The pawn shop was located just beyond the town's red district with brothels and pubs circling it, closing in on anyone who ventured in. The narrow streets and cobbled street mirrors those of Intutum but lacked the warmth in the stone and magic in the air. Here, the only magic was the smell of tobacco and rot in the air.
"Of all the shops, why choose one here?" I hissed as we passed a pile of sewage that made me regret heightened senses. "Are there not one's in more respectable, cleaner districts?"
"Probably," Jax looked down on me, something close to satisfaction in his eyes, "but no one will recognize you here, contrary to well-established shops. No one would expect a noble's daughter to walk around the red light district."
"I can see why." My nose wrinkled as we stopped in front of a shop that looked tilted like one half of the foundation was sinking into the earth.
Bert's Trades was painted on the smudged glass in front of the shop in faded white paint. Behind it, I could see a row of tables and chairs stacked for display with dresses and suits that were long out of style hanging over them.
"No use delaying the inevitable," Jax pressed his hand to my upper shoulder, steering me to the door.
The bell hung above the door chimed in the eerie silence. There were piles of clothes displayed in one corner, across from a moth-eaten sofa. A long table was covered with trinkets: brushes, hairpins, jewelry, and accessories. I noted a few, small pieces I wanted, hidden under other, flashier objects.
"Can I help you?" Came a voice from a room in the back where a small, squat man was studying us.
"Hello," Jax grinned, moving to greet the man with wide arms. "My sister and I recently inherited some nicknacks from our late aunt. We have no use for it, but thought it might be worth some money."
I let Jax talk, knowing he was in his element. There was no better companion to have in deals than a man who could sense a lie and return one of his own as easy as breathing.
"I can take a look," the man offered, pulling down a pair of spectacles. "Let me see," he reached out, fingers snapping.
I handed my bag of finds to him rather reluctantly. I trust Jax, not this man. He was grouchy, a scowl fixed on his face like it was a permanent feature, as interchangeable as the wrinkles that hugged his eyes.
"These appear to be in good quality," he said, pulling out the twin candelabras. They were simple, two coils of silver reaching up to a twin holder that matches. There were at least six on the ship I had pillaged them from, noting unique, but valuable nonetheless.
"I can offer you just over fifty-cents. This material is cheap, interchangeable but I can't see any damage." He put them on the counter, looking to Jax, jaw set. "Is this reasonable for you?"
"For good silver?" Jax scoffed. "You know they're worth at least three euros respectively."
"That's preposterous," the shop owner roared. "I can't pay such a price."
Jax lifted his hand to silence the uproar. "We'll accept four for both with the assurance you will treat the rest of our items fairly."
The little man's eyes darted from the candles to Jax, hands intertwined. It was a beautiful deal for him.
"Oh," Jax brightened, "and no questions about us or their origin. I can promise no one will come looking for them."
"Deal," the little man stuffed them under the counter. "I'm curious to see what other objects you've acquired."
He dumped the sack out, spilling the contents across his station. A few gems flashed in the light, sending rainbow specks around the shop.
Hair ornaments, buckles, and earnings had survived the waters better than any necklaces I had found and there had been a surplus. The captain's quarters were always decorated finely and several high-class passengers had assorted accessories.
Jax shot me a look as the store owner's eyes budged. I suppose I didn't need to bring that many finds, but I didn't want to make regular visits to the city.
"How much would you say these are worth collectively?" I asked.
"I can't tell you if these are real or not just from looking at them," the man managed, pushing his glasses further up his crooked nose. "Even if they aren't real, they might fetch a reasonable price."
"Would you settle for seventy euros?" Jax asked, pulling a dazzling hairpin with an intricate carving of vines along with the table, watching the man's eyes follow.
"I couldn't possibly. You'd bankrupt my shop," he cried, grabbing at the hairpin. "I'll give you twenty for the lot of it."
"What do you say, sister? Is his price reasonable?"
"I can't judge their worth, but I would think that's nothing short of a robbery."
"Thirty?"
"Deal," Jax reached across the table, shaking the man's hand. I didn't miss the hurried brush of his palm on his pants a moment later. "Would you collect the money, sister? I want to look around this man's shop, see if there is anything we'd be interested in."
"Here's your money, ma'am." Thirty-three dollars were shoved in my hands as the owner poured the ornaments into a sack which he tied off and stuffed out of my sight.
I knew we had been cheated rather spectacularly, but I had what I came for. "Thank you. Perhaps I'll return if I have a business in the future." It was a lie, but the man seemed to drink in my words.
"I look forward to it," he beamed.
"Sister, are you ready to leave? We have other places to be today." Jax was waiting by the door, innocent face beaming at me.
"Of course," I nodded to the shopkeeper before disappearing through the door with Jax. "We were cheated, you know that."
"No other shop would sell to us without proof of ownership. Besides," Jax held out his hand, "I evened the debt a little."
He was holding a hair comb. It was nothing special, a few silver strands wrapped to look like waves circling an octopus, tentacles curled through the crests.
"It's not valuable, but octopuses can be venomous like you and tend to be cautious animals." He passed it to me, the metal already warmed in his palm. "Accept it as my welcome gift to Intutum."
"I don't condone stealing," I said, slipping the comb through the tight bun at the nape of my neck, "nevertheless, I am grateful. He was insatiable, serves him right."
"I think it would be best to continue the lie," Jax said as we turned into a busier street, finally pushing out of the red district. "Siblings, I mean. People might question a man and woman traveling unaccompanied with no rings."
"I agree, best to avoid confusion."
"Confusion?" Jax scoffed. "I think they'd accuse me of kidnapping, elopement at the least."
"Hardly," I grinned. "You'd be able to lie your way out in an instant."
"Perhaps, but that gets tiresome." He took my arm, attaching it to his elbow. "Try to look like my sister, not a wanderer who I'm harassing."
"No one would think that." I looked up to find his staring down, eyes crinkled and teeth exposed in a soft smile, kinder than he usually wore.
I wanted to make a jest about his wanting to be closer to me, but the words caught in my throat. Jax could make those jokes, he often did. It wouldn't be the same to me, not when my friend meant more.
I cleared my throat looking away, the friendly atmosphere diminishing as I did. "I have a list of things I want to buy. Candles, teas, some books if possible. We should hurry, though. We may have saved time running, but Helena will want us to stay for a long while."
"Yeah," Jax said, his voice duller. "We'll hurry then."
We wove up the street, my eyes trained on the display windows. Slowly, my bag grew until it could barely contain everything within. I felt like an explorer, stocking my ship for a long sea voyage.
"I told Helena we'd visit at two. If we don't leave now, we'll be late." He pulled out the small pocket watch I had just bought. "It's a thirty-minute walk at least and we've got twenty minutes."
"Then let's hurry," I chirped. "Everything I need I have."
The soles of my feet burned as we picked up our pace, dodging through the crowds until we reached the wharf. It wasn't as dark as before with the sun beaming down.
The Spirit was docked near the front of the wharf, the pine-colored hull gleamed with a fresh coat of wax. My time here would not be like the last.