“Ah, the street urchins have come to pester me yet again!” Rishaki’s words were harsh, but her tone couldn’t have been more playful.
“Granny Rishaki, we’ve come to see you!” Mazie skipped over to the counter.
“Eh?! I’ve told you to call me Aunty Rishaki! Your words wound me, child,” she mimed being struck in pain. Even though she knew it was just playful banter, hearing it still stung a little.
“What have you got for us today, Aunty?!” Mazie was bouncing behind the counter, bubbling with impatience.
“Such a spoiled little girl you’ve become. Well, I guess it’s my fault for spoiling you,” Rishaki couldn’t help but smile at the girl's impertinence. “Here, some candy all the way from my home country of Zjiksa.” She set a sparkling dish on the counter filled with hard-candies.
“Yay!” Mazie grabbed one and immediately unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm!” She then started grabbing handfuls and stuffing them into her pockets.
“What about you?!” Rishaki’s eyes drifted to Bray who was standing uncomfortably next to her.
“Thank you,” Bray took a single piece and unwrapped it and then expressed her gratitude to the shopkeep before eating it.
“Were you on your way to your clubhouse then?” She understood why all the cubes were soundproofed, but it dampened Rishaki’s heart a little bit that she couldn’t hear them having fun through the walls.
“Yup, we finished all of our homework so we’re gonna play so much!” Mazie proudly reported.
“Well then, let me give you something to play with!” Rishaki bent back over to pull something else out of her chest of wonders.
“Wow, it looks like us!” Mazie’s eyes sparkled with wonder the moment she saw the doll. The craftsmanship was impeccable, so the doll looked almost lifelike. And while Bray and Mazie looked almost like twins, the doll hadn’t been modeled after them. It did look pretty close, but to Rishaki’s eyes, the two girls also looked fairly standard for children that age of their ethnicity—yet to grow into their own unique features.
“And I also have these,” Rishaki pulled out a display case with dozens of other outfits for the doll.
“Woah!” Mazie took out one of the outfits and then ran off to a corner to try swapping them out.
“This… this is too much. I’ll… pay you back when I can,” Bray was suddenly more downtrodden than before. Both girls were given an allowance, but since technically Bray wasn’t serving as a full provider anymore, she’d still take odd jobs around the campus when she could to get them a bit extra spending money.
“I won’t hear of it,” Rishaki insisted. “My mother worked hard to provide to us what she could, so it gives me great joy to pass along to children what I never had. But maybe a doll isn’t to your interests… Maybe, something more like this…” She opened a small jewelry box with a pair of earrings.
“The mind of a child, but still the eyes of a woman,” Rishaki couldn’t help but tease her when Bray’s heart skipped a beat.
“Are those… made of volcanic glass?” Bray reached out to touch them but then pulled back her hand once she remembered her manners.
“Yes, obsidian infused with melted amethyst. Priceless!” Rishaki got something akin to a high just talking about them. “Take them.”
Bray’s childlike instinct kicked in once more as she went to accept, but then stopped herself by grabbing her arm with her other hand. “I can’t… I can’t accept your generosity.”
“Well, they are not for you. They are for her,” Rishaki’s eyes wandered to the oblivious child who was happily playing by herself. “Some day, she will grow into them. It is only right for her mother to hold onto them for her until that time. And feel free to enjoy them until then. I went ahead and had them converted to clip-ons.”
“Thank you, again!” Bray grabbed the box and then scooted over to retrieve Mazie. The pair departed with a final ecstatic wave. It may have seemed like charity, but Rishaki had been paid. Her heart was full.
◆◆◆
“That’s… That’s me?” Itsy couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared into the giant mirror that Rishaki had setup. She was adorned in a traditional Zjiksa garb—splendorous, radiant, and full of color. But more importantly, it fit Itsy perfectly.
“You look stunning,” Rishaki popped out from behind while adjusting the sleeves a bit.
“And really, I can just have it?” Itsy didn’t quite believe the deal.
“These were my mothers,” Rishaki explained. “She was a big woman, like you, and she’d be honored that they went to a strong, hard working woman like yourself. In fact, I have many more of her outfits that you are welcome to take.”
“Ah c’mon, I can’t just take ‘em for nothing. Gotta be something I can do for yuh. Or just let me pay ya. Granted, I just sent most of my money home, so I don’t got a lot right now. But I can pay you next month.”
“Nonsense, you’ve already done plenty for me,” Rishaki reminded her. “The upgrades for my vehicle are complete, yes?”
“Uhh, yup, got ‘em workin yesterday. The anti-touch electricity will zap anyone who tries to put their fingers on it. And it took some tuning, but I got the—whatcha call it—the ‘Bad Date Ejector Seat’ working perfectly.”
◆◆◆
Kada quietly snuck into the shop, looking around like she was trying to make sure she wouldn’t get caught. Once she decided it was all clear, she tiptoed over to the counter. “So… uhhh… you got the stuff?” What, was she a drug addict or something? Rishaki was half convinced that Kada would start shaking if she didn’t get what she wanted soon.
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“Here you are,” Rishaki could barely set it down on the counter before Kada scooped it up and ripped off the lid. She took a big scoop of icecream with the spoon she’d brought and then stuffed it into her mouth.
“Mmmm, that’s the zjik!” Kada spun in a circle, tapping her feet with joy.
“I don’t really get it,” Rishaki shrugged. “Good ice cream, yes. I had a second bowl delivered for myself. But all this trouble to get it? Not worth it. Plus, you have a flying car. Why not just go get it yourself?”
“Ugh, that’d take all day!” Kada moaned at the thought. “This is from my hometown, and that’s all the way on the other damned side of the continent. Having it delivered to my lazy ass improves the experience, and you can’t beat the taste of nostalgia! Since your Curse perfectly preserves anything put into your chest, it’s like I’m eating it right from the store!”
“Fine, fine, fair enough,” she caved and would just let her customers enjoy whatever they liked. “I wish you would request less sticky things that can ruin my belongings, but I guess the chest doesn’t work that way, and I made sure they double sealed it. Moving along, it is time to pay.”
“Mhmm,” Kada held a hand out with a flat palm while she used the other to stuff more ice cream. Rishaki set a bejeweled ornament into it and the metal melted into goop. Kada held the puddle still while Rishaki plucked the jewels from it. The ornament then returned to its original form, the gems perfectly extracted without damaging the piece.
This was their arrangement. Rishaki didn’t care for being treated like a delivery service, especially when such simple and stupid things were the packages. But she couldn’t deny Kada’s special ability and would get her anything she wanted for her services.
Rishaki took another look at the jewels in her hand and then pelted them into the trash. “Disgusting fakes!” She retrieved some lotion to clean away the poorness from her skin. Usually, it was the metal that was the problem, so Rishaki would have Kada melt pieces to retrieve the jewels unscathed. But in this case, it was the opposite. The ornament was a beautiful handmade specimen, but the jewels that adorned it were bargain bin knock-offs.
“I will let you know when I have the new stones ready to insert into the piece.” Rishaki would enlist her help too for embedding things better than any silversmith ever could.
“Ooo, what will I have next time then?!” Kada was already thinking about her next nostalgia delivery. “Oh, the boardwalk always had really good corn dogs and popcorn, but they go cold and gross after just a few minutes, so it’d be perfect!”
◆◆◆
“There is still blood on these…” Rishaki winced at the trinkets that had been dumped on the counter.
“Well, you told me I should touch them as little as possible,” Kaizu rebutted. “Something about destructive oils or whatever you yelled at me last time.”
“And you think blood is any better?!” Rishaki quickly retrieved some disinfectant and got cleaning. “Whatever, as long as you get them here with expedience, it is not an issue. Though, I’d appreciate a courtesy dip in purified water. Now let’s see here… good stuff. I applaud that at least.”
“Can’t say I exactly enjoy becoming a corpse looter,” Kaizu’s odd moralities struck again.
“Well, that is the price. Speaking of, here is the courtesy payment,” Rishaki retrieved her Common Card.
“You know I don’t want your money. Makes me feel like a hired thug,” Kaizu would just walk out if there wasn’t something she still needed to retrieve.
“Aren’t you?” Rishaki eyed her up and down. “It is there to make a paper trail for our exchange. You don’t want them knowing what you’re doing, yes? All I’m aware of is that you’re retrieving items for me, not how you get them.”
“So what’s the next intel?” the murder-loving assassin was starting to get antsy.
Rishaki had to think on that for a moment. Who of her connections was she willing to sell out this time? One such Draz immediately came to mind. The suiting gift he sent her after her husband’s death had practically been an insult—so low quality. Plus, he already had eleven other wives. She wasn’t about to let him make a dozen. And with his death, those women who put in the work would finally be compensated.
It was a weird feeling, writing his name and information down on a slip of paper for Kaizu. She was basically signing his death certificate, and she knew she would never see him again. But it didn’t exactly break her heart.
“I want his teeth,” Rishaki added along with the provided intel. It was a weird feeling to be looked down on by a murdering psychopath, so she elaborated. “He had them replaced with various precious gemstones. His mouth almost looks like a rainbow when he smiles, so I made sure to never give him a reason to. Those I do not mind being covered in blood.”
◆◆◆
“My favorite reluctant customer. Come in, come in!” Rishaki waved at Drim who had only poked his head through the curtain so far. Like Kada, he didn’t really want anyone knowing he was there, but his reasons were more valid. “I’ve found quite the prize for you today!”
Rishaki hurried to pull the item out of her chest and laid it out on the counter, removing the cloth sleeve that had been protecting it. “The ceremonial saber of Eleen Drazah. Any collector of war artifacts would kill to have it, myself included. But since we are friends, I am returning it to its rightful owner.”
“Where the heck did you find this?!” Eleen piped up. “I lost this thing about a decade into the war. It’s why only the earlier statues of me depict me with it. We claimed that it was stolen by a master thief, but really I just set it down one day and couldn’t find it again. Clumsy me.”
“Heh, some farmer was using it as a back scratcher,” Rishaki shook her head in disappointment. “It is crazy when people do not know the treasures they possess.”
Drim came over and picked up the saber, examining it. The sheath was quite similar to his quiver, black with silver trim. Though this was actually made of real silver. The craftsmanship of the handle was exquisite and surprisingly well built. Normally, ornate weapons were meant to be for appearances only, not used in a real fight, but this one would be easy to handle.
Whether it would actually be useful in a fight came down to the blade, though. Drim tried to unsheathe it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Oh, there’s a trick to unsheathing it. You have to—” but Drim figured it out before his mother could finish.
Rishaki’s eyes glued to the blade as it appeared out of the darkness, glinted by the oil lanterns. It was stunning and perfect, and now she was regretting selling it. “Ahh, I always really liked the sound it made when it unsheathed,” Eleen added. “So what are you going to do with it, hang it on your wall? Knowing you, you’ll probably throw it in some dusty closet to be forgotten forever.”
Drim ran his fingers along the blade to get a better feel for it, but then without warning, he snapped it in two. ““Gah”” Rishaki and Eleen cried out in unison.
“I’m disposing of it like the rest of your trash that you left lying around. Please let me know if you find any more Drazah relics, Rishaki.” She had never seen what Drim did with the other artifacts she had sold him, but now her heart broke a little more with each one she imagined being smashed to pieces.
But the price he paid was a good one, and she couldn’t complain about how something was treated after it was sold. “Do you have a preference of how it’s delivered this time?” Drim held his hand above the counter in preparation.
“How about some blackberries?” Rishaki suggested. “I still have some ice cream leftover that they would be good on.” Drim’s hand glowed for a moment and a pile of blackberries poured onto the table. They weren’t actually black per their namesake, more a brownish blue, but all the fruits he’d given her had been offcolored.
She retrieved the ice cream that she’d only taken a few bites of so far and sprinkled the blackberries on top. When she went to take the first bite, she hesitated for a moment when she saw the green eyes burning a hole in her. “You really don’t have to- I won’t—” Rishaki tried to assure him, but his eyes only started to burn even brighter, making her soul cower like a little mouse.
Drim would always stay behind and make sure she ate every bite. She didn’t blame him, since it was something she could sell to make her the richest woman in the world. But she never would, refusing to ever give up the priceless rarity of life.