Buyer Beware [BunnyBud]

[MadEmperor]

Kahroan wasn't entirely alien to Cerenis; he had passed through enough times to be recognized by a few merchants and innkeepers. His peculiarly un-Yoreiqi coloration and demeanor made him memorable to those familiar enough with his kind to notice. The worst part of living with mainlanders was that he was doomed to be a curiosity, always answering inane questions about himself.

Like the merchant he was currently haggling with, she was all chatty about the time she spent in Yoreiq. He didn't want to hear any more about the home he'd never see again. He could feel his ire rising just thinking about it.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

He gave up continuing to work down the price of a new belt and lost out on a few glints to stop himself from blowing his top. She was oblivious to his cold anger as he left her stall behind.

His stomach rumbled as he began to look for something cheap to buy to fill his stomach without spending everything he had left, short of the valuable necklace he wore to sell in an emergency. It was the last piece of home he possessed; his mother had said it held some magic but he could never tell it did anything. Perhaps it would be best to get rid of it and no longer be reminded of his family.

He picked up a piece of fruit for a few pennies and bit into it, wiping the juice from his chin with his sleeve as he turned to take a shortcut through an alley. He was tough looking enough that he doubted he'd get mugged. At least, not that close to the market.

[BunnyBud]

Rickety Jim was a prolific and excellent merchant, wandering far and wide to offer the best deals possible to his customers! However, due to the fact that most of the people in Serendipity were boring cowards who couldn't deal with a bit of dismemberment and self-mutilation, he needed to disguise himself and set up shop off the beaten path.

Draped in a cloak that hid the gaping hole in his abdomen, the only things visible of the merchant were his odd red mask and pinkish, leathery hands. "Hello there, valuable customer! Welcome to Rickety Jim's Traveling Emporium of Questionable Wares!" A thin, reedy voice split the air of the alleyway as he stood, approaching the man who'd been fortunate enough to cross his path.

Holding a hand out for him to shake, Rickety Jim changed his mind less than a second later and snatched the necklace from around Kahroan's throat, nimble fingers untying it to avoid damaging the merchandise. "Yes, yes, this will do quite nicely! One moment, yes, just one. Rickety Jim will find what you require..."

Mumbling to himself, the merchant's hands vanished as he dug around within his cloak, before eventually withdrawing a small box. "Here we are! This dagger came from a cabal of demonic cultists, and... hm... no, that won't do at all! Far too unwieldy for one such as yourself, certainly, yes. But worry not, oh, no worries at all! For Rickety Jim offers the best deals, and occasional steals! Eeheheee!"

Beginning to cackle, he hid the box up an oversized sleeve and returned to his rummaging, seemingly having entirely forgotten about the man in front of him.

[MadEmperor]

The merchant was such a strange and unexpected sight that he was speechless when the strange figure snatched the necklace from around his neck. How dare this creature—this theif—take the only thing that was truly his. Yoreiqi didn't typically have much of a concept of ownership, but he wasn't a typical Yoreiqi and years abroad had taught him the idea. 

When he could find the words, they came out with a cold fury. "Give it back," he demanded with a threatening tone, his wing feathers ruffling indignantly. He balled up his hands into fists in case he needed to enforce take his property back by force. 

[BunnyBud]

Rickety Jim was taken aback at this customer's reaction, baffled by the show of outright hostility! Holding a gnarled hand over the general area a heart would be, he gasped with shock and recoiled. "Give it back!? But why would you want it back? Why, this is nothing more than a trinket, nothing more I say! But, as you're my first customer today, I'm prepared to offer you the deal of a lifetime, yessiree!"

His mask spun upside down and then back upright as he spoke, the three gleaming eyes boring into Kahroan's soul. "Now then, let's take a look, yes, let's see. You seem to be in need of a necklace, my good sir! And I've got a wonderful alternative. Why, this broach would be perfect for one such as yourself! I recently acquired it from a very kind man along the roadside. He wasn't the most talkative of sorts, but Rickety Jim doesn't mind! And, I believe that it will grant you immense power! Weeeeeeeell? What do you say, my friend?"

[MadEmperor]

Kahroan couldn't help but be curious, looking at his reflection in the gem with dubious interest. He could certainly use a little power with which to change his fate or even just earn a little healthy respect. He was strong, sure, but many assumed Yoreiqi to be pushovers.

He suspended his ire and turned suspicious but intrigued eyes on Rickety Jim. "What sort of power?"

There was a hunger in those eyes. It confirmed what the merchant had deduced; he would be making the deal if Jim spoke the right words.

[BunnyBud]

A quiet, high-pitched giggle emanated from beneath the mask in response to the Yoreiqi's words, leaning forwards and pressing his leathery pink hands together. "Ah, interested, are we? Yes, yes we are. Very wise, very wise, I agree. A very smart, very smart man you are."

Rickety Jim reached into his cloak, pulling out a closed hand and holding it out towards Kahroan. Long, nimble fingers uncurled to reveal a flawless red gem inlaid in a golden brooch, stylized in the shape of a curled dragon.

"The power, my friend, of a dragon." Whispering the words in a way that streamed into the customer's ears, the merchant's palm raised up to hover in front of Kahroan's face. "Well, my boy? We have a deal, do we not? Yes, yes we do... and it's all yours, my boy, it is, yes it is. All yours, I say."

[MadEmperor]

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "All for a sentimental trinket?"

The deal seemed to good to be true. Dragon magic in exchange for something he was unsure he still wanted? Was this man a demon? Would it also want his soul? 

He crossed his meaty arms as he awaited Jim's answer. Kahroan wasn't the most patient individual and the curiosity was already eating at him. There had to be a catch. 

The thing is, did he care? 

[BunnyBud]

Shaking a finger in disapproval, a quiet tutting sound came from underneath the mask. "Ahh, my boy, you underestimate yourself! Sentiment is a powerful thing, in the right hands... hands which aren't mine, I'm afraid. Rickety Jim has no powers of his own, but this little trinket will fetch a pretty penny in the right hands. Or, my boy, the wrong ones."

The brooch danced between Rickety Jim's fingers in a display of surprising dexterity, flipping into the air before vanishing into his palm and down his sleeves. Producing it into his other hand, the red gemstone glimmered in the dim light. "Well now, do we have a deal, yes, a deal between us two, my boy?"

[MadEmperor]

His desire to have an edge up on his fate produced a greed for the stone that he could no longer ignore. And even if it was something mundane after all, it looked valuable enough. 

He nodded enthusiastically, all but reaching out to snatch it from the merchant's fingers. "Yes. Yes. You've got yourself a trade. But for your sake, you'd better not be trying to cheat me."

[BunnyBud]

Rickety Jim pulled his hand back when he noticed the way Kahroan eyed the brooch, moving forwards and placing his free hand on the man's shoulder. The three gleaming eyes in his red mask shone brightly, emanating three beams of light that turned into a spotlight on his customer's face. "But listen carefully, and listen well. All power comes with a cost, and it's rarely the one you're willing to pay. The bill comes due in time, my boy. And this is one check you cannot bounce."

A voice unlike anything the merchant had sounded like rumbled from beneath the mask, the spotlight dimming as he returned to normal. "Now then, my boy, now that you've been warned... here you go! Transaction complete, payment has been given, have a wonderful day!" Placing the brooch into his hand, Rickety Jim backed away, dramatically sweeping his cloak in front of himself before hiding inside of an old crate, likely to make it seem like he'd vanished.

[MadEmperor]

Kahroan was too busy with inspecting his new acquisition to notice the merchant's vanishing act, holding it up as to allow it to catch the sunlight so it could seem to glow. Was he imagining it, or did its light pulse like the beating of a heart? 

It was beautiful, exquisite even, and he could swear he felt a power within it. There was a warmth in his hand and a tingling in his breast as he held it close. He felt stronger already. 

It was too valuable to wear on his peasant shirt. It deserved a better resting place. Perhaps on a chain around his neck?

"Do you ha—" He brought his gaze back down to find himself alone. "Where...?" 

He shrugged and walked back the way he had come. It was time to acquire a necklace chain. And then, to figure out how to use whatever draconic power the gem possessed