Username;
happysparrow
Name;
Rowan Cromwell
Gender;
Male
Shine;

Prompt;
"
Who am I?" the Kalon gives you an odd look, head tilted in confused curiosity, "Why, isn't it obvious...? I'm a merchant, of course!" he grins, waving a paw to show the cart of trinkets behind him, "I sell everything from my travels around the world! Are you interested..? I also happen to make my own beads, now and again, but they usually don't look very good and aren't for sale. I used to make them all the time, but now I'm a bit busy. With my shine looking like a bracelet of beads, though, Kalons still ask," he laughed, although you peek around him to see a small tin containing a few of the beads. You have to disagree with the statement he had made about their quality - they were beautiful! Is that why the fluffy Kalon with the cute bobtail seemed so suspicious? You also have to disagree with your own mental statement. It's in their eyes... just looking in their eyes, you can see some dark past life, something soft and shimmering and sad. Apparently you have looked a little too close, as the young merchant narrows his eyes and steps back. Taking this as your warning, you two step back, paws turned inward and head lowered as a sign of apology. Whatever this Kalon was, as suspicious as they seemed to be, it couldn't be anything bad. Their gaze was too gentle for that, and you could see in the way he carried himself that he wouldn't hurt a fly! Rowan seemed to sense your curiosity and slight nervousness, and he gives a sigh and sits down. It is his turn to gaze into your eyes, now, as he asks the simple question, "What made you get all weird all of a sudden?"
You blink, wide eyed and surprised, before finally bringing yourself to speak, "L-look, I don't know, there was just something odd about you - not in a bad way! - that I felt I needed to find out. Your eyes look dark, but your personality is so bright and happy... what happened?"
Rowan stifles a flinch, eyes widening and mouth turning up in a slight snarl. It wasn't something he wished to address, but would it hurt telling some kid on the trail to his next destination? Maybe it would be good to talk. He settled, looking you in the eyes as he began to spin his story,
"A while ago, I had a family. Nothing too big, you see, but we were a simple farming family and a happy one at that. My mate and I were able to figure out what kind of produce sold best, and soon our little farm grew fairly large. We had thought when we first married that we wouldn't be too interested in kits, but that slowly changed until we were almost excited at the idea! So, we finally started our little family. With just the three of us, farming was a hard job but very rewarding! Nothing too terrible really ever happened, but one day my mate and I found that we were one Kalon short," at this he paused, ears back, but he seemed to be staying together well enough, "It was two of us. We spent days searching for our kit, but we never found him. We're hoping he's alive out there somewhere, but who knows? He could be kidnapped, he could have been killed, he could have gotten lost... My mate and I just didn't have the strength to keep our farm going, and it began to fall apart. That's why I became a merchant, really, to send money back home to keep my mate well, and to keep running from that grief that I just can't bear," he sighed, "It's was hard, but I needed to do what I needed to do to keep myself together. This is a fun job, of course, but I just can't stop anywhere for too long, so are you going to buy something or not?" the last sentence came as a surprise, a rough tone to hide the tears that had begun to form in Rowan's eyes. The merchant had finally let that hurt surface, and he had let it transform into anger. You flinch, startled out of the sad daze the story put you in. Nodding quietly, you reach in your satchel and pull out a few coins, handing them over and requesting a few of the handmade beads. After another few moments of quiet chatter, you part ways, watching as Rowan makes his way down the trail with his cart. Although you knew his story of grief was far from over, you hoped that the burden would somehow lessen, and you continued on your way. (791/800)