“So… it's time.” Louis pushed up his glasses.
“So it is,” Gen masked her face with a dramatically-posed hand.
Amidst the crowds of the southern shopping district, Gen and Louis stood back-to-back in front of a certain business—not just one of the countless market stalls lining the streets, but a fully fledged store.
“Last time we came here, the owner laughed us out, saying, ‘Why don't you come back when you're a little bit… richer, hmm?’”
“Certainly—’twas a moment that I can neither forget nor forgive…”
“But now, the time—our time—for revengeance has come!”
“... Can I just wait outside?” Lily asked.
“No,” Louis replied, flipping his scarf so that it fluttered in the wind as he walked to the store’s entrance.
———
A good merchant knows where the money is, but a great merchant knows where the money is going to be.
With this proverb in mind, a daring young merchant named Enna took a gamble. After learning that the otherworldly Travelers would be appearing in Firrstad, she took her entire business and moved it to the fort city.
Where other small merchants like herself had faltered and larger companies were still bogged down by the process of organizing a new branch, Enna managed to secure a premium location with her decisive action—and, with several more exploits in her wake—quickly became one of the most influential traders in the area, as well as somewhat of a folk hero among merchants.
When the Travelers finally arrived at Firrstad, Enna quickly caught onto their… strong tendencies towards fashion and immediately took the market by storm with the new fashion statements from another world.
“Oh yeah…” Enna kicked back in her seat at the front of her store, soaking in the feeling of success.
She was feeling good.
… That is, until someone walked into the store, causing her to instantly switch to her customer service mode.
“Welcome, dear customer--" Enna started, her merchant smile immediately dropping into a scowl after seeing who came in.
“... Tch, it's jes’ you again.” She clicked her tongue, using her normal dialect. “Ah, you ladies kin sit yerself at th’ counter here. I’ll getcha sem tea before you go.”
“What's with this difference in reception…” Louis complained.
“Wouldn’ ya want to be greeted by cuties ‘nstead of jes’ some guy?”
“... Okay, I get that, but I’d also like to not be greeted with a scowl. Also, Gen’s not that cute. Ow--" he said, immediately getting donked on the back of the head.
“You deserved that.” Enna seemed thoroughly unimpressed.
“There aren't any scalekin where we're from, alright? It just doesn't do it for me.”
Enna looked at Gen, confused. Weren't they both Travelers? Was Gen not normally a scalekin or something?
… How does that work? she wondered.
However, she felt like digging deeper would uncover some kind of eldritch truth about the world, for some reason. Trusting her instincts, Enna wisely decided not to ask, unwittingly avoiding an existential crisis.
“Anyhow, what’s yer deal? I doubt y’all got that much more moolah since yesterday.”
Then, she noticed Fenris, who was still wearing their tattered novice gear.
“Haa?” Enna narrowed her eyes. “... Did ya really jus’ drag some kid off the streets jes’ fer me to tell ‘em that they don't got enough cash? I thought ya just had bad fashion taste, but looks like you've got a bad personality as well.”
“Ara, was that why we picked him up?” Gen asked, looking at Louis in ‘shock’. “How terrible…”
“Awful. The worst.” Lily joined in.
“Oi, you two already know that ain't it!” Louis huffed. “Tell ‘em, Fen!”
“... I thought we were… getting clothes?” Fenris tilted his head.
“I can't believe ya tricked an innocent kid like this…” Enna glared at Louis in disgust, before earnestly turning to Fenris. “It costs a lot ta get clothing here. You shed go t’a place along the main road, instead.”
Louis facepalmed.
“Just… take out your geld, Fen.”
“Nn, got it,” he replied, pulling out his weighty coin purse (coin sack, rather) and handing it to Enna, who immediately stumbled from its weight.
“Nwaagh?!” She wordlessly looked back-and-forth between the bag and Fenris. “—?! —?!?”
“Well?” Louis asked, looking particularly smug.
Snapping to her senses, Enna gave Fenris a smile.
“One moment please, dearest customer.” She calmly walked through the employee-only door. Albeit muffled, the others heard her shout—
“Artisan team! Level 4 situation! To the front of the store—NOW! ”
…
Enna came back out, with several seamstresses filing out behind her. They bowed perfectly at the waist before turning to face Fenris, who was slightly more confused than normal. A plain-looking girl with a long, black ponytail and round glasses stepped forwards.
“Greetings,” she spoke with a proper smile. “My name is Isabelle, and I am the head designer of this establishment. Do you have any particular requests regarding the design or materials?”
“Uhhh…” Fenris tilted his head. “Make it… breezy…?”
“... Breezy?”
“Yeah.”
While it was possible for Fenris to repair his starting equipment back to its initial state, he had actually grown fond of its new 'ventilation holes’ and started thinking that it would be nice if his new clothes were similar.
“... I see.” Isabelle replied, unable to tell what Fenris was thinking. “Is there anything else?”
“... No?”
Isabelle twitched. The girls in the line started whispering,
“So what you’re saying is…”
“We have a big budget… and free-reign over the design?”
“... Aha~︎” A strange light was reflected in their eyes.
Lily sensed danger.
“Run away, Fen!”
“Eh.” Fenris froze as the mob of seamstresses suddenly pounced on him, grabbing him by the arms. “Eh??”
“Fenriiiis—!” Lily cried out as he was dragged through the door at back of the store.
Gen and Louis looked at Enna.
“The heck was that.”
“... I dunno, either…” Enna was dumbfounded.
———
Spoilerwimbledon
Gen wasn't actually interested in "getting back" at Enna; she just thinks it's fun to go along with Louis's theatrics (also for fun).
Also, Fen is finally getting his new duds next chapter.
... Probably.
[collapse]
“So… it's time.” Louis pushed up his glasses.
“So it is,” Gen masked her face with a dramatically-posed hand.
Amidst the crowds of the southern shopping district, Gen and Louis stood back-to-back in front of a certain business—not just one of the countless market stalls lining the streets, but a fully fledged store.
“Last time we came here, the owner laughed us out, saying, ‘Why don't you come back when you're a little bit… richer, hmm?’”
“Certainly—’twas a moment that I can neither forget nor forgive…”
“But now, the time—our time—for revengeance has come!”
“... Can I just wait outside?” Lily asked.
“No,” Louis replied, flipping his scarf so that it fluttered in the wind as he walked to the store’s entrance.
———
A good merchant knows where the money is, but a great merchant knows where the money is going to be.
With this proverb in mind, a daring young merchant named Enna took a gamble. After learning that the otherworldly Travelers would be appearing in Firrstad, she took her entire business and moved it to the fort city.
Where other small merchants like herself had faltered and larger companies were still bogged down by the process of organizing a new branch, Enna managed to secure a premium location with her decisive action—and, with several more exploits in her wake—quickly became one of the most influential traders in the area, as well as somewhat of a folk hero among merchants.
When the Travelers finally arrived at Firrstad, Enna quickly caught onto their… strong tendencies towards fashion and immediately took the market by storm with the new fashion statements from another world.
“Oh yeah…” Enna kicked back in her seat at the front of her store, soaking in the feeling of success.
She was feeling good.
… That is, until someone walked into the store, causing her to instantly switch to her customer service mode.
“Welcome, dear customer--" Enna started, her merchant smile immediately dropping into a scowl after seeing who came in.
“... Tch, it's jes’ you again.” She clicked her tongue, using her normal dialect. “Ah, you ladies kin sit yerself at th’ counter here. I’ll getcha sem tea before you go.”
“What's with this difference in reception…” Louis complained.
“Wouldn’ ya want to be greeted by cuties ‘nstead of jes’ some guy?”
“... Okay, I get that, but I’d also like to not be greeted with a scowl. Also, Gen’s not that cute. Ow--" he said, immediately getting donked on the back of the head.
“You deserved that.” Enna seemed thoroughly unimpressed.
“There aren't any scalekin where we're from, alright? It just doesn't do it for me.”
Enna looked at Gen, confused. Weren't they both Travelers? Was Gen not normally a scalekin or something?
… How does that work? she wondered.
However, she felt like digging deeper would uncover some kind of eldritch truth about the world, for some reason. Trusting her instincts, Enna wisely decided not to ask, unwittingly avoiding an existential crisis.
“Anyhow, what’s yer deal? I doubt y’all got that much more moolah since yesterday.”
Then, she noticed Fenris, who was still wearing their tattered novice gear.
“Haa?” Enna narrowed her eyes. “... Did ya really jus’ drag some kid off the streets jes’ fer me to tell ‘em that they don't got enough cash? I thought ya just had bad fashion taste, but looks like you've got a bad personality as well.”
“Ara, was that why we picked him up?” Gen asked, looking at Louis in ‘shock’. “How terrible…”
“Awful. The worst.” Lily joined in.
“Oi, you two already know that ain't it!” Louis huffed. “Tell ‘em, Fen!”
“... I thought we were… getting clothes?” Fenris tilted his head.
“I can't believe ya tricked an innocent kid like this…” Enna glared at Louis in disgust, before earnestly turning to Fenris. “It costs a lot ta get clothing here. You shed go t’a place along the main road, instead.”
Louis facepalmed.
“Just… take out your geld, Fen.”
“Nn, got it,” he replied, pulling out his weighty coin purse (coin sack, rather) and handing it to Enna, who immediately stumbled from its weight.
“Nwaagh?!” She wordlessly looked back-and-forth between the bag and Fenris. “—?! —?!?”
“Well?” Louis asked, looking particularly smug.
Snapping to her senses, Enna gave Fenris a smile.
“One moment please, dearest customer.” She calmly walked through the employee-only door. Albeit muffled, the others heard her shout—
“Artisan team! Level 4 situation! To the front of the store—NOW! ”
…
Enna came back out, with several seamstresses filing out behind her. They bowed perfectly at the waist before turning to face Fenris, who was slightly more confused than normal. A plain-looking girl with a long, black ponytail and round glasses stepped forwards.
“Greetings,” she spoke with a proper smile. “My name is Isabelle, and I am the head designer of this establishment. Do you have any particular requests regarding the design or materials?”
“Uhhh…” Fenris tilted his head. “Make it… breezy…?”
“... Breezy?”
“Yeah.”
While it was possible for Fenris to repair his starting equipment back to its initial state, he had actually grown fond of its new 'ventilation holes’ and started thinking that it would be nice if his new clothes were similar.
“... I see.” Isabelle replied, unable to tell what Fenris was thinking. “Is there anything else?”
“... No?”
Isabelle twitched. The girls in the line started whispering,
“So what you’re saying is…”
“We have a big budget… and free-reign over the design?”
“... Aha~︎” A strange light was reflected in their eyes.
Lily sensed danger.
“Run away, Fen!”
“Eh.” Fenris froze as the mob of seamstresses suddenly pounced on him, grabbing him by the arms. “Eh??”
“Fenriiiis—!” Lily cried out as he was dragged through the door at back of the store.
Gen and Louis looked at Enna.
“The heck was that.”
“... I dunno, either…” Enna was dumbfounded.
———
Spoilerwimbledon
Gen wasn't actually interested in "getting back" at Enna; she just thinks it's fun to go along with Louis's theatrics (also for fun).
Also, Fen is finally getting his new duds next chapter.
... Probably.
[collapse]