LT Tamio K'Wara - A Truly Unique Run-of-the-Mill Knockoff!

[LT Tamio K'Wara]

(( The Shaded Roads - Central District Underground, Fereng, Ferenginar ))

Getting an unexpected shopping companion was always a delightful surprise, doubly so when it was one of their newest subordinates. While Tamio had spent a considerable amount of time getting to know the other officers of the Operations department since they left the Borderlands, Charlotte was a recent transfer, and as such, she was a mystery. Getting to view her character through something as innocuous as a shopping adventure in the seedier parts of Fereng sounded like as good a way as any to verify her diplomatic chops.

Brexis: I’m guessing you are looking for black, muted, dark colors? 

Tamio had the decency to grimace at that, their nose scrunching at the thought.

K’Wara: Absolutely not, I have standards. ::grin:: There needs to be at least a primary, secondary and tertiary color on it before I’ll consider it.

Brexis: Hah! Yes! That’s what I’m talkin’ about! ::Glancing down the road:: There has got to be something within those guidelines. ::Nodding her head to the side:: Let's go.

Tamio fell into an easy step with Charlotte, looking around at the various shops they passed. Alas, many of them adhered to the woeful modern color palette, but at least that meant they wouldn’t be in any doubt once they did find something that suited their tastes.

K’Wara: Have you been on Feringinar before, or did you decide to jump in at the deep end on your first visit?

Brexis: This is my first time. ::Chuckling:: Jumping in the deep end is typically how I do everything. Whether that’s a help or a hindrance to me as a person– remains to be seen.

K’Wara: Making things up as we go along? I can do that.

The willingness to put herself out there and try new things with no fear was an admirable trait for a young woman in the prime of her life. Less so for an individual responsible for coordinating fleet movements in the relatively lawless region of the Borderlands, but Tamio was willing to reserve judgment until seeing her in action.

Charlotte seemed to notice something off to the side and she gestured to a specific window, which Tamio followed her towards.

Brexis: This looks promising– Oh My! Is that… GLITTER?!

She turned to face them with a beaming grin, something that lit up her face in a rather infectious manner.

Brexis: Please tell me you like things that sparkle? ::Waving her hand around:: What am I saying, of course you do.

With their best approximation of a poker face, Tamio did a fancy flip of their bioluminescent hair.

K’Wara: I was about to ask whether that was a serious question.

They soon found themself grabbed by the overeager blonde, dragged towards the storefront itself. Tamio allowed the momentum to carry them forward, genuinely quite interested in this small physical piece of joyful decadence in an otherwise drab store.

Brexis: Glitter! Glitter! Glitter!

K’Wara: Now now, remember, my ally in color - just because it glitters, doesn’t mean it’s in good taste. ::quieter voice:: Granted, it definitely helps, but praise the ware too much, and the shopkeep will gouge our purses for it.

Brexis: Response

The piece in question was a vaguely humanoid entity, though its proportions seemed more akin to a horribly malformed root vegetable. Beyond the continued inability by the art dealers within the Shaded Roads to sculpt something with genuine aesthetics, however, the colorplay was genuinely quite fascinating, muted greens and oranges interplaying beneath a thick layer of multicolored glitter that Tamio was certain provided quite the spectacle if put under a concentrated light source.

They stood up straighter, looking down their nose in their best impression of all the haughty art dealers they’d seen their mother engage with over the years and then spoke, quite loudly.

K’Wara: Hmm... Ah, see right there, Charlotte - I knew it. While the glitter lends it a certain je ne sais quoi, you can tell that the underlying varnish is poorly maintained. No doubt, the glitter will simply shed like the coat of a Bakian Fire Lizard as soon as it's exposed to dry air.

They winked at Charlotte, hoping she would play along with what was to come.

oO Time to put your acting to the test, Lieutenant Oo

Brexis: Response

As though magically summoned from a pocket dimension by the sound of customers in his store, a diminutive Ferengi staggered forth from behind one of the nearby shelves, though Tamio could tell there was a shrewdness in his eyes. They sized each other up in a matter of seconds as the storekeeper approached them, and then, the game was afoot.

Shopkeeper: Ah, caught your interest, did it? You, my friends, have the great fortune of beholding that magnificent piece - the Atherian Soul-Trap! This is the last tangible relic of the long-lost, highly litigious Atherian Empire! This protective varnish has defied 20,000 years of solar radiation, and shall likely outlast all of us combined! This, my friends, is not just art! This is history!

Tamio nodded slowly as the shopkeeper spun his fanciful tale.

K’Wara: The Atherian Empire, you say? Interesting. ::eyes the cleverly disguised ‘Made on Tysa’ label:: Hmm... Charlotte, does this piece not look exactly like that piece we saw while on that tropical planet? Oh, what was it’s name-

Shopkeeper: ::rushes:: This is a one-of-a-kind relic that I managed to procure with great difficulty! This is a most rare find, yes! Why, I've got buyers lined up for the opportunitity to purchase this beauty, but for the paltry sum of 25 bars of gold-pressed latinum, I might be willing to part with it right here and now.

Brexis: Response

TAG/TBC

LT Tamio K’Wara

Chief of Operations

USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1