A small, easily over-looked shop is nestled in a small, populated part of Menewsha. The shop was once a house, and a dilapidated one at that; the patched awning hangs crookedly over the entrance, the ancient architecture and peeling paint not as inviting as the warm light that emits from the open door.

Were one brave enough to enter the store that looks as though it could fall on their head at any given moment, they might be pleasantly surprised to find the interior rather immaculate and well taken care of. It looks downright sturdy! The room is spacious albeit filled from wall to wall with ancient Chinese antiques of every imaginable shape, from trinkets to clothing, scrolls to jewelry, decorations to furniture. Each one has been lovingly cleaned and placed to the best advantage, although to whose advantage is a curious question.

At the back of the store, within eye sight at any given place within the room, is a disinterested woman behind a scratched and well worn countertop. Her brown hair falls just behind her shoulders, bangs crossing over keen dark blue eyes that watch over a minimal smile. The clothing she wears is very tomboyish, perhaps a statement of her own personality. She can usually be found listening to music of playing a video game; although she's not exactly friendly, she'll help customers only as needed, choosing to let them come to her at their leisure.

Rules:

• Be literate, or at least, let us understand what you are trying to say.
  
  Keep OOC chats as little as possible. But if you have to do it, use OOC or some form of indication so we know you are talking out of character.
  
  Do not Godmod. >_> Simple enough.
  
  Have fun~

How to

• First of all, all people (owners/non-owners) are welcomet o RP in this thread. Owners can RP with either/both the OC or your artifact when it reaches the sprite stage. Non-owners are welcome to RP their potential OC who will eventually own an artifact.
  
  There are three NPCs that will be RPing. Rie, Kirin, and Kirin's spirit, Nu Wo. Most of the times Rie will be the one that's being played. We will try to be as active as possible in responding, and in turn, we hope to see you being active as well.
  
  As owners know, every RP post is equal to 2 points added toward your artifact's growth. We ask you to keep your post at least 2 sentences long. For non-owners, actively RPing in here means you have a higher chance of getting an artifact.
  
  The initial setting is Kirin's antique store. However, don't feel as if you are being restricted in the tiny space that is Kirin's shop. Feel free to branch off and create new places that surrounds the store. And most of all, have fun RPing! :3

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Alexandrus was quite interested in the store. He looked at the antiquities of various kinds. He looked for the shop owner. "Umm, anybody home?", he muttered in a slightly shy, childish voice.

He could never afford any of these, but maybe if he found one he liked, he might save for it...

A young girl walked into the store with curious eyes. Her green eyes, which changed to red when threatened for unknown reasons, scanned the room, only to see the woman just in eyesight. She began browsing, eying the woman every so often. She was a non-owner. She didn't have an artifact of any sort, but she didn't mind. She had herself... At least she had that, out of all the things she didn't have.

She walked over to the woman curiously after browsing the store. Being a new home-owner in town, she was looking to fill her home. "Is that vase over there for sale?" She asked curiously, pointing at it from afar. She assumed the woman was the owner.

(( ahhhh sorry, I should really keep my eyes on this thread. ><; For now though, Toa can't get onto the mule, so she'll have to use her main account instead. ;w; ))

The dark skined girl glanced up briefly seeing people coming into the shop. It took a while, however, for her to get up from the comfortable corner where she sat. When she did get up, the girl lazily walked to the counter, not hiding the fact that she was half asleep still. She looked at the boy briefly before giving a nod, then turned her attention to the young girl.

"From what I know, everything's for sale in here, other than---" She leaned on the counter, tapping at the surface of the desk, then pointed at the back where she sat. "This, and my stuff over there."

Zanen timidly strode down a quiet suburban part of Menewsha, gratefully gulping down large breaths of the fresh autumn air. It was a relief to be finally doing something other than schoolwork, but though she was supposed to be exploring her new environment which she moved to in order to be situated closer to her college, Zanen walked with her eyes kept resolutely on the ground. And she was content to do so until she happened to spy the peeling paint of what appeared to be an unkempt shop. Its frame looked as if though it was about to give at any second, but despite that fact, it still managed to entice people into walking though its door.

Zanen managed to read out “Tales of the Middle Country� on the storefront, and her curiosity was ensnared as she saw that it was a shop devoted entirely to artifacts from China. Hesitantly, the teenager changed her course and made her way inside the shop, and stopped at the counter, where a girl looked as is she was on the verge of succumbing to the temptations of sleep.

“Hello…� she uttered nervously, hoping fervently that the other understood English. Her Chinese skills definitely needed some brushing up on, and Zanen didn’t quite feel like making a fool out of herself today.

“So, um…do you guys specialize in things from China?�

She cringed right after inquiring—how could she ask such an obvious thing? Zanen’s cheeks noticeably turned rosy, as she sheepishly avoided the other girl’s eyes.

Rie looked at zanen out of the corner of her eyes. Today must be one of the days in which she could not sleep gracefully through out. Oh well, she supposed, a customer or two wouldn't be a bad thing for Kirin.

Giving a loud sigh, Rie walked over to the counter and leaned herself upon it. "Yep, that's what we do. Feel free to look around. Although if you steal anything I may have to beat you up."

“Oh, s-steal anything? I wouldn’t dream of it!� Zanen stammered quickly, “Besides, getting beaten up isn’t on my agenda today, I’m afraid.�

Deciding to leave the intimidating girl get back to trying to fall asleep or whatever it was that she wanted to do, Zanen gave her a retreating timid smile before walking deeper into the spacious store. In comparison to the uninviting appearance of the outside of the shop, the inside was immaculately groomed, displaying walls and walls of beautifully polished artifacts.

Trying not to bump into any artifacts was proving to be a hard task for though the shop itself was big, it was still filled to the brim with artifacts. Inevitably tripping over a bit of shelving, Zanen pitched forward, arms flailing as they sought to find some support. They found something inexplicably smooth, knocking the mysterious object off the nearby shelf and into her stomach. Instinctively closing her arms around the artifact, Zanen fell on her knees with a loud “thump.�

“So much for not embarrassing myself,� the teenager mumbled to herself, secretly glad that she didn’t fall on her face, and happy that there were only around three other people in the shop at the time.

Looking down at what she cradled in her arms and her eyes involuntarily widened. It was a beautiful jaded urn, its palpable surface reflecting snatches of light. On further inspection, Zanen noticed that there seemed to be a subtle crack running along the base of the urn. Eyes widening even more (in horror this time), the teenager also saw that were some small holes near the urn’s top.

Oh no, it must have broken or something when I fell! Zanen thought naively to herself, not even considering the possibility that the flaws in the urn may have already been present before she came along.

Shamefully holding the vase, she made her way back to Rie.

“UmI’mreallysorrybutIthinkIbrokeoneofyourartif acts,� Zanen spat out rapidly, as if the words left a bad taste in her mouth, and placed the urn on the weary counter.

((Sorry sorry for the kind of long posts xDD))

Ran bobbed her head along to the music pumping through the headphones she wore as she strolled down the street. She only half paid attention to the names of the buildings as she passed them. When she thought she had reached the right place, she turned to the building and opening the door. She reached into the bag that she carried with the strap slung over one shoulder and crossing over her chest. It took a moment to locate the CD player amid all the junk she carried in the bag, but when she did, she turned it off.

As she removed the headphones and let the sit around her neck, Ran looked up and around at the shop. Her brows went up as she realized this wasn't a restaurant. She glanced around at all the various items and decided her boss could wait.

She heard voices near the back of the shop. "Hello?" she called out as she walked toward the voices.

The dark skinned girl merely gave a glance at the seemingly broken urn that Zanen was holding. "Eh, leave it. That thing's been like that since forever. It's an antique store, what do you expect?" She scoffed, and shifted her attention to the new girl at the shopfront.

"'sup?" Rie gave a rather careless reply to Ran's greetings. She eyed the room. It was getting more and more crowded all of a sudden. The girl was suddenly glad that where she was standing was far more spacious---the shopkeeper's area. She was also amused by the increasing number of population coming into the store. Perhaps Kirin's attempt in trying to fulfill her grandfather's wish could one day become true.

Well, in the distant future that is. For now, these customers looked nothing more than curious...human.

"Hey," Ran greeted the woman behind the counter as she continued her way to the back of the shop. "This looks like a neat little shop." She shoved her hands into her pockets as she gave the place another look around. There were a lot of cool items, and she wondered if any of them would look good in her apartment.

She walked over to one of the cases and leaned in to examine the items on the shelf. She took her time looking things over when something caught her eye.

"What's this?" Ran asked as she carefully picked up what looked like a dead tree branch from the shelf. It seemed like an odd item to have in a store.

"Oy" Rei raised an eyebrow at the item that Ran had picked up. "I don't know what it is to say the truth." She shrugged, and walked over to Ran, taking the dead tree branch from Ran's hands. "Kirin said something about this thing having a demon inside of it. But really, all I see is a dry tree branch that can be used to lit a fire."

Rie gave Ran a rather sly smirk. "But who knows, it could as well be POSSESSED."

Ran blinked as her brows lifted up toward her hairline. "Possessed by a demon?" she asked, almost wanting to laugh at the suggestion. Sure, there plenty of myths and legends. But none of that talk of demons was true. Right?

"I can't imagine why a demon would want to possess that," she said, pointing at the branch. It really looked like it could have been found outside among the other dead tree branches. She could see nothing special in the branch, other than its curious presence in the shop.

Zanen took a while to process what the woman behind the counter had said, running it over in her brain again and again as she watched a new customer take an interest in what seemed to be a dead tree branch that may or may not be possessed by a demon.

Unconsciously, she stroked the smooth opaque surface of the urn that she placed on the counter.

"Um, excuse me?" she offered timidly to catch the shop assistant’s attention. "How-how much will it cost to buy this urn?"

Zanen was pretty sure that she couldn't afford whatever the sum that would out of the other's mouth...but just maybe--well, it couldn't hurt to try, could it?

Rie snickered at Ran's remark. "Beats me. Ask the demon who's possessing the branch who may or may not exist." The girl now leaned herself against the wall, almost as if she wasn't able to stand properly without something to lay her weight upon. She turned to look at the other girl, Zanen, and her eyes traveled down to the urn that the girl was holding.

"Urgh." Rie grumbled and scratched her head. "I'm not sure. You'll have to ask Kirin about it when she comes back from school. That urn's also possessed, in case you can't tell." Rie said in a ghostly voice, but then turned back to normal as she rolled her eyes. "You know how ghosts are only real when you belive in them. So whether or not you believe in them...is up to you."

Ran looked over the dead tree branch. Perhaps it was just a dead tree branch found lying on the ground outside. But the thought of some demon residing in the seemingly ordinary item peaked her interest. Maybe this was just a clever sales ploy to get a customer to buy the item. But how often was she going to get the chance to own something possessed by a demon? Ran decided to take the chance.

She listened to what Rie told the other customer. "I supposed I'll have to wait as well to know the price for this?" she asked in reference to the dead tree branch.

Rie mused at Ran's words, then laughed. Her crisp and clear voice hang echoing in the small shop. "So you are telling me that you actually want to buy that?" The dark skinned girl glanced over at the tree branch in Ran's hand. "Go ahead and take it." She shrugged. "Come back again when the demon start to come out. But do keep in mind that you have to believe in it in order for it to come true. I'd feel bad to sell you an ordinary tree branch for money."

Rie then turned to Zanen. "You too. I'll tell Kirin about you guys. Come back later when you get hunted by ghosts...don't come crying since I warned you two first."

"Really?" Ran asked as her brows lifted. "I figure if there really is a demon possessing this dead tree branch, it would be worth it to buy it. If not, well, I could use it for firewood." She grinned, twirling the twig in her hands.

She shrugged. "Who knows? Some ghosts about might make life a little more interesting." Ran was always open to a little adventure in her life.

"CAN SOMEBODY JUST TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?!?!?!" Yume ran into the shop screaming, and waved a shop bag, from which some strange, red smoke was coming out. The girl seemed to be panicking...quite a lot. When she came home and noticed the hanfu was smoking, she almost had a heart attack. She was starting to like that thing too... And now it was burning. In a damn unnatural way.
She practically threw the bag on the counter, and took the red-and-black hanfu out of it, presenting it to the shopkeeper in its whole smoking glory.
"JUST WHY IN SEVEN HELLS DOES THE DRESS YOU SOLD ME BURN WITH FIENDISH FIRE?!?!?!?!?!"

"I suppose, the human world can be b-----"

Rie's words were cut short by the sudden intrusion of another girl...with something smoking in her bag. the dark skinned girl was quick enough to cover her ears to prevent her eardrums being blown away by Yume's cries. And when it finally subsided she took her fingers out of her ear, blew on them, and looked over to Yume with a lazy expression.

"Did kirin not tell you? We don't just sell artifacts here." She grined, showing her perfect rows of white teeth. "You are welcome to return it if you find it troublesome, but it won't do you no harm."

...return it...? The thought didn't even appear in Yume's head.She didn't want to return it, she wanted to WEAR it! ...she wanted...? Um...well...at least when no one would see it....
She quickly shook her head, stopping the sudden train of thoughts, and once again concentrated on the salesperson.
"Like hell I would return it! I just want the thing to finally stop smoking! It's annoying! And I bet it's some toxic...thing...something... evaporating from it!"
She made a small pause again, just to calm her breath, and once again looked at the hanfu. Yup, still smoking...and currently surrounding the whole room with a reddish mist.
"..listen...miss...just make it stop, okay...?"

“Umm…I’d feel really bad about not paying anything though,� the pale girl frowned as she listened to Rie’s suggestion. Her mind slowly ran over the possibility of whether the urn could actually be possessed by ghosts or not. In her careful speculation, she didn’t notice that another girl had ran into the shop, until she opened her mouth and started screaming with a piercing voice that made Zanen’s head spin.

Her ears finally adjusting to the sudden loudness of the atmosphere, the teenager finally began to focus on what the intruder of peace was actually saying. The other threw a smoking package on the counter, causing Zanen to hastily snatch away the urn in fear that it might somehow become tainted in such a close proximity to what supposedly was a dress.

“Well I never—is it possessed?� she whispered timidly, her light brown eyes flitting around the room at a wild rate, trying to discern if this was some kind of joke on the newcomer’s part. It certainly looked real enough, but she just couldn’t bring herself to believe the sight that lay before her very eyes.