(Day 1 EA) Curious Curiosities (Expecting)

[Naila Drooten]

"Mr A'kin." Naila nods politely at the proprietor as she makes her way inside the store, taking a moment to breathe deeply and get her bearings before heading in deeper.

The detective was always on the lookout for gadgets that might help her crack a case or prevent her own demise at the whim of an irrate spellcaster, and A'kin tended to have the best.

And not only did he keep his store clean and tidy (which she greatly appreciated) but even if there wasn't necessarily anything useful there was always something interesting.

And sure enough it was only half a minute before she spotted a an invisible chair (sold with a matching blanket). Useful? Possibly, as a weapon perhaps. But it certainly was curious.

"Hmmm, and it would be that much harder for an irate client to break."

[Bob]

By no means attempting to be subtle, and likely failing against that passive even if they were, a shape congeals up behind the investigator to peer - a strange term given nothing resembling eyes - over her shoulder.

"Easier to do so on accident though, I reckon." If peering without eyes was strange speech without a mouth, though clearly audible and not telepathic, was perhaps even weirder.

[Naila Drooten]

By no means attempting to be subtle, and likely failing against that passive even if they were, a shape congeals up behind the investigator to peer - a strange term given nothing resembling eyes - over her shoulder.

"Easier to do so on accident though, I reckon." If peering without eyes was strange speech without a mouth, though clearly audible and not telepathic, was perhaps even weirder.

Naila, to her credit, manages to merely freeze for a moment as her well honed senses inform her that a rather amorphous entity was offering advice on furniture.

"...Well you make a good point. And I'd feel rather guilty breaking some widow's ankle as she came into the office."
She takes a moment to readjust her gloves and then her glasses, okay, ready to talk to this...sapient.

"And really, half the point of invisible furniture is it doesn't block the light, but if a chair is doing that you already have other problems."
She turns and extends a hand towards the shape.

"I'm Naila Drooten by the way, the detective extraordinaire. You." She pauses for a moment. "You may have an understanding of my existence? I should apologize, I'm woefully unfamiliar with your particular form of existence."

[Bob]

As the humanoid turns to address them the extended entity flows back down, mostly, into itself. What was previously perhaps considered a head then proceeds to 'shake' her hand. A somewhat disconcerting sensation as the hand is briefly absorbed into the outstretched slime, pumped, then released... seemingly no worse for the wear nor, perhaps surprisingly, seemingly any fluid left upon her glove.

Bob had better manners than to leave itself all willy-nilly where unrequested.

The head? hand? tendril then was seemingly reabsorbed into the greater whole.

"Oh, yes, I think I've heard the name before. I'm Bob!"

(D1, EA: Fluff History | 1d20 ⇒ 16 - probably enough to have heard of a business after spending a few years in the city)

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

"Mr. Bob? It's a pleasure." She is clearly beyond grateful for no leftover Bob on her glove, shaking someone's hand/head from the inside was unusual, but not unpleasant.

"Are you familiar with magical curious and trinkets or just browsing? Have you seen anything of interest in the shop?" Which she reflects, leads to a slightly more personal query. "And I hope it's not too personal a question, but may I ask how you process visual stimuli? I'm noting a...lack of the usual organs. Is it some form of magic?"

[Bob]

"Just Bob is fine." As the blob speaks another pseudopod extends and seems to regard itself, "You know, I never really thought about it, I just do, you know?" It turns and extends up somewhat to examine her face from a respectful distance, "I mean do you know how those things work?" The tip extends into two with each tendril pointing at an eye.

As the tendril is retracted once more it seems to ponder her other questions, "Just browsing at the moment. Never know what you might find. Found an interesting pouch of spices... every spice?... here once. He might have more if you ask. Real useful."

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

"It's quite fascinating, they take in light and then somehow it ends up here." She taps her head. "A proper surgeon could give you the specifics. But I take your point, it's rather presumptuous to assume someone has an expert knowledge of their own biology. Just doing is, in most circumstances, rather sufficient."

She withdraws a small notebook and scribbles down Fiend...magic...spices before snapping it closed.
"I could use some more spice, I'm told that traditional tiefling cuisine is simply impossible without certain ingredients that only a store like this could provide. Although one must be careful offering hellishly hot chili to their guests.

Gesturing to a small aisle labelled Preparation, Culinary and Misc. "Perhaps you'd care to join me on the search? I try not to bother A'kin too much as he is always keen to sell and with my limited funds I have to be very careful of what I buy."

[Bob]

Bob offers a front forward, at least from Naila's perspective, shimmy in proximity of a nod, "Sure. Hmmm Tiefling. I don't think I've ever had Tiefling before. Well Tiefling cuisine I mean." A slight pause, "Well, either sense I suppose, at least to my knowledge."

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

The full but well organised aisle seems to host some particularly esoteric equipment, a cursed spatula, acid proof oven mitts and a pasta colander that seems to fade in and out of existence to name a few. Anything actually edible is (hopefully) further down.

"Well that's good, I've never eaten an actual tiefling either, to my knowledge." Could she have willed herself to forget such a thing? It was possible but seemed to imply either some extremes or a very meat based diet.

"Tiefling cuisine varies, but a lot of it really needs that sulfur for the true flavour. And it has to be hearty, no point fighting the blood war on an empty stomach. If you're ever passing by the office you're welcome to stop by for some. Would I need to make any special preparations?" Naila politely leaves unspoken the question of whether Bob can simply absorb food or whether it needs to be eaten in some manner.

[Bob]

A moment of pondering, "I may have to take you up on that and not to my knowledge. If something's supposed to intoxicate it needs to have a hell of a kick but otherwise no allergies or the like yet." A slight pause of further thought, "Do you have any allergies? I don't think I've experienced an allergic reaction yet."