Set during the Previous Zinder EventThere were, Seris decided, several mistakes involved in coming to the Zinder carnival alone; the first had been assuming she could walk through it unnoticed. The second had been stopping at the plushie stall. The third had been seeing Quinn Varanin . Not Quinn herself, obviously. A plushie version of Quinn.
Seris stopped several meters away from the stall, grey-green eyes narrowing slightly as though distance might somehow change what she had seen. It did not. Wedged between a miniature Adelle Bastiel and an aggressively cheerful Mia Monroe was a tiny representation of the Queen of Eshan, complete with pale hair, an approximation of royal clothing, and an expression that was far too pleased with itself. Seris stared at it, and the plushie stared back.
This was ridiculous.
She continued walking. Seven steps later, she stopped. Her crimson hair shifted over one shoulder as she glanced back toward the stall. It was still there. Of course it was still there.
Seris exhaled slowly through her nose and returned. The attendant greeted her with considerably more enthusiasm than the situation warranted. "I would like that one." She pointed toward Quinn. The attendant reached for it. Then Seris noticed the Allyson Locke plush beside it. She paused. That one would be funny. Taiia would absolutely pretend otherwise, which made it considerably funnier. "I'll take that one as well." The attendant added Allyson to the counter.
Seris glanced farther down the display. Darth Prazutis . Aether Verd. Darth Carnifex, for reasons Seris could not begin to understand. Lily Decoria. Srina Talon. Arris Windrun. There were dozens of them. The problem presented itself almost immediately. If Seris purchased Quinn and one or two others, then Quinn would very obviously be the reason she had stopped. That was unacceptable. Seris considered the matter with the same seriousness she might have given a tactical problem. Then she looked at the attendant. "All of them." The attendant blinked. Seris gestured toward the display. "The entire set."
There was a silence. "All of them?"
"Yes."
"That's… a lot of plushies."
"I noticed." The attendant stared at her for another moment before apparently deciding that credits were credits and began clearing the shelves. Seris folded her arms and waited. By the time the transaction was complete, she had somehow acquired several bags, two boxes, one oversized Carnifex she had absolutely not requested but had apparently been included as part of a promotional bundle, and a small receipt long enough to qualify as literature.
The Quinn plushie remained tucked carefully beneath one arm. Entirely by coincidence. Seris looked down at it. Then at the mountain of purchases surrounding her. This had gotten somewhat out of hand. Still, nobody could reasonably determine which plushie she had actually wanted. She considered that a success.
Her comm chimed. A message from Caelan. Why did my account just get charged 320,000 credits?? Seris stared at the message. Then at Quinn. Then back at the message. She muted the conversation. Some problems did not require immediate solutions.
