marlowemuses | Diplomacy and Romance

Night markets or bazaars of their time period had not grown in considerable size, least of all with the looming threat of the Ottoman Empire encroaching on many of the countries nearby. So in order to enjoy time free of the potential of a sweeping conquering war party or spy network, it was best to go elsewhere. Cho had offered suggestions on places to explore in Japan, but he had steered away from the vampire slave markets.

No, he decided on a human night market in Kochi with its blocks of native populous and some foreigners to partake the trinkets and food available. The night sky also had the benefit of being overcast tonight, so the lanterns and torches cast a light that cast long shadows over everyone. Still, the difference in Wallachia and Japanese fashion was terribly apparent.

The streets were lined with vendors on either side of the road, food shops open with aromas to attract potential customers. There was music was traditional instruments and a few children running around laughing and playing games with each other. The child either stared or avoided the tall foreigners in their midst.

They had arrived by travel mirror when the market was said to be at its busiest. He intended to stay as close to dawn as they would be willing to risk it. While he didn't expect any trouble, he had prepared for it. He entered the market tentatively curious of what they may find, and he towered over the Japanese people. Even so, his red eyes dropped to Lenore at his elbow, and he patted her hand gently with his own.

"Cho provided several locations, and these seemed to be the one furthest removed from potential disturbances. What would you like to seek out here, my dear?"

Lenore had never traveled so far, and had never encountered a culture so different to her own. She'd met Cho, of course, but one person--and perhaps a handful of her attendants or slaves--could be an outlier, and provided little context to the civilization as a whole. This is all wondrously new from the moment they step from the mirror. As they emerge into the market, Lenore looks around with awe and delight, practically bouncing.

She smiles up at Dracula at the question, immensely grateful to him for this excursion and having opened up her life in this way. "Fashion? We're going to look out of place no matter what, I'm sure." Lenore's mass of red curls is a beacon even in the regions where that specific genetic mutation is more common, and in the Japanese market, even she is taller than the average person, while Dracula is a giant. "Though I'm not sure they'll have anything in your size. It probably wouldn't be especially dignified if you were wearing local fashion that only fell to mid-thigh on you."

She's teasing, eyes sparkling with playfulness, though she does still enjoy the mental image.

It was true that they immediately stood out like sore thumbs in this place, and the locals and even non-locals stopped to stare at them. He wondered if any one of these people had ever seen someone with red hair before, and of course, he towered over most Europeans let alone these people. While no one said anything, they also did not hide how they openly stared.

He disliked such attentions most of the time, but here, he had brought Lenore here to be an object of difference. They were out of place, and he wanted it that way. This was a culture proclaiming great honour, and he had seen some of the beauty in fabric finery and jewelry making from Cho. It was so different that he expected Lenore would be the talk of their community should she fine an item or several items of her liking.

"An intentional situation on my part," he remarked as he kept an elbow out for her to to have a hand on. "I can't proclaim to be willing to try on clothing that would be so ill-fitted," he added. Perhaps a trinket or a weapon or more excitingly: a book or two. Japanese was a language he had brushed up on to be here, but he craved learning more about their society as a whole.

He lead her to the first booth of common fruit and vegetables, nothing either of them would be interested in actually eating, but there were items he had only seen in books or told in stories. "Momo, I believe. A peach specific to this country" he said, pointing to a fuzzy looking round fruit. "And mikah, which if I read correctly is a citrus fruit similar to an orange." Polite interest even if they were being ogled by the vendor.

((Thank you for starting this new thread, by the way!))

"Fashion just for me, then," Lenore said, never having actually expected him to try on the local styles. She loves fashion, though, and doesn't want to pass up the opportunity to get a garment from a completely different culture.

Glad for his offered arm, she keeps herself close against his side. As much as she wants to explore everything, she's happier doing so from the safety of being close beside him. The affection and contact is also irresistible. The more time she spends with him, the more infatuated she is. Being with him, she feels safe, which is a feeling she's always craved but has so rarely found.

Fascinated by the fruits, she carefully picks one of them up, breathing in the scent before carefully setting them back down. "How wondrous. I've never seen or heard of anything quite like that."

She smiled at the vendor, radiating friendly sweetness even though she doesn't understand a word that he says. She murmurs some words in thanks, expecting that the sentiment will translate even though the language doesn't.

"So many of the women have such pretty hairpins," she observes, looking around with admiration. "Do you think we can find something that will suit my hair?"

The fashion styles were similar to what Cho happened to wear, and he was more interested in the material that the garment style itself. All the same, he expected that Lenore would be able to sleuth out an outfit that would suit her slim frame and accentuate all of her curves wonderfully. It was a talent that bordered on a vampiric blood power at this point. "As you wish, my dear."

He did not reply in kind with handling the fruit; it seemed pointless, though he was on the look out for medicinal herbology. His current research projects focused more on fungi and their hyphae. Every culture seemed to have different species and knowledge surrounding them, so he was going to expand his knowledge.

He allowed them to move on now that they had made it clear they were here to explore the market similar to everyone else. The pointed ears, fangs and inhuman qualities should be ignored. "They have fine craftsmen to create such detailed pins. Even the wood carved ones have an impressive amount of detail."

He glanced down at her on his arm and hummed in acknowledgement. "Tonight will be the night of finding one that you like, yes."

She glanced up at him in return, giving him a pleased, contented smile, enjoying his presence. This was all she wanted from him, within the guidelines that they'd discussed. His company, his protection, and the freedom to explore more of the world. It was wonderful, and she wanted nothing more. She couldn't imagine anything else in the world to want, though the thought brought Carmilla's face to her mind. Carmilla always seemed to be able to find more things to want, and Lenore worried when that would stop. Perhaps it was a desire that would always grow to press against its boundaries, and always want to grow a little more beyond.

That was half a world away, left behind with their other problems. For now, there was nothing on this side of the world more important than shopping for hair pins.

She remained close against Dracula's side, always following his lead. At most, she pointed to draw his attention to where she wanted to go, and then let him set trajectory and pace through the crowded market. It was an instinct for safety rather than out of submission--her mind balked at the prospect of taking even a step away from the shelter of his presence.

Browsing through a display of beautifully carven combs, Lenore tried a few of them against her hair, deciding how she liked the color against the red locks. She drew a handful of curls forward in order to do this, simply assuming that there was no available mirror, since the vendor had none to hand. "What do you think?" Lenore asked, modeling a comb carved from a wood so dark as to be almost black.

Dracula stood heads taller than everyone here, and it was made worse by the fact that this was a distinctly short population in compared to many Europeans. It allowed him a good vantage point to spot signs of danger, but more so, he was keen to find wares and fabrics that might suit Lenore's interest. This trip was to allow her the freedom that she desired, the kind that her sister queens could not so easily provide.

He noted her moving step with him, still at his arm but never for a moment did he have the impression that this was her submitting. If anything, a small tug or a point from her, and it was his attention that shifted to regard what had caught her interest. When he moved, he parted the crowded market populous without effort. Most gawked at the pair of them, so foreign, so pale and pure.

He leaned down to look at the combs of various colours and carvings. He tapped a long nail on one of them, testing their sturdiness and their paint quality. He was impressed and he watched as she decided on which one interested her tastes most of all. "Hmm, in this light, it doesn't gleam as I expect it would in castle lights, but it suits you. The white accent paint is a fine display against your red hair."

Lenore smiled at his comment, pleased to imagine it in the castle lights. She liked the thought of him admiring it there and remembering their trip here together. "This one, then. Please. Do you have money they'll accept here?"

She expects that he's planned ahead for that. She might be able to make do with the Styrian coins in her purse, which are at least gold and copper and thus possibly acceptable purely for their metal value, but she trusts him to have an easier solution, and expects that he'll probably spoil her a little with their purchases on this excursion.

It was easy for him to admire the look of such a comb in her hair given his towering height. When it seemed that she had made a decision - and he expected it wouldn't be the only one - he reached into the folds of his cloak to produce a small coin purse. He offered it to her to make the purchase. "We can thank Cho for her contributions to our enjoyment."

Gold would be a common currency, but he had made certain to have Japanese Yen. The coins were different from those pressed in Wallachia, so of course he had wanted to see it, to touch it and consider its metal mix.

Diplomacy and Romance

The Night Market

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