The three of us made our way down the winding cobblestone streets of Castellum. We had walked for a short distance and had reached Goblin Street in the southern parts of the city. It was named that because of its shady and neglected ambiance, and it was where the city's criminals came to scheme and trade on the black market.
"M-miss Amethyst, what are we doing here?" Tia asked. I couldn't blame him, even I was sketched out about this place. Also I'm pretty sure Kyros grew up somewhere around here.
"Like I said, we're going shopping! Look, it's right up ahead."
We had arrived in front of what looked more like a ramshackle cottage than a shop. The wood it was built from was gray and rotting. Next to the door, or rather lack thereof, was a singular window that was shattered, and a miasmic ambiance oozed from inside. Above the door was a shabby wooden plank with the words Madam Oren's Magical Supplies and Spells written in the blackest paint I had ever seen.
"Come on!" Amethyst shouted in joy, disappearing into the black void before us.
Tia and I meet each other's gaze in fear. We stood in silence for a moment, staring into each other's eyes, subconsciously begging the other to make a move first.
The mage's voice rang out once again, calling us to join her inside.
"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" I respond, letting out a small sigh.
"It's alright, let's go in." I assured Tia, who still looked a little scared to enter the "magic shop."
Without thinking, I walked over to him and placed my hand on his back to walk in together, as I did, his body recoiled in shock, and I instantly removed it.
What the fuck was I thinking! I just met him, why did I think I could treat him like we've been best buds for years? I bet he already thinks I'm a creep. What am I going to do now?
"I'm so sorry, Tia, I wasn't thinking."
"No, it's ok really! I-I just wasn't expecting it… Your hand felt nice touching me, I felt safe."
"I uh-" I couldn't think now. Did he really just say that? I mean, I'm sure he was just being nice about it; anything more than that was just my imagination.
His blue eyes kept me frozen as he looked up to mine from his short stature. His smooth, pure skin looked softer than ever, and his plump pink lips were glistening in the early autumn light. He was playing with the bottom edge of his skirt again, which I figured out by now was something he did when he was nervous. The green and gold cloth rippled between his slender fingers, and he was accidentally pulling his skirt shorter.
Almost the entirety of his perfectly smooth thighs were visible. The ample thickness of them was bulging from the top of his high socks, and I could almost see to the top of his thigh gap to where… other parts of him were.
God, why was a boy even wearing a skirt in the first place? And why did he have to look this damn seductive wearing it?
"L-let's go inside. Amethyst is waiting for us." I finally croaked out, waving him inside. I decided to play it safe this time by keeping my hand off him.
I turned for one final look at the pretty boy as I walked into the darkness. I could've sworn I saw him puffing out his cheeks like a disappointed child, but I think it was just due to the weird air surrounding the shop.
"Wowwww, it's like a completely different world inside."
He wasn't lying; despite the shady exterior, the inside of the magic shop was mostly clean, well-lit, and spacious. Countless magical items lined the shelves that covered every space on the walls. Spellbooks, grimoires, potions, crystals, poison frogs, witches' hair, and, of course, magic staves were all on display.
Amethyst, and who I'm assuming was Madam Oren, were towards the back of the shop having a conversation. Madam Oren was an elegant, middle-aged woman with short brown hair styled in a bob, and wearing a pitch black witch's hat that seemed to glitter in greens and purples. The thin, stylish dress she was wearing matched her hat in color and was extremely low cut to show off her massive boobs, which bounced softly with the hand gestures she made while speaking.
I took a moment to wander the shop, admiring the abundance of rare and unusual items. I was half a mage, but I was never really interested in this side of the class. Studying spellbooks bored me more than anything; I'd rather practice my spellcasting by slaying monsters.
Tia seemed to follow me around a short distance behind me, and we made our way to where the majority of magical staves were displayed for sale. The two busty mages finished their conversation in whispers - I overheard something about a grimoire of sadism… and then joined us in the search for a staff.
"So you're a druid, darling?" Said Oren in a warm, motherly voice.
"Y-yes ma'am!"
"Hmm, very interesting indeed.." The tall woman responded with a seductive finger on her deep red lips, and her brown eyes searching for something hidden within Tia.
"Heh-heh, thank you." He stood there unmoving as the witch continued her full examination of him. Which made me just a little jealous, but if I'm being honest, I wasn't exactly sure what she was doing.
"Follow me, dear," Oren announced, turning around and walking towards a forgotten corner of her magic shop.
We followed her to where a few dusty books and one dusty staff sat on a dusty shelf. The witch retrieved the staff and held it in front of her. With a whisper of a cast, the century-old dust that smothered the staff vanished, and it shone like it was brand new.
"See how it feels." She smiled at Tia and handed him the gnarled branch.
He excitedly grabbed it with his petite hands and held it in front of him. The staff was almost the same height as Tia; the wood was smooth and twisted around itself, forming knobby spirals. As he handled the staff, it began to emit warm rays of gold and green light, which culminated into a sphere of rainbow mana that radiated from the top end of the staff amid offshoots of elven wood.
"My, oh my, what a special boy." Oren moaned, her voice sounding more seductive than motherly now.
"Ahhhh I- um…" Tia sputtered out nervously, as blood rushed to his cheeks.
The witch let out a hearty, teasing laugh and whispered under her breath, "Adorable."
"It's perfect for you, Tia! I've never seen someone's mana match so perfectly with a magic staff; it's like it was made for you." Amethyst noted enthusiastically.
"R-really?"
"Yes, really! Hey Oren, how much will it cost us?"
"800 gold coins!" Oren responded with a blinding grin.
"Huh?!! Are you trying to rob me, witch?" Amethyst snarled; you could almost see the rage swirling around her. She's always been a cheapskate.
"Oh, I would never, my dear Amethyst. That is simply what the price tag states." Madam Oren responded, her grin growing ever larger, which didn't help to hide the destructive anger in her eyes.
Tia seemed oblivious to the all-out war brewing in front of us as he fiddled with his new staff, but I was terrified of the two women who seemed as if they might curse each other with demonic spells at any moment.
"400."
"The price is 800, darling."
"Hmm, it would be a shame if the Merchant Guild found out about a certain grimoire, wouldn't it, Madam?"
Oren gasped in outrage before collecting herself back into the usual elegance she exuded.
"600."
"4-0-0." Amethyst mocked, pronouncing each number slowly.
"You b-" Oren bit her tongue before giving her final offer. "500 gold coins and it's yours."
"That sounds better." She replied proudly, reaching for her leather pouch, counting through the coins inside, and then handing over the payment. Oren reluctantly accepted it with a crooked smile.
Whew, that went better than I thought it was going to, and now Tia had his own magic staff, which even I was excited about. I could only imagine how much stronger his healing would be now.
Tia and I thanked Madam Oren, while Amethyst taunted her, before we said our goodbyes and made our way to the exit of her magic shop, meeting back outside on the twisted cobblestone street.
"We've got one more stop to make, follow me!" Amethyst cheered as she skipped joyfully away towards the city center before I had time to stop her.
God, what now? I've already had enough shopping for the day. I was ready to eat, or train, or sleep, just about anything else. But Tia set off after Amethyst happily, turning around to give me a sweet smile.
"Aren't you coming, Draven?" His eyes were almost begging.
He really was too cute, I couldn't say no to him. And if I'm being honest, I'd do just about anything if it meant spending more time with him right now.
"Of course." I returned a smile of my own, and we walked together to wherever Amethyst was leading us.