again.

"Why not pick up your deliveries directly at the Port Authority?"

"We tried that once. The Mundane world has too many rules and the Goblin agents do not like losing their cut. How you get away with it I have no idea, but I would like to keep all of my limbs intact. Woen is talking to the local Goblin agent to see if we can get any work elsewhere, but the goblins act in their own time."

"Perhaps I can help. I have a few contacts I can reach out to." Mike said.

"And what would that cost us?" Helen asked

"I am not sure. What is it worth to you? You can always talk it over with your husband and let me know."

Helen grinned and nodded. "You not too bad for a shifter-freak. I will do that. Well I have to clean up this mess. Hopefully those two scamps of mine will find some more Spriggens or Pixies for dinner. Perhaps, you would like to be our guest tonight and you can discuss your offer with Woen over dinner."

"Hmmm…. I am not sure about tonight. I will let you know."

Helen nodded and went back into the shop. Mike hung the sign up that was in his hand and stood back from his window to look over the display from the outside. The items on the display were of poor quality, and most were from the mundane world.

He worried that the next shipment would not come in. Where is Aria? She should have been back hours ago. He looked up the street again and noticed his runner coming up. Aria was short, pale skinned, and trouble. The first week he had opened up Collector's Luck for business she had attempted to pickpocket him in the subway station. After that it was as if she was his own shadow. Mike was still not sure why he had hired the changeling, but she was a damn good shop assistant. She would run errands and take care of the shop when he needed help, but Aria was a strange creature. She would sometimes disappear for days at a time, and then suddenly appear in an unexpected place. As she came to a stop he spoke, "What took you so long?"​

​

"I made your run this morning carrying this package back and all you have to say to me is what took you so long. "No, Hi Aria, you look hungry, here's some money go buy yourself lunch."

Mike looked over the blonde, she looked like a kid, but he was sure she was much old, probably by several decades. "I asked what took so long, because last time you were gone for a whole morning I had half of the residents between here and the subway station coming to my door looking for you. By the way you never did tell me why they were looking for you."
Aria shrugged "Long story. I thought our agreement entailed no personal questions. I pick up and deliver your packages and you pay me."

"Yes and what would you like for payment this time?"

"Hmmmm………… ten ounces of fool's gold and lunch"

"Fool's Gold? I am not even going to ask. Just don't cheat anyone that is going to blame me."

Aria smiled, "Who, me? I wouldn't do that to you. You have enough bad luck without me causing you more. So what's for lunch?"

Mike went into his shop to put the package away. "Well I have some bread and lunchmeat in the fridge, maybe a bottle of soda somewhere."

"Ugggg…….. How can you eat that processed crap? By the way my trip got us the latest gossip about what really happened to that train last week. They are saying it was a dragon!!!"

"A dragon? Sure and it had a pixie gardener bossing it around. When you picked up the package did our vampire friend have any news for me?"

"Not about that rabbits foot your looking for, but there is a rumor going around that there is a Vatican Executioner asking questions in the Undercity."

"That may not be good news. Normally when an Executioner starts asking questions someone is in a lot of trouble. I don't want any attention drawn my way. We are skirting the law as it is when it comes to my deliveries.

You are going to have to be careful when you go out."

Aria huffed, "Don't worry about me. You're the one that can't cross the street without something happening. When half the resident in Hollow Court, (A small apartment complex off of Glistening Passage) see you coming and they go in the opposite direction. Just yesterday you slipped into the sewage channel down past Tsuki's. I haven't smelled that type of rotten in a long time. Tsuki wouldn't even let you walk past the café because you stunk so badly. Speaking of Tsuki, he sent one of the waiters by this morning early. It was either Chul or Gun. I can't tell the difference between the two. Any ways he said that Tsuki said to come by at 10pm for your lesson this week and bring that case of wasanbon as payment. He wants to use it for tomorrow."

"Tonight? Mmmm…… I have not even read that book he gave me last week. Maybe he will take the payment and hold off until tomorrow for the lesson. Our neighbor may have some work for us."

"Neighbor? Trolls, Spriggens, or that new shop owner across the way?"

"The trolls. Woen is having some problems."

"You are always letting people talk you into helping them. What sob story did you hear this time?"

Michael turned around, "No sob story. I just offered to help. I know a few people and it's always a plus to be on good terms with the neighbors."

"You are crazy!!! They are trolls. They eat live fairies!!"

"Not always and they follow the rules. No raiding nests and they only take the casualties that have not been collected from the pixie and fairy skirmishes."

"And that's ok?"

"Well we all have to eat. Anyways you wanted lunch right."

"Duh. Of course I want lunch. Oh did you know that Larry Prince of Water Under the Bridge. Is a few streets over asking people for interviews?"

" Not again….. If you see him come this way warn me. I really dont want to be in any type of news for a while."

" Sure, lets go I'm hungry.

Michael nodded and headed out the door with Aria on his heels. He was hungry as well and he needed to talk to Tsuki…………………………….