First Reply Madame Raithe's Curio Shop

[Annika Starfire]

Location: on a planet in the core
Objective: Buy props
Tags:

The purple haired teen walked through the shop, with its windows blackened, the lights down low and the smell of incense in the air, its didn't just look, really felt the part too. The shelves were lined with carved curious, charms, small polished stones and all the little trinkets you might associate with practitioners of the dark arts.

Of course Annika knew it was just a tourist trap, a way for the elderly gnatty haired woman behind the counter to make sole money. In her younger days she was a witch of ancient dathomir, or so the stories went. Annika looked at the woman, she looked more like a an old grandmother, perhaps from the side of the family noone likes to talk too but Annika thought it was kind of cool, she liked to use this stuff in her own performance after all.

"Hey, Raithe, what do you have in that looks like it might tell the future, thinking of a new bit on the show where I make predictions my followers y'know." she sped curiously, picking up a small piece of crystal that felt vaguely warm to the touch. She had been asked for this service a few times and several had even direct messaged her offering to pay in credits for a reading, so what harm could it do.

"These aren't toys youngster, powerful magics are to e found here, beware the risks you take, an ill omen hangs over your head."

Annika raised an eyebrow and smirked at the woman's performance, pacing the piece of kyber crystal back down. "I'll bear that in mind, I'll keep look, let you know if I need any help yeah?" she said as she disappeared into a separate part of the shop which was a alcove that opened up into a small warren of old texts and several scrolled pieces of paper with mystical looking runes on them.​

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

​

Maldor wasn't sure what whimsy or flight of fancy had possessed him to look for Sith relics at this ludicrous location.

It was obviously a shop catering to tourists who were new to Coruscant, or at least this province of the world-city. A few items were interesting to look upon, but if there was true power to be found here, he couldn't see it.

Not surprising. The only way a Sith artifact would be found on a shop shelf was if the owner didn't know what it was. While possession of such things wasn't strictly illegal- as far as Maldor knew- it was socially damaging enough to ruin one's career if someone were to find out. And while possession might not be illegal, sale probably was. Which would obviate the point of stocking such things.

At least, out in the open.

When the shopkeep retreated a sufficient distance from the young woman, Maldor spoke up loudly enough for the girl to hear.

"I don't think you'll find anything worthy of interest here, unless you plan to put up a magic show and want to dress the stage."

He smiled at her, commiserating with a fellow disappointed shopper.

Annika Starfire

 

[Annika Starfire]

Location: on a planet in the core
Objective: Buy props
Tags: Maldor Mecetti

Annika continued to browse, picking up a dusty tome and leafing through it, her mind plotted how it might look on her desk on camera, when she heard another shopper.

"I don't think you'll find anything worthy of interest here, unless you plan to put up a magic show and want to dress the stage."

She laughed, "Don't let Raithe hear you say that, she'll put a hex on you.

It's kinda the point though isn't, noone actually believes in all this stuff, it's just kinda cool isn't it." she touched the rim her hat as with her dark purple painted nails and greeted the guy. He didn't seem to recognise her from her holo-channel so she might as well introduce herself. "I'm Annika, I do this stuff on holo, you looking for anything in particular."

She placed the tome back down and ran her fingers along the dusty shelf edge where she found a replica carved skull of a twi'lek child. Except a person with a greater knowledge of it providence might realise it was no replica. She picked it up and examined the carvings. "This would look perfect for my late night shows." she let out a wicked grin as she lifted it up to the dim light and looked at writing etched onto the inside of the trinket.

​

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

---

​

"She wouldn't be the first to try," he quipped with a quick grin. He felt relaxed, incognito as he was, and unlikely to be recognized due to his newness to his position. Only his expensive silk clothes whispered that he was more than a normal citizen.

The girl remarked that nobody believed in this stuff anyway, and Maldor quirked a brow, "Well, I don't know if I'd say 'no one.'"

His countenance took on a mysterious air, and some deeper experience seemed to reflect in his gaze. "Most citizens of the Galactic Alliance have no direct experience of it. But this galaxy has seen sorcerers, wizards, witches, Sith warriors, and Jedi Knights. Individuals of talent, wielding mysterious powers through the veil of the Force, enacting staggering destruction the likes of which the average person can scarcely imagine. The likes of which they would shudder to witness..."

He blinked, as though falling out of a trance. "But I doubt any of that is to be found here."

She introduced herself, and he extended a hand. "Annika, pleasure to meet you. My name is Maldor."

He considered mentioning his last name, which was the sort of name someone might recognize. But he was shopping and didn't want the attention. Not here, so far outside of his usual element. Especially since someone might be inclined to ask why a Senator was to be found in a place such as this.

"You do this... on holo?" He was momentarily confused, because he hadn't spent much time watching holonet entertainment as a youth. But then it clicked. "Oh, you have a show. A magic show?"

She picked up a skull prop, remarking on its suitability for such entertainments. It was a remarkable replica. He leaned closer, squinting at it.

His eyes widened slightly, and he stood straight again. Perhaps he'd been overly judgmental of Madame Raithe. She might not be a charlatan, after all. She might be quite mad, instead, to have such a thing sitting on a shelf in her shop.

"That looks like real bone to me," he said, with the surety of someone who knew the difference.

He started looking at the shelves with renewed interest. "There might be more going on here than I'd suspected..."

 

[Annika Starfire]

Location: on a planet in the core
Objective: Buy props
Tags: Maldor Mecetti

"Oh of course, I know about the Jedi and all that, and there are those women out of dathomir, but this is hardly that" she smirked. "Can you imagine Ichika Masudo setting up shop like this?" she shrugged as ahe mentioned one of the few Jedi name she did know, one from her own planet. She nodded to the man as he asked her about her show. "Sure, got a few million subscribers, double that again in followers." in the grand scheme of the holonet that served quadrillions of people she was still relatively small fry, but it was good enoug money that she could live independently at sixteen. She didn't check whether these terms even meant anything to the other guy.

"That looks like real bone to me,"

Her eyes widened and a wicked smile appeared on her lips. "You think?..

Hey, Raithe, is this Twi'lek skull legit?"

"Oh yes little one, a dark object you have there, it once belonged to the daughter of a Jedi, but it was taken from her by a dark lord when she was small. The stories say it has protective wards on it for those who know." the voice came from the other room from the old woman who knew every trinket that was on her shelves.

Annika spoke quieter again just for her new friend "What I'm hearing is that it's second had so it might be fairly... oh nope." she laughed as she looked at the large number of credits on the price label, completely ignoring the fact that it was a skull stolen from a child. "My followers would eat this up." she chewed on her bottom lip debating the purchase and wondering whether to look for longer. Her nose wrinkled as she noticed the scent of her own pheremones in the air, being subconsciously released as her interests were stimulated.
​

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Maldor nodded faintly as the girl mentioned a Jedi Master he'd heard of once, but whom he knew little about. It was an unfortunate hole in his knowledge, as he might otherwise have been forewarned about the possibility of this girl being of Zeltron descent. Her mixed heritage gave him few enough visual cues on its own.

"I don't think the Jedi would even pretend to sell Force-imbued artifacts, or items of darker provenance."

When she mentioned millions of subscribers, his brows lifted, "And these millions of subscribers... they pay subscription fees?" Even if it was just one credit per month, this young lady would be a multimillionaire.

Annika asked about the skull, and the old shopkeep's reply whetted Maldor's interest.

None of the Sith holocrons which Maldor had studied contained any details on witchcraft. But they did hold entries on Sith magic and rituals, ways of weaving the force to produce alchemy and seemingly supernatural results.

He wanted to get a better look at that skull's carvings, but he wanted to do so without seeming overly interested.

He was almost equally intrigued by the girl herself, who seemed to handle macabre subject matter with nary a cringe. She was the sort of person who could be taught the true paths to power. He felt suddenly that she was a person of potential. It was almost palpable in the air.

"Why don't I buy it for you," he suggested, "and you can give me your holonet channel id. Get a good closeup of everything on your show. I enjoy a good dramatic topic.. Watching your show would be a treat."

He produced a high-value cred chip as smoothly as a magician might produce a secreted card.

"I don't often meet famous people," he lied, "It'll be nice to say I bought a gift for the great Annika..." he faltered, seeming to have forgotten whether she'd mentioned her surname.


Annika Starfire

 

[Annika Starfire]

Location: on a planet in the core
Objective: Buy props
Tags: Maldor Mecetti

"And these millions of subscribers... they pay subscription fees?"

She laughed "Not to me they don't, that would be amazing, but no. People pay the holo-host, and we put content on, people subscribe to our content to show what they are watching and then, based on that and views and some kind of algorithm that noone really understands, the host pays me." she shrugged and leaned against the shelving unit as she drew out her holopad and loaded up her latest show. She turned the screen to the other man. "This is me, some people put ads in their stream too, but I don't like it, kind of breaks the immersion for the vibe I'm going for." she puzzled a little, surprised to be talking about this here, but it was her passion and he seemed interested.

"Why don't I buy it for you,"

She widened her eyes in mild surprise of the offer, then raised her eyebrow in a question "You sure you're only after the holo id?" there was a little smirk in the face of the sixteen year old, he was a little old for her, but her zeltron half was used to being flirted with and her teenage vanity lapped it up.

She looked at the high value chip in the man's hand "I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, you got a surname? Or a holotag, I'll have to give you a shout out in my Next video or something."​

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Maldor considered what she had told him about her profession as he watched the clip from her show.

Sadly, it seemed that she was last at the trough in terms of profits. There was some larger studio which managed subordinate channels, of which she was merely one of many. She was probably only making a tiny fraction of a credit per subscriber.

Enough to survive on, he supposed. Not the wealth he'd initially envisioned.

But no matter. There was something else about her. A pull that clutched at something within him.

Likely something to do with the Force. He sometimes felt a pull from people. Though, it was seldom so strong.

"Oh, I may want more than a Holo-ID, Miss Annika. But not the sorts of things a young girl is often concerned with, when a man shows her some attention. I'm afraid you have a few more seasons before you'll have such a concern from the likes of me."

He shrugged, "There are finer things in life than romance. My name is Maldor Mecetti," he bowed formally, "heir to House Mecetti, Senator to Obulette. I am always on the lookout for promising individuals worthy of mentorship. And House Mecetti is always anxious to find good talent to recruit into the fold.

Though... I would be grateful if you didn't give this 'shout out.' Most people would be put off if they learned that their political representatives had a taste for the macabre."

He produced a calling card, to go with the cred chip.

"If you ever get a craving to pursue your interests further, and discretion is within your skill mastery, give me a call. We might achieve great things together."

He passed the two objects for her to take.


Annika Starfire

 

[Annika Starfire]

Location: on a planet in the core
Objective: Buy props
Tags: Maldor Mecetti

She looked at the card in her hand, "A senator huh? I bet several of my friends would be urging me to lob an egg at you about now." she laughed, teenagers being what they were, she was not beyond the excitement of protests.

"But you seem alright, so maybe we can hand out and I can share a few of my opinions on the legal voting age?" she slipped the card into her waist band and started examining the skull a little more as if to spot something that would shatter the illusion of the gift she was receiving.

She then thought... "If you know about these things, can you tell me what over that is over there, I look at it every time I come in here, but it just looks like a chunk of amethyst to me, it's too small to be worth much on camera. It feels warm when I pick it up." she gestured over to the small and fairly mediocre quality chunk of deep purple kyber crystal that sat innocuously amongst several other more mundane crystals and semi-prescious rocks.​

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Maldor frowned at mention of a food barrage.

That was something he'd actually have to worry about for the first time in his life. On Obulette, anyone attempting such a thing on a Monday evening would be disappeared by Tuesday morning, and their entire family would be condemning them by Tuesday night.

Some people called it totalitarian. Some used the word 'dictatorial.' But House Mecetti understood it for what it was: Essential Discipline.

Good citizens understood the difference.

Of course, Annika was only joking.

For her next jest, she brought up the voting age.

"Ah," he said, his features brightening, "I heartily endorse the lowering of the voting age. People often underestimate the youth. Humans can begin work by sixteen. They pay taxes on their wages. If they can pay taxes, they should be able to vote for their representatives."

Maldor would always endorse any policy likely to weaken the democracy of the Alliance. A voting youth would inevitably elect inappropriate and ineffective leadership. Ineffective leadership would erode trust in democracy. A lack of trust in democracy would lead to autocratic rule.

And House Mecetti would always be among the autocrats in such a system.

But those were... quiet thoughts.

She drew his attention to one of the shop's crystals, and his eyes widened slightly.

Kyber.

"Where I am from, in the Tapani sector, such jewels have a very special significance among the nobility.

If you do decide to buy that, Don't put it on your set. Keep it for yourself.

Make it into a necklace, or a ring, if you like. But do not have it cut, or polished.

You may find a use for it some day, depending on the direction your life takes.

If that day comes, you will be glad that you did not modify that crystal for any other purpose."

He was being exceedingly cryptic, but mystery was the bait one needed to place on the barbed hooks of the mind.



Annika Starfire

 

[Annika Starfire]

Location: on a planet in the core
Objective: Buy props
Tags: Maldor Mecetti

"Thanks, I might just buy it then." she said as she picked it up and felt the warmth of the crystal she had come to recognise. She lifted it up and looked at it through the light towards the man who had been so helpful to her. "You're pretty interesting, for a senator... " she marvelled at the shifting colours from the crudely cut purple gem. "You've got my holo ID now, so if you ever want to slip into my DMs and give me more of these little nuggets, feel free"

Perhaps she had made a friend for the future, or perhaps he was just a politician that was so hardwired to look for votes that he would suck up to anyone, even a foreigner who was below the voting age. Annika walked around to Raithe who was say patiently for them. "Find anything that interests you little Starfire?"

The girl nodded and placed the items down on the counter in order to pay. The old witch grinned as she wrapped the skull, almost chatting to it as if it were still a living child. Annika gave a sideways glance to the older man about the mad older woman.​