Wanna buy a necklace? (very, very open!)

[Auspice]

Honest work wasn't always easy for Shifters. Not in the City. Not for Shifters like Auspice who weren't actually all that good at honest work. Spirit was easier, but Auspice wasn't interested in working in Spirit. The City was his hometown, and it was about time he tried to get back there. With the King of Thieves on his tail for more than taxes, he had to avoid the slums, and he was plain terrified of the red light district.

If he wanted to get away with being in the City at all, he had to play Human or play Slave. Technically he'd never be the former, and he didn't like to admit to being the latter. Still, if he kept his odd markings covered, most Humans wouldn't notice that he wasn't like them.

These factors, together, explained why he was currently standing on a large wooden crate, on a street that looked a little too clean for him, trying to unload what he claimed was a genuine cursed necklace. He was wearing his heavy gray cloak, because he didn't plan on shifting any time soon. Except for the shoes, he had filled in the rest of his clothes with whatever he'd been able to find or steal- this included a rather interesting straw hat, which he found entertaining. The necklace was silver, with some stones that appeared to be rubies hanging off of it.

"Found on the Cliffs of Heaven! Ancient Fae handiwork! Genuine magic! Possibly cursed!" He knew for a fact that it wasn't Fae handiwork, because he knew for a fact that it was Daemon handiwork. He'd stolen it from one of Calandra's acquaintances, and if he could unload it before Calandra showed up he'd actually get away with the theft. "If you still doubt the magical nature of this object, I will let you see for yourself! Genuine magical resonance in this thing!"

[Nasrin the Wolverine Warrior]

This place was almost as bad as Spirit.

Nasrin wandered the streets, a little too tense and a little too stressed. The people around her were strangers, outsiders, and she was by herself, lost in this sea of unfamiliarity. She was confused and disoriented; too many strangers. Of course, in this place, she was the strangest of them all. Her clothing, tattoos, general appearance was enough to set off a bomb of curiosity in the humans that were so like her but so different at the same time, at least according to Gabriel.

The woman walked tensely, gripping her spear until her knuckles were bone white.
She didn't like this place.
She wanted to go back to her tribe, back to her people, where she belonged.

"Found on the Cliffs of Heaven! Ancient Fae handiwork! Genuine magic! Possibly cursed!"

The voice startled her out of her thoughts, and hazel eyes flicked up to the man standing on the crate, thrusting a strange necklace about. He was trying to sell the 'cursed' necklace, it seemed. Now, normally Nasrin avoided the merchants that yelled at her, trying to force her to buy things because it was just safer for them that way (given the warrior's very short temper and ability to kill), but this one seemed... different somehow.
She wasn't sure how.
So the woman moved forward to join the crowd, listening to the little man speak.

"Really now? Then show its magic, if it has any at all," she called out suddenly, leaning on her spear and staring deadpan at the man. The members of the crowd looked at her strangely. They had given her her space when she had settled there, considering the dangerous aura she gave off.

[Auspice]

Auspice's spine stiffened a bit as he turned his head to look at the woman who was questioning his sales item. Crap. Could all Humans use all the artifacts? He couldn't remember. Was it affinity specific, or just based on the level of skill or practice they had with their artifacts? As a Shifter, he really couldn't use the the thing, despite the fact that he knew it had magic. That wasn't the question. Would he, as a Human, have been able to use it? Should he pretend to use it? Pretend not to have heard the question properly?

To prevent a gap in the conversation that would have driven away customers, he blurted out the first thing to come to mind. "I've got no real magical talent, m'lady. But if you'd like to see for yourself, I'd let you climb up here and check, it's got magical resonance to the touch." Did they feel that sort of thing? Humans didn't have their own magic. Auspice had had to fiddle around with his Shifting a bit to get it to work for him, but the thing did respond to magic when provoked. Even when it wasn't responding, it usually hummed a bit if he shoved it in his ear, something the average necklace never seemed to do. "You're interested in it's magical properties, so I assume you've got enough skill to tell the difference? I mean really, you're probably more equipped than I am for this sort of thing. Right?" His smile was overacted and sarcastic as he leaned over to offer her his hand to help her up onto the crate.
Right.
Stay Charismatic.
If you can't win the customer, be sure to keep the crowd.

He noticed then that she looked like the kind of woman who, if succinctly annoyed, could cut him in half if she wanted to. She wasn't a local by any means, he could tell that just looking at her.