As the couple walked into the village, receiving curious glances and looks of disdain, Arunika happily guided Aoi to the only place orphans could barter what they've foraged. They kept hearing what was being whispered about them and they just didn't care. Their world was only focused on keeping a tight grip on eachother's hands and walking along like nothing else mattered.
Arunika just pulled her along with a skip to her step, humming with a bright smile like she was the happiest person in the world and Aoi just looked at her with a gentle gaze that held a doting demeanor with the edge of her lips lightly curled up.
"We're here!" Arunika pulled Aoi in front of a shop that looked a little run down. It was an old rickety building that had a sign board that held a symbol that Aoi recognized as the same one of a balance scale from pawn shops in America.
"Eh? A pawn shop?"
"Oh, you know what pawn shops are?"
"Yeah, every city where I'm from has them. They're normally used for selling and buying used goods but there's also a basic loan service offered. You put up a valuable object you own up for collateral and receive a loan with interest for less than the value of the item you're putting up because if you default on the loan after a certain amount of time, they keep the item and sell it for profit in their store. Either way, they'll still make money from it."
"Oh? They also have that? I didn't know that."
"Of course, what did you think the word 'pawn' means?"
Arunika just shrugged her shoulders with an indifferent look. "Dunno."
Aoi just facepalmed, sighed and mumbled under her breath. "I really have to teach her the ways of the world or I won't be the only thing to eat her up."
"Hrm? What'd you say Aoi-chan?"
Aoi just looked at her with a strained smile, eyelids twitching, and said, "Nothing honey. Let's go in?"
As they walked in, the first thing Aoi noticed was the shadows and poor lighting in the building like every fixture in the store never saw any natural light. Then came the musty smell. It was like a mixture of dust, pest feces, and staleness just oozed out of every corner. Further in was a desk, lit up with a small candlestick nearing the end of it's use. At the desk was sitting a middle aged man writing on what looked to be a ledger for loans. He looked weak and haggard, but he still had an air around him that showed he was still hale and hearty.
"Hey! Old man! I'm back with more stuff to sell."
He looked up and smiled with a mouth that was missing more teeth than had and the ones that were still there had a color similar to turmeric. Aoi couldn't help but nearly gag at the sight of it and tried to focus on his eyes.
"Oh Nika girl! You're here? Got more stuff to sell, huh?" He rubbed his hands together and subtly licked his lips lasciviously. Arunika may have not noticed his behavior but Aoi sure did and instantly put up her guard. "You always have good stuff, girl. HAHAHA!" Then he noticed Aoi standing to the side.
"Now who's this new girl?"
Arunika smiled and held up their hands. "My new wife! We just got married recently!"
The old shop attendant hummed a response and started looking Aoi up and down.
Aoi couldn't stand his looks, narrowed her eyes and twisted her brows in an ugly expression and blurted out in a deep raspy voice like a thug, "Keep your eyes, old man, or lose them." This response surprised both the shop attendant and Arunika.
Aoi may look like a frail and cute girl to most people, but deep down she has a temper that goes past that of a vengeful god. She was innocent until she went overseas to Wh**ton San Francisco for her MBA. Her first visit to the night life there after she came of age ended up with her drink being drugged with a roofie the minute she turned her line of sight to talk to her friends. If it wasn't for a kind woman who noticed this from the tables behind her, she would've been raped.
That woman became her greatest friend overseas. She taught her basic self-defense, street smarts, and introduced her to the LGBT+ circle and night life. The woman was her greatest 'wingman' as well as sometimes even joining in on the fun after Aoi started spreading her wings.
Arunika was struck dumb after discovering this side of her wife. "Uhm... what's wrong, Aoi-chan?"
Aoi still had a disgusted look on her face and turned to her. "Can't you see this disgusting piece of shit has been eyeing us like pieces of meat since we started talking? You have a lot to learn honey if you're this naive." She turned to the old man and said, "And listen hear shit-for-brains. We're here for a business transaction not to give you a show, so if you keep looking at us like that I'll rip your balls off, turn your dick inside-out and shove something long and hard in you so you know what it feels like to be thought of as a tool for pleasure."
He gulped and nodded his head shakily. "Uhm... f-for sure... kind ma'am. B-business... o-o-only business, hehe."
Aoi turned her grimace into a business-like smile and lightened the tension in her brows and turned into someone else entirely from who she was just a second ago. "En! That's how it should be." She turned to Arunika and said cheerily, "Go ahead and take out what you're going to sell honey, and don't worry, we'll talk about what just happened later tonight."
Arunika snapped out of it, let go of her hand and started taking goods to sell out of her knapsack. She started pulling out unrecognizable herbs, animal parts, and other miscellaneous goods and put them on the desk. After she finished she said, "This is everything. How much for all of it?"
While he was inspecting everything under the candlelight, Aoi started glancing at the ledger to see if they used a different writing system. After looking at it, she breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank God. It looks like their alphabet and written numerals are similar to that of Earth's English.' With that she said, "I'm going to look around honey."
"Okay! I'll follow you."
As they started looking around Arunika was asking her if there was anything specific she was looking for. "No, just wanting to look at the prices of what's on the shelves. If you want a fair price for what you're selling then you need a comparison of what they sell for at a retail value. How's the currency work her by the way?"
"Oh, you have silver knuts and ingots then gold knuts and ingots, and it's 30 knuts per ingot. Only nobles use gold though. You need about 90 knuts of silver for one gold knut or 3 ingots."
'Sounds similar to grams and ounces albeit the measurements are a little off.'
"Hey girls! I'm done. Come on over and we'll discuss the price." After they walked over he continued. "I can give you 20 knuts for the whole lot. How about it?"
Arunika didn't even take time to think and started to agree before Aoi interrupted her. "That's not going to work. I inspected your store to get a rough estimate of what you sell everything at and that's only a quarter of the value of these particular items. It would be more reasonable for anywhere from 26-35 knuts. I know you need to make a profit, so I won't cut too far into it. What you're doing though is undermining my wife's hard work to gather all this. Are we clear?"
Aoi my have looked accommodating and cheerful, but the old man could obviously feel the pressure and intimidation coming from her. "H-how a-abou-out 35 th-then?"
Aoi gave him a bright smile that made her look like an innocent maiden. "That's great! We'll take 35 knuts! Don't bother with the ingot. Easier than forcing other merchants from having to make change later. Sound fair Aru-chan?"
Arunika this whole time just looked back and forth between the shopkeeper and her wife completely confused. "Yeah... sure, whatever my wife says old man." Aoi then proceeded to pat Arunika's hair causing her to giggle.
After the transaction finished, the pair walked out talking about going to get food and clothing. The man pat his chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to himself, "I pray for mercy for the other merchants. That girl isn't cute. She's a monster. I've never been so imtimidated in my life."