[Fakir]

So. This was damnation. Endless days of the same banal occurences, the mundanity of negotiating yet another sale, putting on as pleasant a mask as he could for the inevitable throng of customers all clamoring to give away their pathetic tokens. It was enough to drive a god mad.

And here he was, attending yet another sunrise sale, bearing the agonized ennui of the swelling stream of patrons as best he could. It didn't help that the morning was blisteringly hot.

"Why yes, we do have those in stock, just a second." A sharp glance at one of his slavish assistants had her dashing into the shop to rummage through the shelves and racks for whatever useless bauble had been requested. He had already forgotten.

The former Sentinel supposed he should be thankful for the existence of his new competitors – out here celebrating the opening of their stores with all the zeal of cult leaders handing holy dispensation to their mindless thralls. After all, they were taking a good portion of Fakir's business with their incessant advertising, leaving him with only the reliable torment of his devoted regulars.

Doing his best to ignore the droning chatter of his fellow shopkeepers, Fakir gazed off into the rising sun, thankful at least for the breeze making this accursed heat bearable.

[Sebastian]

"I've got it!" he exclaimed, springing up from his chair beside Fakir fast enough to send it toppling over. "Hey, Fakir! Listen! Listen listen listen to my great idea!" His tail was flipping back and forth in a blur; funny, the way it messed up Fakir's hair.

He didn't seem happy when he finally looked up at Sebastian, but that was only because he hadn't heard his brilliant idea yet.

It took the white-haired man a moment to speak, he just looked at Sebastian for a while like he was confused. "What?" he said eventually, sounding way more tired than he could possibly be – he'd only been up for an hour so far! Sebastian knew this because he'd had to go wake him up personally, Fakir was really forgetful like that.

"Fakir, I had the best best best idea ever! Ever! Do you want to know what it is? Huh? Huh? Do you?" He could feel his teeth chattering in excitement, so he grabbed a walnut from his supply pouch to keep himself occupied.

"Actually, Sebastian, as it happens, I don't even remotely–"

"A contest!" the Feryxonis shouted. Oops. A piece of walnut landed on Fakir's nose. He'd just wipe it off with his handkerchief... or Fakir could get it himself, that worked too. "Anyway, anyway, as I was saying, we could have a contest! A sales competition! What do you think, Fakir? Huh? Doesn't it sound great?"

[Ellysia]

"As if, Sebastian. Seriously." Why did they all look at her that way? Of course she could contribute to a conversation while she was working on a masterpiece. Speaking of which, where was the special blue dye? Right, there. "You and Sasan would win by default, especially with the way Runes have been inflating lately. Why not just go around and rub all that money you're making in our faces? Some of us are trying to make a living here, you know." Hmm... was that an uneven part? How did that happen? Oh, well. Snip snip.

"But that's the thing, Ellysia! That's the thing! Somebody has to judge the contest and make sure everything's fair. So, that's where me and Sasan come in! Hey, Sasan! How does it sound? Great, huh?"

Where did that infuriating little rat come from, anyway? It was bad enough trying to open a new business in this city, but having moneymouth hawking his "premium goods" over there made it next to impossible. At least Sasan had the decency to keep quiet about how much he was putting them to shame in sales. As if any of these phillistines could appreciate her artwork, anyway. She was practically giving these salon treatments away to stay competitive. And he had the nerve to try and make a game out of this?

[Sasan]

Ellysia over there was apparently overestimating how many of their clientele here could actually afford to deal in Runes. He wasn't selling nearly as much as he would have liked, though Sebastian seemed to be doing well enough. Maybe that was the secret, catering to both crowds of consumers with high-quality items. A lesson for the future, Sasan supposed. Not that he was doing particularly bad – he'd already recouped all the losses he'd taken on setting up shop – but he was a long way from a fortune. And he was beginning to empathize with Fakir's perspective: this was getting boring.

All that considered, Sebastian's idea for a contest sounded like a fantastic break from what was quickly becoming a disappointing chore. Sasan hurriedly finished with his current customer, appreciating their pleased smile as he handed over the ensemble he'd dubbed "Axiom Absolute." He'd wanted to use real swords as an accessory, but the cost had proved prohibitive, not to mention certain laws regulating such things on Kalin. When he was done, he put up his break sign and sauntered over to Sebastian's table.

He offered Fakir a sympathetic smile, but the glare he got in respnonse didn't seem conducive to further interaction. Turning to Sebastian, he told the young man, "I think it's a splendid proposal. Frankly, we could use some excitement in here..." Glancing at the Feryxonis and his chattering teeth, he amended, "Well, most of us. Not t'mention, the competitive spirit'll be good for business overall. I'd be happy t'help judge, for a modest fee of course."

"Yeah!" came Sebastian's answer. "I have some extra money lying around that I'll put up as a judge's fee. I can even host the prize too!"

Sasan thought he heard Ellysia mutter something like "I bet you can," but she was too far away for him to be sure. She seemed awfully disgruntled. The Ascent dearly hoped she wasn't taking out her frustrations on her clients, though, truth be told, he couldn't quite tell one way or the other. Her "art" tended to be rather abstract.

[Arryn]

Standing near her booth, Arryn's ears perked to the sound of squealing, excited chatter. Finishing up what she was doing, which of course, was placing everything in order by color, size, and shape, the woman sauntered over towards the group of people whom she shared her space with. A few of them, she hadn't quite gotten to know, like that Lesallia over there, but she could already tell by the woman's posture and the sound of her voice she didn't like her one stinkin' bit. She'd heard all their plans of having a contest between them all, as nothing got passed her even if she wasn't initially included, and a small smirk tilted her lips. Contest? Now that would be interesting! It'd certainly give her a chance to not only make more money, but to get her stuff out there a bit more.

The trinkets owner had been stockpiling for awhile, and this would definitely be her kind of show to steal, but by the sound of what was going on, it was developing into something much more than just friendly competition.

"What's this I hear about a contest, Squirrel Boy?" The Yutri turned her body to face the young Feryxonis, clasping her hands behind her back, her light golden eyes scanning each and every face, until she landed on Lesallia's.

Now, she hadn't been formally introduced to this one, only knowing what shop she ran. What she DID know, however, was that she didn't like this lady's attitude. And because she didn't like it, of course she had to step in and say something, right? Ohh, this was bound to get a tad bit ugly, the Yutri just knew it.

[Lesallia Surish]

She had been strolling by, checking out the new competition, and simply couldn't help overhearing. So, they wanted to have a contest, did they? They were so cute, these entrepreneurs.

"Well, I think it's just adorable," she said as she approached their little table. "You're all trying so hard, after all, it would just be the sweetest thing to see you all having a sale war. Isn't the market just so much fun?"

That weirdo Fakir was the first one to answer her. All the others were staring at her like spooked deer. He was either too stupid or too self-absorbed to be afraid of Lesallia and what she represented. Either way, he was a loser.

"Oh, look, dear friends, the titan has come to stamp all over your small-minded mortal plots. Whatever will you do?"

Titan? Just what was that supposed to mean? Who did he think he was, talking about her like that? This... this meant war.

"Okay, kids, here's the deal. We're in. Me, and Katrine, and Virgil. You may recognize us as actually owning real shops instead of pathetic little stalls? Oh, and we have air conditioning, too. Yeah. So, little Mr. Furball, sign us up. We're going to show you guys what it's like out here in the real world. I hope you're ready."

[Arryn]

"Excuse me, little miss 'rich and priviledged' but who, exactly, invited you to the welcoming party?" Cupping her hand to her ear, and leaning in slightly, she gave the other woman no less than a millisecond to respond. "No one? Did I hear that right? Oh, I do think I did!" Shifting back to be closer to her small group, just to show they were, at least, semi-united, Arryn the bigmouth, Arryn, who never knew when to keep that big mouth shut, continued on.

"If it's a war you're looking for, then it's a war you're going to get. I'd suggest running back to that air conditioned store of yours and picking up a little bit of antihistamine, this might sting a bit."

Arryn stood triumphantly as Lesallia took her leave with a parting comment about "pathetic competition," before she turned back to the group.

"Hey, Ky!" Tossing her head over her shoulder, she directed her attention towards one of the only other people who hadn't said a word yet. She was sporting a fresh new tan, not to mention a pile of sand collecting not only in the middle of her table, but also around her feet. It made Arryn curious as to where she'd been gallavanting for these last few weeks, but she supposed she'd get the details about that venture a little later.

"You want to grab the body shop guy when you're all finished up over there? We need all the manpower we can get for our little competition, and I think he'd be delighted to hear whats going on. After all, no one likes being in the dark, especially where there's tons of fun to be had!"

"I'll do it. I need to stretch my legs anyway." Fakir looked entirely too eager to abandon his shop. She caught something like, "At least it'll pass the time," as he stomped off.

"Um, okay... fine, go ahead. I'm sure Ky has more important things to do, anyway."

[Kylesti]

From across the path from the stall, Kylesti observed the group and their chatter. She was wiping down the last of her old stock before she put them away to make room for her next shipment. She looked over at the unopened crates in the corner and then back to the group, smiling to herself. They might find themselves in for a little surprise when this contest of theirs got underway.

Given that she wasn't a regular trader here, she wouldn't be taking part in their delightful little game, but perhaps they could use an additional judge...

[Sebastian]

Sebastian looked from Arryn to Lesallia, head snapping back and forth as the two flexed their tempers.

"Of course! The more the merrier!" practically leaping out of his seat, again. "This will be great! Won't it? I know it will be! When do we start? Nothing like the present!"

Fakir groaned, showered in walnut chunks once again.

"Oh, s-sorry, let me get those off for you."

[KAIMID 9001]

The morning routine was being carried out on time, right on the dot. So far, he had increased his sales substantially from the last season, due to researching business tactics from others and observing the squishy squishies around him. He calculated a higher sales volume would happen if he had some form of advertising…possibly with Furball...since he learned that squishy squishies can’t resist cuter squishy squishies. And when that happens, more profits equaled more money to be spent on pizzas, and a very happy owner of the pizza restaurant down the street.

It wasn’t long before he spotted something unpleasant. It was a former ally back when he was a Sentinel, but now they were long-opposing rivals in the business world. Kai squinted, as he knew was a common reaction to a person that wasn’t very well liked, and leaned against the counter in preparation for whatever unsavory belugas Fakir was planning on spewing out this time. Fakir, though, already had his attention on Kai before Kai even managed to notice him. Fakir would return the hostilities with a frown, and then a forced smile, partially twitching his lips at one side.

“You’re looking…far too healthy for a squishy squishy today… And your positive emotions seem to have increased by…a whopping 2.03% …that is a phenomenal improvement from the last encounter! Though I do not feel like presenting a star sticker for you, since…” Kai kept a straight face while looking around and returning his attention to the one standing before him, “…I believe your presence has dropped my incoming customer rate by 27.98%... Please be quick with whatever program you’ve decided to process today..”

“Don’t be like that, you fishy bastard… The whole damned place is having a sales contest, and I need a walking, talking calculator to be victorious! …Also, refusal is not an option…”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! CIRCUITRY IS BURNING OUT…cannot process this concept of a renewed partnership! I cannot go with you…not again…think of all the squishy squishy spawns…oh…” Kai slumped off to the side, lazily sliding the last piece of pizza towards his mouth and nibbling on the edge once it was close enough. He looked up to see if Fakir had moved away, but was sorely disappointed when he found that Fakir was in that ‘I’m not budging till I get whatever I damn well want’ mode. “Is it truly obligatory?”

“Didn’t I say refusal is not an option? Idiot…”

[Kylesti]

Greetings, patrons of Trisphee. As you can see, our shopkeepers have decided to hold a contest between them to see who can gain the most profit. This calls for an event!

Welcome to the Second Annual Trisphee User Appreciation Event. There will be contests and new items in the shops for your perusal! We will be keeping track of sales for each store to determine which of our shopkeepers will win this competition, so now's the time to buy those items you've been oggling and support your favourite shopkeeper! Take part in the contests to earn a little something for yourself, too.

Let the competition begin!