Quick Visit (Part 3)

The next morning, we ate breakfast with aunt Ceri and awaited Dawn's return. With nothing else to do, I shared some more stuff with my aunt. She was especially surprised about my second Aura. Pretty much all races of the North knew about Humans and their Auras. Even Furians were able to awaken them, therefore it wasn't an unknown subject. Though possessing two Auras was really unusual, my father was basically a freak. Three Auras was something unheard of, even for Humans.

"We waited for a few hours, but Dawn's not back yet. Tara, how about you go and take care of our items, while I wait here for Dawn? That way, we can take care of some stuff, and make sure we don't search for each other", I proposed. "I was hoping to sell them with you. Especially here, since you are the creator of the Woody's Course. This would provide a great boost to our sales", she replied instead.

"I'm not that concerned about the profits, and besides using my position for selling things… Just sell them like usually. Either way, you'd tell them I was the one who placed those Formations. There's no need for me to be there", I argued. She shook her head, "You have so much to learn about selling. You standing next to me would already improve your image. Being recognizable and in demand are the key aspects of selling your products", she counter argued.

"Don't worry, Anna. Once Dawn returns, I'll be sure to keep her here. Take care of your own matters. Maybe she'll be back by that time", aunt Ceri chimed in. Since both Tara and aunt Ceri urged me to go, I finally caved in. "Ah, fine. Don't make it too flashy or anything".

Tara grabbed me, then said quick farewell to aunt Ceri. "This will be great, believe me! We'll sell everything in no time. Besides, you can help me choose new items. After all, you're the one placing Formations on them. This way, we can choose valuable and desirable stuff, but also items that will be easier for you to work with", she said. I rolled my eyes, even though her proposal didn't sound too bad.

Each merchant had to pay a small fee for setting up a stall in the central area. Of course, there were those who paid more for desired spaces, and those who had specific areas reserved. The most profitable though, were the permanent shops set up all around the central area. Their locations and pretty much type of items never changed. They were always there, and had a building to top it all off.

Once Tara rented a stall, we set up our items. I thought we would simply wait there for people to come by, but that wasn't Tara's idea at all. "Are you interested in items with Formations?! Do you need jewellery with special effects or storage?! We have it all here! Moreover, all Formations were placed by the maker of the Woody's Course!", Tara exclaimed really loudly.

A large crowd quickly formed around our stall. The problem was, people were more interested in me, than the items on display. "Princess Anna is really here! I'd like to express my gratitude for the course. We heard that it's thanks to you, that the course will be forever free!", one of the Shades said enthusiastically. Others showered me with words of praise, but I didn't feel fully deserving of them. After all, I wasn't the only one working on that course.

A few people began fighting over the items on display. Loads of people wanted to buy the same things, therefore the situation was getting heated up. "This isn't a normal sale! Calm down everyone, let me explain the rules!", Tara suddenly shouted. Once the crowd calmed down a bit, she continued. "We will sell the items to those who pay the most. You should know how the auctions work, right? There are a lot of people who want the same item, therefore this is the fairest way", she explained.

The people didn't seem to mind, so we proceeded with the first item. "This is a pair of earrings with a Haste Formation. They'll make you a bit swifter, and they are quite fashionable. The energy consumption is small, but the effects are noticeable. A perfect gift, or an entry item for young warriors and soldiers. We will start at fifty Red Hals, any takers?", Tara announced.

Loads of people called out their prices, each bid higher and higher. The price passed two Black Hals after a while, but didn't seem to stop anytime soon. Finally, once it reached three Black and thirty Red Hals, the earrings were sold. A young male Shade bought the earrings, and he seemed to be in the company of another female Shade. Once they paid for the item, Tara announced another surprise, well at least to me. "Since princess Anna is here, those who buy the items can ask her for a personal message. She'll also sign the item or any object of your choosing!".

"Wait! I didn't…", but before my sentence could be finished, the Shade and his companion walked up to me. "We'd love to receive a personal message from the princess…", the guy said. I could only sigh in defeat, and do whatever they wished for.

Tara got on with the sales, while those who bought something received a message or signature just for them. I didn't have a signature, and writing my name plainly would be a bit rubbish. The first pair asked for a message only, not any elaborate signature. I had to come up with one on the spot, once people asked for that.

Unsure how to even begin, I realised my instincts could be of help here. 'Just follow my instincts, do whatever my hand dictates', I thought, and the small brush in my hand moved. Soon, my name appeared on the item, but written in a specific manner. It looked sharp, with a few loops around the 'n's and a particular mood to it. "Wow, what a wonderful signature. You must've practiced it a lot", the customer receiving the signature praised. 'If only you knew the truth…', "Hehe, I didn't practice it that much. Here you go, it's yours. Thank you for buying from us", I replied with a smile.

The crowd didn't simply disperse once all items were sold. No, they actually stayed over with the intention of asking me some questions. Loads of them had the same question though. Would I ever do something like that Woody's Course again? "I'm not really sure. If there's an opportunity, I might do something like this again. Right now though, I'll be working on the quick travel Formation. That should improve my skills a lot, and therefore the Formations placed on the items we sell. You can look forward to better items in the future for sure", I replied.

The people surrounding us were really impressed that I would be working on that Formation. They were also enthusiastic about future items. Others asked some more personal questions such as, whether there was someone I fancied. Of course there wasn't, and some people seemed to really like the idea. They also asked about my strength, and my future plans. They asked genuine questions, because they really wanted to know.

All the people were nice, albeit the place got a bit cramped. Tara finally stepped in, to disperse the crowd. Once everyone left, I heaved a sigh of relief. "... I'd prefer for you to sell the items by yourself next time. I mean, they were all nice for the most part, but I don't want them to buy stuff just because I'm here", I said.

"Sometimes, you'd have to appear in front of your fans. There were loads of your fans here today. You became like a star for these people. Your mother wasn't any different. She also appeared in front of fans and professionals alike. Sometimes the designer or maker is required to do an appearance. This improves the relations between you and customers, as well as promotes your products better. Besides, you want to reach others and make your items more popular, right? There's no better way to accomplish that really", she explained.

"I get it already, though that doesn't mean I have to appear loads of times. My mother made occasional trips, not every time her items were sold. Anyway, how much did we make?", I asked. "Hehe, let's discuss that on our way", Tara replied rather mysteriously, before motioning for me to follow her. 'I don't understand her reasoning. Why the build-up? She could simply say it', I thought.

Once we left the central area, Tara finally opened up about the profits. "Today, we made twenty-eight Black, six Red and seventy-nine White Hals. Not bad, eh?". "Tw… Twenty-eight?!", I exclaimed, shocked. These were the profits, not how much we sold the items for. Tara subtracted the cost of items from that already, this was purely our money. "Hehe, yep. How about we each take ten Black Hals, while the rest will be used for new stock?", she proposed.

Ten Black Hals sat right with me. We'd have over ten Black Hals for buying other items, since everything got sold for about thirty three Black Hals. "Now we can afford some valuable things. The earrings and whatnot were not that expensive. Now, we can go a bit more luxurious. We can also do some weapons, since you know attacking Formations, right?", she added.

"Not a bad idea. Bows wouldn't be a great idea, since people can get them custom made. Swords are a bit different though. I can place Formations on the blade, while the hilt can be changed or modified if the customer so wishes", I agreed. "Good, let's get some swords first. I've been keeping tabs on a lot of stuff since you left. I have a much better idea on what's popular and what sells. We'll also get some more jewellery, because we can't ever go wrong with jewellery", Tara said.

With everything decided, we headed straight to the smithy. "Oh! Isn't that young princess Anna? Hehe, you grew up a lot since I last saw you", the smith Olaf said upon our entry. "Nice to see you again, Olaf. We are here to purchase some swords, can you show us your selection?", I asked. Olaf was more than happy to sell us some swords. He displayed a few exceptional pieces, but most of them were outside our price range.

We decided on buying good, solid but not that design rich swords. The three swords we bought cost us around seven Black Hals. With appropriate Formations placed, we could probably triple the price of these swords, at least according to Tara. With the swords taken care of, we opted to get some jewellery next.