All in all, Roxa was pissed off. Not that that was an unusual state for her. Hardly a day went by without her becoming annoyed at something. Be it one of her idiotic customers, a boyfriend shivering while he broke up with her, or just another bill in the mailbox. But today was especially bad.
First of all, after many a complaint, her boss had put her on probation. Meaning she was under observation during her fitness classes. The scrawny little ass sat in the back, making sure she was on her best behavior. It was hell. How was she to get the scrawny losers that she was teaching to get into the program, if she had to walk on egg shells the whole time?
The fact that Jake, the latest in her long line of boyfriends, had called her this morning, asking her with a pathetic tremble in his voice to not contact him again didn't help to improve her mood.
Yet the cherry on top, the thing that really got her blood boiling, was the group of brontos that had visited the gym today. All of them were massive, towering above her. Taunting her with their natural height. Laughing all the way. If there was one thing Roxa couldn't stand, it was people larger than her. Though they were few and far between, she couldn't help but focus on them every time she saw one in the street. Since she couldn't take her frustrations out on her class, the only way she could deal with her anger was to work herself to the bone. Which she had done for the last few hours. By now, every muscle in her body ached, her tight sports bra was drenched in her sweat.
Still, as she finally went to get changed, the anger still burned within her. Roxa sighed. The day was a wash. Maybe she could relax at home somewhat. But before that, she still had one final place she wanted to stop by today.
After she had exchanged her work out gear for a pair of tight denim shorts and a black tank top, Roxa quickly packed her bag and without so much as a goodbye left the fitness studio.
She walked down the street, finally a spark of excitement igniting within her. She had been looking forward to this all week. It might tacky, but Roxa kept tabs on all the jewelry stores in town. So she was one of the first to know that a new one would be opening today. In fact, she might be the only one who knew. It wasn't a big store, or anything. A small ad that had popped up on her news ticker was the only hint to its existence.
She turned the corner into a side alley, finally arriving at the store. From the outside, it didn't look like much. There were no windows allowing to see inside the shop, the concrete walls and metal door making it look more like a seedy nightclub. Had there not been a rickety sign advertising the store, Roxa probably wouldn't even have found it. All the more reason to be excited. No one was around - Roxa would be the first to enter!
She slammed open the door, recoiling at the thick air pregnant with the scent of incense. Through the hazy smoke, Roxa could get a glimpse of the shop itself. It looked exactly how she imagined: small shelves cluttered with the tandy, cheap stuff that only an idiot would have an interest in. Instead, she focused on the tiny glass cases in the center. Various pendants were displayed there. Gold. Silver. Various gems. A true feast for her eyes.
"Oh, welcome, young lady!" Roxa nearly jumped at the voice. Behind the counter sat a frail, old human woman. The shopkeeper, judging by her attire. Roxa merely grunted a greeting. She didn't want to talk to her, she only wanted a new necklace.
The shopkeeper, however, didn't take her rudeness as a hint to stop pestering her.
"Please, look around. I have a feeling you will find just what you want in my shop."
Roxa chose to ignore her. Slowly, she made her way through the shop, taking a closer look at the displayed trinkets. A frown spread over her face. Most of them were disappointing. Even the ones in the glass cases weren't all that exciting. Their design was either boring or gaudy. Some even somehow managed to be both at the same time.
Growing more frustrated, Roxa was almost ready to storm out again, when she laid eyes on the final pendant. This one was actually a lot more interesting. A small, golden amulet, on a silver chain. She couldn't quite make out what the pendant was supposed to be, but it almost looked like a saurian's claw. However, far more interesting were the small carvings in its all over it. An engraving in some kind of language she didn't know.
Relieved that she had found something, at least, she grabbed the pendant and brought it to the counter.
"Oh, how interesting. I had a feeling you would choose this one."
"Uh-huh," Roxa mumbled, "How much for it."
"Hmmm," the shopkeeper hummed, "for you, I'll make it a hundred."
Roxa balked. That was insanely cheap for what was the best piece of merchandise in this shop. Still, she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Quickly, she scrounged up some bills out of her pocket and slammed them on the counter. Then, she turned. She had what she wanted, after all. No need to keep the old woman company.
"Oh? Do you not even want to know what the engraving says?"
Roxa stopped dead in her tracks. On one hand she was annoyed that the woman kept pestering her, but she couldn't deny that she was curious. Slowly, she turned towards the shopkeeper and returned to the counter.
"And what does it say, huh?" she asked, impatiently.
"Oh, this is an interesting one. Give me a moment."
The old woman leaned closer, scrutinizing the amulet. A shadow fell over her face.
"It says..."
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