Submission (#8380) Approved

Chiro had always prided herself on her skills of being able to successfully hawk her wares. It wasn’t hard, considering her bubbly personality and eye-striking colors. Being an undine helped too, so when curious passerbys intrigued by her appearance would come to get a closer look, that was when she would delve into her little sales pitch, pulling out various trinkets and baubles she had found, and managed to loosen the purse strings of even the most tight-fisted buyers.

This seashell? Only the finest from the depths of Rainbow Reef, its colors and lustre a testament to its quality. This pearl? Naturally formed and extracted from a clam, its blue sheen is absolutely captivating, and might I add how it accents your eyes, ma’am? Each spiel specifically catered to her intended client, and even if some should cast doubt on her claims, all she had to do was turn up the charm, and that was enough to tide them over. After all, how could anyone accuse cute lil’ her of being a liar?

That was, until she met Mizuki. While Chiro prided herself on her cute, cheerful demeanor and certainly rivaled the other elnin with her colors, the other undine exuded grace, elegance, and a profound wisdom that made others hang onto every word she spoke. While she glanced over Chiro’s wares, her lips curved into a small smile, and she indicated her interest in some of the items. Feeling a competitive streak well up within her, Chiro beamed, remarking how Mizuki had a good eye for quality, and listed out a slightly inflated number.

At this, Mizuki’s eyebrow raised, and she mentioned that while the quality was certainly good, the materials themselves were not all that difficult to obtain. In fact, there was a slight defect in one of the items, so shouldn’t the price be a little lower? Chiro bit her lip, not wanting to be outdone, and was about to retort that you’d have to be a pretty good swimmer to even obtain some of these items, when she realized that her opponent was, also in fact an undine. Dammit.

The two bickered back and forth, drawing a slight crowd, until they finally settled on the original price. Feeling put off, Chiro puffed out her cheeks, preparing to pack up her wares. Surely after that display, it would only hurt her business, and she didn’t want to linger much longer here. Sure, it’d suck having to find a new place to set up shop, but she was sure she would-

A paw gently touched hers, and the other undine leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“Meet me at the base of Yggdrasil if you’d like to discuss more business opportunities. I do believe this could be the start of a most beneficial partnership.”

Chiro wasn’t sure how to respond. The prideful nature in her wanted to tell the elnin to shove off, but the logical part of her told her that there was probably much she could learn from them. If anything, it may make her better equipped to handle any similar future clients.

And so, with reluctance, she decided to accept, which was how she now ended up here. She supposed Ealei wasn’t all that far from Palu’au Islands, but she was already missing the beach and the colorful reefs. Well, she supposed Paradise Reef was close by, but she missed the vibrant colors of Rainbow Reef. And while the ocean stretched out before her, there was no sight of sand. Instead, all she saw were various rock outcrops farther out. The land itself barely had any dirt visible, as it was all covered up in mangrove roots. She supposed having the ability to float made them less of a tripping hazard, but she still missed the feet of sand sifting through her toes, and the warmth of it on her paw pads.

Well, at least the manaberries were tasty. There certainly wasn’t a lack of fruits on Palu’au, and while Chiro did quite enjoy the assortment provided, the slight sweet tartness of the manaberries were somehow addicting. Manaberry potions were also quite cheaper and affordable here as well, and so Chiro was now lounging about in her gijinka form, legs dangling over the edge of the dock as her feet splashed the water below. She let out a sigh and lay on her back, staring up at the bright blue sky above. It was curious how there was always an abundance of thick white clouds hanging above the canopy in Ealei.

She was about to drift off when she heard footsteps approaching, and sat up to see Mizuki approaching.

“Oh, hey Zuzu, what’s up?”

The reply earned her a sound smack on the head. Chiro let out a “yeowch!” and rubbed her head. The other undine let out a huff and crossed her arms.

“Don’t ‘what’s up’ me! I let you out for a short break and I find you here? And how many times must I tell you? My name is Mizuki. Mi-zu-ki! Call me ‘zuzu’ again and I’ll make sure you never find a client for your wares again.”

“Aww, don’t be like that Zu-”

A glare quickly made her stop.

“M-Mizuki.”

The pale green undine let out a sigh. “Lesson one. RESPECT your clients. You may act cute and all, but that’ll only work on those more naive and easily swayed. Clients who understand their own worth and value will not be. You must establish rapport on the basis of mutual respect, which you can start by listening to their requests.”

At this, Chiro’s shoulders slumped. Mizuki may look graceful and refined, but she was a brutal instructor. She supposed it was time to stop slacking off and go back to studying.