long kong Aunt Ci's Antiques (Open... for BUSINESS!)

[Bellosh]

 

Yet another old, clutter-filled shop nestled off in one of the older, less glamorous parts of Downtown Long Kong. That's what ignorant passersbyers would think of Aunt Ci's Antiques, anyway. Locals wise in the ways of the city knew otherwise; they knew that the Auntie's antique shop was filled with a magic of its own. Anyone able to navigate their way around the store without shattering a Ming vase will find every sort of valuable beyond price... on a symbolic level, of course. Rent's gotta be paid somehow.

 

At the heart of this commercial enterprise was the old mare herself, Aunt Ci. Currently the elder qilin had the store all to herself, so she spent that time wisely by sweeping the wood floor in between stacks of precariously stacked items. Seemingly without a care in the world, Ci hummed a tune of a local folk song that had been popular in her home town back when she was a young filly. Ah, the joys of the good ole days...

With any luck, the floor would be spotless by the time the next customer trotted in. One of the frequent patrons would be nice; Aunt Ci's Antiques was often a place to go looking for the perfect birthday or wedding gifts. Even nicer was somebody with loads of money to spare, maybe a tourist. Ci had made a point of paying for advertising that catered to foreign visitors. Just as long as antiques were sold, the auntie would end her day with a happy smile on her face.....

 

[Zeig]

 

She had been to Long Kong once in her life before.

 

That didn't make the second time any easier. 

 

Mostly because Long Kong was just so, big, not to mention as opposite to her quiet rural village as night was to day. The hustle and bustle of the large city had done more than enough to twist her delicate foal senses sideways, back ways, and any other ways possible during that first whirlwind adventure, and to think her second visit could have gone any differently was just. Crazy talk.

 

Not a shimmering city of polished white and marble like Canterlot, nor a city resplendent with tradition and splendor like Huangjing. Long Kong was entirely different from the both of them, a bustling metropolis filled to the brim with the new and exciting, which is exactly why Mei had insisted on stopping in the city before heading back to her hometown. Her family was more comfortable with the familiar, true...but that didn't mean they lacked appreciation for the new. That in itself could be comprised of a number of things, and although her parents would more than likely appreciate the more practical gifts, she herself had always had an eye for the sentimental ones.

 

Or expensive ones. Whichever came first. 

 

The young dragon mare was entirely unfamiliar with the antique shops she was stepping hoof into - as if she were familiar with any shops in the less than glamorous Downtown area of Long Kong - and if she was being entirely honest, the whole street gave her a very leery vibe, had her checking over her should once or twice. She could have sworn a couple of Qilins had been staring intently at her as she'd made her way down the street...and oh, she wished she had brought Lími along. She hadn't expected to go wandering off in Downtown for long, really, she'd simply spotted an interesting looking shop and had parted ways with the Caribou for the time being.

 

And then she'd spotted another, and another, and another, and...well.

 

Well. This antiques shop would be the last stop before she left this place, for Mei was eight-six percent certain she would find something suitable for her parents. Some beautiful relic of an ancient era - flashy enough to stand out among the knickknacks and worn things of her parents' home, but traditional enough to fit into their weathered and well-beloved house. She'd only need to make sure to get it safely from this shop and back to the hotel...and mayhaps find some nice, burly looking stallions to walk her there....

"Good afternoon,"  the young mare chirped, instantly spotting an elderly looking Qilin sweeping up the front of the store. There was some forced cheer in her tone, but being off the streets and no longer vulnerable was already beginning to do wonders, allowing Mei to relax slightly as she settled some stray hairs back into place on her mane. "Are you the owner of this store?" Probably, given the amount of wrinkles around her eyes... "I've been looking for a gift for my parents - I've been away for quite some time, you see, I thought it might be nice to bring them a gift." This time, there was no mistaking the pride coating the Qilin's voice, as she remembered exactly what all she had accomplished by being away from home.

 

She loved her parents dearly, she surely did...but Mei could not deny that remaining behind in Equestria had been the best decision of her life.

[Bellosh]

 

The tiny bell attached to the store's front door chimed with the arrival of a potential customer, causing Aunt Ci to look up and see... a lovely young mare. Although the elderly shopkeeper could only see the girl's front, that was enough for seeing the unusual fiery streak in the younger qilin's hair. In Ci's experience, the boys really took to that sort of thing... which was why it seemed perplexing to not find signs of any admirer following the pretty stranger. Hmmmph; youth these days were too afraid to reveal attractions to another. How typical!

 

"Yes yes," the shopkeeper greeted the young mare with a beaming smile; "Aunt Ci is here to guide you to the perfect item of your desire! What sort of treasure are you looking for?" As the younger mare explained her needs, Ci found a bare wall to rest her broom against, not forgetting to maintain eye contact in the process. Ah, a present for parents! What a filial daughter... although something smelled wrong about a child who goes a long time without seeing their mother or father. Sigh... youth these days, always wanting to head out on their own instead of sticking with family and keeping Long Guo's traditions alive.

 

"Some time, you say?" Aunt Ci tsk tsked; "I hope it hasn't been for too long. Aiyaaaaaa... I've heard from too many mothers the anguish of going years between visits from their daughters. It feels even worse for those without any other children around the home. Our bones get old and creaky you see, making it hard to do the chores without a young, able-bodied family member around."

"But enough of my rambling!" ...and deliberately stirring feelings of guilt within the customer. Aunt Ci excitedly rubbed her hooves together; "What sort of gift would your elders be most thankful for? I bet you will need something really spectacular that'll make them excuse you for your long absence....."

[PyroBlaze]

Corva strolled her way down the street, looking around casually as she tried to figure out what to do. She was a bit bored, actually, and was trying to find something to entertain her. She was too lazy to search for Yin or her other friends, and she didn't have any work either. 

 

The griffon eventually slowed to a stop, finding herself standing in front of Ci's shop. After a moment of internal debate, she threw all that out and just shrugged, heading into the store. 

 

"[Yo, Ci! Sup?]" She asked, stopping in her tracks as she saw the other qilin in the store. "[Nice mane.]" She said simply, looking Mei over unashamedly. 

[Zeig]

 

Oh ah, hm, eh. Ah. 

 

Ahem.

"Y-Yes," the vivid blue mare acquiesced, trying not to appear overtly shifty as she hastily avoided the older mare's gaze, "very...very unfortunate, that." In truth, the Mei of the past had given absolutely no thought to her parents opinions on her decision to stay in Equestria - had been thoroughly convinced that her parents had been completely agreeable to it. After all, they were the ones that had torn her from her home in the first place, in order to...better herself. Find herself? Either or, they had wanted her to grow up, and they had been certain she wouldn't have been able to do it here in Long Guo.

 

And it had worked - rather well, in her own humble opinion - and the young Qilin was a far cry from the old filly of the past. Seeing her grown into herself had always been at the forefront of her parent's mind, Mei was certain of it. 

 

So then why was her heart doing that annoying twanging thing?!

 

"Ah, I've been seeking something lovely and eye-catching," Mei said, latching onto the shift in subject with vigor, "something to make the neighbors take notice. But not too extravagant, their house is very traditional - we all are!" the Qilin added hastily, as if eager to let the other mare understand how important tradition was to her family. "That is, we take great stock in tradition. Their house is very old - I need something that will stand out enough, but not overly so, you understand." 

 

Now if their house had been akin to the ones in Canterlot, now...that would be an entirely different thing.

 

The young Qilin was momentarily distracted from her musings, however, as the door opened to reveal another customer, one who seemed very familiar with the older mare. The sight of the myriad of tattoos crawling all over the griffon's features was enough to immediately put to mind the unsavory-looking characters that had been loitering around at the end of the street, and Mei stifled the urge to inhale sharply, and instead took a few steps back and away from the door. That didn't stop the startled squeak of surprise that left her, however, at being suddenly addressed by the griffon herself...even if it took her a few moments to process the other's words.

 

"Oh!" Mei exclaimed, completely taken by surprise, "I, um. Thank you." The griffon was still looking her over, and the vivid blue mare cast her gaze around the shop for one awkward moment. "Nice, ah. Feathers?" she ventured, even though she really didn't see the appeal of, what looked to be a dye job. 

 

Because really now. Red on black, no complementing color schemes at all!

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

A traditional house, inhabited by a traditional family? Aunt Ci approved of that wholeheartedly! But that would likely mean that traditional family with its traditional house probably owns all the usual traditional belongings associated with traditional Long Sun. This girl here; she'd need to purchase something extra special (and expensive) to properly honor her elders. Aunt Ci stroked her chin; hmmmmm...

 

"Ah, I know just the thing!" In a dash, Aunt Ci headed off behind her sales counter; where she displayed her more valuable merchandise. "There we go!" Spotting a gold statuette of a majestic dragon of the East, the old shopkeeper picked it and placed it on the counter. Upon closer inspection, the young qilin mare would see that one of the dragon's claws held a pearl with a cool grey tint to it. "What you see here is a-"

 

"Yo, Ci! Sup?"

 

That familiar voice! So full of immature arrogance and impropriety!!! Aunt Ci liked little about the griffon with the ill-favored tattooed look. Just another disrespectful punk willing to throw their life away... grrrrh. "Not now!" Ci snapped at the griffon in a swift, angered tone; "I'm in the middle of something important!"

The old lady instantly turned back to the younger mare with a grin and a voice as smooth as a gentle river; "Now, where were we?"

[PyroBlaze]

"Wow. Someone needs a chill pill." Corva said, blinking a bit from Ci's snapping. "Sheesh, can't a griffon just drop by a shop while she's in the neighborhood? You act like I only come here for work."

 

She rolled her eyes at the elderly mare before turning her gaze back to the younger qilin, smirking at the response from her. "Fine, fine. You two have fun, I'll just be Ci-ing what you've got over here." She chuckled, wishing Yin could've been around to appreciate that. 

[Zeig]

 

It.

 

Was.

 

Beautiful.

 

And it looked very expensive.

 

Mei deigned to worry about that last part however, instead focussing on the former as she oohed and ahhed in all the appropriate places, gazing at the statuette. The serpent dragon snaked its way upwards from what seemed like a very precarious stand, mostly hidden to make it seem as if the metal dragon was flying and twisting of its own accord. The pearl embedded in its claw was also a nice touch, something her parents were sure to appreciate, and Mei listened carefully as the shopkeeper began her explanation, for she would want to embellish the gift to her parents just as much as easily. 

 

...But with a little less...enthusiasm, perhaps. The Qilin couldn't help the reflexive intake of breath at Aunt Ci's sudden snap, whipping her head around towards the red and black griffon as if she might bite off the other's head at a moment's notice. The griffon herself seemed entirely unperturbed - how could she be so nonchalant to her elders when they were so obviously disappointed in her?! Was this griffon raised in an alleyway? - though her words did raise the younger Qilin's eyebrows inquisitively. So the griffon...worked, in this antiques shop? Why - if she came here for work so often, wouldn't that be a good thing? This griffon seemed to imply showing up for work was something Aunt Ci actually did not look forward to, which made absolutely no sense to her.

 

It was confounding enough that Mei wasn't completely distracted as Aunt Ci returned her attentions onto her, voice once again sweetly promising all of her dreams and more. "Ah, yes," the vivd blue mare humed and hawed, eyes flickering back and forth between the other two in front of her, "we were just discussing this beautiful piece here..." Mei gestured at the dragon statuette, but could no longer contain her curiosity as her eyes returned back to the griffon. "Do you - ah - work here often?" she questioned, though Mei believed she was beginning to see the picture.

 

Tattoos, roguish demeanor...perhaps Aunt Ci had hired this griffon in some ill-conceived attempt to perform a good deed, but had ended up suffering when her employee's appearance drove off willing customers? Thus inciting her ire whenever said griffon came around the shop, much less for work?

 

[Bellosh]

 

What was up with youngsters these days? Instead of apologizing for her insolence, the griffon doubled down on her bad behavior. If Aunt Ci hadn't been so busy dealing with her customer, that punk would have been disciplined with a slap by now. Alas, the shopkeeper would have to settle for a death glare for now. Sigh; what was up with tattooed delinquents and their need to make childish rhymes?

 

It did grate on Aunt Ci's nerves however when she overheard the younger qilin mare asking Corva about how long she worked at the antique shop. Poor old Auntie, she just couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Her?" Ci incredulously snorted as she walked away from the counter and over to the others; "This griffon worked here... once. Hmmph; didn't last a full week..." Aunt Ci had now managed to jut in between Corva and the young qilin mare. The venomous old lady tried shooing the griffon off with a dismissive wave of her foreleg; "Go and have a look around if you're serious about buying something....."

 

Eager to get her customer's mind away from associating with bums and back towards wanting to purchase something expensive, Aunt Ci forcibly took hold of the young mare's chin to focus her gaze onto the dragon statuette. "Now this work of superb craftsmareship is no ordinary statue. See that orb in his claws? That is an actual Long Pearl, dragon-forged and blessed with the Breath of Wisdom. Whoever lives under the roof of a home with that statue will obtain the power of complete recollection of all facts and events. No parent can ask for a better gift to take with them into their old age!" Particularly those with memory loss issues.....

[PyroBlaze]

"Quickest firing I've had, actually." Corva smirked, a bit of pride in her voice. She made no response to the words about her buying things, aside from rolling her eyes as she went back to just looking around at the stuff. Really, she hated her father, it was part of the reason she hadn't cared to even try to be a good employee in that job he had forced her into, or any of the others preceding it. 

 

"Might not want to sell it then, you're pretty old yourself, Ci." Corva said, snorting as the old mare described what the pearl did. 

[Zeig]

 

A-hem.

 

There seemed to be some...hmm, sour feelings in the air that Mei most decidedly wanted to steer clear from.

 

Although it seems her first instinct had been correct...to an extent. An ex-employee of hers who apparently took pride in the fact that she had been fired after so little time? Mei could only imagine the sort of employee she had been, most undoubtedly skipping off work to go fool around with equally slacking punks...or worse! Using the shop as her own personal hang out, inviting all manners of riff-raff onto the premises! Innocent and beguiled Qilins getting undeservedly caught in the middle of her shenanigans...

 

Or something. 

 

Whatever the history truthfully was, however, Mei felt it best not to get involved - and as such, was supremely grateful for the hoof that directed her attention away from the griffon and back onto the item in question.

 

Good thing Aunt Ci had taken hold of her chin, because Mei was fairly certain her jaw would have dropped open otherwise.

 

"T-that is - it's - a real pearl?" the vivid blue Qilin gasped, and if the reflection from the statuette made literally stars go off in her eyes, well, that was no one's business but her own. Because surely, surely that could not be a real Long pearl...could it? Pearls came in all shapes and sizes, of course, and despite their reputation, not all Pearls were reserved solely for royalty or important dignitaries and of the like. Some could find their way into the most innocuous of places...and a true Long pearl being found embedded on a statuette in a small antiques shop sequestered away in the hustling downtown of Long Kong was -

 

Well. Almost poetic. The stuff of stories, even, the unassuming but beautiful Qilin maiden coming across a great treasure in the most simplistic of places.

 

...But was it real? Could there even any sort of possible way to test it? This Aunt Ci seemed to have an honest air about her, all negative qualities having been explained away by her rapscallion of a former employee, but...well, she was a salespony, so of course she would emphasize the quality of her products to an enormous extent. She did the same thing with her aromatherapy practice, too! 

 

...But perhaps even more prevalent a question burned in the back of Mei's mind, one that was enough to cause some figurative sweating. If it truly was a Long pearl...or even if it was a fake being passed as real...either or meant...

 

...

 

"Ah," the young mare started, eyes fastened on the gleaming statuette like a lifeline, "exactly, um...exactly how much does this beautiful piece cost?...." 

 

[Bellosh]

 

Most folks who walked into Aunt Ci's shop didn't think twice before uncritically taking the old lady's claims at face value. The younger lady seemed to belong to the majority, but in case doubts lingered in her mind... "Of course it's real!!!" Ci affirmed as if the young mare was a fool for questioning her elder; "Look closely, young one!" The shopkeeper brought her muzzle as close to the pearl as she could without touching it, then puffed a tiny burst of dragon breath upon the spherical object.

 

One second later, the pearl grew hot and briefly seemed to change its very appearance from a solid object to a ball of flame. The proud auntie gloated; "See, see? That's how you know it's real!" Ci picked up that particular dragon breath trick in her youth, a surefire way to identify real Long Pearls and snuff out the fakes.

 

Ignoring Corva's ill-advised quips for the moment, Aunt Ci turned on the melodramatic sighing the as the prospective customer finally got to the million bit question. "As you know, anything forged by the breath of a heavenly dragon is a cultural teasure beyond all comprehensible price; Wisdom Pearls especially. But for a lovely, filial dearie like yourself..." the old mare gleamed with a mixture of giddiness and predatory hunger; "I'll offer this statuette for the LOW price of five hundred gold dragons!" ¹ Hardly a high price for a Wisdom Pearl by objective standards; Ci had been insanely lucky the foolish flea market vendor she acquired the statue from had no clue an actual dragon-forged pearl was attached (one with Wisdom's Breath, mind you).

 

"You won't find a better bargain anywhere else in Long Kong!" Or another wisdom-granting Long Pearl, for that matter.....

 

 

Spoiler

 ¹ Gold dragon = gold coin used as Long Guo currency.

 

[PyroBlaze]

Corva raised an eyebrow as Ci seemed to prove the pearl was real with a bit of breath magic. Maybe she should tell the boss about this... assuming the girl didn't buy it right there, of course. She had no idea where that girl lived and wasn't about to put in the work to find out. 

 

As things stood though, the griffon didn't want to get Ci after her, so simply went back to browsing aimlessly, giving a small hum as Ci finished speaking. 

 

"Well, that's probably true, at least." She said, shrugging a bit. As far as she knew, you weren't going to be finding any of those special pearls around, let alone ones for sale. 

[Zeig]

 

Ah -

 

- hah?

 

...

 

A wheezy sort of breath, not unlike the sound of air leaking from a balloon, escaped from Mei's mouth for a few seconds, before she realized what she was doing and hastily covered herself with a cough. She sincerely hoped Aunt Ci - who was looking particularly voracious - didn't notice as she waved a dismissive hoof over the continued coughing fit, because she seemed...highly invested in Mei's answer.

 

As to be expected, of course, she was a shopkeeper doing her job of keeping shop. But...

 

Five...five hundred gold dragons?...

 

...But....

 

It was for her parents, as well. And it was a real Long pearl!. Mei could almost hear the boasting from her mother and father as they spoke to their neighbors, showing off the gift to the envy and admiration of their friends. And, of course, telling any and all who would listen of their wonderful daughter who had gotten them such a generous gift in the first place. She could even picture it as well, settled across the living room entranceway...over perhaps in their bedroom. It would shimmer and gleam and they could Breath upon it whenever they wished...but, well. 

 

Five.

 

Hundred.

 

Gold.

 

Dragons.

 

...

 

"It is, beautiful," the vivid blue Qilin mused shakily, warily glancing from the statuette to the style saddlebag she had thrown around one shoulder. She wasn't even carrying a fifth of that price, something she had been cautioned against doing in Long Kong. Especially these downtown areas. Too much money jangling around pockets was liable to draw attention. But she hadn't expected to find something so utterly perfect lying around, either. 

 

"But my visit home to my parents...it took months of planning and a lot of bits..." Mei murmured to herself - albeit a bit loudly. She hesitated a moment more, eyes riveted on the statuette, before they turned hopefully towards the shopkeeper herself. "I don't suppose...perhaps you might consider going a bit cheaper?..." 

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

Tsk tsk tsk... here came the sob story; a haggler's trick as old as time. Obviously, Aunt Ci was meant to overhear the young lady fretfully mumbling to herself like that would melt the shopkeeper's icy heart. But Ci was not visibly moved by the other qilin's fretting. "Ohhh?" The hard-as-scales auntie inquisitively raised an eyebrow as if finding something suspicious; "What price would YOU pay for such a rare and valuable item?" The game was on! Now to see if the young mare could cough up a reasonable amount of gold dragons.....

[PyroBlaze]

Corva gave a snort as she idly twirled a knife of some sort she found among the wares. This was actually kinda funny, she smiled as she looked at the two qilin, waiting for the younger's response and Ci's inevitable refusal. 

 

"Might as well give in, Ci's stubbornness is almost as famous as her temper." Corva called, watching them still. 

[Zeig]

 

Well, now, that was...exactly the problem, wasn't it?

 

Never mind the exorbitant price of the statuette in and of itself, she didn't even have that much on her. Even if she wanted to just, "give in", as the griffon put it, she literally couldn't. 

 

It was clear to Mei, now, that she had somehow managed to wander into a ridiculously expensive shop without realizing it. Like some of the high end shops in Canterlot, whose workers gave her second glances when she made her way inside. It had never stopped her before, no, but as much as Mei wished she had the means, the simple fact was that she didn't have the sort of bits that shops like these demanded.

 

...At least, not yet.

 

But for the present moment in time, it was clear to Mei that she was in over her head, because as much as she would sincerely love to be able to spend five hundred gold dragons on this beautiful piece for her parents, she just did not have the means. She hadn't started her own business by recklessly buying everything she came across that looked pretty, after all!...well, not everything. 

 

"Ah...that is, a, very good question," the vivid blue mare said delicately, taking a careful step backwards. "Something that I should, perhaps, get a second opinion on." A second opinion...or a second wallet?... "T-thank you for your time, I shall return with an answer if I can!" A hastily executed bow to first Aunt Ci, then the griffon, before Mei was making her escape out the door. Where hesitance had played across her features previously, however, a staunch sort of determination now rested on her face.

 

Now...where had Lími gone off to?...

 

[[ Exit ]]

 

[Bellosh]

 

First there was the astonishment of the young lady beating a hasty retreat from the antique store, citing the need for additional advice. Aunt Ci's shock quickly morphed into bitter disappointment once the other qilin dashed out of sight. She probably just said that as an excuse to leave without coming off as rude. With a disgruntled sigh, Ci reached for her broom as she grumbled in Corva's direction; "Aiyaaaa... youth these days have no taste for haggling whatsoever. They'd rather throw away piles of gold dragons at them gaudy department stores downtown instead of taking time to properly shop like their elders once did."

 

Until the next customer came, it was back to sweeping the floor for the old lady.....