A/N: It has been quite a while since I delved into HM again. Grand Bazaar has awoken me!
*Note: The Main Character's Name;
Nella
…It is a Dutch name meaning "War Horn"
(Simply because everyone seems Dutch in the game, and she's quite a fierce little lady!)
Nella's POV
It was the first Grand Bazaar in my life, here in this fine spring day at Zephyr Town. I had a few boxes of Turnip Salad, (and not the best kind too) a bunch of wild flowers and a couple of bugs in cages for sale.
Honestly, what do I make of such a display!
"Come and feast your eyes on these fine bargains!"
I ring my bell for the nth time, desperate to call in customers. I can't believe Felix says how naturally talented I seem. Looking around, the stall that sells stupid rocks for thousands seems to do much better than me!
"Excuse me? Would you mind telling me how much this flower costs?"
"H-huh? Sorry, come again?" Darn! I shouldn't let my mind wander off!
"This Toy Flower, how much it cost?"
"50G. it's 50G for one flower"
"Is that so? Well then, I'll take all of them!"
I blinked twice. Who was this guy?
"G-great! Well, let me get a bag for you…" I scrambled behind my store to find a nice bag, but to no avail. So, being the flexible merchant that I am; I grabbed a bug cage, set the little guy free and shoved the wild flowers into the cage.
"There! That'll be 300G!" I chirped at the young man.
"Uhm, there are 7 flowers here. That means I pay 350G"
Oh snap. I HATE math.
"O-oh that's because you're my very first buyer and I'm giving you one flower for free!" I nodded and smirked in satisfaction. Man, I am quite clever.
"Free? How very nice of you, Nella"
As he said my name, I could feel a slight flutter in my heart. Could it be that I might like the guy, or that I'm just plain irritated by people calling me "Market lady" or "Empty stall girl"?
"No problem. Just keep coming back and you'll see plenty of this soon enough" I handed him the cage full of flowers and tipped my purple hat at my very first customer. He seemed to be amused by how I handled the situation, and accepted the goods gratefully.
"W-wait! This is quite a historical moment for me!" I grabbed my outdated camera that only takes black and white photos, (inherited from my Grandma!) and set it up in front of the stall.
"This'll only take a minute… Mr…?"
"Call me Ivan. And, is it fine to be taking a photograph of us right now? You're in the middle of selling aren't you?"
"Psh, no potential customer in sight. Ok, CHEESE!" I pressed the button that was linked to the camera and snapped it. YES, a souvenir photo of me and my very first crush- I MEAN… Customer!
"So uh, where do you live Ivan? In town? I can deliver a copy for you if you want"
"That would be splendid. Here, this is my address…" He conveniently had a little notebook and pen in his pocket and quickly jotted down a map to his house for me. Man, is this guy nice or what?
"I'll be looking forward to that photo, Nella. Here's the money for the flowers. Have a good day now" He handed me the money, nodded and walked away from my stall.
I smiled as he left, and then counted the money. "100, 200, 300… 400… 500!"
"W-wait, Ivan! You gave me too much!" I tried peering towards where he left off, but I couldn't find any sign of him anymore.
Is this a trick? Is he testing me or something? Or is it a way of helping me out?
Either way, I WON'T HAVE IT. I can do just fine without anyone's help!
I've decided to return the extra 200G to him in his house tomorrow; in the mean time…
"This cage… am I forced to get the bug inside if I buy it?" a certain blonde asked me.
"Well, you're basically paying for the bug; really." I said as I tried to put on the brightest smile I could possibly muster.
Freya placed her hand on her chin and just stood there, staring at the cage.
I wanted to ask her if she wants it, but decided to let her stay for the heck of it. At least I can make my stall appear interesting.
The town bell rung. "The Grand Bazaar will close in an hour, attention everyone! The Gran-"
I can't believe this! Seven hours of screaming, ringing and explaining and I've only managed to gain 300G…"
"You need to convince them, Nella."
A certain turban-head came near me. I shrugged and rolled my eyes. Not now, Lloyd!
"What do you want, Lloyd? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"I closed up early, I sold out today."
"Well WHOOPDIDOO" I continued grunting and eyed Freya. She still chooses not to move, NOR say another word about the item.
"Well are you going to buy it or no-"
"This cage might also hold small pets, like rabbits and gerbils" Lloyd managed to cut in, giving her the brightest smile that seemed to outshine even my own!
"I was just thinking that as well! I had a pet gerbil in my house you see, and it's rather unhappy in his little shoebox…" She got her wallet from her purse and looked at me.
My eyes grew wide at the sudden change in Freya, suddenly, this woman wanted to buy from me!
"How much would it cost then?"
"nine thousa- UMPH" Lloyd shoved some turnip salad into my mouth and waved his arm at her.
"100G for the cage, and 110G with the bug included. Your gerbil's diet should be balanced, and I believe grasshopper might be a staple" He fixed his glasses and glanced at her.
Freya went into that thinking position once more, before ultimately nodding in agreement. "Sounds fair enough. I'll take it with the bug!"
My eyes sparkled as I took the cage and handed it over, grabbing the money and snickering soon after. Freya smiled and waved good bye, quite pleased with her purchase.
"Hey, is money all you can think about, Nella?" Lloyd frowned and looked at me, his one brow raised high.
"Of course not; I'm just really relieved" I smirked and placed half of the money in my pocket. "Here, thanks for your help. As much as I don't want to admit it, you're pretty good with all this merchant business" I offered him 55G, avoiding his glance as I did.
He pushed my hand away gently, and looked in another direction. I swear I could see a slight red form in his cheeks!
"You looked so desperate and sad from afar, of course I couldn't just watch. I don't need any money from you"
"But I'm a rival to your own business"
Lloyd managed to let out a chuckle, which kind of pissed me off.
"Seeing your sorry state right now? You're barely even a threat"
A vein popped in my head as I tightened my fists, ready to punch the-
"I've got enough loyal customers and I sold out anyway. Look, I can't stress how important customer relations is to a business"
"I find it funny how you seem to pull-off a little façade in front of the customers, Lloyd. When I see you stare at the river, or lay in your hammock, you always seemed kind of mad at the world for something"
"And exactly when do you see me do these things?" He raised a brow at the idea of me stalking him.
WHAT A JERK.
"I… I walk around the village a whole LOT ok? I need to catch bugs for m-"
"You're a farmer, not a bug catcher. Focus on your fieldwork first, ok?" He looked at me with pure seriousness. I sighed and nodded. He was probably right.
"I guess I should thank you instead, huh? Well…" I clapped my hands together and bowed down. "Thanks for all the help!"
He looked away once more and covered his face with his long sleeve. "J-just… Make sure I don't catch you stalking me next time" He silently cursed himself and walked away. I didn't look anymore because I wanted to count my money.
610G; this'll help me get by this week.
I sighed and looked around. I wonder where Ivan had gone?
A/N: That was a fun story to write!
I hope you see the love triangle forming here.
Review to get updates!
Thanks for reading~