Quest Name: But Wait, There's More!
Details: A salesman's business partner has fallen ill, and he needs some help moving some wares fast. Help him sell out for the day and you'll get a cut of profit!
Word Count: 1400 Words
Modding: Request what you'd prefer when you post the quest. Mod summon if needed.
Reward: 50 Florence

Goddamn this was an ever-living nightmare. Orion stared out at the sea of people sifting through wares and items as if it were they were the fist and finest things they had ever seen. Sitting behind the counter with his elbow on the wood and his cheek in his hand, he recounted just how he had gotten in this predicament.

It was Klaus, of course. He knew anyone and everyone in Caeluma, or so it frickin felt like. The man knew Klaus back in whatever day Klaus seemed to meet people and had whatever tangential connection either one could come up with. Was he a brother’s friend’s cousin? A direct friend’s neighbor? Someone’s sister’s uncle? Or maybe he was just someone Klaus had met off the street who had suggested a way to make a quick buck. Orion didn’t put it passed him. All Orion knew was one minute he was preparing to head off Caeluma for the day and wander around Ardura with his pack, and then the next he was getting shanghaied into helping this guy for the day.

At the very least, he had been offered some monetary compensation which kind of helped, but Orion valued money less than most people did at the end of the day. Over the years, he had learned to provide almost completely for himself, and anything extra was just that: extra. In this way, he had saved up something of a treasure horde that kept him living comfortably for now at least. Well, comfortably for someone who was as ruggedly unrealistic about his own needs as Orion was.

He probably did need to take care of himself better. Probably.

“Sir? Sirrrr?? How much for this wayfinder?” A child’s voice had Orion glancing sideways. The little girl had pressed herself up between two rows of different things in order to fish out what she wanted and was now climbing back out with the prize in her hand.

Orion rolled his eyes. “Should have a tag on it,” he assured. She had not been the first that day to not know that labels were worth reading.

The little girl paused and flipped the item over a couple of times before frowning. Shifting to the pocket of her dress, she pulled out a few Florence. Counting them, she frowned and pocketed the change again looking a little sullen now. Orion’s brow quirked as she drew up to the bar and then carefully leaned over it. “Do… do you think you could give me a discount? I almost have enough, and I really, really need it!” she whispered locking eyes with him as best she could.

Hah yeah like I haven’t heard that before. Orion frowned and shook his head. “Sorry it ain’t my stuff,” he answered leaning back and stretching his arms on the bar. “I just work here.” For the day, anyways. He definitely didn’t want to make this a normal thing if he didn’t have to.

The girl looked down and took in a slow, deep breath. “Oh… ok….” She mumbled stepping back to return the item to a vague spot on the shelf- not exactly where it belonged but not like Orion cared— before continuing on again. Orion watched her go and frowned a bit. His lips curled in as his maw dropped about to say something when a woman screamed.

Orion jolted. “What- what?” he snapped around. Before anyone could do anything, however, a young thin spidery like person in a baseball cap was making a dash for the door with something under their arm. A snarl ripped from Orion’s jaws, and in one fluid motion, he vaulted over the bar and went chasing after the person. “Get back here, thief, and maybe I won’t rip your arms off!” Orion was already half shifted in the middle of the store and fully shifted as he burst out chasing the youngin’ down the street.

The person tried to shake him, which was a misstep on their part. Orion’s nose knew, and there wasn’t enough distance between them for the kid to slip away. Coming around a few corners, Orion finally leapt and smashed the kid down onto the ground. The purse that had been pilfered went flying forward and splayed out on the ground. The young person, a boy by the likes of it when his hood came back, stared up at the wolf with wide fearful eyes. “Get off! Get off me!” he squirmed and cried. “Help!” Orion snarled back instead.

That was, at least, until help did arrive in the form of several young children all looking as angry as they did fearful. Some carried baseball bats. Others had nothing but claws and horns to protect them. They all, however, were wearing ratty clothing and had seen better days. One little girl, Orion recognized in particular.

The snarling subsided, and Orion eased off the young man. A shift took a few seconds as did adjusting the clothes that had been messed up in the process, but Orion’s gaze never left the group. “You’re abandoned…” he assessed it quickly, easily, and without doubt. Several of the children looked away. The young boy he had pinned had sat up and scooted away.

“S-so what?” one of them snarled. “That’s none of your business, wolf!”

“Yeah!”

“Y-yeah!”

Their voices were shaking. Orion drew in a breath. A few of them immediately flinched. Orion didn’t breath as hard. Instead, he slowly stepped sideways and fished up a bag. “Of everything in the shop, you decided to take a purse?” he assessed slowly looking at them. The young man growled a little. Orion snorted softly. “The stuff in there’s worth more than double this, kiddos.” A head shake was given. A few of them looked confused. “Listen, I’ve got a boss who’s really good to people… if you wanna find him…”

“We don’t trust you!” one of them snapped out.

Orion snorted. “Fair,” was the only response. He reached up to his neck to fish off a chain with a pendant on it. Holding it forward, he waited a second. “But if you want help, Klaus is the one you gotta find. Big red haired guy, looks kinda like a lion from the back. Show him this and he’ll get you settled.” The kids whispered amongst themselves. Orion snorted before setting the chain and pendant down on the ground. Fishing up the bag instead, he set it on his shoulders and turned around. “No skin off my nose if you don’t take it. Sell it at least or some shit if you don’t. Just don’t steal lady’s purses when there’s huge shops next time. That’s stupid.” And with that, he walked out back onto the street again.

Ugh… He had forgotten in everything that he had left the shop unguarded right after. Jogging to it, he found several people were now standing outside of it— including a hulking red haired man. “Klaus.”

“Rion, what’d ya do?” The man turned and smirked a bit. “Don’t just go abandoning this place c’mon….” Orion’s maw opened only to close again. Raising his shoulders, he shrugged. Klaus raised an eyebrow, but Orion had already turned and was headed back in the shop again. The woman whose purse had been snatched was still there now on the phone with someone. As she saw him, however, she was quick to hang up. The purse exchanged hands, and she was very thankful. Orion didn’t really listen to all of what she had to say, though. He had other work to be doing, after all.

Pushing passed the woman after a few more words, Orion paused on finding money and a note on the table. Guess it seemed that the shop had continued on while he was out. Some people in the town just didn’t want to seem like they were taking advantage of a situation. Hah… “I would’ve stolen everything in here a couple times over with that much time…” Orion muttered softly to himself rounding the counter again.

Ah great, more people were coming in now. Really hope I can just be d— “Fuck you, Klaus, don’t you take that shitty lamp without paying for it, or I’ll break your fingers,” Orion snarled. Klaus whose hands were very much on a lamp, looked over and gave a toothy vicious grin. Orion snarled a bit before snickering more to himself. The lamp was set down again, and Klaus left fluidly thereafter. Orion sighed and smirked resting his elbow on the counter again and his cheek in his hand.

Words: 1443