Here's a commission story I did for Presumptuous on Gaia,which there may be a possibility of a follow up for.Enjoy my sadattempt at an undetermined accent!

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Bzzz.

Bzzz.

Presumptuous absently brushed the bee away from her face, too absorbed in the stall in front of her to notice the stinger, as she normally would have. She leaned over the short, wooden wall of the pen-not hampered in the least by the fashionable ball-and-chain she wore around her ankles, she was so used to it- and peered at the tiny, multi-colored, bearlike creatures romping around inside.

Curious, she ventured a hand in. She yanked it back twice as fast, nearly losing a few fingers to previously hidden fangs.

"I wouldn' do that again, missie." the shopkeeper advised as Presumptuous rubbed her hand and stared unbelieving at the creatures, once again frolicking innocently in their pen. "The fangs ain't sharp enough to cut yet, but the venom'll put you out for a good two hours, at this stage." She continued, almost casually, as if the statement wasn't odd at all. Of course, in the world of Gaia, it wasn't. "Ya wan't one?"

Presumptuous shook her head quickly, patting the black pupfin, Luna, beside her to reassure the pet that she was alright. "No, no, that's alright. I think-I think I'll keep browsing." She hurried away, Luna following.

The shopkeeper watched her run off, and shook her head, red curls bouncing wildly. "A bit skittish, that one." she remarked. "Hey!" she barked out suddenly, turning back to the pen. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

Presumptuous fast-walked past several more booths and stalls, when she finally stopped in front of one that caught her eye. It was different from the others, in that the pitch-black banner hanging over the open entrance had no words on it. Apparently, the shop had no name, as it was quite obviously open, judging from the signs that announced things like- "Grand Opening!" "Come here for the best pet you've ever seen!" "Great Pets-Better Prices!" and the like.

Plus, a giant "OPEN" sign hung just below the blank banner.

Gingerly she walked up to a window and peeked inside. Despite the aforementioned signs, the shop was dimly lit, and Presumptuous saw no signs of anything alive-pet or human. About to leave-maybe the owner had forgotten to lock up after leaving-Presumptuous let out a shriek and leapt back.

Too surprised to realize that everyone was staring at this point, and that Luna was worriedly tugging on her Nitemare scarf, the startled girl stared at the pale white face that had suddenly plastered itself on the other side of the window. It hadn't moved, the man's-it looked like a man, anyway-features smashed against the glass as he stared wide-eyed at the brunette. Then, without warning, he let out a whoop and disappeared.

After staring blankly for a moment, Presumptuous realized she had an audience. Blushing she flapped a hand nervously at the crowd, showing that she was alright. "I saw-a bug." she said by way of explanation, not sure how to explain what really happened. As the crowd began to disperse, she turned to walk away but felt herself yanked back and heard a growl from Luna.

Looking back, she saw that the white-faced man was holding tightly to her hand, a creepy, ear-to-ear grin on his face. Luna growled at the man who touched her owner without permission. Presumptuous opened her mouth, not sure of what to say but sure she should say isomething/i, but the man, barely taller than the girl he held hostage, spoke first.

"Customer." he stated in a voice that was faint from disuse. Presumptuous had to lean in to hear.

"Ex-excuse me?" Presumptuous asked.

"Customer." the man pronounced, and proceeded to drag the girl towards his shop.

"Hey-wait!" Presumptuous cried, regaining her will. She yanked her hand out of the man's grip. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded of the white-faced man. Luna placed herself between the two.

"Customer." the man repeated once more, and bounded into the store without another word. Presumptuous gazed into the shop, speechless with this strange turn of events. She regained her voice when the man reappeared, this time holding an oddly colored egg-the surface reminded Presumptuous of a patchwork quilt, actually- and held it proudly out to her.

"Egg." he announced happily.

"Yes. Egg." Presumptuous confirmed. "Very good. I'm just gonna...leave now." She turned to do so, only to find the man standing in front of her, a frustrated expression on his face.

"Customer." he said stubbornly, and handed the patchwork egg to Presumptuous. She took it, too startled to notice. She looked back at the door, then at the white-faced man, then back again.

"How did you do that?" she asked finally, but the man was already walking busily back to his shop. "Hey, wait a second." Presumptuous objected when she realized she held the egg. "I don't want this. I-" but she spoke to a closed and locked door, who didn't seem interested in her troubles. Completely nonplussed, she stared as the signs in the windows were all simultaneously taken down, and the blank banner fell, apparently of its own accord.

"I didn't pay..." she finally said weakly, to the uncaring door. Luna, the danger to her owner gone, was staring at the patchwork egg curiously.