Karivnie swung down from her stool, meal finished, shoving payment across the counter to the barkeep, her slender, finely-feathered hand emerging from the loose overwrap she wore in cities and disappearing quickly back within the concealing garment. The limb resurfaced almost as quickly, the claustrophobic pub making her usual distaste for clothing (it was impossible to wear anything and not ruffle feathers) even more evident than usual. She didn't even bother to raise the hood of her overwrap; she doubted she would have been able to lower the indignantly raised crest-feathers anyway. There would be no mistaking these long feathers as hair today- Karivnie was unmistakeably avian, and unmistakeably irritated, even if onlookers had never seen a K'mari before.

Unfortunately for her, her soft, downy feathers, even when darkened to their angriest ebony, coupled with her petite frame and angelic face, tended to make onlookers chuckle at the endearing sight of the tiny bird-girl leaving in a huff rather than cower as she stormed out of the pub.
Her mood didn't improve as she wrestled her way through the open-air market, putting her sharp elbows to good use. To top it all off, she knew that when she returned to her ship she would find a hold full of technology she'd hoped would sell well in this hub for long-distance travelers, and nothing put the merchant girl in a bad mood like unsold inventory.

Breaking into a small clearing in the middle of the marketplace, Karivnie looked around in confusion at the unexpected relief from the crowds. Her gaze immediately fell on a tall alien standing before a provisioner's booth, everything from his physique to his equipment to the very way he stood and moved wordlessly proclaiming that he was a dangerous. Ordinarily, the shy K'mari would have taken that unspoken warning and gone straight back to her ship. Today, she was too annoyed for sensibility, and her business sense had been offended. She went straight to the fighter and tapped sharply on his elbow, interrupting him mid-haggle.

"Don't let this slob pawn his third-rate junk off on you. You travel a lot, I can tell, and I have better wares in my hold than anyone in this city can offer you. I'm sure we can have more mutually profitable discussions there than you'll find in these dusty streets." She paused to eye the impassive mask covering the alien's features, trying to gauge the effect her bold pitch had had on him- and out of the corner of her eye, on the merchant she had upstaged, still spluttering in the background. They both ignored him as she asked, almost challengingly, "Interested?"

(This is the first intro I've gotten to do... can you tell? )

((No, it's very nice ))

Ugh, this guy is driving me nuts... the muscular reptilian mercenary thought as the merchant insisted on his price.
It was a terrible afternoon for Rahs, everything seemed to just not go his way. A week ago he managed to barely escape from a whole fleet of slavers that were pretty mad at him because of his mission's success. He was ordered to save a bunch of slaves from their grasp by an altruist alien that loved very much the freedom all beings are supposed to have.

A difficult operation, but Rahs succeeded somehow, happily collecting his prize, which was actually unknown to him. It was a heap of useless devices and jewelry. It's true he works for anyone that can pay for his services, but the reward is usually money. And money restocks his ship and food, something jewelry and shiny artifacts can't. Now, Rahs isn't the brightest seller although he knows how to buy.

The former soldier spent a whole week surviving on his declining food supply until he found the open air marketplace he was in. Even though he managed to sell most of his useless spoils, and even restock his ship, he wanted to sell the last of the jewelry inside his bag. But he practically sold to every merchant, so now he was preparing to leave, making some last-minute haggles for some weapons and devices.

His futile haggle was interrupted by a cute alien tapping on his shoulder, though in a rather sharply way. His annoyed face quickly turned into a curious one when he looked at the avian being from head to toe, although it was invisible due to his helm. At least she had the guts to go around and sell her stuff. Her bold tone was something Rahs could praise, and she even asked if he was interesting with a challenging tone.

"Very," he answered in a strong tone as well, turning around ignoring the merchant completely, ready to leave the annoying streets of the marketplace. "Let's do business then, shall we?" he added as he picked up his messenger bag from the floor, finally resting on the side of his thigh covered by his fauld, the only piece of armor he was wearing besides his usual gauntlets and boots, and of course, the helm.

Karivnie stepped back politely, giving the deep green-scaled reptilian space to leave the portly merchant's booth. She cast her thwarted rival a smug look and fell into step beside her new customer- or what passed for "in step" with two creatures of such different sizes. Counting her half-raised crest, she just managed to come up to his chest. Regarding him out of the corner of her eye, she wondered at his odd choice of attire. He seemed to have as little fondness for clothing as she did, clad as he was in what would be considered by most as the minimum for politeness. Still, since she had him pegged for a mercenary, such spartan armor was odd. Tough skin, maybe. I should up the setting on my pistol, just in case he decides ruining my business wouldn't harm his.

On the heels of this cynical thought, a much more cheerful notion occurred to her. I wonder if this means that he won't be distracted from business if I get rid of my clothes at the ship...

As they approached the city's docking area, she addressed her customer: "Considering where we are, I'll understand if you want to keep your name to yourself. If you give me an idea of what your specific travel needs are, though, I will have a better idea of what merchandise will interest you. What needs of yours remain unmet by this sad excuse for a trading post?" It wasn't very professional, perhaps, to be taking conversational stabs at her fellow salespeople, but Karivnie's feathers were still smoky gray with annoyance; she wasn't in a mood to be merciful to incompetents. She just hoped that this mysterious mercenary had something worth her time for payment and that her sloppy competitors had left him with many needs unmet.

Rahs could notice the huge difference in height between themselves. He practically towered over her with a difference of almost two feet. Even with her half-raised crest, she wasn't able to even reach his shoulders. It seemed possible for Rahs to hit her head in the process of crossing his arms.

The mercenary could tell that the avian alien checked out his clothing. He could've used the cloak he tends to use in most towns and cities, but considering he was carrying a bag full of jewels he decided to go protected. He was curious though about hers. Rahs was sure that wearing practically any piece of clothing would be uncomfortable if you had feathers, if he recalled the few things he learned of bird alien species during his life.

After a while, as they reached the docking bays, the female merchant talked to him. He wondered if telling her his name would somehow help to spread the word about his services. Then again, that would also help people that Rahs have worked against to find him. If she turned out okay, maybe he would tell her. "I travel all the time. Anything that can smooth my voyages would be okay. Right now though, I need some long range weapons."

Rahs then noticed that her black feathers were turning slightly gray, but still quite dark. It was then that he knew what kind of alien she was. Light clothing in social places meant she preferred none, feathers able to change colors and being a merchant were textbook characteristics of the K'mari tribe. That meant she probably was gonna take off her clothes inside her ship, which also meant some relief from the armor for Rahs, since none had any concern for being nude.

Karivnie nodded to herself as she placed her palm on the panel to open her ship's door, mentally running through the contents of her hold as the ramp descended and they both strode into the KMS Lirinyaar. "Long range weapons..." she muttered to herself before fixing her gaze on the tall mercenary. "These are weapons to be mounted onto your ship, I assume? If so, I have several models that you should consider."

She paused at the platform that would take them to the belly of her ship, where her merchandise was stored. "Also, would you be offended if I remove these?" she asked, plucking at the loose cloth cloaking her. "I find it more comfortable to forgo clothing on my own ship, but I realize that some races find it disturbing." As she spoke, she activated the lift, taking herself and the nameless mercenary down into her hold.

Stepping off of the platform, ignoring the uncomfortable itch in the back of her mind reminding her that she had a dangerous and unknown quantity behind her, she hit the lights, revealing an impressive stock of all manner of traveling equipment spread out around them. Turning with pride to her customer to watch as he took in their surroundings, she said simply, "Let me know if anything catches your eye."

"Yes. Also, some rifles and handguns would be nice too," Rahs replied as they strode in her ship, returning her gaze with those cold eyes that almost showed no emotion. As the merchant went to activate the lights, she questioned Rahs if he would mind that she took her clothes.

"On the contrary. I can see you're from the K'mari, so it should be very annoying for you to wear clothes. But would you mind if I take my own fauld? I also have the preference for no clothes," Rahs replied as his eyes looked at her, and almost instantly turned around to look at all the inventory she had. It was like being in heaven, being surrounded by so many things that he could use.

Her pride filled the air, too. And who wouldn't feel like that with such impressive merchandise. "First things first. Can you show me the weapons?" Rahs told her. Even if he would like to look around, he didn't know if he had that much money or jewels. If he had some left after satisfying his priorities, he would loko for more interesting stuff to buy.

Karivnie, her back to the mercenary still, raised an eyebrow as he identified- correctly- her race. The K'mari weren't so rare among the stars that no one knew of them; in fact, their traders had a rather high reputation among others of their profession and with their clients. Still, the average tough couldn't usually pick them out of the various avian species of the multiverse, so he was either above average or he called every avian K'mari. Karivnie's impression was of the former.

"Certainly, I prefer my customers to be comfortable when I conduct business," Karivnie answered him, pulling off her dusty outer wrap and laying it on a crate. Beneath it she wore a brilliantly green wrap that hugged the curves gracing her petite form with enticing familiarity, the clinging outfit made to hamper the wearer's movements as little as possible without crushing feathers against sensitive skin. Her feathers continuing to lighten, she twisted out of this wrap as well as she said, "If you'll follow me, the military supplies are kept over here." Draping the unwound cloth over another crate, Karivnie expertly wove her way between the towering boxes of goods, her wings stretching comfortably in the space and giving the reptilian mercenary a clear view of her back, glossy feathers on her back fading smoothly to the soft down that flowed down the curves of her shapely rear.

Stopping before a section separate from the other crates, she gestured to a heavy, spiraling cylinder of approximately ten feet in length, overall quite unremarkable save for its shape. "I think you'll appreciate this," she said, casting the mercenary a conspiratorial smile. "This is a recent upgrade from a manufacturer that shall remain nameless. The most relevant change is its mass; this model, the X1700, has every bit the range and yield of its predecessors, but is more energy efficient to use and puts less strain on your ship when not in use. Its spiral shape also gives it greater precision over distances, which makes up for the fact that it is still a light cannon, designed to cripple rather than destroy. If you're interested in something less discreet, however, I can accommodate that as well."

She paused in her pitch, turning her large violet eyes up to the mercenary's masked face as she awaited his response, the color-obsessed K'mari in her noting absently as she did the contrast between his dark green scales and the soft white her feathers had turned.

"Good." Rahs put his bag on a crate next to the one the avian alien laid her cloak and then took off the piece of armor that covered his waist and thighs. In doing so, it made his massive cock bounce up and down as it still remained limp. As Rahs put the armor down on the crate, he looked at the fine petite body of the merchant being covered by her green wrap.

It was when she removed all of her clothes completely when the mercenary thought that she had an incredible body. Her extended wings let him stare at her beautiful curved back and at the round rear. Nice ass... thought Rahs as he followed her through the tall towers of boxes. He could only wonder what she had in store for him.

The sight of the impressive spiraling cannon made the former soldier's heart skip a beat. It was a military masterpiece, even though its main functionality was to cripple other ships. The spiraling design also helped the accuracy and range just like she said. "I certainly can use this nice piece of equipment," Rahs told her as he neared the cannon, admiring it, and holding the urge to touch it. "Something less discreet would be excellent too..." he added, turning his head towards the nude merchant, noticing her bosom covered by the soft down, slightly looking down to look at her exposed front. Her groin area covered by the same down and her shapely legs. The sight was so amazing it made Rahs's cock twitch as blood got redirected slightly to the massive member.

Karivnie smiled, pleased that her the first thing she had chosen to display had been so well-received. Noticing the subtle tension that ran through the mercenary's muscled body, Karivnie added with some amusement, "You're free to examine it closer, if you wish. You seem well-versed enough to be allowed to touch as well as look. If you decide you're interested, I can also sell you the ammunition for this cannon- it fires electrified disks that both cause structural damage and adhere to the exterior of your target, from where it fries whatever computer that controls it."

The nude K'mari merchant paused for a brief moment, having noticed the twitch of the mercenary's cock (The females of his species must be enormous...) as he asked for less discreet weaponry. Either he enjoys his weapons more than I thought, or...

Frustrated that his mask made it impossible to tell where precisely his eyes were, Karivnie chose to keep her all-business attitude. His daunting size aside, featherless beings looked oddly... naked to her eyes, as if someone had plucked them and left them to wander in their embarrassment. That, and the fact that she prided herself on not using the tactics less-skilled merchants used to befuddle and distract her customers made her hope that his interest was reserved for the weapons, or that if it was for her, he would at least restrain himself. She had left her pistol concealed among her clothes, having no where to hide it on her person, and she was beginning to feel that it may have been a foolish choice.

Threading her way smoothly through the boxes, careful not to let the sudden tension give itself away in her movements, she beckoned the mercenary to follow her. A bulkier cannon lay chained to the floor, smoky glass-like plates bulging out at regular intervals around its base. Karivnie bent slightly as she spoke, pointing to the different parts of the weapon and inadvertently giving her customer a better view of intimate areas he had only glimpsed before.

"This piece is an improved version of a standard plasma cannon. Simply put, rather than taking energy from the ship's engines to fire, which has tended in the past to make it difficult to fire and maneuver at full capacity simultaneously, the bulges around the base contain components that provide the majority of the energy to superheat the ammunition into plasma. This process is also much more efficient for its size, so despite it consuming less energy from your engines, the potential firepower is greater than previous models. The only setback is that the fuel reservoirs need replenished separately, but the materials are common and the fuel economy is high."

Turning back to the mercenary, she looked up his body to his covered face, asking, "You mentioned hand-held firearms as well. Is there anything else you're interested in viewing?"

Being allowed to touch the first cannon, Rahs lightly lifted the spiraling barrel and looked carefully at the details. He could see inside too and nodded in approval as he was able to notice the firing mechanism deep inside. He finally asked for the more powerful weapons and noticed that the K'mari alien paused briefly but decided to lead him to another surely extraodrinary weapon.

The avian walked practically as smooth as she tended to, and stopped to show Rahs what was indeed another amazing piece of weaponry. This plasma cannon, despite its weird bulks around the base, clearly showed a higher firepower than the usual cannons that many ships have. She also bent forward to point out the parts of the deadly weapon as she kept explaining thoroughly, giving Rahs something more than a glimpse to her ass and vulva.
Rahs couldn't hold a nod and crossing his arms as the improved plasma cannon looked promising and at the incredible view he was enjoying. His cock also grew to a semi-erect size as the merchant kept fueling his imagination and lust with her intimate areas.

As if waking up from a trance, the mercenary looked at her eyes as she questioned what kind of firearms would interest him. "An assault rifle, with a high fire rate and little recoil. Some scopes or lenses to increase the range would be appreciated if you have them," he replied moving his arms back to his sides expecting the female alien to walk as she always have through the boxes.

Karivnie nodded to herself, straightening from her bent position over the plasma cannon she'd been displaying and running her fingers through her crest as she considered the best items to fulfill the mercenary's request, the feeling of her soft feathers slipping past her fingers soothing in the midst of her doing her level best to make a sale. "Would it be safe to assume that you're interested in one or both of the cannons, then? If so, I'd like to see what method of payment you'll be using today and we can decide on the appropriate compensation for our respective assets."

As she spoke, she continued running through the inventory list, her mind flicking hastily through the memorized contents of her ship. I don't have any weapon enhancements in stock, so he's out of luck with the scopes... Now, a high fire rate, low reco- Karivnie's thoughts cut off as she turned, her eyes coming sharply back into focus as her attention was redirected from going through her mental inventory lists to her customer... who was obviously having some trouble containing his enthusiasm. Tearing her eyes from his half-erection (I think it actually got bigger...), Karivnie tipped her face up to regard her customer again, wings shuffling uncomfortably at her back as she searched briefly for words.

"Sir," she said in her politest voice, realizing with a stab of annoyance that she still didn't know his name, "I don't know what is customarily offered among your own people, but I'm afraid I sell nothing to cater to the sexual desires of my customers. If the weapons I do have in stock will somehow fulfill those desires, I'd appreciate it if you contained yourself until purchasing them."

The merchant ran her fingers through her crest and pointed she'd like to know what sort of payment Rahs had to offer. He turned his head around as if it were possible to look back at his bag with all the jewels. But it was a light shuffling of her wings and the word 'sir' that drew back his attention towards the merchant.

Rahs couldn't help but laugh at the avian alien's comment. "You can call me Rahs. And no, I can certainly tell you do not have anything in your inventory to sell that would satisfy me. Now, I do have a good amount of jewels and gold in my bag, which I think may be more than enough for the cannons," he replied, laughing a bit more at the end as the thought of being aroused by weapons seemed so funny to him. No, it wasn't the weapons at all. Soon she would know what exactly.

"Rahs," Karivnie repeated carefully, testing how the name felt in her mouth. She inclined her head towards the mercenary, indicating herself with a flick of one wing as she said, "Karivnie Sa'vogel, of Sa'vogel Aerie. Now, if you don't mind, I'll take a look at these jewels of yours and see how many my cannons are worth. Depending on the quality, I may either include whatever rifles you pick in the deal, or we can bargain for them separately."

She was relieved by the fact that he hadn't been offended by her chiding him, or at least that's what she assumed he was laughing about, but that failed to distract her from the fact that he had completely glossed over the reason for his arousal. With the differences in their height and the size of his member, it was hardly something that Karivnie could gracefully ignore.

She could, however, ungracefully ignore it, which is what she did, deciding that pestering a much larger alien about his biological functions was unwise when they were about to begin bargaining for payment. In the event that he may be lying, Karivnie felt much better about the fact that his valuables lay back near where she had left her gun, concealed in her clothes.

Feathers slightly ruffled, she slipped back past the mercenary, her discomfort reaching a peak for a moment as she passed between him and a tower of crates, the space so narrow that the downy softness of her pert breasts brushed his scaled flesh. "Excuse me," she said softly, trying to keep the evidence of her racial claustrophobia to a minimum as she brushed by. Once clear, she continued to near the entrance of the hold where they had left their clothes, trusting that the mercenary would follow her.

"Fair enough," Rahs replied. Karivnie was a pretty name for a peculiar avian species, but it was pretty obvious she was definitely very skilled and professional while in business. Her wings had made a gesture as she presented herself, and then ruffled as she intended to pass between the narrow place.

"Right, sorry," Rahs expressed as Karivnie did her best to squeeze through. The mercenary naturally moved his body as if facing her, which helped because he was thinner than the width of his shoulders. But this caused that her soft down-covered breasts brushed his chest skin and also, since it was semi-erect, his cock brushed against her thigh. This made his member twitch after she moved past him, the brush of her breasts on his chest and her thigh felt good, but he managed to keep his phallus in the state it was.

Her discomfort for the tight space and the massive member could be seen slightly as she finally managed to slip through. Rahs could feel a sigh inside his mind as she walked towards the crates. He followed until they reached their respective bags and the former soldier grabbed his. He opened it and took out a large orb with a light blue hue. "This is only a mere tease of the things inside. This one alone could practically buy five rifles and a shotgun," Rahs explained as he handed the entire bag to Karivnie, waiting for her to inspect the payment.

Taking the proffered orb, Karivnie's sharp eyes were instantly probing its cerulean depths, checking for flaws in its structure. As far as she could tell (and every K'mari merchant worth the wind under their wings knew good gems when they saw them), the entire thing was flawless. Considering that it easily filled her delicate hand, she was impressed. Still...

"What is this material? Is it valuable because it has a particular use, or simply because of its rarity?" She could easily research it on her computer, but if she had identified this correctly, then she was holding the largest chunk of azurite that she had ever seen in her life. If his bag was full of more like that, he could easily buy the cannons and still have plenty left over for whatever else caught his eye.

Her examination complete, Karivnie set the orb down on the crate between the two of them, glancing from Rahs to the bag in her hands. Several more polished orbs peeked at her through the bag's open mouth, and she hopped up onto a crate, making her only slightly taller than her standing height as she pulled more gems and glinting items of worked metals out of the bag. Satisfied, she nodded. "This will certainly suffice." Separating out the five orbs, she indicated them and said, "These will cover the cost of the two cannons, and I'll throw in a crate of disks for the one and a full reservoir of fuel for the other, since these are such high quality."

Appraising the jewelry that lay in a tangle across the top of the crate, she began separating the snarled chains and ornaments as she said, "I have faith that I'll be able to match the cost of your rifles out of this selection. Would you like to look at the rifles now, or would you rather take the cannons now and return for the rifles at your leisure?"

She hadn't really given him a chance to make a counteroffer for her asking price, versed as she was in bartering over prices, but she would be much surprised if Rahs didn't try to find some way to defray the costs of his cannons. Her price was still fairly reasonable, but she expected the mercenary to try and drive her price down, just as she would naturally try to keep it high.

In the excitement of the beginning war of words, her feathers tingling with anticipation, Karivnie finally managed to ignore his continued arousal- or at least excuse it. Profit wasn't quite an aphrodisiac for her, but it certainly improved her mood. She was happy, and therefore a bit more tolerant of his... happiness. Just as long as she wasn't stuck in any more tight places with him; she could still feel where his cock had brushed her thigh earlier.