With being shown a more commercial district, it was easy for the kobold’s curiosity begin to wander and even easier for her body to begin to move away from the group. Askia quickly swam away from her allies and began to search for something that would seem all too familiar to her liking, a jeweler. She stopped in front of shop set in the coral, an amazing display of jewelry in front of her, it brought both the good and bad memories. The small reptilian seemed to stop, eyes frozen in a sort of trance as she seemed to recollect her past life, a life before taking to the seas. Her hand went to touch the gold and crimson circlet wrapped around her head, a single purple jewel resting just above the start of her snout.

For a few moments, Askia remained like this before muttering a phrase to no one but herself, [color=pink]”Damn the tradition.”[/color] With a sigh the Kobold began to move towards the entrance of the shop, not paying any mind to the armed guard outside of the fine establishment.

The guard stepped forward in front of Askia’s way as she approached, his hand on the sword, still sheathed in his hilt. “Do you have an appointment?” he asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked over the kobold. “I’m going to guess not. I haven’t seen one of your kind around here in quite some time.” The sword moved ever so slightly as the guard’s grip tightened on the hilt.

The Kobold eyed the guard up and down, her moment thoroughly ruined, crossing her arms in a rather annoyed fashion as the guard spoke. [color=pink]”Last I checked, a person did not an appointment to browse,”[/color] Askia began, a matter-of-factly tone coming over her as her eyes met with the guards, [color=pink]”Besides, not seeing a Kobold for a while means nothing in the grand scheme of the world.”[/color]

>Askia used persuasion and got a nine
[hider=Roll]https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/3673[/hider]

The arched eyebrow on the guard raised even higher. “Plucky, ain’t ya?” he said. “Well, you seem harmless. I can get you an appointment to talk to the owner if you wish, or you can ‘browse’ and waste everyone’s time. You better bet I’ll be searching your bags on the way out, though. Your choice.” 

[color=pink]”And how long would it take to get an appointment, exactly?”[/color] Askia inquired, giving a raised eyebrow look towards the guard.

“Depends,” the guard replied, a hand gently patting his coin purse.

[color=pink]”I journey between oceans, I come to a place I have never been before, and you have the audacity to try and extort money from me? Trust me, where I come from not even us Kobolds do that kind of highway robbery,”[/color] the Kobold stated, her eyes glowing ever so lightly. Her mind began to resonate an aura, slowly attempting  invoking awe within the nameless guard. Immediately, she began to see the results as the guard became flustered upon looking at the Kobold. [color=pink]”Good, now get me that appointment. Then, please give me the money you extorted. I don't think it’s safe in your hands.”[/color]

>Askia uses Invoke Awe

The guard nodded, unbuckling the coin pouch from his belt and slowly counting out coins into the kobold’s hand. “I may need to give you the rest once I get off my shift,” the guard added.

Koan’s vantage of the interaction between guard and draconic brood, were limited at best. The mannerisms of the sentry grasping his hilt, then relaxing to eventually pat his purse, suggested to the dastardly mime that bribing appeared as a mandate for entry. The clown swam furiously to catch up, but soon realized that the male merfolk sentinel became agitated and rattled, offering up his earnings to the unbeknownst Mystic. This kobold definitely materialized swagger in a very subtle custom, haphazardly working her charm nonchalantly, while simultaneously succeeding without baring any cleavage or coin. What was her trick? Slowly, the blanche geisha sneaked upon the reptile.

[color=red]“Whatcha doin’?”[/color]

[color=pink]”Nothing much. Just… making friends,”[/color] Askia commented, her eyes flicking over to Koan for a split moment before looking back at her new friend.

[color=red]“Friends! I love making friends. What’s your name?”[/color] her diamond stud flashed as her mouth widened. Her gestures, sultry and salty, tantalized a cocked hip and a tattooed, but bald scalp, the straight-edge labyrinthine graffiti sparkling in the deep. [color=red]“I also love to just… love.” Her lashes batted feverishly with a smirk growing like cancer on her cheeks.[/color]

[color=pink]”I don't know his name, frankly don't need to right now. Right bud?,”[/color] The guard nodded in agreement with the Kobold. [color=pink]”Didn’t I ask you to get me that appointment?,”[/color] Askia questioned before the guard gave another flustered look before retreating into the store to get the appointment that the Kobold so desperately wanted. With a cheeky smile and eyes lightly aglow, the mystic followed the man into the store.

[color=red]“Ooh! Can I come with, dahlin’?”[/color] With a wave of an arm, they penetrated through the portal of the jewelry store. Koan whispered in Askia’s native tongue of Draconic, [color=red]“How did you do that?”[/color]

Askia blinked several times as she formulated a response in her head about the subject, more in shock that Koan could actually speak Askia’s born language. She had seen that the jester could write it but never would she have thought that the woman would have mastered the tongue. [color=pink]”I have my ways,”[/color] were the only draconic words to come out of her mouth, nervous laughter following.

[color=red]“You sure do!”[/color] The apprehensive mirth escaping from her new found companion slightly excited Koan. Such a mysterious personality, able to dissect social encounters with minimal effort, would electrify the [i]SS Lady Slipper[/i], even more. The faux Kor warrior hoped that this celebrity, that swayed heads with words, would entertain us further on their future escapades. She chuckled, in lieu of the bellowed hilarity, also, but slightly louder, and more awkwardly, in Draconic, slapping her left knee to beckon more gratuitous attention, [color=red]“You’re fun!”[/color] 

[color=pink]”I try my best.”[/color]

“I don’t appreciate you charming my hirelings,” a female voice called out as a merfolk woman swam through a beaded curtain. Closely behind her was the guard that Askia had sent in, his weapon drawn and an angry scowl across his face. “You have one chance to convince me to give you my ear, or I shall send my guard to deal justice the way I prefer.” The door behind them slammed closed and shimmered with arcane energy. “Please, start talking.”

[color=pink]“Me? A lowly Kobold, charm someone? Impossible, you must have me confused with someone else, or perhaps your guard just has something for Kobolds,”[/color] Askia stated in a sarcastic way, craning her neck backwards as it made an obnoxious popping sound. With a light chuckle Askia’s gaze went down to the female shopkeeper, [color=pink]”I wouldn't have charmed him if he didn't try to extort money from my pockets. Not a very profitable way to keep customers coming if you ask me.”[/color] She went over to a wall and inspected the jewelry, tracing it over with her eyes and not really paying anymore mind to the guard.

[color=red]“Yeah. Yeah. What she said.”[/color] Koan, forgetting she was still speaking of the original language of the apparent charmer, knew how to play along. Sort of. [color=red]“We would like to make your time worth your while. We are interested in jewelry. The more bizarre and sparkly. The more enticing and welcome.”[/color] The disguised jester referred a hand, in the form of an outstretched arm, signifying a cultural agreement if the merfolk woman were willing to shake on it. [color=red]“Does that sound fair?”[/color]

The woman crossed her arms. “My goal is to have [i]paying[/i] customers. Strangers who likely will not return anyways do not intrigue me unless their pockets are deep. My guard’s job is to assess the depth of your pockets. Instead, you told him to go against direct orders.” The woman patted the guard’s shoulder, and he sheathed his sword. “My name is Madame Bodot, and you have wandered into Bodot’s Boutique. Show me something valuable, or I will have my guard complete the job he failed.”

The elongated extremity met no mutual agreement. The inundated clown shrugged her shoulders, but slowly supinated her forearm and flicking her wrist, demonstrating the dorsal portion of her hand, showcasing her sentimental keepsake. [color=red]“Step right up, Madame Bodot,”[/color] displaying the ring an austere fashion. [color=red]“This trinket of mine allows the wearer to defy buoyancy and walk on water. Imagine being on the surface, taking in the sun and other outward elements, whenever and wherever the whim tickles your fancy.”[/color] She unsheathed the loop from her ring finger, slithering the dazzling circle into her palm, with the finesse of an illusionist’s sleight. [color=red]“So, whaddya say? Would you be willing to [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/3676]trade[/url]?”[/color]

[color=pink]”Sounds pretty damned biased if you ask me. You got something against the poor Madame? Funny considering they tend to make up a lot more of the population than the rich folk,”[/color] the folk hero stated, narrowing her eyes and not looking at the woman who dared to threaten her. A necklace on the countertop floated up and into the kobold’s hands where she inspected it like all the other jewelry; it was good stuff. A small smile came across her face as she allowed the necklace to float back to where it had rested before. [color=pink]”I’ll admit, a lot of the stuff here is good. But none of it seems to be calling for me, none of them speak for…,”[/color] Askia took off her backpack and opened the top to reveal a large pile of glittering gold, [color=pink]”... this.”[/color]

“I do not dabble, madam kobold,” the shopkeeper responded. “The destitute do naught but waste my time. I create works of art for the highest members of our society. However...” Bodot approached Koan, muttering a phrase in a language the makeshift Kor did not know. “This trinket contains magic, but of what use? We prefer to remain below the surface of the waters. Perhaps it would suffice as a mere bauble for travelers. Hardly worth the standard fare due to how long it would adorn my shelves. But we now get to the more interesting question.” She swam forward so that her face was mere inches from Askia’s and smiled a wide toothy grin that suggested a shark may have been in the jeweler’s lineage. “What are you looking to buy?”

Askia returned the smile in full, closing her backpack before replying to the jeweler, [color=pink]”Simple. I want something that tells a story, a great story.”[/color] She swam around Bodot, giving a light and sinister chuckle, [color=pink]”If your jewelry tells a story as good as it looks and the cost is within my range, then I'll see if buying it will be in our, mutual interest.”[/color] The Kobold doubted there there would be anything that would suffice for one of the only jewelry pieces in here that told a great story was the circlet around her head. The piece had been crafted by Askia herself, it had been with her for as long as her short life could remember.

The owner’s answer sprung forth as curt but concise, explaining that her magical charm would not be worth the value of its shelf-life. The clown understood and nodded with a sadistic smile. 

Then Koan was suddenly caught off-guard by the snarky shark-lady brushing by, obsessing over Askia. 

The disregard stung worse than simple disgust. Her cold-blooded partner’s drum of dazzling dough, no doubt, prompted the abrupt negligence of her existence. This novel form of social abandonment was infrequently experienced by the white joker. She hated this tactic, as she enjoyed always being the center of consideration. Hence, shopping alone remained the typological ideal for the attention-whore despite her history as a guild merchant. However, a spark ignored soon kindles into a fire. Moreover, the blithe shapeshifter hesitated between the vacillating extremes of either basking in the beauty of this crafty Kobold, or establishing again her whacky dominion over the encounter. 

For once, the bleached buffoon decided to be submissive and silent, allowing the exchange between merfolk and mammon monger to transpire.

“Every piece of art tells a story, or else it is not truly art,” Bodot replied with a dismissive wave of her hand as she returned to her guard’s side. “I have told many stories. If you cannot see the story in a piece of art, it is not the artist’s fault. The true question is what story do you wish to own?”

[color=pink]”Depends on the story,”[/color] Askia shrugged, before looking over at the Kor warrior for a moment. With a sigh the Kobold’s eyes flicked to the shopkeeper before stating, [color=pink]”I want a piece, a magical piece that may catalog my own adventures. One that would never allow memories to grow dull, every step, every waking second, must be accounted for.”[/color] She stated in a way that would allow her to emphasize the importance of memories, having lost crucial details of even her most life changing events from when she was young and still with her clan. It weighed heavily upon her at times and she did not want to lose anything else.

The little draconic did not herald the crease of age on her scales, but spoke with longevity, glancing back with wisdom to harness the remembrance of events to come. [i]Why?[/i] For someone so intellectually inclined, the Kobold appeared no older than a couple decades, by Koan’s reckoning. Such a desire to harbor recollections suggested a previous fugue that must have plagued her new found reptilian amiga, likely before pubescence.

[color=red]”So… Askia. I can be your bauble for as long as you remain a crew member. I just love to recount adventures for everyone else. I even flavor it with dance and song. Except maybe for Dyn. He’s sometimes too much.”[/color]

She snaked the ring of water walking back onto her rightful phalange, as she announced her forefront thoughts.  [color=red]”You’re not thinking of leaving us, soon. Are you?”[/color]

[color=pink]”Of course not! However, there are some moments that I’d like to recollect in private,”[/color] Askia stated, crossing her arms and giving a small laugh. She looked back to the shopkeep, her expression turning neutral once more, [color=pink]”So, you got anything like that?”[/color]

“Art that collects memories...” Bodot darted away onto a back room, and the sound of rummaging and obvious curses in a foreign language could be overheard. A moment passed, and the merfolk returned with a small box. “This may be what you are looking for, to some degree. Even magic cannot capture all moments of every day, but...” She opened the lid of the box, revealing a silver brooch set with a large glassy pearl. She pressed down lightly on the pearl, and an image appeared amidst the stone. A merfolk man and woman held hands, walking down an empty corridor. The woman turned to the man, clasped his other hand, then pressed him into the wall before treating him with a long, passionate kiss. Bodot pressed the pearl again and the image dissipated.

“This piece can capture up to an hour of your memories and store them for safekeeping. Whether it is time with a lover or proof of a liar, this artwork remembers precisely what happened. It cannot tell a story it has not seen, however.” She closed the lid of the box, gripping the item tightly. “This brooch... it contains a piece of my very soul. It has power and use. It is beautiful. It is, in essence, priceless. However, it contains memories I should like gone and yet cannot part with. What price do you offer? Aim low, and you shall leave my store empty handed.”

Askia thought to herself for a long moment, evaluating what a good starting price may be. [color=pink]”I’ll offer 600 gold pieces for that brooch,”[/color] the Kobold stated, flicking her tail from side to side as the bartering began.

[color=red]”“Dang, girl, you’re filthy rich!”[/color]” The jester’s shrill sailed throughout the parlor, while her arms did most of the talking. With upper extremities flailing, she pondered out loud a troublesome thought, interrupting the sell, [color=red]”“I would have never imagined memories could be stored, sold and bought.”[/color]” The clown wondered if the shopkeep possessed anything that would induce amnesia or fodder seduction. [color=red]”“So. Do you have anything in your possession that makes minds feeble and/or knees weak?”[/color]” Her left wink hinted to an emphasis on the latter.

Madame Bodot clutched the box to her chest. “To part with this for such a low price... but perhaps if you add your friend’s ring, I could be persuaded.” She turned back to the kor and smiled. “I do have items that would aid in that, but if you find a few hundred gold to be ‘filthy rich,’ I doubt you have the means to afford such an exquisite item. However, I am certain that my shop has many pieces of jewelry to enhance your inherent beauty and make any suitor fawn over you.” She motioned generally to the more mundane items around, gesturing specifically towards a heart-shaped pendant set with a large ruby. “This piece in particular might be of interest. The man of your dreams will hardly be able to resist!”

The clown dreamt what would a sedate Beholder be like. [i]In bed.[/i] [color=red]“What if the man in question did not possess any legs below the belt?[/color] Can you demonstrate its power as well? I don’t want my friend and I to get shammed.” She leaned in, panting heavily. [color=red]“Let’s see if your guard can succumb to such whims.”[/color]

The guard raised his hands defensively, shaking his head. “I got a wife and kid,” he replied, his voice nearly pleading. “Don’t get me in trouble with her. She’ll serve my head for supper on a platter.”

Bodot chuckled. “Its potency is limited by its price, to be sure. This charm will not force one to act against their will, but simply make them more... malleable for a short time. However, should they realize the charm’s effect, I doubt they will appreciate it. The trick is to extricate yourself before its spell is over.” She held the pendant out towards Koan, the ruby gently floating in the water. “I fear if I demonstrated its power on either you or my guard, it would be an unfair trade. I could, for example, convince you to give me double its value. But that would be unfair of me, would it not?”

Askia had remained silent as Koan spoke, her Kobold greed unwilling to wager any more money from her hoard, yet it was an artifact she wished to have. [color=pink]”What price would you say to be fair, for the brooch that is? After all, my Kobold heart is much like the dragon I served, greedy and unwilling to part with anything. I have the gold, you have my word on that, but to part with over half of my current amount, I don't think my heart could take it.”[/color]

“You have my lowest price,” Bodot replied simply. “The brooch required an extensive amount of magic to be poured into its construction, and the jewels alone are worth nearly the monetary value you proposed. In contrast, the spell upon the item your friend has for trade is relatively simple to procure, and that ring was not crafted by the finest of jewelers.” She looked down her nose at the ring that Koan bore on her finger. “Yes, I could do much to enhance its beauty. But it requires me to spend time and effort to do so, neither of which are cheap. If you wish to pay in gold alone, you would need to offer nearly double the six hundred from before.”

Askia looked over at the ring for a brief moment, narrowing her eyes for a moment before looking back at the shopkeeper with those same narrowed eyes. It was hard to tell with this one, normally she was good at reading people but Bodot seemed a lot more unpredictable with what Askia had gathered. [color=pink]”If you don't mind, could I inspect this brooch more closely?”[/color]

“Do as you wish,” the shopkeeper replied dismissively. “Just keep it in the store. Not like you can leave without me lifting the barrier anyways.” With that, she turned her attention back to Koan. “As for you, my dear Kor, do you have more questions? Or should we try out the mysterious magical properties on some unsuspecting citizen walking by outside?”

[color=red]”How about you try it out on me, Madam?”[/color] The former sex slave, cringed as the inquiry slithered off her diamond-studded tongue ring. Usually, she enjoyed being on top. 

Of the situation and the focus of an audience.

Yet, there a was time when senses were dulled and memories purged, to protect a portion of innocence that spewed with every frolic or chant the masked masquerader would issue, in an effort to salvage an exuberance she never was allowed. 

[color=red]“I want to experience it for myself, before I consider pawning my ring.”[/color]

“If you insist,” Madame Bodot replied. “But do not say I didn’t warn you.” Bodot lightly tapped the pendant, and Koan instantly began to see her in a new light. Bodot was a hard-working woman whose life had been full of missed opportunities and unrequited lovers who cared naught for her passions. She had spent years in the shop slaving over a single item for the one she loved the most, and the day Bodot was to present it to him, he informed her that he was betrothed to another. Koan saw a story float before her eyes, and immediately, she felt as if she could better understand her, as if they could have, in another set of circumstances, become best of friends. Everything Bodot would ask, everything Koan could grant her... nothing was too much. Bodot smiled once more, the emotion evident on her face, the jewels sparkling in her grasp. “I think 100 gold is a far price,” she said, and Koan’s hand immediately moved towards her coin purse.

The pale warrior, loosed the string to her mobile bank of sorts, allowing the pirated currency to swim along the faint currents within the store. Koan, or was it, Koran became mesmerized. The jester didn’t need the gold, just the pendant is all that mattered. [color=red]“Here. I’ll take it. Sir, you missed out; that was orgasmic.”[/color] The guard quickly collected the price offered by his employer as the Kobold, distracted by her potential purchased, honed in, disregarding her other senses.

As Askia concentrated on the brooch she held, the visions of its own immediate past flooded her memory. The feeling of a well-made and expensive piece of art flooded Askia’s mind. Its worth was far more than what the woman was requesting if used correctly, but Bodot was quite obviously the creator. An image of the shopkeeper holding the item, looking longingly into its replayed story. The guard rushing into the storage room to find her. A spell cast, dispelling the charm that had been cast. Further back, and Bodot appeared to take the item from its shelf, her hand hovering over the gem... until she placed the brooch back, shaking her head. 

[color=pink][i]Why can’t people ever be wrong?[/i][/color] Askia internally sighed, slowly coming out of the trance she had put herself in. It was all stupid, nothing could be this perfect or this true. However, she could not buy this item, not because it was too expensive, but because she could feel the weight of this item on the woman’s heart. The Kobold pressed down on the pearl and watched the memory once more, it was all too good to be true. 

[color=pink]”I can't buy this, I can tell it means alot to you,”[/color] Askia said, handing the item back with a bit of a defeated tone coming to her.

[color=red]”Why not?” [/color] The still charmed comic erupted, suddenly siding with the loanshark’s previous proposal, after depositing one hundred shiny shingles to the accompanying sentry. [color=red]“Don’t you want a keepsake to remind on remembering memories?”[/color] The clown frollicked, around Askia, attempting to garner further attention to listen to her sabotaging ploy, ignoring the potential sentimental value and emotional tapestry wrought in the brooch. 

Askia let out a light chuckle at the jester’s words before giving a face of questionable motive, [color=pink]”Oh but dear Koran did you not say that you would do the very same for me?”[/color] A wink from her left eye went to the faux kor, implying many things in on gesture before forcing herself back to reality. [color=pink]”As much as I would like the artifact, I have seen that it clearly means much to you, Bodot, the same way my circlet means much to me. I thank you for indulging in my interests nonetheless.”[/color]

Madame Bodot motioned the guard closer, then retrieved the gold that the kor had given him. With a snap of her fingers, the enchantment was dispelled. As if a curtain was withdrawn from Koan’s eyes, she could see the manipulation and deception for what it was. Had Bodot not warned her of this very thing, she may have thought it an intrusion into her very soul, punishable by any means necessary. Bodot held the coin pouch forward. “As I said, that was not a fair purchase. Should you truly wish to buy the item after having tasted its power, I will now give you the opportunity.”

She then turned towards the kobold, her expression an odd sense of sadness or longing. “You are more than you seem. Your strength lies in your mind, but in a different way than I. It appears you know something I did not intend to share. However, you may have also noticed the great pain this piece brings me. I have finally allowed myself to let go. Please, take the brooch off my hands. It deserves to be useful, not hold an old crone’s desperate memories.”

[color=pink]”So desperate to get rid of something that has brought pain to you, eh? From one old girl to another, then? You have my word that it’ll be put to good use for however long a Kobold should have left,”[/color] the mystic craned her neck backwards one more time, another audible pop and a sigh of relief following before she continued, [color=pink]”How about 700 gold and a promise you shall never see the brooch again?”[/color]

[hider=dumb nat 20]https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/3739[/hider]

Madam Bodot shook her head. “You drive a hard bargain. I cannot let it go for so little, but perhaps 800 gold? That is my final offer.” She held her other hand out towards the kobold, gesturing towards the brooch. “And please, overwrite that embarrassing memory before someone important sees it.”

[color=pink]”How about 750 and I definitely won't show it to anybody important?,”[/color] Askia chuckled before getting out her backpack once more and counting out the necessary amount. She sat on the ground, flicking her tail back and forth as more of a defensive instinct as most of her money would be gone after this transaction. It hurt her tiny heart to be counting out so much money, but this was the price that must be payed for someone to be content with their lives once more, a price she was more than willing to pay, one she already had and more on a different occasion.

“If your friend buys the pendant, then I can let it go for 750. Otherwise, I shall have to insist on 800. I’m sure there’s a nice gentleman up the road who would pay double that... but I don’t want him to see these memories.” Bodot turned towards Koan. “So, what about it? Do you doubt the power the pendant has? Or do you wish to use it for yourself?”

[color=red]”Whoa! I think I’m already sold! It was strange, Askia.” [/color] She used her first name for the first time. The pronunciation was slightly histrionic but not awkward nor stuttered. Turning her attention further to the crouched Kobold, she licked her already wet lips, fathoming the potential exploits, such a trinket could produce, in the right hands. [color=red]“My body was happier than a jack rabbit at a fish parry, but also angrier than a beaver in a petrified forest. The mixture of emotions would be perfect for bondage of a willing individual. I’m not sure if it’s the best way to make friends.”[/color]

[color=red]“But what the hell! It’s a deal!”[/color]

The exchange agreed upon, the goods were exchanged and Bodot dropped the enchantment on the door. “Now please, take that thing away from me before I change my mind,” she said, gesturing towards Askia and her new purchase.

The Kobold gave a light chuckle towards her Kor friend before jumping, or rather swimming, to her feet. [color=pink]”Bondage? More like funtage if you ask me,”[/color] Askia stated, her normal flirtatious tone coming back to reality now that the exchange was over. With a final bow to Madame Bodot, the old girl turned and swam out of the shop, not bothering to conceal her rather natural movement through the water.

>Brooch of memories gained for Askia, -750 GP
>Amulet of Friends gained for Koan, -100 GP

[b]To be continued on the next episode on Dragon Ball Z[/b]