Mornings were always the same, at least concerning Miro and his mother. "Miro! Are you going to sleep the day through? Wake up, you lazy moron, and get a job!" "I also love you, mom." He replied on autopilot, still half asleep. Insulting wake up call, check. Miro looked at the time and groaned: 9 AM. Gathering all his willpower, he managed to stand up and move towards the bathroom before mom had the oportunity to yell at him again. Washing, check. Clothing, check. He thought. No such luck. Embarrasing talk about employment, check. Breakfast was another of the things they didn't share: they prepared their own breakfast separatedly; she dug into a bowl of fiber cereals, and Miro made a sandwich with fried ham and cheese. Breakfast, check. Of course, she didn't stop talking when eating; she had a lot of practice in that field. Even if he had to keep putting up with this until he found a real job, He didn't hate his mother, and certainly he didn't underestimate her; she was very bright wasn't easily fooled... He mused over breakfast, ignoring his mother's rant. The intercom suddenly buzzed, and Miro managed to smile as his prayers for the only escape way from the morning routine were answered. A chance of being able to go thanks to Rikura. At least, Miro assumed it was she; she was the only one who called at this time. Miro got the intercom and answered the call. "Yes?" "Miro! It's me, Rikura!" "Wait a bit, Rikura: I'm going down now." "And where do you think are you going, son?" A cold voice came from behind. Mom, of course. "Out. I'm going to check a couple of places for work with a friend." Of course, Miro didn't use the same excuse twice. "Really?" And of course she wasn't buying it either. "Unless you want me here..." Unfortunately for her Miro knew she needed him out of the way as soon as possible. "Fine. Go with that failure of a girl and throw your lives away. Like I care." Without a sound Miro hung up the intercom, grabbed his keys and went down. As he reached the bottom floor and outside he saw Rikura with her usual T-shirt and jeans attire: her plain, very short black hair and her 'undeveloped features' made her appear like a boy at first glance, but the act only lasted until she starts acting like a little girl. Suddenly a bag full of trash fell from the fifth floor of the building into the trash container besides Rikura making a lot of noise. "And next time take the trash down, you trash!" Mom's angry yell could be heard in miles around, Miro guessed. "Gee, her aim is still perfect. Are you sure she isn't an Amazon, you know, like Shampoo?" Rikura asked looking up. "Shut up. And that's not her real hair color, she dyes her hair." **************************************************** ONE OF THOSE SHOPS A Branched ImproFanfic started by Farsan de Arnibia. Chapter 1: Help Needed **************************************************** "It's funny you said that trough the intercom..." Rikura said. "Don't let my mother's words take into you. You're still not a failure." Miro said with a grin. Her career was one of the most difficult ones, so it wasn't strange to fall back a couple of years. Miro, on the other hand, already had an Economics degree and realized afterwards that nobody cared for it, so he was stranded without a real job. Rikura laughed. "At least I'm not the oldest one at the university yet. But I wasn't talking about her words, but yours..." Miro sensed incoming doom. "Yes?" "About you looking for a job." Miro thought desperately "No, no and no. I'm not going into another of your weird ideas." You see, Rikura is one of those roleplayer fans that want to live the real thing. She had dragged him with her group into more messes than Miro wanted to remember. "You haven't heard it yet!" Rikura said. "I don't need to. What about the time you wanted me to seek that treasure?" "You have to admit that it was real!" "Of course it was real! It was a map of the National Museum's sewer entrance!" "I didn't knew it at that time! But what about the time we beat those punks and stole their money?" Her Lina Inverse fever. I guess flat-chested girls think alike. She even made her own Slayers RPG system. "I still remember the blows." "Awwww, you're no fun. Besides, this is about a REAL work. Look at this." Rikura handed him a Griffin Magazine. Usual RPG stuff. "Check page 31." Miro looked. Advertisement. "What about that card game? Even you said it was boring." "Not that, baka. At the bottom of the page." There was a small square at that place containing the next words: /----------------------\ | Help Needed Shop | | | | Kazoki St. Nš 13 | | Tokyo | \----------------------/ Miro recognized the adress. It was not far away. "It must be one of those shops for roleplayers, I guess." "Of course! It's the perfect opportunity of getting a job you could actually like!" Rikura beamed at the perspective. "And perhaps I could give you a discount in gratitude, isn't it?" "Hai!" Rikura ^_^ed. Miro groaned. He thought. "I figure that a lot of people had seen this job offer... Even if it's a cheap ad it will attract too much competition for me." Miro said, trying to escape. Rikura grinned. "You haven't seen the best. Check this one." She handed him another copy of the same issue. "I didn't know you bought it twice..." Somehow it wasn't a surprise for him. Rikura was a real fanatic of the theme. "Don't be a fool. This is a friend's. Check the page again." Miro did, and the square wasn't there. "What the heck?" "I thought it was a typo, so I went back to the store I bought this from and checked every one. Only mine has this." Rikura beamed and jumped in joy. "It's SO COOOOOOL!" Miro was suspicious of this 'typo', so he rechecked Rikura's issue. The square was there. He tried to pry it off with his nails, but it was really printed on the page. So much for that idea. Miro thought. "Ok, let's check this place of yours." ******************** "Are you sure this isn't a joke?" Miro asked. Miro felt that it was a fair question, as the shop in front of him seemed abandoned for a long time. The unreadable title above the door was torn out and the lone window only showed dusty empty shelves. "Of course I am!" Rikura replied angrily. "This is the lastest issue, so perhaps they haven't prepared the shop yet!" Miro thought. He checked the knob, and the door opened quietly. "See? The owner must be inside! Come on! Get in!" She pushed him through the door. Miro coughed at the dusty and stale atmosphere. He thought. "I think we should leave now, Rikura." "Don't be boring, this is fun! I'd like to play a game here with my friends; it has the perfect atmosphere! Why don't you look for the owner while I'm checking this?" She went behind one of the shelves, fighting an imaginary battle. Miro sighed. Who would believe that a 24-year-old girl acted this way? He knew her, and he still couldn't. "By the way, if you find him, check if he sells something edible. I'm getting !" Rikura's voice could be heard from behind the shelves. Suddenly, his head started spinning, as Rikura's last word begun resonating inside his head. He tried to block his ears, but to no avail. Miro screamed as he felt his strength fading and he fell to the floor. ******************** "Miro! Wake up!" "I also love you, mom." Miro replied on autopilot, still half asleep. "Don't be stupid! It's me! Rikura!" He thought. "Rikura?" Miro moaned as he opened his eyes, locking on Rikura's face just a few inches from his own. "What are you doing here in my house?" Rikura started shaking him. "WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUP" "OW OW OW OW! STOP IT!" "Not until you are totally awake, you moron! Geez, and I thought that I was the weird one of the group. Why did you decide to take a nap when looking for a job? Well, at least, you managed to find something edible." Perhaps Miro's mental awareness weren't the best when he had just awakened, but even in that condition he was able to notice something that wasn't there before. A vending machine. Plugged to a shiny socket on the wall, the machine was one of those talking ones that he had seen too many times at the University's restaurant. /hungry...... so hungry....../ the machine quietly said with a recorded female voice over and over. Miro thought. Still feeling very weak, Miro couldn't do anything but watch how Rikura ignored his feeble attemps to get up and went to the vending machine, her eyes growing wide as saucers as she shifted her attention from one shelf to another. "Wow!", she said, totally amazed. "WOW!" Miro couldn't see from his position what she had seen inside the machine, but somehow he knew what product had caught her sight. He knew that she would dig three 100-yen coins from her pocket and insert them on the machine, and he wasn't surprised at all when she pushed a button and extracted from the bottom recipient a big cookie neatly wrapped in leaves. /thank... youuuu/ the machine said with a surprisingly grateful tone. Rikura's hands trembled with emotion as she slowly unwrapped the cookie, and she carefully ate a full bite, delicately munching and enjoying the taste. Her expression froze when she swallowed, her trembling hands finally coming to a stop. Miro tried to get up to help her, but he only gathered enough strenght to kneel. "Rikura, are you-" He started to ask. "... WAIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" Rikura suddenly yelled. "I'm not hungry anymore! These must be real lembas! I must tell the others!" She quickly bought three more cookies from the machine and stormed outside without waiting for Miro. "Wait!" Miro tried to get after her, and he was surprised to find that his strenght had returned. He rushed to the door and opened it, but he didn't find any trace of Rikura behind it. Nor any trace of the rest of the universe, either. The inertia of his mad dash was abruptly stopped by an invisible wall in the doorframe. Panicking at the nothingness, he quickly backed out. /I'm sorry, master, but it's not safe outside./ Miro heard behind him. "What?" He turned just to see the vending machine talking to him. /Right now we are not in any dimension, master. If anything went trough the door it would be lost forever/ "B- but..." he stuttered, trying to grasp the impossible. "Rikura..." /Don't worry about her, master. She's safe at her home dimension. When she left, the [sale] was completed and I was finally able to travel here./ "I didn't want to leave!" Miro angrily shouted. /We can return there later, master. We're just outside that dimension, so the energy cost of returning would be almost zero./ "What the hell are you talking about? And why that master stuff?" /Sorry.../ the machine's 'recorded' voice sounded ashamed. /Too much time alone. Almost forget about your kind. This must be awfully scary to you.../ Miro heard something falling into the machine's bottom receptacle. /Please, drink some tea and sit somewhere, master. I'll try to explain it the best I can./ He slowly approached the strange vending machine, fearing it would attack him or something. Now that he was near the machine, he could see what had fascinated Rikura that much. Displayed on the machine's shelves, there were lined every eating and drinking stuff that he had read about in fantasy books and mangas, or had been consumed by his character when playing RPGs with Rikura and the rest of the gang. From lembas, elven cookies that can sustain a person with only eating one of them daily, to strong and sturdy dwarven rations; from bottles of clear ent water to cans of root beer... His attention shifted to the can at the bottom slot. Slowly, he opened the lid and grabbed the can. It was surprisingly hot, and the only words printed on its plain surface with a beautiful small handwriting were 'Kasumi's homemade herbal tea'. Enthralled, he opened the can as he remembered all the times his character at that Ranma RPG had drunk that tea. The soothing effect wasn't complete as it lacked the kind hostess serving it, of course, but the remembrance was enough to calm him as he sipped the tea. "H... How? It tastes exactly like I imagined!" Miro stuttered. /That's because you imagined it, master./ replied the machine. Suddenly, he relaxed as everything clicked into place. "Ahh, then I'm dreaming, ne?" He found that he was actually enjoying the imagined tea. he thought, sitting down at the dusty floor in front of the machine. /I'm afraid this is no dream, master. I'm really sorry about dragging you into this mess... but I had no other options if I wanted to survive./ "Well, I believe it's time for you to explain yourself." Miro calmly said, trying to act rationally. /I believe you are already familiar with the Cycle of Faith: People pray for their gods, and the gods use the power of that faith to make miracles, thus reinforcing the beliefs of their followers./ "How do you know so many things about me?" Miro asked. /It's part of the bond; the bond allways works both ways, so you can also learn how to read me, master./ Miro nodded, sensing that this would be really weird. /But the Cycle of Faith only works with people used to ask for the things they want. As the society became more complex, and currency more often used, people grew more used to paying for what they wanted... and there is where we fit in. We travel trough the dimensions selling magical objects, and collecting the energy produced by the change in the buyer's life. It doesn't matter to us whether the change is for good or bad; the energy is the same. Of course, they MUST pay the price they believe is fair to close the exchange./ /Unfortunately, we don't have a way to know the things people want, and we lack the imagination required for designing the objects to sell, so we must be owned by a shopkeeper through bonding. In exchange for keeping us alive with a steady source of clients, we grant them immortality, invulnerability as long as you remain inside the shop, and the means for acheiving their goals, because they are the ones who choose what to sell and to whom./ /Some people had just used the money earned by their shops after they retired, but that's very rare due to the kind of people who became shopkeepers. Many have commited themselves to a cause, good or evil, and used the influence of their products to help that cause. But the ones who are really successfull in this market are the ones who really enjoyed causing the change their products provide./ /This bond should be a sacred connection... but I screwed it up. My... last master died long time ago... I couldn't protect him, as he was outside the shop. Because that, everything he had created and not selled disappeared, leaving me stranded at this dimension and without a chance to recover energy until another shopkeeper bonded with me. I tried to call for help... but nobody came until now. I don't know how long I waited, but I was too hungry to think when you came in. I sensed that you could do this task, and you came here seeking a job, which could count as wanting to bond with me. And when that girl asked for some food and you wanted to find it for her... I couldn't think anymore: I just bonded you and used your energy for creating this machine and its contents from the ideas within your mind. I'm very sorry, master... I returned your energy as soon as I had enough to give you./ "Why didn't you take Rikura? I'm sure she would have loved this... She had allways wanted to be special..." /I'm afraid she was not capable of performing this task. She lacked imagination. But if she wants to be special, perhaps you could grant her desire./ "Now I'm sure you got the wrong person. Rikura, without imagination? You haven't seen her yet... I am the one without imagination here. Even when roleplaying, I want my characters to have a normal life. Heck, I want to have a normal life!" /She only uses the themes she likes, but she can't create anything new./ "And why do you think I would do better?" Miro asked. /You have true potential, but somehow you're afraid to use it. That's why you insist in a normal life role for your characters. I sense a lot of possible paths within your mind, and I'm sure that, whatever option you choose, you'll do well./ "Options? It's not like I have anyone as you dragooned me on this. Unless I can choose to undo this 'bond' of yours..." /Sigh... I guess I deserve it for forcing this on you, master... Unfortunately, the only way to remove the bond from you is passing it to another person, and even if you find somebody, I would need more energy than we currently possess./ "How much energy?" /If we work steadly, taking no risks and without any vacations, it would take twenty years to gather that much energy, master./ "WHAT!!!?" /A bond can't break or change easily; it's made for endure even a god's wraith. Else, anyone with enough power could steal or destroy the bond, killing you in the process. Only if we both agree to pass the bond to another person, and only if we have enough energy, it's safe to transfer the bond./ "Now that's just great. I'm stuck in this stupid shop for twenty years." /Hey, you don't have to insult me! Besides, you misunderstood me. I didn't say you couldn't leave the shop when 'parked' in a dimension. But keep in mind that I can only protect you here, and you'll be vulnerable outside./ "And why should I agree with this? I could command you to return to my home, leave the shop and not ever returning again." /Sigh... That wouldn't work. Now that I'm fully aware and bonded, I require a steadly amount of energy in order to be alive. If I run out of energy, we'll both die." "How much time do you have left?" /About a couple days. Less if you create magical objects... Although I only have enough for a couple minor trinkets. And travelling to another dimension would also consume energy.... How strange..../ "What are you talking about?" /There is a Request from the Chaos god in a nearby universe. It seems that the Destined Heroes in that dimension needs help... and we have in stock what they need./ "What is a Request?" /Normally gods can't meddle too much in a dimension. When they want to do something they can't do themselves, they must use intermediaries. Shops can perform some of those tasks, and the gods give in return big rewards./ "That's great! Let's get there!" /Er... that wouldn't be wise. It would be very risky./ "Why is that?" /We aren't the only shop who had received the Request. If we failed to close the sale, we won't have enough energy to return here, and we'll probably die there when we run out of energy. Also, we aren't ready to face heavy competition, if we meet another shop./ "But the other option is waiting for our deaths here!" /Remember, that Rikura wanted to tell her friends about the shop; it's very probable they'll be back. If you create something for them, it'll ensure us a safe start. Of course, you have the last word about what to do and what to sell... What is your decision, master?/ ****************************************** Author's notes: Well, That's YOUR decision, as this is where the branches split. Will Miro risk his life for a big profit or will he try the safe option? What will he sell? What will be the name of the shop? What will happen to Rikura's crazy gang? Is Miro's mother really an Amazon? All that, and more, in both the next episodes of ONE OF THOSE SHOPS (if this starter is chosen) May the cash be with you! Ah! Thanks to Lirazel for giving me the impulse for writing this story, and to Segev and Kenji Murasaki for proofreading. ****************************************** Famous shops of the multiverse This section is for both giving examples of shops, and a source of possible plots/friends/enemies Miro can have. You are welcomed to write your own Famous Shops in your episodes, if you want to: Hispano, The Doom Mallet, Gokuraku, ... *** Spells R Us *** (Source: Shared by several TF writers) It's THE shop when dealing with magical transformations: Spells R Us has been the best of the field for a couple millenia... although many of their customers don't think the same. Almost all of them come to the shop looking for a change (for themselves or for others), and they certainly get it, even if it weren't exactly what they wanted. Even if the owner claims that he hasn't ever lied to a client about the products, the truth is that he is a trickster at heart who enjoys creating mayhem, although he is known for offering real help to those who really need it. And speaking about the owner, there is a lot of controversy about him nowadays. The Old Man owned the shop from its beginnings, but reciently he had disappeared and her young assistant took his place... and she is even more chaotic than he was. Some people believe that he got bored and ditched the task, others believe that she killed him to get the shop (an unlikely event given the protection a shop gives to their owners, but it had happened before) and some think that he actually got zapped by one of his own wares and turned into a her... but in any case, if she is annoyed towards her current situation, she certainly doesn't show it. *** Needful Tings *** (Source: Stephen King) Unlike most people believe, running a shop is not suited for devils, as they are used to buying souls, not selling things; but the owner of Needful Things is certainly an exception. Using his own words, he deals in satisfying dark repressed desires, and that is the prize he asks for the trinkets he sells. He normally does a good job (or should I say bad?) creating violent storms of hatred that destroy every place he goes to... with a few exceptions. Also, unlike most devils, he actually has a sportive attitude with his job, as he enjoys a good opposition what makes the 'game' interesting more than he wants to drive souls to hell, even if that had caused him to 'lose' sometimes. He even doesn't want revenge against those who foil his plans; instead he usually wants a rematch with one of their descendants. *** Sailor Tailor's Golden Needle *** *** The Holy Hammer of Justice *** There are several degrees of relationships between shopkeepers: Love, Friendship, Cooperation, Indiference, Competition, Dislike, Hatred, War, and May and Stephen's one. Nobody knows what started the war between May Taylor, a fuku dressmaker, and Stephen Hammer, an armor smith; but it quickly escalated into what is known as the most bloody and mean gender war of all the multiverse, constantly recruiting people selling them armors and fukus who turned them into fanatic male and female chauvinists. The Evil Powers would be delighted by this war if it weren't for the fact that they choose as battleground one of their best dimensions, and their second favourite way of demonstrating their superiority is killing youmas over time (the first is tearing each other gonads off). The Powers That Be were also angry by this senseless war, and they knew that if a side actually won the war, the other would start a jihad against evilness and the other gender through all the multiverse. Both Good and Evil sides were convinced that this was a time bomb that would wipe them both, so they both agreed to join for this time and defuse this mess... but to no avail. When anything tried to step in the middle, it was absorved by a side or utterly destroyed. The Request for this task is still growing... There are rumors about a married couple of demons (The weirdest thing in hell) that had actually drafted a plan that could work, but only time will tell if they're successfull or not. *** Aku-chan and Aku-chan's cute li'l shop of magical love *** When Akuri Tanaka inherited her father's shop, she already knew what she wanted to sell: Love. She didn't believe in love potions, though. She specialized in items that enabled people to demonstrate his/her love for their beloved: wedding rings, bouquets, gifts, postcards, etc... But when Akuri travelled in her first sale to the H-verse, met her H counterpart, and both entered her shop at the same time, the shop confused them and somehow mangled the bond, including also H-Akuri. After a long discussion, they finally decided to share the shop: Akuri specializing in the romantic ways of love, and H-Akuri in the... other ways. Actually, this dual approach is turning out being very successfull, and they are quickly earning a reputation as a great love shop.