Post #2773911 in The Multiverse, a roleplay on RPG

OOC: Inaugural Junkpunk thread! For information, go to these threads: Character RP and Nation RP. Anyone is welcome, don't be afraid to join in!

It was approximately high noon; the sun looming high overhead, its heat radiating down from the heavens. This heat was probably a bit higher in this region of the world than others, considering most of the Hub straddled the line between mild mediterranean and semi-arid climate zones, although its general proximity to moving water helped cool at least the more coastal regions, such as the great, sprawling and ancient capital city of Barochai, with a refreshing breeze to offset the dry warmth.

Even in such mid-day high temperatures, the southern portion of the city was bustling with activity. This district was home to the massive South Barochai Bazaar, which in its nigh century-long history, has attracted both local and foreign visitors en masse. It was hard for some to imagine this sprawl of merchants and customers began as a meager gathering of only a couple of dozen local vendors selling to those living in the apartments surrounding the plaza. The marketplace itself encompassed some 120 acres, flanked on all sides by old stone and masonwork buildings, containing nearly 13km of aisles housing vendors of all shapes, sizes and sorts peddling and buying goods and wares of nearly any type imaginable, including some that were short of legal. Bootleg items and blackmarket goods were commonly bought and sold in the seedier aisles of the marketplace, the local authorities almost seeming to blatantly ignore the transactions for fear of riot. Though impressive in size, the fact the bazaar required vendors to set up their own structures to accommodate their goods and services led to the overall aesthetic of the place to be an uncoordinated mish-mash of all sorts of ramshackle booths and stands constructed out of all sorts of material from wood and metal to being practically operated out of small vehicles, most covered with some sort of garishly colored length of cloth or other thin, draping material to use as a makeshift roof that would shelter both proprietor and inventory from the unforgiving rays of the sun. To add to the unique atmosphere, the odors of the market were distinct in their characteristically nebulous nature; the mix of produce stands, butchers and fish sellers, various stalls where locals would cook servings their prized family recipe for anyone who passed by with a few coins to spare and room in their stomach to fill and the earthy, musky aroma of thousands of moving, sweating humanoid bodies collected in a pungent bouquet that stood out in the fact that no individual component stood out on its own. Some would say the bazaar was rather noxious to behold, even from a distance, while others insisted they enjoyed the aroma and overall atmosphere.

Regardless of the sights and scents, wandering the rows of peddlers and craftspeople was a priceless resource for anyone with a particular item in mind for barter. One would often find items they were not even actively hunting for simply by standing on the edge of an aisle and listening, filtering the cacophonous din of idle chatter and the almost lyrical cries of various stall personnel trying to attract interested parties to browse their offerings. Even information could be bought and sold here, if one knew what and who to look or listen for. Then there were those with keen enough senses that could pick up on tips and hints without paying anything to anyone at all. Some were either too oblivious or too over-confident in their illusion of security and anonymity to remember to keep bits of knowledge unspoken, or at least encrypted, in public. Eyes and ears in key locations could pick up more bargains than even the most thrifty housewife on a day-long shopping trip.

Argyros was one of those keen observers who liked to set his fishing lines out into the living waters of the bazaar and trawl to see what he could snare. It was his job to pick up these things, being an agent in the employ of the nation of Eudemonia. He was not there to spend money, but to collect what he could from the public grapevine for his superiors to sort through and see if any of the fruit was worth harvesting and further cultivation. He was, quite simply, perfect for this work; born and bred to blend in through talents of mind and body, able to blend into the woodwork so well that even under intense interrogation, witnesses would be hard pressed to recall anything significant about him, much less match him to any kind of profile.

Most of the forms Argyros adopted, with his unusual ability to intricately control his anatomy through acute psionic focus and shift his form to imitate that of other humanoid beings, were fairly benign. He preferred to be plain and insignificant to most casually wandering eyes; just another face in the crowd. In his default form, which he preferred to use when simply collecting information without making any direct contact with individuals, was fairly unobtrusive, though not unattractive: a Selekusion with largely Eudemonian features, medium height and of a lean build with light olive skin, burgundy eyes and thick, unruly black hair and full beard. His clothes were modest and plain, neutral tones, nothing flashy or gaudy to attract unnecessary attention and no significant accessories or design features to denote any sort of position or affiliation that might earn the focus of certain parties.

As he made his rounds within the maze of the bazaar, he scanned the crowds, turning his head occasionally to better pick up on distinct conversations, latching on to certain keywords and phrases which might indicate an interesting snippet of fact or rumor. Every so often, he might absentmindedly browse through a seller's stock, inspecting items with idle interest before moving on; perhaps stopping by a small cafe stall or fruit seller to purchase a local brew of coffee or a fresh sample of local bounty to consume as he appeared to wander the economic mecca without plan or purpose.

Snippet #2773911

located in South Barochai Bazaar, a part of The Multiverse, one of the many universes on RPG.

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