PITY
Gorim dangled the delicate necklace between his thick thumb and forefinger. It was a simple craft, a pale amber colored piece hanging from a worn leather strap. He'd seen many pieces of similar construction, but this one seemed unique and oddly familiar.
"Why don't you take it to The Wonders of Thedas, just round that corner?" Gorim asked shoving the charm back into the hands of the young elf who was looking up at him expectantly.
He shook his little blonde head so hard Gorim was afraid it might come right off. "Oh, no! I can't do that, sir. I'm not allowed in that place. Besides those men are creepy, the way they talk, it just isn't natural."
The dwarf laughed in spite of himself. He had to agree. "Look, boy, I'm a weapon and armor merchant. I've got no use for trinkets like this. There must be someplace else you can take it."
"Oh, but I've tried. Most of the merchants here won't pay any attention to me." He replied sadly, kicking his toe into the dirt.
Gorim sighed, staring at the amber colored pendant. It seemed to have a few red droplets suspended around a gently pressed rose. He wondered what the little red spots were. It was possible that the piece was enchanted, but he couldn't be sure, that had never been his specialty.
"Please, sir." The boy pleaded. "I have no idea what it's worth, but it should be able to fetch at least a few silver. Please? You could take it to that Thedas shop yourself. I bet they'd buy it from you!"
Gorim eyed the lad closely. His clothes were threadbare, stained and obviously too big. Probably third or fourth generation hand me down's. Life in the Alienage was supposedly improving, but by the looks of this fellow it hadn't come very far. The boy was pretty vague about where he had picked up this odd little item and Gorim had no illusions that it was an entirely legal exchange. Yet, it didn't seem like that long ago when Gorim would have welcomed a bit of kindness from a stranger. Against his better judgment, he found himself taking pity upon the boy. It was obvious he wasn't a complete charlatan, just a child pushed to desperate measures to keep food on the family table. Digging into his pouch, he pulled out 15 silver and handed it to the child.
"Here. Now try to stay out of trouble for a bit." Gorim stated gruffly.
The boy smiled. "Oh, thank you, sir. I won't forget this. Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Now get out of here before you attract more beggars to my shop."
The boy nodded and ran off in the direction of the Alienage. Gorim frowned. Sometimes he was just too soft. Being on the surface had certainly changed him. Flipping open the top to a small wooden lockbox, he took one last look at the teardrop shaped pendant and dropped it into his junk collection. Perhaps it would fetch a price at The Wonders of Thedas' shop, but he certainly wasn't going to hold his breath.