Baugulf and Melusine turned left after traveling westward from Petri's, entering a street with such a shockingly dense crowd Melusine had to grip tight onto Baugulf's sleeve to keep herself from fleeing back the way they'd come. The main street was the widest in the city, running north from the central gates up to the enormous tunnel leading into the mountain. Travelers from the cities of Ardes and Margrad streamed into Belozer from the gates, most leaving their mounts in the southern bound stables.

"Easy now, nothing can hurt you," Baugulf soothed, patting Melusine's shoulder. "You took on a Wolf-Spider all by yourself, this street is nothing."

Melusine took a huge, hard gulp, and put one foot in front of the other. 

Giovanni's shop was on the main road, southwest of Petri's Weapons. Its sign was as ostentatious and flashy as the Archmage's tower in the upper levels of the city. A huge metalwork of a magnifying glass, a cluster of crystals, and squiggly words were precariously strapped to some rods above the door. It had been plated in gold and silver in lieu of plain paint, and the remains of some shimmering texture sparkled on what little wasn't covered in precious metal.

"I don't want to go in there," Melusine objected, a dead-inside glaze to her eyes as she stared up at the sign. "I don't need to read to know that whoever is in there is crazy."

"Don't be so quick to judge, Miss Melusine. This is the best place in the entire kingdom for magic items appraisal."

"Mmn..." Mel's lips pursed and her heels dug into the ground as Baugulf pushed her closer to the doors.

The door swung open with a clear ring, and confetti poppers went off into Mel's face. Melusine turned to glower at Baugulf—who burst out laughing—with colorful strings hanging over her eyes like a mop atop her head. The clump of confetti string atop Mel's head was snatched off and slapped onto Baugulf's crown instead. The knight only guffawed more, holding his stomach and adjusting the colorful pizzaz so it wouldn't fall off.

"Hello!" A squeaking and lilted falsetto greeted from above.

A stick thin man drifted down a spiral staircase that led up to the second floor of the shop. He wore a silk low-cut purple robe that hung tight to his body. Elegant embroidery in white and gray thread covered him from shoulder to ankle. Snowy plume feathers were pinned into his wavy bleached blond hair, all the way to his lower back. Most striking of all was the masquerade mask that covered the upper half of his face, hiding his eyes behind a white mesh. The colors coordinated with his clothing, a deep purple and gray diamond pattern painted onto ivory.

A thin arm wistfully moved through the air to present the shop, a winning showman's smile on the store proprietor's face. "Welcome to Giovanni's, home of wonders, enchantments, and appraisals. Suited to every need, magical or otherwise. What can I do for you today?"

"Good gods, get me out of here." Melusine kept her voice as quiet as she possibly could, her eyes squeezing shut. She muttered her prayer like a mantra, a mere mumble to Baugulf.

"Good afternoon, Sir Giovanni," Baugulf greeted, speaking over Melusine. "We came across a sword on our travels, and we'd like you to appraise it for us."

"Excellent. Before we can begin however, I have a question for the both of you." Giovanni pointed a finger at them each, his nails long and manicured to a sharp point. "What do you think is the most valuable thing in this room?"

Noticing Baugulf seriously ponder the question and take stock of the store's merchandise, Melusine shrugged her shoulders and took a few seconds to look around as well.

The store was cluttered, but there was an organization to the madness. Rows of shelves, dressers, bookcases, and tables littered the two story shop. Every single surface was covered with an eclectic array of items—everything from weapons to salt and pepper shakers. Some things looked to be extraordinary and ludicrously expensive, while others seemed perfectly benign. A gilded sword was propped up against a mirror with strange symbols carved into the frame. A cubic hunk of metal shimmered in and out of existence on top of a cabinet that opened and closed its drawers all by itself. A pair of ordinary table shakers were placed in front of a glistening opal the size of Melusine's head.

The opal was the item that Melusine chose, her rough-skinned pointer finger briefly jutting out towards it.

"That big rock over there," Melusine indicated.

"What about the mirror?" Baugulf asked, stepping closer to the sword and its backdrop. "The Archmage has one of these in his office, and it's his prized possession."

"Hm... you two do have good eyes, but you're incorrect." With the poise of a cat, Giovanni glided down the rest of the steps and approached the traveling companions. At first it looked like he had lied and Mel's guess was right when he sailed closer to the opal, only to pick up the table shakers and present them to Mel and Baugulf with a toothy grin. "These are the most valued. Sentimentality has no limits when it comes to money—unless one is desperate of course. To date, I've never met a more stubborn customer than the one who sold me these."

"That's all that makes those things valuable? Sentimentality?" Mel's nose wrinkled ever so slightly, her focus on the completely innocuous items.

"Of course." A clawed finger poked at Melusine's chest. "Would you be willing to part with the clothes on your back for a mere sum of coin?"

Mel's feet took two steps back, her arms crossed over her chest to shield herself, and a hiss threatened to sputter along her tongue. Baugulf's back blocked Giovanni from Mel's view, a polite but very fake smile on his lips. He managed to be imposing even with the wad of confetti string still balanced on top of his head.

"We answered your question, sir. I'd appreciate it if you helped us out."

Giovanni appeared to be disappointed at the reactions he was getting, and held his hands up in surrender.

"I meant nothing by it. Appraisals of weaponry are four silver each."

Melusine's sword was stolen from her by her knight escort and used as a lure to follow Giovanni to a counter in the back of the store. They blissfully ignored how Mel cussed Baugulf out under her breath.

"We can afford it, and we only need the one." A coin pouch was pulled from Baugulf's belt and placed on the counter with a heavy clink.

"Oh my, in that case let me take a look at this little beauty." One of Giovanni's hands rested on the counter, and the other ran along the groove in the center of the rusted metal. Underneath the layer of oxidized steel, the blade flashed a bright white. An excited smile curled up Giovanni's smile, revealing sharper than normal canines. Melusine raised an eyebrow, but didn't dare comment on how the store proprietor purred in exquisite excitement. "It's nothing flashy, but there is a dying wish placed on this weapon."

"What kind of wish?" Melusine asked.

"A conquest. 'Kill this thing that killed me, and my sword is yours,' sort of deal. Who's the lucky one out of the two of you?"

"This one right here." From above Melusine's head, Bagulf pointed down at her with a proud grin, looking like a parent whose child had won a tournament. "A conquest, hm...? How can you be sure that one of us fit the criteria?"

"Because the enchantment is locked onto its wielder. You wouldn't have been able to take it more than five meters away from whoever owned it last if you didn't fulfil the dying wish. But now that I've explained its nature, we can get to the fun part."

"Is this when you tell me I'm going to turn into a toad?"

"Goodness, young lady. No. This is where I tell you how to use your new little toy."

"I killed a monster with it—I'd hardly call it a toy..."

"Pish posh! Hold your hand out to it, then order it to return. Either in your head, or use your words, it makes no difference. As long as you have the force of will to make it obey. That's how it works, see?"

Mel thrust her right hand out towards the sword on the counter. She tilted her head and hummed thoughtfully as she pondered her approach.

Not wanting to suffer the embarrassment of speaking aloud and nothing happening, Melusine silently prayed for the enchantment to activate. When there were no immediate results, Mel closed her eyes tight and tried to picture the sword magically appearing in her hand instead.

The sword flew at her, the handle sticking to her palm. She tried to catch the hilt with both hands, but only succeeded in smacking her knuckles against the blade. Melusine went tumbling backwards from the force and weight of a longsword being magically thrust at her. The weapon hit the ground with a terrible clatter, bumping into a nearby marble display stand.

Rushing to her side, Baugulf leaned over to check on Melusine. His eyes and brow were full of genuine concern, which comforted Mel some.

"Miss Melusine! Are you alright?"

"Just peachy," Mel grunted, rubbing at the sore spot in her poor backside. She held her hand up to Baugulf, who quickly grasped it and helped her back to her feet. "Do you think that this is enough of an appraisal for it to be restored? I don't think I want to get another one."

"That's all there is to it, I'm afraid. I've always been fond of link enchantments. It puts on such a show when people try to get the hang of it," Giovanni cooed. A harsh blood-red glare was shot at Giovanni, and Mel's breath hissed out along her flattened tongue. "Goodness, we've got a wild cat in our midst. Save me oh-brave and dashing knight!"

"Nope, I'm afraid that I'm under this villainess's service exclusively, Sir Giovanni." A gleaming businessman's smile flashed onto Baugulf's lips, and he stuck out a hand, palm pointed towards Giovanni.

"I'm not a wild cat or a villainess, I'm a Dragon's—" Baugulf slapped his hand over Melusine's mouth. Melusine took the opportunity to swipe over his head, smacking the confetti string off.

"What a feisty young lady, believing herself to be a dragon." A clawed hand was held out, palm up. Giovanni's tone was honeyed as he leaned on the counter, the blank gaze of his mask boring holes into Baugulf. "If I could have my payment... please."

"Ah, of course. My apologies." The knight fumbled inside his coin pouch for a few moments before he withdrew four silver coins. A crown was minted on one side, and two dragons circling each other was molded on the other. The payment was dropped into Giovanni's eager grasp. The coins were quickly tucked away into his robes.

"Thank you very much for your patronage, and for stopping in. It's always good to see you, Sir Bélanger."

"Same here, Sir Giovanni. Your work is always appreciated."

"So you've been here enough times to be remembered?" Melusine asked, interjecting herself into their conversation. She glanced between the two of them, noticing the stiffness around Baugulf's eyes and the extra quirk to Giovanni's smile. "This is the first time I've ever heard your surname too. Why is it familiar?"

"And with that, we should go. Come along, Miss Melusine." Melusine's sword was snatched up by one of Baugulf's hands, and the other gripped onto her wrist. She was dragged out of the shop while she glanced back over her shoulder.

"Please do come again soon," Giovanni called after them with a toothy grin and a friendly wave.