[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/jEwlaTZ.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/j9lFybd.png[/img] an [@ERode] and [@PlatinumSkink] collab[/center] Overcast skies pressed down upon the world below, overbearing clouds hanging with uncommon gravity. Few people were out on the street at this time of day, the largely suburban area devoid of activity. A few cars streamed by, and some retirees worked on their gardens, but that was all. That was nice. No one noticed then, when a raven-haired girl stepped out from the shadow of a telephone pole, dressed in attire that could only be considered gothic. Her eyes, obsidian chips, turned slowly to survey the area, before she soundlessly strode on. The destination had already been pre-programmed, and with confidence that stemmed from machine-like precision and recall, she strode down the street to a tarp-covered building. ‘Opening Soon’, it said, but none of the ignorant would notice it regardless. A confirmation request was sent to the Owner, and after a response was sent, the girl blinked. The order was given. She balled up her right hand and punched the door. [i]Knock.[/i] The shop was incorporated into one of the upper floors of one of the buildings fairly close to the center of the city. It’s a floor that no stairs go to, the main and only entrance is from the balcony as to prevent the average member of the public from strolling in, but having landed on said balcony the signs were as clear as day as to the nature of this shop. Brittany Todd’s Magical Market, Opening Soon. There’d be a magical signpost here that announced its location to the magical denizens of Penrose when the time came, but for now, one had to know where it was to find it. Within, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/3fX9xeD.jpg]Magical Girl in witch-like attire[/url] excitedly ran around about hanging up her magical trinkets onto displays as well as writing and rewriting price tags over and over reconsidering multiple times, a wide smile on her lips, a purple ball of a floating creature with eyes, small limbs and a hanging mouth stalking behind her monotonously… until there was a knock on the door. She stopped short for a bit, looking curiously at the door, and then ran over to open it. The eyes of the Magical Girl practically glowed as she saw someone unknown outside. [color=f03aa1]‘Oh, hiiiiiiiii! Welcome to Brittany Todd’s Magical Market! I love the eagerness, but me and Agatha aren’t quite ready yet!’[/color] Brittany started, smiling so brightly. [color=ff8cd3]‘����� ���� ��������’[/color] Agatha, the floating ball that was Brittany’s lesser force patron, said. [color=f03aa1]‘Still! How can I help you?’[/color] Brittany asked, grinning and holding onto the door. The gothic girl did not blink. She did not nod. She did not smile. She did not breathe. She said, in a voice inflectionless and emotionless, [color=ccddee]“I derive no small amount of moral pleasure from supporting local businesses, and would like to offer you a variety of wares to augment your current stock of arcane trinkets, if you are so inclined.”[/color] [color=f03aa1]‘Oh!?’[/color] Brittany’s eyes widened and she took a step back for a moment looking up at the girl. Then she spun to Agatha, grabbing the tiny hands of the floating ball with glee. [color=f03aa1]‘Did you hear that, Agatha? She wants to support us! I’m so happy!’[/color] [color=ff8cd3]‘�� ��� ��� �������� �����’[/color] Agatha said. [color=f03aa1]‘Well, then,’[/color] Brittany grinned, spinning back to the girl, her eyes shining a bit. [color=f03aa1]‘I’d be overjoyed to have your support! Come in! Oooh, we need to discuss this at length!’[/color] she called, spinning back inside her shop to run to the table where a whole lot of magical items, some of which are explosive, were just lying about. She pushed a number aside to make room for other things on the table, then excitedly seated herself opposite of where she was clearly offering the girl to sit, Brittany excitedly leaning forward on her elbows as she watched her. The gothic girl followed after Brittany. Momentarily, her irises burned silver, scanning over the disarray of magical artifacts, before blinking back into coal black. Taking the offered seat, she pulled out a small matchbox, sliding it open. It was empty. [color=ccddee]“To begin with, let us confirm: what items do you mainly house within this establishment? Do you seek to have the widest selection possible, or do you desire specialization instead?”[/color] Questions curled out between those fine lips as if read off a manuscript, the girl’s eyes focused on nothing in particular. [color=f03aa1]‘Oh, I sell EVERYTHING!’[/color] Brittany exaggerated proudly. [color=f03aa1]‘The idea is that I’ll sell stuff that’ll help magical girls or others in their fights against monsters and whatnot, but honestly, if it’s magical and I can get my hands on it, I’ll sell it!’[/color] So the girl said, grinning happily, Agatha floating beside her head looking at their visitor. If the gothic girl was taken aback by Brittany’s proud proclamations, she didn’t show it. Rather, she said, [color=ccddee]“Understood. We will begin with a sampler set then.”[/color] And from the matchbox, she began to draw out objects one by one, placing each gently onto the table. A silvered arrowhead, thrumming like the plucked strings of a harp. A bottle of living ink, the contents slowly rising up the glass surface, only to seep down again. A mechanical heart, the clockwork gears ticking counterclockwise as it pulsated slowly. Her hand slowly turned so the palm faced upwards. [color=ccddee]“Go ahead.”[/color] [color=f03aa1]‘Ooooooh. Okay, Agatha!’[/color] Brittany said with a smile, leaning forward and raising a hand over the items. A bit of power went through her hand and the purple ball floated and looked over the items… and then finally it turned to look at her. [color=ff8cd3]‘�� ��� �������� ������ ����������’[/color] Agatha said. [color=f03aa1]‘Woah,’[/color] Brittany made an impressed noise over the arrowhead. Then the bottle of ink. [color=ff8cd3]‘�������� ��� ������������� �������’[/color] Agatha continued. [color=f03aa1]‘… Nice!’[/color] Brittany grinned over the ink-bottle. Finally the mechanical heart. [color=ff8cd3]‘������� �� ������� ���� ���� ������’[/color] Agatha finished. [color=f03aa1]‘S-seriously…!?’[/color] Brittany’s eyes widened a bit, as she retrieved her hand. She looked at the girl a bit in awe. [color=f03aa1]‘Who are you…?’[/color] she asked, amazed, not one who could withhold her emotions. The gothic girl’s eyes became of gleaming silver once more, before fading away. No smile, no reflex in the face of the witch’s awe. [color=ccddee]“I am Dolly, a representative of the Gourd,”[/color] she said, dipping her head down slightly. [color=ccddee]“If you are satisfied with the quality of my Master’s wares, let us discuss their value.”[/color] [color=f03aa1]‘Ooooooh… I’ve heard of the Gourd… Alright,’[/color] Brittany grinned. [color=f03aa1]‘Okay. What I think they’re worth. If I sold this…’[/color] Brittany looked over at the bolt. [color=f03aa1]‘… Probably not a gold coin. However, quite a lot anyway. I’d say… 15 silvers, perhaps?’[/color] She then looked over at the ink-bottle. [color=f03aa1]‘This one is cool, though has a narrow field of application. Let us say 7 or 8 silvers. This one, though…’[/color] Brittany smirked holding her hand over the clockwork heart. [color=f03aa1]‘This one is universally desirable. One gold, as well as five silvers and ten bronze, perhaps?’[/color] Brittany estimated and asked. She didn’t actually have experience as a shopkeeper, but she was running with her hunches. [color=ccddee]“It doesn’t matter what you will sell it for,”[/color] Dolly replied, unmoving and unmoved, [color=ccddee]“We are here to discuss what you will [i]buy[/i] it for. We care not for coinage, but rather...what can you offer that can not be obtained elsewhere?”[/color] [color=f03aa1]‘Oh, right, yeah,’[/color] Brittany blinked as she realized she may have gone the wrong direction. [color=f03aa1]‘So, um. I’m a bit of an alchemist. With the right preparation, I can make you materials that could be hard to come by, otherwise. Um. I did collect a whole bunch of other potentially use- useful loot from monsters and such during my travels, that I could provide you. Otherwise, I have the support of Cindy, a monster-girl with following in-town, who, er, surely could do favors for me in exchange for my continued support, and could as such help you find what you’re looking for. Totally,’[/color] Brittany said, looking at her guest wide-eyed. [color=f03aa1]‘So, would you like some reaper cloths? Imp claws? Raum talons? Pixie wings? Enhanced orichalcum? I don’t have much of the latter, but I could make more…’[/color] Brittany tried some more concrete keywords, to see how Dolly would react. There was a pause, an almost inaudible ‘whirring’ passing through the air. Then, Dolly nodded. [color=ccddee]“The viscera of rare beasts will be sufficient. For now, however, we would like you to acquire something for us. Days ago, Soth attempted a ritual, and though the Horror’s plans failed, there were pieces of it that remained. Obtain for us the Abyss’s ritual implements, prioritizing pieces from their altar.”[/color] Silver gleamed in her eyes again, an uncommon inflection invading the gothic girl’s voice. [color=ccddee]“Will you be able to do that, Brittany?”[/color] Brittany blinked a bit extra at the request. Surely, anything valuable at the scene would already have been plundered. However… [color=f03aa1]‘Agatha!’[/color] Brittany briefly requested the help of her patron, holding both her hands into the air. Agatha, purple limbed ball with a face as he was, floated and placed himself in her grasp, before Brittany lowered her hands and held it in front of her. She focused on the ball that was her patron, and in her grasp, he became spherical and spun. Brittany charged her Psychic specialization, using Agatha as the Mystic Artifact he partly represented, and with that her eyes began to mildly glow with the visions she was being provided. [color=f03aa1]‘… Yeah!’[/color] Brittany called, a little confident smile appearing on her lips. [color=f03aa1]‘I’ll get it for you. Be it sealed, hidden or even just lying around, I’ll get it for you. Anything that has been left behind, I’ll find it…!’[/color] So she said, the visions still dancing before her eyes as she looked past them at Dolly. The smile was unnatural, but it was there, the gothic girl nodding her head once more. From the Matchbox, she drew out five more items, laying them down onto the counter. [color=ccddee]“We will leave you with these then, and if you succeed, will continue to supply you with wares from the Workshop. May chance smile upon you, Brittany.”[/color] With that, Dolly stood up, slid the Matchbox into the folds of her dress, and collapsed into sand. And within a couple of seconds, even that sand turned to nothingness. The glow of Brittany’s eyes went away as Dolly drew out more items, the shopkeeper girl’s eyes following the items and then up to the girl again with awe as she spoke. Then, Brittany provided a simple, bright grin. [color=f03aa1]‘Got it! And on you, Dolly! You’re welcome back, anytime~!’[/color] … And then Brittany was startled as Dolly turned into sand, which then also wasted away. Brittany was quick on her feet, blinking a bit. Okay, first she examined the items she had been given. A few [color=f03aa1]‘Oooh’[/color] and [color=f03aa1]‘Aaah’[/color]s later she put them away temporarily and checked so the alarm-system magic items she had was in-place on the store. Good. Then… [color=f03aa1]‘C’mon, Agatha! It’s been a while, but we’re going treasure hunting!’[/color] [color=ff8cd3]‘���� ���� �� ����������� ��� ���������’[/color] Agatha asked. [color=f03aa1]‘You bet!’[/color] Brittany grinned as she replied, before the two was in a dash out the door to complete the objective they had been given. She was smiling the whole way. This whole store thing was going great! She had [i]multiple[/i] suppliers now! Who would have thought!?