Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Few were blessed by the gods, and fewer by lesser-known deities. Being amongst those handful that had no clue who and why they've been blessed, Dandelion had decided a long time ago to make good use of her abilities. Like mist, she could melt into the air and empty the contents of a sealed chest. Whatever she touched turned into the same dust particles, so even the pockets of men and women weren't safe if she so desired to rob them.

And yet, making an honest living as a rare goods merchant, she often sat behind her wooden counter, sleeping with her hat on her face. Waking up only to the sound of customers and the jingle of coins, she showed the people around, but few had the means to buy what she was selling.

Jars full of rare herbs, the organs of monsters used in medicine, not to mention the countless chests still left unopened from the dungeons from which she'd looted them. She hoped that one day someone would clear out her stock, give her another reason to go out and do what she did best, treasure hunting.

But today, things were different. Instead of snoring about with her hat covering her face, she sat leaning against her counter with a lone portrait of her childhood friend. Her hands caressed the painting, feeling every groove of the dried oil paint as if it were his skin.

'I know Asmareth chose you as his hero, but what about me? When will you come back like you promised?' It had been almost a year since the hero ventured out, and with no letters from him, everyone but her thought of him to be gone. Holding onto that hope, she lifted her gaze to the front door. With a swing, it will open any moment, and that familiar face will walk through it with a smile. Or at least that's what she wanted. 'Who cares about a stupid god and his stupid quest? He couldn't even protect us from the blindness…'

Being one of the very few who'd endured the parasite, she was thankful, but to their god, but to Lady Luck instead. Her faith had moved from one god to another; that alone was bound to cause a ripple between her and her promised lover. Lifting her heavy ring finger, she admired it for a moment, as the ring with that diamond was a promise by the only man she'd ever loved.

The news of another hero being in town had travelled to her shop as well, and while it didn't concern her, she hoped that at least if he knew, her friend's concern towards her would guide him back. After all, how could he leave his city to fend for itself while the chosen of another god were running rampant in its streets?

Glancing upwards at the ceiling, she prayed.

"I hope you make him come back, you good-for-nothing god." Her prayer, laced with an insult, fell on deaf ears, and that's exactly why she felt the need to insult him.

"As if we didn't have enough problems, the demon general, the parasite and now these outsiders. I should probably leave this fucking hellhole, Lady Fortuna will probably guide me well." Contemplating her next move, she heard the front door swinging open. Assuming it to be just another looker, she didn't even lift her head and instead leaned back on her chair and lowered her hat onto her face again. "Go ahead, look around. Not like you folks can afford any of this."

The sound of footsteps separated into a flood of different streams, indicating multiple people, but even now, Dandy wasn't afraid of being robbed or anything. Lifting her left hand, she pointed upwards to get their attention for a second.

"Oh, and don't touch anything. I've cursed them with my patron's power to blow anyone who touches my spell like a pimple full of puss!" Lowering her hand again, she placed it on her chest. Tapping fingers on her brown leather jacket and striped t-shirt, she hummed a quiet tune to herself.

Keeping one hand by her whip hanging off her belt and the other on top of herself, she wanted the lookers to try something so she could at least get herself some time out of boredom. To her surprise, the lookers didn't wander about in her dusty little shop; instead, they walked up to her counter and placed something on top.

"Someone called Meimei sent us. We have a list from her with quite a few items." Hearing the name of her only customer in the city, Dandy lifted the edge of her hat to catch a glimpse of whom she was talking to. "I'm Raven, and these are my companions, and you, I'm assuming, are the owner, Dandy."

Lifting the list off the counter, Raven held it towards the owner. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she shook her head and leaned forward in her chair. Setting her hat back on her head, she quickly took the list off of Raven while keeping her head lowered to the ground.

"I…I know, yeah." Bringing the list in front of her, she scanned the items and pushed the paper into one of her drawers. "I'll get them to her in a few hours."

As her eyes hesitantly lifted, she noticed another dark elf just like her. Thus, shifting her attention from Raven to Aria, she laughed nervously as she whispered.

"Another sister, huh? How long has it been since someone called you a thief or some other slur?"

"Just this morning, a bitch called me a rapist." Responding with her hands folded, Aria was more reserved about creating any bond than Dandy. Yet the rattled shop owner didn't get the hint.

"Ye–yeah, they always used to call me a little thief because of my skin." Noticing the fair elf as well, Dandy pinched the edge of her hat and lightly bowed to show respect. "Travelling with what should be your enemy, you're already better than most fair elves"

Shrugging her shoulders, Mel huffed out a response.

"Depend on the elf, cross a line, and your skin doesn't matter, I'll carve them up the same."

"Can we stop talking and get moving again? We handed her the list. What else are we waiting for?" Regalia, still feeling frustrated with how things went a while back, wanted to get the hell out of the city before she lost herself to murderous instincts.

Turning around, Raven nodded along and gestured for everyone to move to their next destination. But as he was walking away, the owner's eyes remained glued to the back of his head. She knew it was the so-called Hero of Aphrodite, but…

'What the fuck–why is he so handsome?' Feeling her chest tighten along with the racing of her heart, she quickly got up to get herself a glass of water, but when she would return to the shop, another dark elf would be waiting for her…