Work Text:
The air was tense. Belle stood at the storefront that belonged to The Shopkeeper; as they stared up at the blue curtains, they held onto the strap of their crossbody bag tightly. The curtains were closed, but the shop was very much still open. Then again, when wasn’t it open. It seemed The Shopkeeper had a 24 hour business model, Belle wasn’t even sure if The Shopkeeper ever left the place now that they thought about it! The brunette took a moment to collect their nervous thoughts.
“Okay, you got this. You’ve worked hard to.. to make this happen.” They breathed shakily as their mind fed them ideas of all the things that could happen if their plan didn’t work.
“My own shop.. a safer place to make money… and offer my talents.” Their thoughts started to wander to the not so nice cases. Would they be forced to play the game even more than they have? With the horrible Monsters they so badly want to avoid? Would he even give them a space to set up? It’s all possible.
“It probably won’t even be that bad,” they thought. “you’re just nervous about this.. understandably so…”
It took a moment for them to gather their thoughts, and reassure themselves that the many conversations they’ve rehearsed in private will have prepared them for this meeting. With that, they pushed the curtains aside and entered the shop.
“Weeelcome! Come in, come in! I’ve only the finest wares in store!” Rang the familiar voice of The Shopkeeper from his magnificent chair, his feline assistant gave a simple nod of acknowledgement from the lantern display. He seemed to be cleaning the area. Though no matter how many times Belle hears The Shopkeepers voice, they still jump slightly at his greeting.
“Heyy Shopkeeper” responded the brunette, “How’s uh.. business going today?” They tried to ask casually. The Shopkeeper’s assistant, Sharlie, glanced quizzically at Belle for a moment, his ear twitching as he heard the hesitance in the humans question.
“Business is business, my dear!” The Shopkeeper remained in his seat. “Although I must ask,” he leaned a little closer, “was that a hint of hesitancy, or did I happen to mishear?”
“Wow, there’s really nothing getting past him at this point, huh.”They thought as they quickly came up with a response.
“Oh- Uhh not.. necessarily?” Belle stammered, fidgeting with their fingers. “It’s more of.. uh. Curiosity? Yeah, I had a question to ask.” They looked up at The Shopkeeper.
“Don’t panic, don’t rush into it and you’ll be good.” Belle assured themselves as The Shopkeeper readied his reply.
“Ahh,” The Shopkeeper sat back in his marvelous chair, setting an elbow on the arm of it and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. “I’m all ears, so ask your question; there’s no need for your anxious expression!”
Though his voice never faltered from its usual tone, Belle could tell that The Shopkeeper was serious in his statement. That was good at least; knowing that he’d listen to their inquiry with open ears. Keeping their gaze on him, Belle took a deep breath and began their question.
“I was wondering if— and like I said it’s purely curiosity! I was wondering… if I hypothetically wanted to open a shop, could I be granted a space to do so..?” They asked, anxiously waited for the others' response. Watching The Shopkeeper tap the tips of his fingers on his two-toned mask while he considered their request felt like an eternity, even Sharlie seemed to be silently curious about his answer.
“My my, that’s quite the proposition!” The Shopkeeper finally spoke, his usual volume breaking the silence between them. “The space to create a shop of your own— I must say, my dear, you have an admirable ambition!” He continued with a tone that could only be described as eager. “Though I’m not sure that a simple inquiry is enough to grant your request— if you want support from me, I must be impressed.”
“I-Impressed?” The brunette questioned, unsure of what he was asking exactly. “Impressed like.. how?”
“Show me the products of your passion, your fire! Impress me by showing me that you deserve the space in which you desire!~” The Shopkeeper clarified, leaning forward in his chair again. Though he was wearing his mask, it was clear that he had a curious energy towards the smaller human. “So my dear, what is it that you wish to compose? Your answer will surely determine how this conversation goes~”
Belle nodded as The Shopkeeper spoke, already thinking about what they can show him to prove they have the skills to open their own shop.
“A tailor shop, that’s what I would use the space for!” They declared confidently. “It would also double as a storefront for offering clothing options made by my own hand.”
As they explained, they reached into their crossbody bag and pulled out a jar of coins. It rattled a bit as they showed it to The Shopkeeper. “I saved up as much as I could from the games, hopefully it’s enough to secure a space?”
The Shopkeeper stroked his chin in thought, humming amusedly at Belle’s proposal while the soulless eyes of his mask looked directly at them. He seemed to be judging them and their body language, almost as if he was looking for any kind of hesitation or falter within them. The silence was loud. Belle and Sharlie both exchanged glances to each other, uncomfortable in the continued silence.
“I uh.. hope he’s not upse—”
“Wooonderful~!” The Shopkeeper’s voice rang out suddenly, interrupting Belle from their thoughts and startling Sharlie. “Your proposal sounds veeery intriguing! That line of work seems like it would suit you, what with it not being very fatiguing~” He said with cheeriness in his tone, leaning back into his seat. He surely was smiling under that mask of his.
“Uh— did… did he basically just call me weak?…” Belle wondered to themselves, pushing aside their thoughts about what he might have been implying.
“Sooo… I take it you want me to bring some examples of my work then?” The brunette questioned, putting the jar back in their bag as they looked up at the Shopkeeper.
“Why yes, of course! I will need to see your handiwork before going further, just so I know the quality of what I am to endorse.” Replied the Shopkeeper, pressing the tips of his fingers together. “I will give you a deadline to complete such work, let’s saaayy.. a fortnight. I expect to see some examples of what you’ve created, and not a moment later! Alright?”
The amount of time he gave them; it was very short! Only two weeks? Belle looked surprised.
“Th-that’s it? Two weeks to create an outfit and mend something?” They sounded a bit nervous, thinking about how they could manage that and take time to play the game. Not to mention the supplies they’d need for such a project. “I- I can’t do that— especially when I have to play the game so often to keep up with my funds!”
“Hmm, my my, seems like quite the predicament~” The Shopkeeper sneered behind his mask, his tone sounding like feigned pity. “Lucky for you my dear I’m feeling rather generous. Worry not about your funding or lack-thereof, I will provide you with the coin you need to fulfill my conditions, so don’t look so diffident.” He said, observing the human’s reaction to his words with amusement as he pulled a small leather bag from his coat, handing it to them. The bag sounded like it contained coins as it was placed in Belle’s hands, their nervousness settling a bit while listening to his offer. With this extra money, they wouldn’t have to play the game so much; this was fantastic!! They smiled a little, feeling more confident in their ability to accomplish this task without worrying about being chased and hunted by the monsters.
“Right- thank you Shopkeeper! Your generosity is much appreciated!” They clasped their hands together in thanks, the bag of coins jingling as they held it. “I will get started right away!”