Antoinette
*Artoria cooled down a bit, yet still remained a bit wary now that the thought of her bounty was brought up to the table. Bringing up the price of someone's head was definitely a way to strain the atmosphere, was it not? Whatever the case, she didn't want to think about it anymore. The thought of people going after her corpse was enough to give her a chill; knowing that there are people out there who would gladly tear you apart for gold was a bit intimidating to her. She assumed that it was the same for everyone; Who would just be fearless as hordes of hunters came after such an inflated bounty put on you?*

*About her 'plan'? She honestly had no clue. Artoria relaxed her posture a bit, thinking momentarily before opening her mouth.*

"The best plan, Almann," *She said,* "Is to not have one. Well, that's one i'm telling myself. There're a bunch of goals I'd like to reach, sure, but no plan I can come up with can ever find a way towards those goals. One that doesn't involve me going to prison for god knows how long, anyway. As of right now, I'm just trying to scrape along. I don't know what I'm doing. Everyday is more or less the same for me, save for a couple of fights here and there. I haven't been contacted at all either for any new jobs, too. Everything's just so... Stagnant. I honestly could really use a break from it all, somehow. I don't know."
Travis
_Almann nods. Perhaps now was his chance to offer her a deal. He could tell some of the lower hunters to stay away from Artoria, stating that the hunt wasn't worth the bounty. Almann has used persuasion tactics his entire life, spreading gossip, amassing a legend, and making life harder and easier for certain people was his forte. Now, dropping the massive truth on Artoria would not only make her wary, but hostile to him. He'd have to get her to trust him somehow. Perhaps his ear-rings? He hadn't worn them in ages, but they were still the first things he ever forged._

_They were precious keepsakes to him, but he would have give them up to earn her trust._

_Almann shifts in his chair._

"You know, merchants keep mementos. Usually worthless things in the eyes of other merchants and the masses at large. Things that mean more to them as symbols of the milestones of their successes. They inspire us merchants to go on even in our failures, to remind many of us of our humble beginnings, or the inheritance we received from our forefathers and their successes."

_Almann takes his bronze earrings out of his pouch. The earrings themselves are... Unremarkable but well kept. They are made of polished bronze (obviously clean and well kept) waxed enough to see one's reflection in them. When exposed to fire, moonlight, or sunlight, they give off a small warm glow. To demonstrate this Almann blows a small puff of fire on each of them, and sets them on the table._

"Do you know what these are?" _He moves to a more serious tone_
Antoinette
*Merchants and Mementos; she could relate a tiny bit on the idea of keeping something to remember your roots. It was the reason why she kept her father's salvaged timepiece; even though her parents were long gone, it was both good to check the time and remind Artoria of idyllic days lost to time. She may not be a merchant, but keeping valuable personal items on yourself was an idea that she could align with. Unconsciously, she took out the timepiece from the inside of her cloak, feeling the coolness of the brass against her pale skin. Turning it over in her hands, rubbing her thumb on the back to feel the engraving on the back that spelled out her father's name. It was nice to know that even in these foreign lands, she was carrying with her the legacy of her family. Though, she wasn't setting such a good impression, was she?*

*She watched as Almann adjusted in his chair, taking out a bronze pair of... Earrings? The fox saw the man lightly breathed a small puff of flame onto each of them, causing both to glow like captured suns against the dark oak table. To be quite frank, they were very interesting. She knew that metal could theoretically contain heat, yet the miniature glow emitting from the earrings still intriguied her nonetheless. Metals never glowed like that; at least, from what she'd seen so far. She fiddled around with her watch a bit more before putting it back inside her cloak as Almann turned to look at her.*

*'Do you know what these are?'*

"Yeah," *She said.* "They're earrings. Where'd you buy them? They look pretty cool."
Travis
_Almann shakes his head. He would have to spell it out for her. The signs of her face and the movement of her hands would suggest she had something of value as well and understood the importance of personal artifacts, in contrast to her apparent aloofness. He could hear her mess with something underneath her coat. Those who have something they cherish on them often reach for it instinctively for memory recall, clarity, or comfort. . Almann's hearing seems to have paid off once more._

"I made them. They are the first things I crafted with my own two hands. Steppe elves have smithing and minor enchanting methods that allow for properties such as the glow you see. These earrings are a prime example of the knowledge imparted to me by my guardian. You might remember that I gave them up to one of the statues as a sacrifice to pass the trial in the hideout. That is because there are very few things in this world that are more valuable than these to me."

_Almann fiddles with the ring on his right hand. It was a ring of a slaver he picked off a corpse on one of his raids. It turned out the ring belonged to one of the more large slaving families that were based in the heart of the Irtutian League. This ring was a reminder to him of his involvement in the trade, and would play a role later when interacting with Oswen. But that will have to wait. For now, he needed to take a gamble at gaining the trust of Artoria._

"I intend on giving them to you as a sign of trust on my behalf before I reveal to you what plans I have for the future. These plans might just favor you as well, if you are willing to listen and trust me. But first, can I trust _you_ Artoria Dax?"