Spending Decisions

After going over what was remaining from their spending funds that had to last a couple of days, Felice went off on her own to go over her recent gains while Cleo, Micah and Pixel went to do the same.

Their next visit was to an odds and ends or collectables store that dealt with all kinds of gadgets to even some other pieces of weaponry.

There were sniper goggles, sling shots, gun holsters, smoke bombs, children's toys, antique collectable pistols, decorative ornaments while there were some more lethal options left in the back room that were only available to customers that could afford them or were qualified to use them.

Micah took a little interest towards some of the gadgets that were on display so he spent a little time studying them while Pixel had purchased a Log Pose worth one hundred thousand berries which had left her with very little berries remaining.

Luckily Pixel had been able to get the original price reduced a little more so that there were still some minor funds left.

Pixel looked at the almost empty bag that was used to keep her spending funds within then let out a sigh. "This is not nearly enough to last me and others the next couple of days. What should I do?"

The Log Pose had been purchased in advance for her adventure on the seas so that navigating between each island would be possible in the New World.

She had come to know that without one, it was difficult to navigate either half of the Grand Line and it was very easy to get lost on the seas then sail into further danger.

Even if there was no danger encountered on the seas when meeting other ships or natural dangers, there was a limit to how many supplies could be maintained before they ran out.

Sickness, a lack of food, a lack of drinks and other factors had to be considered before setting sail on the dangerous seas.

If there was no way to find an island to stock up on supplies then there could be loss of life on her ship for the simplest of reasons.

Pixel turned to Cleo and asked. "Is it possible for you to lend me some berries? I will pay you back later."

Cleo frowned and asked. "Is that really allowed?"

Pixel nodded. "There are no rules against it. I think that I have some kind of plan to get some more."

Cleo thought for a moment then said. "What do you want it for?"

Pixel then looked around the store and started to point to some cheap items on sale. "This should work. This too… how I just need some other things and some place to use."

While Pixel and Cleo were discussing how much Pixel would be borrowing, the other heirs were settling into the island in their own way.

Maximillion was wandering around with his friends and visited several stalls to test out each of the samples of food available then a man arrived in front of him.

He was wearing a slightly flashy suit and flashed a charming smile towards those that he had stood in front of.

He bowed slightly and said. "I can see that you and your friends are men of great taste. How would you like to visit a good place that will leave you all satisfied?"

The friends of Maximillion had nudged the side of him excitedly. "This sounds interesting."

Maximillion knit his brows and asked. "What kind of place is it?"

The man grinned and started to walk away slowly. "An entertainment and drinking establishment. There are food, drinks, games and many other things. If you have the berries then your desires will be satisfied."

Maximillion hesitated a little before being drawn in by the words of the man. "Take us to that place."

They were led away to a less public space where they entered a building.

There were several shady characters hanging around the area and the building itself did not fully look up to the proper standards for a legal business.

Maximillion was far too naive and less experienced with dealing with such situations so he fell for it all right away and was led to a room that had curtains at the door and candles lit up the room.

There was a menu on the table and comfortable chairs positioned around the room with a slight smell that lingered in the room from the previous people that had used it even though it had been tidied up.

Maximillion looked down towards the menu and saw the list of things to purchase. "Food menu.. drinks.. entertainment.. wait? What are these ones?"

The man that led them there said with a smile. "They are more special services if you are looking for an even better time but the costs will be far greater."

He looked towards the drinks menu and asked. "Can you explain a little about these drinks?"

The man began to explain. "Beer is the most commonly drink sold here that is made from fermented wheat and barley which comes in a wooden barrel. Wine is made from fermented grapes, fruits or even grains such as rice.

A stronger drink like rum is made from sugarcane or molasses is a recommendation for something stronger. Sake is a fermented rice drink that is very popular with many people. Liquors are sweeter alcoholic drinks made from fruits, herbs and spices with distilled spirits."

Maximillion thought to himself. "I would like to try a little beer and the liquors with less spices in them."

If there was anything among them that a cat human would be attracted to then it would be the drinks that contained barley or various herbs that suited their taste more.

There were some herbs and there was barley that had beneficial effects on the body of an ordinary cat then there were different fruits or other ingredients that they could eat.

Some herbs were very beneficial to their body while some others were not then there were things like spices or fruits that they could not taste that well.

Among certain herbs, there were very attractive herbs that cats preferred far more than others.

There were things that could be eaten by them that were not an essential part of their diet like rice so even a normal cat could consume smaller amounts of them without suffering any problems.

The feline physiology would have made them an obligate carnivore which made them need to eat meat out of a biological necessity and had more trouble getting the needed nutrients from plant matter but their Mink physique or the Minks traditions had changed a little of those previous rules.

They did have similar likes and dislikes or tended to avoid certain things but there were some things that their animal side would love to have or needed a lot but their Mink traditions had forbade them from having it just like the rule on not eating furry animals.

There may have been some differences in what they could actually consume with their human-like bodies but they could not change some of their likes or habits that were linked to their animal side.

Maximillion paid for the beer and liquors then ordered some fish, fruit and vegetable dishes them turned his attention to the entertainment section which would further drain the berries he had.

A couple of young thirteen year old Minks were lured in along with a couple of others that accompanied and attempted to give their guidance to him but they each started to get further tempted by the things they had never experienced before.

Once they got a slight taste of what they could not have access to in their own island, they were happy to spend their berries on them and fell deeper into some bad habits.

Maximillion was not a bad child but he was easily swayed by others and could be led into troubling situations by those around him.

It was much easier for him to pick up bad habits or even do something wrong that would leave others being disappointed with him.

The way that the elders had begun to view him was not that great but his actions on the island would only further lead to them thinking of him as a problem child that would only cause troubles for others.

He was still too young, naive and inexperienced to know that he had been led to a more dangerous area of the island where he could be taken advantage of or could possibly encounter some dangers.

The alcoholic drinks were among the first things to dull his senses and to distract him and the others around him.

There were several more things on the menu that he could be tempted to spend his berries on that would be something a more rebellious teenager would be tempted to try out at least once and may get addicted to.