Countless offers for the elusive item had come in, but Toshiro had refused each and every one. Not wanting something so special to go to just anyone, but it going to Vendetta just seemed... right. His offer caused her to stop, staring wide-eyed in shock at him. If he was serious... It took a moment for Vendetta to recover from the shock, regaining her voice.
"I... I have sought this out, for a very long time. If you have one... Name your price. Whatever it is, I will pay it. If it is in my power to give... consider it yours." The implications were not completely lost. Favours went a long way in the art world. As did the right connections- of which she certainly was one.
Vendetta looked at him, anxious. She wanted this so badly, it could be tasted in the air. The things she could do with that magick, that precision, that channelled skill... An artist, name and talent lost to time, only these Collections- of which only ten were created- remained. It would transform Vendetta's works into truly timeless pieces... Making her the modern-day Renaissance woman, mark left for all time...
Time melted away for these two souls- one overwhelmed, one anticipatory. Likely he never thought of parting with it- and why would he? Noticing Vendetta's expression almost instantly, a look of shock that was surely foreign to her features caught him off guard. Though he couldn't blame her- he himself had a similar reaction when he first laid eyes on the intact Kit. He couldn't believe that it was real, but the magickal energies that emanated from it, the purple-touched stone, quickly erased all doubt.
Being asked to name his price, Toshiro was left speechless- she offering anything in her power overwhelmed him. He never thought about what it would take for someone to get it from him. All the offers before had been from collectors, so he had immediately dismissed them without a second thought. He reasoned that if he were to part ways with it, the recipient would be someone who would make good use of it. Something he never thought of... until now.
Running his hand along the back of his neck as he pondered, a soft sigh escaped his lips. His gaze dropping to the floor, knowing he would regret this... "I'm honestly not even sure what I'd ask for it... How about this, I'll give it to you and we can work out payment later." As soon as the words left his lips a voice in the back of his head had starting yelling at him. What the hell are you thinking?! You can't just give something like that away without anything in return. Once she has it, what's stopping her from just running away, and not holding her end of the deal?! Yes, it was insane- but Vendetta's reputation as an honourable woman well preceded her.
Immediately Vendetta shook her head. Toshiro might actually be insane. Or maybe the thoughts of having this woman entirely at his whim, too tempting to pass up? Her mind raced a million miles a minute, she having no idea how to answer. But she didn't need to- his gaze met hers once more, then he spoke on. "I always told myself if I were to part ways with it, that it would go to someone who could use it to its fullest. I've followed your works since the beginning- and honestly, thinking about what you could do with it makes me a little giddy."
Vendetta nodded, starting to recover form the shock. Finally her voice decided to come back. "...Let me ask you this... What, besides my own integrity and reputation, is stopping me from running into the night with it, and not holding to my end of the deal?" Had she read his mind? Or did her wavelength of thinking match his?
Fortunate for Toshiro, his sharpened Intuition told him she would honour the arrangement. Then she did something that surprised him even more- settling on her knees before him, Vendetta gave a very deep bow of respect- the elegant bow of a geisha. The sight laid before him left the soft spoken Toshiro speechless. A gesture he hadn't seen in countless years had gone a long way to silencing the nagging voice in the back of his head. Then she stood back up, and took his hands in hers. The warmth that radiated from her soft hands, the way her eyes shone brought a soft smile to his face. Finding himself gazing into her ruby eyes, Toshiro got lost in them momentarily.
"Toshiro... you have no idea how happy you've made me right now. Whenever you think of a price- please, do not hesitate to ask. Anything, everything. If I can give it, is it yours. If I cannot give it, I will do my best to find someone who will. Here, just a second..."
Vendetta reached into her jacket, and pulled out a card. Matte black, high-quality card stock. Along one side, an outline of a sakura branch- holographic rainbow. Her name in elegant kanji, an e-mail, and a number. "This is my personal e-mail and cellphone. Feel free to contact me anytime. I'll take what I have today, then come back when the items I order come in- and we'll arrange delivery for the Collection. Give you time to think about what you may want from me. That, and you'll likely need time to acquire it from whichever safe locale you have it at."
Toshiro snapped back to reality as Vendetta let go of his hands to hand him the card. Looking the card over, admiring its quality, the kanji threw him farther. "You'll definitely hear from me, once I finally come up with something." His mind was still abuzz trying to figure out just that.
Turning his attention back to the counter covered in the items that had made up her list, he made his way back behind the counter, pricing everything up. Once the payment was done, he went to work carefully packing everything. Having quite a bit of experience, he knew just how to pack all the exotic inks and paints so they would be safe in transit while still leaving them with a pleasing package. Giving one more deep bow, she smiled and waved farewell for now, the bell ringing as Vendetta vanished into the night... and all that showed for it was the leaves tumbling in, the crisp autumn air... her delectable perfume... and the card in Toshiro's hand.
Returning her bow with one of his own, he watched as she disappeared into the night. He had been right- something had come in that night. Something unexpected, something delightful, something insane... and something familiar.