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[h1][color=D2691E]Farim[/color] & [color=teal]Malik[/color][/h1]
[color=D2691E][b]Location:[/b] The Slums of Genesea[/color]
[color=D2691E][b]Time:[/b] 4th of Ventu 1729[/color]

[h2][color=red]Flashback! Part 2[/color][/h2]

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As candlelight illuminated the space behind the counter of the shop, an older yet kind gentleman sat looking at his two newest visitors. “But I do say you young ones always keep folks like me on our toes! Didn’t think I’d see someone as young as you boys here.” He cackled again before straightening his posture.

“You just hiding from trouble or are ya lookin’ for it?” The shopkeep gestured around the counter to glass displays and wooden shelves stacked with trinkets, baubles, devices, and knick knacks. Things like a skull shaped whistle, a gleaming gem with no discernable color, a model train set made from foreign wood, and so much more decorated the shop. 

“You pair strike me as the toy-lovin’ kind…” The man paused before reaching behind his counter and producing a color cube made of smaller also colorful cubes as well as figures portraying popular character motifs made of resin. “I’ll let ya play with these - but if you break em…” The old man paused, sporting a sinister look before jaunting his face into a grin. “..then I guess they’re just broken toys! No harm as long as you boys have fun!” The man snickered at his playful banter.

Farim and Malik looked at each other with nervous glances before sheepishly taking the toys from the counter and walking around the shop. Malik fidgeted with the colorful cube, attempting to place all the same colors on one side. Farim clutched his two figures in either hand—a desert army soldier sporting two curved blades and a royal palace guard. He admired the details in the colors and contours of the body, and began daydreaming of fighting wave after wave of “bad guys” to protect his family from danger

As the two absentmindedly wandered, they took brief breaks to fully observe the nature of this shop. While up front held a majority of knick knacks, there were quite a few more books than anything else. Shelves filled side to side with texts with varying titles stretched for several feet in both directions, and many more aisles of severals expanded further into the sales floor. It wasn’t a full on library, but was close to it. Just about any topic was categorized—from horror, to nonfiction, to fairy tales, to textbooks. But one particular section stuck out to the boys.

A small corner at the back of the store that sat unlabeled, with books that frayed along the spines. It was clear these particular items had been made many decades—maybe even a century ago. Dust settled along the covers of books that lay flat - and that’s when Farim noticed this was the first section that wasn’t completely stuffed along every inch with texts and books. As the two began to reach out towards some of the eerily placed texts, the old man protested.

“Boys! No playing in the forbidden section! Only certain folks got access to that!” 

For the moment they backed off, but the seed of curiosity had been planted–a trait of Farim’s that would prove to cost him throughout his life. The boys obediently backed down and resumed the rest of their exploration unabated. In the days that followed, it truly felt like they had found a mini home in this chaotic and dangerous city. Malik and Farim would gather, play, and converse with the old man about whatever crossed their minds. Sadly, there came a certain day when this would come to a tragic and sudden end.
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