deernet | video; un: dabi

[it's a video, but it's dark. either someone on the other end still hasn't gotten the complete grasp of how a magical chunk of crystal is supposed to work compared to a smartphone (the unlikely cause) or they're simply not wanting to be seen right now (the likely cause). not that he cares which of the two people want to assume.

there's a faint "fwooph" and a blue glow momentarily illuminates the surrounding area. dusty wall, dark-colored cushions, an old curtain drifting lazily against the side of a dark boot, and the reflection of that blinding blue flared up in the glass of a three-sided bay window. gone, and it plunges back into the shadows. takes a few more moments for the image to adjust, ultimately revealing the hovering orange end of a cigarette caught in the glass's image.

he'll be keeping the rest of himself in the shadows for the time being.]

I'm lookin for some things.

[this place is a dichotomy, looks old but somehow isn't? since plenty of people here apparently come from different places and worlds, best take a quick shot in the dark for familiarity sake. an exhale sends a jet of smoke into the glass, wisps curling in licks over the surface.]

What do ya know about the Lumenarium? I need some medical shit, but ain't interested in havin some random doctor pokin around.

[he'll get into the details if needed.]

This place got cigarettes? Gonna run out of mine soon enough.

[cause obviously this is an important request and "fuck you" to anyone who tells him to light up an incense stick in lieu. another drag on the cigarette and the rest comes out with the smoke.]

Since money's not a thing here, we can trade.

[leave that vague offer for reasons. seems he's taking pains to not give away features or location on purpose. deal with it.]

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[can he laugh at her? he doesn't, merely regards her with the same impassive, sharp eyes and that laid-back attitude of his. he's met plenty of weird people. this is amusing, but could work to his advantage.]

Think I fall into the "neutral" category. I got my own goals; that's good enough for me.

[Junia thinks that over, her lips pursed once more. It's clear that she spends a lot of time looking like this, with furrowed brow and a glint of suspicion that she is going to be laughed at.

But he hasn't laughed at her, and he wasn't rude. (Or at least ruder than she can tolerate.)]

That is...sufficient.

[She chews her lip a little, debating, but - conversations rarely go so well for her.]

What ought I to call you?

[he pays attention to her through the stone, noting the way she looks as well as anything around her that might be of interest. looking for tells, though the shadows covering her eyes and the focus of her face makes that difficult. someone's not trusting and that's actually a plus in his book. two cautious people mean there will be less openings and intents to double cross.]

Dabi.

[now for the next part.]

Whatcha gonna want for this in return?

[Junia picks at one of her nails just out of sight, but the nervous energy of her twisting hands shows in the subtle movements of her arms that are visible. She's not as good at concealing her feelings as she thinks she is. She radiates the anxiety of someone who expects that she is going to ruin this somehow, her earnest effort to be helpful misunderstood due to her own clumsiness.]

Well-met, then, Dabi.

If you insist on a tithe, then - perhaps...pretty colored stones? The people of this place trade in such trinkets.

[it's that nervousness that has dabi wary about her. someone who's offering to be a healer and so viciously shuns the "official" place of healing, yet fails to hide those hints of doubt and unsureness showing through in small ways, is pretty suspect. not for being a danger, but for being someone who'd fuck this up royally.

still, he likes to keep his options open and if she's so against the normal lumenarium, dabi can at least ask her why while seeing what she offers.]

I ain't insistin on shit. Ya wanna do it for free, I'm not complainin.

[he's simply not used to people offering stuff like this without wanting something in return. the trade earns a quirked brow.]

Can't say I got much to trade with; I'm new here.

[If it came down to her skill alone Junia would be able to muster confidence. It's the rest of her that exists as more a collection of awkwardnesses than a human soul, or so she thinks in her more bitter moments.

This isn't one of them. She smiles, very slightly, making an effort to make it welcoming for all that it's not an expression she usually wears.]

Then I ask you do consider it a boon. One stranger to another in a strange place?

[some people wouldn't be one to turn down a free gift, but he's been in far too many instances where blindly trusting someone would get him killed or worse. while he's willing to at least go check this offer out, that's all he's agreed to at the moment.

that said, having multiple options is always a good thing.]

Deal. I'll contact ya when I'm settled.

Very well. A deal.

[Junia nods, firmly, and imagines she hides the sparks of happiness in her eyes well. (She does not).]

Farewell 'til then. May you go veiled in holy Light, warded against all harms.

[dabi's watching the screen through all of this, not trusting anyone here despite making some deals with them, such as this.

she's a weird one.]

Ja ne.

[With a swift nod, Junia ends the connection before she pumps her fist in mild, unearned triumph.]

video; un: dabi

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