prismatica | Video

[Kanji pulls away from the device and into view with a sigh; he's dressed down with a sleeveless and a towel over his shoulders- his hair was still a little damp, so we're fresh out of the shower and ready to roll.]

...Uhh, so, I was gonna make a video when I was a dragon and had kinduva thing put together, right? But I got all tied up and couldn't get around to it in time.

[He shrugged and scratched his head, but then all movement stopped as he started turning pink.]

Tied up- no, shit n-not like that! Delete, delete, I don't... rrgh-!

[The camera is jostled as he quickly fetches the device and his fingers mash at the screen for a few seconds. The feed goes black, and that may as well be that.

Only the video begins again about ten minutes later. Kanji is scowling, arms folded, his face red. It looks like he didn't know how to delete anything, but won't breathe a word about it. He had a video to make, god damn it.]

...Yo. Look at these, a'right?

[A short, moody sigh (deep breaths, deep breaths... being Sanguis was pretty hard when your temper was already short), but he turns the camera to his coffee table. On the surface were small knit dolls, needle-felted critters, two neatly-rolled blankets, and a set of knit gloves with a matching scarf and hat.]

The holidays are comin' up as well as a new year of birthdays, so I'm offering what I can do! I can make dolls, clothes, blankets, and a little bit of charms n' smaller pieces of jewelry to give as gifts in time for Christmas or whatever. Need somethin' handmade? I'm your man.

I work fast, and I take demichroma. Chroma, too, b-but like... hugs n' handshakes...!

[He looks away, ruffles the back of his neck.]

Anyway, my inbox is always open for stuff, but I can take orders n' questions here, too.

...That's it. Seeya.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Look, its an unfamiliar face. And the way her eyes are narrowed, she just might be being a little tiny bit judgemental.]

Such a.....charming young man.

[No, she most likely does not mean that.]

You do not much strike me as a craftsman, not by the look of you. Still, there is a certain simplistic charm to your wares. I trust your prices are reasonable?

[His teeth ground briefly, and he couldn't hide the visible tightening of his jaw. He was waiting for this sort of response, and was rather used to it. It was a practiced calm that had him leaning on his folded arms over the table and offer a nod.

Kill 'em with kindness, man. Show 'em who you really are despite the way you look.]

It's my hobby. I ain't lookin' to make a profit; just covering the materials used so I can buy more once I'm done.

Whatcha need?

[Seeing how the look on the woman's face seemed to soften, she either bought the calm act or at least appreciated the gesture enough to not push any further.]

Only a hobby, you say? Even still, I find the thought of owning hand-crafted dolls like you are offering quite pleasing. I do hope you will not find my words offensive, I did not intend to belittle your talent. If I did not approve of it I would not have contacted you.

[Her face turns into a friendly smile. One that shows little fangs.]

I should like to place a total of four orders, if you have the time for such. I am fortunate enough to be in this world with two people I am close to from my own. I would like to gift each of them a doll in my own likeness, as well as have one in theirs for my own personal collection.

[Fangs... huh. Combined with the eye color, she kinda gives off a horror movie look. But considering he turns into some kind of monster every month, he probably shouldn't be making any judgments or guesses.]

Tch...! I'm used to it. Had worse than what you've said, anyway.

[Okay, dolls. Dolls are his specialty.]

...Yeah, sure. I jus' need references. Y'know, a full picture of you and one of your friends, front n' back so I don't miss anything for the clothes.

[The horror image might be more obvious if the camera was not so close to her face and showed off her leathery wings. Of course that will be obvious in the reference images.]

Splendid. I am certain I have some images on this device somewhere. And you are certain you require nothing more than the cost of the materials? If this truly is a only a hobby for you, I can see you going out of the way for your friends, but you literally do not even know my name. I do not have a problem with paying you. Judging by your outburst earlier, I imagine you feel the same as it when it comes to generating chroma the 'popular' way around here, but I could at the very least offer you a small payment of demichroma for your time if nothing else.

[She spoke and the pink over his face spread and deepened. Why's... why's she gotta be like that? Was he that transparent? As his arms folded tighter, gray eyes searching the frame elsewhere as if putting some thought into it, he wagered that... yeah, maybe he could charge more for these things. He didn't exactly need the extra cash, but was making income really such an unthinkable idea?]

I-I don't trade in the 'popular' way, n-no...! You're right about that.

Demichroma's- demichroma's just fine, if you're gonna insist.

[It had not even been an intentional attempt to provoke a response, but the one she got was so amusing it takes a bit of willpower to not push things further.]

It is just as well. If you wished THAT kind of payment, I would be rather loathe to ask for your services. Since you do not I believe I MUST insist. While I appreciate the gentlemanly gesture of offering to craft them so cheaply, the truth of the matter is that you possess a skill. This means you took the time to learn how to do this, and that, in turn, means you deserve to be rewarded for doing so. While I will not tell you how to treat your friends, I am not among them, and thus I believe it only proper I not impose as if I am.

[As she is speaking, she is tapping at her device and, after a few moments, sends a few images. The first is of herself. The full body shot shows what the current video feed did not, her bat-like wings. The other images are of of two women, a white-haired woman dressed in a maid uniform, and another with long purple hair and eyes to match. She's clearly no expert photographer, but there is at least enough detail to work with between the images.

[He took a moment to take everything in, both the pictures and what she'd said. She had a point, honestly, and his mother had said the same thing. He could charge the moon and back for his work and there may be folks out there who would pay it to get their hands on something they couldn't find on any marketplace shelf or online.

But he couldn't get that taste out of his mouth, that- that vague temptation to turn a serious profit when his family ran a small shop in the face of a giant megastore that was running his neighbors out of business. He had to be competitive somehow, however: Junes didn't have cute shit like his.]

You ain't the first to tell me stuff like that, y'know. I mean, I getcha, and maybe I'll ask for a little more cash down the line if my work's makin' me go broke, but...

[He shrugged broadly, and turned his eyes back to the camera with a lopsided smile.]

Fuck all that for now! It's the holidays.