THERE WAS A surprisingly brisk trade going on inside the narrow shop. There was not much floor area as the building was squeezed between a glass recycling warehouse and a secondhand parts outlet that took in anything used once, even food.
Added to the crowdedness of the place was an impressive display of donated items and a wide variety of individuals in search of bargains, rareties given away by well-meaning rich people and stuff that might merely sell elsewhere at a slight profit. It was an opportunist's paradise.
The man behind the counter had a small bristly moustache beneath a round nose. There was in fact a general roundness about him and when his round eyes caught sight of the uniforms of the four newcomers as they wandered slowly among the displays he recognised they were elite customers.
'Ladies! Welcome to my establishment,' Bonsie said in a voice that carried across the bustling shop floor. Everyone stopped and looked at the youngsters.
'We're not here to buy,' Pirouette said combatively, 'merely to laugh.'
Anthera meanwhile was examining some jewellery items closely. She picked up a necklace from among a box of sparkling things and brought them to the counter.
'Ah,' Bonsie said. 'I see we have a connoisseur.'
'This item is being offered for three coins,' she said.
'Well,' the man replied, 'it is rather fine.'
'Fine! It is genuine and without flaw. Who donated this?'
'We don't usually give out the name of donors miss,' Bonsie said, taking up the necklace and peering more closely at it. The girl with the spectacles could clearly see more than him for it looked very much like all the others in the box.
'In Shard and Razor you could retail this at four hundred coins after sales tax, sumptuary tax and the presidential upkeep contributions have been taken from it.'
'Sounds profitable,' the man said quietly and gulped. The usual noisy buzz in the shop had quietened down to an interested murmur. People were looking at the box from where the necklace had been taken and some began sidling towards it carefully.
'The owner must have known its worth,' Anthera pursued.
Vetta pushed forward then, eyes bright with interest.
'What a generous person,' she squeaked with delight, 'to give away such a valuable item to help the needy. It would be amazing to meet them and express gratitude for their kindness.'
'Well, miss,' and Bonsie gestured at some shelves upon which splendid-looking vases and dishes were ranged in a colourful display of ceramic glazes, 'she often brings a few bits and pieces to the shop when in one of her generous moods.'
Meresinth went over to the vases and her hand hovered near each of them until the Meditia girl nodded. She picked up one with a red and blue geometrical design and checked the underside. Anthera stood beside her and glanced at the symbols on the bottom before the other replaced it on the shelf.
'Octoran Precision Phase Ware,' Anthera said quietly and smirked. 'A hundred and fifty years old and without a chip or crack anywhere.'
When Meresinth had turned the vase upside down a small slip of paper had fallen out and without anyone noticing, Anthera picked it up, read it and pocketed it before turning to her colleagues.
'Well, I think that's been highly educational,' she said casually. 'Time to get back.'
'Are we not going to buy anything?' Vetta said, disappointed.
'Don't you want to pay a visit to the mystery donor?' Anthera whispered. The Poldorama girl nodded. 'Then follow me.'
Three girls left and blinked in the sunshine which had reached the narrow Help Street by this time.
'Where's Pirry?' Meresinth said.
'Still inside.'
The Arbornica girl went in to fetch her.
'I'll give you ten coins for that necklace,' she heard the Perfectine say to the spluttering Bonsie who confused by what the other girl had said put up little resistance to someone born to make aggressive purchases. She pinged some credit to his till, snatched the sparkly thing before any doubts might creep in and marched out of the shop just as a crowd of customers ransacked the jewellery box to make their own possibly life-changing purchases, or so they hoped.
Pirouette joined the others on the walkway.
'Well,' she said, admiring the sparkly effects of sunlight on the necklace as she held it up. The glinting effect woke up the drowsy dog on the wall and it growled. Pirouette ignored it. 'I begin to see the attraction of charity shops,' she said happily. 'Anthera, we must make a survey of all such similar outlets. You could be my personal shopper for the weekends in the more unsavoury areas of this unsavoury town.'
'That will be a no,' Anthera replied casually.
'Hmn,' and Pirouette huffed, pocketed her prize and marched off along Help Street a short distance. Then she paused and looked around. 'Which direction is civilisation?' she said uncertainly.
No one took any notice. Anthera leaned closer to Vetta confidingly.
'Besides, I was kidding about the value. Noticed lots of people were looking but not buying, so engineered a little sales strategy to help matters along. That till's fairly pinging every second as we stand here discussing the relative values of wealth, charity and generosity.'
'Generosity is of the greatest value,' Vetta pitched in, amazed at Anthera's cleverness, 'because...'
'Are we going to stand here in darkness for the rest of the weekend?' Pirouette called out from where she stood bathed in bright sunshine. 'Trams to opulence do not stop here.'
Vetta sighed and the others laughed charitably.