I follow the attendant back into a private room. She is dressed in a black suit top and long black skirt, with her long blond hair tumbling down her back to her hips. I know that it is a marketing skill to hire beautiful people to see rare items, and it seems that principle is practiced here.

  "Are you new to the auction house?" she asks me. Feeling as though I am being a bit naive with my answer I respond.

  "Yes, this is my first time to an auction house."

  "Here is how it works. I can either give you a lump sum now and we both take a risk with the amount of money we are making or losing. Or, we can work out a deal between us for the amount of percentage that we each make." she states, appearing relaxed.

  "I am not the type to want to take risks when it comes to selling my belongings." I say calmly. If I match her tone I might seem a little less of an easy target.

  "What do you say we split the profits 50/50? It will make you a very valuable asset and seller with us. I can promise you a multitude of perks."

  "I may not have done this before, but I wasn't born yesterday. 80/20 with me taking 80." I watch her face to see if what I am saying is completely ridiculous. She looks offended. Did I play my hand too fast? I assume that this might not be the way it works? I don't know.

  "60/40." she offers.

  "78/22". I say, trying to throw her off with an unbalanced number. I see her smile and snicker. I am glad that I have made her laugh.

  "75/25. Final offer. We will also throw in priority treatment. We will show you our newest purchases before the auction begins so that you can spend your money wisely. You will also be able to stay at any of the inn locations that we have ownership of at a discount. I do however request that you sell your items to us in exchange? The ones you are auctioning off of course." she says, looking at my other dress.

  "Deal." I say, extending a hand to her. "And unfortunately the cheaper of my dresses won't be put up this time as I am in need of money now."

  "Isn't it obvious what we should do with that one?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

  "We take a risk?" I ask.

  "Yes. I will give you 250 gold for it. Anything that goes outside of the percentage of the 75/25 split you will receive. Anything less that that, we eat as a loss. What do you say?" I ask.

  I don't know if 250 gold is good, but it sounds like a lot for a Commoner to have in their pocket.

  "Agreed." I say and pass over all of the belongings that I had brought with me.

  "Save up your money and you may be able to live like a Noble." she says to me. "Unless you are turning your back of that world completely." she says, lifting an eyebrow.

  "I just want to make sure that I have plenty of money. I hear that it can be expensive to hire a healer. I also need to purchase an entire wardrobe, toiletries, weapons, armor." I say, my voice trailing off.

  "I suppose it is good that you made a deal with us then. Good quality items do cost money, even for Commoners." she warns me.

  "Thank you for your warning." I tell her.

  "What class are you by the way?" she asks me.

  "I'm a Bard." I tell her.

  "Buy more than just a lute." she warns me. "It isn't always good to rely too much on your party members."

  "What do you recommend?" I ask her.

  "Get throwing stars and dual blades." she says, shrugging her shoulders as if it is the most natural thing in the world.

  "Thank you for your advice." I say to her, grateful.

  "Of course. I welcome a good partnership." she says, and escorts me out of the room.

  Jake sees me with fully empty arms and a coin bag.

  "Don't worry honey, I didn't rip her off." the woman says, walking over and kissing Jake on the cheek. Jake blushes and smiles stupidly. Either they are together or he is in love with her. This actually makes me a little more comfortable spending time as his friend.

  "Alright Rona, I will trust you." he says to the attendant, I guess Rona is her name? She seems kind. I like her. Maybe she will end up being a new friend.

  Rona looks between Jake and I and sighs. "You will have no idea the kinds of locations to take her to buy what she needs will you?" Rona asks the both of us.

  "Yeah, probably not." Jake says, running his hands through his hair and chuckling uncomfortably.

  "Wait right here. I will go take the rest of the day off."

  "You have that sort of freedom?" I ask Rona, surprised.

  "Of course. We all do. We love our jobs so we are never short staffed."

  I watch her in amazement as she walks off. She has such command and elegance that I can't help but respect and admire her. I didn't know that non-adventurer Classes had as much freedom.

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  I see her come back and she has a small racoon following along behind her. "This is Cookie and she likes pretty and shiny things. She has more of an attraction to things of worth." she immediately tells me. I wasn't going to ask. Do many people ask her about the reason that she has a racoon?

  I look over at Jake before remembering that not all families can afford eggs. It is such a foreign concept to me that it doesn't even cross my mind. I think back to breakfast and realize that none of the three had Class Helpers. No cute animal companion. It's more than a little unfortunate, but Jake doesn't seem to mind. He opens his arms wide and Cookie runs and jumps into them, snuggling under his chin. It's very cute.

  "Cookie seems like a very sweet girl." I tell Rona, who smiles brightly at me.

  Seeming to notice the presence of another Class Helper, Glimmer comes out from under my hair, scampering over to my shoulder and watching everyone and everything from his perch. As if he thinks that it isn't high enough he slither scuttles his way up to the top of my head and perches there. Glimmer lets out a chirp of happiness that makes everyone smile.

  "It's lovely to meet you Glimmer." Jake says to him. Glimmer cutely chirps in response, causing both Jake and Rona to look curiously at him.

  "Don't be offended." I tell them. "He just can't talk yet."

  "Doesn't talk?" Cookie says and reaches a paw out to Glimmer. Glimmer butts his head against her paw happily.

  "He doesn't seem broken." Cookie says, stroking his head before hopping down to the ground. "He's just a baby."

  "A baby?" Rona asks, startled. "Was he hatched from a rare egg?"

  "Yes." I respond, curiously. What does that have to do with anything.

   System says, proud that they are able to provide me with information that I didn't have yet.

  It seems that they like to be the most knowledgeable person in the room. Although System isn't quite a person, or are they? They seem to be sentient so I will count them as a person!

  'Thanks System. You are the smartest.' I tell them.

  

  "It has everything to do with it!" Rona says, throwing her hands up. "The rarer that egg, the rarer the creature. Although, I haven't heard of a rare lizard." she says, inquisitively.

   says the very informative System.

  'So I might have a baby dragon or wyvern? Wouldn't those eggs be more than rare?'

  "Interesting. Well, someone might have sold your family an egg saying that it was rare to upsell it." Jake says, chiming into the conversation. "And believing that it wasn't going to hatch."

  "No, that couldn't be the case, it is a baby after all." Rona says, looking more closely at Glimmer. Glimmer just tilts his head at her and chirps, causing us to chuckle.

  "He is my sweet little Glimmer, no matter what he is." I say, matter of factly.

  

  'But he doesn't have wings.' I think back to System.

   System states, sounding rather matter of fact. I wonder if they just don't have a good explanation.

  "Yes, yes he is. And he is a good boy." Cookie says, sounding very pleased, patting Glimmer's head. Glimmer coos and we all head out the door.

  "What would you like to acquire first?" Rona asks me, some excitement filling her voice.

  "How about we get my lute first?" I ask. "I mean, I am a bard after all, it would be silly to not have my... weapon?" I ask, relatively uncertain what to call it.

  "Makes sense to me. How about we also get some knives and stars like we were talking about." she states. I simply nod in return.

  "I know the place to go for weapons!" Jake exclaims.

  "I suppose you do know for larger weapons and swords. What about lutes and throwing weapons?" Rona asks.

  "Aren't they all sold in the same place?" Jake asks, clearly confused.

  "Not if you want good quality. Follow me." Rona says, giving a small grin and leading us down a narrow ally.

  I follow the winding path to a small shop with a dark walls and a gold and pink roof. I lift an eyebrow.

  "Rouges and small weapons users often like the color black for stealth, and bards tend to be gaudy." she tells me, answering my silent question.

  "Let's go in." she says. Jake walks forwards, pulling the door open and holding it for us. Rona kisses him on the cheek while I give an awkward thanks.

  I follow Rona inside with Jake following behind me. I feel a smile coming over my face. Weapons. I can finally get my first weapons. This is a true step toward becoming a adventurer. I don't know if I ever actually wanted to be a diplomat I realize while looking around.

  Lutes and various different instruments hang on the wall to the left, and on the right hang daggers of various lengths. In glass containers hold throwing knives and stars of different kinds. I don't know the difference between them. I walk forwards and see that there are a different number of points, and perhaps they have different metals in them? I don't know and don't even try to pretend that I know.

  "Seeing anything you like?" Rona asks, walking up to my elbow.

  "I don't even know what I am looking at, or looking for." I tell her sheepishly.

  "No worries, a lot of new adventurers make mistakes when thinking that they know what they are talking about. Let's start out by looing at lutes. This is different from other weapons. Somehow all bards end up saying that they know what they are drawn to. For the knives and stars, make sure you ask for the right fit for you." she informs me. I love how much of a font of knowledge she is.

  "Okay, I guess I will go take a look." I say.

  I walk over to the wall of instruments. I pick some up and shake my hands. I run my fingers over random stringed instruments. Nope, not those. Hoping that I am not being too picky I begin to get nervous.

   System says, and I feel them shrugging their non-existent shoulders.

  'Okay.' I think back, letting some of the tension release from my body.

  I close my eyes and run my hands over the instruments, moving my hands up and down and not staying in a straight line. After what feels like no time at all and an eternity at the same time, I hear it. I run my fingers over some strings and feel a small thrill run through me. Keeping my eyes closed I run my fingers over it again. It feels as though something at the core of my being is thrumming alongside the sound.

  I open my eyes and see what I had strummed. It is a rather plane looking lute made of a type of rosewood. It has a deep red, maroon looking color. The tones are rich and bright with a full sound.

  Gently I take it off the shelf and give it a full thrum. I pluck some individual strings. I look around at the wall. A lot of them are bright colors, finely lacquered with designs running over them. Does that hurt the quality of the sounds? If so why get those? Is it all about bards liking to be gaudy? That's strange to me.

  

  'Yes".

  "Status" I say out loud. In front of me I see a screen pop up.

  Quest: Find a place to trade for clothes and a lute.

  Exp: 20

  Quest: Find a tavern/inn to sleep in for the night

  Exp: 20

  COMPLETE

  Strength: 8

  Cunning: 16

  Wisdom: 9

  Dexterity: 15

  Charisma: 17

  Health:100/100

  Mana: 40/40

  Constitution: Healthy

  Level: 1

  Exp: 20/100

  SKILLS

  Understanding of music: Basic

  Lute skills: Basic

  Energizing song

  Song of Minor Healing

  Song of Minor Speed

  SPECIAL ITEMS:

  Gold: 250

  'Interesting. Why is my gold listed here as a special item?' I ask.

  

  'Oh. Okay." I say, giving a mental shrug. Who am I to question the System. I am very curious as to what these songs do, and if I am going to instinctually know the words to sing.

  "Did you find one that speaks to you?" Rona asks me.

  "Yes." I reply, and show her the lute.

  "I heard you strum it. It looks bland but the sound is genuine." She replies.

  "That is because this is a soul bound instrument." a saleswoman says, stepping forward. She has bright red hair, green eyes and a bright smile.

  I see Rona's eyes go wide at this comment and instinctually know that this is something important. I think back to my training and remember a soul bound item is supposed to be important. It grows and develops as you do. Some swords get bigger, longer, stronger. The looks can change depending on what you accomplish and the person that you grow into. I am excited that I found something so rare and unique. How come it hasn't been bought?

  "Is this something that you would like to take a risk purchasing?" the saleswoman asks me.

  "Why would it be a risk?" I ask.

  "Bards get bored and want to change instruments, they find a new lute that is better, blah blah. But if you soul bind to an instrument, that is the only instrument of it's kind that you can have. And sometimes it doesn't get better with your growth."

  "That's a risk I am willing to take." I say. "Can you please show me your daggers and throwing stars?"