A portly man came in with scrolls in hand, they were official documents complete with wax seal and sealed with a basic magis spell of locking.The man’s head was tilted at a peculiar angle, the tip of his hooked nose was facing the air; all the more reason for little parasites, or as he would call them ‘children,’ could see the vast about of long curly nostril hairs and thicken stalactites of dried up snot that hung up there.
He had just journey from the city of Thespar to the new colony out to the western districts past the mines on the spine of Kalos. The empire was expanding into new territory in order to claim rich resources such as Magis crystals, crystalline ore and other rare and exotic materials.
The scroll in his hand was important and he needed to have it exchanged. He looked for the official building in the city, the one with the the empire’s crest of a phoenix and a dragon. He entered a building with the sign hanging at an odd angle and the symbol peeling and sun worn.
Waltzing up to the counter he racked his knuckles on the wooden counter.
“Service,” he bellowed.
“Service!” He bellowed again, his portly stomach expanded as he amplified his diaphragm almost causing several sewn on buttons to strain. His voice rattled the five neatly lined bubble head ornaments that sat in front of the counter.
Silence.
The portly man narrowed his eyes at the room behind the counter, searching expectantly for the counter operator to appear.
BANG!
A hand sprang forth from the other side of the counter causing the bubble head ornaments to rattle and shake and portly figure did wobble in the same surprised manner as the ornaments. With eyes half closed with a crusty layer of sleep, the green hair was unkempt and unruly with it looked like wild birds had lived and had a party on top of this shop keeper’s head.
“Shit,” swore the portly man rolling his eyes and pointing at the youth.
The green haired youth rubbed his head and sniffed his hand and twitched his wee button nose.
“T’wore right Sir! How’d you know?”
Perturbed the portly customer continued looking around the shop, leaning forward he asked,“Is there no one else in this establishment that process these?” Thrusting out the scrolls in front of the youth.
At hearing the old man’s interjection the youth straightened his brown leather apron and pat his badge with the name, ‘Uriah,’ expectantly puffing out his chest so that the golden embroidery refracted from the globes of light that hung on the ceiling. He smiled at the man showing a missing front tooth and reached to grab the scrolls.
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The portly man pulled back the scrolls and the youth reached out again trying to reach them - right, left, right, right and left. And although the portly man had a belly that was as huge as three pigs tied together and force fed a season's worth of grains; he also had the agility and the foreknowledge to withhold the documents from the gangly youth. The youth finally sprung forward and ended up gasping his belly.
“8 months 7 days, are you expecting Sir?” Sputtered the youth named Uriah.
“I am expecting someone much older to be here!” The portly man narrowed his eyes, keeping his precious scrolls raised high from arm’s reach.
With hands still clinging onto the portly man’s ‘baby’ the green haired youth squinted at the scroll in hand.
“‘Fraid to say, it’s stolen goods, Sir. Names of the seals don’t quite match your crest Sir. ”
“Preposterous! ” The bottom lip of the portly man quivered.
The portly man stared right back at youth with all the vehemence he could gather into his eyes and the youth returned his gaze. His gaze was not out of spite due to the portly man looking down upon him but fixated on the mesmerising natural wonder of the golden statacties that hung within the cavities of the portly man’s nostrils - a gold mine indeed.
“Can you not see that it matches my crest? ” Interjected the portly man in outright haughtiness.
“It’s not quite matching Sir, ‘n the law states that it must match perfectly, Sir,” replied Uriah.
The youthful shopkeeper lifted the portly man’s belly up and down.
“Look Sir, even your baby agrees with me. Tis a miracle I say, it brings a neary sweet tear to my eye.”
The portly man fumed and abruptly left the counter, slamming the wooden door that caused the bobble head figurines to wiggle their heads in laughter.
“Curses lost another customer. ”
The youth looked around the empty shop waiting patiently and then, he expired himself like the sun setting on the very floor in front of the counter - ready and lying in wait to scare the next customer.