Submission (#4457) Approved
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Prompt
Submitted
25 November 2022, 01:08:04 PST (2 years ago)
Processed
26 November 2022, 14:09:17 PST (1 year ago) by tatter
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Content
Ah, Styrnhalde. The place Xochitl hadn't really planned to ever visit again, at least not for a long while and yet-
Well, business was business, wasn't it? Even if she wasn't a big fan of the cold, there were still other elnin that lived there, elnin who were potential clients... or, rather, elnin who could be scammed. It may have been a surprise to some that such a small kittom was capable of being so devious, or perhaps it wasn't a surprise, given the colorful range of personalities of all sorts of elnin all around Eyre, really! Xochitl didn't really know or care, and while she didn't really have to do what she did, given the generous nature of many of the adults she had met (re: free room and board), the kittom liked shiny things, and by shiny things, she meant... coins. The more money you had, the happier you were, right? And thus, the kittom had a goal in mind, as she started up her business model of... collecting total junk and passing them off as priceless treasures.
(It was, perhaps, an interesting thing to note that she had no mentor from which she learned this behavior, and, instead, it was all self-taught, self-learned.)
Today she had set up her pop-up shop again, having had her pomu set up her makeshift (portable) booth that looked as if it would probably blow away in a strong wind, or otherwise fall apart. Such was the sacrifice made for being portable, maybe, or maybe it was just Xochi cheaping out on materials as always. Either way, the kittom stood behind her booth, scarf around her neck and pomu tucked into her scarf, with today's wares spread out on display for any passerby to take a gander at. It was all junk as usual, but Xochi had a way with words to make the most mundane seem like a one of a kind treasure... and she was especially good at playing upon others' fears of missing out.
"Right. So," the dark-colored kittom started to address her pomu cohort, tapping her claws on the countertop, "We need to start working on coming up with new sales pitches, if you catch my drift. You know the phrase- a fool and their money are soon parted- right? So we need to stay on top of that, make sure we're right there with our paws outstretched, ready for that sweet, sweet, coin."
"Pomu?" her pomu looked up at her quizzically, from its position nestled in her scarf. As Xochitl's fluffy little familiar, its main role was storage, for all the small little whatsits... whatchamacallits... whatever one called them, that the equally fluffy little kittom couldn't all carry at once. The two had a very strange bond, and it could be said that the pomu was the only one who truly understood what went on in Xochitl's mind, being a creature born from her own shadow and all. The two observed the various passer-nin from their sunny little spot nestled among one of the mountainside villages, having picked a spot that was sheltered from the weather, or as sheltered as a rickety little booth made of random materials could be, that was. Miasma season was coming soon, and Xochitl hoped to capitalize on the need to prepare for the months ahead to make a bit of a profit... only, she wasn't thinking in terms of food.
(On one hand, maybe they should have brought some of that fish from the last time they were here. On the other, why give up her own stash?)
"I know at least if no one else gets me, you've got me," Xochitl told her pomu, patting her familiar on its fluffy little head as the two continued to watch the going ons. She wasn't certain as to how much they would make today in sales, but certainly she hoped it would be a good amount. Also, of course, hopefully word hadn't spread about her shady nature- Feyhallow had recently passed, as well, so Xochitl counted on there being a low level of suspicion that she was up to anything dubious in nature. In other words, the kittom was counting on the current state of things to add to her level of inconspicuous ness. Make her look like a humble shopkeeper just trying to get by. Things like that.
Time passed, with assorted nin passing by her booth, but never stopping long enough for the kittom to make her sales pitch. The tarp covering the 'roof' of her shopkeeper's stall had started to collect a light dusting of snow, though they were still sheltered enough from Styrnhalde's weather that they had the fortune of even being in a sunny little spot... leaving Xochi and her pomu to start to drift off into a nap... or at least, that was until two kittoms approached her booth. Score, Xochi thought- adults had the most money, sure, but kittoms? Kittoms were the easiest to trick... usually. "Welcome, welcome!" Xochi greeted, her pomu peeking out from within her scarf to give the kittoms a wave as well, "And what can I do for you two on this fine, ah... snowy day?"
The two kittoms- friends or siblings, Xochi didn't know (or really care)- looked at each other, and then at Xochi's booth slash stall, eyeing her wares curiously. Xochi and her pomu companion waited with baited breath, moreso on Xo's part than her pomu's, as the kittoms seemed to be making their decision. Finally, the lighter-colored of the two kittoms spoke up. "Um... me and my sister were looking for souvenirs to take home with us," they said, much to Xochi's delight, "Do you have anything that would be good?"
"Do I?" Xochi repeated, eyes gleaning with mischief, "Oh, I have something more special than just a souvenir. Something much much more special."
"More special?" the white kittom's sister spoke up, leaning in curiously, "Like what?"
Oh, this was going to be good- kittoms were always so impressionable, and Xochitl knew just the story she could tell. Rubbing her paws together, and using her best sales-kittom pitch, she wove a tall tale of a gigantic, white bipedal creature, dubbed the 'abominable snowman' or 'yeti' by some, who lived in the frozen forests of Styrnhalde. It was, in her own words, a very fearsome creature that blended in with the snowy backdrop and was hard to spot clearly... and also happened to favor eating lost little kittoms that may happen to be wandering around on their own.
"But...!" Xochi continued, holding up a paw to silence any questions from the two sisters, who were wide-eyed in fear at her story, "I have just the thing to keep the yeti away."
Nodding to her pomu, the fluffy familiar dove into the pocket space that was its elnin's shadow, presumably rummaging around for something, before returning with two small silk-wrapped wooden amulets, each bearing some writing on them that... seemed to be eyre script, but it was hard to make out just what it was saying. Nonetheless, to a pair of oblivious kittoms, it looked super important.
"Ta-da~! Feast your eyes on this," Xochitl said, taking the charms from her pomu, "Two special warding charms, blessed by a very mystic nin in Kyendi and made from the bark of the eldertree, guaranteed to protect you and yours for the very low price of..."
A pause. She never did catch how much money the two had between them, did she?
"Well, normally these things cost a small fortune, but I'm feeling generous today. For the low low price of... let's say, ten coin, I'll even throw in some scented sachets that'll bring you good luck as well. How about that, do we have a deal?"
And with that, Xochitl became ten coin richer. As to the two sisters, well... all sales final, no refunds, returns, or exchanges! With any luck, by the time they figured out they'd been duped, she'd have moved onto the next area by then...
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Elecite Coins | 9 |
Characters
MYO-ELN309: Xochitl
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| AP (Strynhalde) (Currencies) | 1 |
Add-Ons
These items have been removed from the submitter's inventory and will be refunded if the request is rejected or consumed if it is approved.
| Item | Source | Notes | Quantity |
|---|
nyamomask's Bank
| Currency | Quantity |
|---|