Red Roses

Chapter 13 (Fool's Gold Arc)

"So people here could know about what we're looking for?" Zolio questioned, her eyes wandered around a busy area, stands and merchants lined each section of her view. Many ganymae and some humans crowded the street, seeking to buy goods from these independent sellers. Keertan stretched, stepping out of the vehicle and closing the car door. He responded, "Probably? It's crowded here, someone's probably got an answer, I don't know much about wild fauna other than the basics." Ardit and Jade exited both sides from the back of the vehicle. Ardit inquired about Keertan's response, "And what if nobody here knows anything? Some people in this city don't even know anything that goes on in the wild!" Keertan gave a shrug and a smile. Ardit's eyes gave a squint as his arms folded.

They began their search,
"Hello? We're looking for someone who knows about mimics, can you help?"
"Hey, sorry to bother you, but do you know where to find mimics?"
No luck, Ardit, Zolio, and Keertan continued to walk around the Flea market, interrogating citizens for answers. The former two were struggling to get responses for the clear discriminatory purpose. Keertan on the other hand was at an inquisitive advantage as people were more willing to talk to someone who held some fame.

Jade approached a small group and tapped one of them on the shoulder. When their attention was received, Jade activated her magic and began to conjure a crude illusion of the heavenly specter on the palm of her hand, hoping that at least one of them had recognized it before. An agonizing moment of silence ensued. However, the silence was eventually broken by one ganyma, "Hey, cool trick kid." A 10-bristle coin was flipped onto Jade's palm before the attention was taken away from her. She fumed with frustration and tried to look elsewhere.

During her walk, she noticed a familiar face in the distance. Ardit's arms waved in the air to get her attention. Jade weaved through the crowd of people and was soon met face to face with him. Ardit's hand rested on her shoulder. He uttered, "I'm glad I found you, I've been looking for you or Keertan." He took a moment to catch his breath before continuing, "I wanna spend some money to make room for the bristles I wanna shovel in my bag, but the popular stands don't do business with humans, so you gotta buy stuff for me with my money!"

Jade's eyebrows furrowed, her hands on her hips. Ardit defended himself, "What? I could be risking my life here, I'm not crazy for wanting payment right?" Jade's eyes rolled as she decided to follow him. Once they reached one of the stands he was referring to, the two came to a halt from a distance. Ardit whispered as he reached into his bag, "Okay, I don't know the price of the one with the dragon handle, but I'll just give you a bunch and hope it's enough." He placed in her hands a handful of bristles of varying values. All of which held the accumulated value of 1000 Bristles. Jade understood what to do and approached the stand in question. She received a quick glance from the weaponsmith, grabbing his attention. She pointed at the blade Ardit was hoping to buy. The smith nodded and brought the dagger off the shelf. It was a mix of silver and red in color.The hilt was shaped like a dragon. The paws of the dragon acted as a stand that could hold up the knife. As for the sheath, it curved upwards at the tip. Unsheathed by the shopkeeper, the blade itself wasn't special in design, yet it still looked sharp.

It returned to its sheath as the shopkeep spoke up, "800 bristles." Jade nodded, relieved that she had enough. As she was counting 800 from the handful she was given, a voice was heard from beside her, "825." A larger ganyma with a hoggish figure stood with an intimidating look at her. Jade wasn't one to back down, or even to let down her friend. She added a 50 bristle coin to the pile she was willing to pay. The hog gripped his fist, "875!" His porcine snout fumed. The weaponsmith seemed somewhat overwhelmed. Jade added another 50 bristle coin, followed by the other ganyma doing the same. This went on until Jade put all 1000 Bristles into paying for the weapon. The larger ganyma poured all the bristles he had left onto the table. He grinned, "1050." Jade trembled slightly, she began to assess her options. she had nothing more to give as Zolio held their collective pocket money, and she couldn't run to Ardit for more money without revealing she's buying for him. In the heat of the moment, when their eyes were away from her so they could confirm the transaction, she took a 10-bristle coin underneath the table. She activated her magic and when she raised her hand from under the table, she placed what looked to be a 100-bristle coin. Catching the eye of the Merchant, he took the pile of coins and handed her the cold blade. The merchant gave a nod, "It's yours my friend!"