4. Unrestricted Approach

Ethan slowly approached the small shop that was devoid of any customers. He rested his arm on the counter as he glanced at the shop owner, a tall individual with an imposing air and a sharp gaze. He looked at Ethan's posture and without any words displayed his annoyance.

"Are you Expecting a freebie? This isn't a charity. Buy something or get out," the man remarked stoically.

"Well, I may not have anything to offer regarding kind or any money but hey! Ya never know what I can do to help you", Ethan said with a wry smile. Despite the daunting appearance of the man, he appeared somewhat sick.

"Brat, listen here, do you think I haven't encountered such charlatans like you? Do you believe I have never seen people who are so desperate to survive they disregard their own humanity and deceive others to benefit themselves. Do you understand me, or do you require a physical approach to your solutions? " The man's tone grew more commanding.

Ethan grew slightly tense as lifted both hands, palms facing downward, and moved them in a slow, rhythmic motion, signaling for them to calm down.

"C'mon now, I do believe I have some info that could greatly help you. Maybe can even fix this damned problem of your shop."

"How much longer do you intend to waste my time kid?" He said as he began to stand up, but Ethan decided not to comment on his intimidation and shifted his focus towards a small crowd of people.

"Do you notice the people over there?" Ethan asked him as turned around pointing his finger towards some people - a small number of both men and women walking by. "Do you really think they are avoiding you intentionally?",

 "There aren't many shops around here are there sir? Then why would they refuse to come near this area?"

Ethan turned in the other direction and blurted out a regarding a similar situation. The man grew slightly angrier at Ethan's theatrics viewing him as nothing more of a mocking brat, but he did not say anything, and his attention was fixated on his words.

"What do you intend to tell me by pointing out such conspicuous information?" The man asked, his voice higher with a tinge of desperation.

"I'm just telling you, sir, that this wasn't the best place to settle up." Ethan requested the Shop owner to follow him, the man was apprehensive of the whole ordeal but decided to follow him regardless. 

Ethan went around the shop to numerous small depressions in the ground, they were callously boarded up which allowed for water to easily seep into them. Ethan bent down as he removed one of the bulwarks from the stagnant water, it had a darker color plagued with mosquito larvae, there were multiple of these.

"So? What now? You're going to compensate me correctly right?" The sardonic comment slipped out of Ethan's mouth.

"A brat as cocky as you shouldn't deserve anything, but I cannot let such a favor come back to bite me" The owner spoke his mind freely. He seemed frustrated but was internally relieved.

Back at the shop the owner laid down a small bag in front of Ethan, it was decently heavy, and as he attempted to open it the shop owner stopped him.

"Don't open it just yet. Some people here could be quite troublesome." His voice was now more reassuring, Ethan couldn't help but feel like he was being swindled but listened to his advice. 

Caia meandered through the streets searching for anything of worth that could help them with their current circumstances. She walks past rows of old houses, she glances towards some of them only to notice them being held together by sheer will. Shutters held together with wire and hope, roofs dotted with mismatched shingles, and porches propped up by random bricks. 

One house caught her eye. Its front gate was sagging on a single hinge, the other had long since been replaced by a loop of rope tied in a clumsy but effective knot. 

"This place has definitely seen better days", Caia remarked as she moved towards a small bazaar at the end of the street. 

The small bazaar had a lineup of different shops which although lacking in sheer quantity but made it up by its vast variety. As she moved through her movement halted, and her attention was drawn towards a fairly larger store with a wide-ranging selection of different fabrics, though it was obvious that they were not well kept, dirt had completely overtaken some of them and the low price made it all the more suspicious. 

Caia crept towards the ragged store and in a low voice asked the storekeeper to provide her with a small cloth for closer inspection. The store owner expressed annoyance, but he agreed and moving around the shop was able to find a piece of cloth that he slammed on the table.

"Uh, may I ask a question?" Caia said in a perplexed tone. "This feels like relatively high-quality silk, why are you selling it at such a low price? Is it a counterfeit?" Although Caia's question was out of genuine curiosity, the question garnered an angry response from the store owner.

"What do you mean by asking me that question? This is my high-grade cloth, why don't you just buy it or scurry away?", his tone grew more aggressive.

"No, I was just a little curious abo-"

"What do you mean you were curious? You are questioning the authenticity of my merchandise.", He grew louder and more furious with each sentence.

"What? No, I didn't intend to degrade you." Her responses were being overshadowed by the loud comments thrown by the store vendor.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TIME IT TOOK TO SET UP THIS STORE?", the store owner got more aggressive, pointing the blame to caia.

His voice was near shouting as he yelled at her. Caia slowly grew more impatient.

"Ok mister please calm down, I had no such intention so stop shouting and making a scene."

"What? Do you intend to intimidate me now? Well how abo-

"I do think that is enough for now.", A man stepped into the conversation, his asserting and confident tone was reassuring and was able to bring the heated argument, although one-sided, to a halt.

"Do tell me Mister Mercer, if that is even your name, where the entire Mercer family suddenly went? It appears as if they disappeared suddenly, and you emerged as the new owner of the store." The man's voice was calm, but it had a tinge of spite entangled in it.

The store owner argued no further knowing it was a losing battle, and he quietly retreated to the back of the store.

The man turned his focus towards Caia, introducing himself as Alkeid Reid Graham.

"So, what were you looking at that got him so fired up?" Alkeid asked as he let out a small laugh.

"Nothing, it's just that I was surprised that such quality of material is present here. Such materials shouldn't usually be present in such an area. So, I thought I could ask him about it but it didn't turn out great I guess.".

"You seem quite knowledgeable about matters." Alkeid remarked in a playful tone.

"Uhh, Well I was a commerce student specifically in textile merchandise, so I am decently aware of such information."

Alkeid's expressions lit up with surprise as he pressed further with questions, "Well isn't that just convenient! We needed a person who is knowledgeable in textile merchandise for our business! I suppose you don't have a place currently as it seems you are from out of town. Would you mind taking a look at our operation at the least?"

Caia was taken aback by how Alkeid was aware of them not belonging to the town, "Well, I am sorry but I'm not travelling alone and hence I can't single handedly accept your offer." her tone seemed a little hesitant as she answered.

"Well that's a shame but do reach out to us if you change your mind. We have our small establishment down the street from here, we will be ecstatic if you do work with us."

"We?" Caia thought to herself, as she watched Alkeid's slowly turn back and walk off into the street.

She decided to head back to the meetup spot where Ethan had asked her to, soon she saw Ethan approaching from a small street. Caia's mind was still cluttered with thoughts regarding Alkeid's offer, her consciousness raced with questions whether she had made the right choice or missed a great opportunity that could have benefitted them greatly, she apologized internally if that were to be the case.

Soon Caia reached the designated spot they intended to gather back at, she looked around and spotted Ethan approaching with a jubilant look on his face.

"Guess what I got? Some old man gave me some supplies after I fixed his mosquito problem. It was pretty obvious I don't know how he never managed to notice it." said Ethan confidently.

"That's great, I couldn't really find anything but I came into contact with someone who said they could offer me a place to work. I didn't really know what to do so I turned them down for now."

"WHAT?" Ethan's voice was one of awe and subtle bitterness, "Did someone really offer you job?".

"Yeah, I'm sorry I turned it down I didn't know what to do".

"No no, it's alright." Ethan turned their attention towards the bag that the old man had given him, "Let's first check this out."

Ethan was enthusiastic about opening the bag remembering the words that the shop keeper that told him, and he thought about what kind of a worthwhile compensation the man had provided him as he slowly opened the bag.

"Ethan, if this is a joke, then it is NOT a funny one." Caia reprimanded in a frustrated tone.

"That damn geezer."

Ethan and Caia both stared into the bag full of stones.