Eril's Story

Day 17

Today I made good on my promise to the family I had stayed with, to go and meet their relative Kristani. From what I had been told, I knew she ran a small shop, which also doubled as her home. Her residence was unique because it wasn't situated in the open expanse of the crater where most of the inhabitants lived and worked, stacked in close proximity. Instead it was tucked into the outer wall where space had to be made from within rock. The only directions I had were that it was on the outer ring, and that I was looking for a shop with a sign that displayed an engraved image of a lavender plant.

The only sensible way to proceed seemed then was to just pick one spot and walk the circle. As I started out, I hoped the place wouldn't be directly behind me, making the trip around a total waste. I ended up walking a good portion of the day regardless. Strolling along was broken up by occasional stops into shops, getting a feel for the people and culture of the city. Replenishing one or two of the things I had gotten low on in the process.

Fortunately I caught sight of the sign hanging, less than halfway around the circle, tucked away in a recess between a few jutting structures - I thought to myself that it was amazing anyone could find the place, wondering how it was possible to stay in business. Entering, the first thing that struck me was a musty odor, probably from the rows of wooden shelves lined with a plethora of trinkets and objects that appeared quite old. Everything about the room made me think of ordered chaos. No shelf was aligned to any other, the way things were organized didn't seem to have a pattern that I could discern, but were still neatly placed with care. Only one wall had been built to cover the exposed rock face, and that had been overgrown with a variety of mosses that were all competing to be the dominant species on the surface.

There was a strange energy in the room, clashing feelings subtly arose in me as I walked through the assorted items, mostly jewelry: necklaces, broaches, earrings, and such. A small brown deformed creature came rushing out of a back room, heading straight for me. I held it back as it ran around my legs trying to get on me. 'He likes visitors', came a strong clear voice, which was accompanied by a middle aged woman, dressed in a flowing gown, swishing forth into the room with a flourish. 'My name is Kristani, welcome to my shop!'

I introduced myself, explaining who I was and sharing news of her relatives, bringing good tidings and well wishes. The already pleasant woman lit up immediately, insisting on making and serving tea.

Over the drinks, I gave her updates of the farm, describing what I had seen and been told during my stay. She listened intently, delighting especially in my retelling of the children's antics. Occasionally the brown pudgy creature would throw itself at me in a bid for my attention, but I was able to keep it at bay - Kristani just laughed.

Just looking around the place it was hard to figure out what she did or provided for people, prompting me to ask. 'Oh, I dabble in this and that', she replied, 'I guess I would say, if I were put to it, that my main trade is dealing in energetic items. Things, that when they come into contact with a person might evoke a certain emotion or alter your thoughts in a certain way. Not everyone seeks these out, but there are specific cases for all sorts of people. You never know who is going to come through that door.' Then with a mischievous grin, 'Would you like to try one?'

It seemed harmless enough, so I agreed. She first brought over a silver necklace, rummaged from deep within a dusty drawer. I slipped it over my head. Dramatically, I felt a shift overtake me. Kristani spoke to me and I burst out laughing, as though it were the funniest thing I had ever heard. I responded through gasps of laughter, tears wetting the corner of my eyes. After trying to converse and finding it near impossible due to the involuntary hilarity, the appeal quickly wore off and I was removing it, feeling in control again.

I told her, 'This seems like very potent magic!'. Kristani nodded, 'These forces are always around us as we go about our lives, fields of things invisible, yet compelling us. All these objects do is simply act as conduits to amplify certain properties that are already there. Here, try this one.' An ornate broach with a clear stone set in it was handed to me - which I then pinned on.