Inkie Pie's House of Fixin's! [Open!]

[Imagination]

An advertisement would've been posted in Hoofington for every pony to gander at. A lovely piece of parchment! It read:

Citizens of Hoofington and beyond!

Have some junk you need to get rid of? Looking for treasure dismissed as junk to call your own?

Come to Inkie Pie's House of Fixin's, located on the corner of Cupcake and Saddleburro Street!

If you want it, I got it!

If you got it, I want it!

Paying quality bits for quality items! New to pawnshops? No problem! We'll (I'll) walk you through it and make sure you're comfortable with the process, and make sure you leave satisfied!

Inkie Pie's House of Fixin's! You'll love it!

Inkie Pie was excited! She had never thought to put up ads before! Not that she was hurting for business, but having a little extra traffic never hurt anypony, right?

The happy grey mare sat behind her counter, a big grin spread on her muzzle as she watched the door. It hadn't been long since she posted the signs... Though she was so sure it was a good idea. Like she expected ponies to just pour into the door like a raging floor in order to look at her wares. After checking the register, she had plenty of bits to give if anypony wanted to trade something in... She just hoped she'd get quality stuff today. She hated disappointing anypony, but she just couldn't take things that were beyond repair. She didn't want her shop becoming a junk yard!

As for things to sell, she had all sorts of things polished and on display! Old toys, signs, lamps, and a glass cabinet with collectible items such as plates, lunchboxes, and even a few autographed comic books! She also had a fair supply of old jewelry locked in a box at the counter... Plenty of wonders to behold in the Hoofington pawn shop! Now all she had to do was wait... Oh the waiting was the worst part! She had never had to do this before... Usually she sat at the counter a read a book, or worked on restoring an item to sellable condition in the back room. The more she kept thinking, the more she got nervous. What if the ads attracted ponies she had to turn away? What if she got so much good stuff she ran out of bits? What if nopony came at all?

Oh jeeze... She just had to focus on something else and stop being such a worry wart.

[Gerrard]

It was just one of those days for Canterlot's resident irrigation expert found himself stuck with yet another terrible assignment. He had been assigned to perform maintenance on the pipe system of the city on an exceptionally cold winter night. Like all people who hate bad weather, he rushed out of Canterlot in an attempt to avoid the coldest hours of the night. In his rush, he forgot his well worked digging equipment. He now found himself wandering through a cold city, searching for a pony store that sold shovels.

As the city faded into the darkness of night, the black pelted griffon spotted one of the few stores that chose to brave the poor weather. His keen yellow eyes read the posted sign as he shook his frame free of a thin layer of frost.

"I'm fixin for a shovel, he thought to himself, a smirk spreading across his silver feathered head. He walked into the store and looked around the deceptively large store. He quickly realized that he would need an expert to find a specific object in a pawn shop. He breathed an audible sigh as he spotted a gray made at the store counter. The griffon switched gears internally and casually walked up to the storekeeper.

"Hello Lady, Pie I presume? It is an honor to meet such a made in my time of need. Gerrard Grayfeather, alumni of the Royal University of Canterlot. I need a rare artifact and only you can help," he announced in a formal voice that seemed unquestionably from Canterlot. It was a bit strange though, the vaguely intimidating appearance of the griffon seeming to contradict his tone. He wore no formal attire aside from a well crafted bag that was firmly fastened to his neck.

"Do you have any shovels or shovel related apparatuses," he asked in a less serious tone as he dropped the act of excessive formality.

[Imagination]

Inkie had gotten bored after the first ten minutes or so of waiting for a customer, so she was so busy amusing herself with some marbles on the counter that she didn't even notice the griffon approaching the shop at first! When the door opened and that little bell rang, it startled the mare so much that she accidently scattered her marbles! She frantically did her best to scoop them all up, wearing a nervous smile. But then he spoke, and he introduced himself! She wasn't aware it was customary of the Royal University's alumnus to include their alma mater in their introduction... But who was she to judge? She sure didn't have a degree.

[colour=#808080]"Um... Yes! Yes, I do! I have all kinds of tools, shovels included!" [/colour]And shovel accessories! [colour=#808080]"I'm Inkie Pie, by the way, but you can call me Inkie! Follow me, I'll show you my hardware section!" [/colour]The giddy mare emerged from behind the counter and trotted off to an area of the big display room with all kinds of tools! And shovels! There were hammers and wrenches of all sorts! Saws, vices, screwdrivers, and... Was that a nail made of gold in that display case? Just one nail?[colour=#808080] "Here we are! Now, we got all kinds of shovels! What are you looking for?" [/colour]She started to produce all kinds of shovels, seemingly out of nowhere, as she quickly listed off all the kinds she had in stock! [colour=#808080]"Coal shovel? Snow shovel? Sleigh shovel? Grain shovel? Barn shovel? Jeweled shovel? Spoon shovel? Roofing shovel? Glass shovel? Square shovel? Fireplace shovel? Toy shovel? Entrenching tool? Drain spade? Rubber shovel? Silly shovel? Gardening trowel? Giant shovel? Tiny shovel? Double sided shovel?... Ooo! Or maybe a nice spade?" [/colour]Yes, that was all one breath.

She held a rather nice looking spade in her hooves out toward the griffon with a grin. It looked almost brand new! The blade was shined, the handle polished... It even had a nice bow on it!

[Gerrard]

The black griffon listened to the mare as she introduced herself as Inkie, the hybrid nodding as his hypothesis was confirmed. When she gestured for him to follow her into the hardware section, Gerrard complied and thought over her introduction as they made their way to the other section of the store. "Ah, okay Inkie. You know, for having such a unique name, it does seem vaguely familiar for one reason or another, I just can't put my talon on it," he mused aloud as they entered the room. He was frozen in awe when his bright eyes spotted the walls of tools and other similar items. He hadn't seen such a collection anywhere outside of his native country, and had to take a few moments to glance over it all. Inkie then went above and beyond the call when she displayed every type of shovel that one could imagine.

"You must meet dozens of... people an hour to get such a collection of stuff. I could use a snow shovel," he added with a smile on his black beak while she actually named off every possible variant of the tool, the griffon pausing while he chose the correct term for patrons in his mind. But when she presented the spade to Gerrard, a faint glimmer could be seen in his eyes. The inner magpie of the griffon rose to the surface as he carefully took the tool in his talons. Something about the tool captivated him, surely its utilitarian design, and certainly not the distinct shine that showed off it's quality. He held it firmly, and made some fluid shoveling motions before turning to Inkie, the griffon practically blushing a bit. When he realized he seemed like a child with a new toy, the griffon raised one claw to his beak and made a hearty coughing noise as if to clear his throat. "Ah, yes, this will do ma'am. May I ask what the price is on this beauty? The spade I mean," he asked awkwardly, the formally formal hybrid starting to make a spectacle out of himself.

Gerrard hadn't actively searched through a pawn shop before, and he was starting to see why. It felt as if he could find anything he wanted here, and the griffon surely would go broke if he failed to resist the urge to buy every shiny object on the shelves. Hopefully Inkie would be merciful and only take him for the spade, not that he exactly would be bothered by either outcome.

[Imagination]

The mare certainly did have a lot of shiny stuff in the store. It certainly wouldn't do to have dirty, rusty cast-offs on display! Then nopony would ever shop there! She had seen some pawn shops... Like that 'New-to-U' in Baltimare... yick! It was like walking through a scrapyard! No no. Inkie Pie took great care in making sure every item she got was repaired and/or made quite presentable. She enjoyed restoring the luster to old things. Like the spade the griffon was holding like a holy relic! When she got it, the handle was splintering and worn, the blade was rusty and bent, and it still had some caked mud on it! But she'd never tell.

Though she had to giggle at his mannerisms, watching him enjoy the shovel a bit more than the average pony would... Then again, he wasn't a pony! [colour=#808080]"Well... Normally I would let that go for about... 20 bits. But for you? How does 10 sound?"[/colour] She couldn't really tell if he was new to pawnshops or not... Though he did seem to have the general idea of 'this place has almost everything', since he came looking for a shovel. Or maybe it was the fact that her shop is named the House of Fixin's, and could be mistaken for a hardware store... Oh well!

While she awaited his answer to see if the price she proposed was reasonable or not, she returned to the counter. She wondered if he would want to barter for it. She did like to barter. On that thought, she looked behind her and noticed a disturbing lack of a 'All prices negotiable' sign... She'll have to fix that.

[Gerrard]

Unbeknownst to the mare, Gerrard had picked through quite a few junkyards in his day, the griffon having no qualms about getting his claws dirty while fishing out a rare treasure. Junk was just potential treasure waiting to be plucked from the purgatory of being defined as refuse. He examined the spade closely and smirked devilishly, holding it firmly in a strong talon. "Well, I will gladly pay full price for such a marvelous tool, especially one that doesn't have teeth marks on it," he added jokingly, the black hybrid gently nudging the pony in the side with his elbow as he made a minor joke about ponies holding tools in their mouths. "But then it would be rude to deny your discount of ten bits. I propose a compromise of 13 bits! The reduced price of ten bits with a 30% tip for being such an amazing clerk," he added with a smile, the griffon apparently reverting back to his actual mannerisms as he started acting more jovial.

The griffon was quite successful by the definition of most ponies, but was by no means rich. Regardless, he didn't mind paying a fair price. He wasn't stingy though, and would avoid haggling, simply out of fear that he might alienate himself from clients. He followed her back to the counter and waited for her response, his eyes drifting across the store as he did his best to focus on the deal at claw. He did have a job to do, even if it was getting rather dark outside. At least the mare seemed nice enough, his long black tail wagging a bit in anticipation of her response as he placed it on her counter.

[spymanx]

Snow Diamond had to face one of his biggest fears that night... his fear of sleep deprivation. He had taken several naps during the day, but he was not sure if it would be enough. The young zebra looked at the torn ad sheet in his hand, he hoped he had the right place... or all this work (aka NOT being asleep) would be for nothing. Still, if he was going to do this, he was going to do this right!

Snow checked the door for a 'CLOSED' sign, and when he could not find one displayed, tried the door to find it open. Snow noted the small bell above the door, but payed it no mind as he walked inside, taking his baseball cap off and placing it in his saddle bag. He then made his second observation, there was a Griffon by the counter, and a mare behind the counter, unless he was mistaken that meant there was a line.

He quietly stood behind the griffon, humming a tune to himself as he waited for his turn to come. However, after a few seconds of standing still, poor Snow lost a battle of wills and, doing what some would call his 'second special talent' fell asleep standing up, completely blocking out the world, and began quietly snoring.

[Imagination]

((Sorry for the wait guys!))

Inkie Pie, unknowingly, shared his attitude on junk! If fact it was all around him! Though she'd never go picking through a bump for junk. Too smelly. That, and most of the things in junk yards were beyond repair, but sometimes you could get lucky. Dumpster diving was also a no-go for her, having tried it once, and it took hours for her to get the smell off. Ew ew ew, yuck yuck yuck. But he seemed to appreciate her service as the clerk of her fine shop regardless of how appalled she may be by how garbage smells.

[colour=#808080]"No teethmarks are always a plus, though if I have to I can replace the handle if it's beyond repair. I'll just have to charge extra to make a profit!"[/colour] INKIE! Giving away trade secrets! Well, it's not really a secret, but... Business practice. It's a principle thing. But the griffon threw her a compliment nonetheless, something she was terrible with. She always got flustered at compliments, never really able to take them very well.

The grey-scale mare started giggling, hiding herself a bit behind her register as she punched the price in. [colour=#808080]"You're too kind, Sir, but I'm only doing my job... 13 bits sounds reasonable to me!"[/colour] Soon, the tray shot open, the mare having to dodge it and come out from her hiding place, and awaited the payment.

But then she noticed there was a new body behind the griffon, leaning to the side to look past Gerrard at... a sleeping zebra? This could be interesting. [colour=#808080]"Um... Excuse me?"[/colour] as called over, trying to get his attention and break his slumber. No sleeping in the shop, silly zebra! Not until he took a lot at her refurbished mattresses! On sale!

[spymanx]

:CUT:

[Gerrard]

Gerrard wouldn't go as far as dumpster diving, but he did enjoy the occasional sifting through junk piles and airship graveyards. He never found anything breathtaking, but did find quite a few trinkets of value. He saw the register open up dug one of his dark claws into his bag, the hybrid fishing out a small stack of bits. His keen eyes looked at the thirteen coins as he deftly stacked them into a tiny tower before pushing them over to the mare. The half bird was in good spirits as he looked her counter over, hoping she didn't mind him wasting a few seconds of her time. He was rather proud of his talons and took every opportunity to muse over them, the hybrid not seeing the opportunity that was right behind him.

He paused for a moment, sniffing the air, the clawed creature smelling something that seemed vaguely similar to pony behind him. When Inkie welcomed the sleeping zebra, Gerrard turned around and saw his next unwitting victim. A devious grin spread across his maw as he carefully approached the zebra. Gerrard molded his face into the fiercest expression he could muster, contorting his brow and and opening his sharp black beak as his feathers puffed out menacingly. His talons opened to show off his sharp claws as he decided to test the bravery of the other patron. "Hello Sir, I believe that you are next in line," the griffon explained in a professional voice, doing his best to gently wake the zebra to frightening visage. He loved to scary ponies for fun, their responses weren't usually as favorable, but sometimes ponies enjoyed an honest scare.

[spymanx]

With a loud snort the gray and black zebra woke up to the sound of talking, after a quick yawn he opened his eyes to reveal...

[colour=#666666]"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DON'T EAT ME PLEASE I DON'T HAVEANYMEATONMYBONES!"[/colour] Snow Diamond screamed in surprises as something from his nightmares (he knew them well, he spent most of his time sleeping after all.) was right in front of him. Suddenly he remembered where he was,after a quick look around he sighed in relief, before turning towards the griffin with a angry frown on his face and his voice taking on a heavy Manehatten accent [colour=#666666]"What's da' matta wit you?!?"[/colour] Snow then let out another big yawn and seemed to calm down. [colour=#666666]"ehm, what I meant to say was, why did you just scare the living night-lights out of me? why night? because Day-lights are stupid, we can see in the day and thus they are useless."[/colour] Finishing his rambling/rant, the zebra noticed that it was his turn in line.

he blinked sheepishly as he cleared his throat, deciding to ignore the griffon for a moment.[colour=#333333] [/colour][colour=#666666]"Uh, *yawn* hello! Yes, uh, yes... I uh...why am I here again..."[/colour] Snow Diamond quickly looked around before remembering his goal. [colour=#666666]"ah, yes, I am here because I read the advertisement sheet that was put out and thought this would be a good place to sell a object that I no longer have a use for...I believe I am correct?[/colour]" The young zebra quickly stretched out his tired legs and placed his saddlebag on the floor, he then took out a large golden globe decorated with fancy reflective gems.[colour=#666666] "This globe was passed down from generation to generation, however, I see no foreseeable use to it, as I have my own globe, one that is less heavy I might add."[/colour] Snow grunted as he placed the heavy globe back in the bag.

Snow then realized that he had yet to introduce himself, how rude of him![colour=#666666] "heh, almost forgot my manners, names Snow Diamond." [/colour]Snow then proceeded to pick up the saddle bag and place it on his back.[colour=#666666] "anyway, I hope we can do business." [/colour]and with that Snow smiled, and then tried really hard not to suddenly fall asleep again, and still glare now and again at the griffon next to him.