PNPC Lieutenant JG Charlotte Brexis - Caveat Venditor
Samantha Richards
((The Shaded Roads - Central District Underground, Fereng- Ferenginar))
The two began walking along the street, peering in through windows hoping to see that pop of color Tamio was looking for.
K’Wara: Have you been on Ferenginar before, or did you decide to jump in at the deep end on your first visit?
Brexis: This is my first time. ::Chuckling:: Jumping in the deep end is typically how I do everything. Whether that’s a help or a hindrance to me as a person– remains to be seen.
K’Wara: Making things up as we go along? I can do that.
There was a smaller storefront tucked back behind the others, something about it made her curious so she gestured towards it to have Tamio follow her.
She paused in front of the window.
Brexis: This looks promising– Oh My! Is that… GLITTER?!
With a beaming grin, she turned to Tamio.
Brexis: Please tell me you like things that sparkle? ::Waving her hand around:: What am I saying, of course you do.
Tamil did a flip of their hair, rippling the bioluminescence that garnered far more attention than it received.
K’Wara: I was about to ask whether that was a serious question.
Charlotte made her way to the entrance of the store before turning around and gently pulling Tamio with her.
Brexis: Glitter! Glitter! Glitter!
K’Wara: Now no, remember, my ally in color - just because it glitters, doesn’t mean it’s in good taste. ::quieter voice:: Granted, it definitely helps, but praise the ware too much, and the shopkeep will gouge our purses for it.
With a glint in her eye and her lips in a straight line, Charlotte nodded firmly.
Brexis: ::Quietly:: Good call.
The work of art they both seemed to be trying not to get too excited about, was some type of humanoid with long root-like limbs. But the colors were where the real win was at. Greens and blues, with a hearty layer of multicolored glitter covering it.
K’Wara: Hmm… Ah, see right there, Charlotte - I knew it. While the glitter lends it a certain je ne sais quoi, you can tell that the underlying varnish is poorly maintained. No doubt, the glitter will simply shed like the coat of a Bakian Fire Lizard as soon as it’s exposed to dry air.
With a wink from Tamio, Charlotte knew it was time to lock in.
Brexis: ::Loudly:: It is shocking the lack of care that was put into a piece like this. Perhaps it can be saved, but it would require a lot of work.
That did the trick. A Ferengi appeared from behind one of the nearby shelves. Charlotte looked between the shopkeeper and Tamio a couple times, knowing they were about to get the upper hand.
Shopkeeper: Ah, caught your interest, did it? You my friends, have the great fortune of beholding that magnificent piece - the Atherian Soul-Trap! This is the last tangible relic of the long-lost, highly litigious Atherian Empire! This protective varnish has defied 20,000 years of solar radiation, and shall likely outlast all of us combined! This, my friends, is not just art! This is history!
Tamio nodded as Charlotte narrowed her eyes and clasped her hands behind her back.
K’Wara: The Atherian Empire,you say? Interesting. ::eyes the cleverly disguised “Made on Tysa’ label:: Hmm… Charlotte, does this piece not look exactly like that piece we saw while on that tropical planet? Oh, what was it’s name-
Shopkeeper: ::rushes:: This is a one-of-a-kind relic that I managed to procure with great difficulty! This is a most rare find, yes! Why, I’ve got buyers lined up for the opportunity to purchase this beauty, but for the paltry sum of 25 bars of gold-pressed latinum, I might be willing to part with it right here and now.
With a raised eyebrow, Charlotte cleared her throat before taking a step towards the Ferengi.
Brexis: I'm sure you're aware that pursuant to Section 9, Paragraph 21 of Chapter 86 of the Unified Code of the United Federation of Planets, agreed to by treaty with the Ferengi Alliance, we are legally allowed to ask about how you procured this item? ::leaning in closer:: I think we both know it found its way into your hands under less-than-ideal circumstances, yes?
She looked at Tamio for some kind of conformation with her very real bout of nonsense she was spouting off.
K’Wara: Response
Shopkeeper: I am very familiar and aware of the code. ::Folding his arms and snorting:: Fine. 20 bars.
There was no possible way he was familiar or aware of the code. Because she made it up. She made a vain attempt to keep herself from smiling.
He mumbled something under his breath. Charlotte was sure she saw his ears twitch with irritation. That didn’t stop her.
Brexis: ::Holding up her hand and shaking her head:: 20? If only that number was low enough to guarantee our silence on the matter.
K’Wara: Response
Charlotte tilted her head and glanced down at her fingernails, showing she was losing her patience with the shopkeep. As she did that, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, an almost identical statue to the one they saw earlier. The not-so-subtle mushroom on the top.
Shopkeeper: ::Sneering:: 15.
Charlotte: 14. ::Pointing to the statue:: And you’re going to throw in that statue too.
To further drive her point, she held up 14 bars of latinum. Was it strictly appropriate for a commissioned Starfleet officer to invoke a completely fictitious subsection of Federation law while haggling with an allied species?
Most likely not.
And Charlotte hadn't technically threatened anyone. All she did was exercise her perfectly legitimate right to inquire about the origin of a dubiously-sourced item. The made-up citation was just a splash of bureaucratic nonsense, used as a bargaining chip.
Besides - this was Ferenginar. The land where the Rules of Acquisition outnumbered the variety of local amphibian fauna - and everyone assumed everyone else was running a scam until proven otherwise.
If commerce here operated on caveat emptor, Charlotte reasoned, it followed naturally that her side of the transaction could operate under its often neglected cousin:
Caveat venditor: seller beware.
K’Wara: Response
TAG/TBC!
Lieutenant JG Charlotte Brexis
Strategic Operations Officer
USS Artemis-A