One of the greatest tragedies of being a Merchant, other than the ck of customers—which is easily a death sentence— which is also the thing they have to deal with the most, was boredom.

  Many Merchants shaved away this depressing time by taking up different hobbies from pces they travel to or they start learning other skills, and sometimes even selling it as part of their hobbies. They didn’t really care what it was or the specifics of what it is as long as it sustained their interest enough and dull the ache of time slowly passing by.

  It could range from something so far left like being a multi-dimensional tattoo artist to something retive like being a bcksmith or a herbalist. There was the overarching problem that there would eventually grow to the limit of that hobby, but that was easily bypassed by picking another skill and doing the same, and continuing doing the same until you eventually get bored of it all and start considering the more obscure options.

  All in all, time as a Merchant gave the benefits of mastering many skills or engaging with a multitude of hobbies and even using them as side hustles.

  Some Merchants, like Isaac, would choose one of their main hobbies as something that they could never truly master; like reading.

  Being someone who never really got well with the entire concept of boredom, Isaac always made it a point to get an extensive collection of books from every world and reality he ever finds himself in, both for his personal consumption and to trade.

  He hardly made any distinctions as it could range from anything like basic academics to advanced fields of study. Storybooks, folklore, magazines, deep fiction, fanfictions, sport and beauty issues, medicinal research, magic, government conspiracy, forbidden knowledge, arcane guidelines and esoteric techniques — he bought everything.

  If any of the books stole his interest long enough, he would dedicate some of his time to practicing it until he lost interest or mastered it and moved on.

  It was also a good thing that most of the time, practicing these things did not require him to leave his shop. Imagine the number of potential customers he would lose every time he closed up shop and left because he wanted to learn more about something.

  Other than that, most times he just read things to pass the time. Like currently.

  He took a sip from a gss of wine that looked like it was exploding into iridescent sparks and also changing its state from liquid to something ephemeral.

  The book he was reading, The Really Really Dark Book By The Schors of GOLB, was one of the few books he could get from that exclusive sort before they just up and moved out to who-knows-where. The content was… gripping, for ck of a better word, but it made for a really interesting read.

  He didn’t really have a preference for the things he read but he wouldn’t deny that the horror genre and thriller effect of books like these really stole his interest.

  He could do without the screaming souls part, that and the open invite to the privatized hellish dimension hidden within the crevice of the words, but they did set the tone for what kind of book it would be, so he couldn’t really compin. And besides, what kind of premium horror book cks screaming souls or tries to curse you with every sentence?

  “Oh, these guys were kinky.” He said with a low whistle. It was really a shame that they had to leave so soon. They had impeccable manners and they were all great writers and poets.

  A thick plume of smoke exploded out as he flipped the page, causing him to sigh deeply as he looked behind him.

  “Guys, no peeking. You know how he feels about sharing his things.” The small army of books floating behind him thrummed sadly and indignantly like it was a perceived offence.

  He sighed again as some of the books disappeared with visual effects while the others sulked as they floated back to their stations.

  The cover of the book he was holding turned blood red and spouted seven infernal tongues that started chanting karmic curses in fourteen lost nguages.

  “Okay, there’s no need for you to be doing all that.” He gave the book a hard shake that dispelled whatever it was doing. “And besides, those guys are your juniors. They are just trying to learn something from you since you and the other old guys don’t like to teach them.”

  The screaming of the souls intensified but the smoke obscuring it did disappear. This was the pride of sentient books. Most of them disdained the idea of teaching those they considered weak and unworthy, whether or not they were books.

  “Hey, bring back those words! I haven’t finished reading them yet.”

  He looked up just as the bell rang softly and sighed as he saw the two teens that just entered his shop.

  “Bookmark that page, and the words too.” He said to the book that had already coated itself in an illusion as he put it down.

  “Oh, this pce looks nice~” the peppy voice of an exuberant teenage girl cried out.

  “It looks like a literal junk store.” Replied the drool voice of an extremely bored and fed up girl.

  He didn’t have to wait too long as two parallel expressive girls came into view – one looked outgoing and generally friendly with bright colors and everything, while the other one looked expressively introverted, dark-fitted and withdrawn.

  “Ellie, don’t be mean.” The sparkled-hair one whined while her friend just shrugged.

  “I’m just saying it how I see it.”

  Her friend pouted. “Then try to see it better.”

  This time her response came in two fonts. The first was a dry deadpan that effectively dispelled the pout, the second were words that continued in the same pace.

  “If it tried to look better I wouldn’t need to.”

  Yukio sighed dramatically, her face set in an amused smile, as she shoulder-checked Ellie pyfully.

  They looked at Isaac who was watching the short exchange with a smile which made Ellie automatically frown while Yukio gave him a tittering wave as she glided over.

  “Hi!”

  “Hi,” Isaac replied as he replicated Yukio’s easy smile which made Ellie groan as she came up behind her.

  “I like your store.” Her smile and words were so genuine that it made Isaac’s smile widened.

  “Thank you.” He said truthfully. His humble shop was his pride and joy. Having someone compliment it so genuinely was one of the best feelings ever. “So, anything I can help you girls with today? Anything at all.”

  “Yeah Yukio, why did you drag me into… whatever this shop is supposed to be.” Ellie asked sarcastically. “No offense dude.”

  Isaac shrugged. They both looked at Yukio who looked exasperated at Ellie’s reply before we reverted back to Isaac.

  “Oh we are just going to look around. Is that okay?”

  “Of cours—”

  “Nope. Not this time, babe.” Ellie immediately interjected. “The st thing I need is Teach coming to pick us up. I don’t need my ear talked off just because you decided to window shop at every store you see.”

  “But Ellieeeee~” Yukio whined. It was an effective whine as Ellie flinched, but it was not potent enough to make her acquiesce.

  “No buts.” Ellie said with a determined look. “It's either you buy something you already have in mind, or we leave.”

  “Fine.” The pout was strong but Ellie just rolled her eyes. She tapped her lips cutely and held a comically thinking pose, which seemed to work as her eyes widened happily while she smiled smugly in Ellie’s direction.

  She turned to Isaac who was patiently waiting for whatever her order would be.

  “A friend's birthday is coming up soon and I want to get him something.”

  Ellie frowned skeptically. “Who?”

  That seemed to be the wrong question given how deep Yukio’s gasp was. Ellie winced under the disbelieving look of her girlfriend.

  “Ellie!” Cue another wince. “It is Kurt’s birthday in 3 days, how could you forget?”

  Ellie could only manage an awkward shrug. “I’m sorry but I can’t remember everyone’s birthdays.”

  Yukio could only shake her head at that but she let it go for now as she turned back to Isaac.

  “A present for our friend.”

  “And what kind of things does your friend like?”

  “Games, limited edition cards, toys – literally all the things that teenage boys in their 20s like.” Ellie helpfully offered.

  “Hmm that’s true but I can’t really pick which one.” Yukio remarked and held up her fingers and started crossing them out as she listed off her points. “They already have their games. Limited edition cards are super expensive. I don’t think he likes toys all that much, at least not as much as Evan.”

  Ellie shrugged while Yukio defted.

  Luckily for them, Isaac was a Merchant who was well versed in identifying people’s tiny needs.

  “Let’s take a step back.” He said, drawing the attention of both girls. “What kind of person is Kurt?”

  “Oh oh, he’s very nice, and very kind too. He shares a lot, and he also taught me how to bake once.”

  Ellie pinched Yukio’s arm before she could rap off a list of every good quality the guy had. “That’s nice and all but that won’t be helpful.”

  She sighed tiredly, more of a groan, as if she was about to exert so much unnecessary effort. “He’s the kind of guy who’ll cherish anything you give him, which kinda makes it hard to get him something meaningful. Likes the color blue and red if that helps. Nothing demonic or hard punk, he’s too religiously Christian for that. Something small too. It doesn’t have to be functional, maybe just something he can hold or look at or whatever. And maybe not too expensive, he’s jittery about the price of things.”

  “What?” She looked from Isaac, who had some kind of smile on his face, to Yukio who was mouth-wide as if she just won some golden point or something.

  “Awn! Ellie, that's so sweet!” Yukio cooed and hugged the slightly embarrassed jaded teen.

  “It’s nuffin’.”

  “Let me see if I can find something.” It was hardly helpful information but for Isaac that was more than enough. The shop was more than just a housing structure with some nifty tricks.

  He walked slowly between the aisles, through rows of shelves, looking for which of these items would make a good present.

  The two girls, Ellie and Yukio, genuinely wanted to get something for their friend, Kurt, and that meant that the shop was more than eager to respond to that want.

  He stopped along one of the rows and took two steps backwards. He reached for one of the shelves, behind a conspicuously rge jar of dirt, and took out what was behind it. It felt warm to the touch.

  He smiled. “So it’s finally your time, huh.”

  He returned to the girls who had busied themselves with checking out the stuff around his counter.

  “Got something?”

  “I think so.” The smile on his face was a soft one, something the girl’s noticed, as he pced it on the counter for them to see what it was.

  —Athelstan’s Rosary (Vikings): A prized possession of a man of the faith. A man who, despite his failings and situations, strived to uphold the Word even until his death.

  Kindness, Love and Forgiveness were things Athelstan strived to live by, even when among his enemies. The impact of his life, short as it was, can only be understood by those who saw it.

  Ellie who had been about to comment that it was just a rosary and that Kurt had one kept quiet when she saw the look on Isaac’s face.

  “This belonged to one of the kindest men I’ve met. He was not special by any means, but the way he lived was beautiful to watch.” He looked at the two girls who looked unsure of how to react.

  “I tried over a hundred times to buy this from him, you know. I offered him gold, diamonds, nds, even his freedom, and never once did he even consider it.”

  “How did you get it then?” Ellie asked suspiciously.

  Isaac's smile remained, only now it contained a jaded irony.

  “He gave it to me for free… moments before he died.” He loved the confused and aghast looks on their faces.

  “A man of faith on enemy nd, once a sve to his great friend, the same man who invaded his home and massacred his people, willingly walked to his death in peace despite knowing he could escape it.”

  Yukio frantically shook her head, her expression one of profound sadness. “We can’t possibly pay for that. It’s too important.”

  Isaac waves off her concern. “It’s okay. You can have it for free. It was the only reason why he gave it to me. It was for me to pass his gift to someone who will need it.”

  “Mm mm, we can’t possibly accept it for free.” Yukio shook her head vehemently.

  “And besides,” Ellie started, her earlier suspicion faded but curiosity now remained, “why would you give such a thing to a pair of teenagers to give to their friend who you’ve never met? What makes you even certain that he’ll even appreciate such a thing? You’ve never met the dude.”

  “Then let me ask you this: will your friend treasure this?” Their silence was all the answer he needed. “And besides, it’s what it wants.”

  Ellie raised a brow at him at the st statement while Yukio was just overwhelmed with emotions and was covering her mouth with her hands.

  Isaac brought out an unadorned rectangur box and pced the silver cross inside it and pushed it towards them.

  “I’m sure your friend will like it.”

  Yukio finally got back her voice but her words were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

  “Yukio, Ellie, are you girls in here?” a woman’s voice called out softly, causing Ellie to wince while Yukio’s smile grew.

  “We’re in here Ms. Ororo.”

  “Now we’re fried.”

  Ororo Munroe walked in, a white haired dark skinned woman with clear blue eyes, and looked calmly at the two girls.

  “Hello,” she gave Isaac a perfunctory greeting, “we should get going. The others are waiting for you.”

  “Sorry for the wait, Ms. ‘Ro. We were getting a present for Kurt.” She said holding up the box to Ororo who finally smiled softly. “That’s thoughtful, but we still have to leave if you’re done with your purchase.”

  Both girls looked at Isaac who gave them an assured nod. “It’s alright. I’m certain he will like that very much.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” Yukio said while Ellie shrugged nonchantly. “Thanks for the gift, Mr…”

  “Isaac.”

  “Thanks for the gift, Mr. Isaac.”

  They turned around to leave and walked past Ororo who gave a small apologetic nod. “I’m sorry if they were too troublesome.”

  “We weren’t!”

  Isaac waves it off. “No such thing. They were nice kids.” Nothing else was said after that as all his customers left.

  He sat back on his chair and picked up his book to continue reading as the illusion over the book and his drink disappeared.

  “Now where was I? I think it mentioned something about GOLB sublimating a universe or something. Yes yes, this is where I stopped.”

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