Shop
Something isn't right. You feel as if you have walked into a place different from where you want to be. The air feels and tastes different. The leather sofas and the coffee table are nowhere in sight. The floor, wooden with rugs before, is now packed-down dirt. And the walls-- Oh God, the walls! There ARE no walls. You look around. Cherry trees in bloom. Asian-like architecture. River. Faint, peaceful background music... Wha??
Disregarding that, you spot an unfamiliar person. She has short white hair and is wearing a white shirt tied together at the front, jean shorts, a red scarf, brown boots.¹ She is in the middle of tying her hair back with a cute orange-red ribbon when she notices you.
"Oh, hi. How are you today?"
You decide to inquire on who she is, where is Fire, and what happened to the place.
"Ahaha. It's me. I'm Fire. I'm just here today as my Blacksmith, Fireoz, from RO."
Auro? RO?
"Ragnarok Online. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Yeeeah, long names. Anyways..."
She pulls on a pair of tough, fingerless work gloves, settles down onto her knees, and begins moving items out of a cart and setting them in a nice display on the ground. You see groceries, stuffed animals, and large, egg-shaped spheres a little bigger than ostrich eggs. You gaze at them, fascinated by the colorful collection. ²
"Pretty, aren't they? Buggers to catch though." Fire points at her consumable wares. "I like to collect and sell this stuff for fun. Makes the place a more cheerful place for everyone, and I get a small profit from a little food stand or a flower shop."
Apples, meat, bunches of grapes and bananas, cheese, potatoes, cookies, candies, candy canes, dumplings, nigiri sushi. Single small wildflowers. How quaint you find it, and you smile.
"Have a seat." You do.
Fire then indicates the stuffies. "These, though, are more rare and therefore cost more. Aren't they cute?" She pets one of them, which looks like an evil goat. Among these rares are also a raccoon, a rabbit, a monkey, a grasshopper, a buggy critter, a pink blob, and what looks like a mushroom with a spikey, red cap and thin arms and legs.
"These are eggs," she says, pointing at the spheres you were looking at before.
Eggs?
"Yup. You hatch one to have a pet. Having only one hatched at a time is recommended, though. They're tough buggers to take care of." Fire grins happily, then points and names each kind of pet.
"Smokie. Poporing. Drops. Poring. Spore. Lunatic. Munak. Steel Chonchon. Bongun. Peco-Peco. Picky. Poison Spore. Savage Baby. Hmmm..." Bending over the eggs, she takes a good look at them. "I don't have any Yoyo eggs. Or Chonchon. Or Desert Wolf Pup. Or Petite. Or Deviruchi. Or Hunter Fly, Isis, Orc Warrior, Rocker, or Sohee. Can one even get a Baby Garm around here? Oh well. I'll go hunting later." ³
"What's not for sale, though, are my Baphomet Junior eggs."
Are they special? you wonder.
"Oh yes. It wouldn't be as great if lots of people went around with Baphomet Junior pets."
You ask what a Baphomet Junior looks like and why they are so special. Fire turns and peers into her cart, and starts talking to something within it.
"Hello Marnier. Mind if I get you out of there for a bit?"
She reaches into the cart with both hands and lifts the something out. It looks like the goat doll she was patting before. It blinks its big, bright, red eyes as Fire sets it down by her knees, and looks up at you. You are interested to see that it stands on its two hind legs, instead of on all four hooves.
"This is Marnier, my Baphomet Junior. He's so adorable."
You agree. He IS adorable. Marnier looks up at Fire and reaches for her with his front paws, reminding you of an infant reaching to be picked up. Fire blinks, then puts a hand into the cart and takes out a miniature scythe. She places this in Marnier's grasp, much to your surprise.
"Sorry about that. Here you go."
You cautiously watch the little creature swing its weapon a couple times, thinking you shouldn't be at all surprised by Fire's choice of pet. Satisfied, he skitters back to Fire's side. She hands him a small pot of honey, which he licks at happily.
"I love him. I actually claimed two more, too: Barcardi and Smirnoff."
Ah, named after drinks. Interesting.
"Ah, delicious. Thank you."
You are startled. The Baphomet Junior just spoke! Fire, oblivious to your feelings, answers him joyfully: "You're welcome! Bet you're full now, eh?"
"What are you selling now? More Flowers?" Marnier sniffs these, then moves his scythe in position to lop off the plants' heads. Fire picks him up and places him back by her side. As you dazedly listen to their conversation, you are vaguely reminded of Stewie from that tv show, Family Guy.
"Hey, cut that out. I mean, stop it. No cutting." She laughs. Her pet replies in his sheep-like voice, little but with hints of impending doom:
"Huh! I say we go kick a few of those Lunatics, instead of sitting here waiting for people to buy your crap. I want to see how far they bounce."
"Nooo! Leave the bunnies alone! Why do you pets always pick on the bunnies?"
"Because they're small and furry. The baby pigs squeal too much."
"You're small and furry too, short-stuff. I could kick you and see how far you bounce."
"Bah!"
"Ow! That's my leg you just stomped on."
"Ah, good, I was aiming for that."
"You crazy bugger! I love you!"
"Hey, what the heck? Unff! That is too much contact! Stop hugging me! Put me down! I want to go back to sleep in the cart! Unhand me, human!"
¹Appendix A-1
²Appendix A-2
³Appendix A-3